Search Results: ilead sayidagroup
Being in a niche within a niche can get difficult.
A cocktail connoisseur with a gin allergy? Hard. A pro-gator wrestler that’s a single mom? Challenging! And if you’re a curly-coiffed super-styling individual with color-treated hair? Sometimes things get really hairy. How do you fight frizz, enhance curl, reduce breakage and keep your color vibrant for as long as possible?
Unless she’s a colored curlista herself, alligator-mom might have it easier…
But the best thing about fitting into a smaller space is that you don’t need much to help you fill it! That’s why ColorProof partnered with us to showcase their expanded product repertoire that includes the TruCurl system—bottles in blue powered by their exclusive IllumaCurl Complex!
IllumaCurl’s ingredients include sugar cane, seaweed, and abyssinian, camellia, and grapeseed oil infusions to help curls keep clean, conditioned, and structured with the smooth spring they deserve without stripping color!Let’s bring a few of these products to light…
Let’s get a closer look at these guys…
Cleanse & condition!
The TruCurl Curl Perfecting Shampoo and Curl Perfecting Condition work together to slip off everything your hair doesn’t need that is weighing it down, without sending your color down the drain!
Shape things up!
Grab some TruCurl Curl Perfecting Crème to shape and smooth curls, fight frizz through any weather, and protect your hair from any style-induced heat damage. You’ll love the way you shine!
Set your style!
The CurlyLocks Color Protect Curl Mousse isn’t your classic crunchy formula. This is going to be the ultimate in bold hold that will enhance your curl memory, keep your style in place, and let your colored curls gleam—literally and…literally!
You could say the ColorProof is in the color pudding.
Ready to keep your new hue, dyed in the wool curlistas? Buy the brand in blue here at colorproof.com!Stay tuned for more product spotlights by subscribing to our newsletter!
And if you’re loving how TruCurl’s IllumaCurl Complex is lighting up your locks, share pics and tag @naturallycurly with #colorproofhair, we can’t get enough!
Your entrepreneurial spirit is indelible. That is why your curls should always reflect a can-do attitude at all times!
The NaturallyCurly Video Team partnered with Design Essentials to highlight a remarkable woman whose daily wake up and slay routine is one you will want to incorporate into your life. Take a look at the inspiring Kimberly Finley, co-owner of The Listening Tree Booktique!
Get the maintenance and styling tools Kimberly uses to get luscious finger coils and that boss lady style:
- Kimberly uses the nourishing Design Essentials Coconut & Monoi Coconut Water Curl Refresher for her second-day styles.
- She follows up with Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curling Crème, which features a blend of avocado and almond oil, to define her curls.
- There are more Holy Grails in Kimberly’s collection, including the Almond & Avocado Detangling Leave-In Conditioner, Almond & Avocado Nourishing Co-Wash, and Almond & Avocado Curl Enhancing Mousse (which is sensational for style-setting finger coils and other super cute styles”>.
Learn more about Kimberly Finley by visiting The Listening Tree Booktique today!
What are your favorite women-owned businesses?
Comment! Like! Share! Subscribe to the NaturallyCurly YouTube Channel for more amazing, inspired content like this!
This video and post are both sponsored by Design Essentials!
Because I’m my parents’ child (Caribbean skeptics, go fig”>, I definitely have mixed feelings on the term “superfood”.
On one hand, it definitely can’t hurt to incorporate a higher concentration of healthful ingredients into your everyday when you can—on the other hand, since there are exactly 0 established parameters for what makes a superfood so super, you could literally put the term on the label of some caramel-covered shortening without worrying about the FDA stopping by. Given the sugar content of some of these “antioxidant-packed” drinks out here, I’m not certain I’m too far off. But I am certain that your diet is going to be one of the keys to better overall health, which is going to show itself via your hair in a major way, and I am very certain that living off of canned soup and my multivitamin is going to catch up with me at some point.
With that in mind, I set out to make myself a good, hair-healthy, super filling meal with some of the foods we know to be actually loaded with the nutrition we need.
Shoutout to the NaturallyCurly design team for letting me take home the professional camera, and shoutout in advance to y’all for appreciating the fact that I am, hmmm, not skilled in photography. Or possessed of a dining room table. I’m just living too fast for being either…honest.
Appetizer: Savory Quinoa “Shakshuka”
Eggs and quinoa are going to be the curl-friendly stars of this dish considering the loads of growth enhancing protein and biotin that they both provide. I fell in love with the original North African dish (jury’s still out on which country exactly, and I’m not taking sides”> of eggs poached in spiced tomatoes, sometimes served over starches like butterbeans, chickpeas, or in this case, the starch-esque quinoa.
I cheated with pre-made tomato spread and a separately cooked sunny-side-up egg, but you can’t argue with the results, or the taste! Quinoa cooks with exactly the same rules as rice, so it’s simple as boil, season, bon appétit!.
Main Course: Smoked Salmon and Mini Carbs
While I’ll eat pretty much anything, I’m actually not the biggest fan of most fish, especially the powerfully flavored salmon. The hair/skin hydrating (hint, your scalp IS skin”> omega 3 and vitamin E content of its meat did make me stop to reconsider though. Millions of bears can’t all be wrong, and they’ve got great hair. After a bit of taste testing, I settled on smoked salmon, topped it with a few spices and with lemon, some crunchy carbohydrates, and a double duty garnish/light salad it was game on.
Check out the dressing dots I added for extra fanciness!
Dessert: Candied Almonds, Cottage Cheese, and Fresh Fruit
Almonds and cottage cheese are the last stop on our hair-health meal train, but that doesn’t mean they’re just desserts. Like salmon, almonds are chock-full of proteins, vitamin E, and omega 3s, but they’re also packing a good load of zinc, which aids cellular response to stimuli like our other nutrients here. Keeping things simple with a handful of candied almonds suits me fine, although I will keep in mind that marzipan is made of almond meal for next time.
Cottage cheese doesn’t have much in the way of vitamins, but it is abundant in the way of whey! Whey protein is easily absorbable, keeps our tummies full, and including it in the diet rather than supplementing with shakes is (unless you’re an actual athlete, which I am 300% not”> a much better method to getting healthy growth! The casein protein in it also contains glutamine, which is shown to stimulate hair follicles. It’s like a Russian nesting doll of growth ingredients, and it paired great with this peach.
Dinner for two—me, and my hair!
Do you have any favorites in the way of these ingredients?
Let us know what hair-healthy meals you like to make!
Want more healthy living and lifestyle tips like this? Sign up for the NaturallyCurly Newsletter!
Do you ever feel like only a few natural ingredients get the spotlight?
There’s good reason for that—earth-friendly components like peppermint oil, shea butter, and the almighty coconut oil work really well for a lot of people. But that’s not the case with everyone. And for those of y’all whose skin and hair don’t really pick up what coconut oil’s putting down, the constant fascination with its effects can seem a little…off-putting.
Same, Chief. Same.
However, unless you have an honest-to-medical-science allergy to everyone’s favorite palm tree byproduct, you might find that it’s not necessarily the coconut oil itself that’s getting you and your curls all bothered, it’s the concentration of it.
“All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison.” — Paracelsus
Maybe straight-up coconut oil just isn’t your thing, but you can still take advantage of the way the oil penetrates if you partner it up with some other ingredients. So whether you’re DIYing it up with the double boiler, or reading the backs of bottles like a good curly, these are a few issues that you can solve by pairing coconut oil with a few other select ingredients, buddy-cop movie style.
Problem: It just GETS everywhere.
Okay, once coconut oil melts, like most oils, it tends to get pretty slippery. As in, you could comb a half melted chunk through your hair, flick it all the way across the room and not notice until the missing piece has melted all over your stuff, not that I’m still mad. But if you need it to STAY on your hair or scalp long enough to actually do what it’s meant to, you’ll want to combine it with beeswax. A little of the stuff melted goes a long way, and has shining properties that go along with its natural sealant nature.
Problem: I need something more strengthening
There’s a myth floating around that says coconut oil imparts proteins into your hair with each use. Unfortunately, that’s just…not the case. If you’re looking for something to strengthen your hair, you’ll need to find something with added keratin or milk proteins to firm things up. Otherwise, you’re welcome to introduce other contaminants, but remember, not every gross find is going to turn out to be a diamond in the rough like penicillin. I’ll be leaving this one to the scientists, personally.
Problem: It’s not keeping my moisture in.
Bees are the MVP. Seriously. They go around pollinating our world, and giving us this next ingredient—honey. Honey, and its byproducts like honeyquat or honey extract, all serve to moisturize your hair with some pretty bomb humectant action. The same properties that make honey edible for literally thousands of years are going to keep your hair adequately hydrated and soft in a way that coconut oil alone might not be able to handle.
Thanks, ladies.
Problem: It’s TOO HEAVY.
Okay, so you need the cortex penetration of coconut oil…but it’s either weighing down your fine curls, clogging your pores, or both, and you’re about done with it all. Cystic acne hurts, I get it. Blending coconut oil with a much lighter oil however, your jojobas, your almonds, etc can give you and your hair gets the best of both worlds! If you’re worried about runoff, see above for beeswax, or check out some wide cloth headbands to keep things isolated while you’re applying your hair treatments.
Protip for acne: Make sure you’re WASHING those headbands on a regular basis. Snag a variety pack and some garment bags so you can keep things hygienic.
Problem: I need softness!
Luxury is relative. My brief stint living in the woods of Alabama as a little April saw the development of my having a bathroom with a skylight, and me just losing all of my nine-year-old beans about it because of how fancy it was. And of course it was great for birdwatching. Because we lived. In the woods. But no one of any class background can make an argument about silk not being super luxe. The amino acids, also called sericin, are water-soluble proteins that help impart moisture, serve as a protective barrier to hair, AND give products a super silky feel.
Special shout out to the Yangshao Chinese people that got started on this all those centuries ago!
So now that you know everything you can about cutting your coconut oil (so to speak”> with other great ingredients, do you feel any more confident about using it in your routine?
Weigh in about how you’ve been weighed down, and how you might like to proceed with the Curl Queen of Oils!
You know what we’re all about here? Samples.
As in racks upon racks of sweet trial products, throwing little test baggies up in the air and making sample-angels, muling pounds of stuff to our loved ones and breaking the handles on our reusable bags kind of all about.
But you know what ELSE we’re into?
Embracing all kinds of textured hair, and getting you the inspiration bump you need.
Our curlfriend Caroline here is rocking some fine-width type 3 curls, and with some heat protection and some of the Coconut Restore line on hand, we’re going to blow her up and out with a style that’s perfect for her slender strands, and simple too!
Check out this Tropical Faux-Hawk Pictorial we created using the entire Coconut Restore line!
Isn’t she gorgeous?
Kind of a Joan Jett/ Tina Turner mashup there, what’s not to love? And speaking of love, let’s talk products!
First step was a cleanse and condition with the Moisture Replenishing Shampoo and Daily Strengthening Conditioner.
This sulfate-free duo features a combo of coconut oil, shea butter, and milk proteins between them that guarantees the goodness gets through the cortex of your hair, but rinses clean without leaving any heaviness behind.
We then moved on to the Curl Control Leave-In Conditioner!
Much like our last step by step star, Julissa, Caroline’s hair only needed a light touch of this leave-in while her hair was still damp. The formula’s not going to be the one to give shape to Caroline’s Type 3 curls though—this is 100% for moisture retention and extra conditioning without the weight of something like a pudding or custard. For shape, we’re turning to this last guy.
Finishing moves were executed with the Styling & Setting Gelee.
This is an alcohol-free moisturizing gel we used to shape our model’s sweet spirals, and help lay her hair flat outside of the banana clips. It’s light, yet strong, and easily re-workable, so Caroline’s hair isn’t going to harden in place, or buckle under pressure.
We’ve got two ladies of different subsets within our main hair types down!
What’s next after long waves and shoulder length curls? You’ll have to follow along four (Get it? Get it?”> the next Coconut Restore Tutorial Installment to see how the line works for coil queens.
The best way to keep up with us is by getting into the NC Newsletter by the way.
And hey, if you do this ‘do? Don’t hesitate for a moment to let us know! We love the mentions on all channels, so please please please show us what you got!
Full disclosure, reading dress etiquette makes my head spin.
I didn’t know there were more facets to how to put yourself together past ‘Casual, Office, or Red Carpet’ until I was 23. Shout out to the good people doing the Lord’s work with Pinterest infographics! With that newfound knowledge came the realization that smart-casual style can be hard to pin down a lot of the time, especially when you have a lot of hair.
But there are more ways to look a little less laid back with long locks than just pinning it all into submission!
Our very own SHOP NaturallyCurly Merchandising Supervisor Julissa Pacheco used the Coconut Restore line from Nature’s Protein to create this romantic, yet structured look with her waves. See her beautifully styled look in the Pin-worthy infographic below!
Nice, right? Let’s take a look at what was used here!
We started with the Moisture Replenishing Shampoo
The sulfate-free shampoo uses coconut oil to penetrate the cortex of the hair, and keep the strands moisturized during a gentler (and delicious smelling”> cleansing process.Next step, Daily Strengthening Conditioner
This conditioner’s still using the power of coconut to aid in elasticity, but it also features added protein to strengthen your hair and stave off breakage. Because this is a less protein-packed formula (think your yoga instructorversus your drill instructor“>, it’s A-OK for everyday use, as well as the ideal conditioner in the line for finer, less-densely packed curls and waves.
We finished up with the Curl Control Leave-In Conditioner
Like most Type 2s, Julissa’s hair didn’t need anything heavy flattening out her waves. We used a small amount of the Leave-In to keep her defined throughout the day, and the best part is—that light touch is going to make this bottle last forever. Stock up now, and ground those flyaways permanently.
I’m not a wavy myself (stay tuned for me maybe buying some wavy wigs, though”>, but it’s always cool to see companies come out with suites including products that can be used amongst all curl patterns. Take a look at the entire line with your curlfriends to see who can use what!
Keep up with us by signing up for the NaturallyCurly newsletter to see what other curl patterns we can style with this line!
As always we’re total suckers for cute style pics from our curly community, so keep the @s coming once you try this tutorial for yourself!
Our NaturallyCurly + CVS Pharmacy’s Who Run the World? Curls! series for Women’s History Month 2017 features beauty industry trailblazers and their product innovations. Among the top woman-owned brands on the market, CURLS was founded by none other than Mahisha Delligener – a natural-born maverick and leader in the natural hair care category. This interview reveals her moxie, entrepreneurial spirit, and how she keeps her hair immaculate!
Mahisha Delligener is responsible for driving the direction of the company, from strategy to product creation and everything in between. As a leader in the natural hair care industry, Dellinger has studied our curly and textured hair community to create and deliver nutrition-first products. This focus led her to create the Blueberry Bliss collection to help textured and curly women grow and maintain healthy hair.
“I have always been a true believer in the law of reciprocity.” -Mahisha Dellinger
When asked how she’s continued to formulate innovative products that are changing the natural hair landscape Dellinger said,”I sow seeds on fertile ground and have been continually blessed to reap a harvest. I also believe that to whom much is given, much is required. I give of my time, talents, and fortune. This is, I know, propels me forward, and also keeps me grounded.”
And as any great woman can attest, this type of growth cannot be done alone. Dellinger’s humble beginnings continue to propel her to focus on creating Holy Grail maintenance and styling products.
Family matters. Always.
“Two women inspired me,” she explained, “My oldest daughter Kiana, who is 22 years old, has always been my muse from the day she was born. I was a young, unwed mother when I had her. I was a girl from the projects that had a dream to change her destiny and the destiny of her newborn daughter. That was the path I blazed. I am now a mother of 4; their lives are polar opposite from mine growing up, and for that, I am extremely proud and grateful.”
“The second woman that inspired me was my mother,” Dellinger said, “She had such a hard life… full of abuse, poverty, generational curses. I longed for her to experience happiness, beyond measure, for the second half of her life.”
It is with this heritage of strife that Dellinger has found the impetus to uproot herself from her past to propel herself into a successful, thriving future. She knows that the way forward can be challenging, but she has never given up. That is what makes her a trailblazer in the industry.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
As a gift to you for Women’s History Month 2017, Mahisha Dellinger offers this personal and professional advice:
“I give this advice to everyone I mentor, no matter what industry they are in, it is relevant and applicable:
- Do your due diligence before you launch a business. Know your industry, competitive landscape, and your product position of power (differentiation”>.
- Don’t recreate the wheel, get a mentor in your industry. Not sure where to go? Check out score.org. They partner business owners with mentors.
- Create a comprehensive plan of attack. Every business needs a business plan and a strategic marketing plan. Failing to plan, is planning to fail.”
Healthy hair growth
For healthy hair growth, Dellinger recommends introducing vitamins and a healthy hair care regimen into your life. That’s why her nutrient-packed CURLS Blueberry Bliss Collection needs to be added to your current Holy Grails.
Feel like you’ve caught the entrepreneurial spirit?
Great! Share your thoughts, words of encouragement, questions about entrepreneurship in the comments section below.
Curious about entrepreneurs from days gone by? Learn about past texture-preneurs that paved the way.
Remember to subscribe to the NaturallyCurly newsletter today for more curl-centric content!
We’ve talked about shrinkage here plenty of times.
For those of us that want to show off how great growing out our coily splendor is going, knowing that loss of length actually translates to healthy elasticity is sometimes not as comforting as it should be. There are great ways to stretch our hair without heat to open up different styles and looks, but it doesn’t hurt to use products that can lengthen our coils, especially when they include some our results-proven floral and fruity favorites!
Take a gander at these three standouts from the line in this NaturallyCurly + Luster’s You Be-Natural Infographic!
Let’s take a closer look at these, shall we?
Botanical Moisture-Lock Curl Lotion
This is going to be your everyday bedside table grab. Unless you’re one of those “I don’t shed where I sleep” types, in which case it’ll be your everyday vanity counter grab (also, respect”>. A multi-tool that moisturizes and keeps frizz to a minimum is a great addition to your routine, and the Curl Lotion does both. As a bonus, it also leaves hair softened and helps to temporarily lengthen tighter coils for different style options! Grab for this coming out of the shower, or after a good misting session, and let it go to work!
Botanical Curl Shaper Custard
When you see “For Tightly Coiled Textures” smack on the bottle, you know a product’s really made with you in mind. The Shaper Custard will help fight frizz, stretch coils, and keep your hair incredibly soft, par for the course for the You Be-Natural family. What sets it apart from its lotion sibling here is the level of intensity you’re looking at. Because it also has ingredients for definition and hold, the custard isn’t going to be your daily humectant. What it is going to do is become your creamy assistant for overnight stretching methods like banding and flat twisting. One SMALL (whatever amount that is for your hair—dime, half-dollar, whole wallet, etc.”> dollop, 8 hours, and a satin scarf later, you’ll have curls that will make you have to tell yourself not to touch.
Botanical Edge Tamer All Day Hold Gel
The second you open the jar, you know this gel didn’t come to play games. Much like Luster’s Pink Edge Smoother, the thick surface is harder than you’d expect, think shea butter or the coconut oil that one time you accidentally put it in the fridge—and actually keep them in mind, because this Edge Tamer is packing both ingredients. Gels don’t have to be 100% lab created to keep your nape and forehead looking sleek, and this little jar is proof positive. If you keep your fivehead behind a twist out like I do most days, try smoothing a little into your palms at night before the cap goes on for more HD definition!
Feeling that green thumb yet?
Check out the line (plus a version of the custard for type 3Bs and down!”> at Sally Beauty when you’re ready to try these out!
Stay tuned for more product spotlights by subscribing to our newsletter!
And as always, if you’re loving what these botanicals can do for your ‘do, share pics, we love ’em!
Our NaturallyCurly + CVS Pharmacy’s Who Run the World? Curls! series for Women’s History Month 2017 features beauty industry trailblazers and their product innovations. In this exclusive interview with Theresa “Resa” B. Luster, Brand Manager at Luster Products, Inc., I ask Resa how Luster products solve for textured hair concerns, where she finds motivation, and how to be a curl boss.
Gerilyn M. Hayes: Please explain to our Naturally Curly community your professional role within your company.
Resa B. Luster: I am a Brand Manager at Luster Products, Inc. I am responsible for our Pink® Kids product line and heavily involved in the direction of the Luster’s Pink® Shea Butter Coconut Oil line. I personally feel as if my overall goal and purpose is to grow and expand the business both domestically and internationally. The truth is, working in my family’s business, I will take on any task that presents itself and complete it with enthusiasm to the best of my ability.
Coconut Oil is still Queen
Hayes: One of the top concerns in our community is how to make textured hair soft and shiny. Luster’s Pink is known for offering products that do just that for curls and coils. Will you please share specific products in your hair care and styling offerings that work best for these concerns? Is there a cocktail of products that will give our community members soft hair and that ever elusive boost of shine?
Luster: My favorite product in the Pink® Brand is our Pink Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Lotion. Due to me constantly bleaching my hair blonde, it is always in need of moisture. The bleach causes my hair to become extremely dry and brittle. However, our Pink Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Lotion is the best solution to rejuvenate the state of my hair. It instantly brings life back to my curls and leaves my hair super moisturized, softened and extremely well defined.
Healthy Color and Curls: Resa’s Wash and Go routine
Hayes: At Naturally Curly, we’re all about the hair! Over the years, we’ve found that many of our readers are eager to try the exact products that leaders in the space are using as their Holy Grail products. Please share your hair care maintenance and styling routine with the community, focusing on key products in the Luster’s Pink offerings that you use for impeccable curls.
Luster: My routine varies. I love hair so much I am willing to try anything from wearing it short to growing it long, protective styles, wash ’n go and straightened. Lately, I have been wearing a lot of Wash’N Go styles. It is extremely important to keep my hair well-conditioned and moisturized. I alternate shampooing and co-washing on a weekly basis.
I use our Pink Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo and Moisturizing & Silkening Conditioner, or our Pink Co-Wash. While conditioning my hair, I will cocktail it with our Pink Shea Butter 10-n-1 Hot Oil Treatment. To ensure that the proper moisture foundation is retained throughout the week, I begin the layering process with our Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Leave-In Conditioner, which also serves as an AMAZING detangler. Then I apply the Apricot Oil, which promotes helps promote healthy hair growth. For the last step of my routine, I use the Moisturizing Hair Lotion to seal in the moisture. This regimen has allowed my blonde hair to grow and retain curl definition and it keeps my hair moisturized all week long.Inspired by Family
Hayes: Since we are participating in Women’s History Month, I am thrilled to highlight your achievements in the natural hair care space. And with every great achiever, there is a muse or source of inspiration! I would like to ask you about women in history who have inspired you. Who are they and what have you learned from them?
My grandmother Blondell Luster is a true inspiration.
Luster: My grandmother Blondell Luster is a true inspiration. She was a licensed cosmetologist. In addition to supporting my grandfather, Fred Luster Sr. in creating Luster Products, Inc. she was a successful businesswoman and beauty influencer in her own right. She showed all of her grandchildren a tremendous amount of love. She thought it was very important for her granddaughters to understand the power of beauty and find their niche within the beauty industry. Blondell believed that fashion and beauty were very important to every woman because when you look good you feel good.
Daily motivation: Life and business
Hayes: It’s been well documented that successful business women maintain positive lifestyle practices that propel them forward. Please explain a routine you’ve used in the past and/or are currently following to maintain focus and achieve your goals.
Luster: Spirituality keeps me grounded and well-focused for the many obstacles that I face on a daily basis. From the moment I awake each morning it is essential to remain positive regarding that day’s goals. I found exercising increases my ability to think level headed and remain calm in any given situation.
Hayes: As a leader in the space, what advice can you provide the aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors, makers in our Naturally Curly community that want to turn their passion for natural hair into a thriving business?
Luster: That’s simple, and I repeat this woman and girls very frequently. Follow your dreams and do not allow anyone to discourage you from achieving them. Sometimes as women we can easily be discouraged from pursuing our goals. It is essential that you believe in yourself even when all odds are against you. Your spirit is the most powerful force that can be used to push you forward through life’s challenges.
Want more curl boss inspiration? Have questions to ask the brand?
Great! Share your thoughts and ask questions below.
Learn how to perfect your hair care and styling routine with Luster.
Remember to subscribe to the NaturallyCurly newsletter today for more curl-centric content!
As ever, stay curly!
Spring’s sneaking up on us again. It’s time to think about renewal, rebirth, and retooling our looks! That means it’s tutorial time again, y’all. Our curlfriend Nicollette aka @modelesque_nic styled herself using every single product in our sponsor’s amazing Coconut Restore line, and we had to share the results!
Let’s get started!
The first part of any style is to start with a good clean and conditioned base. Nicollette is using the Moisture Replenishing Shampoo, Daily Strengthening Conditioner, and Keratin Intensive Repair Masque to cleanse and hydrate her hair, making it soft and strong for styling.
Then she tops it off with the Curl Control Leave in Conditioner to help enhance curl definition and keep strands elastic.
Nic stepped off camera to blow out her curls, using a lower temperature. This is where the strengthening and leave-in conditioner combo will really shine in keeping the hair healthy through heat styling!
Once you’re at the post-blowout point, divide your curls in about a 2:5 top to bottom ratio. Set the top half aside for later.
Next, rub Revitalizing Whipped Coconut Oil onto your hair for extra shine. To control frizz, add the Styling and Setting Gelee .
Bring on the Style!
Section out and rubber band the bottom half of your sectioned hair.
Each section will be vertically stacked twists, each banded together in an upward larger twist. Secure the top of the twist with bobby pins.
Follow up with more of the Gelee on top.
Then add your perm rods to ensure that the ends of the hair are curled!
To set your style, you’ll need to use heat.
Sit under a hood attachment for about an hour, hour and a half. Pop in a good movie and turn on the subtitles!
Now that everything’s dried and set, perm rods come out, big curls get divided into smaller ones, and you can add some more volume by picking out your roots.
The finishing move is to pin everything in place! Now, set phasers to “stun” and get ready to turn some heads!
Gifs not enough for you?
Check out the full, Nature’s Protein-sponsored video with @modelesque_nic here, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube channel for more looks you’ll love!
Weigh in, curly community—is this a ‘do you’d do? Let us know in the comments!
“What greatness am I going to kick off today?”
From choreographing contagious dance moves to writing a hit Netflix series, everything has to start somewhere.
Because we live in a world that’s crazy-obsessed with a linear progression towards making your mark in it, I have a huge amount of respect for people that can start things from what you’d call “imperfect” points. The following are a few of my favorite stars who got their start in their own homes before influencing me and the rest of the world.
J. Alexander, AKA Miss J
Source: The CW
“When one door closes, come back looking amazing, and they’ll open it for you!” is my first favorite’s modus operandi. Miss J started in his folks’ place, altering and creating entirely new sartorial sharpness on his grandmother’s sewing machine out of hand-me-downs. That kind of vision would have most of us ironically giving up an eye for!
Pushing past gender barriers, strutting into extra-exclusive clubs, and coaching models on their backstage power-walks, Miss J made his debut to the rest of us plebs on America’s Next Top Model as the judge with a personality that inspires us all to get to work on getting fabulous.
(PS. I’m working my way through his book as we speak!”>
Serena Williams
Source: Australia Open TV
I’m not big on sports for good reason…
Watching the last few minutes of Superbowl ’17, and the complete reversal of fortunes made me feel like my heart was going to beat out of my chest and onto the floor, and I’m still not 100% on who any of those gentlemen on the field even were. My delicate constitution might not be able to take it on the screen, but Serena Williams is a shining example of fulfilling aspirations no matter what you’re into. The greatest athlete in the world (seriously, does she work out just by lifting her trophies?”> started out with her dad taking her and sister Venus away from the overt racism and childhood destruction of the country club courts and instructors to a home-taught regime which built their skills and confidence. Obviously, the results speak for themselves, but when it comes time to put a critic in their place, Serena can grand slam it down with the same kind of precision. “Love all” of it!
Franchesca Ramsey, AKA Chescaleigh
Source: Chescaleigh
I know where I was when I first watched ‘S*** White Girls Say…to Black Girls’—half way through my Bachelors, still living in the Blanton Dorms, and definitely not procrastinating on some essay or other, no sir. The video struck several chords with me, having grown up in majority white spaces. I screamed in agreement through the whole thing, and the sequel, and the phone call to my mom telling her to watch it all.
Franchesca was already making her own moves when the video went viral, but going back to her channel’s beginnings, you’ve got reviews, rehearsals, and tutorials all coming at you from her own home. She’s keeping busy with MTV’s Decoded, speaking and comedy gigs, and social media branding these days, but no lie, I will be attempting her old victory rolls for locs tutorial once I get my next protective extensions.
Jamie Broadnax of Black Girl Nerds
Source: Black Girl Nerds
Nothing good ever happened from being bored on the internet in my house. Well, nothing great, anyway… all the novelty candles I got from aimless clicking around on Etsy are pretty darn cool. After starting out with indie city-scene and pop-culture blogs across her moves through the East Coast, a night of bored googling yielded zero results and a vision for a much-needed geeky niche filler of a site that stepped in to meet the needs of black comic, anime, and tech-loving women everywhere.
Kayla Newman – AKA Peaches Monroee
Okay, fine… The vine that launched a thousand embroidered beanies wasn’t made at “home home”, but the day I don’t call the Burlington’s Coat Factory parking lot my home is a day the sun won’t shine on.
As with any phenomenon that goes viral, Kayla’s vine blew up without her having outlined any specific plan other than to share how good her newly groomed eyebrows looked. Her newly minted phrase, first written as ‘on flick’ by Newman herself, and later adjusted to her pronunciation in the initial video, became a vernacular juggernaut.
Probably my most controversial entry in this series, but hey, when you can enter a word into the vernacular and start celebrity beef by just having fun on your own? Get back at me. Homegirl is also looking into crowdfunding her own cosmetics line, which to be honest, I couldn’t be more excited for.
What could you start from home? Let us know if you got any ideas!
Yes. Coffee!
I’m living in the wrong city (and century”> for this opinion, but I’m not that keen on writing in coffee shops. I don’t like how only one chair in any given place is going to have what I need in terms of space, light, and a place to charge my phone. Or being startled by the bean grinder or being exposed to people having fun on dates while I’m knee deep in 50 open tabs, 30 of which feature words via an online thesaurus.
Kind of a Grinch that way.
But it’s not like you can’t take the focusing positive power of the coffee shop atmosphere with you on regular office days!
This is how I do it:
Café Inspired Conditioners
I’m not the only one in love with Camille Rose Naturals’ Leave-In Collection. When you know what the company has achieved in less than a decade, it’s not difficult to understand the popularity! Shakespeare asked ‘What’s in a name?’, and while these guys don’t exactly smell like something you’d pick up from the barista, the collection’s honeypot look and beverage-inspired branding gives off that cute coffeehouse vibe. When I can’t find the collection itself, going back to the kiddie table with a milk, their Moisture Milk, to be precise, isn’t a half-bad compromise.
Coffee Toned Lipstick
The resurgence of 90s style right as I’m more than old enough to actually purchase and wear it out brought deep brown lips to my attention in a major way. My favorites include Deepest Taupes and Dreams by Limnit Lipsticks and a perfect little beauty store brand that looks like a dead ringer for the OCC Sybil I was about to buy. Black coffee is high-key not for me and my baby stomach, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the aesthetics, right?
Matcha Powder
The power of matcha compels you! This powdered green tea does take a moment or two to get the hang of, blending-wise (think palette-swapped cinnamon challenge type results”>, but shaking it into my sweeter smoothies, or protein shakes adds a nice hit of energy for me along with an earthy flavor I just can’t get enough of. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:Thanks, Japan!
Lemon Square Lip balm
My number one favorite café snack is the lemon bar. Perfectly tangy yet sweet, soft but crunchy—they’re the best of a lot of worlds in one resolution destroying little package. But seeing as I can’t type from beneath a mountain of crumbs, EOS’s lemon lip balm makes for a perfectly sunny solution! The lemon smell is rumored to help focus, and out of the office, this flavor is also packing protective SPF 15. Can’t be sour about that.
Pandora Plus
Not to sound like a shill for ‘Big Streaming’, but I can’t have focus music while I’m working. For someone that likes to talk as much as I do, the silence of other focused people can be absolutely deafening! It takes some time to fine-tune Pandora to make sure your stations are actually reflecting your mood music (Pitbull is NOT like Shakira if any of the execs are reading this”>, but the ability to mindlessly listen to a personalized ad-free radio station is well worth the few minutes and five-something per month. I prefer to leave playlist curation for the gym anyway.
Can you focus in coffee shops, or is it just me that needs to bring everything home? Tell us what you sip on and where!
And if you want more Camille Rose Naturals in your life, venture over to SHOP NaturallyCurly to get your hands on her hair care and styling system that is made of super healthy, food-grade ingredients!
When we curlies are faced with what to do with our hair post-wash, sometimes dryers can seem daunting.
Not only is heat damage a clear and present danger, there are also heatless choices aplenty. Heatless options can run the gamut from t-shirt plopping to letting the elements take care of the situation, keeping the threat of blowdry-breakage at bay. Honestly, yours truly has yet to fully trust anyone but her mother behind the dryer handle.
Fortunately, finding a way to dry and style your curls without incurring lasting lock loss is more than possible. Make sure you have the right heat protectant to start.
Watt you really really want!
While everyone seems to think the power of a hair dryer rests solely in how hot it can get, there’s definitely more to it than that.
The true measure of power is the wattage, i.e., the measurement of how much literal power the dryer is heating AND blowing with. Knowing this, you will want to weigh the difference in watt capabilities over just straight temperature as you’re researching.
Think of it like this: Getting a blow dryer with high heat but less wattage is going to be like getting a radiator for your hair as opposed to a central heating system. Sure, you could fry an egg on the radiator like you can in front of the AC vent, but ultimately, what’s going to heat your house faster?
Bringing things away from the metaphor back to the case at hand—keeping a less powerful stream of air on your hair for a longer time is ultimately going to be much more damaging than one blowing with more force at a few degrees cooler. Sometimes you need your hair tools to work harder, not hotter… although of course, there’s nothing wrong with having it both ways.
Material World
As far as internal components go in hair dryers, the 3 key materials you’ll come across are:
- Ceramic – Ceramic dryers emit the gentlest infrared heat. They also heat evenly and are cost effective.
- Tourmaline – Tourmaline components are coated in ground crystals that emit negative ions when heated which add shine, allowing for more heat with less damage, and keeping frizz at a minimum.
- Titanium – Titanium dryers work the hottest and fastest, making drying a quick and easy process for thicker and denser hair.
Pro tip:
The best way to find what’s right for you is to judge your style needs and what your hair can handle based on its unique structure.
Attachments Theory
Popular attachments include diffusers, concentrators, brushes, and combs—and most dryers will come with at least one of them.
Diffusers and concentrators work opposite jobs—spreading out and focusing the heat of your dryer respectively—to either quick-dry for more high-volume bouncier curls or heat-blast more specific sections to combat frizz. Combs and brushes help to style and detangle though for densely coiffed Type 3s and 4s, they’re best used in secondary roles after a good round of more hands on maintenance with a manual tool to prevent hair breakage and tool breakage… and arm breakage…
What’s your Type?
When you’re out or in-at the computer-dryer buying, it’s tempting to get drawn to the biggest, baddest bells and whistles you can find. After all, your hair is an investment-worthy part of you! But it’s still important to keep the needs of your hair type and your wash style in mind.
If you’ve got earlobe length 2a hair and use the dryer just to get your hair un-drippy before work, you probably don’t need the same specs as the shoulder length 4b that needs to wring out over the drain, pat dry, section, pre-detangle, get a wash-day protein bar, and then section dry. On the opposite side of the coin, don’t be tempted to scrimp on higher power and more features that you’ll actually need. Looking straight at you, college-age April…
Baseline takeaway here:
Hair that is thicker, longer, or high porosity would do well with a higher power dryer. Hair that is fine, short, or low porosity can be effectively dried and styled with a lower power model.
Do you have a holy grail brand or component that makes your drying delightful? Let us hear it in the comments!
Growing up with naturally red, curly hair was funny. People would call me “Little Orphan Annie” at the park, or ask my mom whether she dyed and permed my hair as a child. Why would she do that?
White Mystery: the sound and the style
White Mystery is a candy flavor and my last name is White, so the concept fit well. I am sweet and mysterious. 3 words I would use to describe my personal style are: flower, boss, Cartoonland. You can see a diagram of my influences, which includes Tina Turner, the MC5, and Marc Bolan from TREX, here. Even after performing on NBC Last Call With Carson Daly, serving as Vice President of the Recording Academy for the Chicago Chapter, self-releasing seven full-length albums, producing the feature length film, That Was Awesome, being one of the few women endorsed by Orange Amplifiers, attending DePaul University School of Commerce, and modeling for Levi’s Jeans, the accomplishment I am most proud of is being from the city of Chicago, and graduating from Chicago Public Schools.
How my personal confidence came about
Growing up with naturally red, curly hair was funny. People would call me “Little Orphan Annie” at the park, or ask my mom whether she dyed and permed my hair as a child. Why would she do that? Sometimes the attention was a little too much, so as a teen, I shaved my head, then straightened my hair when it finally grew back. Finally, when I was about 20 years old, I realized how cool it was to have very different hair from most people. Now I pick my hair out to make it as big and in-your-face as possible. Embrace your curls!If I could tell my younger self one thing about life and love, it would be, this too shall pass.White Mystery is an official South By Southwest Artist (SXSW”> and will perform a showcase in Austin, Texas this March. The band releases a new album every April 20, and this year marks the 8th release! Visit the band’s official website, WhiteMystery.com and click here for our upcoming show schedule. Listen to White Mystery Music on Bancamp or Spotify.
Follow White Mystery Band on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
Vashti Joseph is a jill-of-all-trades. She is the content creator for VeePeeJay.com, a digital strategist and consultant with VashtiAJoseph.com, and the owner of the lifestyle apparel brand Ven & Rose. Additionally, she has co-hosted the Bella Kinks meet up. Her resume is overflowing and her schedule is a wide mix of speaking engagements, strategy talks, writing, and creating new products for her line. On top of all of this, Vashti is a pro at getting out of her comfort zone. If this list of spectacular achievements seems glamorously unattainable, Vashti is here to tell you it’s not. Here, she gives us the secret to living the life that we deserve.
How did you find the courage to step outside of your comfort zone?
VJ: For me the courage comes from doing. For anyone reading this, who may be afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone, I know you may be thinking, “well how can I DO if I’m scared?” I can’t promise you that it will be easy, but I always ask myself if I’m willing to stay in the place where I’m comfortable or do I want to grow. My choice is always growth so even when I feel fear, I still move forward.
I also try not to overthink things too much. I used to be such an over thinker about almost everything. Now when someone offers me an opportunity that really scares me, I almost always say, “YES,” as long as it’s a good fit. The courage to step out of your comfort zone is almost like a muscle that you have to make the choice to exercise day-by-day, opportunity-by-opportunity.
How do you identify what your own comfort zone is in your life, and when it’s time to make a change?
VJ: At the risk of sounding repetitive or cliche, a comfort zone is just that, a safe, comfortable place that doesn’t challenge you. One of my favorite quotes is “a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing grows there.”
My comfort zone was being behind the scenes, away from the spotlight. My first effort at stepping out of that comfortable place happened when I made the decision to start my blog VeePeeJay.com and my YouTube channel. At the time, I thought that this was a big deal, because being on video and sharing my thoughts with the world via my blog were not what I was accustomed to.
A few years later I was asked to co-host local Dallas meet ups with my friend Julian of Bella Kinks. I was petrified, because in keeping with my behind the scenes/safe place, public speaking or hosting was something I would NEVER volunteer for. I initially tried to get out of hosting that first meet up, but I couldn’t. Looking back I can definitely say that this was the beginning of REALLY pushing myself far out of my comfort zone.
In a comfort zone… not only do you deprive yourself of growth and opportunities, but you also deprive others who would have been impacted, inspired or served if you did step out.
What can others do to push themselves through the discomfort or fear of trying something new?
VJ: I know from experience that we are often more concerned about the outcome of stepping out of our comfort zone, than the act itself.
“What if I try this new thing and I fail?”
“I don’t want to look foolish”
“What will people think if I fall flat on my face?”
“This is too scary and uncomfortable and it isn’t what I’m used to. I think I’ll just play it safe”
I have found that changing my mindset, and my attachment to the outcome has helped me a lot. I no longer fear failure because I look at it as a learning experience. I still get uncomfortable, scared or nervous depending on the situation, but I do not allow those feelings to cripple me to the point where I don’t act.
Do you think there are risks associated with staying in your comfort zone?
VJ: There’s another quote that says “if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re probably not growing.” By staying within your comfort zone you really deprive yourself opportunities to grow in every area of your life.
Not only do you deprive yourself of growth and opportunities, but you also deprive others who would have been impacted, inspired or served if you did step out.
In that moment I made the decision that “failure” was not something that I would ever be fearful of again.
Are there any particularly memorable breakthrough moments you’ve had?
VJ: I think actually launching Ven & Rose (after thinking about it for really long time”> was a really memorable moment for me. Not only was it different type of venture, it was something that was all mine, and a project that really pushed me to confront my fear of failing more than ever before.
I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous, but a few minutes after I launched, I got my first order. I knew that if I could get one, I definitely had what it takes to get many more. In that moment I made the decision that “failure” was not something that I would ever be fearful of again.
Having a guest leave the salon happy for the first time in her life is what drives me and fills my soul with happiness. I am blessed every day.
My name is Robin Sjoblom, and I am owner and curly hair specialist at Southern Curl Inc. in West Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia.
It was really an accident that would turn into my biggest passion.
In 2009, I went to work at a salon that was close to my daughter’s school, not realizing it was catered to curly hair. I had my own straight hair clientele and it was never mentioned that I would have to learn curly hair when working there. The owners were not stylists, so they assumed I did curls; when they started booking me guests, I admitted I knew nothing about curly hair! They immediately sent me to Anderson, South Carolina, where I went to my first Deva training. The original Curly Girl, Lorraine Massey, and Shari Harbinger taught my class. Never seeing this Curl by Curl Technique before that moment caused something to shift inside me. Then, it made so much sense.
At that moment, I fell in love with curly hair.
Lorraine and I had lunch that day in Anderson. She said to me, “You have the eye for this and you need to stick with it. Come see me in New York next year for the advanced training.”
And so, my curl journey began. I am now a 3x Advanced Deva-inspired stylist, which means I have done the advanced training in New York City three times.
In 2013, I hosted and taught a curly hair session at Scott Musgrave’s first Curly Hair Artistry Symposium here in Atlanta. Since then, I have continued to travel the United States to attend Deva trainings and teach natural hair cutting for Curly Hair Artistry. Recently, I have also become a curly hair ambassador for Innersense Organic Beauty, traveling and teaching product application and cuts on curly hair using Innersense Organic Beauty products. In 2015, I was named one of the Top 10 Best Curly Hair Artists in the world by Refinery29 and NaturallyCurly. I was also named Curly Artist of the Year by Curly Hair Artistry. Our salon platform focuses on education and training; it is a goal for the entire Southern Curl team to be as equally qualified in 2017.
Why curly hair-focused education is so important
As a salon professional, I understand that curly hair needs to be cared for differently than straight hair. One head of curls will most likely have more than one curl pattern, so we need to be able to see what we are cutting. Southern Curl believes curly hair should be cut dry, curl by curl. I suggest a curly haired woman or man should research reviews on Naturally Curly, Deva, and Yelp. They should also look at before and after photos of prospective stylists; Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are helpful resources. Or, if they see a curly walking down the street with amazing hair, stop and ask them who they see!
A true curly artist will be able to understand what needs to be cut and be confident in the consultation with you.
A good haircut lessens a client’s wispy, tangly and frizzy ends. Their curls will stop growing back into the dreaded triangle. Product selection and education is also a must since we won’t see you for approximately three to six months at a time. Any curly needs to know how to repeat the product application of what we did in the salon so you can manage day to day styling as well as understand what products are right for your curl type and which ones you need to avoid.Proper curl education is not yet being taught in schools. We are working with them to hold sessions on proper curly cutting techniques. Training facilities like Devacurl in New York City & Los Angeles, as well as the Curly Hair Artistry are great places to begin a professional curl stylist journey. These classes are broken down into easy-to-understand sessions that explain the ‘why’ and the ‘how’. Continuing education is also a must–you can not learn it all in one session.
Dennis DeSilva from Devacurl once said, “the Deva cut may look simple but it will take years to master.” This is because there are so many factors to take into consideration, and it takes time to learn how to put them all together. If you can learn one thing from a class that you have taken 3 times, it is worth it. Sometimes the AHA moment comes when you least expect it but it is helpful to surround yourself around other specialists in your field so you have people to bounce ideas off of and learn from.
Opening Southern Curl has been a dream come true.
I feel so blessed to walk into the salon every morning and know I have a team of wonderful women who are on the same bus I’m on. Blessed is turning the me into we and to have a salon team focused solely on all curl textures. Southern Curl is a space where women and men of curl can come and feel comfortable and leave confident in who they are. We tell each guest to rock their blessing. This simply means to rock your God-given curls and be proud of them!
Having a guest leave the salon happy for the first time in her life is what drives me and fills my soul with happiness. I am blessed every day.
Follow me on Instagram for more survivor inspiration @DevriVelazquez
Coaching was a way I could empower others to take their own leaps toward living life fully present and fully engaged, stretching their comfort zones beyond simply existing…
My name is Melanie Holst-Collins.
I am originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota, but currently reside in Austin, Texas–proud Howard University Alumna! I am a Conscious Lifestyle Expert. I inspire, motivate, challenge and empower men and women to live more conscious, mindful, insightful, present, peaceful lives, to live life awake.
I have always felt a pull to this path.
However, in 2011 my first experience in a Yoga class was a Bikram class. I almost ran out, but I stayed and then began going three times a week. At this time, I began noticing how my practice on my mat allowed for huge shifts and a transformation in how I was–in relationship with myself, others, my beliefs and thoughts, and with everything.
I was in a 105-degree room exploring all dimensions of myself. Withstanding the heat was not the accomplishment for me–it was the fact that I could remain in this relatively uncomfortable space, but still be breathing, fully present, immersed in stillness and peace at my core. That’s when I said “Whoa, this is much bigger than just physical exercise.”
My journey with Yoga became a way of living versus something I intellectualized about.
That was a huge turning point for my journey. In the beginning, honestly, the reminder from the individual guiding the class that self-compassion, breath and patience would guide me and allow me space to move through the difficulty. These were not reminders I gave myself at the time I began my practice, so this is where the guidance of the teacher was actually imperative.As time went on, those reminders turned into truths.
I became able to offer them to myself. In 2013 I quit my job, packed a moving truck and moved to a city, Austin, where I had no job prospects and did not know a soul.
I was purely led by intuition, by a deep knowing that was the step I wanted to take in order to live the way I had always thought about living: consciously, alive, fully, spontaneously and led from the inside.Shortly after settling in, I began doing some research on coaching as a profession; every single thing I read resonated with me. Coaching was a way I could empower others to take their own leaps toward living life fully present and fully engaged, stretching their comfort zones beyond simply existing. And finally, I could offer my experiences as inspiration. I knew embarking on the journey was a step deeper into my purpose.
I am inspired by the human experience.
I also find inspiration in the lessons, insights and shifts made on the Yoga mat moving through asana (postures”>, which are easily translated into lessons, insights and shifts that are relevant. It can be experienced off your mat and in your real life, too. #yogaoffthemat is simply a manifestation of that. My blog’s title is a reminder that what you practice on your mat is simply one aspect of an all-encompassing practice and lifestyle.
The current state of our society is pretty damn scary.
We are in survival mode and in a constant state of fear; we continue to be conditioned to seek and see everything at the surface and outside of ourselves while we are never really encouraged to be in touch with ourselves or in touch with each other or even to experience life organically.
However, I do sense and feel a shift.
Even in the last four years, the norms of society have been challenged by people like myself, who are committed to shifting the culture, uplifting and engaging people in a way that allows them to wake up to their limitless potential and their dopeness. We want to shift the scales from an outside-in to an inside-out mentality and become empowered. Even though society is where it is, I do sense a shift in human culture.
We must get away from such a logic-heavy way of thinking by reversing our current approach to change.
I recently posted about this on social media and engaged in a group discussion about it a few weeks ago. A lot of people perceive that practicing asana, meditation, breathwork and energy work are not valuable when it comes to making changes in society–or making change, period. But this is the furthest from the truth. These are survival tactics, ways to self-heal.This is why I do what I do with conviction.
I know that no external change is sustainable without internal change, first. We return to being tuned in and trusting our intuitive nature by committing to practice to do so. Whether this is through Yoga or any other helping, healing modality that allows us to practice getting back in tune with ourselves, understand that none of this will happen in the microwave.
I am currently developing ways in which people can work with me whether one-on-one, digitally or in group settings. In the meantime, keep up with me via Instagram @therealcoachmel, where I share my journey, information about my Yoga classes and all things new with Grow Your Lovespace. Check out my new blog #yogaoffthemat on the website by subscribing to my newsletter. As I plan to begin traveling and teaching Yoga classes, look out for that in the future in a city near you!
What people need to understand is my freckles are not a choice but I choose to embrace them. I can’t put them on or take them off.
The moment that awakens me
I feel the most beautiful early in the morning when the sunlight barely hits my skin.
I love the peace and the freshness of mornings when my dreams are still present in my mind. That’s also when I am probably at my most vulnerable and powerful moment of my day. I am stripped down to my bare essentials and all that I’d dreamed of is within my reach. The stress of the day has not set in yet and I am just me. I can look in the mirror and truly accept myself as I am.Still, I definitely have moments when I am feeling ugly and ashamed.
To be completely transparent, I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety my entire life, and these illnesses make me second-guess myself often; whenever I feel the doubt creeping in I close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and whisper to myself that I’m okay. I think of it as a quick meditation. I know that I am beautiful and at the same time I’m still learning to fully embrace that. I have to remind myself that I’ve come this far because I’m supposed to be here and that I still have a ways to go. Discovering our own beauty is a journey.
The lyrics that inspire me
“It keeps holding on and it’s holding strong…”
My friend Jana and I always sing this song by Gregory Porter to each other and change “ it” to “I.” It reminds us of the hymns and spirituals we grew up hearing in the South. It’s the same as when old people say “keep on keeping on.” The climate of our society today tries its best to keep us down, but we’re still holding on. That dedication and resilience is deep within my spirit.The ink that keeps me rooted
The tattoo on my left arm is the Adinkra symbol Dwennimmen–the two rams horns–and the other one is a lyric from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird that reads “And this bird you cannot change.”
Both works of ink are on my arms, my wings. They keep me rooted in my heritage as an black woman and also a Southern girl. If you know anything about Dwennimmen or Free Bird, then you know that the strong will and the determination represented in both. That’s me through and through.The feature that has thickened my skin
There are times when I look at myself and I don’t see freckles. Then there are other times when all I see are freckles.
What people need to understand is my freckles are not a choice but I choose to embrace them. I can’t put them on or take them off. Over the years folks have picked on me or stared at me like I’m an alien because of the spots on my face. Dealing with that has made my skin thicker and in turn I have been able to stick up for myself and others that may not know how to speak up for themselves. I think my freckles are beautiful and more and more people are embracing them along with their own so-called imperfections. I’m glad I’ve been able to contribute in changing the tide.
The conversations that moved me to create Black Girl Beautiful
Black Girl Beautiful was inspired by conversations I’ve had with girlfriends about the lack of representation of black women in mainstream beauty.
When you look through beauty ads, you may see one black face that is supposed to represent all black faces. But how are we supposed to see if this foundation or lipstick works on us if it’s only being shown on one black model? And in my own experiences modeling, several makeup artists and hairstylists have not known what to do with my melanin or my hair texture.
Instead of making me feel beautiful, they made me feel like my beauty didn’t matter, like black beauty is an afterthought.
After talking to other black models and other women of color, we all share similar stories. How can this be when we’re the one group of people who spends the most on beauty and hair products in the U.S.? Our beauty needs to be respected and admired. We have to start by embracing our own beauty ourselves. We are still coming into our own and that’s fine, let’s just do it together.
This black beauty revolution will take a village to succeed–let’s build our village.
Black Girl Beautiful a unique beauty and shopping event for women of color. It is more of an experience that will be filled with memories and Black Girl Magic to get you through until the next go ‘round. I’m so happy to say that NaturallyCurly is the media partner for Black Girl Beautiful and I cannot be more excited.
You can keep up with me in so many places.
Visit nikiaphoenix.com and blackgirlbeautiful.com (purchase tickets to Black Girl Beautiful on Saturday, October 15th here“>.
Follow us on Instagram @nikiaphoenix and @blackgirlbeautifuldotcom.
Check us out on Facebook.com/thenikiaphoenix or Facebook.com/blackgirlbeauty.
Find me on Twitter @nikiaphoenix @blckgirlbeauty.
