STYLE CARDS BY CHARYJAY

 

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Ever saw a cute style that wasn't on YouTube and wanted to know how to do it??  Well YT Naturalite CharyJay has something for you!  It's called a Style Card.  For only $5 she will customize a style released on her Style Card specifically for you.  All you have to do is let her know your hair length and hair type.   Why not try a new style for the holidays ;) You can order yours from her store here. 

 

Happy Styling!!

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM....

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Brace yourself PJs - Look what I've found!!!  I've been plotting on this for a minute.  It's a monthly goodie bag of natural hair products!!!! 

I've found 2 that are the most popular and taking social networks by storm, CurlBOX and CurlKit. 

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CurlBOX is a monthly subscription service ($20) that caters to women with natural curly/afro textured hair by sending them 5-7 samples of hair products. They also include a mini magazine featuring your favorite Natural hair bloggers and vloggers.

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CurlKit sends out a selection of 6-9 samples of everything from pomades and conditioners to natural hair tools, from well-known brands as well as emerging gems.  It is also $20/month.

 

Now.  The difference is not only the products themselves, but how you must subscribe.  CurlBOX has a list that is like super duper hard to get on.  You have to be at your computer practically about to press the button as soon as the list opens.  I mean I've seen them tweet about the subscriptions being sold out in less than 5 minutes!!  I ain't got that kind of patience or energy *shrug*  Meanwhile you can get a CurlKit anytime.  No muss, no fuss.

*INSERT DISCLAIMER {cue Silkk the Shocker & Mystikal} IT AIN'T MY FAULT* 

 

Seriously though, what's NOT to love about this??? BUT do you see the pic above?? It's definitely representative of underneath my bathroom sink. And to think I am considering adding more???  I can already see this becoming a problem for the kid.  I mean SERIOUS problem. *hides face in shame*

So what say you good people?  Are we in??

APHOGEE 2-STEP PROTEIN TREATMENT

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*Peeks head in*  HEY GUYS!!!  Let me just say, I'm glad grad school is over for the semester, I can commence my blogging routine again.  It'll be like I never left.  So let's get this party started :)

I started these last few months of 2012 really wanting to retain my length.  I decided to take better care of my ends, moisturize and moisturize some more, be more gentle when manipulating my hair - all that jazz.  Now, it's been a few months and I decided to do a protein treatment, more out of curiousity than anything else. 

Of course, I had to do some research because A. I didn't want to spend a ton of money and B. I've never done one on my own head before, so I needed to know what other Naturalites were using. 

I found this vid on YouTube and gave it a go.

I did sit up under the dryer for about 30 minutes and I didn't use a comb to rake the product through, I did it with my fingers.  After it dried, it was exactly as she described.  My hair felt like...well remember "Crunchies" aka waves that hadn't been lifted up after they were dried??  EXACTLY like that.  I was so paranoid my hair was going to just break right off if I touched it.  I mean I was a nervous WRECK!!  This is when I was most grateful for my shrinkage. I didn't have to worry about snagging like she did *YAY*  Like when does that ever happen??  

Overall, I was happy with my hair after the treatment.  I think the way my hair felt after Step 2 and my DC sealed it for me.  My hair was super soft, more manageable, and I didn't have any more hair in my hands than normal after I finger detangled.  (I was too nervous to use my denman.) 

So if you're hair is damaged or you're just looking to give it that extra boost of strength, give this a try!  Let us know how it works!

HEALTHYSEXYHAIR

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I am completely in LOVE!!!  This hair line is a hidden gem.  There aren't many hair lines I love, but this one I swear by.  I stumbled upon it a very long time ago and have been hooked. 

I particularly love the HealthySexyHair Soy Milk Conditioner. 

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Besides the fact it smells divine, it leaves my hair feeling uber soft, moisturized, and very manageable.  It's just the right consistency for me.  It isn't super heavy or runny and works great as DC as well (mixed with Honey of course).

And this right here:

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Love in a bottle.  The best leave-in conditioner I've tried to date. It doesn't leave my hair feeling greasy like some leave-ins and once again leaves my hair very soft and manageable.  When my hair dries it doesn't feel like a brillo pad either - I think that has helped with my length retention.

I will say, it's very difficult to find.  I buy mine at Ulta (with a coupon of course) and sometimes I make a come up at Marshall's or TJ Maxx (these store have all the goodies).  But other than that...your best bet would be online.


So ladies...give it a try.  Let us know what you think. 

**EVENT NOTICE** THE TWIST ~ A NATURAL HAIR AFFAIR

Hey guys!! Got this invite and wanted to share:

 The Twist ~ A Natural Hair Affair

hosted by Twisted Textures Natural Hair Studio and Prime Gentelman's Barbershop

This year we will be celebrating Natural Hair Harlem Renaissance style.  We will be going back our "roots" honoring icons from that era who set the stage for creative and intellectual expression of African Americans through music, poetry, dance, literature, and comedy.

Come on out and enjoy some of Cleveland's greatest talents for a unique and unparalled artistic experience.

Friday, November 16, 2012 at The House of Blues

7:30pm til Midnight

Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door.

Check out more details on Facebook (The Twist - Cleveland's Premiere Natural Hair Affair).

I'll be attending, so see you there!!

AND 2 MORE BITE THE DUST!!

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There has to be something in the air and I am loving it. Two of my friends are starting their journey to Naturalville and I couldn't be more excited for them!! I got to thinking about what it took for me to make this decision. I pretty much saw a magazine and decided that was it. I wanted that hair so I made the transition.

Although it was relatively easy for me, I know making such a choice is not always easy for some. There's always those flickers of doubt and fear, but hey they didn't build the Pyramids in day and so it is with Natural hair. It is truly a process. I've enjoyed my process thus far and there is no turning back for me. However, it can be done! Look around you!! There are plenty of gorgeous manes walking around this planet and just like they took the plunge so can you.

Keep these points in mind and you are on your way:

** BE PATIENT ** You are NOT going to know everything about your hair in one co-wash. It takes time getting reacquainted with your hair.


** TRIAL AND ERROR ** There's no one right way to reach your destination so you might as well get used to this. Some stuff you used to do just will not work anymore. Be flexible. That's the beauty of your journey, you get to experiment with different styles, products (just don't become a junkie!), and accessories. What's not to love about that!

** BE CONFIDENT ** You've got to OWN it. Whatever you choose - BC, protective/transitional styles, or a press you've got to be totally confident in rocking your 'do!

** YOUTUBE IS YOUR FRIEND ** I wish I had known about using YT earlier. It has helped me TREMENDOUSLY from looking for inspiration to rock a new style to actually learning how to flat twist my own hair. YT is amazing!!

You can do it!!  Happy journeying!

HAIR FOOD: KALE

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A friend of mine recently came back from overseas and stopped by for a short visit.  She went to a country where all they ate were meat and potatoes everyday.  Her diet is more on the vegetarian side of life, so when she came back she went into complete and utter veggie mode.  She loaded up on spinach and kale.  I was familiar with spinach, but not so much with kale.

So one day I stumbled upon Kale in the grocery store and decided to give it a try. Great idea!  Turns out, Kale is rich in vitamins, minerals and iron.  It also brings better blood flow to the scalp of your hair, which means that your hair will be more likely to grow longer faster and to have more strength.  Who doesn't want that??

Here's a Kale recipe to try:

Smothered Collard Greens and Cabbage - of course swapping the Collards for Kale

Enjoy!