Monday, June 13, 2011
Soft Rock and Polyvore Love
I have just recently discovered polyvore.com via my little sister, Sarah, who has a clothes designing obsession. Anyway, for those of you who don't know Polyvore is a website where you can mix and match clothes or create pop art or interior design pieces using real outfits or products or pictures from various stores.
Although I don't have a third of the money that it would take to actually buy these clothes, I love making up outfits I like which is pretty cool for me since my old style consisted of jeans and a graphic tee. Now that I'm older I'm actually interested in clothes, and as you can see (and you will see more from more Polyvore posts), I have a thing for flowers, pearls, bohemian style, and girly vs. rock pieces.
This is my first outfit creation! If you like mine (or hate it, whatever) feel free to comment and you can make you own Polyvore page for free if you just click on the link in the first paragraph. Enjoy! :)
Although I don't have a third of the money that it would take to actually buy these clothes, I love making up outfits I like which is pretty cool for me since my old style consisted of jeans and a graphic tee. Now that I'm older I'm actually interested in clothes, and as you can see (and you will see more from more Polyvore posts), I have a thing for flowers, pearls, bohemian style, and girly vs. rock pieces.
This is my first outfit creation! If you like mine (or hate it, whatever) feel free to comment and you can make you own Polyvore page for free if you just click on the link in the first paragraph. Enjoy! :)
Minor Annoyances
It's not a secret to anyone who knows me that I'm in an interracial relationship, and I have been for almost 3 years now. The relationship in itself has caused some minor problems and tensions between me and other people that don't seem to agree with our decision since my boyfriend is white and I'm black. Petty? Yes. Stupid? Even more so. But I've moved past that and let their problems be just that. Their problems.
But since I've been natural another annoying problem has popped up between certain people and I. And this problem usually starts off with THE QUESTION.
THE QUESTION usually is something along the lines of "How does your boyfriend feel about your hair?"
Seemingly innocent, this loaded question irks me like no other. Why? Because it's a double edged sword. There is no right answer for these people.
If I say 'No, it's not his favorite', then the response is something like: "Huh. I wouldn't expect him to understand our hair anyway."
And if I say 'Yes' (which is the real answer since he loves my natural hair), then the immediate response is about how he has some kind of slave/slave master complex. And somehow by approving of my natural hair he wants to keep me (and I quote!) "lookin' like a slave" so he can feel dominant over me.
This kind of statement is offensive to me on all levels. First of all you're attacking someone I care about and who has done nothing wrong other than actually appreciate the difference between African and European hair. He does not have some kind of slave master complex and its weird and disgusting for anyone to even suggest that that is the reason he is interested in me. As if a white man couldn't possibly be interested in a black woman if she didn't have straight hair or weave. Really?
The hidden layer of attack in such a statement is that the person is saying that natural hair and slave hair are the same. I do not agree. Slaves did not have the proper products, tools, or knowledge of techniques to keep their hair looking as good as I do. Yes, they still did braids and such, but the fact that some people still believe natural hair and slave hair are one in the same is offensive to all of us who have worked so hard to keep our hair looking decent despite the stigmas. And it also is very telling of how some black people view the hair that God blessed them with. It is not slavish, nappy, dreadful, or 'bad' hair. It is beautiful, unique, and fierce.
Anyway, that's my rant of the day. All I have to say is that while some people continue to scoff at interracial relationships and natural hair alike, they are both a huge part of me and I wouldn't change a thing.
In the wise words of Willow Smith. I just gotta turn my back, whip my hair, and just shake em off . :)
Stay Beautiful Curlies!
Miracle Worker!
I've finally mastered my frizzy hair! And the solution was right there in my face (or rather on my shelf) the entire time. I'd forgotten all about my Hawaiian Silky 14-n-1 Miracle Worker which is kind of sad. Am I really such a product junkie that I forget what products I already have? The answer is yes, and for that very reason I vow not to buy another hair product just because it's new and everybody else says its great. I have my staples and I intend to stick with them!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Heat vs. Hair
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It's summer time! Which means intense heat on your precious locks. I know the South Carolina heat is heinous and it's humid. So my hair gets frizzy and dry and very crazy looking. So here are some tips I've picked up on how to care for my hair when the heat is unbearable.
1.Limit your use of heat styling tools.
I personally haven't had a flat iron in my hair for a real long while, but I know some curlies love having the straight look every now and then. But in the summer, it is especially important to limit the heat on your fragile curls. After all, the sun will do enough damage. Heat on top of heat will do more harm than good since it dries hair out.
2. Stay hydrated! Inside and out.
It's important to keep your hair as well as yourself hydrated during the summer. Be sure to drink plenty of water and keep that hair hydrated with cold co washes for conditioning as well as a good leave in conditioner!
3. Protect your hair!
You can do this by wearing hats to keep the sun from heating your hair directly. What also might help would be to invest in a good leave in conditioner that helps protect your hair against heat damage and humidity.
4. Do More Co-washes!
It's no secret that some shampoos dry out your hair. So in the summertime another helpful tip would be to do less shampoo washes and more co-washes. Co-washes will not leave your hair feeling stripped like shampoo would and your hair will thank you for the extra boost of moisture. :)
That's all the tips I have for you curlies! Are there any other healthy summer hair tips you use? Fell free to let me know!
Also, Curly Nikki wrote something interesting about hair sealants as well as how where you live affects what kind of heat your hair has to fight against, whether it is dry heat or humidity, and she also explained how different types of heat call for different types of hair products. I'm not going to be as good at explaining it as she is, but you can check it out for yourself here.
Stay Beautiful Curlies :)
UGH!!!!
My hair HATES me! It felt awesome the last two days i had Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie in. But then i shampooed and deep conditioned my hair and now its kind of a frizzy, undefined mess. What happened???? I have no idea. But I'll be sure to post an update once I find out how to fix it! :)
Get it Together!
So I'm at work and the infamous nurse comes in and AGAIN she acts surprised to see my natural hair and AGAIN she asks "What is that?"
I can't believe this woman could honestly be that rude or that forgetful as if we haven't had this conversation already!
But I didn' even worry about her because the people who love my hair far outweigh the people who hate it. And more importantly I love my hair and that's all that matters.
But this whole re-lived conversation really made me wonder: Why can't some people just get it together?
I have yet to receive a negative comment about my hair from any other race than my own. It's as if loving the natural hair God blessed me with is something negative. I'm not a Hair Nazi or anything. I don't think women with perms or weaves are evil or anything because I've had both before. I just feel as if a person's hair is an extension of their own personal style. And just like I would never go up to a person and say: "What in the world are you wearing?" I would also never go up to someone and say: "Why in the world are you wearing your hair like that?"
It's Their Style, Their Hair, Their Business.
So why can't some people get it together and realize that?
I can't believe this woman could honestly be that rude or that forgetful as if we haven't had this conversation already!
But I didn' even worry about her because the people who love my hair far outweigh the people who hate it. And more importantly I love my hair and that's all that matters.
But this whole re-lived conversation really made me wonder: Why can't some people just get it together?
I have yet to receive a negative comment about my hair from any other race than my own. It's as if loving the natural hair God blessed me with is something negative. I'm not a Hair Nazi or anything. I don't think women with perms or weaves are evil or anything because I've had both before. I just feel as if a person's hair is an extension of their own personal style. And just like I would never go up to a person and say: "What in the world are you wearing?" I would also never go up to someone and say: "Why in the world are you wearing your hair like that?"
It's Their Style, Their Hair, Their Business.
So why can't some people get it together and realize that?
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