What’s missing from the natural hair conversation?

Morning ladies,

I want to get back to blogging and vlogging. However, first  I would like to know what do you ladies feel is missing from the conversation on natural hair. There are an abundance of “gurus” and amateurs out here talking about all kinds of the same topics. Seriously, have you ever tried to Google any natural hair term/topic/products?  The results are often overwhelming you have to wade through tons of  opinions and reviews just to find your answer. No shade but how many tutorials does a person need on how to do a  two-strand twist? I would like to attempt to fill a void in the natural hair conversation but I am not sure exactly what that void is, so I am asking you guys…

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NY Times: The Afro as a Natural Expression of Self

The New York Times online edition has an interesting article  about afros i.e. natural hair as an extension of self-expression and or politics. The article is titled, “The Afro as a Natural Expression of Self” . In college  had a professor who always said. “The personal is political.” And while her statement was more so directed towards the creation of social movements perhaps it has also validity in our current natural hair trend (I don’t really think natural hair is a trend but for a lack of a better word we use it). While I do consider wearing my hair in its natural state an expression of who I am, I am not sure whether I find it to be a political statement. I don’t really feel that by wearing my hair natural I am  liberating myself from some conformist European beauty standard.  I just like my hair in its natural state.

What do you think of the article?

Are you over this whole natural hair debate?

Product Spotlight: Qhemet Biologics

Hi Beauties,

I know it’s been too long and so much has been going on. For one I moved to DC (more on that in a later post) !  the Also, Lola has grown significantly and while I really am going to try to blog more often I just wanted to come through and let everyone know that my love for Qhemet Biologics is real. Like really real, like, “It’s realer than Real Deal Hoyfield!” I have so far used the following pictured products and let me tell each one of them is A-mah-zing!

 

 

 

  Cocoa Tree Detangling: First off this stuff smells so yummy.  I have used this product as both a detangler and a leave-in with great results. If you decide to use it as a leave-in make sure you aren’t heavy-handed because a little goes a long way as the texture is a bit thick.

Burdock Root Cream: I really love this product. I tend to be a bit heavy-handed since the product feels so light and it still doesn’t leave a residue and my hair didn’t feel dry. This particular product was intended for use by people with fine strands while the Amla & Olive Heavy Cream is for people with dry, coarse hair. I found that Lola responds slightly better to this product than the Amla and when I say slightly better I mean my hair feels less weighed down with this product.

Amla & Olive Heavy Cream: I like this product too however, it does leave my hair feeling a bit weighed down. I will revisit this product in the colder months to see if my opinion of it changes. For those of you with thicker  hair strands this may be a better option than the Burdock Cream.

Aethiopika Hydrate & Twist Butter (try saying Aethiopika five times fast): This stuff is thick and has a  citrus -ish scent . While I am not much of a fan of the scent I really this product.  I use this butter to seal my ends and to retwist during the week. It is very thick so definitely don’t be heavy-handed with this product. Also, the product can feel a bit grainy but it’s not something that would deter me from buying again.

Have you used Qhemet Biologics products? What did you think? 

Party Over Hair: We Are Onyx Video Chat + Twitter Party With Felicia Leatherwood

What are you doing later this evening say around 8 EST or 5 to 6 PST? Nothing? Well then  join celebrity natural hair stylist Felicia Leatherwood and Delali Kpodzo, founder of  WEAREONYX.com in their first ever Twitter Party + Live video chat!

 

 

Submit all question on Twitter using the #ASKONYX!

How To Care For Multi-Textured Natural Hair

My fellow naturalistas, can we talk?

I have come to you for advice on handling my multi-textured natural hair aka Lola. As my hair continues to grow I am realizing there are distinct differences in density and strand thickness/texture in many areas of my hair. The hair at my temples is fine, thin, straight, super fragile and short; one side is literally half the length of the surrounding areas. My sides are coarse and dense. The hair at my nape is also fine while my crown is of a looser texture. 

Because of these differences styling and moisturizing  is a bit of an issue. I feel like I have to treat certain areas of my hair well differently. I  have to be very careful with the temple area because the strands are so fragile and thin they tend to break off (a lesson I learned while taking out my braids). The hair on the sides which is also the coarsest often has issues absorbing products. When I twist my hair the definition around the temples (again the thin area) leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to other areas. I have to admit at times it gets a bit frustrating trying to care for and style these different textures so I am coming to my fellow naturalistas with multi-textured natural for help.

How do you manage your multi-textured hair?

Never Nude…

Blouse: H&M. Necklace: H&M. Rings: JewelMint Ludlow Trio. Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Aviator. Shorts: Calvin Klein. Shoes: Steve Madden Gretta.

Shout out to all of my fellow Arrested Development fans out there. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reference one of my favorite shows ever!  Anyway, this outfit is a bit outside of my normal style comfort zone but hey I had a YOLO moment. Also best believe you will be seeing this graffiti background again… real soon!