Happy Holiday!!

I hope everyone is enjoying Memorial Day. Have a great day and fabulous week.

Sandria Washington

Sandria Washington is one of the models featured on the front page of my Naturally Beautiful Hair Website. Sandria took some amazing photos for Entwine Couture ad campaign. Beautifully done Sandria! You continue to be one of my natural hair inspirations!

Check out another model featured for the same campaign ad. I love this look too!

Cute style!

I love this look from model Sandria Washington.

N.B.H. on Facebook!

If you haven't already, check out the Naturally Beautiful Hair Page on Facebook!

Email from Chelsey Smith

I received an email from Naturally Beautiful Hair blog reader, Chelsey Smith. Chelsey is a model and loves her natural hair.
"Hi my name is Chelsey Smith, I reside in New Orleans, LA. Currently I attend University of New Orleans where I am a junior, and lovin it. I love being Natural, which I have been for a year, I feel it brings out the beauty in  my true beauty. I'm striving to break into the industry of modeling and also modeling for natural hair."

Chelsey Smith - 504-333-0879
http://www.hairlista.com/profile/ellecmodel
                                                                                    cmsmi18@uno.edu

Whoo Hoo!! 400 Subscribers!

Very exciting... This is really a tribute to you all. Every one of you have shown me just how beautiful we can all be. We can walk tall, with our heads held high, knowing that being Naturally Beautiful is something to be cherished and praised. Thank you everyone for reading, commenting and contributing. As thanks, please look out for the next giveaway to celebrate our official 400 subscribers.

Giveaway!! Hand knitted Hats

In celebration of the Naturally Beautiful Hair Blog's official 400 + subscribers, we are having another giveaway. This prize actually comes from the Naturally Beautiful Hair websites sale page. I am giving away two handmade knitted hats to two lucky winners.

 
Here's the contest! The "Can I touch your hair?" video is really entertaining and full of truth.  So the question is, when you get this question, what do you say to politely decline the request? And what do you really want to say to people when they ask this question?? And how would your respond if someone just started touching your hair out of the blue??  Most interesting/funny response wins! I will pick two winners, two weeks from today (June 4th, 2010) at 10 pm.

Style and the City

Kis for Kinky  posted this photo from Style and The City that shows a very stylish pair of young ladies. I love this picture. The Style in the City website highlights fashion from the streets of Paris, New York and London.  Also linked on the Kis for Kinky blog, is a cute ruffle skirt similar to the one above, that can be purchased at Bergdorf Goodman.

The Colour of Beauty

“I need a Black model, but she has to be like a White girl dipped in chocolate.”

"Black Women are not our demographic."

Check out this short film called The Colour of Beauty. It talks about the blatant racism against Black models and the Fashion Industries favoritism for white models, locally and internationally. 

- picture and video source  ClutchMagazineOnline.

"Egyptian Sand" hair scarf Winner!!

Thanks to every one for entering  the contest.  Message from the judge of the contest, Wasijiru:

"I've chosen a winner!  All the comments were great which made it a difficult decision.  However, one comment caught my attention because of the use of "confidence" as an accessory.  "Wasijiru" essentially means "confidence" so naturally I was drawn to that answer.  The owner of the short, but sweet response is Christy S..  She can send her mailing address to wasijiru@gmail.com in order to claim her prize."

Congrats Christy S!!

Old Navy's Got Style???

Ok, so I do shop at Old Navy. I wish I were a little more stylish than I am, but I guess my Old Navy clothing  matches (what I hope is) my Hot Soccer Mom image... lol. This past Mother's Day weekend, I decide to go out with my family and do a little bit of shopping. And I found this stylish bracelet and earring set in Old Navy's jewelry section.

 

I was shocked because it's not their typical style of jewelry. I guess they are trying to spice it up. Nice little Mothers Day gift to myself....   Cute right?!?

ShoShannah

Check out these loc styles created ShoShannah, a talented loctician from BRONX, New York. 

  1-718-515-0060      

Beads, Braids & Beyond

Nikki from Beads, Braids & Beyond  has a great blog where she shows how to create cute hair styles for little girls, along with useful styling tips and kid friendly product information. She also highlights a lot of her readers children and their hair styles.  Look below for my interview with Nikki -

What inspired you to create the Beads Braids Beyond blog?

The lack of information on Biracial/African American children's hair care inspired me to create the blog. I remember being "the clueless mom" and not knowing where to start when it came to my daughter’s hair. I remember goggling and goggling and never being able to find a lot of information on my daughter’s hair type, or being able to find styles that I could. I found countless blogs for children with naturally straight hair, "what about our children?" … I thought. Don't get me wrong, I love those other blogs, but I wanted to see a blog dedicated to natural Biracial/African American children’s hair. I wanted to see our children’s hair being embraced. 

How do you come up with so many creative styles?

All of my style inspirations come from other women and mothers. I browse a lot of different forums, blogs, and other hair care sites and I try to tweak a lot of styles so they are appropriate for my daughter’s age. There are so many talented women out there so I definitely owe my style inspiration to them.

How old is your daughter, and what does she like most about being the star of your blog?

My daughter is 4 years old. I think her favorite thing to do is seeing all of the other children featured on the blog. My daughter is the only child with curly hair in her class so I think it's a nice change to see so many other natural children with curly hair.

She seems to love participating in the styling process. Most kids don't have the patience! What keeps her interested showing off her cool hairstyles?

Well, depending on how long the style takes, we might take breaks. Snack breaks, run around the kitchen table breaks, restroom breaks, etc. I think I keep her interested. We talk the whole time I am styling or washing her hair. If we're watching one of her favorite cartoons/movies I make it a point to sing along with her and dance. Her current favorite is The Princess and the Frog. The songs are really great and when mommy gets into them....it's over! She definitely gets into it and forgets her hair is even being styled! I think the styling process is all about mother and daughter bonding time. It's important for me to show her that doing her hair is not a chore, that I enjoy it, and we should enjoy this time together.

You have a great following. How long have you been blogging?

I started Beads, Braids & Beyond at the end of October 2009. I think it's amazing that the word got out so quickly. This goes to show that people were waiting for something for our kids. I mean...I was waiting myself! I couldn't wait any longer. I actually asked some moms on another hair board if they would make a blog but it seemed like everyone was too busy, so I took the plunge. Your styles and post have been great inspirations to other Moms.

What has been one of your most cherished moments as result of sharing your knowledge through your blog?

Probably all of the emails and comments I get. So many mothers (and non-mothers) email me thanking me for taking the time out to create this blog. Some moms find the blog and are like me when I first started, clueless. They tell me how much the information I provide helps and show me pictures. They tell me there are no more tears during "hair time" and that they now look forward to the mother and daughter bonding experience. I have also had emails and comments thanking me for my Texture Softener post because they were going to use it on their child. I am always happy to hear that they changed their mind about relaxing their child’s hair, or that they are transitioning their little diva.

What are some of the products you use regularly for your daughters hair type?

Right now we are experimenting with products. We have tried lots and it's funny because most of her staple products are pretty cheap: Virgin coconut oil, unrefined shea butter, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner, Giovanni Direct Leave-in, ORS Lock & Twist Gel. I currently love Blended Cutie Down & Out Styles for her hair. There are other products I really like for her hair but those are the main ones we use.

What is your advice for styling curly hair?

Don't try to fight it! It will fight you back. If your hair wants to be big, it will be big. LET IT BE BIG! A lot of people email me asking how to get "the wet look" and in my opinion, you cannot get the wet look! You can define your curls but it definitely will not look like it does when it's wet once it dries. I don't care what product you use. If the hair wants to be frizzy one day, let it be frizzy. Don't keep chasing your child around the house with a spray bottle filled with water. I am going to take a quote I see in so many forums..."Let it do what it do!"

Beads, Braids & Beyond 
Nikki's You Tube Videos

Readers Question - Rounded Tips

Marcus has a question about maintaining rounded tips on his dreadlocks. Read his question below, and comment back if you have nay advice for him. 

" I just recently came across your site and l love the advice you give on dread lock maintenance.  I have had my locks for about three years now and I have noticed that the tips of some of them have become slightly undone where as they were round and tight before. I was wondering how I should go about cutting them...should I cut them at an angle to achieve the desired rounded tip or just straight across and hope they become round over time like they did when I first started. I hope you or your readers, can help with this...I'd like to go over many of my locks and trim the ends of them, but I don't want flat tips. I desire rounded tips. Thanks a lot!  ~  Marcus"

Giveaway - "Egyptian Sand" hair scarf!

This giveaway is sponsored by Wasijiru. For this contest, Wasijiru would like for you to leave a comment explaining how you accessorize your Natural Beauty.  The contest will end this Sunday at 10:00 pm (5/16/2010). Wasijiru will choose the winner and send the prize directly to you. The  prize is a "Egyptian Sand" hair scarf that is hand dyed.

To see more, go to  - http://www.wasijiru.com/.   ~   Good luck!

RE: I'm in a Natural Hair Magazine!!

Good morning everyone,

Back in August of 2009, I posted that I was featured in a Natural Hair Magazine. I have finally added this magazine to the Naturally Beautiful Hair websites download page. Check out the magazine live on the site or download a copy for yourself. The magazine features many with natural hair. Check me out on page 145!