Excuse me while I crack the hell up...

Richard Pryor, high as all hell, was a comedic genius... even on Sesame Streeet!


Here he teaches the alphabet...


Now let's learn emotions...


Happy Friday!!

Just Fine Go Hard or Go Home Mary J. Blige by DJ Tony Cee

I really need to learn this. It's life or death... not really but I really need to learn it! Nobody does it in Columbus but let's hope it catches on because I LOVE LOVE LOVE this line dance!!

bridal helmets...

So I don't have anything etched in concrete yet but I do have some pretty awesome ideas...

I'm not a conventional person so by now I would think everybody would know I won't be a traditional bride. The regular veil with or without the tiara may work for some but I am definately not doing it. It's just not my thing. So while looking for alternatives, I found these...

I love love love headbands so this bridal headband I fell in love with instantly... My goal is to let my hair grow to shoulder length without being straightened. Picturing myself with this headband and all my kinky/curly hair gives me butterflies...   

 

I also considered blushers. They allow my hair to do whatever it wants with a touch of vintage. But if I do a blusher. I want the flowers on it to be HUGE!!!! This picture gives me goosebumps...

Or how about this? How about I twist my hair up for the ceremony and put it under a beautiful beaded bridal hood so no one can see it and then release my hair for the reception? I'm in love with that idea too.

                                  Oh how will I ever decide?? Or have I??

To Henna or Not to Henna!!

So I found henna recently while researching my wedding actually... go figure!! I wanted to incorporate the henna into my wedding ritual. (Spoil alert) It seemed exotic, different, beautiful, and a cool way to pamper myself and my bridesmaids. So after talking to a couple of my friends I decided I would definately do it  and its one of the few things about my wedding that I'm not compromising on!!

This is one of the examples I found on the internet. Some brides also get the name of their future hubby painted in somewhere and it is hubby's job to find it (so romantic/sexy).

Anyway while researching henna for my wedding, I found out that BAQ or Body Art Quality henna is super good for your hair!!! "Henna is a natural remedy against hair loss. It is also of great use in maintaining healthy hair. Henna repairs and seals the cuticle, thus helps in healing hair shaft. This prevents the hair breakage and also retains the shine of hair. Henna balances the pH of the scalp, thus, preventing premature hair fall. Henna cures most scalp problems such as dandruff, dryness etc. It also reverses the effects of pollution on hair as well as dryness due to excessive blow drying. Additionally, henna also stops premature graying of hair."

Sounds awesome right?? But before I would just read one article and decide to jump in head first (literally) I wanted to research until I really knew if it was beneficial for me. Because althought I am not my hair, I truly believe that my hair is one of my best assets and to be completely honest I really love it! Short, long, really doesn't matter. So I found this ebook, it's totally free and a good resource for all things pertaining to henna and hair.  I read it top to bottom like 3 times and afterward I was about 99.3% sure!!

So anyone who knows me, knows that I have a few hair idols and Curly Nikki (http://www.curlynikki.com/) is definately one of them and guess what??? She hennas!!!  SOLD!! Below is her tutorial http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/12/henna-pictorial.html.

Since then, I've henna'd twice and I am so in love with the results!! Sooooooo I've decided to commit to henna'ing once/month. I have some pics of my process but silly me forgot to take pics of my hair right after soooo stay posted. I'll post some next month! But in the mean time you can check my bantu knot blog post. I henna'ed right before I did my knots in the picture and the final picture of the back of my curly puff  (pictured again below) is the result. You can see a slight red tint. Courtesy of the henna.

Side note about color *My hair is naturally REALLY dark so henna shows similar to a red rinse. You can only really see it in the sun and its really slight. But the 1 gray hair I have is bright!! so if your hair is light or you have highlights or grays, you should probably try it on a small section first to determine if the color is acceptable for you. Also DO NOT USE any henna that claims to color your hair any color but red/auburn. It's not pure henna!! and can cause you to blister!!! Some henna users will mix their own mixes with Amla powder or Indigo to get the dark brown or black color they want. This is ok and if you trust your supplier and they can mix it for you then fine but DO NOT use any henna  that claims to be pure but dye your hair blonde or any color other than red/auburn. USE ONLY BAQ HENNA!!!

FYI: I will only use Jamila crop. 1. because its the first henna I used and I really don't like switching up products. 2. Its finely sifted so if you have thick, curly hair it rinse out a little easier. and 3. It's a higher quality and 100% pure. I also add honey to my henna mixture during the second tea addition (I'll do a post about the wonders of honey soon!). The red plastic is a picnic table cloth that I used to cover my bathroom because henna is a natural dye and will stain everything (hands, walls, floor, counter tops, you name it). The Taz container is where I mix and store my henna. You just need a plastic bowl but I liked my Taz container that I've had since I was 14 so it was nice to repurpose it ( I think it was originally chocolate bubble bath)


Some people henna with lemon juice or some other strongly acidic liquid. The acidic properties help with color release. Using plain water won't give you all of the benefits.  I used green tea. 1. because so does Curly Nikki and 2. because its slightly acidic but not so much that it will dry the bajeezus out of my hair. I also add a little (like 5 drops) of lemon juice to it and of course honey. The final product looks like mud and smells like spinach. 





Side note* My kitty LOVES the smell and will act an ass to get to the henna so she usually gets locked out of the bathroom while I work.

So anyway to conclude all this... Should you henna? Totally a personal decision. But I totally do!! and women for hundreds of years have. Whether for body or hair... I think henna is beautiful!!! So for all my future bridesmaids... you now have insider information lol Any questions?

Excuse me while I take this moment to crack the hell up!!

Warning!!!! Once you watch this video you'll never listen to Usher's "There goes my baby" again without inserting his lyrics... It's a fact!!

I'll take bantu knots for $300 Alex!!

So I get this question over and over again. How do you get your hair curly and big without combing it and it not getting tangled? The answer is easy... Bantu Knots/Chiney Bumps... doesn't matter what you call them. They are awesome. I won't do a tutorial because there are tutorials all over youtube about how to do them and I don't believe in recreating the wheel sooooooooo... Here's some pics of what they look like. Sexy hunh?

                          Believe it or not... this...

Leads to this...

Super Luscious defined curls...

It is important to note that like I said I do not comb my hair... not even for detangling. The most I will use is the tail end of a rat tail comb and that is only to part. This helps me to reduce breakage... but you can do what you want. All you really need are your fingers. Parts DO NOT need to be straight since you won't end up seeing them anyway. After I deep condition, I put in some SheaMoisture Curl and Style Milk and seal the ends with cocoa butter. Knot it up and let is dry COMPLETELY. If you take out the knots before they are completely dry... you'll have a huge frizzy mess. I either wear mine in an afro or modified afro (hair pinned to one side or another) like the picture on the right or up in a poof like the picture on the left. FYI: The more you separate the sections after it drys... the bigger the hair you'll get!

This is the video I learned from... so I thought I'd share! Although my hair is completely natural, at the time of the video she was transitioning to natural so its a great hair style for transitioners too!! Her name is Ambrosia, screen name is xGOLDn  on youtube and she also has a super cute fashion accessory line called Crochet Love... I said all that to say... Check Her Out!!

Really Asshole?

In case you can't make out the image. The back of his truck reads "Arizona is Right" Really Asshole?

The Heat Free Journey

So I won't start this journey when I had my relaxer, well... because, let's face it that was like 8 years ago! This won't be a journey of natural-ness but of naptural-ness. After 6 or so years of straightening with heat EVERY 2 WEEKS, I had DRASTIC heat damage. So much so that much of my hair refused to curl anymore. It just had this sort of limp wavy frizzed out messy look and I hated it! I also shed like a dog! I had no idea how damaging heat was to my hair. Don't get me wrong, it grew like a weed, still does... but who wants to have long damaged hair? I'd rather have a big fluffy healthy head of nappy hair... So the journey began.


This is me (the person on the right with the frowny face... don't ask what happened that night lol) about 6 years post relaxer. Pressing every 2 weeks. Looks healthy when pressed... not so much when wet. Plus it shed like CRAZY!! I was even naive enough to think that I was "training my hair" not to poof when straightened... YIKES!!

I wanted a new look so I got bangs... Not a good idea at all. I hated them and probably only wore them down like once...literally... and here's the picture...

 This is around December 2009

My bangs grew out like a weed and within 2 or 3 months they were non existent. But since I couldn't really wear it kinky anymore, I decided I wanted a bigger change and cut it. This cut was fierce!! It was a little longer in the front and at the nape of my neck in the back. Although everybody was mad at me for cutting my hair, it was the best decision I have ever made. I unknowingly did a second BC. Most of my damaged ends were gone and my hair started to curl up again...! But I didn't learn my lesson. I still wore it straight...duh!
                                                                       February 2010
                                                   

A few months (2) after my cut I decided that I wanted to grow my hair back... I missed my pony tail! But this time I decided to do it right... No heat! This includes all blow dryers, curling irons, etc. I even gave away all of my hair appliances so that I wouldn't be tempted to heat straighten in any shape or form. I adapted quick and even though I got so many compliments on my barely curly mane... I was soo angry at myself for destroying what I had grown for 8 years!!!
                                                                       April 2010

By June I saw remarkable growth. I switched to a natural hair diet. No mineral oil, petroleum, "cones", Sulfates, etc. My hair only got the best! Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, henna, no combing... It thrived and before I new it I cut off some more inches to reveal fuller, thicker, healthier hair. And this is where I am today. I don't do measurements because I'm not concerned with inches just healthy hair. I still have a long way to go... I have a stubborn section in the front that is struggling to revert but with lots of love by December 2010, I'll do one last major chop and all of my hair will be back to its kinky glory...
                                                             
                                                                             Summer 2010

And might I add, my skin has improved as well... I'll keep you posted on the progress...

Attempt 2 at a blog...

So I've decided to start another blog. Not really sure about what yet. Probably mostly my hair since people tend to ask me a about my routine, products I use and how I get super big, non-tangled, healthy hair everyday without the use of heat or combs so... Here goes! I'll post pictures to document my hair growth and health.

I'll probably also discuss my upcoming nuptuals. I have officially started wedding planning and the count down is on to August 2012!!

Ps. This picture is completely random but its my favorite of me and the boo.

Be careful not to put me in a box because this Nappy Head sure knows how to ramble...