A few days ago I had the infamous "relaxer" dream more like nightmare, I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming and tugging at my hair. When I realized my hair was still natural, I was overcome with joy.... It forced me to reflect on my natural journey and the times my natural hair was flourishing, healthy and strong. So, I have decided to go back to what I know works. I've ordered some of my old staple and favorite products such as Organic Alma Powder (for strengthening and growth), Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner (for conditioning and moisturizing), and Jamaican Black Castor Oil (for shine and to seal in moisture). In 2015 it's my goal to be more attentive to my hair and listen to its needs. I'll be finding some time in my busy schedule to love on this hair regularly!!
Hello Divas!!! Its been a while between my blog post and I must apologize to you all. Life has gotten extremely busy for me. But have no fear, I'm still here! I want to give you a little update on my hair journey. Last week I got it semi-straightened and was very impressed with the growth until I found out my stylist had to cut off 2 1/2 inches (pictured below). I probably needed another inch off, but settled for the 2 1/2.... What I have come to realize....That even though I hadn't been frustrated with my hair......My hair is frustrated with me. Over the past year or more, I have done a very poor job at investing time and quality products in my hair. Its been super easy for me to wear two strand twist for 2-3 weeks at a time, only using oil and gel. I thought wearing twist would be good for my hair....NOT! It still needed some tender loving care.........
A few days ago I had the infamous "relaxer" dream more like nightmare, I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming and tugging at my hair. When I realized my hair was still natural, I was overcome with joy.... It forced me to reflect on my natural journey and the times my natural hair was flourishing, healthy and strong. So, I have decided to go back to what I know works. I've ordered some of my old staple and favorite products such as Organic Alma Powder (for strengthening and growth), Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner (for conditioning and moisturizing), and Jamaican Black Castor Oil (for shine and to seal in moisture). In 2015 it's my goal to be more attentive to my hair and listen to its needs. I'll be finding some time in my busy schedule to love on this hair regularly!!
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According to NV Magazine Titi Branch has passed away. She was the co-founder of Miss Jessie's a leading company in the natural hair care industry. She created their signature Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding® for the Brooklyn hair salon, Curve, she ran with her sister Miko. As sales for the product skyrocketed the sisters decided to move the salon to the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn where it was renamed after their family matriarch -- their no nonsense grandmother Miss Jessie. With the renaming of the salon in 2005 came the additions of Curly Meringue®, Curly Buttercreme® and later Baby Buttercreme®. Branch was not a chemist but a creative spirit who used her kitchen as her laboratory to create these products.
The Queens-native was a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in economics. She worked as a field producer for WABC-TV in New York City prior to Miss Jessie's. Her entrepreneurial career started prior to delving into the hair care industry. Titi and her sister were taught by their father to be independent and their first business together was a Kool-Aid stand as kids. They also ran a a cleaning business after graduating college. Later Titi launched a booking agency for hair and celebrity photographers called Icon Creative Artists. This led to her reconnecting with her sister, a hairstylist, in business. After adding her to the firm's client roster and the success that followed the next step was the creation of the salon, which opened originally in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn and the launch of Miss Jessie's -- the products are now on the shelves of Target, CVS, Ricky's, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Walmart and various other national retailers. Born June 10, 1969 Titi Cree Branch died on Dec. 4, 2014 in an apparent suicide due to asphyxia. She is survived by her parents, sister, nephew and many loving relatives. She also leaves behind Anthony Spadafora, her boyfriend and business partner in her last venture Maestro's Classic, a line of beard care products. Solange.....What?!?! Goes down in history as one of the most BEAUTIFUL brides in this century! She wasn't afraid to defy the traditional wedding and the results were amazing. From the vintage bicycle to the cute little performance with her son Julez, the wedding was FLAWLESS! I must admit yes I am obsessed with Solange's Wedding Day. Her array of caped one-pieces were absolutely astonishing. She showed off enough curves to insinuate her sexiness and covered enough to show you she's still a lady. Of course Solange's gorgeous afro set the tone for her unique and amazing wedding flow. Most importantly the couple looked very happy!
For a couple weeks I've seeing a few naturals ranting and raving over Gorilla Snot Gel. From the reviews I've seen Gorilla Snot seems to work for all hair types. After weeks of being disappointed with Eco Styler Gel (click HERE to read about my recent experiences with Eco Styler) I decided to go to Walmart and purchase a bottle of this "Gorilla Snot".... Well the first thing that caught my eye...the price only $3.47 for 9oz...Secondly the fact its called Gorilla Snot, with a name like that... this stuff gotta work. As soon as I purchased the product, I went home and read the ingredients. Sadly, one of the top ingredients is ALCOHOL which is VERY drying to my hair. I didn't let that deter me and decided to give it a try anyway. My hair was already washed, cleaned and air dried so I just added a little "Snot" and two strand twisted. You only need very little, this stuff is SUPER thick and pasty. After 2 minutes I released the trial twist and WHOA.....Defined Curls (pictured below)! Before I continued using the product to finishing twisting, I rubbed a little moisturizer on my hair (Qhemet Biologic Alma Olive Heavy Cream). After twisting my hair, I added some olive oil to seal in moisture and add some shine. Woke up the next day released my twist and to my surprise a nice twist out.... Not the best one ever, but nice. I was happy to find there was not any residue, my hair wasn't hard or dry. I would use this product again, but not often due to the content of Alcohol. I love the hold it provides for my hair. Pictured above is 2nd day hair. I didn't have to re-twist, just tied it up, woke up and fluffed!
Ingredients: Water, PVP, Alcohol, PEG-150, Sorbitol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum (Guar), Fragrance, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Green 8 (CI 59040)............ Nothing Natural about this prod uct! As always be careful and do what works for your hair! The 3rd Annual Naturals Expo hosted by Darice Rene! Order your tickets today by clicking HERE!!! This is an event you don't want to miss!!!
The other day I was scrolling through my Facebook when I ran across this picture!!! Cicily a local hair stylist and loctician posted a photo of her hair. I've know Cicily for a long time and have watched her loc journey over the past 15 years..... So when I saw this picture I shrieked thinking she had cut her long beautiful locs. I didn't realize it was a styling technique... until this.............. Cicily twisted her loc's, wore them for a few days and took them down....The results GORGEOUS!!!!
I'm excited to see my FAVORITE Natural Youtube Vlogger is back!!! Simplyounique big chopped for the second time on August 17th several months after wearing a chemical relaxer. So glad she has re-joined the natural community! Looking forward to her new journey and hair tutorials!!
I’ve been asked the question many times “What’s a good deep conditioner for my natural hair?” It’s a good question and I have a golden answer “every hair texture is different and you have to use what works for your hair.” Some naturals prefer the organic deep conditioners, some prefer synthetic, and others just don’t care. I bounce back in forth between all three. I do what works for my hair. Based on experience with my natural hair, my top fav’s are Shea Moisture Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque and Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose. Shea Moisture Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque Ingredients: Deionized water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Argan Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax, Sea Kelp Extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B-5),Essential Oil Blend, Avacado Oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower (and) Lonicera Japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Hyssopus Officinalis Extract, Salvia Officinalis (sage) Leaf and Equisetum Arvense Extract, Soybean Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil Description: Sea Kelp - mineral-rich nutrition seals and smoothes hair cuticles. Argan Oil - restores shine while helping promote hair elasticity. Shea Butter - deeply moisturizes while conditioning hair and scalp. My Opinion: So if you have been following my blog since its inception, you know that Shea Moisture Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque is my one of my staple products. This product moisturizes my hair and provides nice shine…..and the best part NO DETANGLING STRUGGLE! Can you imagine a life without having to pull, yank and snatch!! Immediately after washing my hair, I applying the treatment masque to my hair, let it sit for about 30 minutes with a plastic bag. I rinse and style, no detangling necessary!! Before I started using Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque the STRUGGLE was real....So this is how I feel after applying it to my hair...... Woosah! Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose
INGREDIENTS: Aqua, cetyl alcohol (from coconut), alcohol denat. (38b, lavender), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, glycerin, rosa rubiginosa (Rosa Mosqueta®) seed oil*,macadamia ternifolia seed oil*, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil*, argania spinosa (argan) nut oil*, citrus grandis (grapefruit) extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherol (vitamin E), calendula officinalis extract*, chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower extract*, melissa officinalis (balm mint) flower/leaf/stem extract,chrysanthemum sinense flower extract, humulus lupulus (hops) flower extract, magnolia biondii bud/flower extract, lonicera japonica (honeysuckle) flower extract,angelica archangelica root extract, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) seed extract. Description: Organic Rosa Mosqueta oil and a blend of rich floral extracts smooth away tangles and leave dry, brittle hair soft and manageable in this ultra-hydrating formula. Lightly floral Honeysuckle scent. My Opinion: I ABSOLUTELY love this deep conditioner! It really does nourish my hair with great moisturizing results. With this product, I deep condition by using it as a pre-wash. Before washing my hair, I saturate it with AHR, walk around house, and complete a few errands. For some reason, when I use it as a pre-wash my hair is much softer, moisturized and manageable. I have used AHR after washing my hair, but the pre wash technique seems to yield better results. Great product for super dry and brittle hair! This product can be purchased at Whole Food Stores or some Walgreens. Can I just say, my life is like a whirlwind that never stops…. So in midst of all the busy-ness, I found some time to celebrate my 40th birthday last weekend. The husband planned a weekend filled with awesome adventures and romance. Yes, my hon-tee did the darn thang, giving me the BEST birthday EVER. But, back to what I was getting at. Thursday night, prior to leaving for our trip, I twisted my hair in a 2 strand twist in preparation of wearing a twist out. I used Eco Styler Gel that I had purchased from Sally’s the day before. Now my experience with ECO-Styler has always been AWESOME. I love this stuff like a fat kid love cake, its my staple product. HOWEVER, I went to release my twist on Friday and my hair was a complete disaster!! There was no hold, firmness, curls, waves…NOTHING! I was like “hol up…way ment…naw” this can’t be happening. So I pulled out the Eco for a quick up-do. And again….NOTHING, my hair was not smooth or even trying to lay down. I looked at the bottle of ECO and noticed it was different (pictured below). Due to our reservations, I had to act quick and put it in a frizzy pony puff and made sure my makeup was on point. I was so confident in the Eco Styler Gel and Castor Oil doing the job that I had decided not to pack any other styling products or tools….Crazy right???! So the next day, I used Siri (Iphone) to help me find a Chinese Beauty Supply Store….Thank God for Siri and Chang Lee. I found some Eco Styler Gel in the regular bottle (pictured below) and picked up some Marley hair. I went back to the hotel washed my hair quickly and whipped up a 10 minute hairstyle. I twisted the front of my hair using Eco and Castor Oil (preparing for wavy pompadour), I used very little Marley hair for a full bun. The results where MUCH better!!! I also noticed the normal bottle of Eco Styler Gel was giving my hair nice hold as normal. Needless to say, Eco-Styler must have changed their ingredients along with the design of the bottle. I do NOT like this new Eco-Styler Gel and I’m not the only one, a naturalista commented on one of my blog-post indicating the same exact experience! Here’s what happened next……40 and Flawless!!! Part 1: 40 &Flawless Birthday Celebration...... My Bestie Fawn and I turning 40 this week.....and of course "We woke up like this....FLAWLESS"!! The Birthday Crew......VIRGOS ROCK! Lots of family and friends came out to celebrate!!! And of course the apple of my eye and the love of my life...... Looking forward to Part 2 on my birthday September 20th!!!!
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