1Blessed Natural Mag

  Thank you all for entering the E. Burgos Jewelry giveaway! Without further adieu, I would like to announce the winners: 1. Ann-Raye Whittiker 2. Cassandra Payton- Atchenson 3. Treva Flowers Laleña Janke * Since the neither winner has come forward to claim their prize, the beautiful bracelet will be included in my "End of the Summer" Giveaway! Congratulations!!! Blessed winners , you have 24 hours to send me your mailing address ( 1BlessedNatural@gmail.com ) . Otherwise, another winner will be picked! Thank you to everyone who participated! Also, thank you for my readers :-) Stay tuned because I will be doing more giveaways for the summer. God bless!

 T he night before last, I decided to add more flat twists to my Puff with Flat Twisted Swoop Bang style.  Because my edges were frizzy by the end of the day, I thought it would be a good idea to flat twist the sides  of my hair. I banded the back section in two ponytails. Yesterday, I took the bands off, and then put my hair in a puff.    What's your favorite hairstyle?

I don't know what happened to my flat twists with puff style. It's almost like my hair said, "The heck with this." LOL. It just started to not look right despite me trying to fix it. I rocked the style for about a week and a half. I redid the twist every two days. The puff was redone every day. Hmmm. Moving on!  Last night, I moisturized and sealed my hair. Afterwards, I flat twisted my bang area. Then, I two-strand  twisted the back section. I pinned the bang to the side using bobby pins. This morning, I did a puff and then added a hot pink comb for decoration. I replaced the bobby pins with the less noticeable hair pins. Have you ever had a style that just wouldn't look right regardless of what you did to it?

When I first saw the work of Serge K. Akwei, I was blown away. I had known Serge awhile, but I didn't know he was an artist. Serge K. Akwei -Artist Statement: I'm just really interested in portraying beauty in women who are not necessarily what you see in the mainstream. I like the unfinished look because it brings a certain energy to the Art. It's an exciting journey and I feel like I've only now begun." "Class" by Serge K. Akwei "Free" by Serge Akwei "Fro" by Serge K. Akwei "So Blue" by Serge K. Akwei "Foulah" by Serge K. Akwei Please visit Serge's website to view more of his work. You can also email him at serge @g.pl .  What is your favorite piece above?

T his week, I wore my hair in two flat twists in the front and a puff in the back. Although I love the style, I like to dress it up with accessories. A while back, I purchased a cute handmade rosette from  By Precious Henshaw Etsy shop; I wore it this week. I will be doing more posts on my favorite hair accessories. Stay tuned! Click here to visit my post on By Precious Henshaw bows You have 1 more day enter the E. Burgos Jewelry giveaway ! What are your favorite natural hair accessories?

T he last time we checked in with Ibtihaj , she had seen an amazing amount of hair growth after taking hair vitamins . It has been 3 months since her big chop.  Making progress, Ibtihaj! Check out the beginning of Ibtihaj's hair journey !                                           Don't forget to enter the E. Burgos Jewelry giveaway for your chance to win 1 of 3 charm bracelets! When was your last length check? How long was your hair?

Dockers pants and Converse blouse T he first time I went thrifting was the year after I graduated from college in 2007. I was working 2 part-time jobs and needed to save money. During that time, several thrift stores began opening up in the area, and one of them opened near my job. I walked into the store to find household items in the front with several racks of clothing in the back of the store. I quickly spotted the handbags that lined the walls. I found a black crocheted Old Navy bag for about $6.00, but I didn't buy any clothes. I was repelled by the seemingly endless racks of clothing that I would have to search through. "I'm good," I said to myself.  Now, I've decided to challenge myself by heading back to the thrift store. I know the challenge won't hurt my pockets either! This week I visited Unique Thrift Store, and I was ready to conquer the endless racks of clothing. Here are some tips for thrifting: 1. Take your time. Visit the...

O n June 6th and 8th, 2013 , Un-ruly.com held an exhibit called " You Can Touch My Hair ". The YCTMH interactive exhibit consisted of Black woman standing in a park. Each woman had a different hair texture including straight, curly, and loc'ed hair. The women held up white boards with black letters, spelling out the invitation, "YOU CAN TOUCH MY HAIR." Owner of Un'ruly, Antonia Opiah said, "It was a way of telling those who have stolen a touch or asked for one how it makes me and others like me feel—like an object put on display. But I also wanted to use it as an opportunity to further understand why someone might think that act or solicitation is okay and why black hair is such a novelty." Many have found the exhibition interesting, like one Twitter user: However, the YCTMH exhibit has also received backlash from people who felt like it was disrespectful: I believe the idea of YCTMH was a brave and interesting catalyst to a conv...

  This morning, I took my hair out of the chunky twist updo and put it into a puff. A few weeks ago, I found a pack of Hair Tie Headwraps by Style 35 Beauty at Walgreens for $3.99. I applied water and Eco Styler Olive Oil gel to my edges and created a puff using an (untied) hair tie. Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie was applied to my ends. I love puffs because they are quick and easy. They can get you out of a style dilemna. :-) What's your favorite quick natural hair style? *Don't forget to enter the E. Burgos Jewelry giveaway for your chance to be 1 of 3 Blessed winners who will win a charm bracelet!

I have finally taken out my all of my mini braids . They were taken out slowly, over the past 3 days. After applying a moisturizer, I removed 3 or 4 braids (at a time) and detangled the section. Then, I twisted it. I used a hair pin to unravel the ends of some of the tiny braids. I enjoyed my style challenge , but I do not see myself doing mini braids anymore, this year lol. When I was taking the braids out, I had to be very careful to keep my ends from knotting during the removal process. I also have to be careful when removing mini two-strand twists. I kept the mini braids in for a total of 10 days. God willing, I will be doing more posts on new twists styles I've been experimenting with. How long does it usually take for you to remove your protective style?   *Don't forget to enter the E. Burgos Jewelry giveaway for your chance to be 1 of 3 Blessed winners who win a charm bracelet!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am excited to announce another giveaway! This giveaway is sponsored by E. Burgos Jewelry ! We are giving away 3 charm braclets to 3 "blessed" winners! The winners will be announced on Saturday, June 29, 2013 . After you enter the contest, please leave a comment below indicating which bracelet you would like :-) a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm still holding onto my braids, lol! Yesterday, I took the hair pins out of my hair and put my braids in a banana clip. Because the bang and side braids were shorter, they fell to the side. I pulled out some of the braids to make the sides more even. I've been spraying my hair with water and Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil every morning and night. I apply Shea Moisture Curly Enhancing Smoothie a few times a week. How long (at a time) do you keep your protective styles?

Last month, I wrote an article called " Natural Girl with Flat Shoes". In the article, I talked about the need for supportive shoes. This weekend, I took a trip to the mall to find a good pair, and I must say that I dislike crowded malls! When I walked into one shoe store, I noticed that one of the saleswomen was rocking her natural hair. The women's hair was black and cut in a fade, almost. But, It wasn't sharp edged. Her skin was dark brown. The woman wore a black dress with a sort of white print on it. She had a very natural look. I thought that was too cool. I started to ask her to take a picture, but I didn't want to get her in trouble, lol. I also found shoes at the store that I liked :-) Yes! lol. Are there any stores or other places where you're starting to see more women rocking their natural hair?

Happy Sunday! The night before last, I did another updo. I grabbed sections of my hair and twisted them upward. Then I pin curled the sections and used hair pins to secure them. The few twists in the bang area were pinned to the side. I am already plotting on taking the braids out, and it's only been a week. I might do more mini twists . I like them better than mini braids.  I will keep you all updated!