All About Hair: Natural Hair Has Versatility Like None Other

(I love this picture of Jill Scott)

As a natural haired girl, I often hear things like "you can go natural because your hair is long", or "your hair isn't that nappy so you can do that".  The truth is, I started wearing my hair natural over 10 years ago and my hair was only 2 inches long.  Additionally, if you don't thing my hair is nappy, kinky, curly, or whatever you wanna call it, stick around on one of my wash days and you'll see my nappy truth! 

These types of statements come from the mis-education of our own hair.  Kinky textured hair is extremely versatile.  It can go from a solidified afro, kinky curls, coiled curls, to bone straight and still revert back to it's natural state. Lots of us have never even taken the time to experiment with our natural hair to see what style options there are.  There are many more resources and products for natural hair than there were when I first went natural.  I will be honest in saying that for me, being natural requires a little more maintenance than it did when it was relaxed, but once I found a washing and conditioning routine that worked for me, and I learned how to deal with my hair in its natural state, the easier it became.

If your contemplating going natural or you are just beginning your natural hair journey, here are a few encouraging things to remember:

• This journey is your own, so don't compare your hair to the hair and results of others. Enjoy your own journey
• Be patient. On average, hair grows 6 inches per year. Sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more. Patience.
• Except your hair texture whatever it happens to be and learn to work with and the love the texture you have
• Experiment with a few products and find something that works for you. Don't try every single product that you see someone else using in hopes that you will get the same results. It doesn't always work out that way
• Minimize frustration.  Everyone has had to play around with products and styling techniques before they found something that works.
• Have fun!  Experiment with different styles and techniques and enjoy your hair at every stage.
• Remember there are lots of online resources and natural hair communities on Youtube.com. Fotki.com, and lots of others to help you with questions regarding transitioning , big chops, hair styling and products.

Again, I'm not trying to convert everyone to natural, nor am I saying natural is better, because your hair is exactly that, YOUR hair. What I do want to do is, provide information about textured hair and to provide encouragement for those that may be thinking about becoming natural or those who need a little reassuring along the way!

DIY: French Manicure With A Twist

When these colors are together they are appealing to my eyes.  I like this color combination in clothing and I use it for makeup looks.  As you can see, this was really easy to do and I used inexpensive nail polish to achieve the look.

What I Used:
Silver - Sally Hansen Hard As Nails - Gunmetal (purchased at Walgreens)
Blue - Ruby Kisses - Caribbean (purchased at a beauty supply store)
Black - Kiss -Brush On Nail Art (purchased at a beauty supply store)

Thrifstore Fashion OOTD: Thrift Store Outfit Of The Day

Couldn't find my other shoe!

I love these shoes to pieces!

With the exception of one of my bracelets and my undergarments, this entire outfit is thrifted. Although the sheer shirt appears to be zebra print, it's not.  I paired it with a Zebra print bag, and those zebra print shoes. You can also give this outfit a whole different look by adding a bright colored bag for a pop of color.  I should have done that!

Sheer Zebra Print Blouse - Newport News - $3.00

Black Pencil Skirt - Laundry - $2.50

Zebra Print Bag - Guess - $3.00

Zebra Print Shoes - Colin Stuart - $3.50

Paying $12.00 to look thrifty fab - priceless!

Fashion Fun: Fall Fashion Accessories On My Radar

Winter/ Fall fashion is my absolute favorite!  I love layered clothing, and all of the fun fall accessories.  Here are a few of my fall favorites that made it onto my fashion radar.

Garter Socks

      

Knee socks

Love her whole outfit!

           Fingerless gloves

                              

                                               Elbow length gloves

Boy Hats

What's on your fall fashion radar?

Protective Hairstyle: Kinky Twists Are Just What The Doctor Ordered

I went from this...

To This

Low Side Bun

Up-Do

One of my favorite protective styles is the Senegalese Twist (also know as kinky twists).  I love this style because it is versatile and is very low maintenance.  Because I don't relax my hair, for me, winter months can sometimes be a battle.  With all of the rain and moisture in the air, I tend to mess with my hair more than I should, so this style is a big help.  I use to go to the shop and spend over $200 to get this done.  For several years now, I have been doing it myself to save a bit of money.  It is well worth it!  If you want to try this style yourself, I have an older tutorial here.

*Tips:

If you wear your hair in braided or twisted styles like this one, it's important that you still take care of your hair by doing the following: 

• Regular washing, conditioning and moisturizing is important. 
• Be careful not to braid or twist so tight that the scalp buckles or the hair is pulling.
• Be mindful of braiding the hairline to tightly to prevent a thinning or receding hairline.
• Keeping the hair braided for longer than 10 weeks isn't suggested.

Thrifstore Fashion: Outfit Of The Day

On my way out

Sorry for the blurry photos :(

I recently posted this jacket in one of my Thrifstore Fashion posts.  You can always get a better idea of what things look like when they are on, so since I wore some of my finds, I thought I'd share.

Volcom Jacket: $12.00 

High Waisted Velvet Suspender Skirt: $2.00

Boots: $4.00

Looking hot in an outfit that only cost $18.00: $Priceless!

$5 Five Dollar DIY French Manicure Twist

 The french manicure is one of my favorites and I'm always trying to find and think of ways to update it.  This is a yellow on yellow french manicure.  Okay, so yellow may not be your color, but I love yellow!  You can do this with any color that you like.  It looks really cool with just about any color and it's so easy.

I first applied a base coat and then 2 coats of "Lets Meet" and I painted the tips free hand with "Morning Breath". I think I really like the outcome.  what do you think?

What I used:

Sinful Colors(Let's Meet);Sinful Colors(Morning Breath)

purchased at Walgreen's Drugstore