Natural Hair Talk

I have natural hair texture privilege.

Please let that statement sink in for a moment. To further explain, my hair when soaking wet and dry is naturally curly without any product. It morphs into a curly afro that always elicits compliments. My hair is afro textured but falls under the curly end of the spectrum in which it's labeled the "good grade" of hair. I don't ever recall in my childhood having been mocked for my hair, teased, or ridiculed. In fact, all my life my hair was praised and admired by everyone, especially the Black women in my family. All the same while, cursing their own hair and considering it unruly. Now this is not to say I never had my own hair problems. I do remember at one point begging for a relaxer in the 6th grade because I wanted long straight hair like all the other girls in my class. I am thankful to this day that a good friend dissuaded me from doing, so I was never initiated into the relaxed hair circle as the other Black girls my age were. However, this did not stop me years later from severely damaging my hair due to my increasing addiction to my newly fangled flat iron. So yes, even with all the adoration and compliments from everyone around me, growing up for years I still had daily battles with my hair.

  

However, even with my own hair battles, I have always known, even more so now, that I have hair texture privilege in the natural hair community. I hear comments from other Black women complimenting my hair not for it's hairstyle, but its defined curls. Usually in the same sentence lamenting their own kinky hair. This observation is important to mention because of the increasingly prominent position curly hair has as the face of the natural hair movement. While Black women with napps, kinks, and poofs are pushed further back as secondary or non existent. Black women with kinky hair are not glorified and exalted in the same manner as curly hair is in advertisements and online communities such as YouTube, pinterest, and Tumblr. The same can be said in real life surrounding conversations on natural hair. I watch the way some YouTube beauty gurus lament over not having defined curls or hair resembling the actress Tracee Elliss Ross. I understand it, I really do, but I am here to say natural Black hair, the curls AND the kinks are lovely and divine. I used to be offended when my hair was not seen as Black enough because it was that "good grade of hair." Someone was always commenting on how I must have Indian somewhere in my family. I'm no longer offended, but deeply saddened on such comments but more understanding of where that line of thinking originates from.


Natural Black hair in its afro textured state is not a curse or a flaw. Rather, it is a gift and it is beautiful, period, point blank! The whole point of the natural hair movement was to learn to love, embrace, celebrate, grow, and have pride in an honest and positive manner, specifically for kinky textured natural hair. Now that I am more aware, I make it a point to always compliment Black women on their hairstyles, never emphasizing curl texture. I always talk with little Black girls about their hair on how wonderful, lovely, and unique it is. I share tips that I've gathered from books and internet sites to family, friends, and strangers on properly caring for and growing natural hair. However, most importantly, I monetarily support quality Black women owned hair care lines and businesses that use healthy and non-curl obsessed ads that exalt both kinky and curly natural hair as beautiful and lovely. So here is my tribute to lovely Black women in their natural tresses curls AND kinks.

 


 

   

   

That Girl Challenge Update

Sooooo I started the That Girl Challenge nearly two years ago with a nice list of what I hope to accomplish in this challenge. Well I will surely admit that it was a total bust. But it's a new start and a new year... I am still young and can turn things around. So here is my update to my that girl challenge and how I go about accomplishing this. 

Skincare Game on Point

Skincare Products

Cleanse (Aveeno Foaming Cleanser)

Toner (Rosewater)

Serum (Snail Bee High Content Essence)

Moisturizer (Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer)

Fade Cream (Ambi Fade Cream,Vicco Turmeric Cream)

Sunblock (Nuetrogena Ultrasheer 30+ Sunblock)

Occasionally exfoliate (Alba Botanica Scrub)

My Skincare routine is tailored to adjust all my skincare needs. All products are to help erase my dark acne scars, even and brighten my skin tone, and provide a youthful glow. So the basic skincare routine is to cleanse, tone the skin, use a serum for evening and brightening, a moisturizer to seal and provide supple skin, fade cream to fade dark scars and evening the skin. Sunblock as a last step, to protect the skin from the damaging effects of sun rays. 

I'm Painting My Face

Makeup Arsenal

Primer (Black Radiance Primer)

Foundation (Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24hr)

Powder (Too Faced Pressed Powder)

Blush (Wet n Wild Mellow Pink)

Contour kit (Sleek, optional)

Eyeliner (Wet n Wild Liquid Eyeliner)

Mascara (Maybelline Colossal Volume Express) 

Lip liner (Mac Cork Lipliner)

Lipstick  (Nude/Revlon Mink Pink)

For the past few years I've been trying out different brands of foundation and powders and experimenting with my makeup techniques. I'v settled into a nice set look and I seem to be receiving compliments all the time from family and friends. I like to call my makeup addiction face painting or putting on my face in the morning, LOL. It's a wonderful art form that adds a touch of luxury to my morning rituals. My everyday makeup routine is a uniform look I've perfected to achieve the look of nice skin and bright big eyes. I use foundation to even my skin tone and conceal my dark marks. For my eyes I create a thin winged line for eyeliner and volumizing mascara to create larger doll like eyes. I just started dabbling in blush and contour powders and I just have to say how much I love these powders as they bring so much life to the face. Pink blush makes my cheeks really rosy and contour powder helps to sculpt my baby cheeks.

Haircare Game on Point

Haircare

Prepoo overnight coconut oil (irregular)

Shampoo twice twice a week

Deep condition protein/moisture twice a week

Moisturize and seal every two or three days

My hair has definitely come a long way, but boy have I had some serious setbacks. I want to say with definite confidence heat is the devil but we are still good friends. So I have just come to terms that I use heat sparingly and I will purchase only high end quality straighteners. I've recently found a set hairstyle that fits my oval face graciously. Half up ponytail half down twistout with a side part of bangs (twists). Side part bangs frame my face really well more so than no bangs. I sometimes change my hair products and try out new ones but I do have a few holy grail items that I keep in regular rotation. Holy grail status: Organics Hair Mayonnaise, Coconut Oil, Aussie Moist Deeep Conditioner, and Shea Moisture Shea Butter Conditioner

 Developing Personal Style 

Nine West Open Toe Heeled Ballet Flats

I have finally found my balance between under dressed and overdressed; it's all about the shoes and the lips. In the last few years I began to cultivate a sense of personal style. I have my new go to flats that are not too casual or too dressy but works for almost any event. Just like with my beauty routine my fashion starts with the basics that compliments my figure and style. In partaking upon that girl challenge I've discovered my own personal style that reflects my personality. My style is classic, chic with whimsical notes and I always go for feminine pieces. My body shape is straight so I steer towards outfits that accentuate my waist and I overly indulge in dresses and skirts more than anything. I tend to gravitate towards solid colors, a few prints, mostly neutral colors or one bright statement piece, flare dresses, a line skirts, and kitten heels. 

In keeping up with that girl challenge, I will be updating once a week. Let me know below in the comments if you want beauty and fashion pictures included everytime. Kind of like Oufit Of The Day (OOTD) and Face Of The Day (FOTD)

Tumblrs I Love

http://www.artoflovely.com/

   


http://bellemichou.tumblr.com/

   

 


http://michaela-knittel.tumblr.com/

                   

 

             


http://elegantbw.tumblr.com/

  

    

             

http://heart-home.tumblr.com/

  

     


http://lecoil.com/

      

           



http://flummoxedbird.tumblr.com/
  

  

I Crave Your Mouth

Sonnet XI

“I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.                        

Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.                                  
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day . I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

I hunger for your sleek laugh,
your hands the color of a savage harvest,
hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.

I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body, the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,

and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
Like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.”

― Pablo Neruda


Commentary:

One of my favorite poems from Pablo Neruda's book, 100 Love Sonnets. Its a poem that I read every so often. I've always wondered what such love is like, to crave the entirety of another being. Consuming the whole of a lover and being driven mad by such emotions. There's a human longing for comfort, a longing for close intimacy, and a longing for an unnerving bond. The hunger in the poet fuels his hunt in turn drives him mad pacing around for his lover's hot heart.

That Alternative Black Girl

To the gamer Black girls who love playing an intense games of the Walking Dead, Mortal Kombat, and the Legend of Selda I see you.
To the Black girls who dance and jam to alternative music, bounces her head to Bloc Party, sings along to Sia, and dances to electronic dance music circa 90s cue Enigma, I see you.
To the Black girls who love all things gardening in her house building a homestead, on her apartment balcony, or on her back porch area of her trailer. She delights in pickling food,  preserving them in jellies and sugars, and selling them bottled in mason jars in the farmer market, I see you.
To the Black girl learning something other than French or Spanish like Arabic, Swahili, or Chinese, because well... there are many more languages outside of English, Spanish, and French okay...I see you and salute you.
To the Black girl who was a badass skater girl well before Avril Lavigne made it popular in her song, I see you and I wish you could teach me how to skate.
To the Black girl who's a free spirit lighting the soy candles in her bedroom and reading poetry books by Rumi and Pablo Neruda, I see you and I enjoy reading my poetry early in the morning.
To the Black girl who's fond of kpop and can sing all the words to Wonder Girls "So Hot" with a slight Korean accent, I see and hear you and will sing right along with you.
To the Black girl who who flirts with any nice boy who tickles her fancy, dates whomever she wants, and marries her hearts love because its in her best interest to do so, I see you. I see you and applaud you for being in your own self interest and not in the interest of others... I see you my sister and I welcome you with open arms and an open heart of love.