Hair for the Show.

So as most of you already know I was one of the finalist in Make me the Next Model 2 and the show was held last Friday. All in all it was a fulfilling experience and I met the most awesome people :). Although I didn't win, it opened me to what the industry has to offer and gave me the confidence needed to venture into it. Now lets get down to the hair of the occasion which I will say was my fav by far in all my styles done. It was edgy and I loved how it fitted my face just perfectly. I will say though that I was really really impressed by how the stylists handled the styling. She asked me what style I was looking to do and with my direction here and there we created magic :).

How to achieve the look:
1. Well prior to the show I treated my hair for a week and made sure it was moisturised.
2. A day before the show I stretched it out and just pinned it up.
3. On that day the stylist just used a styling gel (which worked wonders but forgot to ask the name) to gel down the sides and did a french roll for the back.
4. She teased the front and voila my style was born.

Pictures are down below so let me know what you think. Thank you for stopping by and until next time continue to remain moisturised(lol I know it sounds corny but I like).

Wedding Hairstyle

So I attended a wedding last weekend and I was a little nervous on how I was going to pull off a style for it. I wanted to look chic and I decided an updo with the sides slicked down will be practical for the look I was going for. On the day of the wedding it rained that morning, and although my hair shrunk a little bit, it still maintained its sheen and fluffiness.

How to achieve the look:
1. Washed my hair and did a hot oil treatment a week in advance.
2. Blow dried it on low heat with my heat protectant.
3. I did a two strand twists which I had in for 3-4 days.
4. On Saturday morning I unravelled the twists and added my leave in conditioner (Review coming soon).
5. As for styling I parted my hair into two sections and braided the back part coming upwards. I used my styling gel to slick the sides down and held them in place with ouchless bobby pins. As for my front I decided to just tease it and let it run wild and do its thing.

Result: I loved the outcome (More pictures below)!!!

Thank you for visiting and until next time continue to remain moisturised.

Memorial Day Feature: Natural Hair Story

Happy Memorial Day to all!!!

I decided to celebrate Memorial Day by sharing an inspiring hair story from a fellow natural who has been one of my hair idols :). Please read and make sure you check out this Diva's beautiful and fierce pictures.

Where are you from? How's the natural scene there?
I am originally from Nigeria, but now reside in Houston, TX. The natural scene here is amazing. You see a lot of natural sistas proudly rocking their hair. In my church alone the natural scene is refreshing. I am so proud to see a lot of the younger ladies boldly wearing their hair natural.

Why did you go natural and how long did you transition?
Ok, I don’t have a dramatic, poetic story for why I went natural…lol. I had always had healthy hair, my mother was a hair stylist, I use to get my hair permed no more than four times a year so I just got to a point where I decided it wasn’t necessary for me. Also as an athlete I would sweat out my perm in less than a week and I wore a lot of braids. I transitioned for about a year.

How long have you been natural?
I have been natural for 5yrs. My last perm was April 2005

How did your family, friends, and strangers react to your B.C. or you decision to be natural?
Oh gosh my mom had the hardest time with it and that was the reason why I never did the B.C. she would always say “you will not cut your hair and look like a boy” which was fair, I guess because back then like I said I was an athlete and a bit muscular…lol. So I gradually cut my hair in between braids and weaves. My sisters, friends, and strangers love my hair and my dad is indifferent, but he is quick to talk about me when I do some funny styles..lol

What's your hair texture like and your daily hair care regimen/favorite hair styling for it?
Oh gosh I suffer from hair vanity…lol. I really do thank God for my hair texture. My hair is soft, cotton like. It is easy to comb and take care of. People, when I do let them touch my hair, usually comment on how soft it is. I don’t know my hair type because I am not really big on that but it like a small spiral curl. I don’t have a strict hair regimen, but I am working on building one. I am a wash and go type of girl, but now that I want to actually grow my hair I am planning on doing a lot more protective styles like: twists and braids, I just really hate taking the time to do it.

How has going natural affected your self confidence and personal sense of style?
I really don’t know if going natural affected my self confidence because I have always been a confident person, but I do notice at times that I would note to myself “you gotta be confident to wear this style” and that would bring a smile to my face knowing that I am stepping out bold. My personal sense of style evolves as I get older, not because of my hair but because my taste change. I don’t follow trends, I just do me.

What are your favorite hair products that you can't do without and will recommend to other naturals?
My favorite hair products are oils and Shea butter and my all time fave for wash and go was the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in. Now I am so in love with my Kimmaytube Leave-in conditioner mix. You should check her out if you haven’t already. The conditioner mixes is the business, but remember what works for her may not work for you, but I am just glad my hair loves it.

Lastly, what words of encouragement do you have for those who are transitioning to go natural or who are already natural and need that extra boost to stay confident and beautiful in their journey?
Love your hair at every stage and accept what you have, and don’t get hair envy. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God with our own distinct quality. We should not be our hair, but a woman’s hair is her glory so take care of it and will respond well.

Pompadour/Janelle Monae Inspired Look

Ok so I had this mini rant in my last blog entry about lacking creativity in styling my hair. Well this morning I was inspired by the pompadour look and decided to put a little Janelle Monae into it (can't wait for my hair to get to her length man), and Voila I came up with this look.

How to achieve look:
1. I sectioned out some of my front hair and did jumbo two strand twist before going to bed and wrapped it up.
2. In the morning I took out the twists and comb it out and made like a bun thing in front of my hair
3. Slicked the side down with gel and held with bobby pins (Bobby pins are my best friends).
4. Attached my flower headband to give it that chic look and off to church I went.

Note: Random Hairstyles are best.

Thank you and I will continue to post different styles so stay tuned and moisturized.

Even a Natural Hair Blogger can be Confused

Yes people I need help deciding on a hair style for church tomorrow because I am giving the wig a rest. I am mighty confused and lack the creativity in coming up with styles :(. Well I just have my hair in a twist out fro and I am thinking of first moisturizing it with water and my shea butter mixture to bring it back to life. My next mission will be to then figure out a style by drawing inspiration from somewhere and giving it my own spin.

Well with that said wish me luck!!!

I hope to post pictures of the outcome. Continue to stay moisturized and please do not forget to click on the link below to support your girl.

http://apps.facebook.com/modelcomp/gallery/show_entry/30493?auth_token=c369259deab7ea67d6e7cc63fe285c66

Product Spotlight: Elasta QP Mango Butter

Ok I had to start up this product spotlight addition on the blog because there are some products that I have been using for more than a month and had to share with you guys. So the product is by Elasta QP and it is the Mango Butter moisturizer and I swear by this product when I say it leaves my hair so silky soft it ain't no joke. I mostly use it when I do my two strand twists and it keeps my hair soft and moisturized, even makes my twist-outs defined with sheen. On a scale of 10 I give this product a solid 10, because anything that leaves my hair soft and moisturized without the greasy look is a keeper. oh and did I forget to say it smells so good!

Pictures of a two strand twists and a twist-out with Elasta QP Mango Butter---Enjoy

Protective Hairstyles and Update on my hair.

Hello hello i'm back yes i'm back. Okay about protective hairstyles, which are first of all very necessary to do if you intend to give your hair a break. Protective hairstyle are styles that protect the ends of the hair from rubbing against your clothes or protecting against harsh elements due to its vulnerability to break off. The other thing about protective hairstyling is that it is great for retaining length. Now it can only retain length if we take good care of our hair and not add too much stress to it. Taking care of our hair is not just washing it and putting on a protective style and calling it a day, it is when we actually give it the extra attention it needs such as making sure it is always moisturized and refraining from extra pulling or tight styles. We need to keep our hair moisturized and not leave it dry to be damaged by our protective styles. It is important that if we must protect our hair with styles such as buns, phonytails (drawstring ponytails), wigs (full and half), sew-in weaves, Rollersets, Braids, cornrows, updo's or pinned up styles, braidouts, bantu knots and twistouts, we must take care of our hair from the inside out.

The reasons protective hairstyles are important are as follows
1.Keeps our hair hidden away.
2.retains moisture into our hair.
3.Keeps it from drying out.
4.Prevents splits ends.
5.Needs less combing and brushing.
6.Causes less breakage.


As part of my hair update, I want to say currently I have been on a protective hair challenge and the first phase was just doing a two strand twists and tucking my hair away. As of today onward I decided to do something different and not only did I two strand my hair, I also decided to cover it up with a half wig. Yes people your girl is wigging it out this summer and I love it because it is something different, and you know I loves my curly styles.

Remember ladies it is not so much that we protect our hair with these styles, but that we actually keep our own hair in healthy conditions. Look at it this way why protect your hair and in the end come out with your hair being unhealthy and having to start from scratch. Until next time continue to remain moisturized.

Just In: Vogue Black (Black Beauty)

Yes we all like to know what is going on and we definitely don't like to be left in the dark when it comes to the new fashion trends be it hair, make-up, clothes, and what have you. So I have decided to feature a new segment on my blog and it is going to be called "Just In", which is news on latest fashion trends in beauty especially when it comes to our natural black beauty.

On today's Just In, I will be touching on a new subdivision by Vogue Italia called Vogue Black, which shows black fashion and beauty in its entirety. This new addition by Vogue Italia features different black models and vintage fashion. Furthermore On Vogue Black, they have a segment called Black Beauty which features an article called "Afro Something". This article celebrates black women that are natural, pretty, and stylish.
I am so excited for this new division from Vogue Italia because it talks about black beauty and also places huge emphasis on our natural beauty.Please go to the Vogue Italia link below and check it out because it will surely blow your mind. Good stuff I tell you. Please continue to stay tuned for more and remember stay moisturized. Follow and don't forget to comment.

Click on link below to visit Vogue Black
www.vogue.it/en/vogue-black

How To: The Big Chop

So this is a guide for a friend of mine that has been transitioning to natural hair and she is finally trying to cut of the relaxed parts. This process of cutting off your relaxed ends and retaining your natural hair is also known as the Big Chop. I want to five her steps to go about it and help her big chop the right way without cutting off too much of her natural growth. Remember before you decide to embark on cutting off your relaxed texture, you need to be sure that it is really what you are comfortable doing. You also want to make sure the length that you decide to cut off you relaxed ends is the length you are comfortable starting you natural hair journey with. Know if you are really sure this is something you are confident in doing, here are some pointers below to bear in mind when doing the big chop.

Tools to use:
1. A pair of sharp scissors
2. Conditioner
3. Comb
4. Spray bottle containing water or just wet your hair in the bathroom beforehand.

How to Big Chop:
1. Wet your hair to help identify your different hair textures (relaxed/permed ends from natural hair texture/new growth)
2. You could also add conditioner to your hair before you start cutting. This helps to bring out your natural hair curl pattern and make them more defined.
3. At this point, you want to make sure as you begin snipping those relaxed ends off, you DO NOT pull or stretch the hair when cutting to avoid mistaking your new growth for your relaxed hair. So please make sure the person cutting your hair bears that in mind.
4. As you go with cutting the permed ends, you make sure you re-wet your hair and try to trim down as much of the relaxed ends as possible.
5. After you are done trimming off the last few strands of the permed ends,you can now give your natural hair a full wash with shampoo and conditioner of your choice.
6. Finally, you can now go ahead and style as desired. Girl you are now ready to dazzle the world with you beautiful natural hair.

This is where I wish you good luck in your journey and happy growing. Please make sure your overall goal with you natural hair is to keep it in a healthier state than it was at prior to the big chop.

Click video link below to check out more useful tips:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYSy9NTwGE4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7CGzb6Jfzo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGSP173YAKw

Update on my hair: Yes I still have them in jumbo twists and yes I will definitely be doing my product reviews. So please stay tune and remember stay moisturized.

Hair of the Day

Okay I had said in my prior blog post that I was doing protective styles to help retain length, Well after having my twists in for three weeks I decided to do a twist out style. The style I came up with, after a lot of trial and error, is shown below. To get this pin up style, I removed my twists and slicked down the sides with my olive oil styling gel, then I braided the back going upwards and secured the braid with bobby pins. There you have it, a perfect pin up style that can be incorporated into your everyday hair do for classes or even a corporate hair do. I will do a product review of the products used and the ones I am currently trying out. Remember stay moisturized.

My hair update

I have not posted anything for a while, because I thought I knew my hair very well in regards to what it can or can't do but was in for a surprise. For the past 3 months my hair has been in a protective hairstyle (Yarn braids) and my goal was to retain length that way. Well that goal of mine wasn't accomplished because I came to find out that kind of protective hairstyle was drying out my hair, thus causing breakage. Yes even though the style was cute and low maintenance, it was doing more damage to my hair and I aim for growing healthy hair not just one that looked cute. I am glad to say that I have stopped using yarn as a protective style for now (took them down yesterday) and I trimmed my hair (which was needed to be done in the first place). I now have my hair in jumbo two strand twists. I will probably have these jumbo twists in till Thursday, after which I plan to wear a twist out for the weekend. I will definitely be posting some pictures so stay moisturized :)