Rock your 'Fro

We curlies tend to focus so much on DEFINING OUR CURLS but have you ever considered going cold turkey? What I mean is have you ever considered rocking your natural glory without using any curl defining products on your hair? I found this photo on

http://www.theglamorouslife.com/ and was inspired. Why do we tend to still try to "tame" our hair? I'm guilty as charged because for so long I was determined to maintain the curl that I got while my hair was wet. I even created my own product line through my experimentation with ingredients that helped define and enhance my curl. Although I love my curly hair and love when my curls pop, I am really feeling the natural, straight out the shower, afropicked, natural glory that reigns high on my head.

Rocking your 'fro shouldn't have to be a bold statement as many may suggest. Your 'fro is a natural and unique part of you and you should be able to rock it cold turkey if you want to like these bad a$$ chicks above!

Just thought I'd share in case you needed some motivation.

HONEY: A must have for curly hair!

Honey is more than just a fabulous, natural sweetener. Honey has been the secret key ingredient in beauty and hair since ancient times (e.g. African queen Cleopatra's famous "milk and honey" bath recipe). Today, the uses for honey are very popular in many natural hair care products for various exciting reasons. Honey can benefit naturally curly, kinky and wavy hair because it contains so many fabulous properties including:

-natural humectant properties: helps attract and retain moisture (remember curlies need moisture the most) and also conditions the hair leaving it soft and shiny

-anti-irritant properties: great for sensitive scalp and skin and safe for babies

-contains no additives or preservatives: has a long shelf life

-smells delicious


You can add honey to your conditioners, gels, detanglers, shampoos and other water based products for added moisture and shine to your hair.

So you wanna get some honey and add it your fave hair products? Start expirimenting today. Check out this site www.fromnaturewithlove.com for ingredients for your natural hair needs if you feel like channeling the inner mixtress in you!

Hair Idol: Lauryn Hill

Okay, I know I'm extra late with this, but the old Lauryn Hill images are timeless and flawless. Chick was beyond fabulous and she rocked the cutest hairstyles. Her locks were amazing even if they were speculated to be lock extensions. Nothing wrong with extensions especially when they are used to embrace the natural look.

Lboogie is the business and one of my favorite hair idols of all time. Sigh...I miss Lauryn Hill.

Natural Brides to Be!

I am a "soon to be Mrs." natural kinky curly bride and let me tell you, I have struggled with ideas for how I am going to wear my hair. I'm getting married on an island in the summer so you know the humidity is going to be insane. Humidity= frizz for me so I have been researching hairstyles like a madwoman. I stumbled across Khamitkinks.com and the styles they displayed in their bridal section gave me some needed motivation.

This particular model is rocking a twistout and its simply fabulous and so easy to do. All you need to do is create two-strand twists all over the head (make sure to use a product with great moisturizing and holding properties like my Lock and Twist Pudding) and let the hair dry. Once dry, unravel your twists and style you hair as desired.

This look is perfect!

To view more styles, visit Khamitkinks.com, they have a wonderful style gallery featuring unique natural hair styles.

Natural Beauty of the day: YaYa Dacosta

Ya'll remember YaYa right? She was an ANTM (America's Next Top Model) contestant that did not win. Although she didn't win, she has been in more movies, commercials than the other contestants and she even starred in a Daytime Soap (All My Children). She's fabulous because she still RoCkS her natural and hasn't let the industry change her image and she is gorgeous. Gotta love her! Go Yaya!

Baby Curls! How to care for your little one's natural curls.

Caring for your little girl's naturally curly, kinky, and wavy hair can be an easy task once you get the hang of it. Here are some tips to help you:

1- Leave the chemicals alone. Parents sometimes want to take the easy road to hair care for their child by perming or relaxing the hair in hopes of making the hair more manageable and easy to style. Just say no! Chemicals alter the texture of the hair and threaten the overall health of your baby's curly mane.

2- Detangle! Instead of reaching for the nearest "Just for me" perm kit to ease styling, try detangling the hair first. There are some great styling aids to help with detangling such as Donna Marie's Ultimate Detangler, which are safe and easy to use. Simply spray or pour the detangler on the hair and comb through with a wide tooth comb.

3- Use products that are natural- Your little girl's hair is healthy and beautiful! Lets keep it that way. Try to stay away from products that use harsh synthetics and ingredients that don't promote hair growth. Rather, use products with ingredients aimed to protect and enhance the health of the hair.

4. Use gentle barretts and ponytail holder- Stay away from rubberbands when styling the hair as they pull the hair too tight and cause breakage. Instead, use soft hair ties or "ouchless" rubberbands (they sell these at CVS, Duane Reed Etc.).

5. Don't braid, twist or cornrow too tight-Tight braids, twists and cornrows can lead to breakage and many little curlies are extra tender in the scalp. Use gentle braiding techniques to ensure the longevity of the style and to ensure the overall health of the hair.

I want that look: Featuring Jill Scott

Most of you that have visited this site are either natural, thinking about going natural or simply looking for alternative 'dos. Sometimes, we need a little added courage juice to make us take the natural plunge. So, I'm going to start featuring celebrity naturals to give you undecided chicas that extra juice you need to RoCk YoUr NaTuRaL!!!

Jill Scott is my staple natural celebrity idol right now. I absolutely love the variety of styles she represents with no apologies.

You want this look? Try doing a twist out. Simply style you hair using the double strand twist method (as shown below) using styling aids such as Lock and Twist Pudding and let your hair dry. Once the hair is dry, undo your twists for a beautiful twist out! Then style to your desire.

Check out this double strand twist tutorial to help you with your styling needs. P.S. My Youtube's coming soon you guys, stay tuned!!

How to use FLEXI RODS

Thanks to a previous reader's request, I am going to show you how to achieve the curly look using Flexi rods in detail!!!!! Yey!

The model below has 3c/4a kinky curly hair. Flexirods work on any hair type. Just make sure you use product on the hair as it helps give the curls shape, shine and hold. You can make small parts or bigger parts in the hair (the smaller the part the more curls you will have).

Okay, so here it goes: After applying setting lotion or Curl Enhancing cream such as CoCo Curly Butter to your soaking wet hair, follow these steps....

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

FINALE!!

Guide to Optimal Hair Growth: Tip 5

Tip 5: Style your hair with ease.

Use a wide-tooth comb and a boar bristle brush to avoid hair breakage. Boar bristle brushes are great at evenly distributing the natural oils from the scalp to the hair strands and wide-tooth combs removes tangles with ease. Placing less stress on the hair minimizes hair damage and optimizes hair growth. Also, trimming your ends every six to eight weeks minimizes split ends, which helps the hair grow.

ROCK YOUR LOCKS!

I love locs! If I just had a little more patience and less "hair commitment" issues, I would have locs just like these! Maybe one day...but I digress...

Locks are a wonderful way to ROCK the NATURAL because there is so much you can do with your locs. You can CURL THEM, BUN it up, CUT THEM in layers, add some COLOR, and so much more. As a loctician, I am dying to share some great tips as well as the dos and dont's of locs.

Here are my tips on making your locs simply FABULOUS!

1. Start your locs with single strand twists (coils)- Why? Because your natural hair grows in a spiral pattern just like the shape of single strand twists/coils and your locks will take form much faster this way. Yes I know you can start them other ways, but to me this is the fastest!

2. Maintain your locs and get them tightened every 2-3 weeks. Very important part of keeping your locs fresh and well groomed. Make a visit to your local Natural Hair Salon or do them yourself.

3. Use natural products that provide hold and shine without the crunch. Using natural creams and butters as opposed to hard gels maintain the health of your locs and add softness. Try my Lock and Twist Pudding to get butter soft locs with a gentle hold!

4. Trim your ends! Just like unlocked hair, you should get your ends trimmed, though not as often. In this case, trimming loose ends and straggling hair is part of routine maintenance that should be done to keep your locks kempt.

5. Keep your locs moisturized. Use a good moisturizer or use a natural oil. Check out Donna Marie's Goddess Growth Remedy daily oil to keep your locks looking fresh.

6. Love your locs and let them grow! Enough said.

Stay tuned for more locked styling options! Happy Friday!