My Hair Today

Okay, so it's ANOTHER hot day in Philly! I'm not sure if you know, but I teach 2nd grade, and our classroom is sticky as I don't know what! LOL. I normally wash and twist my hair on Sunday nights, but I didn't get around to it last night, so my hair is a wreck! I have a hair style I use in a pinch, when I'm in between washings., It's kind of a "pouf" in front and a "puff" in back!!!

I achieve this style by pinning the front up. and securing the back in a black elastic band. I like it sloppy... so other than twisting my front curlies around my finger, I don't do much of anything else to my hair. It takes 5 minutes, and it's NO FUSS, NO MUSS! Exactly what I need for a hot day like today! LOL

Well, I'm going to drink my Mango frosty and enjoy the rest of my lunch period. Stay cool!

Luvbenet

Some Call Me Nappy
April 12, 2008 by
Heather Thomas


I Call Me Beautiful!! Have a curly mane? It's a gift and a curse. Beautiful when the curls are just right, a total mess otherwise. Ladies with silky textured curls often have an easier time perfecting their curly style. Ladies who are of African American or mixed-heritage can have a more difficult time fighting off the frizz and obtaining a neat and put-together look.

In my childhood, my mother never recognized the beauty of my curly hair. Born into a bi-racial family, she was raised to believe that there was a certain way to appear put-together. She combed, brushed and blew out her curls, oiled up her mane and made it up in neat braids and buns. Now, beyond middle-aged, my mother has only just discovered the potential beauty of her naturally, silky wavy/curly hair. However, after years of fighting her natural hair with chemical processing, heat treatments, blow dryers, pressing combs, and monthly hair colorings, my mom's curls are in bad form.

Being the out-there child that I was, I had been determined to go against the grain of what my mother taught me was an appropriate way to style my hair and learn to go natural. I was tired of spending ridiculous amounts of time in the bathroom washing, blow drying, oiling, and pressing out my hair. The process could take me two hours! While that may not seem ridiculous to some, it was for me. I was a high school student who needed that time to study, socialize, or do what ever else high school students do.

My first experiences going curly were liberating,to say the least. I simply shampooed and conditioned my hair and blew it dry. I was sixteen and, really, the fro-ish look did not scare me as much as it scared my mother who constantly asked me if I was planning to do 'something' with my hair. At school, many of my peers loved my hair and wanted to pet it or play with it.

I should mention that I lived in South Orange County which isn't known for its large African American population. I was a novelty of sorts or at least my hair was. As much as I liked the attention, I couldn't help feel like there were many who disproved of my big head of hair. I tell you, my curls looked as though they were fighting to get away from my scalp. I had triangle hair and no curl definition. It wasn't until my $10 blow dryer quit working that I was forced to purchase a new one and discovered the diffuser.

Finally, I was able to leave the house with real, shiny and defined curls that fell more neatly down my back. If I had felt liberated before, now, I felt both liberated and pretty. Ever since then, I have been able to wear my hair curly and with little fuss. With the advent of new hair styling technology, I have been able to replace my dead blow dryers with newer, more efficient, and style-saving dryers and reasonably priced serums and hair conditioners.

I feel inclined to add that while I love my curly locks, I also enjoy variety and options in styling my hair. Week-to-week, I change up my style by straightening with a flat-iron (no chemicals here!), braiding, or twisting my hair. I love versatility.It's not always easy going natural, especially for women of color.

I have noticed that there is a very real and legitimate fear that employers, peers, or even strangers may induce certain things about African American women who wear their hair curly. Terms like "nappy" or "kinky" that describe the texture or tightness of curls also carry negative connotations and are often used to describe individuals perceived to be "too Black", unkempt or too lax about their appearance. For that reason, I cannot fault my mother or her family's idea of an appropriate way to wear African American hair.

In retrospect, I can't help but wonder if, in my past, I missed out on employment opportunities or other growth opportunities because of my very ethnic looking hair-do. What I believed was beautiful hair may have been perceived to be just nappy or unkempt. I think though, that learning to care for my hair and appreciate it for its beautiful, curly way has really made me a little bit more beautiful on the inside. Learning to love my hair regardless of what is socially acceptable or popular at any given moment has made me more proud than ever to be me: an individual of African American descent who has dark skin and shiny and curly hair.

For me, this was one important step in beginning the process of shedding the daunting and impossible-to-attain idealized version of beauty.

Sites To Avoid Browsing While on the Clock:

(Clutch Magazine: The Digital Magazine for the Young, Contemporary Woman of Color)

By Sky Obercam

Most of us who work 8-hour days experience that inevitable down time that requires some creative loafing. Sure, you could always pick up the phone and call a friend, read a book, or paint your nails, but typically, the idea is to not look like you are enjoying those stolen moments of free time. Enter – the internet. Given that many of us work in close proximity to a computer with an almost infinite virtual reach, it’s almost impossible to avoid the temptation of surfing the web in your idle time.

With unlimited information at your fingertips, one can (and sometimes to their demise, does) spend hours browsing the Internet. For this reason, many companies have installed software to prevent such entertaining activities from going down. But for those of you lucky enough to thrive in a work environment free from online restrictions, the key is not to get caught abusing your liberties. To aid you in this effort, dig this list that outlines the type of sites you don’t want to get caught browsing while on the clock:

Graphic Sexual Content or Porno:

This usually isn’t too much an issue for the ladies, but, ogling a site with half naked men, or shopping for sex toys is an activity best saved for the confines of your own home. Shopping: Your employer is most likely not thrilled that they pay you as much (or as little) as they do, so please don’t throw salt in the wound by showing them that you actually make enough money to shop for nice clothes, shoes and accessories.

Youtube:

Who doesn’t love Youtube? It’s got to one of the most entertaining sites out there right now. You can watch old episodes of your favorite shows, listen to music, watch bloopers of newscasters lose their composure on live TV – Youtube has it all. This is precisely why it may not be the best site to frequent while at work. It can be very time consuming…

Gossip blog/Celebrity News Sites:

The ultimate guilty pleasure for some, gossip and celebrity news sites are ideal time wasters for the working man or woman. So if staying up to date with the beautiful and the talentless is difficult to resist, make sure you minimize your browser when the higher-ups draw near.

Facebook:

Nothing says “I am bored out of my ever loving mind – please give me more work to do” like an employee puttering around on Facebook during the workday. Sadly, some employers tend not to want to encourage their staff to derive comfort by means of reaching out to family and friends while on the job. Simply put: Proceed with caution.

Job Search sites:

This is sort of self explanatory, wouldn’t you say? If your boss catches you looking for a new job, you may find yourself without one before you’ve even received your first response from your not so covert job hunt.

Interactive Game Sites: Not only are these things addictive, they are a sure fire way to ruin it for your fellow employees because if your manager catches you playing hours of War Craft or Mafia Wars, you can bet the internet restrictions will be enforced post haste.

How to Detangle Natural African American Hair

By Krystal Clark, eHow Editor
Rate: (2 Ratings)
Natural African American hair is one of the most fragile types of hair there is. A misconception is that because of its coils, and kinks, its not as susceptible to breakage. This is untrue, with with natural hair need to be very cautious when detangling their hair. Because of its coil shape natural oils don't always make it down the entire hair shaft, which means less nutrients, more breakage, and weak hair. Unintentional breakage can be avoided by properly detangling your hair.

Things You’ll Need:
Water
Spray bottle
Wide toothed comb or denman brush.
Moisturizer

Step1:
Natural African American hair is the only hair type where it it advised for you to comb your hair when it is damp. Therefore, invest in a spray bottle to use during the detangling process. Use the bottle to mist the hair with water; just enough to dampen but not soak.
Step2:
Use a wide toothed comb. Another major mistake naturals make is using the wrong comb. If your hair is straight, and fine, a narrow tooth comb will do the trick. However, if used on coarse natural hair, this comb will pull it out. To avoid this type of wear and tear use a wide toothed comb instead.
Step3:
Part your hair into 4 to 8 sections depending on length and thickness. Take a section and spritz it with water to dampen it. Smooth the water into the hair from root to tip. Take the wide toothed comb and comb from the ends working your way down to the root of the hair. Do this for each section until the whole head is done.
Step4:
After you have successfully detangled your hair apply a moisturizer. Make sure it does not have any petroleum, or mineral oil in it. Those are the types of substances that clog the scalp, and weighs down the hair.

Coily Girl of the Week: Gelila Bekele

Early Life:

After moving with her family to the United States as a young child, Gelila spent most of her childhood in San Francisco. She attended Roosevelt Middle School and Thurgood Marshall High School, where she was an honors student and a member of the school's basketball team. She then spent two years studying at Cornell University before transferring to the University of California at Berkeley to be closer to her family. She graduated with a bachelors degree in 2005. Gelila currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Modeling Career:

Bekele has worked with Ford Models, Pantene, Colgate, and has appeared on the cover of 'The African' magazine. She is also featured in many other print ads and has done several runway shows.

Philanthropy:

Gelila is also a humanitarian and social activist. With the success and celebrity afforded to her through her work as a recognizable model, Bekele devotes much of her time to aiding people around the world through her charity involvement with groups that help those living in third world nations attain fundamental natural resources like water. One organization that she is passionate about is simply called: Charity: Water. Some of the other charities Gelila is involved with include Kageno, Keep a Child Alive and Darfur Action Network

Natural Hair Inspiration

I love Mya's length and texture! This would be my ideal length!

Gorgeous color!

I have the hardest time finding hats fo fit over my hair! I'm hoping that once I get more length, my hair will hang down MORE and puff out less! LOL

This is a FLY haircut!!!!

Just a gorgeous pic!!!! Wild and free!!

Titi Branch of Miss Jessie's rocks an angle cut. This cut is ideal for added volume, and really shows off her curl definition! I'm thinking of getting one of these. Key word was THINKING! LOL. I still like to wear my hair straight sometimes, and when I do, I don't know if I would want all of those layers in my hair. This is still cute, nonetheless!

This pic demonstrates one of the reasons I LOVE natural hair so much! Our TEXTURE makes the STYLE! LOL WIth very little manipulation, we can make a simple style look so feminine and sexy, as you can see here. I'm always amazed at the things I can do with my hair! It's so unpredictable, and I love it!

I love this little cocktail hat!!!! Perfect for natural hair, because you don't have to try to fit your hair under it, which is ALWAYS a challenge for us!