Hey Guys – Happy New week! (Yes, I’m aware it’s Tuesday, Monday is a trial run for me hahahah)!
Okay so, I was minding my business, per usual right? Scrolling through my timeline when BAM! This lady’s video hits me in the face. Dr. Debbie Williams – A hair professional claims that rice water grows your hair faster, thicker & healthier.. say whaaaaaat?! Now being Nigerian, I eat rice like everyday & I was taught to rinse out the rice water.. not put in my hair; so this particular process is very intriguing to me to say the least. It’s quite easy to do actually, you’re literally just soaking rice in water for a long period (hours or even overnight) then you rinse your hair with its water like you would regularlly.
Here’s the vid for more info & instructions:
So what do you guys think? Will you be trying the rice water rinse?
Happy New Week people! (Yes, my week starts on Tuesdays)
So, I found out last week that Skatsz had been featured on Essence Magazine!!! Soooooooooooo freaking cool!!!! Our satin lined beanies were listed among the necessities for hair care on Essence website. Ahhhhhhhh super excited! Like I literally didn’t see that coming, at all! It’s funny because I was at a workshop & we were asked to google our name to see what popped up & BOOM there it was! Here is the link for that:Essence Feature
Also, we were approached a while back by this really dope Mag: Fashion Gxd Magazine – to do an interview!! We really couldn’t believe it, like it was so surreal, because it’s like so people really know about our brand?!?!? Super exciting stuff! The whole entire experience was so great & the good people at Fashion Gxd Mag made it so effortless. We were so grateful for the opportunity 🙂
Hooolllaaaa Guys – Its Hump Day yayyy! I hope you all are holding on b/c we’re almost there! Its pretty rainy & gray here but oh well, that’s fall for ya, but I digress…
So, if you are a Black person that lives in the U.S. odds are you’ve been to at least one beauty supply store in your life; I mean, that’s just the truth of the matter. Me being a Black woman, that likes to get her hair done frequently, particularly braids style, I’ve visited countless BSS in my lifetime. With that being said, Black people are at the very least 98% of all the BSS customers (I left the 2% to be very generous). However, it’s no secret that there really aren’t many BSS that are owned by Black people (sad, I know). Beauty supply stores are usually owned by Asians (Koreans) – that often times aren’t the most welcoming (as if they’re doing YOU – the paying customer a favor) then there are the teeny tiny encounters where they are in fact a bit welcoming – though, the latter is very far few & in between.
So, when I wanted to get my bob braids done earlier this month, I decided to do a search for a Black-Owned beauty supply stores near me (even though there is a BSS right up the street from my house), I found a couple but they were a bit further than I anticipated. However, not one to be easily deterred, I kept searching & stumbled on this gem in Baltimore MD – Beauty Plus Their website is not up & running just yet, but you can find all the info you need on their Facebook page, which I’ve already linked above. Though it took me about an hour & a half to get there (I was determined yall), I was so grateful to make it because… To be honest, I don’t think I can ever fully articulate the feeling I had walking into a BSS & seeing that a Black person actually OWNS it, like wow! It was my first time ever in an opened & running Black-Owned Beauty Supply Store!
My happy ass & Megan (Store Co-owner)
Sorry for the grainy pic but it looked much clearer on my iPhone -__- & I wish I took way more pics but thats is all I have.
The customer service was great! The store was very neat & had everything I needed for my braids. It was super easy to find, especially for my geographically challenged self (judge me not). I spoke with Megan for bit & asked her how biz was doing, she replied that the support from the community has been overwhelming from day one; which of course, warmed my heart. Honestly, before Megan even made the statement about the community being so supportive, I was in the store for all of maybe 6 minutes (because ya girl was parked by a meter that I didn’t pay for, shhh) & while I was there at least two other customers came in & bought stuff! So, I definitely got a sense of what she meant by support from the community.
All in all, I was super impressed, but more so grateful – its hard to explain. I was so excited!! Definitely just became my go-to beauty supply store!
The great news is there are more & more Black-owned supply stores springing up in the country, thank God! Here are some links that have lists of Black-Owned beauty supply stores:
How is the Beauty Supply Store scene where you live? Have you ever been to a Black-Owned BSS? Do you plan to? As I was finishing up this post, I thought to myself: I wonder if this is the case outside of the US?
Okay, so I took my sister’s braids down last weekend and she had it in for too long like 8 weeks (yikes, I know) but that’s not the point of this post hahah, I’ll judge my sister later.. So because she kept her single braids in for a while, she had some build up especially because she’s so active, (gym: which equals sweat) plus she oils/moisturizes her scalp every other day (which equals product build up) & a bunch of random lint from scarf etc. All of those factors into what I call Braid Gunk. You know the sticky build up you get after wearing braids or any protective style for too long? This:
By the way her hair has grown sooo much!
Yeah, she had quite a bit of that. Well, instead of fighting through what seems like a losing battle by trying to finger detangle through that mess. I used Apple Cider Vinegar & water mixture as a detangler. Which made getting rid of that gunk a breeze!
Here are the simple items I used to make the ACV water detangler mixture:
Bragg ACV
Water
Spray Bottle
Table Spoon
I used the organic ACV that was already in my kitchen (thanks to my sis and/or brother) You don’t have to use this same brand, this is just my preference since it was both organic & free!Then I filled up my old Bath & Body Works spray bottle. It previously had olive oil inside so I rinsed that out & I filled it up with water more than 1/2 of the bottle. I didn’t measure, I simply just eyed it.I poured the ACV into a table spoon & added it to the bottle filled with water. I did this step two times – Meaning I poured 2 tbl spoons of ACV into the spray bottle.Finished ACV & Water Mixture. Hopefully you can see the color change in the spray bottle after the ACV has been added but not much of a difference in the amount of liquid inside.
I was so impressed at how much easier the process was using the ACV detangler that I actually recorded a whole vid, because you know, I just had to share the gem! Here it is below:
*Bonus* = The ACV basically cleaned her scalp like a shampoo would, so after we were done, we just deep conditioned using my homemade hair mask, here’s the link for that ===> DIY Deep Conditioner
Lemme know what you guys think below. Will you be trying the ACV & water mixture as a detangler? What do you typically do to get rid of your braid gunk?
I’m working on my ACV post (which should be finished soon) & I saw this hilarious meme & just had to share! This is an ode to the holy grail of natural hair products before all the fancy stuff we have now. For me, it was Ultra Sheen, Doo Gro & Super Gro.
I had an epiphany & I figured hey, since I’m just now putting two & two together, others out there may not know either! Okay, so If you’re noticing your edges thinning out or breaking and you cant seem to put your finger on it because:
A) You’re not getting tight hairstyles done or putting so much tension on your edges.
B) You oil/moisturize your edges accordingly.
Well, it may just be the last thing you’d suspect, which is;
C). You’re wearing bonnets with the elastic band around it:
Example bonnet found online my old bonnet
The elastic ends around your bonnet could very well be the culprit for your thinning edges. GASP! I know, but think about it, while you’re doing a good job wearing a satin/silk bonnet, your edges are suffering due to the tension that’s caused from the elastic part of the bonnet rubbing against it. I used to wear the purple bonnet (pictured above) but for some reason I could never find it (maybe it was my edges subliminally making me misplace it?) Funny thing is, I found it just in time to take a pic for this post & I promise you I have no idea where it is now hahahah! I’m not kidding!
Viable alternatives to your demon-edges-snatching-bonnet:
1.Satin scarf like this:
I wear this animal print scarf to sleep when I’m feeling sexy hahahahahh
You can buy/find this literally anywhere in life; WeBuyBlack Beauty Supply Store, Amazon, first check your mom’s Closet! Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever in my whole life purchased a scarf, specially the ones I wear wrap my hair to sleep in. They just sort of appear in my closet (most likely from my Scarf Ferry aka my mom or sisters hahah) Interesting… an epiphany within an epiphany!
Since each beanie has satin lining on the inside I tend to use it as a bonnet too; they’re pretty stretchy, so I throw it on my head & its nighty night for me! Bonus: I get to wear them outside without looking dumb like I would if I was wearing a bonnet. You can purchase these satin lined beanies & other colors atwww.skatsz.com
Have you ever had this bonnet issue? Let me know if you have other alternatives. Comment below xx
By now you know or at least heard of Issa Rae… Natural Hair Bae (You see what I did there hahaha) Her hit showinsecurewhich I & so many others find to be freaking hilarious & so relatable; at least according to social media because we don’t do the traditional TV critics over hurrr! But I’m not here to talk about the show even though it really is a great one & you should totes check it out if you haven’t.
Now as the title suggest I want to highlight Issa’s effortless slayage with her constant changing natural hairstyles! She’s quite experimental with her hair, which I so love because her hairstyles are quite dope & not super intricate where it looks like it has to be done by a professional you know? Like her hairstyles look do-able at home, by yourself, or (by your sister if you’re like me) But enough of my blabbing let me show you what I mean:
Whether Issa is rocking her natural fro, a hair cut, her elegant up-dos with kinky extensions or just a flat twist, I love each & every style; so much so that I’ve been inspired to do more with my own natural hair! As of right now I tend to just wash my hair, deep condition, play with my afro in the house & then do braids or crochet (before crochet almost turned me bald headed ====>Here’s the link for that). I mean don’t get me wrong, when I take my hair out I wear my bun for a day or two but then I’d wash it & start the cycle I just mentioned above all over again; so in essence, I’ve actually never worn my own hair out for more than a couple of days. But, watching Issa Rae slaying her ever changing natural hairstyles on the red carpet, on her show, during interviews & pretty much every where else has really inspired me to do the same!
Hahahaaha here is a quick interview where Issa talks about her hair:
I swear she reminds me sooo much of my sister it’s scary. They’re both hilarious & awkward as hell!
So, what’s your take on Issa Rae? Her hairstyles? Insecure? Let me know below xx
Hey Guys.. I know, I know, its been a looooooooooooooong while. I have no excuses, life’s just been super hectic (in a great way)! Trying to organize everything I have going on is um.. challenging! But I’m proving to myself everyday that it can be done, so here I am.
I’ve been attending quite a number of events – networking, conferences, expos, meetups
& the most recent event I attended was a natural hair event ‘Its A Curl Thing’ organized and held at McDaniel College; actual organizers were Kylah Chadwick and Khadijah Poston. It was a really great, very well put together event & it was executed accordingly. I am so proud to say I was apart of this awesome program and to think these young ladies are juniors in college & can still manage to pull something like this off is amazing! When I was in college I could barely remember what room # my classes were (judge me not), talk less of organizing an event of this magnitude.
I was there as a vendor and met such wonderful people, both the McDaniel students & non-students and even the staff. Seriously, everyone in attendance was so welcoming & passionate about natural hair.
Here is a quick footage below
Some pictures:
My view from my table; as they were setting upMe in my Skatsz Satin Lined Beanie.. My face when they said the pizza was finished hahah
She couldn’t wait to wear her Skatsz Satin Lined beanie hahah & I couldn’t wait to snap her pix ha! Too Cute!A raffle ticket winner & other attendeesKayla & Khadijah – Awesome organizersThe amazing volunteers.. But why is her Afro is luscious?!
You can also check out the article on McDaniel’s website: Click this link
Let me know what you guys think of the review in the comment section below.
I honestly don’t know how I made it through this week but thank Gawwwwd its over!
We’ve just turned our clocks back by an hour for daylight savings.. or is it daylight spending? Is there even such a thing? Whatever its called, we sha have turned our clock back an hour, which is pretty much is indicative of the cold season approaching or that it’s already here ( Sorry I’m ridiculously confused today). I digress.. So anyway I thought I’d share with you guys some really good tips to help your hair thrive in these coming months. Check out the list below.
*16. Wear satin lined hats to keep from stripping hair of moisture
Skatsz 