1Blessed Natural Mag

1BlessedNatural: Workplace Natural Hair Experiment The Experiment Over the past 3 years, my sister C has been performing an experiment to see how her co-workers would react to her natural hair in her workplaces , and the results may surprise you.  Three years ago, C started working at a retail location where she wore her natural hair out for the first 3 months at the job. She received a compliment from one woman about her plaits, but no one else said anything. When she switched to wearing a long straight haired wig, guys were coming out of the woodwork complimenting her. The funniest part was that this included co-workers who saw her everyday. C pointed out to one of the guys that he never spoke to her when she was wearing her natural hair. So, why would he do it now for a wig? Let's fast forward to a about 4 months ago...C started working at a factory, and wore her Afro everyday for the first month. After getting tired of doing her hair, she put on another wig with ...

1BlessedNatural: How to Choose Age-Appropriate for Your Little Naturals  (Photo credit: Libertinus via VisualHunt / CC BY-SA ) Wig, weaves, and sewn-ins... I've seen all of these styles on children, and it shows times have certainly changed since I was a kid. Last year, actress and singer Christina Milian defended her choice on social media of letting her 5-year old daughter wear long crochet braids. Some people liked the style, while others said it was not age-appropriate and looked heavy. Here were 2 main rules for choosing hairstyles when I was a kid: No Hair swinging in the front of your face! In other words, I was to have any style that made me act like I could pop my neck like I was all of that and a bag of chips. Having all or some of my hair out was a one-time luxury that was mainly reserved for holidays and/or school pictures. When I did get to wear my hair out, I didn't know what to do! No color! I see kids with all different types of colors in their ha...

(photo cred: Dionysius Burton via Flickr under CC By-ND 2.0 ) Kimberly J. Childs Before I went natural, I must have googled the words natural hair, big chop and shea butter at least 1.5 million times! Yet, after all of my research, I still had surprises on my journey, and still do! Here are my top 6 surprises after going natural, the good and the bad! 1. My Hair Still Moves, it Even Swings Sometimes! When I went natural, I had accepted the imaginary fact that my hair would no longer blow in the relaxed wind, as it had for years. However, I have discovered that my hair can still blow, without chemicals or heat. Believe me, there are days when I have my puff, and it’s not moving anywhere. Tornado or not. That is totally ok with me! 2. My Hair Holds Scents/Smells for Much Longer When I use some of my more fragrant leave-ins, my hair holds that scent for days!  This makes using essential oils like rosemary or peppermint even better. On the other hand, it ho...

1BlessedNatural: Sonequa  Martin-Green and Yvette Nicole Brown Gives Us Natural Hair Inspiration on Talking Dead (photo cred: Talking Dead/AMC) Actresses, Sonequa Martin-Green and Yvette Nicole Brown both wore cute natural hairstyles on last night's episode of AMC's Talking Dead ! They gave me that "natural girls unite" feeling. The two actresses joined The Walking Dead producer, Denise Huth on the couch. Green's hair was in a thick and pretty twist-out with a part on the side, and Brown wore her hair in a big side puff. The two lovely naturals were on the show to give some insight into the characters of 'Walking Dead.' Also, this was not the first time either of them rocked their natural hair on the show. Yvette Nicole Brown always gives amazing commentaries on 'Walking Dead.' She's always ready with her notebook full of shouts at the TV, and she catches things that we might've missed. For instance, I think she made a go...

1BlessedNatural: Peter, Amina, and Tara: A Cautionary Tale? (Amina- photo cred: Instagram) Hey, my blessed naturals! I was debating with myself whether I wanted to even write about this whole topic of Black women on reality TV shows accepting poor treatment from men, but I think it's necessary. Monday night, I witnessed the craziness of the season 6 Love and Hip Hop NY Reunion show. The sore thumb sticking out in the bunch was the whole Peter Gunz, Amina Buddafly, and Tara Wallace love triangle, and I think it needs to be presented as a cautionary tale.  For those of you who are not familiar with the situation. Peter Gunz is a rapper that came out in the 90s with another rapper by the name of Lord Tariq. The duo released a hit song called " Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)." Let's fast forward. Peter appeared on Love & Hip Hop several seasons ago with the mother of two of his sons, Tara, and she didn't trust him. I also have to mention that he had other c...

Tyra Banks Serves Up Fierceness in Faux Locs with Curly Ends This week, model and the queen of fierceness, Tyra Banks shared some photos on social media of her rocking some pretty faux locs with curly ends. The caption under the first photo was this: Something New #locks #locs. The medium sized locs seemed to be a mixture of dark and light brown to an almost blondish color. I thought they looked really nice on her. Her style reminded me of Lisa Bonet's locs. It is nice to see more celebrities rock natural hair-inspired styles in the mainstream. Banks has joined celebrities like Lisa Bonet, Tasha Smith, Ava Duvernay and Meagan Good in rocking her locs. Last year, Zendaya made a huge statement when she wore waist-length locs on the Oscars red carpet. She received praises from some and negative words from a few others, but it's clear to say she started a great trend. Tyra Banks and other celebrities who rock natural hair-inspired styles are helping to change beau...

1BlessedNatural Spotlight: Skai Jackson (photo cred: Instagram) Skai Jackson plays the cute and sassy character Zuri Ross on the Disney Channel show Jessie and Bunk'd. Along with being a talented actress, she is also a natural hair inspiration. Jackson rocks pretty twist-outs and other natural hair styles on the shows. My niece, Big Sister Natural is inspired by the 13-year old's styles. Too cute! The Bunk'd star has been sharing her natural hair journey on Instagram. In my interview with Ella Joyce , she brought up the fact that a lot of stylists in Hollywood don't know how to style natural hair. Plus, you might know the frequent styling can take a toll on your hair.  Last year, Skai Jackson revealed on her Instagram account that her hair had been damaged. She said, "After so many years of styling and putting stress on m hair, my hair needs a styling break." The young actress visited a salon to get it washed, conditioned, and trimmed. It...

1BlessedNatural: 5 Things to Do When You Want to Quit Being a Natural  (Photo credit: Darren Johnson / iDJ Photography via Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND Happy Monday, my blessed naturals, As naturals, our journey can be fun, but it can also be challenging. What do you do when you keep trying to style your natural hair, but it just won't come out right? What do you do when you keep experiencing breakage, and it looks like your hair is not growing at all? These situations can be very frustrating, and I know because I've been through them. Here are 5 things you can do to get past those tough times, and continue on your journey to healthy natural hair: 1. Find natural hair inspiration. The Internet is filled with natural hair inspiration! I'm talking about pictures and videos of naturals that will make you remember why you became natural in the first place. If you are not sure what I mean, check out my Instagram page ! 2. Ask questions.  If you are visiting this ...

Michelle Obama's song "This Is For My Girls" (photo cred: Michelle Obama- Photo credit: DFID - UK Department for International Development via VisualHunt / CC BY What first lady do you know can drop a song with some of the hottest music artists in the industry? Michelle Obama can! Yesterday, the FLOTUS released a song titled "This Is For My Girls" featuring a host of music stars, including Missy Elliot, Zendaya, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Janelle Mon áe , Lea Michele, Jadagrace, and Chloe & Halle. The song that is being called the next girls anthem is part of the Let Girls Learn campaign. "This Is For My Girls" is not First Lady Michelle Obama's released a tune. She also released a rap song that featured herself in 2015 called "Go to College" to promote education. Startling statistics by the White House says that 62 million girls around the globe do not attend school. This means that future doctors, artists, engine...

                                                    1BlessedNatural: Lil Mama Posts Positive Message About Natural Hair and Health (photo cred: Instagram) Rapper and actress, Lil Mama posted a positive message to women about natural hair and health on Instagram. The entertainer said,"Be Healthy Ladies. Our Natural Skin & Natural Hair [sic] needs the same attention we give hair extensions, units, and make up." Her message was the caption of a black and white picture of herself with a thick and pretty twist-out. I agree especially with the second part of her quote where she says, "We must love ourselves no matter what. Also [sic] practice mental health, clear your mind, meditate, pray, and seek peace." I think that as ...

Happy Tuesday, my blessed naturals,  I just wanted to share some pics of Big Sister Natural's new style for the week. She is rocking cornrows into a crisscross/flower braided bun. No hair was added. Plus, her hair was still straight from having it flat ironed about 2 weeks ago. Their mom used oil sheen, bobbie pins, and a floral headband for the style.  Are you going to try this style? Related Articles: 1BN Kids: Flowered Ponytail, Braided Bun...                             1BN Kids: Braided Bun and Bohemian Styles                            

1BlessedNatural: Faux Locs Over Havana Twist Tutorial with Pics Hey, my blessed naturals! I know many of you had questions about faux locs . So, I've just added the Faux Locs Over Havana Twists video tutorial to my YouTube Channel. The stylist is the girls' mom , Vara. You can check the video and style pictures out below!      Are you thinking about trying faux locs?   Related Articles: 1BlessedNatural Spotlight: Faux Loc s                              Zendaya Shuts Down Giuliana Rancic's Ignorant Comments...

Hey, my blessed naturals! March 3rd of this year made 5 years that I've been natural! It hasn't always been easy, but it's worth it! You all know I've dealt with heat damage , protein overload , and moisture overload . I also have a scalp condition called seborrheic dermatitis .  I want to express that for those of you who might be reading this blog for the first time, and do not see the struggles in my pics lol. Here are some pics taken over the past 5 years of my natural hair journey: Year 1 This was back in 2011 when I was transitioning Braided headband shortly after big chopping in 2011 Year 2 April 2014 - banana clip updo Dec 12, 2013 banana clip ponytail  Year 3 May 2013 twist pin curl-out June 2013 mini braids Year 4 March 2014 Eritrean -inspired hairstyle October 2014 Mini twists   Year 5 March 2015 flat twist twist-out  April 2015 Cornrow Twists Year 5...