My Flat Ironed Natural Hair

Easy Updo/FauxHawk on Natural Hair

LuvNaturals Review: Love Me and Leave-In Conditioner

"She's not REALLLLY Natural" by Belinda Malone

Who Has the Right to Tell You What’s Natural?

The natural hair movement is more popular than ever before,  with an increasing number of women making the choice to go for the BC. Even the New York Times is running features on their online site about black women making the choice to ditch the chemical straighteners and embrace their naturally textured hair.

This is an amazing opportunity for women to finally accept the hair that God gave them and refuse to succumb to the pressure from society and the media to ‘westernize’ their looks. However, it is also a topic that is becoming increasingly politicised and women who haven’t transitioned seem to be coming under pressure from those who have been trying to push them to follow suit.

Source

The multi-talented Solange Knowles has worn her hair both treated and natural at one time or another during the course of her career and is also the face of a popular hair care range. Recently she came under so much scrutiny from #teamnatural on her blog about her hair that she felt compelled to take to Twitter to make it clear that “My hair is not very important to me...so I don’t encourage it to be important to you.”

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solange_Knowles_at_the_Ruby_Lounge.jpg

Why Are we so Interested in How Others Choose to Look?

Why is it that some people feel that they can tell others how they should live their lives? There are perfectly valid arguments in favour of natural hair on the basis that the products used to chemically straighten it can be very harmful and in the same way that you would probably choose to avoid counterfeit drugs to protect your health, making the choice to avoid these chemicals can be much safer. However, the key point is that it is a choice that you should be free to make for yourself, there is plenty of help and advice on hair care products for natural hair and if it’s something you want to do then that’s great. However, God gave us the ability to decide for ourselves how we want to live our lives and it’s important that we make the most of that.

This problem doesn’t stop with natural hair though. How often have we seen celebrities in magazines being abused in print for daring to leave the house without make-up or with their hair left loose rather than perfectly styled? There are other celebrities being condemned for wearing too much make-up rather than embracing a more ‘natural’ look, and this is slowly creeping it’s way into our everyday lives. Groups of women (and men are just as guilty) sit around together picking other women out as they go past and critiquing them based on their own opinion of whether someone should be more or less natural.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman_redhead_natural_portrait_1.jpg

When Did it Become OK For Us to Tell Others How to Live?

Whether you choose to wear your hair naturally or not this is a problem that is not only affecting Black women, red heads are constantly told that their hair colour isn’t as pretty as other colours and women who leave their hair curly are made to feel ashamed of it being frizzy. Concurrently, overdone hair or make-up is frowned upon too. Why have we decided it’s OK to make these judgements? God gave us our bodies and made them the way they are but he also gave us free will to choose what we do with them. From things as simple and temporary as hair colour or style, make-up or body products to permanent body modifications like piercings and tattoos, as long as we choose to do it why do others think that they can judge our choice?

If we all let each other get on with looking after ourselves the way we want too we would all feel a lot less pressure to conform to being a certain way. Therefore if you want natural hair, have it. If you want to use products in your hair to make it look a certain way make sure you know the risks and weigh the options but, if after that, you still feel it’s right for you then do it! And if you want to dress a certain way or have your make-up the way you want it remember there is no one who can stop you. Maybe if we all start living in our own truth and making choices for ourselves we will all be much closer to living the way God intended.

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Belinda Malone is a freelance journalist. She specialises in work about fashion and the arts though loves nothing better after a hard day writing than chilling out at home with her 2 cats and a boxset of 24.

The Quickest Natural Hairstyle I've Ever Done

Hair Accessories for Natural Hair

Hey Hey!

So last night I went to the movies to see Dark Knight Rises. I decided to try styling my old wash n go with this scarf that Sharmooz sent me to review. I've had it for months but never experimented with it for a style, just to wrap my hair at night. Sooo, I created this bow with it and really liked it! What do you think? I want to do more with my wash n gos.

What hair accessories do you use? I need suggestions!

Peace & Blessings,

Kala

Natural Hairstyle Files: The Bantu Knot Out/Bun Out Tutorial

Hairstyle Files: The Lazy Bantu Knot Out

It's no secret that I'm a "lazy natural" I rarely do intricate styles with my hair. I have a life to live! But I really wanted to try a bantu knot out on blow dried hair. I haven't done a bantu knot out/bun out in so long! Night before last I tried a bantu knot out on blow dried hair using Miss Jessies Curly Pudding. I put a lot of work into it. Probably made 20-25 knots. It was coo. LOL! I mean the volume was great, but I'd hoped for more definition. Plus, at the end of the day my hair felt quite dry from using the Pudding. So the next night I went back to what I know. To replenish my hair back to life I used Shea Mositure's Curl & Style Milk. I sectioned my hair into four with a zig-zag part in the back. I worked the product through each section of my hair without combing it. Just lightly finger combed each section until the product gave me a little moisture. Then I started knotting/bunning 4 knots/buns per section using their Curl Enhancing Smoothie. So only 16 knots! Of course I caught it on tape (tutorial coming soon!)

For the take down I used EVCO and gently separated making sure to split even and completely separate sections (cuts down on frizz).

I love it! My hair is super soft and moisturized! Hoping it will last a whole week! Stay tuned! 

Peace & Blessings,

Kala

Natural Hairstyle File: Braid Out vs. Twist Out using Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

Natural Hairstyle File: 2 Plait Braid Out

I've returned to being lazy and brought back the 2-Plait Braid Out. This style maintained is awesome, it gives great stretch!

I've highlighted some extras, well because it's only right! 

Happy 99th Anniversary to my illustrious sisterhood, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.!

Peace & Blessings,

Kala

Natural Hairstyle File: The High/Model Bun

A style I'll be rocking this winter to protect my ends from the terrible cold!





Peace & Blessings,
KG

Day 2 Wash 'n' Go: CES and CatWalk Curls Rock

More washing and going! LOL! I'm really loving my hair after the cut so the wash 'n' go has definitely become a staple style. This time I tried Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie (CES) and Olive Oil Eco-Styler on Day 1. To refresh the next day I used more CES and my Curls Rock styling cream from Cat Walk. I also tried stretching the hair at my roots by blow drying using a concentrator to get more volume and length and to cut down on the shrinkage. Each wash 'n' go gets better. Can't WAIT until I have this style down. 


Videos of the process below! Once I perfect this I will post a tutorial. :)

Peace & Blessings!

KG

Fit Natural Woes: Braid Out Maintenance

If you follow me on twitter (@KG1913) you already know that I'm working out to lose weight and be healthier before my 28th Bday. I'm calling the whole preparation and party process NYC2012. One thing that has become an obstacle is keeping my hair in tact when working out. Natural textured hairstyles are much easier to maintain than straight styles. BUT the moisture from sweat can still attack your edges. I mentioned this in my update vid where I explained that I braided up my edges every night. Not anymore! I now use my silk scarf as a barrier to absorb the sweat. I take a shower immediately after my workout, cook and clean. Then I take the scarf off and prepare for bed using a different silk scarf to protect my hair at night. No re-braiding necessary! 

Above: Last night just before working out.

Below:  This morning, after wearing a silk scarf/band around the edges while working out.

Granted the crinkle of the braid out is gone in the very front BUT the "smooth" edge look ain't bad either. Now instead of braiding 5-6 braids in the front and sometimes 4-5 in the back every night I can spend more time editing videos. 

LOL!

Peace & Blessings,

KG

Braid & Curl (Days 2-3)

Day 2

Day 3

Thinking about washing, deep conditioning and trying a blown out style next! Exciteddddd! I'll keep you all updated!

Peace & Blessings,

KG

In case you missed the tutorial on The KG Lifestyle here it is!

Another Take: KG's Braid & Curl

I've been wearing a braid out (15-20 plaits) for the last couple of weeks. I love the stretch that the braids give me. Previously though, I left the ends straight and towards the end of the style they started looking pretty sad. This time I tried to get just a slight curl on the ends using my flexi rods. I think this style looks different because I braided to the end of the plait instead of going for the super curl look featured in my Corinne Bailey Rae Inspired entry. My hope is that this gets bigger and bigger as the days go by!

I did this on co-washed hair with Giovanni Direct-Leave In and Shea Moisture's Deep Treatment Masque. 

Only applied EVCO when I took it out this morning. If I had used it last night my hair would not be dry now. I'll have a tutorial on this up soon!

Peace & Blessings,

KG

Natural Hairstyle File: Wash 'n' Go using CatWalk!

I tried a wash 'n' go Saturday and it came out pretty poofy. I used CatWalk's Curls Rock Curl Amplifier. It felt great going on but I had major shrinkage. I wore a bun all day Sunday and Monday. So last night after my workout I ran some water over it and tried adding two more pumps of the CatWalk. Bunned that up and slept on it. This morning my hair was still damp but by pulling it up in the bun while still wet I got a little bit of stretch (less shrinkage). Decided to rock this for today. I love the definition. Tonight I'm doing a flexi-rod set to prep for my trip home! It's the best style because it requires even less maintenance than my flat ironed hair! 

OH and if you weren't aware Shea Moisture is on sale again at Walgreens for Buy 1 Get One Free! My rain checks are null and void now because getting a free product trumps getting one for 1/2 off !!! Maybe I'll order online at walgreens.com (that way I'm not searching for the products I want).

Peace & Blessings,

KG

Cutting My Heat Damage & A Wash n Go!

Natural Hairstyle File: 2 Plait Braid & Curl

Pure LAZINESS created this look. My wash day was Saturday. I attempted a wash 'n go with Cantu Shea Butter and Olive Oil Eco-Styler Gel. FAIL! The cantu and the gel don't work together well. I was a couch potato all Saturday so I just let it dry. Sunday for church I co-washed with Aussie Moist conditioner before church and pulled my hair back into a bun (no gel). Monday I wore the bun again. After my workout and MNF I got home and decided I was sick of the bun so I put my hair into two plaits (old and faithful style) with Direct Leave-In and EVCO and rolled the ends with a pillow roller. All in less than 10 minutes! I tied it down with a satin scarf last night of course. It was a little damp this morning but it's dried by now and I'm pleased! I'm really missing my flexi-rod sets but until I get my dryer replaced or the bonnet one my subbies suggested, I'm not attempting it. 

Maybe I'll post my hairstyle daily, since I style differently almost everyday. Would you all be interested in seeing that? Let me know!

Peace & Blessing,

KG