Easiest Way To Grow Your Edges Back!

Hey Yall! Happy New Month!

So quick story time.

This little piggy went to Nigeria and got this bomb hairstyle done

Now the hair was cute and I got sooooo many compliments on it! But..

Well fast forward to 6 weeks I believe (that’s typically when I take down my hair if it’s been in braids/twists)

Chilllleeeeeee the way my edges went down with it? Ha! I just sat there looking at where my edges USED TO BE. I couldn’t cry, I was just like welp these are the risks of doing tight ass, cut ya edges type, nonetheless cute hair styles in Naija.

the flakes in my hair was due to my leave in and moisturizer not mixing well -__-

Here’s a closer look chillleeeee But do yall see where my edges USED TO BE!

So as the universe and great amazing Ancestors would have it, Edge Naturale reaches out to me to review their product. Now at first I was verrrry hesitant because when my edges fall out like this, its usually castor oil and patience to the rescue; I’m talking months of patience and TLC tho.

Anywho, long story short, I agreed to do the review and let her know that I plan to be super honest bc at this point I’m talking from a place of pain yall, like don’t waste my time sis.

I received the beautiful God sent jar of love and kindness:

I was impressed because it was full to the brim ( it’s a white, creamy product).

So I start to put it on my edges every day after getting out the shower, for a month straight and yalllllll:

Now let me say this, the instructions says to apply twice a day, I didn’t want to clog my pores (lemme stop lying yall, I was just too lazy to apply twice) so I did it once a day. worth noting is that you will feel a little tingling and warmness in the area applied – I just chucked that up to the fact that its working.. because it sho was!

Here’s another angle, even my eyebrows ends grew after 5 weeks use!

Do yall see this growth?? Even the hair on my forehead came back!!!!!! I need to do my brows but my good sis Imani aint taking clients right now due to corona

This was me hahaha

Also, I added a little bit of water to my edges prior to applying the Edge Naturale Cream (really it was the steam from my shower I used as moisture) but you can add just a smidge of water to your edges enough to make it damp but not completely wet, just so the cream can really penetrate your pores/hair shaft.

Yall, it really works and I’m super grateful the folks over at Edge Naturale really saved me and my edges and eye brows!

Get yours here: Edgenaturale.com and get 15% off your first order!

Will you be giving this amazing product a try? Lemme know below

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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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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: 

Before Threading

After African Threading 

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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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!

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:

• 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:

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:

1. Bragg ACV

2. Water

3. Spray Bottle

4. 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?

 

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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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Issa Rae – Natural Hair Inspo!

By now you know or at least heard of Issa Rae… Natural Hair Bae (You see what I did there hahaha) Her hit show insecure which 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

*UPDATE* The brains behind Issa’s hair switch ups aka Hair Stylist is: Felicia Leatherwood

 

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Quick & Easy DIY Deep Conditioner

Hey Guys!

I’ve been making my own dc (Deep Conditioner) for a while now & it’s worked wonders for my hair. Even when I don’t do a great job oiling my hair/scalp on the regular, that dc comes in for the save! Chillllleeeee lemme tell ya, my hair appreciates the hell outta of it! 

The mixture is real easy to make & you only need few simple items you can find at the local market (I purposely said market to sound organic & healthy hahahah) 

1 ripe banana, 1 avocado, 2 egg yolk, 4 tbsp honey, 4 tblspn Evoo, Any conditioner of your choice; mine was Tresemme.

Banana – Banana is rich in potassium, natural oils, carbohydrates and vitamins which help insoftening the hair and protects the hair’s natural elasticity preventing split ends and breakage. Banana creates manageability, shine, growth and controls dandruff

Honey – The humectant properties of honey help regulate and retain moisture in hair, plus honey is said to strengthen hair follicles for healthy growth.

EVOO – The abundance of antioxidants in extra virgin olive oil leaves the scalp healthier and may reduce the damage done by hair care products. locking in moisture and preventing dryness of the scalp, it can make your hair soft, smooth and shiny.

Egg yolks – The fatty acids present in the yolk helps in improving the skin on the scalp, thus fighting dandruff, flaky scalp and psoriasis.
Lecithin: This fatty protein found in the egg yolk helps in reducing frizz and helps in making hair smooth.

Avocado – helps rejuvenate and moisturize the scalp. A rich source of proteins, amino acids and vitamins, avocado helps soothe the scalp and promotes long, strong, healthy hair growth; great for scalp-saving hair mask recipe

Conditioner of my choice – Tresemme (I liked the smell & that was the conditioner I could get my hands on in the house)

All the products in one! (Ignore the mitten but I have been told I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie hahah)

Blend everything till you get a smooth paste like so↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

Aftermath of blended items

My hair with the above mixture, yall see them coils popppppin!

I put a plastic bag over on my hair & wrapped a scarf & a bonnet for the added heat. I let the dc sit in my hair for about an hour (only because I forgot it was even in my hair, judge me not) you can have it in your hair anywhere from 15 mins to an hour. Some people dc overnight, its really up to you. My hair came out soooo soft, hydrated, shinny & just plain ole purrty!

I rinsed out the dc & put some two strand twists in my hair & went smack to sleep! I was tired yall.

Let me know what you guys think below. Have you tried a similar mixture? What do you use to deep condition?

 

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Protective Style Gone Wrong – Too much Crochet?

Hey Guys!

So I wanted to share with you my experience with one of the more popular “protective styles”- Crochet aka Crochet Braids. I discovered crochet a while back, through a friend actually. I remember when she was trying to get me to understand just what crochet styling was & I was completely lost haha. But fast forward to last year, there I was, completely in love with the concept of C R O C H E T ! ( I spaced out the words for dramatic effect hahah) If you’re not familiar with just what crochet styling is, Click this link —-> Crochet 101  for better & in depth explanation.  

Now before crochet, I always preferred to have all sorts of braids & twists in my hair but we all know how just how long that whole process takes. I would also get weaves here & there, maybe like 5/6x my whole life so you know I was about that braid life. So once I understood just how much crochet eases the whole process & just how versatile it was?!?! Chillllleeeee I was hooked! So naturally my lazy behind decided to do crochet back to back…BAD IDEA!

Now I did the curly sue style & the faux locs; Both styles below.

When the crochet was being installed (very blurry, sorry)

Finished Product (Bathroom pic, judge me not)

Crochet -Faux locs (I really enjoyed this style)

I kept each style in for about 4 weeks which I think is pretty standard for keeping in protective styles. However, I noticed that whenever I took out both styles I had ALOT of single strand knots! Below pictures aren’t mine, but they were the closest depiction to what my hair looked like once I took out the crochet.

 

I had endless single strand knots!! So much so that I had to cut out so much of my hair because it was impossible to detangle, it was HORRIBLE 😦

Needless to say (I’m going back to Cali, Cali, Cali I’m going back to Cali… hmm, hahaa) Nah but I am going back to to my regular braids & twists! It just sucks because I really did enjoy crochet styles 😦 I have to wonder though, what caused all those knots? Because when I take my braids & even weave out, I don’t ever get single strand knots.. like at all. 

So have you ever experienced crazy single strand knots from crochet styles? Or even any other protective styles? Please share below. 

 

 

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