Thursday 30 April 2009

Sense of well being

I just wanted to take a moment to say good morning to everyone! I am actually feeling like I need to reconnect with myself in some kind of way. And it just made me realize the importance of taking care of yourself - mind, body and soul.

I believe it is all connected. Having good health is very connected to being naturally beautiful. Naturally beauty often comes from inside out. You can go without the make up, the fancy clothes or the cute jewelry. But if you are beaming with happiness and confidence because you feel good, healthy and strong - that is a beauty that not many can resist or deny. So I am gonna take some time to reconnect with myself and do a little bit of emotional, physical and spiritual healing. Evaluate my health and see what I can do to improve my overall sense of well being. I hope that you will all time time out of your lives to do the same of yourselves. Find out what you need to get that balance, whether its a healthier diet, spending more time enjoy nature or just finding some time to relax.

Peace, Love and Happiness....

Wednesday 29 April 2009

Friday 24 April 2009

How do you wash your hair?

This is actually an old video on you tube - but one of my favorites! It's called "How do you wash your hair?"



This is just a reminder of some of the really rude looks I get because of my hair - from almost every nationality. Or the very silly questions I get, because people are confused. For the last time - No they are not braids!!! Yes - my hair is clean. I wash it ALL THE TIME.. with Shampoo, just like you. Loc's are beautiful. It's sad when people pre-judge because of something new or something they don't understand.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

New Trend ?!?


Singer Tierra G's new style reminds me of the new do that Cassie is sporting. Is this trend coming back? I remember this was popular for a minute when I was younger. But I could not imagine cutting into my loc's for this drastic look.
What do you think - Keep or? Or Leave it alone?

New style:
Old style:

Find Tierra at TierraG Music

Tuesday 21 April 2009

New Page on the NBH website!


I just added a new page to my Naturally Beautiful Hair website. I will be selling accessories: Jewelry, hats, scarves and more. I will post updates when more items have been added. To check it out, click on For Sale.

Easiet Style Ever...



One of my favorite hair styles is a really easy hair do. Most of you already know how to do this. I like it several reasons, some being that it gives my hair volume and it feels more lightweight when my loc's have a curl or wave to them.

To create this look - wash, wet or spritz your hair. Be sure to use some sort of leave in conditioner or setting spray when wetting your hair. Braid your hair in sections (I like to braid 6 loc's at a time) . The bigger the braid, the bigger the crinkle/wave. The smaller the braid, the smaller the crinkle/wave will be. I like to let my hair air dry, but if you have a salon style hood hair dry at home, you can dry your loc's using this. Once your hair is completely dry, take the braids down. This crinkle/wavy style will last over a month or until you get your hair wet again. The great thing about this style is great wavy look.

Cute style from Franchesca Ramsey

Very cute side-sweep style from Franchesca. I love her creativity. To read more about Franchesca, check out her interview on my Naturally Beautiful Hair Website: Interview

My Sanctuary

I would love to have all of my home decorated with beautiful art work, plants and sculptures. But unfortunately, money is tight and I have two lovely - but wild kids! So having fancy things, at this time, has not worked out. But I do have one little space in my house that I can use to show my personality, culture and what makes me feel centered. My dresser!


I found these two beautiful African sculptures last year. I also added a few weaved baskets, some plants and a beautiful painting that was given to me by a dear friend.



Also, I like to display some of my large earrings. I usually only wear small earrings, but want to change that. And if I don't see what I have available - I won't wear it. So this way, I can look every day to see what I have, and I can mix it up a little. This is the little space that I have in my home that really represents me. At some point, I hope to have all of my home reflect this kind of energy.

If you all have something in your home that really represents you, your culture or something that just makes you happy - send me a picture and I will post it with your message.

Hugs!

Karen
naturalhairbeauty@gmail.com

Sunday 19 April 2009

Loving this blog - Gorgeous Black Women


Check out one of my new favorite blogs:


This lovely photo is a picture Tennille Stoute. Her complexion is amazing.... To see more photos of Tennille, click here.


More great headbands and hair clips from Mandizzle


I love the Mandizzle collection from designer Mandi Derrow. Here are some new headbands and clips featured on Mandizzle.com. This is a Naturally Beautiful Hair feature update for this accessory line, check out my fist post here. To purchase from Mandizzle, find the whole collection on Etsy.com.


Friday 17 April 2009

Krystal Johnson's Inner Beauty Collection

I have been following Designer Krystal Johnson for a while now. She makes really beautiful Jewelry and she also has her own knit-wear clothing line. I have spoken with her briefly in the past and she had a very kind spirit. Here are some of my favorite pieces from her.

Inner Beauty - Krystal Johnson

Jewelry:




Knit-wear line:


If you would like to read more about her, or see her collection, go to Inner Beauty on Myspace.com.

Cool site - My Natural Hair Care Guide

Has any one heard of this site or joined it? It looks interesting, so I think I may become a member. It was featured on Keep It Kinky, and the site is called My Natural Hair Care Guide.

Here is more about the site from the post on Keep It Kinky:

"Writer/Publisher, Amy Mc'Knight has completely revamped one of the go-to sites for women with natural hair. Formerly NaturalHairCareGuide.com, the new My Natural Hair Guide promises to be one of the best resources for women with or transitioning to natural hair. It's the Facebook ™ of the natural hair community and also features useful articles and videos."



Lobster Tail Style from Kalia


Kalia shared this amazing sisterloc style, on her blog Kalia-dewdrop. She did a modeling job and had to create her own look for the show, and came up with the "Lobster Tail" look. Read here to see how she put this look together:Lobster Tail on the Runway.



Thursday 16 April 2009

Fake Fro!?!



Ok so the question is - how do you feel about people faking "being natural"?? In a recent blog on FroLab it was insinuated by author Jelize, in his post Battle of the Fros! that singer Teyana Taylor, (who was sporting a gorgeous afro), only had a weave at the time.

Although I do beleive & know that being natural is much more than just some latest trend, I can not knock those who see that there is a beauty in having natural hair and want to try it out. For me - I would rather it be a true commentment, but who am I to judge. If there is someone out there that is popular and famous, why would it hurt if they can use their fame to promote natural hair. Even if it is only temporary. For that time being, their fans are seeing this natural look - and some of them may be encouraged to think out side of the box and maybe even follow their heart to do something that feels right to them. I dunno... Let me know what.

Here is a picture of a Lace Front Afro wig! Looks can be deceiving...

  • Is "Fake" Natural a good or bad thing?!?

Singing Group Sweet Rush


There's a new singing group called Sweet Rush, and they have been featured on Clutch Magazine Online (I love this site by the way).

Sweet Rush is a sister Pop group. And I really like their Natural curly fro styles. Its very very cute. Check out their interview on Clutch: Sweet Rush's Siham and Iman.

New upcoming website to watch out for


There is a new website called Afro City TV. When you go to the site, it says "Coming Soon" and the caption reads "where art, fashion and music meets." It look interesting. I think I will check back every once in a while to see what their about. If any one knows any about this site, let us know what you think.

Monday 13 April 2009

Sista Checks






















I thought this was cute: Sista Checks

I ♥ Natural Hair group on FaceBook

There are a lot of cool Natural Hair groups on facebook. One of my favorite one is I ♥ Natural Hair. If you are a member of facebook, do a search under groups for natural hair, and you will get a good list of groups that are available. Find one that fits for you. Here are some photo's from the I ♥ Natural Hair group on FaceBook.

Natural Beauty spotlight - Tevia' Johnson from Atlanta!

Check out Naturally Beautiful spot light of the week - Tevia' Johnson. Not only does she have beautiful loc's, but she has an amazing glow.

Tevia's is also a talented designer. She has her own Jewelery line called Ashaki (which means beautiful in the western region of Africa). Her fabrics and materials come from all over the world from South Africa, India, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and more. To check her out, click on the following links:

On Myspace & her Jewelry line: Ashaki

Sunday 12 April 2009

Finally!

Happy Easter yall! Well I finally washed my hair this morning. And it felt great! I used my favorite shampoo, which is the Dark & Lovely Peppermint Shampoo. I also decided to mix it up and do a second lather with my daughters Herbal Essences Totally Twisted shampoo for curls and waves.

I read somewhere that its good to changed your products every few months to cut down on build up.

I decided to braid my hair so I can get some crinkles. And pined it to the side for Easter dinner.


Braids for my little one

I got a chance to braid one of my daughters hair this weekend. It was fun...


Scarves and wraps!

So if you read my previous post - my hair was looking a "hot mess" for about 2 weeks. Which is a big deal, because I don't like to walk around not feeling by best. Any how... I ended up having to be creative with wrapping my hair to cover it up. Here are a few of my favorite looks.


These two (blue an orange), above and below are some of my favorite scarves/head wraps. If you are able to find this crinkle material, it is good for using as a wrap. It's easy to tie, breaths, and is not to hot and is comfortable. So its good for hot or cold days.


Braid bun with a quick scarf wrap.


I got a cool little texture after wearing the braid bun for one day and taking it down. I didn't add any water or product before braiding it. If you want the texture to last longer use a setting spray before braiding.


I love scarves and wraps. At the moment I have a small addiction to finding new ones. If you know of some cool places to find cute head wraps or scarves, leave a comment.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

25 Subscribers - Woo Hoo!!

I am very happy to see that Natural Hair Beauty Blog has 25 subscribers. This blog is still relatively new. I started it about 2 month's ago, and it has been such a joy to talk to people about their experiences and to see that we have such a large community of people that want to support each other.

I hope to continue to be able to post information that will relate to others and what they are experiencing as well as bring you new information.

*Contribute! Feel free to send me suggestions or ideas of things to share with others. If you want to share you story, send me a picture and your info to naturalhairbeauty@gmail.com, and I will post it on my blog.

Thank you again to all the Natural Hair Beauty readers.... I look forward to sharing info with you, and learning from you all.


Hot Mess!


Ok yall... I have been off of work a few days, and I have not been on top of things at all. Basically, I have not been giving myself my all, and my hair is suffering because of it. I am definitely not representing today.

But, I am looking forward to picking up some of my favorite maintenance products tomorrow, and correcting the matter. It really does not feel good to have to cover up my hair because its looking crazy... lol. Please forgive me Natural Hair Beauties... it will get better.

Monday 6 April 2009

20% discount for Natural Hair Beauty readers!!




















Check out these cute head bands from Andrea's Beau ...

For a limited time, Andrea has offered all Naturally Beautiful Hair readers a 20% discount on all purchases, for the entire month of April, 2009. Just use Naturally Beautiful Hair as the promotion code in the comment section of the Checkout page, upon placing an order.

Zurique Accessories


Check out these cool accessories from Zurique Natural Hair Accessories. I plan to order the hair jewelry some time soon (3 piece for $15). I will post pictures when they have arrived.

Dahlia Soleil Collection

Check out this cool hats By Paulette of the Dahlia Soleil Collection