1Blessed Natural Mag

1BlessedNatural: Why You Don't Need a Comb and Brush to Style Natural Hair Happy Sunday, my blessed naturals!  I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. I know a few of you asked about whether I used tools to style my hair everyday. The answer is no; I use my hands to style my natural hair on a daily basis. Sometimes I will use the end of a rat tail comb for parting only. Because I keep my hair stretched by banding it, it's easier for me to get a neater look without using a comb or brush. The fact that I do a lot of puff styles also helps. I'm a firm believer that you can do most natural hairstyles without combing or brushing your hair. Ella Joyce also talked about this during my interview with her. I only use a comb or Gabriela brush (similar to Denman Brush) when I need to detangle my hair after a wash which is every 1-2 weeks. During those times, my hair is wet with water or product to avoid unnecessary breakage. Many naturals also let go of t...

Mursi woman (photo courtesy of Flickr- "Rod Waddington" under the Creative Commons License )  The young woman's hairstyle appears to be in small locs. The sides of her head are shaven. The Mursi people are known to have little or no hair on their heads. They often wear decorative headdresses. Similiarly, African-Americans often wear headbands , accessories, and locs . The woman in the photo above is from the Mursi Tribe in Ethiopia. The Mursi people are known for their practices including lip and ear stretching. Both practices are also practiced by African-Americans and other people around the world, but the Mursi people seem to draw the most attention because of the size of their piercings. In the Mursi tribe, lip stretchings are done for beauty. It also indicates a rite of passage from girl to womanhood. Around ages 15 or 16 (before marriage), the girl's lip is pierced by her mother. The piercing is held open by a wooden peg until it heals. Afterwards...

"Update on Seborrheic Dermatitis: Derma-Smoothe/FS" *Correction 7/23/2014- The product that I tried was Fluocinolone Acetonide Topical Oil which is the g eneric version of Derma-Smoothe F/S. Happy Wednesday, my blessed naturals! Back in December of last year, I made you all aware that I was battling Seborrheic Dermatitis . Seborrheic Dermatitis is a chronic scalp condition where your scalp produces a large amount of natural oil (sebum). As a result, big wax-like flakes or dandruff form. It can cause your scalp to be red and itchy. I've tried several natural remedies including Tea-Tree Oil, Tea-Tree Oil shampoos, oils, and regular honey. My doctor prescribed Derma-Smooth/FS Fluocinolone Acetonide Topical Oil along with a shampoo and foam. This weekend, I finally got a chance to try the Derma-Smooth/FS Scalp Oil Fluocinolone Acetonide Topical Oil . I applied a thin layer to my scalp, and then put on a plastic cap. I left the oil on my scalp for a littl...

Mixture of 2 Natural Hairstyles: Linked Cornrows with Formal Puff Updo Happy Monday, my blessed naturals! I hope you all had a great weekend. If you are on my Facebook or Instagram pages, then you know that yesterday was my wash day. After washing my hair, I was trying to think of a new style to do. I ended up doing a mixture of the linked cornrows in the front with the puff formal updo in the back of my head. I do not like taking cornrows out, especially in front of my head because they can easily pull it out. They also take some time to remove, so I two-strand twist the section of hair when I get to my edges. I used a black satin scrunchie (as decoration) for the twisted puff in the back. This style was done on twist-out hair. Check out the pictures and video tutorial below! Top: Linked Cornrows with Formal Puff Up-do natural hairstyle right side: Linked Cornrows with Formal Puff Up-do natural hairstyle left side: Linked Cornrows with Formal Puff Up-...

Himba woman and her child (photo courtesy of Flickr- " David Siu " under the CC by 2.0 ) In northern Namibia (Africa), there exists a group of semi-nomadic people with red hair and skin called the Himba people. The Himba people's beautiful hue and unique way of life have caused them to gain global attention. I've also noticed a few ways in which their culture is similar to American culture.  The orange red color of the Himba women's hair and skin is due to a paste called otjize in which they apply to themselves daily. Otjize is comprised of red ochre, butter, and fat. Sometimes, scented herbs are added to the mixture to give it a pleasant scent. The otjize paste gives the Himba woman's hair the appearance of clay tendrils. Approximately 2 inches of loose, straight textured hair is left without the otjize. Researchers have stated that the Himba women use the paste for sun and bug bite protection. They also use it to protect their skin from the dry...

pic taken: April 2014- "Love Your Kinks, Curls, and Waves" The natural hair community has been buzzing about issues like curl discrimination and curl envy. Curl discrimination is when a person's natural hair experience is disapproved or rejected because they're curl pattern is looser. The misconception is that they don't struggle with their hair as much as a person with a tighter kink or curl. Curl envy is when another person wants the curl pattern that someone else has naturally. The most important thing to remember about being natural is the love for what God has given you. When you love what sprouts from your own roots wholeheartedly, the other nonsense will cease. Focus on finding products and techniques that work for YOUR hair. Find those things that bring out the best in your strands. Celebrate your natural hair journey and the journey of others. Support other naturals and continue on your journey! What do you love about YOUR NATURAL HAIR? R...

Two-Strand Twist, Tuck and Pin with Puff Style Happy Tuesday, my blessed naturals, I hope you all are having a great evening. Lately, it seems like there is so much going on in the world. I send my prayers of comfort, healing, and peace for you all. ' Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.' - John 14:27 Last night, I did a hairstyle that was similar to the Two-Strand Knot TWA Style . I created flat twists in my bang area and sides. Then, I twisted, pinned (with hair pins), and tucked them underneath each other to create a design. The back portion was put into a puff.  The hairstyle took about 20-30 minutes. Next time, I will probably do it in less time, because I was making up the style as I went along. So, it's a relatively quick natural hairstyle. Two-Strand Twist, Tuck and Pin with Puff Style: right side Two-Strand Twist, T...

Hey, my blessed naturals, Today (in my world) was Messy Puff Day, lol. Last night, I did two-strand twist, pin curls for a pin curl out, but I didn't like the way my hair looked this morning. So, I quickly put my hair up into a messy puff. I liked it though! lol. What natural hairstyle did you wear today?   Related Articles: Natural Hair Puff with Gel                              Natural Hair Puff with Hair Tie                              Natural Hair Puff with Turquoise Flower                              After Heat Damage: Two Strand Twist, Pin...

Hey, my blessed naturals, If you read my last article , then you know I removed my braids. My hair was much thicker than a month ago when I first installed the braids. Also, I did not suffer any damage to my edges because I didn't braid my hair tight. Thank God, lol. Before my braids, I thought about doing a flat twist-out. So, I decided to do one while trying the Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner . I parted my hair down the middle and then created about seven chunky flat twists. The ends were rolled up underneath the twists and pinned. I kept them in overnight and removed them in the morning. When was the last time you did a twist-out? Related Articles: Protective Styling: Flat Twist Updo                             Sunday Hair: Flat Twist Bang with Puff           ...

1BlessedNatural: Review of Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner on Natural Hair Happy Sunday, my blessed naturals! Last week, I removed my braids . My bottle of Curls Unleashed Leave-In Conditioner is almost empty, so I decided to try the Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner. I tried it on wet and dry hair... Product: Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner (10 fl oz) Place: Beauty Is Me Beauty Supply , Target, Amazon, Walgreens Price: $14.00 and up. The product was $14.99 at the Beauty Is Me Beauty Supply. That is the least expensive price I've seen so far for the product. Claims: " finally, a curl defining formula designed for 'us.' whether you're black, white, asian, latin, mediterranean or any glorious combination of the above, you'll love the way this alcohol-free, non-sticky, lightweight product leaves your hair inviting to touch as it defines and locks moisture into every curl. be a proud part of our multiracial movement, show your curls and ...

MADDAfricanJewelry earrings Hey, my blessed naturals! Thank you to everyone who entered the MADDAfricanJewelry Giveaway! The winner of the giveaway is... Kirtina Roberts Congratulations!!! "Blessed" winner, you have 24-hours to contact me at 1BlessedNatural[at]gmail[dot]com with your current mailing address. If you do not contact me, another winner will be chosen. BIG THANKS to Sam Kawesa from the MADDAfricanJewelry Etsy Shop for sponsoring this giveaway. Please head over to her shop and check out her beautiful African jewelry! If you would like to sponsor my next giveaway, please send an email with "Sponsor Giveaway" in the subject line, to the email address above.  Related Articles: [CLOSED] The MADDAfricanJewelry Giveaway Get your 1BlessedNatural t-shirt!  

1BlessedNatural: 6 Useful Blogging Tips for Natural Hair Bloggers Hey, my blessed naturals! I received requests from other natural hair bloggers about improving and promoting their blogs, so I decided to share some useful tips that I've learned during my past 3 years of blogging.  1. Be Original- The natural hair community has grown tremendously over the last few years. There is a large amount of information all over the internet about natural hairstyles, products, and techniques. Much of that information is repeated. When creating content, try to think of new topics and ideas that do not fit the mold of a common topic. If you chose to discuss a common topic, create it in a new or unusual way. For example, think about how many blogs or YouTube videos you've seen about twist-outs... A LOT, right? The key to blogging about a common natural hair topic is to put your own spin on it. If I'm going to write an article about a twist-out, I may write about a two-stran...