Let's Talk: Fave Five

What are five hair care products/tools you can't live without? Spill, spill!

Right now, we can't live without: F.O.T.E Aloe Vera Gel, Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today Conditioner, Denman D4 Brush, and the Wet Look Wide-Tooth Comb.

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Hair of the Day

Beautiful ladies from Essence's Street Style: Corporate Appeal gallery.

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Hair of the Day

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Feature of the Day: Kalah

Your name/username
Kalah

Where are you from?
Manhattan, NY

How long have you been transitioning?
I've been transitioning for 1 year and 10 months

Tell us your hair story. Why did you decide to transition?
I was natural for 18 years of my life and I loved it. I my hair was long and thick. I lived off of press n' curls and I'd constantly get compliments from people who thought my hair was a weave or wig (which I've never wore before). By the end of my Senior year in HS my mother thought it was time I got a perm because I was going to college. I never wanted to get a relaxer even though for almost my entire life I had been pressured by my hairdresser and dominican hair dressers to do so. Finally after constant prodding and pressuring and feeling guilty I finally did as my mom asked and got a relaxer from my hairdresser of 6 years. I used CON no lye relaxer and man did it itch. I was hella sad. My hair felt so lifeless, I mean it was still long but I just wasn't used to relaxed hair and I didn't like how it looked for awhile.

Eventually after several months I was getting accustomed to my relaxed hair until I went to college and tried to wash my hair myself. Oh, btw I never washed my hair by myself even when I was 18..I only learned how to do it properly a year later...sad I know. So I was in my college dorm trying to wash my hair alone and tons of hair came out. Clumps of relaxed hair came out I was so scared. After that and getting my hair touched up two more times I was done. I hated relaxers and I hated not having my natural thickness. I missed my puffy hair. My hair had become shorter and thinner. I continued to shed like crazy even though I went to the hair salon twice a month for wash and deep condition (which was substantial when I had natural hair).

So after getting my first relaxer in July or August of 2007 and getting my last touch up in January of 2008, I went all natural. I continued going to the salon for wash n' sets but I stopped my touch ups. And finally in the second week of September of 2009 I stopped going to salons all together. I know it's pretty recent but I completely started washing my hair once a week which is a step up from my previous twice a month wash n' set. I now pre-poo for 30mins to and hour, shampoo with CON moisturizing shampoo, deep condition with ORS replenishing pack and a leave-in moisturizing/ protein conditioner.

I never use heat and I live off of twist outs, braid outs and buns. Oh! and I now moisturize and seal at least once a day, twice if I feel good. I'm really hoping to get back to my glory days but whenever I feel depressed over my short thin hair I try not to look back at my old pics and I just tell myself that it took 18 years to get my hair the length it use to be so I have until I'm in my 30s to see if my new regimen is working.

What have you discovered so far in your transitioning journey?
It is not easy! It definitely takes a lot of time and patience (which I've always lacked). So it's definitely an uphill struggle but you have to stay motivated, moisturized and protein-ed up.

What technique has helped you the most during your transition?
I actually do not use heat anymore not even for dc...but that's just because I'm on a no heat challenge for 100 days and I always deep condition. I don't have silk or satin pillows but I do have a satin cap, so that's holding me over.

Your advice to the readers
Minimize heat usage and moisturize & seal your hair (ends especially).

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Feature of the Day: Kalah

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My Momma Taught Me That...

written by Jacquette of Nappy and the City


“Oh, girl, your hair is NAPPY,” is what my mother yelled out to me as I walked in her house for our weekly family dinner. As soon as I heard that, it’s like I had a full, out-of-body experience, and I was watching a little girl get her hair pressed, holding her ear as her mother struggled to turn her hair, full of nappy curls, into long, shiny straightness with the blazing hot pressing comb. “Girl, you got some nappy hair,” is what I heard when I was a little girl, and its what my mother fails to realize, still sparks up a little hurt every time I hear her say it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my nappy hair. I, myself, call my hair nappy because the word in itself doesn’t make me afraid and it doesn’t hurt me. I embrace the word (I have a blog, Nappy and the City, titled after it), but when I hear my mom say it, it stirs up a totally different emotion.

During the past few weeks, I’ve been writing and discussing “Texture Envy” with my friends (texture envy is a term I use when someone is envious of someone else’s hair texture), and we realized one major factor: How we feel about our hair primarily comes from our mothers. We start straightening our hair, in many cases, because it is more convenient for our moms to comb our hair when we’re little. They say, “You’ll look so pretty,” or “don’t you want to have long hair?” And moms don’t fully know how much those things really cripple us when we’re that young and impressionable. Speaking from a more personal note, I always sought out my mom’s approval when it came to my hair.

I am in full understanding that our peers hold a strong influence on appearance, but imagine if you had a different influence at home. I waited to do the BC because I was so afraid of what my actual hair looked like without chemicals. I can remember back when I didn’t have a relaxer, but the only memories I have of that time regarding my hair is having it pressed or braided. I could not, for the life of me, remember my texture of hair. On top of that, I cannot recall my mom having an enjoyable experience combing my hair. I was one of those tendered headed kids, so everything hurt me! I would rub my scalp, or try to move the comb, or shield my head whenever I got it combed, and every time I did that, it resulted in me getting the back of my hand popped. So the thought of going natural was a scary one for me. I wondered what started this awful cycle. I knew it didn’t start with my mom. I imagined that she got it from her mom, and her mom’s mom, then her mom before her. On my search for a deeper understanding, I ended finding some interesting information.

Hair in Black America isn’t a new “hot-button” topic that was created with the filming of Chris Rock’s Good Hair documentary. It goes back to the first arrival of Blacks in America. In the documentary 400 Years Without a Comb, there is a scene that shows a little girl looking on to her mother combing the hair of the slave owner’s child so effortlessly, the black child began to become envious of the comfort and pleasure her mother got from combing the straight hair. The mother says to her daughter, “See [she] doesn’t cry when I comb her hair.” The narrator goes on to say the girl couldn’t help but notice the enjoyment her mother received from combing the straight hair over hers, whose hair was difficult to comb and had to be pressed straight then covered with a head wrap. This sparked a sense of embarrassment and hatred for her hair. This scene helped me to realize where texture envy must have truly emerged for Blacks in America.

Most mothers may not realize that constantly showing our children what a displeasure it is in combing they’re hair can lead to ill fillings toward the nature of their hair. Telling our children, “you have nappy hair,” can’t be used derogatorily. We should teach our children that their hair may be different from some of the kids in they’re class and most of the people they see on TV, but its beautiful in all of is curly, kinky, and nappy glory! I may still seek my mom’s approval with my hair, but when she says, “girl, your hair is nappy,” I make sure she includes, “and nappy looks good on you!”



An East. St. Louis, IL native, Jacquette “Ms. Quetta” Smith is an author who writes regularly for www.nappystl.com. She has a BA in English and future aspirations of publishing her first novel. Nappy and the City is a natural hair care blog that chronicles her “Natural Hair” journey and has features on various hair products, local salon reviews, and interviews with other natural women who love all things nappy. Jacquette currently lives in St. Louis, MO.

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My Momma Taught Me That...

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P.R: Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel

Rating: Excellent -- WOW! (10/10)


Product Name: Fruit of the Earth 100% Aloe Vera Gel
Price Range: $5.49-$6.99 (24 oz)
Company: Fruit of the Earth (http://www.fote.com/)
Catch Phrase: Made with the most concentrated amount fresh Aloe Vera leaves on the market, this cooling gel forms a protective barrier that helps retain moisture and promote healing.


I LOVE this gel. I didn't think it would be as wonderful as people suggested, but it's pretty awesome. I've been using it daily for a few weeks now for my wash n' go's. It leaves my hair super soft for hours. I highly recommend you give this gel a try. The only downfall is that this product isn't technically "natural." Has anybody tried it? Share your experiences!


Ingredients: Aloe Vera Gel, Triethanolamine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer 940, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea.



Missed a product review? Click here to view past reviews!

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Hair of the Day

Monique Coleman, of High School Musical fame, and her gooorgeous 'fro back in June. Learn how you can mimic her fro-hawk.

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Going Natural

written by Miss Fizzy

Many people focus on the destination and not the journey when they decide to go natural. They want the big beautiful afro without all the effort. They are surprised when they discover that natural hair takes work. Well my sisters, like everything worth doing, having natural hair takes time and effort. Before you own an afro that is the same magnitude as Rustic Beauty’s on YouTube, you have to actually take the first steps to get there.

I was in Nigeria over the summer and I met a lot of people that were fascinated by my hair. They asked how to get their hair like mine, and I eagerly shared my journey with them. Unsurprisingly, once I mentioned that growing an afro involved cutting off hair, my questioners immediately lost interest. They were hoping that there was some magic formula, or cream or relaxer reversion device that I used to get my afro to this height. I had to let them know that there isn’t. It took dedication and work. However, they didn’t want to deal with the transition process or short hair to get what they wanted so they just let the dream die.

I have to let my curious friends figure out what they want for themselves because the truth is, you can only go natural when you are ready. No one should ever feel pressured into changing something that is pretty much second nature to them.

On the other hand, I’ve met people that decide to go natural but get frustrated a little way in. Why? Because they don’t know how to deal with their hair. They tend to treat their new growth the way they treat relaxed hair and this is just wrong, wrong, wrong. If you have made the decision to take that first step toward being natural, it is important to do research. Believe me, it will save a lot of pain in the future. Do your research. Study as if your hair is an exam you’re trying to pass and life will be a lot easier. There are so many resources out there for new naturals or curious relaxed ladies. There are YouTube videos, natural hair blogs, forums and even natural hair social networking sites.

Going natural is a long and sometimes tedious journey, but it isn’t one you have to take alone. We are a large community and we support each other, so if you decide to go natural and you need help, ask. There are lots of people out there that are eager to help.




Miss Fizzy is a graduate student studying something really dull and would rather spend her days playing in her afro. She runs the blog Chaotic Order and also co-runs Leave in the Kinks in between classes, setting up her business, playing with her hair and generally being fabulous.

You can find out more about Miss Fizzy’s natural hair journey at http://leaveinthekinks.blogspot.com and about Miss Fizzy at http://fizzychaoticorder.blogspot.com.

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Going Natural

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CURLS Special for Breast Cancer Awareness

CURLS™ is proud to help the fight against breast cancer by introducing an exclusive breast cancer awareness package for October 2009. 20% of sales for the month will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The package contains two of CURLS™’ best selling “cocktail” inspired products in a special pink CURLS™ bag ($34.00) to show support for the cause. www.curls.biz

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CURLS Special for Breast Cancer Awareness

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Celebrity Hair: Rihanna... Hot or Not?

For the first time, we're not feeling this look. AT ALL. Feel free to comment!

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Celebrity Hair: Rihanna... Hot or Not?

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Quote of the Day

One thing that’s kind of been confusing me is that I keep hearing people say ‘Oh, great you’re going natural.’ Does that mean weave-free or does that mean perm-free? Because I haven’t had a perm since I was 13.
- Solange on what going natural means

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Hair of the Day

Beautiful women featured in Essence's Street Style Fashions gallery.

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Hair of the Day

Nia Long looking gorgeous at the premiere of Chris Rock's Good Hair.

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