Church lady hat? Check! Perfectly manicured brows? Check! Sequined outfit? Check! Freshly relaxed hair? Check! We have PRINCE, ladies!
Including blogs! But that’s another post…!
I was thumbing through a copy of Jet magazine the other day. Now, I hadn’t read an issue of Jet since Moses was a baby, but this particular edition had Prince on the cover in his finest church-lady hat, so I had to see the rest of the pics. BTW, that man has either had botox or they airbrushed the heck out of him. Can you say face like a baby’s bottom?
One of my first impressions was: Wow, they still have the “Jet Beauty” article. I don’t know what to say about that, but nothing good springs to mind. The only thing I can see that has changed about that is the model is sporting a lot more weave than I remember from my childhood. The bikini, sultry stare, and short blurb about her hobbies remain the same.
I read some other interesting articles, it was a fun diversion. Until, I came upon a hair article. It was entitled: “Summer Hair: Keep it Simple and Sharp”. From the DC based professional image, beauty and lifestyle consultant Celena Gill, comes some suggestions for “easy summer styles that will melt away your hair frustrations.”
I’m down with this advice at first. She praises braids, twists, buns, ponytails…and then comes the natural hair (which I’m assuming is being classified as a whole ‘nother entity).
From the article:
Natural hair encompasses so many different styles-afros, Bantu knots, dreadlocks-no matter the style, make sure that your hair is consistently conditioned. Natural hair tends to be drier than chemically relaxed hair and more prone to breakage. It needs to be moisturized on a regular basis to guarantee healthy hair.
Say what? More prone to breakage, you say? I think the hair that has been stripped of its outer layer (relaxed hair) is more prone to breakage, thank you very much. I don’t fight breakage near as much now that I am natural. That was the most ridiculous statement I saw in that paragraph.
The next one was the assumption that only natural hair needs to be moisturized on a regular basis. There was no mention of this for relaxed hair. She does specifically mention relaxed hair, but it’s in regard to the ponytail:
If you have chemically relaxed hair (provided you have a relatively fresh touch-up) or a finer texture of hair, you can pull your hair into a loose chignon or ponytail.
I guess I’m a rebel…me and my twists/braids that frequently go into a ponytail. And you gotta be freshly relaxed to do this? Is that really what that says?
I guess I’m just mad because I know some of you ladies out there who are considering going natural will read stuff like this in a magazine about how much more natural hair breaks and how it’s so very dry. She makes it sound like it’s some sort of chore to embrace your natural texture. I don’t deny that my hair is naturally dry, but it was just as dry when I was relaxed.
I’m sure she has a heck of a lot more beauty and hair related credentials than I do (all I have in a nursing degree), but I still gotta disagree.
Her overall tone was not negative when she got to the part about being natural, but it didn’t leave me with a good feeling either. I will end this on a good note: At least she recommended conditioning!
I’d seen this book for a long time, but never ordered it. I’m trying to build my “Nappy” library and this seemed like a good addition. I’m starting to shy away from “how to” books, however, and this will probably be the last one I read for awhile.
I’m trying to concentrate more on the social and historical aspects of natural hair, so you can expect book reviews on such books later.
Anyhoo, this is a good book for beginners. As I was skimming through it, I kept thinking: “Dang, this author has got to be on the hair boards a lot”.
After I ran across references to Nappturality as well as a foreword from “Deecoily”, the founder of Nappturality, I realized I was right. Highlights of this book include: Pictures of styles, rudimentary guide on how to do said styles, basic concepts such as “no poo”, breaking down ingredients, starting and caring for locs, the “big chop”, and a wearing weaves.
The book is a quick read and small/thin enough to fit in a medium sized purse. The pictures are plentiful, but in black and white (except the cover).
Honestly, you can get probably 99 percent of the information in this book online for free somewhere. However, if you want it nicely compressed all into one place without searching, this book is the way to go.
This would be a great gift for someone who has no clue where to start when dealing with their natural hair. If you’ve got some rudimentary knowledge and have been engaged on the hair boards/blogs, I’d save my money.
The author has a website (not free) here.
For those of you building a natural hair care library, this might be one you want to check out. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve seen some other people mention it online.
Has anyone read it yet? I would love to know what you ladies think about it.
Here’s yet another great childrens’ book with positive characters who sport kinky curly hair. My son and I have this book in our rotation. Not only does it have a cute little girl with natural hair, but it also explains a very vital part of most people’s lives: budgets. The little girl in the story is shopping with her mother. The girl is, like most children, entranced by every toy and colorful cereal she sees in the store…in this case it’s dinosaur related items. The mother explains each time that these toys, balloons, and cereal are not on the list and instead purchases necessaties such as bread. In the end, the little girl gets a one dollar item that they can afford.
The book is very well suited for toddlers. It’s also a board book which, for me, is a big plus with the 3 and younger crowd. With its simple, rhyming sentences, this book is quite a treat and full of colorful, eyecatching images.
Authors: Ayana D. Byrd & Lori L. Tharps
To put it simply, this book is the bomb. If me saying that is enough for you, go out and buy the book. If not, keep a’readin.
Hair Story has really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I think most of us naturals go out and try to get their hands on as many books about natural hair care as we can. There are plenty of books out there about hair care, all different and helpful in their own ways (and some not so helpful).
This book is on a whole ‘nother level. In its pages, you will find no information on how to do twists or braids, or how to moisturize…but you will find out more about black hair then you ever thought. I was floored, amused, surprised, and enchanted by some of the information I read in this book. If you were already doubtful of relaxing ever again, this book will give you major pause.
The first bit of the book explains the importance of hair in Africa, and moves on to slave trade and the rise of self hatred of black hair. I know a lot of you are saying, “Yeah, yeah, I know all about how slavery made us hate our hair, Tell me a new one” but it is actually a very small part of it. The remainder shows the evolution of African American hair as the country itself evolves into what it is now.
Some things covered in the book:
- The first black woman to become successful selling product for black hair (NOT Madame CJ Walker)
- The part played by the media (tv, magazines) in black hair
- A very in depth, informative chapter about the “ethnic” haircare business
- Runs the gambit of popular black styles, including where they originated and how they faded away
- Discrimination of black hair styles and the political importance that hair played during our nation’s history
I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to ruin it , but it’s full of juicy tidbits. I encourage everyone to read this book. When I read it over a year ago, it gave me a whole new meaning to being natural and made me take a step back and really take a good long look at how we view our hair.
It’s definitly a welcome addition to any Natural Hair library.
I’ve also discovered that one of the co-writers Ayana D Byrd has a great blog: My American Meltingpot
This is a wonderful children’s book that I found and read at work. The illustrations are so cute and there is beautiful natural hair, both on the main character (the toddler) and others (mom and dad). I am going to be purchasing this to read for my son. It’s a board book and perfect for those toddlers/babies that like a fast paced book.
The premise of the story is the toddler getting into all sorts of typical toddler situations and the parent admonishing with lines such as “Go back to bed, baby, please, baby, please”. You may find your child chanting along with that line, as it is a constant on each page.
It’s a book written by Spike Lee and, his wife,Tonya Lee Lewis. They also wrote another book called “Please Puppy Please”. I’ve not read this book yet, but it’s about the adventures two young children have with their new pet puppy. Again, there’s a lot of “Please Puppy Please” on each page as the pup gets into silly situations.
The cover looks adorable!
