1Blessed Natural Mag

1BlessedNatural: Win for Girls Told to Straighten Natural Hair at Pretoria High School The Black students at Pretoria High School for Girls in South Africa who said the school told them to straighten their have won their battle, for now.  The ban on natural and all other styles has been temporarily suspended while the school's Code of Conduct is being reviewed. The removal of the ban was announced in a petition that was started to "stop the racism." To date, the petition has gained over 35, 000 signatures.  It also states that a 21-day internal investigation will be performed on the school, policies, staff, and use of security measures for the students. It says,"The group that will review the Code of Conduct must include as wide a representation of the school as is practicable possible." In the school's Code of Conduct the students were not allowed to wear ponytails that would be seen from the front. This means no puffs or Afr...

1BlessedNatural: The Man Weave vs. Woman Weave Debate - (photo cred: HouseOfChappleTV) Happy Tuesday, my blessed naturals! Lately, man weaves have been increasing in popularity. I've seen several videos on Facebook and YouTube, including the one by HouseOfChappleTV (shown below). Online tutorials for man weaves first started popping up online about 2 years ago. I've also seen articles and videos about lace front beards. The process of getting a man weave usually involves a kinky/curly lace front wig being cut to size and applied to a man's bald spot using glue.The hair is then blended in using a brush, hair dye, and extra hair for the sides if needed. There are also different techniques that involve glue and sewn-in weaves. Man weaves are worn for mainly two reasons. Some men use it to cover their bald spots, and others use it to get a different look.  For years, some Black men have complained about Black women wearing weave , because they say it's ...

Hey, my blessed naturals, Have you ever wondered about the Afro-Caribbean hair industry in the UK? If so, check out the infographic below by Love Afro Cosmetics . Related Articles: "Afro Hair Industry- Facts & Stats" [Infographic]

1BlessedNatural: Regina King Posts Before and After Pic of Hair Hot Combed ( photo cred: Facebook ) Today, actress Regina King posted a before and after Facebook photo of her hair hot combed. This was her caption: I love myself before and after the pressing comb. ‪#‎ kitchen‬ -dos  Those born in 71 and before know what those are. Although I was born after 1971, her picture brought back memories of me getting my hair hot combed as a child and teen. My hair was hot combed from the 5th grade to the 11th or 12th grade, and then I started relaxing my hair again. King's photo made me think of the times when I was told to hold my ear so I wouldn't get burned, lol. There was nothing like letting your ear go too early... Ouch! I also remember the sizzling sound of my greasy hair burning when the comb was too hot. Yikes! I think Regina King's hair is beautiful and thick, though. I like her cut too. Good job, Ms. King! What do you think of Regina King's befo...

1BlessedNatural: India.Arie Goes Back to Her Afro (photo courtesy of Instagram ) One of my favorite singers, India.Arie is back to rocking her 'fro! Today, she posted a picture of her big and beautiful hair on Instagram. In her caption, she wrote, " Hair! #songsinthekeyoflife television special ..." The singer is currently on the Songs in the Key of Life tour with Stevie Wonder. Over the years, India.Arie has cut off all of her hair and let it grow back several times. B ack in 2013, we saw her rocking twist extensions with the sides and back of her head shaved off, and she eventually cut off all of her hair. Last summer, she posted pictures on her Instagram page of her kinky twist extensions with the following caption: g ot my hair braided! My natural hair is SO short! Only a creative genius like my mom could figure this out WITH out pulling my hair too tight. Took 20 hrs. And she stopped everything and did it -- for free ... The singer has been we...

1BlessedNatural: Twist-Out on Braid-Out Hairstyle Hey, my blessed naturals,  Monday night, I did medium, pin curl   two-strand twists on my braid-out hair . I used Aunt Jackie's Curl La La and coconut oil. This morning, I unraveled them. Because I had some Zum Grapefruit Oil by Indigo Wild available, I applied that to my fingers beforehand. I love the smell of it! The bottle says it's Shea Butter Massage and Body Oil, but it works fine on my hair. After removing my twists, I fluffed my hair out and added a headband. The results included a well defined twist-out! 1BlessedNatural: front view of twist-out on braid-out hairstyle 1BlessedNatural: side of twist-out on braid-out hairstyle 1BlessedNatural: back of twist-out on braid-out hairstyle  Do you wear twist-outs?    Related Articles: Chunky Twist-Out with Bang                ...

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...

Happy Monday, my blessed naturals! This product review is sponsored by the Beauty Is Me Beauty Supply store.  Product: NBI Hair and Skin Place: Online Price: $20.00 for a 4 oz bottle. I received a small sample bottle from the Beauty Is Me Beauty Supply store for this review. Claims ( on website ): Combats Hair loss...                Makes hair bouncy and shiny...                Provides thickness to hair...                Stimulates hair growth...                Treats scalp infection...                Provided relief for Eczema, Psoriasis, and Dry dull chapped Skin Ingredients (from website ): Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Almond Oil, and other essential oils.  Consistency: light, clear and yellow, syru...

Happy Friday, my blessed naturals! Today, I was not in the mood to do my hair. I washed and twisted it last night. In the spring, I always get the urge to wash my hair more often because of all of the pollen floating in the air. I also wash my hair a lot in the summer because of the perspiration. This morning, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my twist-out. So, I parted my hair down the middle and put it in two Afro buns. Then, I put on a stretchy headband. What natural hair style did you wear today? ENTER for YOUR CHANCE to WIN in the 1BlessedNatural and Beauty Is Me Beauty supply Giveaway!   Related Articles: Natural Hair Laziness 2                             Natural Hair Laziness Get your 1BlessedNatural t-shirt!

Two-strand twisted, beaded boby pin updo by 1 BlessedNatural Hi everyone, If you're looking for a quick and easy way to jazz up your natural hair style, try creating beaded bobby pins! Items Needed 1. hair beads 2. bobby or hair pins (black or brown)- I used brown pins, but black pins would work better. Directions 1.  Take your favorite color bead and loop it around onto the hair pin or bobby pin. I used the medium-sized hair beads, but you can use the small ones. Some of them can loop all the way around to the bend of the pin, making the pin easier to hide.  The beaded pins are great to accessorize your updos! This project is also easy and fun to create with your kids. Two-strand twisted, beaded boby pin updo by 1 BlessedNatural Will you be making your own beaded bobby pin ? Related Articles: Two-Strand Twists with Beads, Adult Hairstyle                       ...

Happy Friday everyone!

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...

The picture above was taken on Saturday before I washed my hair. Why does your hair look the best when it's dirty lol. Smh.  Does your hair look better when it's dirty or freshly washed? lol I'm serious.

Deborah L. Tillman is best known as THE parenting expert on Lifetime's   hit show, "America's Supernanny" . Along with being America's favorite "supernanny", Tillman is also the owner of 3 childcare centers in Alexandria, Virginia, and the author of the book, Stepping Out on Faith: How to Open a Quality Childcare Center. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Master's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education. Last week, I received the blessing of interviewing this inspirational woman. Although Tillman is not natural, she says she will get there one day. Because she has a soft hair texture, she only gets a perm every 4-6 months. But, she doesn't like them at all. They do help her get through the summer months. Tillman says when she goes natural, she will be visiting my blog to find out what to do. I'm going to hold her to it. 1BN: So, about "America's Supernanny"... There's s...

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone! I hope that you all had a great week. Just remember that Jesus is the answer to whatever you are going through :-)   "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." -John 14:6 Today I wanted to talk about the way in which your hair journey is just like life. It's not linear; you take many twists, turns, and loops along the way. You learn different techniques. Some of them may work for you and some of them may not. After almost two years of growing my hair out I had to cut 2 1/2-3 inches because of heat damage . Please do not get discouraged if you experience breakage and have to cut some of your hair. It's all apart of the journey. Earlier in my hair journey, I was using a hair product that had two much alcohol in it, and dried my hair out. My ends were dry and breaking. Although other naturals found the product to be useful, I did not work for my hair. Remember, just b...

Happy Tuesday everyone, Yesterday was my 21 months hairanniversary! The funny thing is that I would probably have forgotten if it wasn't for Naturali-Chik posting hers lol. I haven't been posting much about my hair because I haven't been doing anything new. Yesterday, I washed, deep conditioned, and installed two-strand twisted pin curls. This morning I took them out for a twist out. But, the humidity made my little waves disappear lol. Yesterday, I was looking in my product collection for a shampoo and pulled out the Revitalizing Shampoo by Finesse. The bottle of shampoo is at least 6 years old lol. It was one of those products that you think is not for your hair after you buy it. This time I was wrong :-) It worked just fine. My hair was super dirty. As for the condition of my hair... It is pretty healthy, thank God. Two weeks ago I trimmed my ends while my hair was in mini twists. I only clipped about 1/4-1/2 inch off (which was not a lot).  I clip my ends every...

During my transitioning period My big chop! 10 months natural! January 3, 2012 was my 10 month natural hair anniversary. Time sure does fly! I have learned a lot about my hair, and I am still learning. Discovering the beauty in natural hair is a gift from God, just like natural hair itself :-) - 1BlessedNatural