What I learned about Blonde & Natural Hair

I’ve always been fascinated with hair color ever  since childhood. My mom rocked honey blonde hair for as long as I could remember. As most little girls I wanted to emulate her beauty! My dad was very firm on his stance against blonde during my teenage years. From a distance for years, even as an adult, I still held on to that admiration for blonde tresses. I watched from afar. I was told many times by stylists that blonde was too strong with my relaxed hair. Around 2010 I began to experiment with colors that were close to blonde but not all the way there. By 2012 I was blonde… well the front of my hair was blonde and for me that was enough.

I was in love with my blonde just as I had been in love with my mom’s. I loved the way it brighten my face and lightened the appearance of my dark brown eyes. Honey, you couldn’t tell me anything!

My stylist at the time took me over a gradual lightening process absent bleaching my hair – she wanted to maintain the integrity of my natural hair. So over several months from February 2012 to about July 2012 – she gradually colored my hair to my most coveted hair color. It was admired by Caucasian and Black girls alike!!

I know, I know, you’re thinking – well what happened? Life happened I suppose… I moved to a different state and I let someone else color my hair and unfortunately they did not follow the same philosophy as my last colorist. The change in stylist and the lack of care I took for my colored tresses proved to be detrimental to my hair.

What I learned about blonde and natural hair is that it needs more TLC than your uncolored, unprocessed natural hair. I learned that all stylists are not created equal. Most importantly, I learned that blonde does not equal unhealthy hair – unattended hair = unhealthy hair. I miss blonde but until I can reclaim the healthy state of my hair, I dare not touch blonde until then.

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How to Read Cosmetic Ingredient Labels XXVI

Nature's Pulchritude

Conditioner is a focal point in just about every hair regimen.  Your aim is to find an all natural conditioner, that meets all of your hair needs.  Is this product right for you?  Remember, I am teaching you Label Poise–how to walk the walk, talk the talk, and buy products that meet YOUR standards, whether natural, organic, or safe enough.  For instructions on Label Poise visit our Label Poise page.

The Label

LabelPoise26

The Ingredients

Deionized Water:Safe!  Deionized water has had the ions of minerals found in soil or pipes removed.

Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*:Safe! Coconut oil is used for is skin conditioning and moisturizing properties. It is high in vitamins E and K.

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*:  Safe!  This ingredient is derived from the nut of the Shea Tree and is used for its moisturizing properties.

Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter*

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DIY Avocado Conditioner

Hola Kurlfriends!

I tried this Avocado Conditioner and it left my hair very soft and moisturized. I have attached the video below along with the recipe. Enjoy! Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and subtract or add anything you like or that works for you.

Ingredients:

1 small ripe Avocado

1/2 tablespoon of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 tablespoon of Unrefined Shea Butter (solid)

1/2 tablespoon of Honey

Tools:

applicator brush

small bowl

shower cap

towel

Process:

Part your damp clean hair in four sections, for even coverage. In the bowl, mash the ripe avocado up as much as possible into a paste and discard the seed. Then add the other ingredients: shea butter, honey, and EVOO. Mix all together until they are blended well. Then microwave for 30 seconds, stir it up and allow to cool for 10 seconds before application. Apply the mixture to the ends of your hair first while working your way up to the roots. Your bowl should be empty when you complete all four sections. Note: If your hair is longer than 14 inches you may want to double the ingredients.

Next, place the shower cap over your saturated hair and sit under the dryer for 15 to 20 minutes (30 for a deep condition). Then rinse with warm water all of the mixure out of your hair. The water will run from green to clear. If you have pieces of avocado in your hair use a soft bristle brush to remove the pieces, then rinse again. Once you have removed all particles you can style as usual.

I hope this helped. This is excellent right after a color process or treatment!

 

Product Junkies Anonyomous

Hey My Fellow PJs (product junkies),

I wanted to do a post that identified my favorite hair products. They aren’t all produced with natural hair in mind….hmmm, I say that then I think that most Black women are the females who are not rocking their natural hair. Caucasian, Asian, Indian, Lebanese, Latin…you get the idea, aren’t walking around saying, “oh I’m natural”. That’s because most of them always have been, they don’t grow up and their mom slaps a perm or relaxer on their hair; grant it some of them do get perms for curly hair or relaxers for straight hair but they don’t make refer to naturalness when they do have either process. So, I said all that to say some of these products may not be specifically marketed for African American hair as they do not make a distinction between our texture and other ethnicities.
SHAMPOO (I will list my review of some No Poos later)
  • Redken (all) but my fave is Fresh Curls (Teal colored bottle) – This doesn’t dry my hair out, it lathers a lot so a small amount can be used. (UPDATE: I have recently switched to their Pure Collection – it’s sulfate free.)

 

CONDITIONERS
    • Redken Fresh Curls Conditioner (creamy)

  • Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner (ORS) (great for deep conditioning under dryer hood)
  • Herbal Essence Hello Hydration (very thick and creamy –LOVE IT!)

MOISTURIZERS

  • Shea Butter (natural, unprocessed) This usually last me for years – 8oz.
  • Olive Oil
  • Coconut Oil
  • Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner ($11 – www.CarolsDaughter.com)

HEAT PROTECTANT

  • Shea Butter
  • Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm ($16)

STYLING

  • Shea Butter ( I know I use this everywhere, lol)
  • Paul Mitchell Foaming Pommade (LOVE IT! $13-20 depending on bottle size)
  • Motions Shine Enhancing Pomade (great for slicking hair back or even twists, their really shiny after using this)

So that’s all I use right now. Every one’s hair is different so things that work for me, possibly will not work for you but at least you see what I utilize for my hair.

Originally written: Oct. 2010

Today, I Learned That Not All Brothas Knock Afrocentric Beauty

criminalscribble

In the past, lighter-skinned slaves that had been conceived through rape of their mothers by their masters were put on a low-tier pedestal above their darker-skinned counterparts. They were treated better, made “house niggers,” and got privileges from their masters. After slavery was abolished, although they were still considered Black (thus, no equal rights for them), they were still considered more beautiful than the dark-complexioned for their European characteristic(s). I could go on and on about this, but I’m just going to make it short and sweet: this mentality still persists today in our so-called “civilized society of equality.” Only now, things are a little different. This perpetual denigration continues within Black society–with Black people being the perpetrators. Now I’m not saying that people outside of the race appreciate all shades of Black, but I am saying that it seems that the victimization of darker-skinned individuals comes from fellow lighter-skinned…

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My Favorite Songs About Hair

Honoring Our HAIRitage

black-music-month-2

June is African American Music Appreciation Month.  Honoring Our HAIRitage is ending June with the list of my favorite songs by African Americans with theme of…HAIR…of course!

1. Nina Simone “4 Women”  – Nina Simone is one of my favorite artists.  Her voice is deep and rich and her words are rousing.  In four women, she sings about four different women and includes in each verse a description of each woman’s skin color and hair texture – two aspects that are hugely political for women of color.  Watch as she performs this song live!

2. India Arie “I am not my hair” – In this video, I love how India deliberately wears different hairstyles throughout the video to show that all hairstyles are okay – even locs!  She even shares her hair journey before sharing your hair journey was trendy.

3. Prince “She’s always in my hair” – I LOVE PRINCE!  He…

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