Out On The Town

Me and my boo EK went out on the town. We went to Maggiano's. Really I just wanted an excuse to wear my new outfit. I am slightly obsessed with peplums and animal print at the moment...so I bought an animal print shirt with a peplum lol. Peplums are good if you have a slight tummy cause they hide it and they emphasis your hips and booty. I got my whole outfit from asos.com. The top is here and the bottom is here. They have free shipping both ways!!!

Since I chopped my color off I have not been liking the way my fro has been looking. It is kinda short in the front and longer in the back...like a fro mullet. Oh well. Guess I just have to grow it out. The best way to grow out hair for my is some type of twists so that is what I will be doing soon.



I like how this pic looks kinda old school.



Front of outfit.

My Henna Experience

Hola Lindas!

So I told you all an an earlier post that I bought some Henna. Well I used it this weekend and I have mixed emotions lol. On one had I felt like a total complete hippie. I literally ahd mud in my hair. However, my hair does feel great today so I am gonna repeat the process again in the future. I want to say that I am gonna do it two times a month however, once a month is more realistic.  I purchased the henna from here.

First I measured out one cup of henna.

Next I added some honey to the henna.

Next I added water to make it a paste the consistancy of yorgurt. I planned on adding some green tea, however I discovered that I did not have green tea. Oh well, next time.

It smelled like a green tea, herby, plant like substance. I can't even believe I put this on my hair lol. I was totally grossed out at this point but I felt I had to continue.

Here is an up close pic of the henna in my hair.

So I put it on and let it sit for about three hours. I actually took a nap. I did not sleep well though. Then I got up and rinsed it out my hair. I have to admit that my hair felt thicker and moisturized after I rinsed the henna out and put some conditioner on. Next time I want to use green tea and also leave it in overnight. I will probably do it next week when I am off work for fall break.

So what has been your henna experience? Do you all have any tips for me?



Kinky Gal Lola

Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Lola. I am from Chattanooga, TN where natural hair was not accepted when I was much younger but sneaking in slowly.

 Why did you go natural?
I went natural in the 6th grade for no real reason just to rebel on my mother who loved hair , so I went to a beautician and she cute if off... FULL FADE!! I was definitely mistaken for a boy from behind; from teacher who did not know me....Good thing I had ghetto friends to curse them out as I watched in silence. I use to walk away looking at the teacher like, "Im sorry you have to get blessed out by my friend." hehehehe

How long have you been natural?
I have been natural since age 11, got a relaxer at 16, got rid of the relaxer at 18. Still natural at the age of 25.

Sometimes Lola likes to go out in public like this. It is a fetish.

What is your hair care routine?
I wet my hair and add shea butter...style as desired.

Did you transition? Tell me about your transitioning process.
Lets just say I knew nothing. Thank God for beauticians!!! Its funny b/c when we come over to the freedom side we realize we are product junkies which in all actuality make natural hair very expensive when you first get into it. You live and you learn.

Lola with Nashville Rueda

What are your fave products?
Shea Butter

Who is your hair icon?
My Aunt JD Richards, b/c she is a pioneer for natural hair. She has worked with chemist to customize products for ppl like us, so we can go from straight and tight kink.

What has helped your hair growth?
I would have to say braids, but I don't let my hair grow that much. I cut it off when I feel like it. The men in my life have never complained. If they do, why did they get with me in the first place.

Eejay and Lola

What has hindered your hair growth?
Color and dryness

How do you feel about relaxers?
I don't hate them, but I figure why go get you hair straightened permanently when you can have the versatility of both worlds.

How has going natural changed your life?
Well before I went natural people didn't ask me, "why did you cut your hair?" I really have a problem with that b/c I have cut my hair wearing a relaxer and no one would say anything. Happy nappy me always got 24 questions when I went natural. It has made me a stronger women, I must say. I'm more confident and I know that what ever I display on my head is not going to be the end of me. So many people get caught up in what type of weave is in fashion its a trip. Also people assume my hair never grows b/c of the tight curl pattern I have. I literally went to the barber shop they picked out my hair and was amazed b/c it was packed down. What can I say its Kunta!!lol

What is your current hair goal?
To keep it moisturized.

Lola as a leopard

How have men responded to you being natural?
 I have dated all men while natural....Indian, black, white, red and yellow! There are some that feel it is too much for them; they are all brainwashed by the American Dream...lol Men go through the same thing in embracing their natural hair as well.(I wont go into it) They have more respect for me, but they don't approach me so well. They tend to ask close friends about me but never do they approach me. I'm not intimidating...just saying.

Things you wish you knew when you first went natural?
That it would be such a big thing NOW!!

Lola at Halloween

Anything else you want to tell me?
Natural is still evolving, its something people aren't running away from now.

Lola and David Lucas

Do you have a website/youtube page you would like to share?
NOPE!!! but check out my friends t-shirts at naturalbeautifulme.myshopify.com/

My Henna is Here!

Hola lindas! So I have heard so much about the wonders of henna that I have decided to order me some from Henna for Hair. It came in the mail earlier last week. I am BEYOND excited. I will get to working on this this coming weekend.

In the mean time I have been researcher how I want to apply the product. I am not applying it for color, but for conditioning. My hair is so dark I dont expect it to color much anyways.

I think I am going to go with the following recipe:

1/4 cup henna powder
1 tbsp honey
1teaspoon olive oil
lemon juice
water to make it pasty (not sure how much yet)

When I do it this weekend I will let you all know how it turns out!

I do have a few concerns though. I have heard henna will loosen curls somewhat. I don't want my curls to be loosened. Hopefully it won't happen to me. Time will tell.

Dreadlocks For Sale

At first when I saw that you could buy some locs on Etsy for $300 I was kinda grossed out...but then I guess it is no different than buying remi hair or brazillian hair. It just seems like locs are more....connected to the person.

I know people put a lot of time and energy into growing and caring for locs. Maybe somehow this energy will be connected to the new owner....

$300 for 50 locs

Afro Puffy Twists

At some point earlier in the year I ordered some Nafy Collection afro puffy hair from here. I was attempting to do some Havana twists but at the time I did not know which hair to use. The twists were not Havana twists but they were in so I wore them for about 6 weeks. They were very easy to maintain. When I washed them they were not as heavy as the loooooong kinky twits I had before. And they dried much quicker too. Overall I enjoyed them. I still have the hair and may put them in again. They only problem I had was them slipping out of the back of my hair which was super short back then.

Side view of the twists. I was making a rum cake.

I do capoiera with Groupo Balanca. This was when I got my first cord.

Lulu, Eejay, Crystal, Me, Drea, and baby Caleb.

Lulu, Me, and Ivalisse. We were at the Salsatlanta Casino Congress.

I was at my friends graduation. I ordered the dress from here. The lady makes custom dresses from teh 40's and 50's.

Me and my friend Stephanie.

Me and Kana Dancing Casino at African Street Festival

They were playing salsa music....what other choice did we have?



The song is called "Aicha" by the African salsa group Africando.

Excuse Me But You Have Food In Your Hair

Hello everyone!

This post is about the many different foods that you can use to condition your hair. I really like using natural food products for hair and skin care. If you can't eat it you really should not be putting products on you skin and hair. You skin is the largest organ and absorbs whatever is put on it. Although many commercial products contain only minute amounts of harmful chems, over time it can add up.

Not only can making your own concoctions be better for your health, but you can save a lot of money as well. That is the main reason I make my own products.

So here are some of my top hair care recipes using food.

Pre-poo conditioning treatment

  Ingredients:  Coconut Oil (virgin or refined)  +  Honey

Simply add 1 tablespoon of honey to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix together and apply to hair.

The coconut oil acts and a moisturizer and conditioner because it's molocules are small enough to slip into the hair shaft . The honey is a humectant and draws moisture out of the hair into the hair follicle. Don't worry-the mixture won't be sticky.

Pre-pooing is coonditioning your hair before you use shampoo. Many naturals suffer from dryness and shampoo can make dryness ever worse. Using a pre-poo treatment can help to combat dryness caused by a shampoo and can make de-detangling easier. When I use my pre-poo treatment I dampen my hair and then place the coconut oil and honey and my hair and let it sit for at least 30 min. Then I rinse with water and use shampoo or sometimes I just co-wash.

Kinky Gal Clothing

Greetings kinky haired people.

There is lots of cute clothing for people with natural hair. Here are a few of my faves.

 


Kinky T-shirt
Availabe here for $25.00

 



Kinky necklace
Available here for $25

 
 

 

Afro pic earrings
Available here for $30







Available here for $25.00

Kinky Gal Christelle

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Christelle and I am 23 years old.

I am from Cameroon originally, been living in the DC/ Baltimore area for the past 9 years.

What is your hair journey?

Well, my hair never really responded well to relaxers, I first relaxed my hair my 11th grade year and it has been downhill from there. I went natural again three years ago, I couldn't keep up with the relaxers anyway, and I never knew what to do with my relaxed hair so I just gave up and cut it all off. I did not transition, I just cut it all off.

I was only relaxed for three years out of my life, I never liked them, and my dislike for them grew when I took chemistry in college and found out what all the chemicals found in them really do to your homeostasis.

Kinky Hair at the African Street Festival in Nashville

Hey ya'll! The 30th annual African Street Festival was in Nashville this weekend. Of course I had to go and take pics of all the wonderful naturals that were out and about. Enjoy!

Neytiri and Odaine

Big @ss necklace

Teen with cute style

Teen with cute style

Guy natural

Kinky Hair Wigs and Weaves for Naturals

I know some naturals are opposed to weave but I can testify that when I got my weave it was one of the greatest things to happen to my natural hair. As long as it is installed properly, is not too tight, not kept in too long,  and does not look like this:




Poor woman with bad weave. Where are her friends?

many naturals can benefit from a hair weave.

One of the concerns I had when getting my weave was making it look natural. For that reason I did not have any hair out. I did not want to have to bother with having to straighten a portion of my hair to match the hair weave.

Fortunatly there are many weaves that blend well with natural hair. Below is a list of some of the ones I found.

Finger Comber Unit-$78

The website states that this wig was designed by naturals for naturals and I have to admit...it looks natural!

You can wear it loose or twisted out which is shown. It is made of synthetic hair and says it has a large cap to accomodate our sometimes voluminous hair. I may actually get one of these in the future.

*UPDATE*
I purchased Finger Comber....and I looooooove it!
http://afrodeshiak.blogspot.com/2013/01/first-few-days-with-fingercomber.html

See a few more of my Finger Comber looks here.

Angle Balance Unit-$58.00

The same website also has another looser blown out version of the twist out wig. It has a kinky pattern and is also made of synthetic hair. This is in the shape of a bob. It has clips at the front and nape of hair.

I think I like the twist out one better. This seems like it would tangle easily.

All About My Hair in Kinky Curly-$120

This hair had very very good reviews online. It is human hair and can be straightened. It blends very well with 4a type ahir texture. You can see customer pics here.

The only downfall I see the price. It is $120 per bag and you more than likely need two bags to do your whole head. However, many customers said that they reused the hair several times. So this could last for up to a year possibly. 

Inidique BOUNCE Organic Curl-$189 for 10"

This is Indian human hair which the website claims is both "permed" and "cemical free".  Regardless of what was done to it $189 is a LOT to pay to hair, though it does look good. I would have to get a sugah daddy for real to get this hair. I need to talk to my friend Amaka who always seems to get men to buy her weave. 

 The pic shown above is when the hair is brushed out. To get more defined curls you would have to wet it. This seems like  it would blend well with the 4 hair type.

Check the additional pics below: 



Indinique hair when wet

Indinique hair with defined curls

                                           

Heat Free Hair-$139 for 10"

This is a very very popular hair. I don't know anyone who has personally tried this hair because it seems that it goes very quickly and they are always sold out. As of this publication they only have 2 or 3 or each length. They have for "koils" which is for 3b 3c hair and they have for "kinks" which is for type 4 hair.  The website claims that the hair is all virgin and is lightweight. 

Please excuse pic...again a block on downloading pics. Click to enlarge.

Crochet braids-under $50 if you do yourself. 

I love crochet braids. They are a very economical choice, they fully protect your hair, and they are cute! Basically your hair is cornrow braided down and the hair is attached by a "crochet" method. Look on YouTube and type on crochet braids and a plethora of vids will show up. My favorite types of hair for kinky ladies are:

Bohemian Braid by Freetress

Marley Hair by everyone and they momma

This hair usually costs less than $5 a pack. Check out this and this to learn more about my crochet braids saga and how to install them. If you want you can leave hair out at the edges to make it look more natural. 

Sway Hair in Brazillian Deep Kinky/Curly-$120 for 10"

I found this hair on YouTube. It has really good reviews. It is human hair and it is virgin. Of course, it is pricey, but it looks like a good match for type 4 hair. 

King Me Hair in Kinky -$105 for 10"

This hair looks very very similar to my hair after I wash it. I was very impressed by the pics on the website. It would match all the ranges of type 4 hair. The website says it is virgin human hair, but it also advises not to straighten hair. I guess it is like my hair in that it will become heat damaged lol. So get this if you don't want to straighten your weave. In addition to wefted hair they have bulk hair, lace front wigs, and closures. Nice!!!

So do you all know of any more good weaves and wigs for kinky haired ladies?