Is natural hair being commercialized?

I love my natural hair.

After two years of transitioning and one year of buying and trying every product on the market, we finally have achieved a relationship where my hair and I are both happy and healthy.  It was a long journey filled with tears, triumph and lots of money spent on products that were crap, but it was worth it.  I won't ever go back to being addicted to the creamy crack relaxer.

Having said all of that I feel like there is an untruth not being said about natural hair.  Look at the recent advertising that use black models.  The majority of them use models with so called "natural hair". Their hair is curly, but is it really natural? 

 Is this an effort to try and tell woman who wear their hair natural what is an acceptable natural style?  Is this a ploy to get woman to try to obtain a look that is really unattainable for most? Think about your local beauty supply store.  Shelves and shelves devoted to hair products that promise to turn your curls into luscious, soft spirals that don't frizz.  However if you have coarse, tight curls no amount of product is going to change that.  I have spent hundreds of dollars on hair products trying to get my hair to look like the models above.  In the end I discovered that my curls were NEVER going to look like that no matter what I purchased.  I accepted my curls for what they were and ended the search to find a miracle hair product. 

In this months Essence magazine, Jill Scott will be wearing her natural TWA (teeny weeny afro) on the cover.  There have been published reports that she had to demand to be able to wear her natural hair during the shoot. When Viola Davis wore her natural hair to the Oscars many people thought she did not look formal enough. Why do we think that flowing hair (be it curly or straight) equals formality? Is it because we have been flooded with images from advertisers, tv shows and movies that subliminally tell us what acceptable natural hair looks like?  When will we reach the point where an afro on a woman is acceptable in a formal setting and does not raise any eyebrows?

This is what we are lead to believe natural hair should look like.  Uniform curls that are tamed and in their place.  And while for a small portion of the natural community (and Beyonce is not one of them lets be honest) they may wake up looking like this.  That may be the reality of their natural hair.  However if the reality of your natural hair is something closer to Miss Viola's you should be able to wear your hair without feeling any less formal or looked down upon.

We need to stop trying to conform to the world's standard of beauty. Natural hair is so unique. Each persons curl pattern is different. Unlike straight hair, which is...well its just straight, naturally curly hair looks and feels different on everyone. So whether you rock a TWA, you have long spirals, or you are somewhere in between, wear it proudly!! Embrace what God has blessed you with and show it off!! Let's not let the outside world commercialize our hair and tell us what it should look like!

Product Review: Moraccan Oil

If I were going to be stuck on a desert island for 1 year and I could only bring 5 things with me, this would be 1 of the 5 items.  Actually I would bring 2 bottles so it would be 2 of the 5 items...

This is what I like to call a "holy grail" product.  Something I cannot live without and cannot be replaced. I have tried other "Moroccan oil" products or Argon oil products and they do not hold a candle to this.  

What is so fabulous about this oil?? Well for starters:

-It is an amazing detangler

-It is a heat protectant when I am straightening my hair

-It is a straightening oil to make my hair super straight

-It moisturizes my hair without being greasy or oily

-It easily absorbs into my hair and does not leave a residue

-It smells amazing

I could go on forever. Not only do I love this product for my hair, but it works amazingly well in my bi-racial daughters hair.  If their hair is really tangled, I smooth on a small drop of this and the tangles melt away.  If I am curling their hair I put a little of this oil on before curling; it helps the curls hold longer and gives their hair incredible shine. 

The only negative about this product is it is not readily available.  In Utah they sell it at Peerless Beauty Supply but you have to have a cosmetology/hair stylist license in order to purchase it. I have seen it for purchase in a few salons and there are multiple websites online you can purchase it from online including amazon.com.  It costs about $42.99 (depending on where you purchase it) for the large bottle. The large bottle will last me about 4 months depending on how often I straighten my hair. A little bit goes a long way so you the bottle really does last a while. It is a little bit expensive but you get what you pay for!! 

I highly recommend you trying this product if you have hair that easily tangles!! This product is good for all types of hair so give it a try no matter what kind of hair you have!

Product Review: Organix Moroccan Argon Oil Conditioner

Time for another product review!  This week I went in search of a new conditioner that would detangle my mess of curls.  You already know about my love for Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner. The downside to that conditioner is that it is not a sulfate free conditioner.  I only use sulfate free shampoo because it does not dry out your hair. Sulfate free conditioner is also less drying, but in my experience does not work as well as traditional conditioners.  It usually does not give your hair the slip you need for the comb to gently glide through your hair during the detangling process.

Back to the product review.  After doing some research online, this conditioner got rave reviews and was available at my local Target for $7.99! Sounded like a win win solution to me so I purchased it with haste.  After shampooing my hair with Giovinni 50/50 Balanced Hydrating shampoo (MY FAVORITE!!) I sectioned my hair into 4 clips and slathered it on. The directions said to leave the conditioner on your hair for 3-5 minutes before rinsing. I left it on for 10 minutes because I have extremely thick hair and wanted to give it plenty of time to work its magic.  After 10 minutes I started the detangling process...and this is where my disappointment began. Let me start by saying my hair was extremely tangled so I knew I was in for a fight. However if you are going to be my go to conditioner you need to be with me at my worst.  This conditioner did not work for me at all.  While it is a thick conditioner and glides on easily it has no slip at all.  After applying more than half of the bottle to only 2 sections of my hair I was still fighting with tangles.  For the remaining two sections I ended up rinsing out the Organix conditioner and applying my trusty Hello Hydration and the detangling process was MUCH easier.  While I do not like this product for a detangling conditioner, I think it may have some promise as a deep conditioner.  Next week I am going to deep condition with this product and my heat cap to see if it can redeem itself. If that fails too, I'm giving it to Kelsey. 

So for right now this guy does not get the Brown Girl seal of approval.  Boo. I was really hopeful!!  If you have had success with this product please let me know! Or if you try it let me know your experience! 

Should the First Lady go natural?

I came across this picture today on Google and nearly lost my mind.

Michelle Obama rockin natural hair?! Could it be so???

Apparently not.

The image was photo shopped back in March and the Twitterverse and blogs were all a-buzz.  I of course missed it because I had a 6 month old at the time. Oh the joys of life with an infant...

Even though it was discovered that this picture was nothing more than a photoshop image, it still gave me a moment of pause.  Why won't Michelle Obama wear her natural hair?  For every black person you see with long, silky, shiny, straight hair, there are countless hours of blowdrying, flat ironing, beauty shop sitting, or weave sew ins that you don't see.  Why the fuss? Why not embrace what is naturally yours?

I struggle with this issue.  I love my naturally curly hair but I still feel most "beautiful" when I take the time to straighten it.  Since childhood, we are subconsciously taught that straight hair equals beautiful hair? How are we taught this? Every TV show, commercial, magazine cover, and advertisement has a beautiful thin woman with straight hair smiling at us. Most of the prominent black woman in our society will not wear their hair in a natural state. Is it because they too want to fit into traditional beauty standards?

I would love to see Michelle Obama where her hair in its natural state. I think it would empower black/brown woman and girls everywhere to embrace what the Lord has given us and be proud of our hair whether its curly, kinky, straight, or somewhere in between.  I'm not going to hold my breath though. The only curls we will ever see on the First Lady's head will come from a CHI curling iron.

Eco Styler Gel

I'm in St. George this week visiting my lovely parents. While talking to my mom in her laundry room I discovered a mammoth bucket of hair gel. Like a bucket so big it has a handle...no lie. And to top it all off this Goliath sized tub of hair gel is only $8.99!!!! The gel is called Eco Styler gel and my mom swears by this product. I conducted a short interview with her to see why her love for this seemingly simple hair gel was so great.

Q & A with the Brown Girl's Mom:

BG: Why do you love this product?
Mom: It's inexpensive and it works!

BG: Where did you learn about the product from?

Mom: That’s a good question! I think I learned about it from you. You tried it and did not love it. We have two different types of curly hair, and it works well for my hair.

BG: How do you use it in your hair?

Mom: I mainly only use it once a week. I wash, condition my hair, put morracon oil in it, apply the gel from root to tip in small sections and two strand twist each section.  Once my hair is dry, I take the twist out and with a wide tooth comb I comb my hair from the root up to remove the parts from all over my hair.  And I am set for 7 days!! I love it!!

BG: How much does it cost?

Mom: Very inexpensive! It is $2.39 for a 8 ounce jar and $8.99 for 5 lbs! 

BG: Where do you purchase it? 

Mom: I purchase it basically everywhere: Rite Aid, CVS, Sally Beauty Supply, and any drug/beauty supply store.

BG: How long does it last?

Mom: The 1 lb jar lasted for 6 months. However, the longer my hair gets the more product I need.

BG: Would you recommend it to a friend?

Mom: I would and I do!! I have converted so many people to natural hair with this gel! Mainly because if you do not have a good curl pattern, you can two strand twist your hair and have the appearance of curly hair! I get compliments all over the country!! I love this product!

I have used this gel a couple of times and have never been impressed.  It does not bond my curls together into one uniform pattern. That being said this is an excellent styling gel if you braid or twist your hair.  Apply this product to soaking wet hair before you braid/twist. Allow your braid to completely dry and then unbraid your hair and you will have waves that hold!  Try it for yourself! You will not find a cheaper styling gel with such amazing hold!

Conditioner Basics...

I could wax poetic for days about how strongly I feel about conditioner.

I love it.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I pop the top and inhale the sweet aroma deeply.

But all conditioners are not created equal.

If you are a fellow brown skinned girl you probably already have a very strong attachment to your favorite brand of conditioner. If you don't have a favorite conditioner, you need to arm yourself with one. Right now.

Why is conditioner so important for black/biracial hair? Black hair is typically very dry and if you live in Utah or any another dry, desert climate you need to try and moisturize your hair as much as possible to prevent breakage (when your hair breaks off from the ends).  Dry hair is brittle; it looks and feels unhealthy. If you notice your (or your childs) hair feels like a brillo pad, its time to get serious about your conditioner.

The first question you want to ask yourself is: Quality or Quanity?

Go to any beauty supply store and you will see shelves upon shelves of conditioner options. They promise to deeply moisturize your hair, detangle your hair, help you lose 20 lbs...ok I made that last one up. The reason I point this out is so you will not be influenced by the catch phrases on these shiny bottles! Fact number 1: you need A LOT of conditioner with black hair.  The reason you need so much conditioner is you want to do all of your detangling with a wide tooth comb while your hair is sopping wet with conditioner in the shower.  This is the least damaging way to comb through your hair. Since you need so much conditioner, you probably do not want to spend $35 per bottle for a fancy high end product. But hey, if you are rolling in money go right ahead and treat yourself! My suggestion is start with a few of the cheaper bottles and see which ones work best for your hair. After you have established what works best, and how to properly use the product, go right ahead and splurge on that $35 bottle!!

If you learn nothing else from this blog, please remember that conditioner is your gateway to good hair. You can have the holy grail of hair gels and it will do nothing for you unless your hair is properly conditioned and detangled. When trying to access how well a condtioner is going to work for you/your child, follow these few short steps:

1. Drench your hair with water in the shower. I suggest standing under the stream for at least 2 minutes to make sure every strand of hair is sopping wet.

2. Shampoo your hair-if needed- with an organic/sulfate free/no poo shampoo. Confused? We will talk on a future post about the importance of using organic shampoo. For now just use what you've already got in the shower.

3. Section your hair into small, workable sections and clip.

4. Apply conditioner to each section of hair.  You want enough conditioner that when you squeeze your hair conditioner falls to the shower floor in globs. And yes I am serious.

5. Carefully comb each section of hair with a wide tooth comb.  Start from the bottom of your hair and work your way to the roots.  If you encounter a particularly tangled section, add more conditioner to the tangle, and quickly run your hair through the shower stream of water.  Then, gently, begin combing your hair again.

6. Completely rinse your hair.

7. Thoroughly rinse the shower floor so the next person to take a shower doesn't break their neck slipping on conditioner. This may have happened to my husband a time or two...or 65....but who's counting.

If the conditioner is a keeper it will have good slip.  Good slip is when the comb easily glides or "slips" through your hair.  Good conditioner will practically melt tangles away for you.  Here are a list of a few inexpensive conditioners to try out first:

-Herbal Essence Hello Hydration- this is my go to conditioner. I literally buy this conditioner in a jug so big it has a pump. And I keep several on hand for emergencies. So if the world erupts into chaos, my hair will still look fierce. Available at stores everywhere in the hair care aisle.

-Aussie Moist Conditioner- this stuff is cheap and best of all it actually works well as a combing conditioner. Available at stores everywhere in the hair care aisle.

-Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Hydrating Calming Conditioner- this is not my favorite conditioner, however, my mother loves it.  I LOVE the Giovanni shampoo (details coming in a future post) but the conditioner never stood up to my love for Hello Hydration (HH). This line of product is available at Walmart in the make up aisle where they keep the body butters and organic hair care, and Target in the specialty organic hair care aisle (usually near the Burts Bees products).  You can also find this product at Whole Foods and Good Earth.

-Herbal Essence Totally Twisted- Confession: this used to be my most beloved conditioner. I was obsessed with it and told everyone I know about my love affair with this product. Then the manufacturer changed the ingredients and it never worked the same wonders on my hair.  However, in a pinch I will still use this as a combing conditioner and others have told me they love the new formula. Try it for yourself and see. This product is available at stores everywhere.

Please leave me a comment if you have any questions about conditioning your hair! Or if you have a conditioner you love and I simply must try it I want to know about it!!

Until next time...later gators.

Why blog about hair?

I'm a Jersey girl born and raised.

I moved to Utah in 1999 to go to college.

I felt like a speck of pepper floating in a glass of milk. People of color were few and far between.

So the first time I was cornered in a grocery store by a white woman with an adopted black daughter I didn't know what to expect.

Did she want to bond with me to help her daughter be connected with someone of her own color?

Did she want to know how I liked living in Utah?

Did she want to know if I felt alone being the only person of color for miles?

NO!

She wanted to know about my hair! How I styled it, what products I used, where she could take her daughter to have her hair done like mine, and on and on. I spoke with the woman for 15 minutes and tried to arm her with as much information as possible. She was grateful but unfortunately still confused. Over the years this situation has happened countless times. Everywhere from restaurants to Target, people with adopted children/foster children/biracial children stop me and ask how to care for ethnic hair. I have had mothers cry because they are at a loss. They want their daughters to look beautiful but they are unable to figure out what to do with their hair!

I understand the issue...really I do.

If your hair looks like this

And your daughters hair looks like this

There is bound to be some confusion!

Enter Tai...thats me ;-)

I am not a hair dresser nor have I gone to beauty school. I do however have extremely thick, long curly hair. I have had a relaxer, and then over a two year period transitioned to natural hair (relaxer and chemical free hair). I have tried as many hair products as I can get my hands on to see how they work with my hair, my children's hair and any one else's hair I am assisting. I have learned tips and tricks to make ethnic hair manageable and beautiful!

This blog is designed to arm you with information to try and make it easier for you to manage your child's hair. It will take you several "trial and error" sessions to find out what will work best for your daughter, but with time and patience, you will succeed!

Please post and leave me any questions you may have. I am just starting this blog and would love to be as helpful as possible!!