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Tag: Black Women
Winter Hair Care Tips
Hollllllaaaaa Guys!
Now as we all can tell, Old Man Winter is here to collect all the moisture and sunshine out of our lives to leave our lips, skin & hair parched 😒 But no worries, I have compiled some quick & useful tips on taking care of (y)our hair during the winter. Now bear in mind as I am compiling this mini list, I am also educating myself as I go along. Also, I’m quite lazy when it comes to things like this (judge me not) so I’ve selected the simplest steps to do below:
1. Wash hair less often –
Great news for those of us that dread wash day! Because shampoo tends to strip your hair of its natural oils, you want to lessen how many times you wash it. So, if you were washing your hair 4x in a month, you can reduce it to maybe 2x instead. You can also opt for Co-wash – short for “conditioner-only washing.” It means skipping shampoo and relying solely on conditioner.
2. Deep condition like crazy! –
As often as possible, I would say once or every two weeks should suffice. I was using the Hollywood Beauty dc for a while but I now make my own deep conditioner DIY Deep Conditioner but any over the counter conditioner should suffice. Please make sure to read ingredients before purchasing.
3. Wear protective styles – such as braids, twists, weave, crochet wigs; this way your hair gets to rest, while your ends are protected & aren’t exposed to the harsh climate. The duration of time you keep your protective sytles in is entirely up to you.
4. No shower cap!
Yes, you read right, leave that shower cap alone! The steam in your bathroom while taking a shower will do wonders for your hair’s moisture retention. What I do after I shower is I seal the moisture my hair just retained by applying oils (I use Olive oil/Castor oil). If you’re antsy about not wearing a shower cap at all, you can poke holes into it, that way you’ll still get some sort of moisture.
5. Wear hats with satin/silk lining –
Kinda like Skatsz hats ha! Would you look at that, 😂😅 No, but seriously there’s no point in doing all that work to retain moisture only to throw on a cotton/wool hat that’ll suck out it all right out; leaving your hair brittle & dry and prone to breakage! Whoo chilay hahaha I wish you guys could hear me laughing so hard as I write these blog posts yo!
Do you have any winter hair care tips you would like to share? Comment below xx
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Get Great Winter Hair with Skatsz Hat!(Product Review)
So I just stumbled on Zig Beswick, a UK blogger’s review of our Skatsz Dami beanie Yeeeep! Check it out below:
My Small Secret to Great Winter Hair
AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR WINTER HAIR CARE ROUTINE.
Winter rolled through again and we’re in that cold/rainy spell before we can embrace spring. Our skin is considerably dryer and so we slather on the emollients and moisturizers as a barrier against the lashing winds and icy rain but what about our hair? We don’t seem to give it the same justice and if you have even the slightest curl to your hair you know how cold and dry do not mix with it. Of course you may up the deep conditioning, use a leave in and ensure the ends have a lil love but when you step out that door to mother nature she has no mercy for windswept coiffures. Well, I’ve found the solution and who knew it could be so simple!
Black Satin Lined Beanie ‘Dami’
A hat! I’ve been really into my hats as of late, I didn’t think I suited them or could fit them over my fro but have found a few (beret’s and baker boys) that suit my style even when my hair is not in twists underneath. “Oh”, I hear you sigh, “hide my tresses under a hat, yay, warm head but when I step in the room it’s hat hair for the day.” No not quite. Because there’s one beanie in my collection that’s something special and works a treat for all hair types. Have you ever noticed, especially with natural hair, how some hats particularly seamed beanies can snag and pull at the hair? They’re also made of thick woolen mix materials that keep you warm yes, but suck every ounce of life out of it. That’s where SKATSZ come in. A. SATIN. LINED. BEANIE. As soon as I got my hands on it I showed it around the natural haired girls of my acting class who all cooed in awe and swore they needed one too. Knitted to perfection at the top with a wicked satin pattern layered underneath meaning no snags, all the moisture retention and all the warmth.
I’ve worn it ever since and love that it hasn’t compromised my style with the array to choose from nor have I had to actually change anything in my general hair care routine. I can wear my hair out in the winter knowing I can move between locations with my hair not being battered around by the elements. The satin lining means the fibres of my hair smooth and glide against it reducing friction which leads to breakage, frizz and moisture loss. It also means that the smooth underlay keeps my hair style intact! I wear satin scarves to bed and sleep on satin pillowcases for these reasons and so it makes sense that anything touching my hair thereafter should be the same luxury. It’s stylish and not heavy or uncomfortable like trying to wear one of my bonnets under a hat would be. It’s thick enough to be a proper outdoor hat and saviour for winter hair.
A Skatsz hat is perfect for wigs and weaves too, reducing friction and shedding whilst still keeping you warm. I don’t think my other hats can compare now, it makes such a thoughtful gift for the holiday season & for the (natural) fellas, they’re affordable and will last a lifetime. No matter your hair type, if you suffer from super dry hair come winter, crown breakage or are looking for a healthy alternative for your winter styling, check out these hats they’re the necessity of my hair life I never knew I needed.
How’s that for a winter hair secret?
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Nappily Ever After – A Celebration of Black Hair!
Holllaaaaaa!
By now, a good majority of us have seen the Netflix original ‘Nappily Ever After’ starring Sanaa Lathan. I actually counted down to see this movie, ever since I heard Sanaa shaved her bald for the role – I found it intriguing. I wasn’t aware of the book, so I didn’t really know what to expect but it was a really good movie with an even better message – Love yourself & be comfortable in your own skin!
At the start of the movie, Violet, (Sanaa’s character) was obsessed with being unrealistically perfect, especially with her hair; stemming from childhood traumas & her mother’s constant reinforcement. However, as the movie progressed, the trajectory of her character was one that was very much relatable; going against the grain in life. Whether you’re a natural or not, we’ve all experienced “the big chop” in a sense – a need for a fresh start at life for one reason or another. Violet, went from an impromptu shaving of her head due to a meltdown to actually being reintroduced to her natural hair & loving it. She of course struggled with her decision at first but eventually got a hang of it (boy can I relate). With her confidence reinstated in herself, her big chop being the catalyst, she eventually stopped seeking validation in others & began valuing her own feelings about herself.
It’s an empowering movie that tells us that our own hair, black hair is indeed beautiful just the way it is & we don’t need to alter it to be deemed acceptable. As mentioned in the movie, it’s not that black women should feel guilty about wearing anything other than natural hair, whether it’s weaves, wigs or other protective styles. Rather, it’s that they should know that their natural hair is just as beautiful as any other type, and they are worthy of respect regardless of how they choose to wear their hair. It’s a powerful message, especially for this new generation of natural enthusiast coming up – to show that it is never too late to (re)discover yourself, love yourself, stand up for yourself & be comfortable in your own skin!
Here’s Sanaa talking about her big chop & her feelings after
I put up a poll on IG to ask if people still thought the word “Nappy” was a bad word;
I was genuinely surprised that the overwhelming majority voted that they didn’t consider “nappy” a bad word; I personally don’t either. Though I understand the history behind the word, it was all the more reason it was great to see us embracing a word that was once (& probably still) has negative connotation about Black/African hair.
Have you seen Nappily Ever After? What are your thoughts? Comment below xx
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African Threading – Get Into It!
Hollllaaaa Guyssss!!!
I know I’ve been crazy inactive, so instead of me apologizing only to be inactive again, I’m just going to do better 🙂
So, topic of today is African Threading – A traditional method used for centuries across Africa to stretch afro hair without heat; it is also commonly referred to as Banding Method. African Threading is known to be a great way to retain length, stretch hair without heat, thus averting the chances of getting heat damage & breakage (we all know how heartbreaking that can be) & also can be worn as a protective style.
In Nigeria we use a specific elastic shinny thread:
However, you can also use brading hair extensions or sewing thread – some people have used yarn, it’s really your prerogative (that’s a Bobby Brown reference hahaha).
Quick story: I was at the salon last weekend & a little girl, no more than 7 yrs old had gotten her deep-conditioned & it was time to stretch her hair – using that hot ass, dragon breath ass dryer, that I even as an adult still dread greatly! Chiiillleee the way she was screaming & hollering, my heart could NOT take it, I just had to approach both the mom & the hair stylist to suggest threading that poor child’s hair. Lucky for her, her mom was very receptive to any help; it was clear as day she too was in complete distress! I stood in front of all three explaining for all of maybe 4 minutes but I’m sure all the mom heard was “Your child will stop screaming if you use this method” & she was like “YESSS!” Long story short, the baby stopped crying & was enjoying her little juice as she got her hair threaded. The stylist did it in a way that it was so clean that she ended up wearing it as a protective style. I thought the absolute cutest most rewarding part was when the baby came up to me to say thank you in the most genuine heartfelt way (I almost shed a thug tear). Meanwhile, her mom couldn’t stop thanking me, asking about other natural hair tips I may have, which I was more than happy to help of course. This also inspired this blog post. It’s just so funny to me how far we’ve come only to understand that some ancient methods still beat the technology we have now.
Anywho, my sister helped thread my hair a little while ago & I sent the pictures to my mom, and she said “It’s called the Sungas style back in her day 🖤 & it grows hair by the seconds!” Here is a picture of my insane shrinkage vs when it was stretched:
My hair was completely stretched & the threading was only in in my hair for about an hour! Yeah, no more blow dryer for me (crosses fingers).
Here is a really good video/tutorial on how to African Thread your hair:
Will you be trying African Threading to stretch your hair? Or is it already apart of your routine? Let me know below xx
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Skatsz Fall ’17 Collection!!!
Hooollllaaaa Guys!
Its a snow day here – well, really not really.. Just some flurries, but it was enough to have the grocery stores swamped with long lines yesterday with people trying to “prep” for the snow; meanwhile all I wanted to buy was cookie dough. But, one thing for certain is that, it was cold then & it’s cold now! Like 19 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact; winter has surely arrived – Perfect timing to talk about Skatsz New ’17 Collection!!!! *Insert a yelp here*
Skatsz satin lined beanies are designed to help keep moisture in your hair & avoid dryness, frizz, breakage and other damages to the hair that’s caused by the cotton in regular beanies. All while keeping you warm & toasty too, yeah, you’re welcome 😛
So, the new collection has three styles of beanies with two colors each (yeeeep)! I’ve inserted hyper links in the names of each style so you can click on it to see what it looks like on the website.
Take a looksy below:
Style 1. Adeola – Black Pom Beanie with black & white polka dot satin inside
Style 2. Adeola – Mustard Pom Beanie with black & white polka dot satin inside
Style 2. Ori – Burgendy: Cable Knit Pom Beanie with yellow & white polka dot satin inside
4. Ori – Pink: Cable Knit Pom Beanie with multi- colored satin inside
Style 5. Dami – Black Beanie with multi colored satin inside
6. Dami – Tan Beanie with yellow & black polka dot satin inside
All styles are now available on the website: www.skatsz.com/shop
Use Code SKB20 – Save 20% off (exp 1/1/2018)
Let me know what you think below xx
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Black-Owned Beauty Supply Stores – My Experience
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!
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:
- https://blackamericaweb.com/2017/03/16/want-to-support-black-owned-beauty-supply-stores-start-here/
- https://lisaalamode.com/2017/03/15/black-owned-beauty-supply-stores/
- https://officialblackwallstreet.com/black-owned-beauty-supply-stores/
- http://www.curlynikki.com/2017/03/7-black-owned-beauty-supplies-in-chicago.html
- http://www.essence.com/2016/04/28/black-owned-beauty-supply-stores-on-the-rise
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?
Let me know in the comments below! xx
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Best Detangler Everrrrr- Apple Cider Vinegar & Water!
Hooollllaaaa Guys!
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:
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:
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Bragg ACV
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Water
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Spray Bottle
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Table Spoon
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?
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Old School Hair Care!
Happy Friday Guys!
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.
So, which one did you swear by back in the day?
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Your Bonnet Could Be Costing You Your Edges?!?!
Happy Friday ! Yayyyy!
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:
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:
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!
Skatsz (Outside look)
Skatsz(Inside) Red & White Polka dot is satin
Skatsz Pink & Black polka dot satin (inside)
SKatsz (outside)
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 at www.skatsz.com
Have you ever had this bonnet issue? Let me know if you have other alternatives. Comment below xx
Skatsz 