1Blessed Natural Mag

1BlessedNatural: Freestyle Cornrows with Silver Cuffs and a Twist-Out Happy Sunday, my blessed naturals, I've been wearing cornrows since last week. I did some freestyle cornrows in the front with silver braid cuffs and a twist-out in the back. I love braiding or twisting the front of my hair because I can just put the back in a puff or twist-out. I call it partial protective styling (smile). Here's more pic of the style: 1BlessedNatural: This was taken last week when I first did the style. What natural hairstyle are you wearing this week? Related Articles: Linked Cornrows with Loc Jewelry and Puff                             Puff and 'Fro with Rubber Band Twist and Cornrow Headband                             Another Cornrow Design with L...

1BlessedNatural: Gabrielle Union Wears Bantu Knots with Twist-Out and Updo (photo cred: @hairbywankya/Instagram) Gabrielle Union-Wade has been busy promoting her new natural hair care line by showing off her natural hairstyles. This week, the actress posted a picture and video of her Bantu knots and twist-out on social media. The caption of the photo was "Dear summer hair #Day1." Her hair was done by celebrity hairstylist Wankaya. The stylist posted more photos of Union's hair pinned up in the back into a pineapple. Love it! Earlier this month, Gabrielle Union wore Afro puffs and a regular puff. I want to see what other natural hairstyles she will wear next! When twist out is ❤️❤️❤️💃🏾🌈🌞 @hairbywankaya @flawlesshairday products used: edge control gel, oil treatment and shine spray A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Apr 24, 2017 at 9:43am PDT What natural hairstyle would you like to see Gabrielle Union wear next?...

1BlessedNatural: Can I Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Soften Synthetic Hair? Happy Wednesday, my blessed naturals! Many of you have been asking if it is okay to soak synthetic hair in Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) for tangles, so I decided to try it. This post is Part 2 of Apple Cider Vinegar for Wig and Weave Extension Tangles . Items Used 1. Bowl 2. (1) Cup of ACV 3. (2) Cups of Water  4. (1/2) a pack of Kanekalon (synthetic) braiding hair What I Did  1 .  I soaked the Kanekalon hair in the ACV and water for 30 minutes. As soon as I put the hair in the solution, the water turned cloudy, and it got cloudier as time went on.  2. After removing the hair from the bowl, I rinsed the ACV off. The hair was tangled and fragile.  3. Afterward, I let it air dry for 2 1/2 hours on a towel.  After taking the hair out of the ACV 85% dry 100% dry My Results After the hair was completely dry, it look...

My Reaction to the SheaMoisture Commercial that Received Backlash Since the beginning of my (adulthood) natural hair journey, I was there for SheaMoisture. Every time I heard the name I associated it with Black women and the natural hair movement. After hearing about the controversy surrounding their latest commercial, I decided to see the commercial for myself.  When I watched it, I felt no connection to it at all. Even though the commercial included one woman who was natural, she looked like she could be bi-racial and had a loose hair texture. In the one minute video, the camera moves from the natural to 3 white women. The natural and blonde-haired women talk about how hard it was to accept their hair and hair color. The commercial ends with "Everybody Gets Love"-- that kumbaya moment (rolls eyes). I'm guessing the company made the decision to include "everybody" from a business standpoint. However, I don't understand excluding kinky hair in the...

1BlessedNatural: Why is #Melanin SO Popular (photo cred: William Stitt ) Over the last couple of years, I've noticed an increase in the popularity of the word "melanin." The word has been included in the names of clothing companies, hashtags, and other elements. Black women (including myself) all over the world are posting pictures with the hashtags like #melanin, #melaninpoppin , and #melaninonfleek . On Instagram to date, the #melanin has over 4 million public posts. What is the reason for this? So, 1BN why is #Melanin SO Popular?  Based on my own use and observation of social media and trends, I think it's due to the posting of pictures, especially on Instagram that show the beauty of Black people. There are so many different skin tones and textures of hair, and they're all being celebrated. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines melanin as being, "any of various black, dark brown, reddish-brown, or yellow-pigments of animal or ...

1BlessedNatural: Review of Season 2/Episode 7 of Centric's The Round Saturday, the new show The Round aired on the CentricTV network. The Round features powerful Black women who deliver short speeches about their life journeys. Think TED Talks! I really liked the show! This week's speakers included director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, Thelma Golden and Fashion Bomb Daily creator, Claire Sulmers. Thelma Golden's theme was "Representation", and she talked about the importance of art in her life. I was inspired by Claire Sulmers story of how she went from sleeping on a bathtub to being a successful entrepreneur. Her theme was "Strategy" and she talked about the importance of having it when pursuing your dreams. I thought both speakers were awesome! It is extremely important for us as Black woman entrepreneurs to be able to see ourselves on television. Many people think of being an entrepreneur as a prestigious thin...

Happy Easter Sunday, my blessed naturals! Jesus has risen! Friday, Janet Jackson released the very first public picture of her son, Eissa on social media. The singer and her husband, Wissam Al Mana welcomed the baby into the world January of this year. In the picture, Jackson is holding little Eissa, and the caption says, "My baby and me after nap time." Super cute! It was almost two years ago when the singer made headlines after announcing her pregnancy at 50 years old and postponing of her tour. Back in 2015, Mrs. Jackson released her 11th album titled "Unbreakable." What do you think of the picture of Janet Jackson and her baby? Related Articles: Poetic Justice Inspired Braids                             Too Much Pressure to Snap Back Quickly After Having a Baby?

1BN Kids: Little Sister Natural's Half  Up Twists, Half Down Style Happy Easter weekend, my blessed naturals! Little Sister Natural is back with another natural hairstyle! Today, her mom washed, conditioned, and blow dried her hair. Then, she put two rubber band twists in the front and let the back hang down. Now, LSN begged to have her hair out today, but she was not ready for that tangling by the end of the day lol. Here are more pics of the style: 1BlessedNatural: side view of LSN's hair 1BlessedNatural: Other side... 1BlessedNatural: Back What natural hairstyle is your little one(s) rocking this weekend? Related Articles: 1BN Kids: Twists and Flat Twists and Curl                             1BN Kids: Little Sister Natural's Big Cornrows with Flower Headband

1BlessedNatural: Protective Style Trial & Error: Twist and Tuck with Kinky/Straight Hair Extensions Hey, my blessed naturals! I hope you are having a great week. Yesterday, I tried doing a twist and tuck protective style using the Kinky (Marley) Twist (100% Kanekalon) braiding hair by Femi. I usually use straight Kanekalon hair by the Sassy or Janet Collection, but I like the textured hair better because it matches mine. Here are my style details: Hair: Kinky Twist Braiding Hair from the Femi Collection Price: $4.99 (straight extensions were like $1.00-2.00 per pack) Place: local beauty supply store, online Packs:  a little over 1 1/2   First Things First #EpicFail 1BlessedNatural This pic was taken at the beginning of the year when I first tried the style with the straight hair. Plus, the color was not matching lol. I chose 1B instead of #1, which is the darkest color. It didn't stand out as much as it did in the pic. So, I still wore ...

Happy Sunday, my blessed naturals! I wanted to quickly reshare my methods of preserving your twist-out without having to retwist your whole head. 1. Use Banana Clips.   A lot of times, I just don't feel like twisting my hair, so I use banana clips to keep my twist-out and/or keep my hair stretched and detangled. Check out the how-to video above! 2. Pineapple It (Various Methods).     The Pineapple Method is an extremely easy way to preserve your twist-out and keep your hair stretched. Check out this post to see how I do it!   Are you tired of retwisting your hair at night? Related Articles:  Pineapple Method with Twist-Out                              3 Quick Alternatives to Bedtime Twists

1BlessedNatrual: Gabrielle Union Comes Through with the Natural Hair Inspiration! (photo cred: Instagram) Gabrielle Union has been showing off her natural hair on social media! Did you see her puff? Poppin'! The Being Mary Jane star also posted photos of her hair in Afro puffs and a curly fro. March 1st of this year, Gabrielle Union launched a natural hair care line called Flawless. The 44-year-old actress explained her reason for creating the products. On Instagram, she said, "As a woman with textured hair, the search to find a brand that meets all of my needs has been impossible. That's why I created Flawless." In 2011, Union posted pictures on social media of her long natural hair straightened after removing a weave. The actress says she cared for her hair while keeping it in the protective style. On Facebook, she said,"Around 25 years old, I stopped using relaxers and slowly grew my hair out." 1BlessedNatuaral: Gabrielle Union...

Michelle Obama Reveals Her Natural Hair One of the hottest pictures on the internet right now is of former first lady, Michelle Obama rocking her natural hair! The photo features Mrs. Obama while on vacation wearing her thick natural hair in a ponytail. Many of you might be thinking, "1BN, she was already natural. What's the big deal?" Well, in the eight years the Obamas were in the White House, there was never a legit picture of her wearing her natural hair in public. It was always flat ironed. Since the picture was posted on Sunday, the natural hair community has been going wild! I think we've all been low-key waiting on this! I was thinking to myself, she is going to wear a twist-out or something after they leave the White House! lol Back in 2012, a photoshopped photo of Michelle Obamas' face with natural hair vlogger, Nikki Mae's hair surfaced on the internet. I hope Michelle Obama wears more natural hairstyles in public! We see you, F...

1BN Spotlight: 'Rebel' Actress, Danielle Moné Truitt's Natural Hair (photo cred: @sheldoncandis) I know I'm not the only one who is excited about BET's new hit drama, Rebel and the fact that Danielle Moné Truitt stays rocking natural hairstyles on it! On the show, Truitt plays Rebecca "Rebel" Knight, a private investigator whose brother gets killed by a white police officer. Rebel is an intelligent, no-nonsense woman who wants justice for her community. Some of the hairstyles Truitt wore in the first two episodes of Rebel included an Afro, flat twists, puffs, and cornrows. She has a sort of retro style that I love--Pam Grier-ish. The show reminds me of Shaft and Set It Off mixed together! It originally premiered on March 28th. It's awesome to see a series centered around an intelligent dark-skin Black woman who is rocking her natural hair and doesn't play! Danielle Moné Truitt (as Rebel) is a modern day superhero on the show LOL...