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By definition, a hair relaxer is a lotion or cream that makes the hair easier to straighten and manage. It reduces the curl by breaking down the hair strand and chemically altering the texture. Most women who decide to get their hair relaxed have curly hair who want it to be stick straight without any frizz. The results vary depending on your hair type, but usually a hair relaxer will leave your hair straight for about six to eight weeks. Unlike other permanent straightening methods, relaxing your hair will require touch-ups from time to time. You can go to a professional stylist, or you can purchase a hair relaxing kit to be used at home.
NaturallyCurly talked to Texas-based stylist Latara Porch to learn more about relaxers and some frequently asked questions about the process.
What are the benefits of going to a professional?
While getting your hair relaxed by a professional is expensive, it is the best option if you decide to relax at all. Porch said professional stylists like herself know how to care for your hair and can properly add all the nutrients that have been stripped during the chemical process. A professional can perform a “strand test,” which will test the strength of your hair in order to further assess which type of relaxer is best for you. Porch added that professionals have better, stylist-approved hair products that can help specially treat your hair. Apart from their years of experience, some professionals actually keep records of what treatments you have had or what procedures other clients had that will help them determine how strong the relaxer should be for your hair type.
What are the different types of hair relaxers?
Hair relaxers, most commonly, are available in two types: Lye relaxers and No-Lye relaxers. Opinions on the two vary, but as with everything, it depends on your hair type and texture. Lye relaxers are known to work quickly on the hair, but as a result they might also rinse out of your hair easily. Their main ingredient is sodium hydroxide, and they are also known as “alkali” relaxers. No-lye, on the other hand, is mostly made of calcium hydroxide, which can dry out the hair. However, no-lye is better for people with sensitive scalps. When using no-lye, it is imperative that you use a “de-calcifying” shampoo to prevent calcium buildup.
What are some disadvantages of using hair relaxers?
Hair relaxers are very powerful chemicals; they have to be if you want your hair’s texture altered so drastically. Depending on your hair type, hair relaxers might cause breakage, hair thinning, and stunt your hair growth. Porch said the process may also result in chemical burns on the scalp and other areas — with some women have also complained of scalp irritation, scalp damage or hair loss. Remember that hair relaxers are stripping your hair of its natural oils, so be very attentive to your hair if you decide to relax it.
What are some advantage of using hair relaxers?
Despite the hair breakage and and scalp irritation, Porch said there are some advantages of getting your hair relaxed. Your hair stays straight for the most part and it’s easier to manage and style and less likely to frizz.
Should I get a relaxer?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this question — but Porch always wants to understand from her clients why exactly they want a relaxer. Having straight, relaxed hair is no “easy” task — relaxed hair needs special attention by keeping the hair moisturized, along with weekly deep conditioning, drinking plenty of water, and utilizing leave-in conditioners. Be sure to use a reconstructing shampoo and conditioner the week following your hair relaxing, and stay away from heat that will further dry your hair. It’s important to understand that if you get a relaxer, your hair will be damaged in the long run and will require special care to repair it.Porch said she’s seen healthy and damaged relaxed hair and healthy and damaged natural hair — but it’s all about how you take of your crown.
August is Hair Loss Awareness Month, and this is not an issue that affects men only. According to NYU Langone “more than 80 percent of men and nearly half of women experience significant hair loss during their lifetime.” In fact there is one possible cause of hair loss that is unique to women: birth control.
If you’re experiencing hair loss, whether it’s thinning or shedding, the culprit may be your birth control. But with so much information floating around, separating fact from fiction about this potentially devastating condition can be tricky.
Why does birth control contribute to hair loss?
According to Michelle Blaisure, a certified trichologist who is also a nutritional therapist, too-low progesterone, too much estrogen, or excess androgen can work concurrently or separately to contribute to hair loss in women.
These hormones are found in contraceptives such as birth control pills, intrauterine devices, implants, injections, patches, and vaginal rings.
The Phases of Hair Growth
Contrary to popular belief, every hair on your head isn’t growing at the same rate. At any given moment, about 90 percent of your follicles are in the anagen growth phase, meaning they are actively producing hair.
However, “the other five to 10 percent of hair follicles are in the catagen and telogen phases,” Blaisure says. “Your hair follicles go through individualized growth cycles at different times; otherwise your hair would fall out all at once.”
During the catagen phase — when the follicle renews itself — and the telogen phase — when the follicle rests — no hair growth takes place. A more-recently described phase — the exogen phase — is when hair sheds.
Although genetic predisposition and nutrition play a factor, your curls “grow around half an inch a month,” Blaisure says. However, because these three phases of hair growth are controlled by hormones, using hormone-containing birth control methods can interfere with the body’s normal hair growth cycles.
Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash
Why women experience hair loss after stopping birth control
Various medications have varying levels of different hormones, and each can impact hair growth differently. In some women, some hormones in birth control — or the body’s response to the additional hormones — can cause the hair to move from the growing phase to the resting phase too soon, resulting in a form of hair loss is called “telogen effluvium.”
In other women, however, the hair loss comes after they stop using birth control pills. For these women, absorbing the additional hormones extends the anagen phase of the hair-growth cycle.
When the supplemental hormones are no longer interfering with the normal process, the hair follicles are able to go into their resting phase, and then their shedding phase.
This can lead to massive shedding of hair that had been held overlong in the anagen phase by the additional hormones.
Will the hair loss last forever?
The good news, according to Blaisure, is that our beautiful, brilliant bodies eventually get back on track. “Once you ditch your contraceptive, your hair loss will self-correct within three to four months,” she says.
What you need to know about estrogen
The AHLA agrees: “Hormonal contraceptives have a significant potential of causing or exacerbating hair loss. It is important to note that any medication or therapy that alters a woman’s hormones, including but not limited to, contraceptives, can trigger hair loss in anyone who takes them. If a woman has a strong predisposition for genetic hair loss in her family, we recommend the use of another non-hormonal form of birth control.”
Contraceptives create a negative feedback system within your body. A negative feedback stabilizes a process by reducing its rate when its effects are too much. This occurs because the endocrine glands are sensitive to both the amount of hormones they make, and the substance that activates them.
Thus, if you take a birth control that’s high in estrogen, your endocrine gland will stop making the hormone resulting in hair loss. Your body needs a balanced amount of estrogen so the hair growth cycle can function effectively.
Within the endocrine system, the endocrine glands which includes the pancreas, thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands, secrete hormones directly into your bloodstream to signal the hair growth cycle.
“Estrogen and testosterone are the two dominant hormones that influence hair growth,” Blaisure says. “Most birth control contains progestin, a synthetic form of progesterone, and estrogen.”
Testosterone is an androgen that’s present in both men and women. An excess of testosterone in men or women, will cause the enzyme, 5-alpha-reductase to convert it into DHT.
The American Hair Loss Association recommends that all women interested in using oral contraceptives for the prevention of conception should only use low-androgen birth control pills.
“When a woman’s body has an excess of dihydrotestosterone (DHT”>, it shrinks hair follicles, a process known as hair miniaturization,” Blaisure says. Because each follicle contains two to six strands of hair, she says miniaturization will result in less volume instead of bald spots.
The surge in estrogen and progestin changes your body’s hormone level, “keeping it the same all the time,” Blaisure explains, which is a hair growth no-no if you want Rapunzel-like length.
“It depends on the level of progesterone and/or estrogen in the contraceptive.”
When it comes to estrogen and hair growth, too much of it translates into hair loss.
“Low amounts of progesterone and too much estrogen triggers hair in the growing cycle to shed,” Blaisure says. Your hair follicles respond to the excess hormones by causing them to enter the telogen phase faster.
A 2012 study by Hui-min Hu, et. al., backed her statement, detailing that estrogen leads to reversible hair cycle retardation by signaling premature catagen and maintaining telogen.
For those struggling with hair loss at any time, Blaisure has handpicked four products that’ll help you grow your coils while maintaining your mane’s health.
- Bosley Rebalancing and Finishing Treatment: A blend of burdock root, marula, coconut, sunflower seed, rice, avocado, and argan oils that treats dry, itchy scalp, and/or dandruff.
- Bosley BosRevive Kit For Color-Treated Hair: Saw palmetto, which can prevent follicle shrinkage, is the active ingredient in this kit that includes shampoo, conditioner, and a leave-in treatment.
- Bosley Healthy Follicle Energizer: A rich serum made of anti-aging ingredients and DHT blockers to improve your strands.
- Bosley HairMax Laser Band: Use for two months, at least two to three times weekly, and you’ll notice new strands of hair courtesy of 82 red-light emitting lasers that stimulate your hair follicles.
Is my hair loss connected to my birth control?
If you’re losing your hair and want to know if it’s related to your birth control, Blaisure suggests seeking the counsel of a specialist such as a gynecologist to administer a hormone panel test, thyroid test, or a general blood test. She points out that results of your tests may indicate a need for further testing. Once you know your results, your doctor can discuss your options for a low-dose contraceptive.
Would you ditch your birth control to save your tresses? Why or why not?
Share with us in the comments section below. For more on how hormones affect hair loss, check here.
This article has been updated.
Photo courtesy of @harmonicurls
With natural hair, it’s hard not to think constantly of your curls and coils—how moisturized they are, the defined they are, how to style them, and more. But there’s another part of your hair that needs equal attention to and that you may sometimes neglect: your edges.
Excessive styling and bad styling habits can cause strain on your edges, thinning them over the course of time. Other reasons for hair loss (at the edges and beyond”> can include pregnancy, stress, heredity, hypothyroidism, chronic illnesses like lupus, and scalp conditions, according to Prevention. The most common type of hair loss is hereditary, affecting around 80 million men and women across America.
Some people have gotten their “edges snatched” literally, and it’s time to get them back! If you’ve run into snags in trying to regrow your edges, here are some tips.
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
Natural oils like castor oil and coconut oil are useful in keeping edges moisturized and stimulating growth. Castor oil lubricates the hair shaft, which can reduce breakage, dandruff, and flaking. Coconut oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties, which can improve scalp health and support hair growth. Creating oil mixtures and treatments will more deeply moisturize your edges and fight against hair loss. Try combining DOO GRO Thickening Hair Oil thickening hair oil, coconut oil, and castor oil in a small bowl and microwaving for a few seconds. Apply to your edges at night and watch your hair grow!
Stay away from extreme styling.
Braids and twists can be cute for those summer Instagram shots, but be wary of these styles if you’re having issues regrowing your edges. Tight protective styles cause tension and pull on your scalp, increasing the likelihood of that your edges will break off. Also, constantly pulling your hair back into buns and ponytails can have the same growth-stunting effect. Keeping away from tight styles gives your scalp a rest and allows your edges the freedom to grow without restraint.
Hard brushes and edge control are a no-no.
Scrolling through Instagram, we often see our favorite naturalistas slicking their edges down to add to final touches to their hairstyles. But constant manipulation of your edges with hard bristles brushes and edge control gel can prevent your edges from growing back. If you’re trying to grow your edges, let them grow naturally without being forced down. You can try any of your regular styles with free, unlaid edges—saving you more time in the end!
Satin and silk are you best friends!
For girls with curly, kinky, and coily hair we already know silk and satin can be life savers when protecting our curls at night—but it can help with our edges too! Sleeping on cotton pillowcases can cause friction that sucks the moisture out of your edges—this will undo the benefits of any extra nourishment you’ve added with oils! Along with a satin pillowcase, you can tie a silk scarf around your edges to keep them protected at night. Just make sure you don’t tie the scarf down too tight.
Need more ideas? Here are some do’s and don’ts of edge care and recommendations for shampoos that will go easy on your edges.
Do you struggle with thinning edges? What remedies are you going to try?
Ambition is nothing without follow-through.
It’s easy to want, too easy actually, but it’s much harder to DO. Bleaching my hair is absolutely one of those things that’s hard for me to do.
You’ve seen my hair, I obviously don’t mean that going blonde is hard as if it takes up a lot of my time, I mean more that it’s just plain hard to contemplate! For every piece of advice and assurance, I hear another horror story, imagine five MORE horror stories, and the concept just makes me extra anxious.
Just because I have a few wigs now doesn’t mean I can go through a third big chop, you guys. I’m not strong enough.
But the potential for towheaded greatness? Holy hydration, Batman. Some of y’all are out here making me want to risk it all! “All” meaning just my HAIR of course, this isn’t a thirsticle…technically…
Carter B. Rey
Do you all see how REGAL this looks? Nevermind that I’m not a man, but I can absolutely rock an all dark clean-line ensemble. I can get a lint brush. The contrast with the gothy pieces in my wardrobe will be SO worth it!
The Most Fly
Blondeness? Blazer? Classic rock tee? SQUEE!
The Most Fly lives up to her name for sure, this look has me about to reach for the gloves and bleach. Or a stylist’s number, actually. But I may reach for the laundry bleach, for a knockoff version of the look below.
Curly_Bishop
Most of the self-made blond/es on this feature are rocking a close crop, but lightness AND length can coexist! Kenny here proves it beautifully. Just this side of white-blond is a good GOOD look.
Anzie
Minding my skinny business pic.twitter.com/wdcTctKGE6
— anzie (@egyptique”> February 27, 2018
Staying in your lane keeps your skin clear, so I also mind my thick business. Anzie’s sunny golden locks though, those I might have to rubberneck a little. I always envisioned platinum blonde on me, but you know what, this could work too if I ever leveled up enough to try! Blonde: The SHADES of it all. I’m in.
Kristia Tolode
I could also be very into matching my hair to my highlight? That’s not a question actually, I DEFINITELY could be. I read somewhere that we’re not “allowed” to highlight with black, which only makes me want to do it MORE, but since that’s the case, I’d want to go blonde and get that glow so that my crown matched my cheekbones this nicely.
Of course if I didn’t have my hair match my makeup, it COULD match my vacation spot…
Ludi Djama
Who needs golden sand when you have buff colored rocks? Well, no, let me not. All beaches are good beaches, and being from Corpus Christi, I won’t hear otherwise. Are all bleaches good bleaches is the research that I need to do though. This particular shot doesn’t capture Ludi’s beautiful smile, but she’s obviously getting something out of life that I haven’t opened myself up to yet. It’s probably not JUST the hair, but is that the worst starting point you’ve ever heard of?
SIGH.
I’d be lying if I said I was definitely going to go get my hair lightened now. Personally, as much as I like the idea of being a brazen brassy goddess, or the next coming of Storm, I’m probably not going to have light hair until it changes color on its own. Or until my next wig purchase…
Did you ever take your dark coils into the light? Let me know how it went in the comments, and give all due props to our amazing featurees!
I need to see all my stuff.
Considering how MUCH I have, of…everything, it can get a little difficult, but it’s true nonetheless. However, ironically enough, I can’t STAND clutter. It messes with my head. I’m a maximalist in every regard, but if everything doesn’t have an assigned place, I can’t deal. So to have my counters just awash with products doesn’t sit well with me. But if I don’t SEE the products on a regular basis, I’m never going to use them. They’ll expire, my hair will suffer, my soul will suffer, it’s entirely a mess. And I know that some of y’all are out there just like me—visually oriented hoarders…er, collectors. So this is what I’ve learned to help myself out in terms of storage that meets my product junkie needs, no drawers necessary!
1. Small bookshelves
Unsurprisingly, my blerd (black nerd”> butt has a lot of books on hand. NO, not ALL of them are graphic novels, I also “read read”. Also, shut up. But now that I’ve had big girl jobs and large vehicles for a few years, I’ve been walking out of Half Price fully loaded more often than not. So that left me with an overloaded small bookshelf…that was promptly put into my bathroom and covered in hair products. Like so.
I can’t say that stuff oriented towards the back won’t get used last, but since I’m trying all of this stuff for work, a lot of it’s going to end up donated amongst family and friends when it doesn’t pan out for me.
Perfect system!
2. Curios and Curiouser
I’m a sucker for dust collectors. Nice vintage glass and porcelain things just call to me! And luckily, a few of those things can actually serve more than one purpose. Like storage! Using bottles and vases to store hairties, or smaller tools like the toothbrush you use for your edges and your duckbill clips isn’t just visually appealing, it’s practical! Plus, you get to look totally ‘Pinteresty’ in front of your minimalist friends.
Get to those garage sales and get cracking!
3. Free and Clear containers
Sadly, I don’t mean free as in they don’t cost anything…unless you raid my craft storage while I’m too at school to stop you, MOMMY. Just jokes, I love her, and she’s welcome to every…most…SOME of my things. But open clear containers like this
And this
Can actually be used for smaller bottles, especially all your DIY oils, very easily! As I explained in our Pound For Pound challenge intro video, I did find a glass vial of Phyto serum smashed to bits from improper storage in a drawer of mine. What we didn’t have time to mention was that I found it with my fingers as I was groping for a pen. “Hmm, my writing implements aren’t usually this oily…or this…sharp” isn’t a great line of thought to ever have to have—and a more visible storage solution like this really would have helped. Don’t make the same mistakes I have. Rise above and protect your tiny artisan formulas. And your fingers.
4. Shower baskets ROCK
You know what they DON’T tell you about shower baskets? They can actually be hung up pretty much anywhere. Check this out:
That part of my bathroom doesn’t get the best lighting, but you see where I’m going with this. That’s all just chilling out on some otherwise unused wallspace in my bathroom. And it works fantastically! When I was in college, I actually used my shower hanger from home as grooming storage while attached to the bunk rails of my dorm bed. It’s a good thing.
So what if I’m an apartment dweller?
Honestly? Just invest in some spackle. I tried to do the whole hole-less thing too, I really did. But my soul cried out for art on my walls, and my scalp cried out for easily accessible moisturization. If it helps, the ONE thing I didn’t leave myself enough time for when I left my last place was refilling the holes in the walls, and I still got most of my deposit back because I deep-cleaned everything else. Trust me, people that make a business out of owning property know to have color-matching paint and wall-patching equipment on hand, it’s going to be okay.
Getting any ideas? You all set to get your stockpile back in your sightline?
Let us know if you’ve gotten inspired to Spring Clean, or if you’re a know-it-all already, what your other unconventional storage solutions are in the comments! I’m always taking notes.
I don’t travel much.
I’ve been on a plane all of four times in my adult life, and two of those trips were for work. But you better believe that I was lugging about a third of my possessions each time and with the number of hair products I have? That…adds up. Not to mention it spills. And how is someone as vain and constantly sleepy as I am even supposed to fly comfortably anyway?
I’ll keep debating, but for you curlies with shoulder-length locks, Coconut Restore partnered with us to give you all a pretty-yet-practical solution. Check it out!
Pssssst! We are giving you the opportunity to WIN all of these Coconut Restore products. Keep reading for details!
This pair of fishtails is giving the Starbucks logo a run for its money.
Seriously though, the fishtail braids are perfect! They say that you’re willing to put a little bit more effort into your look, but they’re still flirty and fun! Bonus: the pigtail style is so much easier than a ponytail to sleep on when you’re ready to recline that seat back.
So let’s talk products!
First up, we’ve got the Curl Control Leave in Conditioner. As much as this mixture might smell like an island drink, only your curls need to obey their thirst with it. Now some of you might be thinking, “My hair’s not dyed or naturally porous, this won’t keep moisture where I need it to be.” I congratulate you for taking your hair type into account, but because this formula uses shea butter as a complement to coconut oil to work its conditioning magic, those microscopic droplets keeping your curls healthy and elastic are going nowhere. Unlike you.
But despite the name, the control aspect of this conditioner is only going to help out our Type 2 or finely haired curlistas. For full Type 3 curls like Kiana’s, we’ll have to look elsewhere in the Coconut Restore family for the hold you need. Fortunately, we don’t have to look far!
To keep your look in place, look no further than the Setting and Styling Gelee. Because this gel, like the rest of the line, is powered by coconut oil, it harnesses the unique cortex-penetrating property of the oil to penetrate the hair shaft and continue to seal in moisture from the inside as the gel dries to set your style from the outside. The ingredients list also includes hair growth powerhouse horsetail (also known by its sensual sounding scientific name, Equisetum Arvense”>.
If you’re trying to get your edges back to 100% after some traction alopecia or from having read through some of our other Coconut Restore tutorials, this gel will be your perfect travel companion!
“Now April,” I hear you saying, “that’s all well and good, but I don’t DO checked luggage.“
Minimalism is as practical as it is antithetical to my own nature, but hey, I get it. And Coconut Restore’s got YOU. The entire Coconut Restore line comes in a travel size, now available on the NaturallyCurly storefront! That’ll make your carryon happy, your hair happy, and your local branch of the TSA happy for SURE. At just $10.00 for a plane-ready product pack your wallet will be happy too. Hey, more money for umbrella drinks is always cool.
So are you ready to start packing yet?
You’d better be, the full suite of travel-sized Coconut Restore goodness is going to be available soon! Sales start exclusively at the NaturallyCurly Shop, so get ready, get set, and get going!
Coconut Restore Fishtail Braids Giveaway!
You know you hate last minute travel plans…of course you can still get lucky!
What’s luck have to do with it?
This giveaway, curlfriends! Comment below with what style you’d want to take to the friendly skies, and you could win the WHOLE Coconut Restore full-sized package! That’s some good stuff right there.
Stay fly while you fly, and be sure to tag @coconutrestore and @naturallycurly if you’re about to show out when you go out.
Bon voyage, curlistas!
This post is sponsored by Coconut Restore.
Photos by Brio Photography.
I love my protective styles.
Who could blame me? Look at this—I look awesome.
And that’s kind of where I’m going with this.
Look, we know this much to be true: Box braids, wigs, weaves, and crochet braids DO 100% protect our edges, our ends, and promote healthy growth when installed and maintained properly. But that has NEVER been my reason for wearing them.
I like not being beholden to weather patterns when I go out. I like being able to experiment with length and color and texture with no permanent repercussions. I like being able to just flop down on my satin pillowcase after a long day and just go right to sleep, because honestly, by the time I’m finished with putting my hair up for the night, I’m more awake. I love it all! It’s the closest thing we curlies have to a superpower, and it’s awesome! So why is it that the onus is on me to explain why I “can’t just be happy with my natural hair” and why I’d “resort to putting all that PLASTIC in it”?
Gonna pause here for a moment, because I AM happy with my natural hair.
Obviously, right? It hasn’t grown this well for this long because it was making me miserable. But you know what? I’m not ALWAYS happy with how my natural hair looks. I’m not ALWAYS happy with how long it takes me to style. And I’m finally secure enough to say so. Bad hair days HAPPEN.
Sometimes the twistout doesn’t WORK out.
You know what I can be happy with though? OPTIONS. Freedom! If you could bottle the feeling I had when I wore a wig for the first time, meaning I didn’t have to attempt to style my hair and maintain said style for a formal event in some gross muggy weather I was already having to wear layers and a corset in? It would be an illegal substance the next day. It’s THAT good.
So why do we have to be on the defense?
There are a few reasons. I think a big implication is that if you wear protective styles, you don’t have your own hair, and therefore you’re less than, which—obviously—is some ridiculous mess in a number of ways.
No matter how much hair you do or don’t have, it’s nothing to keep you from being beautiful, even if you don’t feel that way 100% of the time.
Secondly, unless someone’s wearing a color that contrasts with their own in a box braid, or similar style? No one has ANY IDEA how much hair we have under our protective styles. Honestly, it takes a special kind of ignorance to pretend that you know what a stranger’s hair is like just because you see them wearing protective styles, and I need that to go ahead and stop.
There’s also the insinuation that comes from all sides: if you’re wearing fake hair, you have a fake personality or you’re trying to be someone you’re not—especially when you’re wearing a non-textured style.
Quick aside here: I’m not going to go into the politics of having to hide afro-textured hair for a racist workplace in this article, though there are more places on the site you can read about it. I’m also not going to cover those of us, my younger self included, that DID turn to protective styles to quite literally cover insecurities about our natural hair.
But I have to ask, how can you be any more YOU than by making a choice that reflects your own aesthetics? If who I am is pastel pink, back-length waves this week, and a Bantu knot-out next week, it doesn’t mean my personality actually shifts. It means I have the kind of personality that values stylistic spontaneity.
So how do we stop seeing protective styles as a second tier option with coincidental perks, and as a style for style’s sake?
I plan to just cop to it. So yeah. I’m fortunate in that my hair grows in fully, if slowly, and there’s nothing making it fall out, so I use protective styles as a way to switch up my look and save time, nothing more. Of all the things I might have to feel guilty about, that’s not one of them.
If people choose to be mad at that, there’s no stopping them, but I will laugh a little.
Why do you wear protective styles, curlies? Actual protection? Fashion? Both? Let me know in the comments!
I don’t have any current plans to loc my hair.
Currently I’m enjoying the versatility of it in its floofy form while I’m growing it out. But my plan has always been to start the loc process once the coils start coming in more silver than coal. Judging by my family, I figure that’ll be in about 30 years, which will put me right at Miss Angela Bassett’s age. Considering her portrayal of Ramonda, Queen Mother of Wakanda in Black Panther, I can’t WAIT.
Black Panther/Marvel Studios
Naturally, the whole movie had me drooling over the architecture, the tech, the… ahem, shirtless fight scenes, and alllllllll the glorious natural hair/lack thereof. But Ramonda’s silvery splendor really struck a chord with me.
I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but this is a pretty mild one… I think.
Because Mommy #2, *cough* that is to say Ramonda, spends most of the movie wearing a Zulu inspired headdress, we don’t actually see her locs until the falling action that precedes the start of the climax. Shout out to Twitter user @diasporicblues for presenting the research I was intending to do for this article for absolutely free, by the way. Much obliged. Without giving too much away, I can say that there’s a moment where she has to run for her life, and shed her more literal crown in order to move quickly and inconspicuously.
As inconspicuous as the beautiful Angela Bassett ever COULD be in any case. I’m an admirer, could you tell?
Fangirling aside, as I said, the first time we see her hair is when she’s on the run, and those locs are just spectacular. They’re like snow on the peak of a majestic mountaintop, which coincidentally is where she’s headed in the film, but let me stop right there.
I got my first gray hair when I was seven as a fluke, and I have two now on opposite sides of my crown that I’m PRAYING merge together into a cool stripe as I age. But my hair goals here are actually more than just cultivating the ‘Creepy-cool witch lady that lives in THAT house’ aesthetic that I want when I’m older. Having tidy locs actually involves a decent amount of privilege—both in access to proper maintenance materials and in the mobility one needs to continue locking new growth. As much as I can, now I’m trying to lay the foundation for that as I’m coming up on my 30s. Right now, I think I have enough product to last me until maaaaaybe my 50s, so there’s still room for expansion and improvement as far as hoarding goes. And I already know I have joint issues in my matrilineal line, so I’m taking preventative measures with exercise and swallowing my weight in collagen every day. But that combination of privileges represents the kind of woman I want to mature into.
Comfortable. Independent. Queenly.
And if I do have kids, I could definitely do worse than a spunky genius and a kind-hearted monarch.
Between Camille Friend (head hairstylist for BP”> and Natascha Ladek’s (wigmaker”> work, I got some serious inspiration. If all goes as projected, Future April is going to look amazing. And if it doesn’t, eh. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
What are your plans for when you go gray, curlies? Let me know, and be sure to stay tuned for our Watch n’ Go coverage of Black Panther next week!
You’ve heard that fortune favors the bold, right?
!Ancient Romans said it, and you know THEY were never wrong…until they were. But this isn’t the History Channel.
OffbeatLook
We are going to be talking about a kind of alien look though— that being super bright two tone hair!
Two tone hair, sometimes called split dyed hair when it’s directly down the middle, is that Monokuma/Harley Quinn/Cruella Deville/Nicki Minaj in part of the Superbass video look, and personally, I’ve always been of two minds about it. Which is fitting, I suppose.
On one hand, it’s SO. CUTE. On the other hand, if I somehow didn’t get everything exactly symmetrical, I think I would ACTUALLY die, probably of hyper-theatric-osis or some such similar syndrome. I realize that in our Austin bubble, the NC editors and I are all a little more sheltered from the general consensus of what ‘weird’ and ‘extra’ and ‘reasonable cost of living’ actually are, but this look is still pretty out there, and you’d want to get it right, right?
Camille Johnson of Offbeat Look is no stranger to styles that really rock the status quo, which is awesome right out of the gate.
Offbeat Looks
She’s taking us through her magnificent neon methods in this video, so watch, learn and if you adjust your screen’s brightness down to accommodate this radioactive look, you’re a wuss, but I don’t blame you.
I kind of love how hard she gets in there, very primal. Very…hands on.
__”Oh, and gloves? Those are for wimps”__
Nice.
I’m still super uncomfortable with the idea of dyeing my hair since that involves lifting the color out of it. Even though I’ve certainly seen many tutorials with how to do it safely and reviews of salons and stylists that have done it right, I’m scared. Two tone hair on me is going to mean neon colored box braids and wigs for me right now, but who knows, maybe one day I can take the bleach plunge. It’s not like I’m really hurting for deep conditioner after all.
The biggest worry, even in Austin, might be workplace issues. Personally, I work as a creative, and I think it’s probably worse off if clients DON’T think I look weird. But of course some of y’all are teachers and secerataries and nurses and judges and such, and you don’t quite have carte blanche as far as color (ba-dum-tssh”>. I feel like that’s were wigs come in. You can certainly grab a blonde one and practice your coloring skills yourself, or check out fun shop pages and find a cute ready-made one! Think of it as your own personal transformation sequence during your off-hours.
So what kind of color combos would y’all want to try with two tone hair? Would you keep it subtle with natural hair colors like black and auburn, or would you go all out with anime-protagonist type shades? Personally I’m thinking more along the lines of pastels…maybe a nice pink and seafoam mix? Just in time for spring!
Let us know how you’d do this ‘do in the comments!
The stars-only premiere of Black Panther went down this week.
I assume my invite was lost in the mail.
But I still got my life with all the actual attendees’ hair and outfits! I ‘Yaaaaassssssss’-ed myself hoarse!
You’ll see why.
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Angela Bassett is my angel, my light, and my backup Mommy in case mine gets called elsewhere. Her full wavy style accented by those earrings was all about being BOLD. I love it. And her. So much. I’m not crying at work, YOU’RE crying at work.
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Speaking of moms, look at Lupita and her own mother! Awwwww! Also, that Fulani inspired ‘do is just everything. Mrs. Nyongo (I should call her Tantie, honestly…”> in her TWA is also showing out! Afro’s aren’t for formal events? SAYS WHO.
No one that matters, that’s for sure.
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Yara Shahidi says her hair feeds off of black excellence! I wonder if that’d have an effect on my own inches…maybe I need to get to more black business owner workshops, or back to Afropunk this summer.
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Janelle kept her coils tucked up for this premiere, but she still looks royal AF amongst her squad! Sidenote, make sure you swipe through, and if anyone can get me in contact with that be-locked gentleman in the white, I’ve got um…a 100% professional interview I’d like to conduct that’s not fueled by objectification and thirst at all. Definitely.
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I’m a Texan coily, so big hair is in my genes times two. Nabiyah’s piled high curls warm my heart like a bonfire, and how appropriate that she’s wearing something that can reflect her and her co-stars’ greatness…literally!
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You’ll have to swipe for it, but Letitia Wright was good enough to give us a quick sweep of the afterparty! We’re so blessed, y’all.
These looks got me like
Y’all know we’ve BEEN excited since the trailers dropped last year, and the NC team is putting the last touches on their outfits so that we can show out at the movie theaters here. Check out Evelyn’s reaction Watch ‘N Go for the proof!
Curlies, did any of the looks here inspire you? Who had your favorite style on the Wakandan red carpet? Let us know!
Have I mentioned that our co-founder Michelle came out with a book?
I’m not in it, but you should buy it anyway. In addition to awesome interviews, curly insights, and hair-healthy recipes you’ll also get your hands on a hard muscled hard photocopy of Mr. Warner King Washington II, fitness expert, coily royalty, and my future uncle once I set him up with Auntie J.
Speaking it into existence…
But Warner didn’t answer my emails just to be shamelessly thirsted over by proxy, he’s got some great tips for us regarding, hair, health, and happiness; and it was my absolute pleasure to get a mini-consultation from him in interview form.
Here’s what he had to say!
Okay, so you’re a trainer. Do we really need to be that concerned about sweat and afro-textured hair mingling on a regular basis?
King: Concerned in the fact that it’s important to know your hair and skin behaviors and sensitivities. I was lost regarding hair care until I met Anthony Dickey and his team at Hair Rules in NYC. I used to apply all sorts of products to my hair, wondering why my scalp was dry. I would feel embarrassed, alone or otherwise, when I would get up from a flat bench and see flakes on the head-rest.
I was using well known commercial dandruff products that were supposed to prevent flakes on my head and shoulders. I would use the gym’s shampoo and conditioner after every workout, which typically meant once a day, unknowingly performing a serious disservice to my scalp—damaging my skin with alcohol-based chemical washes.
It wasn’t until a friend insisted I visit Dickey that I found my way. Learning that I shouldn’t use products for “all hair types” without carefully reading the labels because usually the manufacturer wasn’t particularly focused on my skin and hair texture.
Follow up to that, how do you take care of yours? Any products you’d like to shout out?
King: Dickey and crew began my hair care education the moment I walked in and my hair has only gotten healthier and longer ever since. I swear by Hair Rules products, the Cleansing Cream Moisturizing No Suds Shampoo, Quench Ultra Rich Conditioner, Nourishment Leave-In Conditioner are heavily rotated. When I’m styling for a specific occasion, I use Hair Rules Blow It All Out or Kinky Curly Cream. Days in-between I co-wash with Aussie Moist which is readily available at most hair care and big chain pharmacies and is a relatively inexpensive alternative suggested by the Hair Rules crew. As directed, I avoid any shampoo that produces suds and I only shampoo a few times a week max, while conditioning and rinsing daily.
My biggest concern in the gym hasn’t usually been my hairSTYLE, but my hair SIZE. Any advice in particular for those of us that still want to train with longer or more voluminous braids without getting horribly ensnared in the adductor machine?
King: First, you’ll do yourself and your muscles near your ischium a favor by getting off the adductor machine and doing squats, lunges, etc. and varying your planes of motion.
…well dang, okay then.
King: I typically pull my fro back or have it braided for protection when working out. I’ve seen men and women with impressive dreads, fros, etc of various lengths do everything from the same as me to investing in specialized caps, hair ties, etc.
Good to know! Since our interview, I have yet to go to Krav Maga or pole classes with giant crochet braids, but knowing there’s less to worry about is great!
How has your relationship with your body been over your life? Does self-love come after physical goals or before?
King: I was formerly obese. Close to 300lbs and 40% body fat. I exercised and lowered my weight to 150lbs then started bodybuilding which led to me resting around 185lbs ~8% while I modeled. Going from one extreme to the other, and how society responded to a leaner me afterward, has definitely warped my body image and I’m constantly critiquing myself. Especially as I mature, I battle indifference, complacency, and a shift in priorities. Or maybe elevated confidence in myself nullifies overcompensating. I know I presently love myself more than I did years ago. I’d be a great case study for someone. :”>
How about with your hair? Did you ever go close-cropped? If so, what made you decide to grow the ‘fro (which is awesome, by the way”>?
King: My family built itself from less desirable beginnings. Triumph and success are coveted. I recall government cheese in thin cardboard containers and cereal with hydrated powdered milk to attending a private college preparatory boarding school. Along my family’s socio-economic progression, I had many phases of self-exploration. At times losing myself, if I’m honest. I was expected to be “clean-cut” in order to contend with preconceived perceptions. I needed any and every advantage to succeed. Plus I had the dry skin problem. When I came to New York I wanted to set my own rules and show my hairstyle does not diminish my aptitude. My non-conformed hair does not make me uncouth. I wanted to challenge the status quo.
I don’t know much about the demographics of the kinesiology industry, but afro-textured hair has wrongly been made a stumbling block in many professional spheres. Have your coils ever been someone else’s problem in your line of work?
King: Yes. It has. I carry on because the precedent needs to be set. One can be excellent and have a “natural hairstyle”.
I wanted to challenge the status quo.
The yo-yo of interest in training and exercise, in general, is pretty infamous. New Year’s has come and gone, and it may be another year that people slip off the treadmill again…metaphorically. Hopefully. In your experience, what makes people relapse most?
King: Not setting realistic expectations and falsely believing behavior can be permanently changed with the passing of a second.
How do you counter that in your personal life?
King: I set goals as needed. I constantly critique myself. I seek knowledge and feedback. I create or join a community that supports my interests.
I especially like that last part!
Supplements, shakes, and the like have been a personal interest of mine for a while. Do you augment your diet with any in particular? Or do you feel they’re more of an inferior substitute for food-based nutrition?
King: I focus on providing my body with the nourishment it needs from a diet that consists of food of various colors and textures. I leave supplements alone. I tried keeping up with the supplement industry. The more I learn about nutrition and how the body works, the less I’m interested in supplements.
How has clean eating and exercise affected your hair? Pattern change? Growth? Or have you not noticed anything at all? Have any of your curly clients told you they’d seen a change?
King: I am confident my hair is growing long and strong because of my dietary and hair care habits. I focus on behavior and avoid referring to food as bad, good, clean, dirty, etc. There’s a time and place for almost everything. Portions and moderation are important. I receive compliments on my hair regularly. It’s awesome.
Wonder if I gained any inches during the No Sugar Challenge…
Personally, I hate push-ups, but I love swimming. Is there any particular exercise you dislike? What do you substitute it with if so?
King: Our bodies are interesting. They adapt to the stressors that act on them. If you want to build upper body strength stick with pushups. If you want to improve muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance, swimming is great. If your goal is the former, the latter will not ellicit the necessary adaptive response. I value the results of exercise which motivates me to perform the actions necessary. I don’t have any exercises I dislike. I’ll rarely pass on an opportunity to deadlift, however.
I guess I DO want to be able to move more of my own furniture.
Lastly, do you have any playlists or favorite artists to help you pump up or cool down? Enquiring listeners want to know!
King: I have an eclectic playlist that jumps from BONE Thugs-N-Harmony, Florence and The Machine, French Montana, RiRi, to Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Eat World to name a few.
Sounds like a great mix!
So curlies, are you planning to take Warner’s advice?
Let us know about your fitness routines in the comments!
Meanwhile, you can follow Warner’s further exploits in exercise at his Instagram, and on Twitter. Bonus, to get a glimpse of his creative side, you can check out his art account! Don’t forget, there’s even more curly goodness in the book itself so be sure to pick up a copy of The Curl Revolution if you haven’t already!
All photographs by Karston Tannis.
I recently spoke to Phylicia Sadsarin, a Denver, CO based beauty and lifestyle content creator at askpRoy.com, an inspirational website that covers an array of beauty and lifestyle related topics with a strong focus in natural hairstyling and care. She has been natural for nine years now and personally, one of my natural hair motivations throughout my own journey. Here she discusses her latest initiative, Self Love Project 2018.
The moment I cut off the relaxed hair from my natural growth, it was like a “f*%k it” moment.
Regardless of what came from it, no matter how my curl pattern looked, didn’t even matter if it was a TWA or longer, I knew in that moment I had to accept me for me. Loving my hair came easy and because of the cut, I was able to see me fully and completely. It is so much bigger than “hair,” however hair was the starting point on my self discovery journey in finding my true and authentic self.
In 2014, I decided to embark on a self love journey.
I started the Self Love Project in February and went 28 days posting positive affirmations, completing self care, posting a self portrait, and complimenting someone.
Toward the end of 2017, I realized I hadn’t continued with the self love project as I had hoped to every year. (Why did I abandon it in the first place?”> Likewise, there were a great deal of people in my life that wanted to make a change, yet didn’t know exactly how to go about doing it whether it was new mamas wanting to reconnect or reaffirm with themselves or friends who wanted to better themselves for the new year.
Since January was right around the corner and is the official month for self love, I hopped on the opportunity to relaunch the project and invited others to join in on the fun and potentially transformative experience.
Yes, every single day I have to pamper myself.
Pampering myself means self care and self care isn’t always a bouquet of roses. Since becoming a mother, simple day to day self care has become a challenge. The truth is I sometimes sacrifice my self care in lieu of doing something else “more important”. The reality is, I am more important than mundane tasks, so I have to make time for myself.
My favorite way to decompress after a long day is definitely taking a long, hot shower alone (I stress alone because my baby is very mobile and will find me wherever I am in the house — new moms know the struggle”>.
I sometimes find it challenging to get my posts together because — as aforementioned — other tasks get in the way. This project has challenged me to focus on “me time” and commit to taking care of myself and doing the things I love (this project being one of them”>. I just take it day by day and give myself grace if I can’t get every aspect of the project completed. The great thing is I’ve made it past the halfway mark without failing – so far, so good!
The greatest reward has been me being able to live my best life while inspiring others to do the same.
You’ve got two pots full of dirt: one you plan to keep for yourself and one you plan to give away. You have one seed. Where do you plant the seed? If you plant the seed in the receiver’s pot, you are left with just dirt. Two things could happen: the person decides that when their plant grows, they will give you seeds in return. This could work, but you would be betting on someone else to give you what you need in order to be fruitful.
The other outcome is the person gives you nothing in return and there you are: just you and your dirt.
Rather, if you plant that seed in your own pot — water it, prune it, and nurture it — once it’s grown and it bears fruit, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor, harvest the seeds, and give those seeds to not just one person, but to many people while still having some left for yourself. The planting process can take place again and you can all grow together.
In this case, your seed is love and the pots represent hearts…
It’s true, you don’t have to love yourself in order to give love, but what are you truly left with if you aren’t giving yourself love first? If you show yourself love first, then you can freely give it to others. You can’t bank on others give you love in return, so you have to give it to yourself first and foremost.
Likewise, when you have enough love built up, you have an excess. Why hoard it? Give it away!
Perhaps when you give it away, the person who bears fruit will share of their seeds with you just as you did with them. Even if they decide not to, you will have more seeds than you can harvest so you’re good either way. The end goal is to be self reliant on happiness and love, yet understand that the more you give the more likely you will receive. This is why it is just as important to give love as it is to receive love.
Want to be part of the Self Love Project 2018?
Follow Phylicia’s self love journey on askpRoy.com , @askpRoy Instagram, and on Facebook, or Twitter. and/or by using the hashtag #askpRoyselfloveproject on Instagram.
If you would like to join, it is very simple: For 31 days, commit to posting a selfie/portrait daily, post one affirmation daily, compliment one person daily, and commit to one act of self care daily. That’s it. We would love to be inspired by your transformation, so if you’re up for it use the hashtag #askpRoyselfloveproject to document your journey.
Up next: How This Influencer is Making an Impact on the Afro-Latina Community
I recently spoke with the brain behind The Curl Talk Project creator, Johanna Yaovi, a French marketing professional currently living in London. Below, get to know Yaovi’s personal inspiration behind the initiative and more. A collection of stories of women from a range of various countries, backgrounds and ethnicities who share the reality of having textured hair in today’s society, the Curl Talk Project is all about representation and showing unconditional love to people who deal with a “condition of beauty: hair” in their everyday lives.
I used to have a curly afro but decided to shave my hair recently.
I now have tiny curls growing out of my head.
Now that I embrace my curls, my hair journey is very fun and simple. I like to try different routines and procedures; I am becoming more curious about the different things that can be done with my hair.
As curly haired women, we are lucky enough to have a very versatile hairtype. It’s important to have fun with it but also be aware of the amount of love and care it needs.
Topics such as representation, diversity, race, and culture have always been very important and interesting to me, but, I didn’t feel like I was doing anything with these passions.
And so, as a curly-hair-obsessed individual, creating something that would link textured hair to these notions was an obvious decision. I tend to think that your interests should lead to somewhere or something concrete, and, if it doesn’t come to you, you need to create it yourself.
The biggest challenge and reward in The Curl Talk Project
The most challenging part was to believe in myself and my ability to create something great. Not knowing how to use a real camera, my insecurity in regards to my written English (as a nonnative English person”> or even my introversion, made me doubt a lot about the possible end result. But as often, these doubts are mostly irrational. The idea is to stop finding excuses and do the work, whatever it takes.
The most positive part? The way the Curl Talk Project has been received. Since its launch, so many women are getting in touch, telling me how important this is for them but also for following generations.
It’s great to see that what you had in mind and what you worked for is reaching the hearts of so many people.
My thoughts on natural hair in the workplace
It really depends of the sector people are working in. Curly haired women working in creative industries might be in a better place than curlies evolving in a very corporate environment.
However, this contrast shows that textured hair isn’t fully assimilated, it’s still not seen as a normal thing everywhere. Even when colleagues have nice things to say about our hair, they will very often highlight how different it is. Not different from theirs, just different. In my opinion, this is where the issue lies.
Being different from each other is unavoidable and it’s what makes our society so rich and multicultural.
But simply being defined ‘different’ by someone who sees him/herself as the norm can be frustrating, as it almost questions our place in society. I believe that the general perception of curly hair needs to change for it to be fully accepted in the workplace.
We still have some work to do on this.
I believe the natural hair community has an immense impact on each of us. It materialises the idea that we shouldn’t limit ourselves to what the mainstream media are showing us. This community is sending a strong message: not seeing ourselves represented doesn’t mean we should let this happen without trying to create and disrupt the beauty industry as it is today.
However, more could be done. Opening a discussion about the curly hair experience is the reason why I created the Curl Talk Project as it’s also important to associate our hair with more than just beauty tips and routines.
My advice for beginner naturals
Take your time and question the decisions you are making in regards to your hair. Are you altering your hair nature because you don’t like it? If so, why don’t you?
Are your decisions taken to please yourself or society?
When we are younger, we tend to convince ourselves that we made a choice but questioning our own mindset enables us to see if it really is the case. I wish someone could have told me that when I was 12 and convinced that straight hair was the only way for me to be beautiful.
Photos by Mario Testino for Vogue
Serena Williams graces the latest cover of Vogue with co-star, 4-month-old daughter, Alexis
We have been here for Serena Williams every time she lived and breathed black girl magic long before it was a hashtag on Twitter. We grinned from ear to ear once we heard that she had found her soulmate, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Sr. As if twerking in a Beyoncé video wasn’t enough, Williams’ engagement and later marriage and pregnancy announcement had us shook. So, we swooned some more.
Shortly after giving birth to Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., we were completely touched by Williams’ open letter to her mother, Oracene Price, in which the world champion Olympic tennis player admitted and professed, “I am trying, though, and God is not done with me yet. I have a LONG way to go, but thank you.” This morning our hearts lit up after seeing Serena and child grace the cover of the [latest issue of Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-williams-vogue-cover-interview-february-2018″>.
Maintaining good health while practicing new motherhood and making a career comeback: it’s all a balancing act. And as expected, tennis world champion and newlywed, Serena Williams, seems to have everything under total control.
And we mean everything. The 23-time Grand Slam Singles champion and winner of several Olympic gold medals has had quite the journey to stardom and fortune, as the article points out. From the murder of her sister Yetunda Price in 2003 to a freak accident which led to a health scare involving pulmonary embolisms that caused her to sit out of her sport for an entire year, Serena Williams is no stranger to defeat. Season after season, year after year, and time after time, Williams continues to wow the world as she proves that she is a winner, indeed. Motherhood to Olympia, or Junior as her husband puts it, just added another trophy to shine and put away in the case. “We’re not spending a day apart until she’s 18,” Williams jokingly said of her baby girl whom she shared the celebratory cover with. “Now that I’m 36 and I look at my baby, I remember that this was also one of my goals when I was little, before tennis took over, when I was still kind of a normal girl who played with dolls. Oh, my God, I loved my dolls.”
One might believe that life after motherhood at any age or level of success might put them at risk for slowing down in their career. This hasn’t shown to be true for Serena Williams whatsoever.
The star athlete’s vulnerabilty and willingness to let us, the outside world, peek into her seemingly glamorous and extravagant life has given more reality checks than what we had originally expected. Through social media, Serena has bared her true feelings and insecurities more just in the past year alone than she had done in decades of being in the limelight. “I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby? The emotions are insane.”
Still, in the world of ‘celebrity’ or elsewhere, the star and her husband are choosing to give their daughter as “normal” of a life as possible.
“She’s obviously going to have a very special life,” Serena says, “but there are enough cautionary tales about kids who grow up in the spotlight. How do you make your kid live in reality when your own reality is so… unreal? This kid is going to have more Instagram followers than me in about three weeks.”
Read 4 Ways Zendaya is Using Her Celebrity Status in a Positive Way
Real talk, this No Sugar Challenge is driving me a little bit nuts.
I swear this was an accident.
No seriously, when was the last time you were on your knees ugly-crying in a produce aisle? I honestly hope the answer to that is ‘Oh my GOD, April, NEVER’, for y’all’s sake, but my answer as of writing is “Five days ago”. In my defense, I was hungry, and also HOW do you run out of CILANTRO.
Still though, despite the frustrations, recurring dreams, and the “brown rice noodles” that have WHITE RICE LISTED AS THE SECOND INGREDIENT, I intend to persevere! And there are other ways for me to get my sweet fix, especially in my hair and skin care! There are products loaded with the sugars, juices, and starches that we’re not allowed to consume internally on this challenge, but our curls have no such restrictions!
Go on and give this list a look!
Pretty sweet, right? But what do things on our ‘No’ list actually do for you externally?
Sugar:
As mommy always says, “Sugar is not your friend”. That definitely goes for eating it in excess, but there are actually quite a few ways it helps your hair and skin! For one thing, the same sticky qualities sugary drinks have when you spill can translate into both hold and volume when used in hair products. Similarly, the way wet sugar coats and surrounds everything it lands on means it’s a great help in heat protection! And who can deny the results of a good sugar scrub down when you’re getting all that dry winter skin off in the shower? Exactly.
Honey:
Where do you even begin with honey? It’s a natural antiseptic that can literally last hundreds of years without spoiling, and its humectant properties means that it actively draws moisture into your hair and skin to keep things supple. Throw in its anti-inflammatory and penetrating emollient powers, and you’ve got a bona fide perfect ingredient for all your beauty needs. I’m going to be skipping my me-day masques with honey for the time being (why tempt fate”>, but as long as it’s combined with other less edible ingredients, you’re good to go!
Fruit Juice:
I was actually pretty steamed that we couldn’t have even ‘no sugar added’ fruit juice on this challenge, but let’s face it, the concentration of sugar in all-natural juice is still high, and won’t include those trace things like silica and fiber that you get with the whole fruit. However, because you can’t erase anti-oxidants through pulping, topical applications of fruit juices and extracts can still aid hair growth and skin brightness even if you have to put down the straw for now.
Does that sound good? Of course it does! Head on over to our specially curated Sweet Curl Shop and get your hands on these guilt-free goodies.
And if you’re handling the No Sugar Challenge better than I am, shout out how you’re coping in the comments!
Want to join our No Sugar Challenge? Sign up here (if you dare”>.
I don’t have a sweet tooth, y’all.
I have a whole sweet MOUTH. I have sweet molars, canines, mandible, maxilla, hard and soft palate, the works. Sugar is not my friend, it is my lover. And by the time this article hits the internet, we’ll be through the first weekend of our two week challenge and I assume I’ll be well on my way to insanity.
April B/ Cassandra JK
…okay, FURTHER insanity.
But assuming I’ve been properly sticking to my sugar-free guns, the sweetest thing I’ll have had in my arena will be my Blissful Lengths vitamin and my daily calls to mommy, and I already know it’s going to be a little rough. There’s a silver lining though! I’m growing my hair out, I want it butt-length by age 40, and from what I’ve read, reducing added processed sugars in one’s diet is a great way to get those inches.
Before I keep going, I want to point out that while food industries are VERY interested in keeping up the added sugars in E V E R Y T H I N G, and it’s far from ideal; our bodies still need sugars in our diets. The issue is that even SPICES like lemon pepper, can contain sugars we don’t know are there. And there are lots of “healthy” brands that like to hide the sugar in their products with names like ‘organic cane juice’ ‘molasses’ or ‘anhydrous dextrose’, despite the fact that your body will process it all the exact same way. However, there’s a difference in being informed and being paranoid. If you find yourself scrutinizing your body or your calorie intake without prior consultation with a health professional, please find someone you trust to discuss the matter with. Change has to come from loving yourself, not from hate.
Willpower to stick with a healthier lifestyle is one thing, working yourself into an eating disorder is another.
So. How does sugar reduction translate into longer stronger hair?
It’s supposed to be a holistic deal. The idea is: when your body is busy fighting tooth decay, blood sugar spikes, and self loathing, it’s not functioning optimally in other regards like building muscle, keeping your mood on an even keel, and growing out your curls. And that makes sense on the surface. However, just like I know people that smoke without the premature wrinkles D.A.R.E. warned me about, I’ve certainly been growing my hair successfully without a consistently healthful way of eating. True, I don’t have any hard data regarding my growth rates related to what I eat, but in spite of Oreo breakfasts and months of going without eating full meals at all, my hair HAS grown.
Furthermore, in reading more about what happened during a reduced sugar run from participants with no other health conditions that aren’t running a juicing channel, selling a book, or otherwise directly profiting from people in the wellness sphere, the only recurring results have been weight loss, increased energy, and the lack of sugar cravings; as opposed to ‘My skin is glowing, and my hair is long enough to make a Tangled sequel’ type conclusions.
Why should we even be doing this then?
Honestly? It’s a discipline thing. If I can’t throw my hands up and get takeout, slap some instant ramen together, or have Pop Tarts for dinner during this challenge, I have no choice but to cook properly. That means I need to grocery shop, which means I need to have the week’s recipies planned out, a car devoid of street furniture finds to take groceries home in, and ready access to all my pens and notepads for list making. It means I have to meal prep which means I need to stop leaving my Ross hauls on the kitchen counter, sharpen my knives, structure my weekends, keep my nails clean, lid match all my pyrex storage, and not let dishes pile up.
I don’t want y’all to get the impression that my parents raised a totally inept slob, but there’s always room for improvement. And all the improvements around being forced to be more mindful of my environment and nutrition are going to spill off into my hair care!
April B/Cassandra JK
If I’m not tired out from worrying about the kitchen, I can worry about MY kitchen.
Clearing all of the products I need to try off the counters means it’ll be easier to actually use them, to say nothing of how much easier it’d be to break out the trivet and tea lights for any DIY projects. And if I feel good about myself not spending hours hungry before giving in and ordering a pizza, I’ll WANT to take care of myself instead of throwing in the grease-stained towel on doing anything good that day.
I’m excited for what this challenge means for me and everyone in the NaturallyCurly community taking it, because if nothing else, it’s going to make mindfulness regarding cooking and consuming absolutely mandatory. It’s my hope that that translates into a higher level of care in all aspects of our lives—curly hair very much included.
April B/ Cassandra JK
Have you joined our challenge, curlies? Let us know how you’ve been doing in the comments, and if you have any new tasty recipes to share…DO IT.
Photo courtesy: Simplycyn
There are lots of fun styles worth trying for natural hair. One of the most beloved is the timeless beauty of the afro. While many curlies worry this look might be hard to pull off or damaging to their hair, it is actually pretty easy and, with enough moisture, safe for your kinks and coils. Here are 5 afro tutorials to help you rock your crown boldly.
Curly Afro
For a big, voluminous look sure to make others take notice, this style is a must try. Lots of naturals worry about tangles or knots when trying out an afro look. Find out how to avoid this issue and how to achieve this style with this tutorial.
2. Fluffy and Soft Afro
When you want an afro that plays up the fluffy factor, this is the one to try. This style is perfect for special occasions or simply looking great every day! Best of all, it is really easy to do.
3. Afro Puff
This is definitely a favorite of the top 5 afro hairstyles because it is such a classic look. It is one of the easiest styles to pull off and works well with hair of most lengths. The key is to stretch those curls out to get the puff of your dreams.
4. Defined Afro
With an afro style, some women aren’t fans because they feel they lose definition. The defined afro style solves that problem! This style gives you the volume of an afro but lets you keep your defined curls.
5. Pinned Afro
When you want a look that gives the best of an afro with a more slicked back aspect, this is the look to try. This style is great for date night when you want to play up the fun with a dramatic look.
What’s your favorite afro hairstyle? Let us know in the comments below.
So some of y’all think I’m here to hate on another woman’s hair choices, apparently.
That’s very patently not the case, though I suppose I can’t blame anyone for being a little cynical regarding celebrity based op-eds. But whether you read, skimmed, or gave the original piece a pass, the main takeaways of last week’s Beyoncé coverage should have been A: I do believe her awards ceremony hair is her real hair, B: There’s no reason to doubt a black woman’s length or texture just because she wears protective styling almost exclusively in a fast-paced career, and C: I will be making Beyoncé™ money in the future.
“When I start earning Beyoncé Money™, quite honestly, my actual hair will never be seen again…”
But this isn’t about me, it’s about Bey. At least that’s what the co-workers in charge of reigning me in have said.
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And now that both Neal Farinah, her stylist for the event, and Ms. Tina herself have come forward to discuss the discussion, I have to ask…what exactly does it take for us to acknowledge a black woman’s hair as real?
Despite women like Zara and Guinness Record Holder for the biggest Afro, Aevin Dugas, just…being out here EXISTING, there’s still a lot of doubt about larger-than-life lengths with black hair that isn’t in locs, and I don’t understand why.
I mean…I understand why. The darker parts of human nature can push us towards jealousy and disbelief, and in an age of photoshopping assets of both celebrities and the yet-to-be famous online, the incentive to sniff out “fakes” and prove oneself runs high. And while I think a healthy dose of skepticism is an asset in any era, I feel like there’s a limit.
After all, we’re living in an age where grown-ass people with GEDs legitimately think the planet is flat.
In addition to that, I wonder if there’s ever been such speculation about our coily men. Has Mr. Benny Harlem been doubted to such a degree, I wonder? I brought up young Keisha Knight-Pulliam as an example of incredibly long black hair back in the day, but you could apply the same reference and then some to Benny’s daughter Jaxyn. The kid has so much hair it looks like a strong wind could blow her away like a dandelion seed. As she grows into a woman, will the admiringly mock-incredulous ‘Is that all yours?’ questions turn to ‘That ain’t all yours…’ commentary?
“Obviously whatever Beyoncé does with her hair short of deep conditioning with black-market organs is 100% copacetic.”
I suppose that just like men don’t get raked over the coals for suspected “lying” about a naturally perfect complexion because makeup isn’t marketed directly to them, so too do they get a pass on their big hair because weaves aren’t aimed at them. The aspects of mandatory masculinity that prevent this are a whole other article, but the bottom line is that once puberty hits, it seems like everything black women are asked to have, 36″-24″-36″ measurements, long “good” hair, full lips that aren’t TOO big, etc is subject to the assumption that it couldn’t be real, regardless of how negatively or positively someone might feel about whether certain assets were purchased or home-grown.
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it several more times: I’m a fan of the “It’s mine, because I BOUGHT IT” talking point, whether the direct object in the scenario is hair, breasts, lips, or anything else. And obviously whatever Beyoncé does with her hair short of deep conditioning with black-market organs is 100% copacetic and 100% not my business, even if public figures can be reasonably expected to be the topic of water cooler gossip.
But maybe when someone comes out and explicitly says ‘This length is the result of maintenance and time’, we should believe them.
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“The myth about black women not having hair…y’all think again.”
Do you believe in the black girl magic with the follow-ups from Bey’s stylist AND her mother? Or were you on the ‘It is scalp grown’ train from the start? Sound off below!
