1Blessed Natural Mag

1BlessedNatural: "I Like My Natural Hair Most When..." Happy Tuesday, my blessed naturals, Many of you may know my sister " C " is now rocking her natural hair for the summer time. She is getting back into her routine of moisturizing and sealing her hair daily. Every day or every other day, she twists and pins up her hair for twist-outs the next day. Two days ago, she told me she really likes her natural hair the best when her curls are defined. If you are just starting your hair journey or really starting to enjoy your hair, I want to stress the importance of finding a natural hair regimen . It can really make a difference in your attitude towards the maintenance of your hair. C says things are much easier now that she knows how to handle her natural hair. She doesn't mind setting aside the time to care for it. 1BlessedNatural: C's hair twisted and pinned up   When do you like/love your natural hair the most? Related Articles: After ...

1BlessedNatural: Protective Style: Cornrows and Pin Curl Twist Updo Happy Monday, my blessed naturals! I hope you are all having a great start to your week. Yesterday, I took down my rubber band twist and cornrow updo style. Then, I did an ACV rinse, washed, deep conditioned, and detangled my hair before doing a similar style. My plan was to do the same style, but I forgot exactly how I did it, lol. Have you ever had one of those moments? I did the style late last night. It took about 4 1/2 hours. Today, the twists were pin curled using bobby pins. I love this style because my hair is up and out of the way. You gotta love protective styling! 1BlessedNatural: Here's how my hair looked after removing the style 1BlessedNatural: side view of cornrow and pin curl twist updo 1BlessedNatural: back of cornrow and pin curl twist updo What natural hairstyle are you rocking the week? Related Articles: Day 4: Rubber Band Twist and Cornrow Updo   ...

Hey, my blessed naturals, This week, I was horrified when I heard about the latest teen craze of the lip challenge that is being connected to 17 year old, TV personality and sister of Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner.  Young people of all different races have been posting videos on social media of themselves using shot glasses, bottles, and fire cups to plump their lips by suctioning them. The idea is they want fuller lips like Jenner. Although this new "challenge" has appeared, lip suctioning is nothing new . Lip suctioning cups are available on the beauty market. When I was kid and would tell my father about what "everybody" was doing, he would ask me the following question: If "everybody" jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? My answer was always no, but the sad thing is that many of today's teens and young adults would answer "yes" to that same question. We can add this lip suction challenge to last year's challenge wher...

Happy Wednesday, my blessed naturals! It can be a chore to take down natural hairstyles, especially protective styles. Today, I wanted to give you 3 tips that help me when it comes to taking down natural hairstyles:   1. Take your time. Be sure to set aside enough time to take down your hair. If you try taking out braids or twists quickly, you run the risk of experiencing knots and breakage. 2. Apply products.  If you're removing braids and twists, try applying an oil or cheap conditioner to them  to make them easier to remove. The conditioner can also improve the condition of your hair if it's dry. 3. Use tools.  Using hair tools to take down your style can make the process easier and faster. You can always just use your fingers (of course) if that is easier for you. Here are some tools for common natural hairstyles: 1. Two-strand twists- fingers, comb - Hold the end of your twist with one hand. Slide your index fing...

1BlessedNatural- C's twists Hey, my blessed naturals, Have you ever wondered what you should do to your natural hair after protective styling for a long period of time? Maybe you wore a wig for 1 year or braids off and on. Well, many of you know my sister "C" has been wearing wigs as protective styles for the past 6 months to give her hair a rest and chance to thicken up . Her main question for me was how should she care for it now that she's taken the wig off. The answer is to give it some TLC! Here's what we did to her hair: 1BlessedNatural: This is C's natural hair after it's been deep conditioned. Hair Treatment  1. Washed 2. Deep conditioned  3. Detangled Styling  Afterwards, her hair was parted in medium size sections and twisted. The following products were applied beforehand: 1. Aunt Jackie's "Knot On My Watch" detangler 2. Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion  3. 100% Coconut Oil   *Bonus...

Happy Monday, my blessed naturals, Since I' went natural, I do not use hair grease hardly ever on my hair. If you're like me, you may have jars of it left over from relaxing your hair in the past. What do you do with them? Well, I've come up with 3 alternative uses for hair grease. These uses are mainly for the petrolatum or petroleum-based and beeswax hair greases. Please note: Before using any products on your skin, I would suggest researching the ingredients to ensure that they are safe to use on your body. 1. Dry, cracked feet - You might have already heard about this remedy for dry and cracked feet. After showering at night, apply a generous amount of the hair grease to your damp feet, and then put on socks. This method will help lock in the moisture. Because your feet will sweat overnight, they will soften up. If you have a severe case of dry feet, it may take 2 or 3 treatments.  2. Dry hands - If you are always washing your hands like myself and suf...

Day 4: Rubber Band Twist and Cornrow Updo Happy Sunday, my blessed naturals! I hope you all are having a great day. Today is day 4 with my rubber band twist and cornrow updo , and I'm loving this protective style! My cornrows are still intact, but my twists are a little frizzy. Many of you may know, I sleep on a satin pillowcase. I've had to moisturize my twists and seal my twists maybe twice in the past 4 days. 1BlessedNatural: back of rubber band twist and cornrow updo  on day 4 What natural hairstyle are you wearing today? Related Articles: Rubber Band Twist and Cornrow Updo                             Catching Up: Flea Market and Stitched Bang with Puff Style

1BlessedNatural: My Views and Hunger Games' Amandla Stenberg's Cultural Appropriation Lesson Actress Amandla Stenberg of The Hunger Games movie teaches us a lesson on cultural appropriation in her video "Don't Cash Crop On My Cornrows." In an almost 4 1/2 minute segment, the 16-year-old breaks down the importance of hair, specifically cornrows in Black culture and hip hop. She continues by giving brief a history of the 2000s and the adoption of elements of Black culture by white music artists. Stenberg points to artists like Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus who  have publicly been said to use these elements in their videos, but are not fully aware or involved in the struggle of Blacks. I agree with Stenberg. I also believe that there is nothing wrong with borrowing things from other cultures like hairstyles, but there should be a respect for the culture. I have a problem when the same people who borrow also demean or look down on another culture or...

1BlessedNatural: Rubber Band Twist and Cornrow Updo Hey, my blessed naturals, I haven't forgotten about you all! Because I've been super bored with my natural hair for the past couple of weeks, I had to switch it up a bit. Yesterday, I did the rubber band twist and cornrow (cornbraid) updo. If you're looking for a protective style, you might want to try this one.   1BlessedNatural: the back of rubber band twist and cornrow updo Style Details  The rubber band twist and cornrow style was done on dry stretched hair. I used my usual products for styling: Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion and 100%  coconut oil. I cornrowed the front and back. When I finished cornrowing the hair to the scalp, I used a black rubber band to secure the section before twisting it. Some sections were divided into two twists if it was too thick. If you plan to try this style, remember to not cornrow your hair tight. You want to avoid traction alopecia. The idea is to make your br...

1BlessedNatural: Heat, Humidity, Twists, and Twist-Outs Happy Saturday, my blessed naturals! This week, I've been wearing medium-size twists and twist-outs. I twisted my hair using water (spritz), Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion , and coconut oil (as my sealer) on Wednesday night. Since the weather has been in the 80s and humid, my hair's been staying moisturized longer. I love it! The high humidity also means more shrinkage. Womp, womp lol, but it's all good. Today, my twists were removed for a twist-out, and my hair was still moisturized. When I re-twist tonight, I will probably just use water and coconut oil.    How's the weather been treating your natural hair?  Related Articles: Twist-Out on Braid-Out Hairstyle                             How to Get a Fluffier and Fuller Twist-Out       ...

1BlessedNatural- New Video: How I Wrapped My Curlformers Set Happy Monday, my blessed naturals! I hope you all had a great Resurrection Sunday. In an effort not to use heat on my natural hair, I decided to wrap my Curlformers set yesterday. Friday, I washed and deep conditioned my hair. Then, I installed the Curlformers. I kept them in until yesterday. After removing them, I wrapped my hair. Check out my process and results in the  pictures and video below! 1BlessedNatural: Here is my hair after removing the Curlformers 1BlessedNatural: after wrapping my curls 1BlessedNatural: after taking  my hair out of the wrap Have you tried wrapping your Curlformer curls? Related Articles: My Curlformers Natural Hair Install, Results, and Tips                             Update: Day 2 and 3 Curlformers Hair | Bantu Knot-Out Tutorial      ...

1BlessedNatural: Apple Cider Vinegar for Wig and Weave Extension Tangles Updated: 4/26/2017 - Synthetic Hair and ACV experiment results here ! Hey, my blessed naturals! My sister "C" is still using wigs as her protective style, and she makes her own units. Two weeks ago, I suggested that she do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse for the tangles in her human hair wigs and  extensions. She wanted me to tell you all that she loves it! Here's how she conditions her wigs: How to Condition (Human Hair) Wigs/Extensions and Conditions for Less Tangles 1. Soak wig in bowl of ACV and water for 2-3 hours.  2. Rinse ACV out of wigs/extensions with water 3. Co-wash hair.  4. Let hair air dry. It takes a wig about 1 day to fully dry if you do not use a fan on it.  You may be wondering if an ACV rinse works on synthetic hair. Updated 4/26/2017: You can see my results here . My sister and I have never tried it on synthetic hair wigs/extensions. One of the re...

BlessedNatural- New Video: Tips for the Educated and Unemployed Hey, my blessed naturals, I hope you are having a great Thursday. I've just uploaded a new video titled "Tips for the Educated and Unemployed" to my YouTube Channel. Yes, it's off the topic of natural hair, but God laid it on my heart. The unemployment rate among college graduates in the U.S. is high. In the video, I share some of my experiences and tips on how to deal with being unemployed. The job market may be shaky, but God is not! I hope and pray the video below blesses someone! (smile) Are you educated and unemployed? Related Articles: 1BlessedNatural Fridays: God and Overachievers Video                             My Interview with 'America's Supernanny" Deborah L. Tillman                   ...