Naturally Obsessed

With the recent let down of Tyra Banks failing to inform the masses about black hair and the issues that black women have with our hair, I'm hoping Oprah handles the real issues like the vet that she is.  If you follow Solange Knowles on twitter then you know how excited she is about her appearance.  I'm excited for her, not just because she cut her hair off, but that she is slowly coming out of her sister's shadow.  Alot of people slept on her last album, I loved it.  So hopefully with this appearance she can broaden audience and get the recognition she deserves.   The show airs Wednesday, Sept. 30th.

Oh and Chris Rock will be there promoting is Good hair documentary also :-)

Below is a brief summary of what to expect courtesy of Solange-K.net ....

Perms, extensions, highlights…secrets exposed! Then, why Beyonce’s sister Solange chopped it all off. Plus, Oprah’s own hair history unraveled! Emmy-winning comedian Chris Rock talks to Oprah about his new documentary, Good Hair. Plus, Beyoncé’s little sister, singer Solange Knowles.

Will you be watching?

**Looks like the show will focus more on Chris Rock's upcoming film, but I'll still gonna watch....I'm soo excited!!!

Jackie why did you cut your hair?

I liked it the "other way"

Jackie are you going ill?

Jackie do you belong to a religious cult?

Jackie are you a lesbian?

I cut my hair because

I was tired of

frying

burning

cooking

crimping

chopping

cutting

curling

pulling

stretching

gelling

slicking

relaxing

perming

and spending.

That's why I cut my hair!

-Jackie Joice

Who says black is boring?  Add a bit of sexiness and mystery to your wardrobe with simple all black looks.

About.com Says : Considered the negation of color, black is conservative, goes well with almost any color except the very dark. It also has conflicting connotations. It can be serious and conventional. The color black can also be mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated.  

Check out Miss Jackson looking gorgeous while attending a Giorgio Armani fashion show in Milan.  This is an easy look that could work on women of all ages.  And it proves that you and still be sexy without having to show all your goodies.  Go Janet!!  Scroll down to see how to get the look for less.

Click Images For Details and Pricing

Pictures Courtesy of TheYBF.com

Why somebody took the time out to spoof Jay Z's "Run This Town" the world never know. But I'm glad they did, because I sho nuff needed a laugh tonight....LMBO!!!!!

**His impression of Kanye was dead on ...lol

1.  Breifly explain your hair routine.

I co-wash my hair weekly with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner only.  I also deep condition my hair weekly with Aubrey Organics GP Conditioner.  I use shampoo to thoroughly cleanse my scalp every 3 months.  I usually wash it when it then load my hair with Giovanni Direct leave-In Conditioner and detangle it.  Then I seal it with coconut oil or jojoba oil.  I ususally wear my hair in twists for a week to allow my hair to rest then the following week I wear it out.

2.  Have you ever regretted your decision to go natural?  If so, why?

Not at all!!  Going natural is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

3.  What is the best thing about being natural?

Rockin big hair!!  I love big hair!  It is so fierce!  I also love that it is ealthy and unique.

4.  What 3 products can you not live without?

Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner

Coconut Oil

5.  What 3 products would you never buy again?

Aubrey Organics Island Naturals and Blue Camomile Shampoo, Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Leave In Treatment.  They all made my hair feel dry and stiff.

6.  What makes your curls "Glam Curls"?

I use Giovanni Direct Leave In to enhance my curl!!  I love the different sized curl my hair has.  Some are coily, others loose, some curly/wavy.  My curls are Glam Curls because my hair is big and FIERCE!!!!  Gotta love natural hair!!

Her hair is AMAZING !!!!!

To see more of Chime aka BrwnSkinBeauty's hair journey please visit the links below...

Fotki : http://members.fotki.com/lifesacatwalk/about/

Chime also designs graphic tees for African Americans who embrace and celebrate their culture.  Really cute stuff...Click the link below to check them out.

Sunkissed by Chime : http://www.cafepress.com/naturalgirl

Preparation :

1. I sectioned my hair into 4 sections and shampoo'ed and detangled my hair with Oyin Handmade's Honey Wash (good stuff btw)

2. Then I divided each of the 4 sections into 2 which makes 8.  Sectioning the hair makes it easier to apply the Cassia to the hair, especially if you have thick hair like me.  I braided each section to keep it from getting tangled.

3.  Let the hair air dry while I head to the kitchen to mix my cassia.

4.  Directions for mixing Cassia :

Cassia is really simple to make all you really need is the Cassia powder and water to get the benefits.  Adding anything else (conditioner, oils, etc) is completely up to you.  I poured a pack and a half of Cassia powder (the packs were 100g each) and mixed with boiled water that I let cool off for about 10 minutes.  DO NOTjust dump the water in all at once, pour it little by little until you get the consistency that you desire.  Mine was thinner than brownie batter but thicker than yogurt ...If that makes sense.  I then added in some Vatika oil and I let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.  I find that letting it sit helps any clumps that you may have loosen and make the Cassia smoother.  I'm now ready to apply.

5.  If you've ever applied perm to you hair ( like most of us have ) applying Cassia should be a breeze.  I started at the very back and worked my way up.  Making sure that every strand was cover and that it was evenly distributed throughout.

 6.  Next I covered my hair with a plastic cap and left the mixture in for almost 2 hours.  FYI: You can leave it in for 30 minutes to a hour and still get the same benefits but I started doing things around the house and completely lost track of time....lol.  P.S.  I  had a nice amount of Cassia leftover so I just placed in a plastic container and into the freezer for next time.

7.  Two hours later it was time for this mess to come out.  I filled my tub up with lukewarm water and began to dunk my head in the water to loosen up the Cassia. ( I got that tip from Curly Nikki...And she was right)  I dunk my head in and out of the water several times then I hopped in the shower to rinse and then rinse some more.

7.  Rinsing this stuff out is a process so if you don't have the time don't attempt to do try henna or cassia.  Because not rinsing this stuff out completely can result in dull, stiff hair and that's just silly....right?!?  It also helps to have some cheap conditioner on hand to help get the mixture off of your scalp.

Here's a few shots of my hair with the Cassia all rinsed out....

8.  After rinsing my hair felt very smooth and strong.  And even though my hair felt fine just the way it was I decided to follow up with a deep conditioning treatment.  I mix Organic Roots Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner with Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya Conditioner and more Vatika oil.  I covered my hair with a plastic cap and left that in for an hour or so.

After rinsing out the deep conditioner mixture my hair felt great.  Smooth, shiny and strong.   Some say the effects of Cassia lasts up to a month some say it only lasts 1-2 weeks, I'll wait until the end of the month to make that statement.  I have some leftover that I'll store in the frezzer and I still have some that I haven't mixed yet, which is enough for 2 more treatments.  So I'll keep you guys posted when I do it again, I might even record it.

In the end I set my hair in twists and rolled the ends for a Twist & Curl.  I'm still working on perfecting my TnC but its getting better...lol. 

And even though it rained like cats and dogs my hair held up up quite nicely.  It was bouncey and full and the shine was outta control...I loved it :-)

So for starters here's some quick info about Cassia :

Mehandi.com- There is NO such thing as  neutral henna or blond henna!  Much of what is sold in boxes called neutral or blond henna is Cassia Obovata, usually with unlisted adulterants.  Cassia obovata will make damaged hair silky, thick, lustrous, and helps keep your scalp healthy, just as henna does.  This has a golden yellow dye molecule, but it won't show up on your hair unless you are very pale blond or gray.  Cassia will not make dark hair golden.  Cassia will make gray or blond hair golden.

I first heard about Cassia while picture surfing on Fotki a year ago.  But I never really took the time to figure out what it was or what it could do for my hair.  I assumed that it was just henna with a different name and that it would eventually loosen my curl or dye my hair.  While I still wanted the conditioning benefits of henna I couldn't risk permanently altering my hair.  So a few months I stumbled across a couple of older posts on Curly Nikki.com where she discusses Cassia.  She mentions that while Cassia delivers some of the same benefits as henna it doesn't reduce shrinkage or release dye like henna does.  That was good news to me.  I began my own research that day and to make a long story short I tried and my hair loves it. 

Here are a few links that help me understand more about Cassia ...

http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/cassiaobovata.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassia_obovata

http://www.mehandi.com/shop/cassiaobovatabuy.html

A step-by-step look into how I applied Cassia to my hair will be posted soon.  Check back in a few .

KKQ

Just wanted to give guys a quick look at the Cassia Obovato in my hair.  If your not sure what Cassia is just be patient a full review will come later on tonight.  So far my hair feels great but I want to wait until after I take my twists down to give the final verdict.  And to let you guys know if its worth all the hassle.

BRB~

There really is no words to describe this video.....I'm speechless and highly amused ...LMBO! Thanks to Saedwards20 for the link. Thoughts ??!!??

I'm sure you all have heard by know that Tyra will be revealing to the world her real hair on her talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.  If you follow her her on twitter, like I do, than you know she has been teasing us with litle messages and blurry photos.  Well the mystery ends Tuesday, September 8th, which is tomorrow.  Now on twitter Tyra refers to her hair as natural, I don't know if she considers that hair without weave or hair without perm.  I guess you'll just have to tune in to find out :-)

A couple of days ago I changed my profile picture on Twitter to the one below. I've been recieving so many compliments as if it were a recent photo but its not. This picture was taken a year and some months ago. I love the picture today but I remember wanting my hair to be longer at that time. I hated the fact that my hair was growing upward instead of downward. I don't even think I wore this outside. Now that my hair is longer I wish that I had enjoyed my shorter length more. If I tried this same style on my hair today it wouldn't even look the same. When I try to pin my twist outs up now the hair just flops to the side, it doesn't give that nice profile like before. I'm not complaining that hair is growing its just a thought.....