Naturally Obsessed

I decided to do my mentions for "Follow Friday" a bit different this week.  Instead of just listing a bunch of names, I'd rather give you some cool pics to make you hit that button a little bit faster..lol!  Check out my tweeps showing off their natural hair!!

TSM09 "Twist Out"

Dajewel "With Giovanni natural mousse air turbo charged. Did quick two strand twists, then then two strand twisted the twist and then bantu knotted.  Unraveled, untwisted, separated and fluffed"

ShanDomHeart "Four day old twist out updo"

Zakiya Lynn "This pic is from Easter"

Joy Mignon "Banging Natural Style....LOL"

KnottiByNature "Second Day Twist out"

SincereMami "My Natural Hair Pic"

 EMickey171 "Curly locs with earrings from @Blackonyx77 jewelry collection"

 MsLizzia

Xtremely Perfect "I call this epiphany in the bathroom...lol"

On a recent trip to Sally's Beauty Supply I snatched up the Conair Attachment in hopes of giving my usual deep treatments an extra boost. I sat under the dryer for about 30-45 minutes on low heat, with a mixture of Suave Shea Butter Almond and Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioners. When I took my hair down to detangle and rinse my hair it was soft and moist, perfect hair condition to detangle.Not only did it thoroughly deep condition my hair, but it saved me a ton of time. Since going natural I have always deep condition my hair the same way...overnight. Which takes up way too much time. Also it was super easy to assemble, you just secure the elastic around your hand held dryer and viola! This was definitely a good buy!!

As usual Rihanna steps out in a fit that only she can pull off. Lately her style has been very dark, its great to see her out and about in something fun and girly but still sexy at the same time. If I saw this look on anyone else (including myself) I would probably hate it! So with her look in mind I toned down the colors with soft pinks and neutral tones. Did away with the fringe sleeves and kept it ultra simple and casual with a light weight sweater. Throw in some cute accessories and you've got the look ♥Thoughts??Images: RihannaDaily.com

I came across this video the other day and it brought up a common issue that a lot of new naturals (and some old naturals) have.  Being able to tune out others opinions about you is sometimes easier said than done and it takes time.  Comments whether negative or positive should never change how you feel about yourself.  When you become comfortable with yourself and proud of the way you choose to live your life opinions can no longer make you or break you.  They will simply be opinions.

Have you ever had the "natural hair blues"?? Share your thoughts below, you never know how encouraging your words can be.

NoLyeJustCurls made a follow up video to the one above please watch and subscribe to her channel here.

*Images used in this post has been approved by the owner*

Product Description:  "MQ's Honey Coconut Shea is the cure for dry brittle curls.  With moisturizing ingredients and natural SPF, it can be used in both winter and summer weather.  Great for styling, moisturizing, reducing frizz and enhancing shine with 100% natural ingredients.  Apply liberally to wet hair after a shampoo or co-wash.  A little bit can really go a long way." 

Ingredients:  Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Coconut Cream, Honey, Avocado Oil, Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil. Ex Virgin Olive Oil and Essential Oil Fragrance

Cost: 8oz jar for $10.00 @ www.MahoganyQueen.com

My Thoughts:  I was contacted by Ashley, the Mahogany Queen creator, and informed that she was in the beginning stages of her hair care business and asked if I would review her product.  Of course I said yes!!  When the sample arrived the first thing I noticed was the consistency.  For some reason I was expecting more of a butter texture.  Instead it was more like a grease.  The next thing I noticed was the scent, it has a very light sweet, citrus scent with a touch of honey.  It smelled so good I quickly dabbed some in my 3 day old braid out to see what it could do and i didn't like it.  It made my hair very oily and every time I touched my hair I had to wash my hands afterwards.  I was disappointed but I decided to give it another and see how it performed on my wet hair.  I co-washed with Desert Essence Italian Red Grape Conditioner and fingercombed under running water. 

Once out of the shower I applied a small amount of MQHCS to my hair and then sectioned my hair off for a set of 2 strand twists.  To each section I applied a small amount of OyinHandmade Honey Hemp Conditioner as a leave in and Aubrey Organics Moisturizing Jelly for hold, ran my Denman through to smooth the products through and began to twist.  Before reaching the ends of the twits I applied a little more MQHCS to my hair for extra shine and moisture.

Being lazy I left the twists in for 2 days before unraveling.  To take them down I slicked my fingers with a little MQHCS to minimize frizz and here are the results...

And after 2 days of constant hand in hair, the sleek and tamed twist out got bigger....

...but I love the bigness.  My final thought is that I really like this product, but it definitely cannot be used on my dry hair.  I also think it would be great to moistuurize the scalp with.  have you tried this product, if so how did you like it? 

When and why did you decide to go natural?

I decided to go natural because I missed it.  When I relaxed my hair it was really a run of the mill, jump in to explore thing.  Then I realized it really wasn't for me, so I decided to go back to what I knew.  I know that being natural is a journey and a learning process.  It took me forever to accept and learn a lot about my hair, but everyday something new presents itself.  I listen now and realize this journey is so much easier when I just let my hair tell me what it needs, instead of forcing things upon it.  I took a few pitfalls since my journey.  I went natural on June 27, 2007 and since then my hair has seen the scissors many times, because I would suffer a setback.  It took a long time to figure out what worked for my hair, but as I said, it's a learning process and I wouldn't trade being natural for anything else.  I love it and love the knowledge I gain each day.

Were your friends and family supportive of your decision to go natural?

My mother was very supportive, she didn't want me relaxing in the first place, some of my friends were a little apprehensive, but others were excited.  Overal,l everyone has come to appreciate the journey.  When I came upon those who were not in favor of it, I took their words as stones I could use to step on to get closer to my goal.

What is your current hair routine?

Currently my hair routine is to wash on Fridays.  I try to pre-poo on Thursdays with EVOO and then on Friday evening.  I gently finger detangle, run my hair under water for about a minute or two, then apply a little conditioner and gently detangle with my Jilbere comb.  Then I usually add my shampoo and massage the scalp, add more conditioner over that, then rinse.  Apply a deep conditioner for about 45 mins, rinse with cold water and then moisturize (I like Happy Nappy Styles by Blended Beauty and I like Hamadi Shea Hair Creme) and style.

What are your hair goals and what steps are you taking to achieve them?

My hair goals is to have hair that isn't breaking, hair that is MBL and that is strong and overall "healthy" and beautiful.  In achieving these goals, I am making sure to protect my hair and moisturize and deep condition often.  I also try to wear styles that limit how much pulling and tugging goes on on my hair.

Some of Sasha's favorite products are...

Happy Nappy Styles, Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner, Shea Butter, Coconut oil and EVOO are among the top.  My least favorite has got to be Cantu Shea butter...my hair used to like it, but now it just rebels, and some gels aren't my friend at all.

How do you define "Good Hair"?

Good hair is hair that is beautiful.  If your hair is healthy (and I use this term lightly seeing that hair in any case is dead, lol) and it isn't breaking, isn't a tangled web, isn't severely lacking moisture, or is not plain damaged then it's good hair in my book.  If your hair on the contrary is breaking, splitting, falling off, looking fried and dyed, then honey it's no where close to being good.  Good hair to me isn't the grade of hair (texture), it's the shade of it's beauty (it's health).

••Thanks for giving me a chance to share my voice. I can be found over at my hair Blog Afroniquely You, Twitter: Afroniquely, Facebook: FB Fan Page. I also love art and poetry. If you're into that, check out my portfolio and poetry page.

Make sure you visit her sites and show support, her blog is AWESOME!!

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