Natural Hair Problems

BIRTHDAY SALE!

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:06:52 -0400

Greetings brethren and sistren!

My birthday is coming up! On Monday, April 29th I’ll hit 31, and to celebrate, I want to give YOU a gift!

From now til midnight on May 1st, get 15% off your natural hair tote & tee order with discount code BDAYGRRL!

I’m out of the kinky coily tote, but everything else is in stock! Hurry and get yours before that changes!! :-D

submitted by formulas

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:55:50 -0400

submitted by formulas

submitted by ohmyswagger

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:55:36 -0400

submitted by ohmyswagger

I absolutely love this!! I just started a blog just about my hair and I came across this when searching. Most of these posts make me weak and I love it!! Keep up the good work!!!!!

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:50:43 -0400

aw, thanks!! so glad you like it! i’ll be sure to give you a follow! :-D

How can I get those tee shirts you are wearing the nappy is not a bad word one and the purple one. Also do you have toddle sizes

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:45:34 -0400

hey! i sell the shirts myself at big cartel! you can find the store here: brokeymcpoverty.bigcartel.com. i have kids’ sizes in the purple shirt, but unfortunately not in the ‘nappy is not a bad word’ shirts :( the smallest kid’s size i carry is a small.. not quite toddler sized (unless you have a big toddler) but s/he can definitely grow into it!

take a look!

Hello :) Ive been natural for about a year and a half. I Have 4c hair and it gets dry. I'm Thinking about adding Highlights, What kind of brands of hair dye would be Good for me? I don't want to add Bleach to my hair. I want Burgundy & Auburn Highlights. Thanks so much. :)

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:13:18 -0500

unfortunately i’m the wroooong person to ask about dying :-( there’s quite a bit of information on dye and such at CurlyNikki.com.. i’d be scared any advice i’d give you would make your hair fall out. lol!

i hope you find something that works! good luck!

Lol so I definitely just scrolled through your entire blog. You're AMAZING and I found myself saying OMG and YES to the majority of the problems and perks I read. I love your blog!

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:11:39 -0500

aw, thanks so much! i hope you’ll keep checking in! you gotta be patient with me tho.. sometimes updates take awhile. but as long as i have this mane on my head there will be plenty to rant about! :-D thanks so much for the kind words!

You're amazing. I do need to find a good deep conditioner because I don't think what I'm using always conditions like I need it to. I do have the olive oil deep conditioner though. I don't use sulfates on my hair and I so use extra virgin olive oil. I'm using mostly Shea Moisture products at the moment, I used to only use raw shea butter but i ran out. Thank you for your advice! I appreciate it! Also, do you have a technique for trimming your own hair?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:46:20 -0500

i see.. i’d definitely suggest a sulfate wash and an apple cider vinegar rinse then.. buildup just might be your problem.

i try to do everything in my power to not trim my own hair because im terrified of chopping a chunk off, lol.. im very accident prone :( the one time i did, though, i used a technique called dusting.. basically you twist your hair in medium sized twists and snip off the damaged portions at the end. i didn’t see much of a change or difference in my hair, but i was probably just too timid with the scissors. i gave up and just went to have someone else do it.

good luck! my fingers are crossed for you!

Evolution Of A Queen: Natural Hair Help!!

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:24:47 -0500

Evolution Of A Queen: Natural Hair Help!!:

beautiful-ambition:

I am still trying to figure out what works for my hair and I just recently revamped my entire skin and hair care collection to get rid of mineral oil and sulfates. However, my scalp and hair feel drier without all that heavy stuff and I’m frustrated. I do think I like…

here are a few thoughts:

are you deep conditioning well and regularly? the importance of a deep conditioning can NOT be understated; i recommend doing it every time you wash your hair with a sulfate shampoo.

speaking of washing, are you doing no-poo/conditioner cleanses only? if so, i’d still suggest washing with a sulfate at least once a month, because it’s very easy to amass buildup even when you’re being careful to prevent it. also, try an apple cider vinegar rinse; that’s great for removing build up and whipping the hair cuticle back into shape, improving moisture retention.

think about incorporating regular, kitchen-found items into your regimen. extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc. can do as well for—if not better than—store bought, often expensive products. coconut oil and tea tree oil are VERY good for a dry scalp. find yourself a good conditioner (i recommend trader joe’s nourish spa conditioner), add an oil of your choice (i recommend avocado oil), and also add some raw honey which has *amazing* moisturizing properties. the oil and honey turn the conditioner in to an absolute beast of a moisturizing and softening agent.

do you sleep on silk or satin at night? cotton and other fabrics can be harsh and suck all the moisture out of your hair. invest in a silk or satin scarf or pillow case!

do you seal your hair? that’s also great for locking in moisture; after washing and conditioning, moisturize with a water based product, then apply an oil of your choice. it seals the hair shaft, keeping the moisturizing goodness in.

i wrote about ways to keep your natural hair moisturized here; it also contains some product recs. i hope that helped some!

LAST DAY TO GET IN ON MY BLACK HISTORY MONTH SALE! Hey! Look at...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:23:07 -0500

LAST DAY TO GET IN ON MY BLACK HISTORY MONTH SALE!

Hey! Look at how fly (literally!) the gorgeous Dominique Toney is in her kinky & coily & curly & awesome shirt, which she picked up at the store! Don’t you wish you were that fly? You still can be, and at 15% off with discount code HTUB15!!

This is the last day of the sale! That leaves you less than 24 hours to get a tote or a tee for the cheap cheap!

Go go go go!!

(photo credit: Claude Bragg)

"The erasure of Quvenzhané’s name is an attempt, consciously or unconsciously, to step around and..."

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:52:12 -0500

“

The erasure of Quvenzhané’s name is an attempt, consciously or unconsciously, to step around and contain her blackness. Yes, sometimes black people have names that are difficult to pronounce. There aren’t many people of European descent named Shaniqua or Jamal. Names are as big a cultural marker as brown skin and kinky hair, and there has long been routine backlash against both of those things (see: perms, skin bleaching creams, etc.). This insistence on not using Quvenzhané’s name is an extension of that “why aren’t you white?” backlash.

Calling Quvenzhané “Little Q” is a lazy way to keep from having to deal with the discomfort that race causes. It is easier to be colorblind, to simply turn a blind eye to the differences that have torn this nation apart for centuries than it is to wade through those choppy waters. And Quvenzhané’s very existence is enough to make the societal majority uncomfortable. She is talented, successful, beautiful, happy, loved, and adored–all things that many people don’t figure that little black girls with “black” names could, or should, be. Their answer? Let’s make her more palatable. If she insists on not fitting the mold of the ghetto hoodrat associated with women with “urban” names, let’s take her own urban name away from her.

”

- me, “Her Name Is NOT Little Q, Motherfuckers.”

at least that’s what i would have called it if i could have. this is from my latest at Uptown Magazine, “The Oscars, Quvenzhane and the C-Word.” check it out!

(via brokeymcpoverty)

—-

since so many of this blog’s followers are black and female, i thought i’d share this piece i wrote about Hollywood’s treatment and disregard of Quvenzhane Wallis’ name. check it out if you can!

Photo

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:02:36 -0500

mymakermyhusband: yeahxdatsme: teamocorazon: alexdesir: real...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:02:19 -0500

mymakermyhusband:

yeahxdatsme:

teamocorazon:

alexdesir:

realblackhair:

PART 1
This is my list of Ultimate Twist-outs. To me it’s all about definition. I had a horrible time with twist-outs and I always assumed it was because my hair is 4C so I don’t have curls so much as puffs. Finally, I figured you a twistout that was defined and worked for me even on humid days. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TWISTOUT METHOD FOR MY4C HAIR

~Tamara McDaniel
Follow me
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RazzleDazzleMUA
Instagram – http://instagram.com/tammymaclove/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/CosmeticCoCo
Blog - http://realblackhair.tumblr.com/
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/tammymaclove/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RealBlackHair

♥_♥

Ugh.

So perfect.

IT’S NOT FAIR OKAY?!

This post just gave me so much life!

too perfect not to reblog!

Photo

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:47:53 -0500

littleknownblackhistoryfacts: QUINTESSA HIGGINS: First person...

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:49:15 -0500

littleknownblackhistoryfacts:

QUINTESSA HIGGINS: First person to dismiss someone using the phrase “girl, bye.”

hey now! it’s black history month!

i’m dishing out another truck load of little known black history facts on my other tumblr. go learn you something!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH NATURAL HAIR TSHIRT SALE!

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:13:52 -0500

Greetings brothers and sisters!

The spirit of Harriet Tubman came to me a few moments ago and smacked me in the face and said ‘how dare you dishonor your ancestors by not giving your comrades in this hair struggle a little hook up on these awesome shirts you’re selling?!’

I have seen the error of my ways and am pleased to off you all a 15% discount on your ENTIRE order at brokeymcpoverty.bigcartel.com with code HTUB15! good through the end of the month!

there’s been a random upswing in orders lately, so they won’t be here long! “kinky & coily & curly & awesome” shirt in adult and youth, and “nappy is not a bad word” in adult are still available.

run run run! go go go! DON’T MAKE HARRIET TUBMAN COME AFTER YOU! she has a heavy hand :-(

holy moses!

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:18:00 -0500

i didn’t realize my inbox had gotten so beefy during my laziness! lol

responses coming yall! thanks for your patience!

when i wash my hair it gets so dry and dull

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:15:37 -0500

ah, the eternal natural struggle!

this post at black girl long hair has some good information, and this post at yournaturalhair.com has some good DIY leave-in conditioner recipes.

also, i wrote some tips on how i keep my own hair moisturized. check it out here! good luck!

I don't have any satin scarves, can I use silk?

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:05:43 -0500

absolutely! silk and satin are much easier on the hair than cotton and other materials. neither will suck moisture out of your hair, potentially causing breakage. wrap it on up!

What is (and would you recommend) training one's hair? I ask because I currently live in an environment where my choice of styles (e.g. frohawk) are seen by those I care about as "nappy and unkempt" because it isn't properly trained

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:02:20 -0500

hmm. i don’t think i’ve ever heard of “training” one’s hair. i did a quick google search and found this discussion on training natural hair to curl at Curly Nikki. hopefully it’ll help! does anyone else have anything to chime in?

and if i may say, re: resolving the “nappy and unkempt” issue—it seems like the only things to resolve are the unkempt part (if it’s truly unkempt) and caring about how others see your hair. MUCH easier for me to type than it is to just stop caring, especially when it comes to people you care about. but, it’s worth it to try. those who really love and care about you should be able to accept all of your natural self; the beauty they love in you shines through regardless of what your hair is doing. or at least it should.

going natural is an exercise for us, the ones who choose to stop following societal norms, and the ones in our lives, who must also release themselves from the same norms. hair is just hair, and i urge you to do with it what makes you happy, but try to take inventory of whether or not you’re doing it for yourself, or for someone else.

good luck!