Category Archives: My Healthy Hair Journey

Maintaining My Wash & Go Style

The weather is finally warming up, at least this week in Hampton Roads, so I did my first wash & go style in a long time. I used OBIA Natural Hair products in order to style my hair. After washing and conditioning my hair, I worked in small sections to define my curls. In each section, I sprayed the Curl Hydration Spray, then applied the Curl Moisture Cream and detangled more using a modified Denman brush. Once the section was tangle-free, I applied the Curl Enhancing Custard and smoothed through the hair, and let my curls define. I used a pony tail holder to keep my hair stretched as I went from section to section. After I was all done, I sat under a hooded dryer for about 30 minutes to dry.

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At night, I’ve been putting my hair in large, somewhat loose Bantu knots to keep the hair stretched. This has worked really well, and since they are not tight, my curl definition is not totally lost. Every other night, I apply Earth’s Nectar Monoi Hair Milk, which is more like a butter or pomade, to add some moisture and sheen to my hair. So far I’ve been able to maintain this look for 5 days, and I plan to keep it going until I restyle this weekend. I find that when I keep my curls and coils stretched, this prevents tangles and knots, and reduces breakage. This is why I keep was & go styles to a minimum. Normally I do twists to stretch my hair, but having this option to stretch my hair after doing a wash & go style is awesome. You will see this style a lot!

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Out & About: NuSol Natural Hair and Beauty Expo

This past Saturday I attended the NuSol Natural Hair and Beauty Expo at the Durham Convention Center. This was the first NuSol event, and the purpose was “to encourage a healthy hair, healthy lifestyle and natural living” for all attendees. I was there along with my cousin Sharonda and Ashley of Curly Cubaminican, and we all purchased VIP tickets for $25. The ticket was to include a gift bag, free access to seminars, and access to the A-list Lounge with refreshments all day long.

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We were able to find parking right across from the venue for just $2 all day, which was nice. As we walked up there was a small line to check in, but the line seemed to move along quickly. However, as we checked in we found out that there were no more gift bags. I didn’t feel the love at that moment. As an event coordinator, that is something that should never happen. Needless to say, that set the tone for the day.

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We decided to check out the A-List Lounge to get some refreshments. Again, what was advertised was not what was provided. The website stated “Refreshments, Beverages, Hors D’oeuvres, Pastries, & Desserts” would be provided, but there was just fresh fruit and cheese, water and iced tea most of the day. When we left for the night which was around 9pm, they did bring out buffalo wings. One thing they did have that was not advertised but was a nice touch was free chair massages.

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There were lots of vendors to shop with, with everything from jewelry to hair care products to bath products, and more. Just what you would expect at a natural hair and beauty expo. I was concerned that there was a vendor selling what appeared to be fake MAC cosmetics, considering that MAC does use independent sales representatives. I noticed that there were a lot of local hair care product companies that exhibited, while no major retailers were represented. For some that’s a pro, but for others that may be a con. I was happy to see some familiar faces, like Todd Parsons with his amazing jewelry, and Brown Sugar Naturals (pictured above) with their artisan soaps and body products.

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Unfortunately, all the seminars were full by 10am, so we did not get to attend any of the seminars that were included in our VIP admission. We were able to meet some of the speakers, like author Margaret Brunson and actress Nevaina Rhodes. I did enjoy one of the hair show segments while there, as well as the performances by Christopher Terrell and Lisa McClendon (pictured above). They lit up the stage with their live band, which I’m always a huge fan of. Before Leela James came onstage, there was a wine tasting for VIP guests. It was more like a wine sipping; again, just less VIP ‘feeling’ than I expected since I’ve done several wine tasting before.

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Finally, Leela James spoke to the audience about her natural hair journey and her image in the music industry, and how we should embrace all beauty. She engaged the audience, even asking us questions as to why we decided to transition to natural hair. Towards the end she kinda went off on a preachy tangent, and then it was time for her live performance. She sang one song, and headed off the stage. Just as I was feeling yet again disappointed, they allowed her to sing a few more songs.

All and all, I think this event had the bones of a great natural hair expo. Had i just purchased a general admission ticket, I would haven been very happy. If you were willing and able to spend all day and night at the event, there was plenty to do, see, and buy. But being that I purchased a VIP ticket, I had higher expectations about my experience based on what they stated would be provided and the event just didn’t live up to the hype. Hopefully the hiccups that I experienced were just oversights due to inexperience since this was there first event, and they will find fixes for those things in the future.

Natural Hair Styling in Steps

Sometimes I just don’t want to do all the work it may taken for a certain style, at least not all in one day. For example, I knew I wanted my hair in a stretched dry twist out for the Carol’s Daughter event last night. But I also know that style takes time – sitting under a hair dryer, then tension blow drying, then twisting. All of which are very time consuming. So I decided to do the style in steps over a few days.

Step 1: After finishing my normal wash routine, I sectioned my hair into four large sections, and then each of those I split into two sections and two-strand twisted after applying Tree Naturals leave-in conditioner. Then I sat under a hooded dryer for about an hour on the medium heat setting until it was slightly damp.

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By this time, I was over it, and got in the bed! I didn’t even to the tension blow drying!

Step 2: I untwisted each twist and applied a Shea butter mix (it has no name but is Shea butter and grapeseed oil) to each section and gently detangled each section with a wide tooth comb.

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By this time, I was running late for work so I pulled my Fro up in to a cute bun.

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Step 3: I took my bun down, applied Carols Daughter Lisa’s Hair Elixir and then Ily Beauty hair butter to my hair (very little since I didn’t want my hair to revert and curl up). Then I did two-strand twists, and rocked a twist out.

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I wanted to share this because sometimes doing certain styles may be a daunting task. But if you think ahead how you can spread the steps out, then it makes the task at hand a little easier to handle. And you may find some cute styles to rock in between.

For more natural hair styling tips, be sure to attend the Return of the Curls Curls Gone Wild tour coming to Richmond, VA on May 4 & 5 and Greensboro, NC on July 13! For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.returnofthecurls.com!

Carol’s Daughter Healthy Hair Tour Comes to Hampton, VA

If you are in the Hampton Roads area, don’t miss this FREE event on the campus of Hampton University! I will be on the hair panel so I hope to see you there!

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Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Care Debuts in Target Stores

Karen’s Body Beautiful, a natural and award-winning hair care collection of cleansing, conditioning and styling products, debuts March 18, 2013 in select Target stores across the U.S. Target will carry six of the brand’s salon-quality products, which offer versatile solutions for all types of hair, including curly, coily, kinky, relaxed and heat styled. The formulations are free of synthetic ingredients and ideal for women transitioning to natural hair.

“We’re elated to be working with Target and appreciate that they’re leading the way in offering creative and effective options for women with textured hair and women of color. We’re also excited that our products are now accessible to our customers around the country at Target locations,” says Karen Tappin, founder and CEO of Karen’s Body Beautiful (KBB).

I’m disappointed that KBB will not be in any Target stores that are near me (only one store in Stuarts Draft, VA – which I have never heard of). But my hope is that as the natural hair community demands it, and the product sales demand it, Target will expand the availability to other markets. For those of you who will have these products available in your local Target, here are some details about the products they will carry along with my experience if its a products that I’ve tried.

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Karen’s Body Beautiful products available in Target stores include:
Sweet Ambrosia Leave-in Conditioner ($16; 8 oz.) Ultra-moisturizing leave-in conditioner transforms dry, lifeless locks into soft, shiny and luminous hair. With Jojoba, Avocado, Wheat Germ and Coconut oils, Arnica, Nettle, Horsetail and Rosemary Extracts. Hands down this is my all time favorite leave-in conditioner. My hair loves this stuff, and the pomegranate guava scent is to live for!

Luscious Locks Hair Mask ($25; 8 oz.) Deep conditioning, nutritious hair treatment repairs dry, damaged hair, restores shine and manageability, while detangling and softening. With Jojoba and Carrot Seed Oils, Aloe Butter, Arnica, Calendula, Nettle, Echinacea and Horsetail Extracts. This product is pricey, especially since I use the entire container during just one application. But it is amazing and is one of my ‘luxury’ items that I keep around if my hair is really beat down.

Hair Blossom Moisture Mist ($16, 200 ml) Natural hydrating mist softens and refreshes hair, while reducing frizz. With Argan, Castor, Sunflower and Meadowfoam Seed Oils.

Super Duper Hydrating Hair Cream ($18; 200 ml) An intensely hydrating hair cream and styling aid that also moisturizes and nourishes the scalp with Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Gel, Argan Oil and Acai Powder. Ideal for twistouts and braidouts. Another one of my all time favorites in the KBB product line. A great all natural styler for twist outs and braid outs that adds and retains moisture all at the same time.

Butter Love ($18; 6.7 oz.) An emollient hair butter that nourishes and protects hair, while providing hold and intense shine. With Shea, Mango, Cocoa, Jojoba and Aloe Butters. This was one of the first products that I tried from the KBB product line, and I did fall in love. This butter is everything a butter should be. A little goes a long way, and you can use this as a body butter as well.

Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Care doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, DEA or artificial color. The products are cruelty-free and not tested on animals. Available at these select Target store locations: http://tinyurl.com/cmbksbv and online at KarensBodyBeautiful.com.