Month: June 2012
Design Essentials Strengthening Therapy System
Design Essentials created a line of salon-only treatments designed to improve manageability, shine, curl definition and reduce frizz and swelling for up to 12 weeks. The video above is a step by step guide for controlling and taming frizz for natural hair. A series of videos are available on the Design Essentials youtube channel and http://www.designessentials.com.
Making Your Dollar Stretch
Here are some tips that I have learned and applied to financing my healthy hair journey.
Search for products on hair online boutiques.
- Curlmart (www.curlmart.com) is a hair online boutique that offers hair products for curl, coily and wavy hair. This was a fantastic starting point for me when I was transitioning because CurlMart explained what type of products would likely work for my hair type. Right now CurlMart is offering 20% off plus free shipping on purchases over $60. Coupon Code: FREESHIP60
- Curls of Joy (www.curlsofjoy.com) are another hair online boutique that has hair products for curly, coily and wavy hair. Curls of Joy offer Loyalty Rewards; their motto is the more you purchase the more you save:
- Silver Status Place 2 orders, get 10% off your 3rd, 4th, and 5th order.
- Bronze Status- Place 5 orders, get 15% off your 6th through 10th order
- Gold Status- Place 10 orders, get 20% off all future order
- Amazon (www.amazon.com) is a great place to purchase hair products. Amazon is an online store that is able to offer products at a lesser value because they do not physically stock their products like the traditional retailer.
Search for Ways to Save Money
The best part about purchasing items online is the coupon codes and
incentives. Here is a lesson that I learned in College:
It is more expensive for a company to attract new customers then it is to keep and satisfy the customers they already have. So with that being said many companies will offer you coupon codes, incentives and free gifts with your purchase. A company I ordered from, AveYou (www.aveyou.com), sent me my package and attached a card that said “Hello Gorgeous” on one side and a coupon code on the other side with a recyclable bag with their logo on it.
- If the product you want is not on sale search online for coupon or promo codes. A website I like is www.retailmenot.com; they offer coupon codes on hair boutiques and more.
- Be informed when online boutiques have sales. Black Friday is not the only time to purchase big ticketed items, hair products are also on sale!!! To find out about upcoming sales sign up for email notifications at your favorite hair product website.
When There is a Will There is a Way.
If your reading this and your saying to yourself I can’t afford these products, here are three options
- First, establish what your comfortable spending on hair products and what product companies line fall into your budget. For example Shea Moisture, in my opinion, is reasonable prices with most items costing $10.
- Second, if you’re not sure about what type of products you might like and your budget is tight go online and see if the hair product company you are interested in has sample sets. Curl Junkie (www.curljunkie.com) and My Honey Child (www.myhoneychild.com) are companies that I have personally ordered sample sets from.
- Third, if you agree with everything I said but you still can’t afford the hair products you want it’s time to get creative. What is your side hustle? What is the one thing you are good at that you can turn into a little business? Now when I say side hustle I mean a legal talent. I don’t care what anyone says everyone on this earth is good at least one thing. You just have to figure out what that talent is and how you can turn that into a business. Maybe you’re good at braiding people’s hair. You can charge them for your services in return earn some money.
What you can do is if you’re a struggling college student and have a room full of text books. You can sell those text books to Amazon. In return Amazon will give you a gift card and you can use that card to purchase your hair items. That’s how I bought my Huetiful Hair Steamer! Hope this helps!!!
Related articles
- Free-Samples Miss Jessies Hair Products (niceteenichelle.wordpress.com)
Another Year…
God has allowed me to celebrate 
living another year on this earth. This past weekend I celebrated my 28th Birthday. One of the best reasons to live in New York is celebrating special occasions. I had a wonderful birthday I had dinner at a fine dining restaurant and I went to see a Broadway show. But enough about that…
What I wanted to talk about was what I noticed this weekend. I noticed that a large number of African-American women were wearing their natural hair. It was very refreshing to see that I am not the only one on this natural hair journey. I know that people all over the world are going natural thanks to the power of the internet. But it was nice to see that there are women outside in my community wearing their natural hair.
I happened to stop in at the beauty supply store because I am contemplating putting a rinse in my hair and I noticed that they were starting to carry natural hair products. The store didn’t carry any hair products that I use so I will continue to shop online. Oh! I almost forgot I listed my current hair regimen so make sure to check it out.
You Can’t Supply me with Beauty
When I decided to transition I knew I needed to purchase hair products that would benefit both my relaxed and natural hair. The first thought that popped into my head was that I should take a trip the beauty supply store (BSS) and purchase a few things. If you have never walked into a BSS before it is like walking into a different world. If you ever wanted to become a different person take a trip to the BSS you can transform into a new person in a matter of hours. They sell any type of hair you can imagine. For a quick style you can purchase a wig. If you are interested in something a little permanent try weaving or braiding hair. But that’s not all the BSS has to offer, you can purchase relaxers, hair coloring, hair tools (i.e. combs, brushes, etc…) and lots of hair products!!! There is a special language we speak too! For instance when I needed braiding hair I told the clerk “I needed two packs of wet and wavy hair 14” in a number 2”. Translation please! Can I have two packs of dark brown (number 2) shoulder length (14”) wavy hair (wet & wavy). Okay all jokes a side…
When I went to the BSS I really couldn’t find any products for hair that is transiting from relaxed to natural. What I did notice was that the products they did carry didn’t help our hair but hinder it. Don’t get me wrong they offer some great products for anyone who is not on a natural hair journey. Believe me I was in the BSS every three months purchasing my Mizani Butter Blends Relaxer. What I am saying is that the BSS main concern is making money, their goal is to convince us that we need to have straight luxurious hair. You know the type of hair that does not grow out of heads, so of course we have to go purchase products to get the straight effect. We can create the straight hair look a number of ways using relaxers, weaves, wigs or heat tools (FYI they still sell hot combs). If we were all natural the African-American hair industry wouldn’t be a 200 billion dollar industry.
What is heartrending is that the African-American hair industry is dominated by Korean. The Korean dominated the hair industry by becoming the number one supplier of hair products to BSS and then opened up their own BSS; in return making it virtually impossible for anyone to get into that 200 billion dollar market. Despite the fact that African-Americans are financing this industry that is enough to get the United States out of this deficit and we can’t even get into the market. Am I the only one who thinks this is ludicrous?
What I have decided to do is purchase hair products that have been created by African-Americans with ingredients that are close to if not 100% natural. I would rather spend my money on a product that someone like me has created to benefit my hair type and at the same time assisting that entrepreneur on he/she business.
Here is a list of a few African-American owned hair companies:
- Miss Jessie
- Jane Carter Solutions
- Darcy Botanicals
- Carols Daughter
- Oyin Products
- Curl Junkie
- Shea Moisture
I have to say there is one store that is selling natural hair products and that is target so kudos to them!
Related articles
- Are African-American Salons in Danger? (bellasugar.com)
- On the Runway Blog: How Natural is Too Natural? (runway.blogs.nytimes.com)
10 Tips on Transitioning
Video Posted on Updated on
This is Naptural85 on youtube. She has awesome tips on how to style and care for natural hair. The video above has 10 Tips for transitioning from relaxed to natural hair. Make sure to go check her out!
So What Made You Decide to Cut Your Hair?
I was asked this exact question ALL weekend! What frustrates me is not that everyone keeps asking me this question its that I don’t really have an inspirational story to tell because this hair cut was a happy accident. None the less I love my hair cut and my family, friends, boyfriend and co-workers love my hair cut too. They say that I really look nice and that I have the perfect face for this style. So all in all I am happy with the outcome.
A part of me is still waiting for someone to have a negative comment. But I am going to push that out of my mind because God has given me favor over this situation. One thing I have learned from this experience is that I am 100% comfortable in my skin. I know who I am and most importantly I love who I am. It is fantastic that everyone in my life is so supportive of my new hair style. But the truth is if I wasn’t comfortable with myself there would be no way that anyone would have seen this hair cut. I would have got up from the barber’s chair went to my car and cried my eyes out. Than the next day I would have went to the hair store and bought a wig and every time I would have taken that wig off I would have started to cry all over again.
So for me to walk out of the barber’s chair actually liking my hair style and going about my weekend is huge for me. I still can’t believe how this hair cut happened. If you would have told me six months ago I was going to cut my hair this short I would have called you a liar. I tend to be introverted, I enjoy being alone and I keep to myself in social settings so for me to cut my hair this short I can’t help but get noticed. Me getting noticed makes me a little nervous but I am up for the challenge. This experience is another way that I will grow as a person. The way I look at life is that if you are not growing and changing as an individual you are not living life. I know that I am not the same person I was a year ago and I won’t be the same person a year from now.
Hair Today Gone Tomorrow
Aside Posted on Updated on
Today I did the big chop
. As stated in my last post “The Night Before” I had to prepare my hair for this cut because my hair was still in braids. So after I washed and deep conditioned my hair, the plan was that I was going to have my mom cut off my relaxed ends. It seemed simply enough in theory, well this plan didn’t actually work in reality. After my mother cut the majority of the relaxer off I still had relaxed ends all over my head. I couldn’t go to work like that on Monday so my mother convinced me to go to the barber so that I could get a shape up and remove the relaxed ends.
I’ve never been to the barber before so I was a little scared. But once I sat in the chair I told the barber that I just cut off my relaxed ends and that I needed a shape up. He started by asking me “how low do I want my hair cut?” I looked at him with fear in my eyes and he said he will walk me through the process. First he took off about an inch and that took care of the relaxed ends. Than he explained to me that he wanted to give my a style, he stated ” tapered on the side and some hair on top so that your wear your hair curly”. I was happy with that suggestion because I was not pleased with the way my hair was looking.
So after the barber cut and styled my hair, which only cost $12 I might add, I went home wet my hair added some leave-in moisturizer and gel and I was all set to go out. I never intended to cut my hair this short. I grew out my hair for nine months because I wanted to have some length to it. But I am happy with the outcome. I look at my short hair as a chance to learn how to take care of my natural hair. I can try different hair products and see which ones provide the best outcome; sleep in a little longer before getting up for work and most importantly I can stay cool for the summer!
Related articles
- News Flash: It Isn’t Cool to Touch Someone’s Hair (bellasugar.com)
The Night Before…
As stated in my first posting I am going to do my “Big Chop” tomorrow. I am experiencing a lot of emotions and surprisingly there positive. When considering going natural I read and viewed (youtube) a ton of people reviews on their big chops. Some people said they felt “free” like it was an invigorating experience; others were just shocked and they were trying to make the best out of the a bad situation. I hope I have an freeing experience. I have a sense of peace over my decision. Which tells me that I have made the right decision and because of that I don’t need to be nervous and anxious.
I have wrestled with the decision to go natural for years. In between relaxers I would joke with my boyfriend and say I was going to wear my hair in my natural state and he would say “you mean naturally straight? Like you get it done at the salon” and I would say “yea like that”. Then the day came when a voice inside me said relaxers are not working for you, it is time to try something different. When I told my boyfriend that I was going to transition he was very supportive. He said “It’s your hair do what makes you happy”. Okay enough about him…
So my plan of action for tomorrow is to take these braids of my head then out I am going to cut off my relaxer. Wash, deep condition and do my first wash and go! I will have pictures of the whole experience on my next post. Wish me luck!
Related articles
- Natural & Loving It (michellesmotivation.com)
Good Foundation
Like anything in life you should have a good jumping off point; Or should I say a good foundation. Whenever I find a new interest I tend to purchase a book. In the past couple of years I have become interested in photography. Before I purchased my DSLR camera or my Lenses I purchased a photography book. Photography is an expensive hobby so I needed to read up on the subject before I could commit to the hobby.
The same can be applied to healthy hair care. During the five years on this hair journey I have become a product junkie, I do not know how much money I have spent of hair products. But I got to the point that after throwing a lot of hair products out I still had enough products to last me four to six months. So when I started this natural journey my first instinct was to go out and buy products. So I started watching people on Youtube to see what type of products I should purchase. Coincidentally around that same time everyone on Youtube and the social networks were reviewing this book called: “A Comprehensive Guide to Texture Hair Care The Science of Black Hair” By Audrey Davis-Sivasothy. (The book can be purchased at amazon.com)I thought to myself if I am unwilling to commit to photography without a good understanding on the topic, then why would I just dive in head first into natural hair care?
So I decided to purchase The Science of Black Hair and I couldn’t have been happier. I’m not going to go into what I learn point by point but what I will say is that Davis-Sivasothy explains in five units: The Science of Black Hair; Healthy Hair Management; Working with Chemicals in a Healthy Hair Care Regimen; Children’s Hair Care; and The Hair-Total Body Connection. My favorite part of This book is that it provides a list of products that are recommended for our hair type. If you want to commit to your hair journey I recommend that you read this book.
Related articles
- Hair Care Rehab Book Review (oneuniquequeen.wordpress.com)
Hair & Now 