I'm loving being natural but I've been struggling to find that happy medium between my natural texture and the manipulation that it takes to achieve certain looks. I have a difficult time making certain looks work with my hair but after watching this video below I've learned a few things. Check out the video then I'll tell ya my take away from this:



1: Heat IS Not a Bad Thing! I've been natural now for several months and just about on every single blog I've ever read it was always something along the lines of Heat is the devil! NO HEAT! NO HEAT NO HEAT! Well according to the Dickey method heat is actually okay. Using this method the hair is moisturized and the amount of heat used won't damage.

2: No Combs Needed! I have a bad habit of using a comb or a detangling brush to get rid of stubborn knots and tangled hair. I just comb it out and its all better in my book. But I didn't realize that by doing this I was combing out my natural curl pattern. Which made my hair frizzy and untamable. Forcing over styling and manipulation. By using Mr. Dickey's method I could probably have a simpler routine.

3: No Oils! I love using oils on my hair. I can't just wake up and not use some oil on my hair. I have very dry hair that is subject to dandruff. Which causes itching and irritation. But I assume that with my styling product as mentioned in the video and the method of washing and co-washing that was suggested will aid in my dryness and help to keep my hair moisturized and healthy. I'm crossing my fingers that this will work! LOL

4: Saturate and Use Cleansing Product LIBERALLY! I usually use a clarifying product once a month and then once a week I co-wash. I did this because my hair was dry and needed a really good conditioning after a whole of twist outs and heavy product usage. Detangling and scrubbing the scalp is essential. But in the he didn't use a clarifying agent to do it. Mr. Dickey suggests using a conditioning cleanser or conditioner to clean your hair. To thoroughly wash the hair you need to apply your cleansing agent liberally (cleansing conditioner or your co-wash conditioner). Saturate the hair thoroughly with water. Then liberally apply the cleansing conditioner of your choice. Using the product gently stretch the hair and scrub the scalp. All your doing is lightly pulling the hair from the shrunken state and allowing the curls to naturally flow all while cleaning your scalp of build up and dandruff. This will prevent from stripping the hair of its natural oils and allow the hair to be stretched and prepared for whatever styling you decide to do.

5: Co-Wash Heavily! Be liberal with your product. Its important to saturate the hair with water (to thoroughly remove the cleansing agent) again and use enough product to coat every strand. You want your hair completely filled with conditioner. Take a moment to work the conditioner in after it has been applied to the hair. Gently coating the hair and working in the conditioner. As you do this your natural curl pattern will become visible.

6: Apply Your Styling Product IMMEDIATELY After You Rinse! Its important to capture the curls as they are in their natural state. That is your true curl pattern. So before you leave the shower right after you rinse your conditioner. Apply your styling product to your wet hair. Again SATURATE THE HAIR WITH PRODUCT! You want to use enough product to coat the hair. When the product is applied aggressively work the product into your hair. Squeezing and stretching the hair away from the scalp for length.

Optional: You can add the water as Mr. Dickey did to help aid the product. The weight of the product and water will help to stretch out and elongate the hair. 

7: Finish The Style! Bend over shake out your hair allow the curls to fall in the style you are going to wear. And viola your true texture is revealed. Now set! 

There Are Several Ways to Do This According to the Dickey Method:



Diffusing: Okay when you get your dryer (usually the more expensive ones like FHI or CHI). They come with several attachments. One of those attachments is a diffuser. A diffuser spreads out the heat softly and adds volume without losing any of your curls . If the hair dryer was used alone it would give a solid blast of heat which would destroy your curl pattern and blow out your hair. If you are unsure about how to use a diffuser check out these links: Hairromance & WikiHow (this link has step by step picture gif instructions)






Hooded Dryer: This is straight ol skool but it works. The hooded dryer can come in many forms. A handheld version with cap and hose that completely covers the head without having to sit underneath the normal hooded dryer. The table or shop version. Usually in the shop its connected to a chair and plugged in to the wall. The home version of these machines are able to sit on the table and allow the person to sit underneath it. Put it on low heat and let it go for

Air Dry: Simply allow the hair to dry with no dryer or diffuser. Everything will stay in place. *Use this method during the summer months. As the air is humid and your hair will frizz less.

Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner $8 - I use this cleansing conditioner right now. Its great. Its available at most drug stores. But if you can't find it in your areas you can definitely find it at Soap.com 

Daily Cleansing Cream by Hair Rules $24.00 - Its a bit pricey especially for the recommended usage but it is available in the 16oz bottle and the 32 oz is coming soon!
Here's the description for the cream via HairRules: Great for kids - creamy formula won't run into eyes. Cleanse, condition and detangle in one step! Hair Rules Daily Cleansing Cream was created to treat your hair with the same philosophy as skin care. If you have dry skin, chances are you wouldn't use a harsh detergent to wash your face. Traditional shampoos contain sulfates (found in detergents) that deplete the hair and scalp of moisture. As a result, your scalp starts to produce more oil to make up for the dryness. This leads to a vicious cycle of hair being dry at the ends and oily at the scalp. Daily Cleansing Cream is a gentle non-sudsing cleanser that helps to normalize oil production in the scalp and reduce irritation and flakes. Also helps to protect color and chemically treated hair. 

WEN $29 - Its very pricey. But it works by the standard of replenishing and cleaning the hair without stripping it. So if you've got the dough then go for Wen. The only thing is it works like Pro-Active. Its an auto-ship renewal program so be mindful of that when you sign up! 

Here are some other great conditioners via YourNaturalHair.com:

Suave

Tresemme

Aussie Moist

Eden Body Works Cleansing Co-Wash

Nothing But Co-Washing Conditioner

Pantene Pro-V Natural Co-Wash Conditioner

L'Oreal Ever-Curl

As I Am Cleansing Pudding

As I Am Coconut Co-Wash

Darcy's Botanicals Daily Cleansing Conditioner Creme

Shea Moisture African Black Balancing Conditioner

All of the above conditioners can be found at your local Sally's Beauty Supply, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Dollar General, and Family Dollar! All reasonable prices or you can check out Anthony Dicky's hair line Hair Rules and get his book all through his site HairRules!

I think I'm going to try Anthony Dickey's method. It seems to work and I really want my hair to look healthy and curly and not dry, tight, unruly!



Source: YourNaturalHair.com and HairRules

There is a Kickstarter Campaign that is causing some stirs in the Natural Hair Community. A straightening tool that requires no heat is on the horizon. Its called the CWK Plate aka Curly Wavy Kinky Plate. It allows the hair to be straightened without any damaging chemicals or heat. Listen to the explanation from the creator Kelechi Bradley:



If you want to invest in the CWK Plates Check out the Reward Tiers for Investing:

There are only 9 Reward Tiers!!! It looks like a lot more, but I have same price rewards for CWK girls with MEDIUM length hair & girls with LONG hair. Click this link to check out her story and the product ----> CWK Straight Plates

So I'm scrolling through my Facebook timeline and I come across this story from the Huffingtonpost with this headline: Forget Wigs, Lace Front Eyebrows Are Taking Over. At first I thought this was a joke. Until I actually read the article and found out that these "eyebrows" are sold at a texas beauty salon called Tiffani Chanel Luxury Hair. Tiffani Chanel Luxury Hair has a wide range of products from custom made wig units, weaves, etc. They have 2 kinds of units for lace eyebrows: male and female. And they only cost $22.50.

Some people are even making their own brows. Crazy, right?! Here check out this youtuber:



There are countless other videos on how on put these eyebrows on. This trend stems from the trend of the full thick but shaped brow. Cara Delevingne is a good example of a person being revered for their brows. She's like the number one person people want to model their brows after. So to gain that look they go for eyebrow pencils, powders, wax pencils, stencils, and now lace brows.

I'm not against the trend for people who suffer from alopecia, lupus, cancer, hereditary baldness, or any other disease that can cause hair loss. These types of diseases and hereditary complications are all plausible reasons for a person to purchase these brows. But if you are just a normal person looking for that perfect brow then I just think that this is ridiculous. Do what we all do buy some serum for eyebrows and lashes and let it grow. There is no need to look like this:

This is absolutely ridiculous!

So I'm scrolling through my timeline and one of my favorite bloggers GarnerStyle posted some info about this new way to shop online. Its a website called Fitbay.

Ever wanted to shop a site for you specific body type, size, and or a specific fit?! Cause I surely have. Well your prayers have been answered! Fitbay is HERE! This site provides you with a whole new level of shopping. Why cruise through websites going through all kinds of clothes, when you could shop by your own specifics? Well users on Fitbay post clothes and websites by the size, fit, and brand. So everything is scaled down to the T! That way you are not carousing around purchasing clothes that don't flatter you or your body type. By the way this site isn't just for plus size women it for everyone! Men, women, kids, average, skinny, plus size, big and tall, petite, EVERYONE! Cool right?



CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP----> FitBay

Source: GarnerStyle & FitBay

Lupita Nyong'o is everyone's favorite obsession now a days and it was only a matter of time before she started showing up everywhere doing ads for major beauty and fashion companies. Well the time has come! Lupita Nyong'o is now the face of Lancome a french based beauty and skin care company. Lancome has made Lupita their new brand ambassador and she will star in ads that will begin circulation around September. Check out this tweet from Lancome:

"What appealed to me about Lancôme is that they're not dictating what beauty is, hopefully it’s a symbiotic relationship - that I benefit from being associated with them, and they benefit from being associated with me, as well. And for the consumer at large, I think Lancôme has a range of products for every woman, and I think having me will expand people’s understanding of, hopefully, what Lancôme stands for, who Lancôme is for."

Lupita Nyong'o isn't the first academy award winning actress to gain a deal from Lancome. Kate Winslet, Julia Roberts and Penelope Cruz all have been linked to Lancome at some point but Lupita is the first African American woman to become the brand ambassador.


Hopefully with Lupita on board Lancome will provide a wider range of product (in terms of foundation especially) that will suit all skin tones and types. Similar to what Queen Latifah did for Covergirl.

Lancome isn't the only brand that has acquired Lupita. Miu Miu noticed that Lupita had a kinship with some of their pieces from their collection (she wore some of them at events and award shows) and they tapped Lupita to star in their upcoming Spring/Summer ad campaign for 2014.



Congrats Lupita on your endorsement deals and all your future success! #MuchLove

Source: WWD & Huffingtonpost

Famed makeup artist Nick Barose, the man responsible for enhancing the already stunningly beautiful Lupita Nyong'o. He sat down with Essence and explained what he keeps in his makeup bag to give his clients the looks that everyone is clamoring for. But more importantly the various looks of Lupita Nyong'o. Nick Barose is a master in his field and I'm so glad that he has given Essence a peek into makeup bag and some small techniques that can be used by an everyday woman.



Below are all the products listed by Nick Barose via Essence Magazine. You will read my experience (and non experience) with some of them and you will also see the price and where to find them.


MAC Matchmaster Foundation

I've actually never used MAC foundation but it seems to be quite popular. When I visited the site they had colors for the typical skin tones: Light, Medium, Dark (or rather their version). They don't very in terms of shade but mixing foundations is encouraged. The foundation is pretty pricey at $32 a bottle but for MAC you pay for quality. Its always top shelf and I can pay for quality, at least its worth the price. Here's what the makeup artist Nick Barose had to say via Essence.

"This foundation looks like skin, and you can layer it. To find your perfect shade, test foundation on the jawline. When applying, I use two shades, the lightest in the center to brighten up the face. I think that's key to getting seamless application.” —Nick Barose

IMAN Perfect Response Oil Blotting Pressed Powder

I've used IMAN before and found it to be a good product for women of color. But when I used it IMAN didn't have enough color range for me. The colors were either very orange/red or way too light or yellow/olive and way too dark. However that was several years ago and I haven't used or tried any of the newest colors that have been added to IMAN line. The coverage is great, the face primer is absolutely AWESOME and it's a definite must try on the list of foundations/pressed powders for women of color.

The IMAN Perfect Response Oil Blotting Pressed Powder works to absorb oil and leave the face with a matte finish. IMAN can be purchased at your local drugstore (RiteAid, Drugstore.com, Soap.com, Walgreens, CVS, etc). It's pretty inexpensive at $16. I know thats double what Revlon, L'Oreal, Covergirl and Maybelline are charging but look at it this way in terms of drugstore makeup brands they have the widest array of color and they offer the best coverage. Again you're paying for quality so be mindful of that. Its about half of what MAC's foundation costs. Which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Mally Beauty Evercolor Poreless Face Defender
Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro in Ecstasy

Source: ConcreteLoop

We'll start by giving a little background on Hairfinity, the ingredients, and general info.

For several years now I was having problems with breakage. I had a massive hole in the back of my head and I had tried everything to grow my hair back. I even got my first hair cut (big chop) a little over 2 years ago and that did not help my breakage.

Thats when I began researching Natural Hair Remedies. I've been a huge advocate for both relaxed and natural hair. I think both are great and both can yield healthy results if maintained properly.





I found shampoo, hair masks, moisturizers, and hydrating mask recipes made from natural products like Aloe Gel, Banana and Honey. But I didn't want to go natural just yet. I wanted to keep using relaxers I just wanted to help maintaining the relaxer and get my hair to grow. I came across a pin on a pinterest board that talked about Hairfinity vitamins. They claimed it worked well on helping maintain healthy hair and that it gave great results when trying to grow hair.

I was always willing to try anything new. So I went online searched for it, found it, and bought it. After the first week of usage I noticed that my nails were growing and getting thicker/stronger. I decided not to look at my hair in terms of length and growth, because I am very skeptical of products. If I don't see a response in the product within a week I usually swear off of it. I know that is not a fair amount of time, but I am impatient and I want immediate results! Anyway I gave myself a couple of weeks. I did however take a picture of my hair before I started taking the Hairfinity vitamins and after. This was before I went natural. The instagram photo of the progress my hair made within a couple weeks of taking the vitamins is below:


Progress was slow but it was evident that it was helping to speed up my growth. It helped to fill in that huge hole I had in my hair. For years my hair had a huge hole in from severe breakage. However, my hair was severely damaged and even with Hairfinity I had to make some changes. So I went natural (cut out relaxers all together) and my hair's growth went beyond what it was when I was natural. The results were evident. My hair has grown tremendously since I've started taking the Hairfinity vitamins. My hair routine is simplistic which allows my hair a break from daily styling damage, heat damage, and chemical damage. Hairfinity is a permanent staple in my hair diet. This is the best vitamin I've ever used.

Here's a small video compilation of my hair growth using Hairfinity with both relaxed and natural hair:

Hairfinity has really helped my in terms of growth and strength. My hair is stronger and growing longer everyday. Hairfinity is a great product and it works! If you want to try Hairfinity it is available for one time and continuous autoship. You can order a 1, 2, 4, 6 or 12 month supply. They also have other products available but I haven't tried them at this point in time. However here are some of their other products:

Infinite Lash Eyelash Enhance Serum

Lupita Nyong'o has been making major noise in Hollywood, thanks to her superior acting in 12 Years a Slave. But that is not her only claim to fame. Awards Season is the biggest and probably one of the most talked about times of the years. Lupita has solidified her place in history not only in her acting but also in fashion as well. Golden Globes, SAG (Screen Actors Guild), Critics Choice Awards, she's taken the world by storm with her beautiful choices in fashion.

In the New York Magazine she talks about her childhood, her struggles with being in the U.S., and studying at Yale School of Drama. Here are some of the images from NY Mag:
















Source: Huffingtonpost