1Blessed Natural Mag

1BlessedNatural's fro Happy Monday! This week, I took out my " Linked Cornrows with Puff " style and rocked a 'fro with a part in the front (see picture above) for a couple of days. Because my hair gets tangled easily, I do not wear my hair in an afro, often. Right now, my hair is overdue for a wash, and my scalp has been very dry because of the cooler weather. I've been applying Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tea Tree Oil to my scalp to combat the itching. My hair is still healthy and growing. Thank God! (smile) How is your natural hair coming along? Subscribe to 1BlessedNatural's YouTube Channel !   Related Articles:  Hair Update: Mini Twist, Protective Style                            Hair Update: Keeping It Healthy and Stretched                  ...

Yolanda Adams' fishtail braid (photo courtesy of the Yolanda Adams' Official Facebook Page) Happy Friday everyone! Yesterday, gospel singer and radio host, Yolanda Adams posted the photo above of her fishtail braid. She posted the following caption: Getting Ready for #Howsweetthesound camera read. Miss Adele fish-braided me. It's all mine!!  Adams also wears weaves and wigs. She is another example of how Black women can retain length and grow their hair. It's all about learning to care for it hair properly. Plus, I love her fishtail braid (smile).  Yolanda Adams (photo courtesy of Flickr- Aberdeen Proving Ground) What do you think of Yolanda Adams' hair? Enjoy your Friday!   Related Articles: 1BlessedNatural Spotlight: India. Arie's Twists                           1BlessedNatural Spotlight: Venus Williams                     ...

3 Eritrean women wearing the a traditional hairstyle ( photo courtesy of Flickr- Wonderlane ) Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed my article Aborigines and Melanesians: Naturally Blonde Hair and Dark Skin . I really enjoy researching other cultures along with their natural hair. If you've missed any of my previous cultural articles, you may find a link to them in the "Related Articles" section of the page. Today, I am continuing with my cultural natural hair series by focusing on some of the traditional hairstyles of the African country of Eritrea. Eritrea is a country that contains diverse ethnicities. The Eritrean traditional hairstyles are as diverse as their population. Many of their hairstyles consist of cornrows and braids. Much of African-American braid and cornrow hairstyles are influenced by the Eritreans. For example, African-Americans have a style that consists of small individual cornrows running into one big cornrow, similar to the photo below. ...

1940s : African mother with her child (photo courtesy of Flickr- John Atherton " gbaku " under the CC By-SA 2.0 ) Happy Wednesday my blessed naturals! The photo above is said to have been taken in the 1940s of an African mother and her child. The mother is rocking an African Threaded hairstyle. The African Threading method is used to stretch and style the hair by using thread. It is similar to the Banding Method , but banding involves the use of hair bands or ties. African Threading is a styling technique that has been used for ages. I don't know if I could get away with wearing the exact same style outside (lol) as the mom in the photo, but I think it looks beautiful on her! Have you tried African Threading? Related Articles: 1BlessedNatural Spotlight: Connected Thread, African Hair Puff Style                         Banded and Pinned Natural Hair   ...

my hair after removing mini twists. Happy Monday everyone! I know you probably read the title like "Mini Twist Tragedy?" lol. I installed my last set of mini twists, last Monday. I took them out yesterday and did the " Link Cornrows with Puff " style. I usually keep my twists in for two weeks, but lately I only like them when they are neat and freshly done. It's important to note that when you are natural, you may change up your haircare regimen multiple times. That is all a part of the process! Enjoy your day! What recent changes have you made to your natural haircare regimen?

Melanesia: Solomon Island girls (photo courtesy of the -cropped-Flickr- Australian Civil-Military Centre http://www.acmc.gov.au/ ) Naturally blonde hair is often associated with white or Caucasian people. However, there are groups of dark skin people who have naturally blonde hair also. Some of these groups include the Aboriginal Australians (Aborigines) and the Melanesians. I love this fact because it goes against the idea that one group or culture must look a certain way or stay in a certain category.  The Aborigines have dark skin. Some of them also have blonde hair which tends to be straight, but can be curly. Scientists first believed they were descendants of Eurasians. In 2011, scientists found evidence against the theory from a sample of natural hair. The sample of hair, which was said to be more than 100 years old, helped scientists determine that Aborigines were descendants of Africans. The New York Times confirmed this finding: "The Abo...

"The Blessed Birthday Girl gift tags in the Ruthie's Greeting s Etsy shop Happy Friday everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I've added new Natural Hair inspired cards and gift tags to my Etsy shop . Thank you to everyone who has supported Ruthie's Greetings :-) God Bless. The "Little Kids Outdoors" little girl with teddy (afro) card in the Ruthie's Greetings shop   The "Little Kids Outdoors" boy card (fade) in the Ruthie's Greetings shop What kind of greeting cards and/ gift tags would you like to see in the Ruthie's Greetings shop? Related Articles: (NEW) Afro Style Greeting Cards Coming Soon!                           New Natural Hair Greeting Cards Added

India Arie (photo courtesy of the India Arie official Facebook page) Singer/songwriter, India.Arie dropped her new album "SongVersation" on June 25, 2013. The album contains many songs, including the singles "Cocoa Butter" and "Just Do You." This weekend, India shot a video for "Just Do You", and she looked amazing! Tuesday, the songstress posted pictures on her Facebook page , in which she rocked two-strand twists styled by SaniyyahNaturally. side view of India Arie's two-strand twist style (photo courtesy of the India Arie official Facebook page) " #bts #Justdoyouvideoshoot braids by Saniyyah Naturally styled by Zara Hair ! XO! " I have seen Arie wear a lot of pretty head wraps this year; it was a nice change to see her sporting her natural hair. Her hair appeared to be styled in a mohawk with the sides shaved. Her twists were swooped around the side of her head and gathered into a bun. Her twists look a lit...

Lillie McCloud on X Factor (photo courtesy of FOX Broadcasting Company) Last week, 54-year-old Lillie McCloud (a.k.a Nicole J. McCloud) wowed X Factor judges when she sang "Alabaster Box" by CeCe Winans'. McCloud was first believed to have been an undiscovered talent but, she is an international recording star. Eurweb.com reported that McCloud has performed with musical greats like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Despite the controversy surrounding her beginnings, I think she sang beautifully. Some souls were saved that day, honey! The songstress was dressed in a tight, black, one-piece suit, and she wore her hair in a big beautiful afro. I know some people were wondering whether it was a wig, but I am not concerned whether it was a wig or not, lol. Also, McCloud was in great shape! I could only hope to look as great as she does at 54-years-old. Rock on, Mrs. McCloud!  Check her out below. Here is a video of McCloud in the 1980's  Wh...

  Hi everyone, I removed my twists the middle of last week, then I styled my hair in the " Linked Cornrows with Puff " style for about 4 days. Saturday, I installed more twists (see pic above). This fall, (God willing) I plan to continue to do more protective styling. I'm going to see how much length I can retain by December. We'll see! Banding (stretching) my hair for mini twists. What protective style(s) will you be wearing for the fall? Related Articles: Mini Two Strand Twists Photos and Video                         Current Trim Regimen: In Twists                         Mini Two Strand Twist and Wash 'N' Go                    ...

an orange, cranberry, and blueberry salad I made. Hi everyone! During my last " Back to Healthy Eating " challenge update, I made you all aware that I began drinking a lot of Green Tea and eating dried cranberries. Also, I've still been checking my meals to be sure I am not consuming a large amount of unhealthy food. I am happy to report I have lost some weight! I have not checked the scale, but my clothes are fitting me looser than they were a month ago. If you read Part 1 of my " Back to Healthy Eating " challenge series, then you know my main goal was to develop a healthy eating lifestyle. I wanted to have more energy and feel healthy overall, but I am happy about the weight loss. I haven't been checking the scale because I'd rather judge by the way I feel. (smile) Thank God for healthy eating! How are you doing with your "Back to Healthy Eating" challenge?

natural brothers (photo courtesy of Flickr- Rushay (RUSH) Booysen Happy Friday everyone! I rarely do posts on natural haired brothers. So, I just wanted to share this photo I saw on Flickr by Rushay (RUSH) Booysen. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Connected thread puffs African hair style (photo courtesy of Flickr- chadskeer s under CC by 2.0 ) I hope you all enjoyed my article, " Asian Hair Trend: Afro Perms ." I really enjoyed working on it. Today, I want to highlight the African hairstyle of connected thread puffs. I love the uniqueness of this style. Normally, afro puffs are not threaded or connected. They are usually created with individual hair or elastic bands. Would you rock this style?

Happy Wednesday everyone! You may have read my article " Two-Strand Twists Rod-Set " where I provided instructions on how to to do a rod set with your twists. Yesterday, I uploaded a video tutorial on the whole process. VD#7: How to Rod Set Your Two Strand Twists

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I am introducing a segment called "1BlessedNatural Myth Busters." I will be debunking common myths about natural hair. Myth #1: Baby Oil is good for my hair. 1BN: Baby Oil is not good for hair because it contains an ingredient called mineral oil. Although mineral oil is often used in hair and skin products, it is not a good thing to put in your hair. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines mineral oil as " an oil of mineral origin; especially : a refined petroleum oil used especially as a laxative." Mineral oil is also found in petroleum jelly. It is not a moisturizer. If you apply mineral oil to dry hair, your hair will look shiny but it will be dry underneath. If you apply the product to your hair, you cannot apply a moisturizer on top of it, because it will lock out the moisture. You will need to wash your hair before applying another product that will moisturize your hair. On the other hand, mineral oil locks in moi...

Asian afro perm (photo courtesy of www.afrohair.net) When we talk about the topic of natural hair, we often talk about African-Americans or Black people perming their hair to look more like Caucasian or straight hair. But, what about people of other races attempting to make their hair kinky or textured like that of African-Americans? Afro perms, along with other Black hairstyles have been a long time trend in Asia. Because Asian hair grows naturally straight, the afro perm gives the hair a textured look. The afro perm is not an actual relaxer or perm kit, it's the use of perm rods to make the hair curly. The beautypot.com says, " An afro perm is made by not straightening the hair. It is made by creating hair bonds that make the hair curl. The hair stylist makes the hair into a new shape, using perming rods or rollers, and allows the new shape to develop ." Preparation for afo: perm rods in Asian hair (photo courtesy of http://www.redefini...

Venus Williams' hair puff sporting a tank from her clothing line, "EleVen" (photo courtesy of Venus Williams official Facebook page) Tennis champion, entrepreneur, and history maker, Venus Williams has been a long time trendsetter of hair. When her and her sister, Serena Williams first appeared on our television screens in the 1990's, they were running up and down the court with their trendy beaded hairstyles. Both women have won several tennis championships and made history as the first African Americans to do so, in many categories. In 2011, pictures of Venus Williams rocking her natural hair, surfaced on the internet. Williams has kept her hair natural while switching between extensions, weave, and natural hairstyles. I love the fact that she has maintained her individuality throughout her career. Venus and Serena Williams on the court Venus and Serena Williams at the 2012 U.S. Open (photo courtesy of Flickr- Ian Gampon) This week, Venus Wil...