You Better Recognize!

I am so proud of Essence magazine for finally making a issue about us Natural sisters. It is sad that it took Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair to get black celebrities talking about these issues. Our identity has been based on the standards of white people for so long that we don't know what being "us" is all about.
I want to make a point that there is nothing wrong with chemically treating your hair or putting in a weave. In fact it is necessary for us to do that during harsh weather conditions to protect our hair. I actually put on wigs to help take care of my hair during that time. I actually commend Essence on talking about this issue as well.
It is not about being all natural but it is about understanding your hair and making changes for the right reasons. Our hair is kinky which by definition is tightly coiled hair, so it's curly. Society once again makes us feel like we are inferior because our hair can't easily go through a comb. It's so ridiculous. Our hair is the most versatile because it holds many styles very well.
I keep my hair in twists, braids, Afros, Afro puffs, pony tails, strait, and so much more. I get so many complements and for some reason people can't keep their hands off my hair. It's annoying.
Overall, I'm glad that natural African American hair is getting recognized. We are beautiful too. For more info on the Essence November issue pick it up at your local store or go to essence.com.

About Kinky-Curly

I was mad when I first used Kinky-Curly because I thought it would be an instant transformation. After using it for a while I realized that it takes time. It did loosen up my curls but not how I thought. I love this product and it's the only product I use now. This experience just shows that I really have to be patient. Advertising can fool you into thinking that a product has an instant transformation but most of the time they don't. It took about three uses before I noticed the difference in my curl. I hope I did not scare any customers off.

My Bouffant

Last night I went to Play Date Bay Area in Oakland. The event was full of fun and games. I loved it and I would go again. I heard it's gonna be a monthly event. I wore my hair in a bouffant and it certainly got peoples attention. Not just the men, but the women too. All I did was comb out my natural that I blow dried a couple of days ago and wore a headband with it. People just thought my bouffant looked so good and so did I. Wearing green made me stand out even more. I'm shy but these two photographers just had to take a pic to my bouffant. I don't remember their names but I do want the pics. Anyways, being natural is so much fun because my bouffant catches so many people's attention. It's a conversation piece. If you are thinking about going natural just do it. It takes time and patience but it's worth it.

My Kinky-Curly Adventure

I tried the Kinky-Curly shampoo, conditioner, and curling custard on Monday. I thought that it would really loosen up my curls but it didn't. I almost feel betrayed because I wanted this line for so long. It had great reviews in several African-American magazines. It did loosen my curls but not as much as I wanted. My before and after looked so similar that if you were not looking closely you would think I did absolutely nothing to my hair. I'm just taking this as a learning experience. I will never spend $60 again on that line.

How I Decided to go Natural

My mother has always pressed my hair since I was young. Once I got to junior high I met other Muslim girls who did not wear thier scarves. When I went to a sleepover everyone saw how long my hair was and suggested that I get it staightened. I wanted to fit in so I asked my mom to perm my hair. She was happy about it because my hair took a long time to press anyway. After my first perm most of my hair fell out. My hair was short and it never got back to the length it used to be. In high school I continued to perm it or braid it so I could look like everyone else. I was not happy when I looked in the mirror. My best friend at the time, Juliette and I decided to make a pact to go natural. The beginning stages was hard because I cut my perm out so my hair was short and I had to keep getting braids, which I hated. As time went on my hair grew but I did not know what to do with it. My mother also started pressuring me to get a perm agian. I was tempted but something said don't do it. I just kept getting extentions. When I got to college I still did not know what to do so I decided to look online for help. It took a while but I found a site called Napturality. It was an online community forum for Black women going natural. It was motivation and support. I was glad but I also wanted to learn how to do new styles so I decided to look for another site. I stumbled upon motowngirl.com and I still stick to it 'til this day. There are so many different styles that show you step-by-step how to do different styles. My favorite is the two strand twist and the wash and go. Now it's been about 5 years and I am happy with my natural hair. I still put in weaves every now and then but I know what is good for me. My mom has come to accept it and she says I look beautiful with it. I think that anyone can go natural if they commit. A lot of people think I should get dreads but in the corporate world it is not accepted, so I won't do it. Going natural is a big choice and it shows confidence since society usually don't accept black hair. You have to be accepting of yourself and others will follow. It is really nice to have men and women admire my hair. It's also nice to say that it is mine. LoL! I encourage anyone that is thinking about going natural to just do it like Nike.