Let's Talk Tresses Friday: How Do You Adorn Your 'Do?

When I first started wearing my natural hair without braids, I was all about the accessories. I had flowers in every spectrum of the rainbow, headbands a plenty, and pretty much every other accessory under the sun to accentuate my hair.

Me, newly natural. Can you believe this photo is well over five years old?!? Wow...

Over the last few years, I stopped. Why, I don't know. But I guess I am missing the inclusion of accessories, because at the recent Curl Crush event, I managed to snatch up two adorable hair bows from QuellyRue Designs. I've yet to rock 'em, but I have a feeling I will!

Do you still rock accessories in your natural hair?!? What are your favorite adornments? Where's the best place to score bedazzling beauties for your fro? Let's Talk Tresses, Ladies!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What's Your "Go-To" Shampoo?!?!

If my relationship with my hair products were comparable to romantic relationships, I guess you would call me a serial monogamist when it comes to the products I use. I fall in love with a product, use it devotedly for years, get bored and want to move on. Thus is the case with my shampoo!!

After consistently using Mixed Chicks Shampoo for almost two years, and blogging its praises all the while, I've come to a bit of a rut in terms of the product. It still gets the job done, but I'm not insanely crazy about the results anymore. And thus I think it's time for this girl to move on!

So I am seeking your advice, y'all! What is the shampoo you always make sure you have on hand? Are you a poo-bar gal? Are you drug store brands all the way or do you prefer designer suds? Share your favorite brand and why you love it... hook a sistah up?!?!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What #naturalhair stereotype do you wish would die?!?

When you'd ask someone on the street about women with natural hair, many people have a lot of preconceived notions: We're all hippy-dippy, tofu-eating, no shaving, bohemian Earth Mamas....

The reality? Some of us are.... but just some of us. Truth be told, there is not ONE WAY to be natural. Just like there is not one way to be black, or blonde, or redhead, or female!!

What stereotype about women with natural hair needs to be dead and buried?!? Leave a comment and sound off!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: How Far Would YOU Go For Hair Growth!?!?

If you are like me, I am sure you have heard the rumors circulating around the interwebs about how topical treatments like Monistat and Neosporin are MIRACLE WORKERS at increasing hair growth. The theory is that because both products contain Miconazole Nitrate, which is an antifungal, applying it to your scalp with improve hair growth.

Okay, is it really all that serious?!?!? I'd love a head of hair like Cree Summer's, but slathering my scalp with cream intended for my no-no parts when I'm feeling "not so fresh"?!?! Eewwwwwww.....

Okay, fess up... have you tried Monistat 7 or Neosporin on your scalp for hair growth? Would you? Let's talk tresses!!!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Where do YOU go to get #naturalhair Inspiration?!?

The internet is a FANTABULOUS place to get inspired when stuck in a rut about your natural hair. You can watch YouTube tutorials on the latest and greatest updo, crack open a magazine, or read your favorite blog (I hope you all have checked out my "I Heart Her Hair" posts!!)... or do like I always do, check out natural hair images on Google.

The fabulous folks over at House of Mikko have now added another source for inspiration, their new "I Love Your Hair" app, available today for download for iPhones and iPads!!

The I Love Your Hair app is designed to be a source of beauty inspiration for the everyday woman on the go!!! Not only can you search for the best do' for that special occasion, you can submit your own lovely locks to inspire others. Blogger Betty Confidential put it best, "Its like instagram and Twitter for Hair." Check out this video for more on the app!



Android users (Like me!), don't worry... the Android compatible app in presently in the works!!!

Where you get your inspiration? For my iPod/iPad users, will you be downloading the app? If you have already... what are your thoughts?!?

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What Products are ALL HYPE?!?

The internet is a wonderful place for people with natural hair to discover and learn about new products and techniques that will give you all the results you want for your hair and more!!

I don't want to even THINK about the money I've shelled over for stuff that after repeated use did absolutely nothing for me... and ended up cluttering up my bathroom for months.

What products have you used in the past that just did not work for you, despite the hype! Dish, dish!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Is Steam Part of Your #NaturalHair Routine?!?

As I have mentioned earlier, I recently invested in a Hair Steamer. I've used it twice since receiving it, and...to quote Peter Gabriel, "Give me steam...". LOL

Ohmigod, why has it taken me so long to get one and discover first hand how WONDERFUL steaming is for my hair?!?! Since using the steamer to deep condition, my hair has been thriving incredibly in these cold months in NYC when my hair is sometimes prone to be super dry and brittle! I'm hooked!

Do you use a steamer in your hair regimen? How do you use your steamer? Leave a comment with your tips and experiences!!!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Fess Up... What Hair Myths Do YOU Believe?!?

Today's Friday the Thirteenth, so I figured it would be the best day to talk about Hair Myths and Superstitions...

Frequent trims make hair grow faster.... "Lather, rinse, and repeat" is the only way to get your hair clean... Cutting your hair during a full moon makes it grow back faster... You can mend split ends with the right products...

There are dozens or so such myths out there regarding our hair that many people (myself included) still belief, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I myself superstitiously cuts my hair according to the farmer's almanac... it may not work a lick, but it certainly hasn't harmed my hair in any way! LOL

What hair myths or superstitions to you believe!?!? Let Talk Tresses, Ladies!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: How Do You Handle the Haters?!?!?

When I recently viewed this video from NaturallyCandi I knew I had to share it today as this week's Natural Hair Discussion. I've been very fortunate in that I haven't encountered such a scenario in my life (knocks wood!), but it doesn't surprise me that people feel it apropos to speak so negatively to someone, just because they have natural hair. "You comb your hair with a comb?!?"... No, I comb it with a fish!!!! GTFOH!



If you were approached in the same manner, how would you have handled the situation? If you have encountered negativity regarding your hair in the past, how did you respond? Let's talk tresses, people!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What are your #naturalhair Resolutions for 2012!?!?

2012 is just days away... and now is the time where many are putting together their lists of new year's resolutions... changes they want to bring into the new year.

I am no different. I have a lot of aspirations for the year to come: places I want to be, opportunities I openly welcome, wisdom I'd like to bring into my life... and there are many resolutions I have when it comes to my natural hair -

*In 2012, I want to invest in a hair steamer. I don't have the room for the Huetiful Hair Steamer, so I will be getting a Stand up Hair Steamer instead, and incorporate steaming into my weekly deep conditioning routine(I can feel my hair drool in anticipation of combining Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish with a steamer!!!).

*In 2012, I will (finally!!) master twisting my hair. I never seem to get them right, so I will try once a month to twist my hair so that they will last at least a week, and rock a twist out afterwards!

*In 2012, I will put my hair in the hands of a professional at least once a season, for regular trims. I have not been to a hair salon in decades, and while I have gone a long way doing it alone, I know that with the help of a good natural hair stylist, I can go even further!!!

*In 2012, I will try a new twist to my yearly "braid-cations", and will be rocking a wig over my braided hair. It's a great way to protect my hair for weeks at a time. And fans of YouTube's Taren916 know exactly what wig I'm currently cyber-stalking! LOL

*In 2012, I will learn how to cornrow my hair. Like twists, my cornrows are always hit-or-miss, and I think that if I continually try them throughout the year, I will find consistency with them.

Are you making New Year's Resolutions when it comes to your hair?!?!? What are your resolutions?!?! Leave a comment and share!!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What Hair Goodies Have Made Your 'Santa Baby' Wish List?

Christmas is right around the corner and all over New York City last minute shoppers of hustling and bustling to secure the perfect gift for that special someone. This is the perfect time to place (not too.. ha!) subtle hints to your loved ones about just exactly would like.

My super "wanna wanna wanna" item is something I've been stalking all year, and while I know its unlikely I would get it in time for Christmas, it would certainly be worth the wait!

Huetiful Hair Steamer (behuetiful.com) .... I want one SOOOOOO bad. Luckily Hey Fran Hey is having a Christmas Giveaway for one, so fingers eyes and toes crossed! LOL

Is there a very special item that if spotting it under the Christmas tree would make you act like that little kid who went crazy over the Pokemon card?

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What to do when stuck in a rut?!?

I'm pretty much a stickler when it comes to my natural hair routine. That being said... there have been a few occasions when I've been tired of the same ole, same ole and opted to try something new for a spell. These are most often the times when I take my "braid-cations", and opt to wear my hair in braids for a few months to take a break from the routine.

One thing I've learned so far is that when in a rut, it pays to make SUBTLE changes... going overboard may result in a major case of remorse...Need I mention my horrible D-I-Y Dye Job?!?!? LOL

This completely illustrates how I felt after recognizing the mistake I made. So now, instead of completely changing the way I style my hair, or throwing out my tried-and-true products for those new brands on the scene, I make a slight change, which is just enough "new" for me to not feel as bored as I was before. For example, this week I decided that instead of the same old tired center part I rock 24/7, I'd try a side part.

I also experimented with how I section my hair during washing, and tried Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue (which was a part of the gift basket I won from Curl Crush) to braid my hair. I even changed up how I braided my hair, using smaller braids per section. Daring? Not very... but it was a refreshing change of pace for me, and I think the results looked pretty good actually.... it's something I may incorporate for a few weeks, until I miss my usual style.

It's amazing what such a small change can do to inspire you. I made a change that was well within my comfort zone, and I'm loving it!

Have you ever experienced a rut on your natural hair journey? What did you do? Share your stories of the most outlandish or simple changes you made to spice up your hair routine.

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Relaxed vs. Natural.... Let's End the Battle!

I was doing my weekly "natural hair" web search and I noticed a question from a young woman on Yahoo! Answers:

Why do black women argue over "relaxed vs natural" hair?

The biracial poster, asks why all these "natural women" with natural hair are preaching "black unity" and insulting her for relaxing her hair. I won't bore you with the details (you can click the link should you want to), but my first instinct was to post a reply with an eclipse-sized portion of shade about getting over yourself because this "natural woman" is not studying you. LOL

I decided against it, because I happen to agree with her on one thing: the debate and battle is pretty damn played out. I mean, wasn't Joie Lee, Tisha Campbell and 'em singing and dancing about this in 1988?!?!? I was eleven then, man!!!



With the popularity of natural hair on the rise, so has this "battle" that has been lived out between women with relaxed hair and women with natural hair. Even Dr. Drew had a recent "Good Hair" debate, which really brought the battle to the mainstream.

Photo Courtesy of MadameNoire.com

What's troubling about the argument, is that it seems to always escalate to a point where the debate turns into who has "good hair" and who has "bad hair"... and then we're stuck in front of Madame ReRe's again... and we all look like a bunch of trivial and superficial little girls for arguing about hair... when there are really far more serious matters we could collaborate and focus our attentions on.

How about we promise to be proud and feel beautiful about ourselves, and bunk who dares to tell us otherwise? How about we promise to treat our hair well and give it what it needs to be healthy? How about you relax away, honey... with pride... while I'll rock my braid outs with pride?!? How about you keep the Nicki Minaj quotes about "Perminator" to yourself (This actually happened to me recently.. the girl was all of 14, so I just shook my head and kept it moving! LOL ) and I won't accuse you of wanting to be anything other than happy? How about we ALL get over this debate and focus our attention into something positive... like feeding the hungry, educating our youth, and instilling in our sons and daughters a degree of self love that will ensure we never have to entertain the masses with arguments over our hair again? Who's with me? Sound off and leave a comment!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Natural Hair in the Workplace...

I've been very fortunate when it comes to my working life: I've never encountered a situation where I felt my hair was an issue. And I'm very blessed to have never been told outright that my hair needed to be changed or modified in order to keep my job.

It is shocking to me that there are countless stories of women being made the butt of jokes from their co-workers for having natural hair or even getting fired.

What has been your experiences being natural in the workplace? Share your stories here!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Touching Your Hair - Hands Off or Have At It?!?!?

There has been a lot of talk lately about natural hair and more importantly, whether or not it's acceptable for strangers to touch it out of curiosity.  Which, if you ask me, is more than a little bananas!

I personally have always been quite curious about breast implants (particularly how they feel in comparison to the real McBoob.).... never in my 34 years of life did that curiosity lead me to grab the chesticles of some poor unsuspecting woman on the street. Why haven't I? Because that would be an invasion of that woman's personal space... and guess what? So is reaching out and touching the hair of someone you don't know.

My philosophy has always been if we're cool and you want to touch my hair? Touch away, especially if I have lint or cigarette ash (it happens!) in it. If I've never laid eyes on you and don't know your name or astrological sign? Hands off, man! Don't ask me, because the answer will be a polite, but firm, "No."

I think that when we make it a racial issue, it makes people become closed to the argument, because they simply don't "get what the big deal is". When you express it as a matter of personal space and in terms of overstepping boundaries, it resonates more for people. Especially women who have been pregnant... because many pregnant women have the same argument when it comes to their tummies.

What are your thoughts on strangers touching your hair? Have you ever encountered a situation where someone reached out to get a good grab? How did you handle it?!? Let's Dish!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What #naturalhair FAIL Are You Still Regretting?

Many seasoned naturals will agree that finding what works for your particular hair is trial and error... sometimes with an emphasis on the error.

You can read every new book on the subject, and lock yourself away for a week and watch nothing but the best YouTube Vloggers, but if you do something that is NOT good for your hair... you'll know.

I've mentioned my unfortunate DIY dye job in the past, and to this day I still reel over how much damage it (coupled with being very liberal with the blow outs) caused to my hair. It is by far the biggest fail of my natural hair journey, but I'm proud to say that I learned a great deal about my hair from the failure, and my hair has thanked me for listening to the message.

What has been the WORST thing you've done to your hair since going natural? What have you learned from the fail?

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What's the BEST/WORST #naturalhair advice you ever received?

Perhaps I'm alone here, but ever since I've rocked my natural hair, I've been approached with tons of unsolicited advice about how to maintain and improve my hair. Some of it has been good, I admit it... but some of it has been SUPERBAD, like the movie! LOL

I personally have been given advice that has proven the be immensely valuable (Vatika Oil, anyone?!?!),but I've also have heard home remedies that my My Mama and her Mama have tried and discovered wasn't worth a damn.

What has been your experiences with advice about your natural hair? What have been the gems of wisdom you've received? What advice was definitely a "let's not and say we did?"?!?!

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Is Henna HEAVENLY to Your Hair?!?!

After my recent introduction to henna, courtesy of Lush's Caca Noir, I must admit that my hair has been feeling like 100 bucks. Washing my hair the following week resulted in less shedding, easy-as-pie detangling, and hair that looks and FEELS more healthy. I am definitely singing the praises of henna, and will be incorporating henna rinses into my hair regimen.

Does henna make you go, "HOLLA!!"? Leave a comment and testify (and share some of your favorite recipes, too!!).

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: What do you feel about Shrinkage?!?!?

Let's face it. To quote the tee shirt, shrinkage happens. You take a shower, wash deep condition and detangle your hair. You get out the shower, and as your hair dries, you are face-to-face with...

So that is today's topic of discussion. How do you handle shrinkage? Bane of your existence, fact of life you've embraced, or challenge you've conquered with products? Leave a comment and sound off on shrinkage. Special shout to to Aisha for suggesting today's discussion.

Let's Talk Tresses Friday: Which Celeb Do YOU Wish Would Go Natural?!?

Of course, it goes without saying, I believe and support anyone expressing their personal style (this includes their hair) in a way that makes them happy. But with celebrities like Chrisette Michelle, Kim Coles, Solange Knowles, and Malinda Williams all going the natural route in the past few years, I'm always excited to discover which celeb may be the next member of "Team Nap". Which leads me to the question at hand: Which Celebrity would you LOVE to see go natural?!?!? I have a few favorite choices:

We all know that Kelly Rowland looks great with short hair...

wouldn't it be AWESOME to see her rocking a TWA?

Going natural would never stop Queen Mary J. Blige from her color of choice...

Best believe her Afro would be HONEY BLONDE and killer!!!!

And imagine if Lauryn Hill never cut off her locs? If they continued to grow and were now well past her back?!?!?

She would be the Belle of "Rock the Bells", for sure!!!

Those are my top three picks. Which celebrities are at the tops of your list?!?!? Leave a comment with your favorite choice!