Natural Hair Diaries: Raven Symone Red Carpet

Well isn't she lovely!! I love Raven!!!

Natural Hair Diaries: Carol's Daughter New Spokeswomen

Carol's Daughter has chosen Selita Ebanks, Solange Knowles, and Cassie (Casandra Ventura) as there new spokeswomen.  Interesting choices!! I'm sure they will be wonderful.

The jokes are alive and well on social networks regarding the spokeswomen being Kanye's "almost" boo, Bey's lil sis (ie. don't give Bey the job she needs to give Jay some kids) and Diddy's "boo".  Well I'm sure that doesn't phase these ladies.  Ironically enough, I have a post coming on Cassie in the next few days.  Do your thing ladies!

Natural Hair Diaries: Tangle Teezer

Review: Tangle Teezer

So after the same long drawn out hunt everyone else has had, I finally got my hands on the "elusive" Tangle Teezer. The Sally Beauty Supply closest to me finally got in a shipment but the wench (excuse me calling her that but she answered the phone like i was calling her cell phone late at night while she was with her man) told me they didnt come in. I forgot to call the next day but when I finally did, the sweet lady who answered said "we sold the last one yesterday". So of course this was me.

Something told me: "Self...call the Sally's by where you used to stay...you know the one with the heavy hispanic population.....yea...." So I call them.  "Hello, Do you have the Tangle Teezer" lady: "yes" me: "how many?" her: "About 3 boxes"

I hit the tangle teezer lottery.

Anyway, I was anxious to try it.  I loved my denman brush and was excited because I heard the TT cut detangling time drastically.  Plus its ergonomic and I have repetitive stress injuries in my wrists so ergonomic is the way to go for me.

So I use it! I love it.  I detangled my hair so quickly I cant even tell yall how long it was.  It was likely 2 minutes.  I had previously done a bentonite clay treatment (blog on that coming next) and then I had been DC'ing for about 2 hours.  I decided it was time to detangle and boy was it a breeze.  It wasn't hard for me to hold at all.  It takes getting used to but as long as you hold it correctly its made perfectly for your hand.  I mean, when i had conditioner all over me it did slip out of my hand once...but my denman does also.

Overall, I loved it.  I rinsed my hair today to refresh my curls and ran the TT thru it to detangle.  Again...quick and got the job done.

OH OH OH....also...I had minimal hair that came out in the TT compared to when I use my denman.  However, I will say that could be due to the bentonite clay treatment I just did but I will keep an eye on that and update.

Grade: A

Hello Lover...........2011 How art thou???

This is my year in review:

Well here we are at the end of another year.  2010 was good....if not great even.  A lot of things happened.....good and bad but as I look over the year the good outweighed the bad.

I started off the year road tripping!!! Excellent!!  Drove to VA Beach then flew to ATL for a long weekend to celebrate a birthday and visit another homie!!

No one in the DC area can forget Snowpocalyspe or GTFOHWTSnowBS as I like to call it.....shit was ridiculous.  However, I enjoyed a week to myself in my apartment!!  I should have been studying but ...I didn't...just relaxed. lol

Jan-March was crazy in terms of studying for my Grad School Comprehensive exam but it was worth it.  I even got in my first Ski Trip with my Line Sisters (too much fun) and another trip to VA Beach during the homie's Spring Break.

I met a new guy....he got cut!! Just weren't compatible enough.....and I had no patience for that at that time.

April....found out I passed my comprehensive exams.........THEREFORE.....i would be graduating from GW with my MASTERS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE IN MAY!!! woo hoo!!! yall know I was hyped.

May....flew my sisters up for my graduation and had a ball.  Flew back to the A-State with them to see my baby sister graduate from High School.

After graduation I was UNEMPLOYED.....but I made the best of it.  I started off with a Memorial Day trip to VA Beach....fun.  Then I made several more trips to VA Beach and even went to Atlanta/Athens, Georgia for a week for my birthday (ROAD TRIP).  It was great!!! I absolutely love my friends for all the fun and support during my FUNemployment!!! I love all yall!!!

I turned 25 on my Birthday and decided I needed to live my life for no one else but me....I also made a similar realization in 2005....but this was related to my personal life.  lol
I decided that I was missing something in my life....so I decided to get it back!! :-)

In September I got a full time job which let me be able to remain in the DC Area.....I was able to move to a better apartment with my line sister who was coming back to the country after 3 years in the United Arab Emirates.

I've met some new friends....joined a new book club....been extremely happy....cut off all my permed hair and went completely NATURAL ....                

celebrated my High School's 200th Anniversary....found the best church family in the DC Area (Reid Temple AME)...welcomed my line sisters daughter into the world...and spent time with friends and family!!!

This year has been great!!! Even during the rough times......everything was just as it should be!! I'm blessed!!!

And last but not least...in the last year my blog has grown tremendously!!! And I'd like to thank you ALL!! I appreciate your support!! Thanks!!!!

love you all....and may 2011 be as AMAZING!!!

Natural Hair Diaries: Natural Hair update.........

(insert excuses) my weeks have been busy and my weekends much busier....and i dont want to throw together some half assed post and video..........so my promise is that I'll do it over my Christmas Vaca... so it'll happen before the new year.

I have product reviews too...woo hoo!!

I've been taking pics and such and have some clips from my BC....so be on the lookout

via (FYCCC)

Natural Hair Diaries: Jergens irresponsible advertising

So I was hanging out with my roommate and her Lil sister last night at our apartment.  We had just gone grocery shopping for our post Thanksgiving Dinner.  At the store, Lil Sister decides to buy the latest O magazine in order to attempt to win some of Oprah's Favorite things.....yes lawd.

However, we get home and she's shocked by an advertisement for Jergens inside.  She's transitioning and I'm natural.  I'm pissed off when I see it.  Essentially the add is calling our natural hair ROUGH and less than elegant.  Check it out.  I took a picture immediately (sorry for the quality).

Not only do I think this is irresponsible advertising on Jergens part but I thought Oprah had a better grasp on what was put into her magazine.  When the ideal of natural beauty is being questioned daily by little black girls, one would hope that women of influence would at least try to see to this a little better.  Why is her sleek (photo shopped when you look closely) hair so radiant and her natural coils are ROUGH.  That makes me sick.  There had to be someone who approved this for Oprah that should know that something is wrong here.  Also...who at Jergens thought that this was fine and acceptable.  I definitely wont catch myself using Jergens.  I'll take my rough hair and skin over using that mess.  SORRY!!

Natural Hair Diaries: My Bad...My BC

Yea............so i def big chopped a couple weeks ago...........but i havent updated shit......


MY BAD!!!

A Video w/ several pics are coming soon.  Be on the lookout and as always suggestions and comments are more than welcome.

Natural Hair Diaries: News Reporter Goes Natural

Natural Hair Diaries: Latest Youtube Posts (11/05/2010)

Why I'm going Natural

Big Chop Soon - HELP

Where your opinion DOESN'T matter....Natural Hair

So.
I wasn't going to address this topic because it's quite honestly getting on my nerves but here I am.

As of late, we've been seeing a lot of unnecessary drama over the so-called "Natural Hair Movement" where people give you the side eye when you tell them you're going natural as if you decided to Cassie shave your head.

Well, I've never been the type to justify why I'm doing something because I honestly could care less (yall know Willow Smith BEEN my role model...lol).  But why are people so critical of people deciding to change something about THEMSELVES whether it be a fad or not when its not "bad" for them.  I just don't get it.

In the same time as not feeling the need to justify why I'm going through this journey, I realized that I never wrote about my purpose statement ....what brought me here.  I briefly mentioned it in one post but I did want to talk about it as I have dedicated a whole segment of my blog to it and a YouTube page.

My first LIVE video will be of me talking about my hair journey and why I chose this path.

Coming soon!!! Be on the lookout. www.youtube.com/naturalhairdiaries

Twist it up......

So originally this summer with the deathly humidity in DC i decided that the twist out would be my go-to hair style. I have NO PATIENCE...to free twist my hair ....so i do flat twist...

you know Cleo from Set it Off like. They turn out well though. I usually do the twists on the weekend and then wear my knit hat/cap over them. you know one of these. and thats why i kept my bangs out this time as you'll see.



So here's my twist out from a few weeks ago.

The Twists






The Results
These pics are right after i took out the twists...my hair takes FOREVER to dry so even after two days there were a couple damp spots still (shame) so when the day went on it expanded some. Cute though. NO pics of it thou. Acually i do have one from a couple days after. I'll post it as the last one.









I actually just twisted my hair up tonight....I did about 8 twists instead of the 5 or 6 i usually do. So I'll blog the results soon!


Products Used:
Organix Shampoo and Conditioner
Argan Oil
Motions Moose (im looking for a diff moose.....any suggestions)

Twist out after a couple days:

This. Right Here. Is My. Natural Hair Swag.

So as of January 2, 2010 I got my last perm. At the time, I didnt know it would be my last one. So i usually got 3-4 months before I get a perm anyway and my linesisters had been pressuring me to go ahead and stop getting perms for a while...but I'm so hair lazy that I wasnt trying to hear it. Like I said, I rarely got a perm, I just wrap it and go...I barely use my flat iron and i'm def not good with a curling iron and please done ask me to use rollers.

Anyway, I knew I liked my curls (especially on the thicker side of my hair) and thought abt how much more i would like it if I could just wear it like that on occasion...so I decided to go for it.

With the suggestions from a few natural friends, I found a stylist to go to and get my hair pressed in June (about 5 months in) and cut. The one i found is amazing. AMAZING!! I love her. She's worth every penny I've paid...and i'm in and out in an hour!!! WONDEROUS!!!

Here are a few pics:

Fresh Perm (January 2010)




June 2010 (before the cut)



June 2010 (the cut)




June 2010 (twist out)



July 2010 (new cut and press w/ bangs)




So...Hopefully I'll have all the perm cut off by December and I'll be 100% natural!! Woo Hoo!!! I sooo cant wait. I would have already cut a lot more off it it wasn't for this darn DC humidity!!! Craziness!!!