Hair Rules to Enjoying Swim Time

Independence Day is right around the corner and I know you want to enjoy some pool time either now or later in the summer. It's a great way to cool off and exercise but I know it can be questionable when it comes to your hair. Relax, you can still join in on the fun. There are a couple of things you'll want to keep in mind though.

• If you choose to wear a swim cap DON'T get one that's too tight. It can rip your hairline right out of your roots.
• If you don't, before you take a dive in the pool rinse your hair with tap water. This helps your hair not absorb so much of the chlorine in the pool water. 
• Bring a serum with you, after your tap water rinse you can apply a coat so your hair is protected from the force of the pool water. 
• After you're done with your pool time rinse your hair out with tap water again. You don't want to walk around too long with chlorine water soaking your strands.
•  Lastly, SHAMPOO! It's a must that you shampoo your hair after a day at the pool. No matter how many times you go during a week you have to wash that chlorine out. It's best to use a shampoo that contains Phytic Acid or EDTA. This will thoroughly get rid of the chlorine.

So now you have no excuse to not enjoy some pool time this summer. It just takes some precaution. Stick to the routine so that each time you go it won't forget the steps. I sometimes forget to rinse before which throws everything off because I forget to put my silicone serum in. If you don't already have a serum, buy a cheap one, no need to go all out. The most important is the shampoo, you have to cleanse your hair of the chlorinated pool water. Hope this helps you soak up some swim time now!

    Signing off, a true naturalista

Really Vogue? Really?

Every once and a while I pick up a magazine on my way to the train station for my 40 minute ride. Saturday was a bad hair day so it took me some extra time to get it together and I literally had to run for the train! Anyways I didn't get to buy a magazine so I pulled Vogue up on my handy tablet. Being the hair fanatic I am I went straight to Beauty then Hair. And what do I see?

Before I step on my soap box let me state that I tried to see the author's viewpoint and I must say this article was what I thought the worst representation of natural hair. Well that was until I opened up Teen Vogue but I'll get to that later. To spare you the time, the article basically praised the 2 year old daughter of Kim K. and Kanye West for her loosely curled comb-over and her top bun signature style.

Whether a top bun or a comb-over, North’s pint-sized hair styles complement her fashion-forward play clothes, while remaining refreshingly easy and age-appropriate. They’ve established little Nori as a kind of hair icon for a nascent and diverse generation of tots rocking their natural curls with unprecedented flair—among them, my two-year-old niece, Isabel.

Don't get me wrong, North is definitely part of the natural girl community, but inspiring a generation and on top of that unprecedented? What about Blu Ivy though? Beyonce and Jay-Z's 3 year old toddler has been rocking her kinky hair before North was even out the womb. I found this article to be very disturbing in its perception of natural hair. It comes to no surprise that when natural hair gets a moment of shine the light is glamorizing soft textured and loose curled hair. It doesn't end here, Vogue's junior edition Teen Vogue attempted to celebrate natural hair too this month.

The first article I found somewhat irritating, but this one is just disrespectful. "Plaited Ladies" is a piece about different natural hair styles, specifically Senegalese twist a hairstyle, that originated in Africa. Why do I say disrespectful, if you were to go to Google Images and type "natural hairstyles" a variety of pictures would load. That's it. A variety. This piece lacks a diverse representation and noticeably only used fair-skinned models. Vogue, it's 2015 now so the biassed articles can go! If you're going to celebrate natural hair then do it the right way and celebrate its diversity from loose curls to kinky coils and fair-skin to brown-skin.

    Signing off, a true naturalista.

Favorite Celebrity Naturalistas

Is it just me or are more celebrities making appearances rocking natural hairstyles? Lately I've noticed a few more curls and kinks at red carpet events, Instagram selfies, and talk show appearances. While not all of them are true naturalistas there's a good batch of them that are. I've picked out my favorite celebrity naturalistas and put them in order of top 5 fabulousness. And the winners are ...

#5

@kerrywashington

The queen of Gladiators, Olivia Pope! My apologies, I mean the woman behind TVs most acclaimed "fixer" Kerry Washington. For all my Scandal fanatics, you might recognize this photo from Season 3's opening scene and yes Washington is ALL natural.

#4

@saintrecords

Solange! Her hair has been the icon for natural hair on the red carpet. Like Lady of Rage said rock rough and stuff with her Afro puffs, ROCK on wit' cha bad self! 

# 3

@gweelos

The dynamic duo! Sorry, this one was a tie between Jada Pinkett-Smith and her soulful daughter Willow. Both have a unique taste when it comes to hairstyles.

#2
@traceeellisross

 Here's the big haired beauty Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of the fabulous Diana Ross.
Side note: Love the pose for this picture, clearly she embraces those luscious curls!

The #1 spot goes to 

@janellemonae

Can we please give a standing ovation to this lady? Singer and songwriter Janelle Monae murders any and every hairstyle she rocks. She's true to the natural hair lifestyle and takes the number one spot due to her fabulous versatility.

This was a hard list to make, so many naturalistas are out there doing their thing. Nonetheless, these 5 ladies stood out for their uniqueness and versatility. I look forward to seeing more celebrities embracing their natural hair.

    Signing off, a true naturalista.

Cuba's First Natural Hair Competition!

Over the weekend Cuba held its first natural hair competition in Havana! Havana performance artist, Susanna Delahante stated, "I wanted to do something that legitimized my hair, this undervalued type of hair." Delahante's competition included 70 contestants from the Afro-Cuban community to compete in three categories - natural, braided, and dreadlocked. The two-hour competition aimed to promote pride within the community by using contestants ranging from 4 years old to 72 years old. 

Here are some great pictures from the event.

The overall winner of the competition, Felicia Solano. 

A runner-up in the competition sports her hair in braids. 

Contestants display their natural hair on stage during the competition.

I think it's great natural hair is being promoted throughout communities in other parts of the world. Hair competitions are always a great route to take because it displays a wide range of different textures and versatility. Let's not forget hair competitions attract a large crowd because it's such a popular event with great networking opportunities. I hope to see more of these events in other countries; maybe Dominican Republic will be next. 

The 10 Curl Commandments

We all have our own set of rules for how we walk the miles of life. Whether you follow the Biblical Ten Commandments, family values, or your own list of morals you endure life according to some source of standards. Well the same mentality should apply for your hair. Remember, it's discipline that will lead to a glorious life as a true naturalista. Some time ago I adopted the 10 Curl Commandments and I must say it brings the best out of my hair. So here they are:

10 Curl Commandments

1. Thou shall sleep on a satin pillowcase.
2. Thou shall detangle to protect thy perfect mane.
3. Thou shall limit heat use on thy hair.
4. Thou shall shampoo less.
5. Thou shall condition, condition, and condition.
6. Thou shall style when wet.
7. Thou shall read the ingredients of the products thy uses.
8. Thou shall leave it alone!
9. Thou shall make sure to diffuse.
10. Thou shall love thy hair no matter what!

I'd like to put some emphasis on number ten. Regardless if it is a bad hair day or the worst hair day ever, love your hair for what it is because it's yours! Everybody has a bad hair day every once in a while, I tend to have bad hair weeks, but it doesn't take away from the beauty you carry on top of your head. Believe in your hair, it will be one of the longest relationships of your life! 

    Signing off, a true naturalista. 

Know Your Hair Type!

I've been getting more questions from friends about how I keep my hair healthy, but there isn't a simple answer. It takes patience and knowledge to maintain healthy hair and reach your hair goals. There was a time where my hair was thin and fell out with every stroke of the comb, but once I started to understand my hair needs and cater to them it began to grow back amazingly healthy. The first step to getting healthy hair is easy, know your hair type!

The Andre Walker Hair typing system is the most commonly known method to categorize hair types that range from straight hair to kinky hair. I've listed each type and description so you can determine which one best fits your hair.

Type 1: Straight hair is simply defined as hair that is straight.

• Type 1A hair: Fine, very thin and soft with a noticeable shine.

• Type 1B hair: Medium-textured and has more body than Type 1A hair.

• Type 1C hair: Most resistant to curly styling and relatively coarse compared to other Type 1 hair types.

Type 2: Wavy hair defined as hair that usually isn’t overly oily or very dry.

• Type 2A hair: Fine and thin. Relatively easy to handle from a styling perspective because it can easily be straightened or curled.

• Type 2B hair: Characteristically has waves that tend to adhere to the shape of your head.

• Type 2C hair: Will frizz easily and it is fairly coarse.

Type 3: Curly hair defined as hair textures have a definite “S” shaped curl pattern.

• Type 3A hair: Very shiny and loose.

• Type 3B hair: A medium amount of curls, ranging from bouncy ringlets (spiral like curls of hair) to tight corkscrews (spiral-shaped corkscrew curls).

• Type 3C hair: Tight curls or coils that look like corkscrews.

Type 4: Kinky hair defined as hair full of tight coils (tightly curled hair). Typically Type 4 hair is also extremely wiry and fragile.

• Type 4A hair: Hair is full of tight coils. It has “S” pattern when stretched, much like Type 3 curly hair.

• Type 4B hair: A less defined pattern of curls and looks more like a “Z” as the hair bends with very sharp angles.

• Type 4C hair: A more "challenging" version of 4b hair. Some say 4c looks identical to 4b except that the curls are so tightly kinked, there is seemingly no definition.

I decided not to include pictures because I find that many can get confused by images if their hair isn't exactly like the picture. It's okay if your hair is more than one type, many people's hair is made up of several textures. So now that you know what type of hair you have you can cater to your hair's needs and begin your journey to healthy hair.

    Signing off, a true naturalista. 

What Are Hair Twists?

It's a new week and I need a new hairstyle. Since the weather is getting hotter by the second I figured it would be best to stick to some type of twist. Then there was the question, which type of twist do I want?  Wait, how could I choose when I didn't really know all of my options so I opened up my laptop and dialed Google to answer my dilemma. In my search for hair twists Wikipedia popped up with a link, which surprised me a little because I wouldn't have guessed they have much to say about it. And I was right; there was a measly paragraph that said much of nothing. It goes as follows:

Hair twists, flat twists, or mini-twists, are a hairstyle popular with Afro-textured hair in the United States, and sometimes with other hair textures. The style is achieved by dividing the hairs into several sections, twisting strands of hair, then twisting two twisted strands around one another. They can also be created with one strand of hair at a time, with a comb. They are not to be confused with larger, longer dreadlocks, (or "locs").
Twists can be made when naturally curly hair is still wet and somewhat relaxed from soaking with hot water; when the hair dries, it will shrink, creating a tightly woven texture to the hair twists. Twists can also be done with dry hair for a different texture. Twists can be combined with other hairstyles at the same time, such as afro-puffs and Afro.
In order to maintain twist hairstyles, wearers are advised by hairstylists to cover their hair with a headscarf or durag at night.

Twist out  

A variation of hair twists is called a "twistout", where twisted hair is untwisted to create a large, loosely crimped texture, similar in appearance to hair crimping on Caucasian-textured hair that is ordinarily straight.

Yes, it provides a general description of what hair twists are, but it's a little more information that could contribute to this entry. Being the naturalista I am, I've made some edits to the entry so people have a better idea of hair twists and its variations. And this is what I had to say:

There are two different variations to a "twist out," one method can be done with using two stands of hair and another method uses three stands of hair called a "three stand twist out". Both result in a textured hairstyle when untwisted.

 Other twist hairstyles include Senegalese twists, Marley twists, and Havana twists. All of these hairstyles require specific types of hair extensions that are installed to one's head. These styles have been labeled as protective styles because they protect the person's natural hair from daily manipulation. Senegalese twists originated in Senegal, Africa and are commonly performed in African hair salons across the U.S. This style uses synthetic Kanekalon hair, which can last anywhere from one to three months. Marley and Havana twists are more recent hairstyles widely spread through the black hair community in 2013. They look very similar to one another, but have distinct differences. Marley twists use Marley hair extensions that can be found in most hair supply stores from various hair companies and Havana twists use Havana hair extensions sold by few companies that are only available online. Havana twists are generally done with fewer twists than the Marley hairstyle and also weigh less in density because the hair is much fluffier in texture than Marley hair.  Both hairstyles like Senegalese can last from one to three months, but should not be kept in for a longer period of time. Due to the technique of these hairstyles a person's natural hair can begin to get matted or form into dreadlocks.

Sounds a bit more detailed? I feel like natural hair is becoming better recognized and undeniably more popular with the upcoming generations. People have questions and with such variation to hair twists a couple of sentences doesn't really cut it. Feel free to try your own variation of twists hairstyles and comment your results!

    Signing off, a true naturalista.

Dove Hair: Love Your Curls Review

Anybody a fan of The Real? If not, it is a daytime talk show hosted by Tamar Braxton, Tamera Mowry, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai, and Adrienne Bailon. While I was going through my recordings of the show I watched an episode that featured a Dove commercial for their current Beauty campaign. I've posted it so you can watch it yourself.

It's called Dove Hair: Love Your Curls and it featured young girls from ages 5 to 11 years old expressing how they did not like their curly hair and preferred straight hair. Dove stated "only four out of ten curly haired girls think their hair is beautiful". The ad went on to celebrate curly haired girls by including their family and friends in a joyful praise singing, "we all love our hair, we all love our curls".

I thought this was a very inspirational and innovative advertisement for naturally curly haired females; it addressed a real problem that tends to get overlooked. While it was heart wrenching to see elementary school aged girls talk about their insecurities at such a young age, it reminded me that we have to build our younger generation to love and appreciate their identity. I salute Dove for using a variety of testimonies for their efforts to bring this awareness to a mainstream platform. Unlike a lot of advertisements and commercials on TV, Dove represented a diverse group of voices and I can personally appreciate that aspect. I think with more advertisements like this one the company can soar in being a part of the natural hair movement. Some people have criticized them for capitalizing on women's insecurities, but I'm very much impressed with their message and how they are presenting it to the public. Dove you get two thumbs up from me! #LoveYourCurls

    Signing off, a true naturalista.

Goodbye Frizz, Hello Frizz Resistant Tips

As I mentioned before, frizz is my number one enemy during summertime (I know I'm not alone). After some research, I realized that I needed to make two major changes in my hair routine. Number one being the water temperature and number two being mindful of the product's ingredients during this sticky icky humid weather. So I put it to test today!

Number one. I switched up my routine and washed, conditioned and detangled my hair in cool water instead of the steamy shower temperature water. Then, I rinsed it all out with cold water (not the best feeling in the world). I kid you not, I saw a major difference with my hair. My strands still had some frizz to them, but there was much less frizziness going on. So that's the good part, the bad part is the cool water didn't really strip the pounds of products built up in my hair as quickly as warmer water would have. I spent more time shampooing than I would have liked standing in cool water. My suggestion, maybe try to use luke warm water to wash and condition then use cool/cold water to rinse. See, I told you I was here to see you through my trials and errors. The verdict is in and I say to you my fellow naturalista, rinse in cool water to seal your moisture!

Number two. After having to pack away some of my humectant rich products for winter time, I took a trip to Target to buy an anti-humectant leave-in conditioner and ended up with Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream. Remember, anti-humectant products are what you want to look for during summer because it repels moisture. My hair is very thick so my drying process takes all day especially with products in it, but by the end of the day I had much less frizz than normal. Yes, you read it correctly the cream fought off frizz throughout the day while my hair dried. I would recommend my fellow frizz warriors to try this product out and it's inexpensive, to be exact it was $2.99 at Target.

Now I'm aware that we all have different types of hair, so what works for me might not work for you. This is the difficult part of being a naturalista, searching for the right hair regimens to fit your hair needs. The water temperature tip is a universal thing that can benefit any hair type when it comes to frizz, but the product not so much. Although Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream smells delightful, it is a pretty thick cream that may or may not affect your liking to the product. Another flaw of the product is the bottle size, yes its under $5 but the small green 10.2 FL OZ bottle can easily be used up quickly if you have a head full of hair like myself. I still recommend you try it though; I can get over the size because the quality is very much worth it. Feel free to comment any other products you've come across that help you stay frizz-free or your own results!

      Signing off, a true naturalista!

The War Against Frizz

Like many other naturalistas, I have a serious frizz ball on top of my head. It's a year round situation, but when summer comes the real trouble begins. So needless to say it's on top of my priority list. In order to win any war you must have a strategy. Remember the old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" so frizz and I have become very acquainted. What's to know about frizz? Let me share my findings...

So like most people I prefer to wash my hair in the shower and I like my water nice and hot for a relaxing, feel good kind of shower. Occasionally, I have to make the water a little cooler to wash my hair, but the mirrors still stay foggy so the dial doesn't move too much. Well naturalistas, that is the first mistake. Just like the heat outside, hot water causes frizz. Why? Hot water strips our hair of its natural oils, no moisture = FRIZZ.

The next battle in this Frizz War is what product can really do what it says? First, you have to know what ingredient/s you should be looking for. Unfortunately, there's no one ingredient that knocks frizz out of the match. On the flip side there are things you want to stay away from during warmer weather, humectants which are commonly used as, or include glycerin and fructose. So summer = anti-humectants because they repel moisture and winter = humectants because they add moisture.

Have no fear, I will be searching for an anti-humectant leave-in conditioner and will try a cool water wash very soon!

      Signing off, a true naturalista!

Welcome to the Natural Hair World!

 A naturalista's safe haven! 

This is my dedication to all those who are fighting the good fight against chemically processed hair aka "the creamy crack". Believe me when I tell you I know you're pain and struggle.

For those who don't know what a naturalista is, allow me to break it down for you. A naturalista is a female who does not chemically process her hair to alter its natural state/texture. While that may sound simple, IT IS NOT. Having natural hair means proper maintenance is a must in order to have healthy flowing hair. And that is where I come in, we can all use someone else's experience as a lesson, for tips, or pure entertainment. So trough my blog I will be sharing my journey as a naturalista and all the bumps in the road I run into. We'll talk hair care tips, products, and even hairstyles. This blog is to empower and inform, I want you to embrace your kinks, coils, curls, or waves just as they are and if you don't have them yourself encourage somebody you know to own the beauty in their natural hair.

So now that we've talked business, let me share some background on myself. I am Amber, you can call me Amb since I'll be getting personal with you. As a child I begged my mom (as many of us did) to allow me to have my hair relaxed, finally my freshman year in high school she gave in. From 2005 to 2012, I faithfully used "the creamy crack" every 3 months to straighten my naturally wavy hair. Eventually in 2012, I realized relaxers were destroying my hair and honestly there was no beauty in altering my natural hair anymore to fit in. After a second attempt, I've been a naturalista for a little over a year now, my transitioning process took a year and a half before I cut out all of my processed hair. I'm in love with my healthier hair and an advocate for natural hair. I'm no beautician or spokesperson for any hair care company so my talk will be 100% REAL. I'm just as occupied as the next person so I'm on a journey to find a hair regimen that works for my always frizzy hair and crazy schedule, which will ultimately consist of trials and errors. This summer my experience will consist of many trips to the hair store, YouTube tutorials, hours of hair maintenance and sharing every bit of it with you all! And as a bonus for today I'm going to share the the golden secret every naturalista should know... somebody wishes they had your hair so it doesn't need to be fixed baby girl, society just has a broken view of beauty.

Signing off, a true naturalista!