June

So who knew that June Ambrose was natural? The folks over at The Fashion Bomb talked hair with the stylist to the stars.

June has a standing appointment every week at the Paul Labrecque Salon in New York City.

She dished that she wears her hair in knots at night and sleeps on a silk pillowcase since scarves drive her nuts (me, too since they can slip off while you sleep). Her knots are pin curls formed with your fingers in the way you would with actual rollers and are then secured with bobby pins. The smaller the pin curl the tighter your curls will be when you take them out in the morning. Doing your hair like this is super-healthy since it requires no heat. Plus it’s uber easy to style since all you need to do is take the knots out and finger comb the hair. Perfect way to save time for busy rock moms like June who is a mother of two beautiful kids.

June also said she never puts any product in her hair since it weighs it down, but when rain and humidity tries to spiral her ‘do, she relies on Mizani HRM Humidity Resistant Mist. HRM helps protect against the formation of split ends and frizziness, surface damage caused by chemical treatments, and provides firm, weightless hold with protective UV filter for hair.

Main Stream Big Hair

Julia Sarr-Jamois, Model and Fashion Editor at Wonderland Magazine, works it out.

Do "they" really like our hair all wild and fierce? I get so many compliments from "them". Always makes me wonder what they are really thinking.

source

Half and Half

I had been wanting to achieve the half curly/half straight look that Joan does on Girlfriends. So in these last days of my press, I decided to give it a try.

Before

During

After

I am ok with the results. I am sure it will look better as it starts to fall.

Out Of Africa

During a recent Bed, Bath and Beyond visit, I discovered a new product. It is called Out Of Africa. They sell three different types of shea butter. Too bad I just bought coconut oil.

Unscented Shea Butter

Grapefruit Shea Butter

Lavender Shea Butter

It's all natural folks.

Ingredients:
Unrefined shea butter, essential oils
 
Since I am into the whole oil instead of lotion for body moisturizing, I want to try the shea butter oil as well.
   

 
 

I give up...kinda

So this past weekend at my hair appointment, my stylist suggested that I try the Pantene Relaxed and Natural Breakage Defense Mask Deep Conditioner. I gave her the side eye of course. But when I saw this post by Curly Nikki and another on The Fashion Bomb about the product my inner PJ rang out.

Tuesday, I went to Walmart looking for it. No luck. Although I did walk out with some coconut oil (which I have been wanting for a while) so it wasn't a total waste. I then ventured on to Walgreens. They didn't have it either. I mean, isn't this stuff supposed to be easy to find? Isn't it like the only product that they stock for blacks at stores. When I wasn't looking for it, it was everywhere.

So yesterday, I figured I would try Bed, Bath and Beyond. I discovered their extensive beauty section on a Giovanni product hunt one day. They had the shampoo and the conditioner, but not the mask.

Looks like I'll have to order it. And thats a bummer because I wanted to try it this weekend. Where else should I check?

Hair-perimentation: Pony and Flex

Last night I decided to try something a little different than my normal co-wash and curlform routine.  I was talking to Miss G about a style I'd seen on maneandchic that I wanted to try which was the ponytail set.  After talking through the style and wondering if this was a way that Tracee Ellis Ross achieved some of her signature looks (my hair idol), I decided to try a variation of this style.  I figured it would save me some time and I was excited to get maximum use of the flexirods that I'd recently purchased.  So after deep conditioning with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose and co-washing with Organix Coconut Milk, I proceeded with my experiment:

1. Since I'd co-washed my hair in 4 sections, I sprayed each section with Giovanni Leave In Conditioner and combed through.
2. Rubbed a dime sized amount of Ohm Body Sweet Hair Pudding on hands and applied to each section. (goal was to smooth the sides)
3. Tied each section with an Ouchless ponytail holder.
4. Took a section (about 1/3) of the ponytail, applied a pump of Giovanni Mousse and set on flexirod.
5. Repeated until done with all 4 braids. I used 12 flexirods.
6. Sat under a hooded dryer for about 30 minutes.  (I did this since I started so late and didn't want to run the risk of waking up with wet hair.  #fail because my hair was still damp at the point where the ponytail holder had been tied.)
7. In the morning, I removed each flexirod then the ponytail holders.
8. Since my hair was still damp ( :(  ), I ended up pulling it back into a messy, curly poof with my go-to cut up stocking turned hair band.

 Although the end result was not exactly what I expected (mainly b/c my hair wasnt completely dry), I still think the results were decent.  While this may not be my go-to style, I will definitely keep this in my back pocket.  However, it was quick and did a good job of stretching out my hair.  I am sure I'll try this again in the near future.

Blow Out Experience

I had my first blow out experience since October today. I was nervous to say the least. I have not been using heat on my hair for fear that it would look limp and tired. I went to my normal stylist who is natural herself. I did my own dry deep conditioner before I arrived. I'm like why pay them $15 to put conditioner on my hair and stick me under the dryer when I can have that out of the way before I arrive. So I donned a crochet hat on top of my plastic cap and kept it moving. When I got to the shampoo bowl, the assistant is like "is this glue in your hair?" She then shampooed twice (first shampoo since October as well). She added conditioner and tried to comb through. She had already asked if I was growing out a relaxer, yet she proceeded to comb from the root. I had to ask her to start from the ends, or we would be here all day.

Then off to the stylist chair. My stylist Tiffany said that I had a lot of growth. She jumped right in with the blow dryer. I was expecting it to hurt. It didn't though. Next she went through my whole head with the oven flat iron. She let me feel it afterwards, it was silky smooth. I asked her to clip at least 1 inch. She replied, I'll clip what needs to go. At a closer look, Tiff says "No, I'm not taking that much off, your ends are not terrible." So she did minimal clipping. I was a little disappointed. I was ready to see 2 inches go. So that I could see some progress in the natural vs relaxed hair length battle. After my trim, she went back over my hair with the regular flat iron to give my hair some bump. All ended well.

Side Eye Worthy Stylist Statements:

1. "Your hair does not feel as soft or manageable as I would have like". She suggested that I start using the Pantene for relaxed or natural conditioner as my DC. (Cones and Sulfates all up and through)
2. "We need to start training your hair." (bish how you know I want that?)
3. "It is ok to flat iron once a week." (Really? Is this a ploy to keep me in the salon and your pockets fat?)
4. "Flat ironing/ training has loosened my curl pattern. But my hair still curls when wet and I am able to do a wash and go." (Where do you draw the line between training and heat damage?)

Keep in mind, that yes Tiff is natural, but she keeps at least 18 inches of Remi Velvet down her back. (Weave Master!) So her perspective on things is a little different.

In conclusion, I liked the end result and I still love Tiff as a stylist. I told her that while transitioning I was limiting heat for growth purposes and to preserve the health my relaxed ends. Once I am all natural I may become a salon regular again. At the rate she is trimming, I will be transitioning until 2012. IDK. As for now, I'm sticking to my no heat regimen with a salon visit every three months.

Length Check Before Salon

After 

Good Hair, Great Skin

While cruising the web, I stumbled upon this at StrawberriCurls:

Since going natural, it has made me take a step back and look at everything i use, not just my hair. So i started to look around for a way to get rid of my dry skin and now i no longer use or buy lotion! I make my own exfoliating scrubs, facial mask, and lighten cream.

Exfoliating scrub:
Sugar
Olive oil

*It doesn’t matter how much sugar you put but it does matter how my olive oil you put. If you put to much, the sugar will disintegrate. Put enough olive oil so that the sugar will soak it up. I never measure, i just know when, go figure.*  Use this one your legs, face, feet, arms, back, ANYWHERE! I promise you, you will never buy another body scrub again! Fierce Note:  I have used this mix on my extremely chapped lips...works wonders!

Lotion:
Shea Butter
Olive Oil
Glycerin
Vitamin E Oil

*This is by far the best thing i have ever used on my dry skin. Only use about a 2 TBSP of glycerin because that stuff can get grease. Everything else, i don’t measure. Let the shea butter be the base of it all. Have more shea butter in this mixture more than anything.*  My dry skin is clearing up so fast using this. And my stretch marks used to look like somebody continuously stabbed me in the side…hey are on the way outta here!

Facial Mask
Oatmeal
Olive Oil
Honey
1 Egg white
Lemon

* Make the oatmeal the base of this mixture. ONLY add the egg white. Leave on for about 15 min - 25 min.*  Acne?? What acne! I don’t get that or know what it is. If you have a bad breakout, use this every night or every other night and i promise your skin will clear up like nothing ever happened.  If you make too much, whatever you use, keep it refrigerated.

Lighten Cream
Lemon
1 tsp Glycerin

* Blend the entire lemon. Of course cut it up first but the reason i say this is because there is more acidity in the lemon’s skin which make it a better brightener than just the juice alone.* I did this 4x a week on my dark circles under my eyes. I just applied it there before i went to bed at night and ashed it off the next morning. My dark circles have improved so much. I kinda strayed from it (lazyness) but will be going back. Keep this refrigerated.

Who says you can't have healthy hair that looks good and great skin- the natural way?

Wanna Be In Essence Mag?

 Here's How:

Calling all natural hair divas! Send ESSENCE a picture of your hair style and tell us what you love about your natural 'do. We're looking for real women rocking their hair natural: Ceasars, fades, twists, curls, locks, long or short--we want to see it! Please send three pictures and your contact info to streetstyle@essence.com today!

You Need More People

In a recent interview with People Magazine Bey "revealed" some of her secrets.

ON HER NEW BANGS


After cutting "severe '60s-style bangs" just two months ago, Beyoncé is already trying to grow them out. "It's very hard, because you have to pull your hair back and do these other things with them. Now [that] they’re long enough, [I] swoop them over."

So I thought the whole world knew she wore lace fronts. No? Are they seriously asking her about her hairstyle, like they don't notice that it is a different length, color, or texture in every other shot. Did they really use the word "grow"? What's really hood. Did people mag miss the "Good Hair" memo via Chris Rock?

Tell em why you mad son