Hello World...Product Review...Miss Jessie's Jelly Soft Curls...

Hello World...

This is my first time doing a product review.  I am a naturalista with what are called "tight, kinky curls".  These are the curls that create some of the most awesome afros and lots of people purchase hair pieces and wigs to recreate the look.  You'd think that those of us with these cute little curlies would be totally ecstatic BUT just everyone else, you always look at someone else's hair and wish yours was like that.  For us it's probably the wish of a looser curl.  eh...I used to wish that and even allowed myself to get a texturizer process done on my hair which loosens the curl JUST a bit but since it's a type of chemical process it wears off and the hair reverts back to your natural curl.  It's not the Jheri Curl, I've never had one of those although I probably should have because back in the day I wore a relaxer which is what put some serious damage on my follicles.  So between the two chemical processes, the Jheri Curl is more healthy. But I digress.

So I fully embrace my natural curls and love the fact that I can wear my hair in so many different curl patterns and styles.  I LOVE it!  But the one thing, for me anyway, that is sometimes the most nerve wrecking is finding the right moisturizer and conditioner that gives us the right curl  pop.  What is "curl pop" you ask?  It is when YOUR curl definition just POPS!  So normally when we get our hair shampooed or just wet, the definition is there you can see how curly or wavy or whatever your hair is while it's wet.  But the biggest issue about those of us with tight curls is that once the hair dries, our curls kinda  go into this shrunken frizz, the curls are still there but no longer defined.  There are a lot of products on the shelves for our sisters with the finer, looser curl or wave but not so much for us with the kinky hair.  I've tried a few different products, i'm not quite a product junkie BUT I've tried a few and the only product line that has consistently defined my curlies is Miss Jessie's products.

I started out with their butter creme for moisture and definition that I used with a different leave-in conditioner because they didn't have one at that time.  Well just recently, today actually, I felt like doing a wash and go for work.  I'm currently wearing a short cut that my barber keeps neat so I can easily do a wash and quick fluff and roll out.  So I attend different hair/fashion events where we get goodie bags with neat items which include Miss Jessie's stuff ALL of the time.  So I've had this product, Jelly Soft Curls in my drawer for a minute BUT because my coils don't really care for EVERYthing I was a little nervous about using it.  I wasn't sure that my coils would pop like the description promised.  Boy was I wrong and boy was I glad I was wrong!  I wet my hair and evenly distributed the product as directed and noticed the cute little curlies start to form but didn't get excited because I see this all the time.  BUT I noticed as my hair got drier the curls and a lot of the length stayed. I got a teeny bit excited but figured I'd check my kinkies once I got to work just to see and the definition is still there!  Even as I write this, I still have definition which is why I even thought to do a product review.

So to my fellow tight curled natural sistahs, if you are looking for a product line to try I do recommend Miss Jessie's.  I suggest you get a sampler don't spend a lot of money on full sized items.  Actually the best thing to do is to go to your nearest natural hair salon and get a consultation.  What is a consultation?  This is when the stylist sits you in the chair and discusses your natural hair with you, advise on your type and try out a few products on your tresses.  Not your whole head, just a few strands here and there so YOU can see how your curls react.  These are normally free OR the stylist will have a charge which will go towards product purchase and/or a style.

Hope you try it out and enjoy!

Peace and blessings.....

Natural Hair...Braids....A new thing?

Hello World...

It's been a while since you've heard from this blogger.  The reason for today's blog is an article from MTV UK posted by the Grio that gave credit for corn row braids to Kim Kardashian, oh wait I mean "boxer braids".    As a kinky texture having individual that has worn braids all 43 (almost 44) years of my life, I am a little ticked off by this article because african americans have been getting flack about our kinky hair all of our existence.  Our African ancestors/elders led the way in the creativity of our kinky crowns and gave us the playbook on how to handle our tresses.

I have an unforgettable memory, as a little girl I asked my cousin Vickie to braid my hair like Peaches of  "Peaches and Herb" with the beads.  I think my mom was taking me to get pictures done at Sears or Montgomery Wards or somewhere like that so I had to be cute.  Well this was 1979(i was 7) and the movie "10" had come out and Bo Derek wears braids in the movie so the photographer says "oh you have your hair like Bo Derek?" I looked at him in shock and amazement and said "No! Like Peaches from Peaches and Herb!" he did a nervous laugh and continued on with his job.  I'm sure he had no idea who I was speaking of.

R&B duo "Peaches & Herb"

R&B artist "Patrice Rushen"

If you look at ALL of our colored, negro, black, african american entertainers, our everyday family and friends pictures, we rock locs, braids, afros and receive nothing but flack about it especially in corporate america and the military.  Our hair is called "nappy" which is as bad as the big "N-word" to me although some have embraced the word and made it an awesome description, I just cannot.   OH but let "someone else" wear the same style and the world goes bananas as if it's the next best thing since sliced bread.  And this didn't start just now, looking back at early movies created about the bible stories which happened in Africa (in real life) they use non-african actors/actresses, with kinky wigs and braid wigs, as the main characters with of course actors of african descent depicting the slave roles.  Yep they paint their faces brown/bronze and hire the ones born with kinky hair and brown skin to be... the help (pun intended).  I've never really dwelled on this because it's a part of a brown skinned person's life, to know that the world will forever try to knock our self-esteem down but this topic keeps coming back to me so I had to put my words to proverbial paper.  It's almost a tad bit comical watching and listening to other criticize us.  Why?  Because the reality is that we are "the shit" and they take our ideas, our looks and use it for their own and get their plastic surgeons to re-create it.  (as close as they can come to it anyway).    Oh but Halloween is THE day that our natural hair, curves and everything else is put out front, this time as a joke.  Yes some of our beloved non-black brothers and sisters find it hilarious to put on wigs, butt pads and other crazy looking accessories to pretend to be some sort of african american character.  So sad.

Elizabeth Taylor as the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra

Braid wig - Halloween Costume

Back to lecture at hand, I emailed MTV UK about the article expressing my disappointment and they responded.  Their response was even more disappointing and dismissive, I almost feel like they listed my points as a formality but verbally patted me on the head as if to say "There, there little black American person, we understand your point but these are "boxer braids" and they are made popular recently by these two caucasian ladies.  That's our opinion and deal with it.  Cheers."  My spirit man's facial expression...

Really?

Yes this email conversation really happened, check it out.  Page 1 is my initial comment at the bottom and MTV UK's response at the top.  Page 2 is my second statement, which apparently did not warrant a response.  Yes this was last month and every time I try to just Let it gooo (you sang that.. lol), something else comes to my attention about this same topic.   Go ahead and read it:

This topic probably does not bother any of the younger generations (and some of the older ones) but I've lived long enough to see and experience face-to-face discrimation.  Made fun of for being too black, hair too nappy, etc and then to see the same group of thought start to inject and tan themselves to mimic the things they once ridiculed...AND situations like this where they take our styles that, again, were publicly ridiculed and have the audacity to make it their own is hilariously sad.  Now, I'm sure there are some reading this that will say "Hey lady,  this is a UK news outlet printing this, they aren't aware of your US history."  My response to that is "WWW".  Do you know what that stands for? World Wide Web.  The internet allows us access to everything about everybody, the African history is a little different in how they were treated in the UK vs the US but no excuse because the information is there.

I've stopped believing that this mindset will ever change, I mean the mindset that sees those of African descent as second class citizens.  Why? Because hatred is taught and learned and the country's behavior towards our current President Obama and First Lady Michelle AND the current Presidential election shows front and center that racism is still alive and kicking.  Yes, the blog topic is about a hairstyle but the sentiment behind it goes much deeper....all the way back to our ancestors.

Let me make this perfectly clear....I don't care WHO wears the style everyone wears braids..but don't give credit where credit isn't due.  That's just wrong on so many levels.  It's like coming to an inhabited country and claiming it as your own....oh wait...that sounds familiar.

Keep living, keep moving forward and keep hope alive....

Peace and Love...
~Are you a female blogger? Are you a female working in the arts? Check out these two support organizations: Women With Gifts   SHECreatediT ~

This blogger can be reached at annissakaye@gmail.com.

Website:
The Grio - Boxer Braids
WikiPedia - Cornrows
WikiPedia - Peaches and Herb
WikiPedia - Bo Derek
WikiPedia - Patrice Rushen

GoGo Gadget Fro - Update

So I've used part of the Ovation treatment (http://www.ovationhair.com/) and it's easy enough.  The challenge is to keep up the the consistent treatment so that I can get the results I need.  I will definitely keep you updated.  I'm thinking of doing an image update as well.  Yes I think that'll do nicely.  Shouts out to all of the companies out there doing the research to keep us naturalistas healthy!

Make sure to be a part of the 15th Annual Taliah Waajid World Natural Hair Health and Beauty Show, this April 28th and 29th (http://www.naturalhairshow.org/).  You will connect with vendors of ALL areas and get a chance to enjoy an awesome fashion show and excellent entertainment.  See you there!

*peace and blessings*

I will not stand for...

I'm taking a bite from the apple of the "I will not stand for" commercial where the people sit down and have different issues printed on their t-shirts.  Well I will not stand for...
Natural Hair Ignorance!!!!!!

Ok, let me give you a little history.  Growing up during the time of you have to "good hair and be light skinned" to be automatically liked (or hated),all other hair textures and skin color had to prove themselves.  Crazy right? Well guess what, the skin color part is s-a-l-o-w-l-y tapering but the hair thing is front and center.  I remember, i fell into the trap of "i like light skinned dudes with good hair" for a short time but then i kept seeing these dark-skinned beautiful brothers and soon fell out of that but THEY were into light so that kinda dampened my self-esteem a tad.  However, the first time I saw one of my cousin's cousin...a beautiful dark skinned girl with long, coal black curly hair.  I was like ok, i'm good! And then I saw Whitney Houston with her brown skinny self on the front of 17 magazine (one of my faves) with a short natural looking 'do AND sanging (something else i did back then) and I was really "Good".  But I'd still get the "you look cute to be dark-skinned". WTF???? What the heck does that mean???? Ok ok ok ok sorry I need to digress...

Ok back on topic, even today in 2012 I was in a group conversation and this lady was saying she was natural and said that she loved my hair (i'd just taken it down from a two-strand and had a scarf wrapped around it).  So one lady says "oh you got that good hair".  Those words are like finger nails on a chalk board to me!! What in the heck is "good hair" except the fact that you have hair on your head...well good!  The reason this statement was said is that she'd had her hair pressed and it was straight, beautiful length and i have other natural friends that do the same thing and i admit it's beautiful and stuff but with my 4b/4c (kinky/curly) stuff, once the elements hit it i'd have something like half straight/half curly..nah, I'll just stick with curly. LOL!  So anyway, the lady continued to talk and say well everybody can't wear that natural, we need it straight.  I got those beady beads so I can't do it like you and annissa.  I said well I have the type of hair that is referred to as how did you just describe it "beady beads" and it's no problem.  It's all in the product.  I will no longer stand for natural hair ignorance!  It's too many real salons available now that can give you a professional consultation without you still acting like you are a part of the salon scene in Spike Lee's "School Daze". Ugh!

Which brings me to my next soap box..  Products

I will not stand for all of these products that do NOT work and you know they don't work.  But you shady manufacturers are trying to ride the naturalista wave and you know a few somebodies will buy it just to see if it works on their hair.  Or how about this...if it's meant for only a certain type (see the hair type list goes from 2-4; 4 being the kinky curly) then say that!  Don't have ppl wasting money!!!  Nobody wants a bathroom full of shit that doesn't work! Period!  One website I will promote is curlynikki.com! They have reviews from real people on different products that let you know right off the top if the product does what it claims it will do.  Thanks Curly Nikki!!

I give a standing ovation to the PR person that setup the "I will not stand for" commercials because it allows one to vent about so many topics!!  Thank you and have fun spending that bonus! You deserve it!

Everyone one have a great weekend!  *peace and blessings*

Go-Go Gadget Fro!

 Good merning, good merning, good merning...govern yourselves accordingly! (in the words/voice of Sis Bernice Jenkins)
(if you're not familiar, you need to check out ricky smiley on youtube)

So I grew up in the 70s during a time when having long straight, thick hair was the thing to have on your head and in that same spirit every Saturday night, my granny would wash my, then, thick hair and press it.  Now if anybody got their hair pressed, you heard the sizzle in your mind and you flinched as soon as I said that..i know you did.  I have a permanent mark on my right ear where my granny was trying to "get my edges".  So at the age of 6, my mom decided to put a "Kiddie Kit" on my hair.  That name rang a bell didn't it? I know it did.  My granny was pissed! She immediately washed my hair with egg to strip the relaxer.  yes that actually works, it's the raw protein of the egg, it stripped that relaxer right out and she went back to pressing it. LOL!!  So anyway eventually i ended up with a relaxer and that started the hair breakage.  I have this one spot that's normally called a "stress spot" in the middle in the back of my head that grows to a certain length and breaks no matter what the rest of my hair is doing. 

I found out by watching my older relatives that at a certain age, our DNA structure activates this thinning thing that happens in the front and the top of our heads. Our=females.  I made my decision to go natural back in 1997(ish) and had the last piece of relaxed strand clipped out of my head in 2000 and have been natural ever since.  I have and still will wear braids, either hidden braids which is a braid style that uses hair extenions and the extensions and the natural hair is braided in a corn row style leaving the natural hair totally braided and available for conditioning and only the extension or weave hair is styled.  This style was created by Alice Burnom of Houston Texas-Certified Cosmetology Instructor at San Jacinto College/Master Stylist/Owner of Ebony Persuasions- http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlsalons/view/3672/ebony-persuasion-houston-texas-united-states and also I've worn the Tree Braids which are similar to Hidden Braids.  I discovered the Tree Braids when I moved to Atlanta in 2004. 

So my hair is o-kay right now.  I wear my fro, i've figured out how to do my own two-strand twists and coils.  I have had a professional consultation and for the most part I know what products to use to make my combo 4b/4c kinky hair look its best. (shout out to Miss Jessies's Baby Buttercreme, Jane Carter's Daily spray leave-in conditioner and Design Essentials's Daily Lotion and Creme Gel).  But here is where my hair and I differ, I love color (i'm red right now) and my hair follicles do not like it. *sigh* so, it will grow and then break and then grow.

All of this to say that after hearing constant commercials for Ovations Hair Treatment and after speaking with someone that actually uses it and seeing her beautiful hair, I have finally ordered the treatment system.  It's on the way and you can check out the information http://www.ovationshair.com/ and read the specifics but I'm hopeful that this will give me the extra oomph that I need in my head to encourage my strands to move beyond the length they are used to growing.  So going forward from this day, along with all of the other topics that pop in my head, I am going to take you on my fro growing journey.  Hence my title "Go-Go Gadget Fro".  For my 70s babies we had a cartoon called "Inspector Gadget" and that was his code word for either his mechanical arms or legs or his other mechanical devices to activate. 

So Ovations Hair Treatment...let's see what we can do.

*Peace and Blessings*