Fierce by Nature

Don't call it a comeback...

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:08:00 +0000

There were plenty of Crayola-colored wigs and long, silky extensions displayed at the 64th annual Bronner Bros. International Hair Show, which drew more than 60,000 stylists, hair enthusiasts and exhibitors who work with black hair this past weekend....Yet against the backdrop of energetic hip-hop music and among the booths stocked with glossy tubs of chemical relaxers, some black women went back to basics: They wore their own natural hair.

That might be seem like an unexpected trend, with music artists such as Beyonce and Nicki Minaj sporting bright wigs and extensions. Wigs, weaves and relaxers are indeed big business. In 2006, black hair care products including relaxers, shampoos and hair accessories for weaves totaled $1.8 billion, according to The Hunter-Miller Group Inc., a market research group specializing in African-American issues. But going natural, say several stylists and experts, is making a comeback. There were education sessions for women who were curious about styling their natural curls in courses titled "Innovative Styling for Natural and Locked Hair" and "The Art of Natural Hair."

Continue here.

Many people say that this natural thing is a trend that's making a comeback. If CNN is writing articles about it, they must be on to something right? Well maybe not, considering that CNN is headquartered in Atlanta where there are just as many natural people as relaxed so it can't help but go unnoticed.

What say you? Do you think this is a trend that will go away or is natural hair care here to stay?

Hair Idols: Marsha Ambrosius

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 02:18:00 +0000

Fab Spirals + Volume = FIERCE

Length Check 1 2 1 2...2011 Hair Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:47:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday. Mine was action packed, but I'll save that for another day. In preparation for going home for Christmas, I wanted to get my hair done. Not only had I had my weave in for almost 10 weeks, but I hadn't had my hair trimmed or straightened (for real) in like 8+ months so I was anxious to see my hair and check progress. It was an interesting process to say the least....

After the beast (the weave) was set free

Banging curls

"Stretched"

Excuse me while I feel myself...lol

but I was very pleased with the results. I was a bit nervous since I hadn't had a trim in so long, but my hair has made great progress and there wasn't a bunch of hair on the floor. Now that it's a new year, I feel like I should set some goals and have something to work towards. My goal for the year is to be bra strap length (BSL). The longest layer of my hair is at armpit length (APL), so I don't think this is unachievable. Maybe I can even get beyond that, although I think I'll be over it by then, but we'll see.

What are your hair plans for 2011? Do you have any specific goals? If so, please share.

Stay Fierce!

So...I Big Chopped

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 22:05:00 +0000

As of November 23, 2010 your girl is officially natural. Yes, I finally ended my 18 month transition and I did it without losing my sanity in the process.

Ruff and tough with my afro puff

Twist and Curl

I heart my roots

Curlformer set

Curlform Fro

Dry Bantu

Bunnin'

So, what's new?

I am now washing my hair biweekly, with dry styling as needed in between.
I am using Karen's Body Beautiful products (review to come).
I will not press my hair out until June 2011, which will be one year without heat.
I have as much as 8 inches in some spots. My goal for the June press is 12. This will take me to just above apl.

I think that's about it. I missed you guys. Toots and I have to do better.

Wedding Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:57:00 +0000

The wedding has been come and gone and many people have asked for a post on my wedding hair. Since it seems like Miss G is never going to write again (she has much to update us on), I figured I might as well step up to the plate.

As the wedding was approaching, I could not figure out how I wanted to wear my hair. I knew I didn't want to wear it straight or weaved down my back. I was thinking of going with just a regular bun, but came across this picture on the net.

It was perfect! It was chic and textured and would look perfect with my birdcage veil and fascinator. I sent to my hairdresser so she could mentally prepare for the trial run. On the day of the trial run, I brought my veil to see how it would all look. She did some flat twists, I sat under the dryer for at least 2 hour and my hair still wasn't completely dry. At this time, I'm thinking that this wasn't going to work because I didn't not 4 hours to spend in the salon on my wedding day. Nonetheless, this was the result of the trial run.

Not 100% in love, but it was getting there- I could see my vision coming together. On the day of the wedding, it all come together and in under 3 hours! Here is the final product.

What do you think?

Should I BC?

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 01:55:00 +0000

I know I have been neglecting you guys with hair updates. But there hasn't been much going on. I have been weaved for 8 weeks now. The break from Sunday hair days has been great. Now I am officially missing my hair.

I'm shooting to BC in the later part of November which will be 17+ months of transitioning. I plan to let my mom do it. You put the perm in, you cut it out. LOL. But am I ready? Since I plan to keep my weave for another 3 weeks, and my edges are mostly natural, I will use those to help me decide.

Soaking Wet

Added a little Giovanni gelto see what my wash and go may look like.

Twisted and stretched

Shrunk

Do I have enough growth to BC?

Quasi Length Check

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:11:00 +0000

So this past wash day, I decided to switch it up a bit. I'd been rocking the braid outs faithfully and they'd been giving me great results, but I just wanted something different. I've gone about 5 months without heat and I was ready to see my hair. Anyway, I decided (with no help from Miss G) to put my hair in 6 ponytails, roll with large rollers and sit under the dryer. Not sure what my plan would be after this, but I went for it anyway. So after 1 hour and 45 minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. I took one of the ponytails down (that still wasn't dry) to do a fake length check. I say fake because my hair still wasn't completely dry. This is what I got:

Check me out, medium hair don't care

The next morning after sleeping with all my hair in one big pony (I still hadn't figured out what I wanted to do with it, so I just went to sleep), I took it down just to see what I was working with.

Let me find out I have some hair...

My hair has gotten a lot longer since straightening it for our engagement pics in April and my ends aren't terrible. Another thing I notice is that my hair has gotten a lot more dense since even 6 months ago. I still haven't decided if I'm going to get my hair professionally straightened before the wedding, but when I do, I will definitely post pics.

Hair Idols: Corinne Bailey Rae

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:04:00 +0000

#allFIERCEeverything

Better late than never- Curlformer Results

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:45:00 +0000

So, a long time ago..a reader asked Miss G if her curlformers would come out the same for someone who's all natural? Miss G asked me to post a picture of what my hair looks like when I remove my curlformers since I have no (read: little or neglible) relaxer left. I recently took my senegalese twists out and have since been back to styling my hair so of course I had to do one of my reliable curlformer sets. Here are my results:

Before using the curlformers, I did a DC on dry hair using Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose for about 2 hrs and then I co-washed with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration. (I love that stuff) I used more of the HEHH as a leave-in (not a ton) and used Giovanni Natural Mousse to set. I slept with them in overnight. When I finally took these out, these were the results. I hadn't done them in a while so I didn't know what to expect, but I was extremely pleased. My hair was super soft and I think that was due to my 2 hr DC. They lasted for about 3 days, but that's because I wanted to finally try out a dry bantu knot out. (I'll post pics soon, I promise) I'm sure I could've gotten at least another day or 2 out of them especially if I remixed by pinning up. In summary, my love affair with curlformers continues and I believe that most anyone, from transitioning to completely natural can use them.

Happy Curlforming!

Mini Chop

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:51:00 +0000

So... I got a hair cut this weekend. It was much needed. It's been four months since my last trim. Toots kept saying that I should wait till after her wedding to cut. But by then I'll be ready to cut again. My no heat regimen and prenatal vitamins really have my hair growing like weeds (not a complaint).

The day before

Stylist begins the chop...

Hopefully, after one more chop I will be all natural! Then the real fun begins.

Weather Burn Out

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:21:00 +0000

So...I am boycotting washing my hair. I curlformed last week, and since I am getting pressed and trimmed this weekend, I was determined to make my hair last for two weeks. So by Tuesday night, I had already done two dry rod sets and wanted something new. I decided to do a dry bantu knot out. I was also out of Giovanni mousse and copped some DevaCurl Set It Free as a replacement.

It started post work out...

With this weather I can not keep a style. I woke up this morning with zero definition. So I did a phony pony. No thanks to Toots who was supposed to show me how...

I'm not used to my hair falling apart in a day or two. Help. Is anyone else having this issue?

Flat Twists

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:27:00 +0000

I know that I've been M.I.A. But I haven't really done anything to my hair. I wore the rod set for a month. Then I went back to my trusty braid out. So I finally tried something new this weekend. I had told myself that I could not flat twist since I can not cornrow. But I gave it a shot.
I did a cowash with Yes To Carrots, Then a DC with HSR and EVOO. I sprayed each section with Giovanni Leave-In and a pump of the Giovanni Mousse . I ended up with 10 twists which I let air dry over night.

I was afraid it would be a poofy mess, because it wasn't the neatest job in the world. I was wrong. I kinda love it.

My relaxed ends are terrible...

Happy Anniversary Miss G!

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 04:59:00 +0000

Congrats on making it a full year without falling back on the creamy crack. Doesn't it feel good? I'm proud of you. It seems so much longer. Keep up the good work.

Sidenote: I've been MIA, as has Miss G, but I'm gonna get back on it. I was feeling the urge to cut my hair which would've been bad for the wedding stuff, so I got some Senegalese twists. I love them. It feels good to not have to do my hair, but I do miss doing my hair. Anyway, I'll figure out something to post real soon now.

Red Rod Set

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Remember when I posted the vid about the rod set a few weeks ago? Well I tried it.

Since I knew it would take forever to rod my hair, I cowashed the night before. I did a DC overnight. The next morning I rinsed out the DC and went to work.

2 hours and 80 rods later...

Day 1 (I did not attempt to pull them apart at all. I just rocked out)

Day 3 (slightly pulled)

Day 5 (Fully pulled apart)

Day 10 (yes, you read right)

I plan to keep the party going until my wash day on Sunday. So I actually maintained the style for two whole weeks. This is huge people. All I did was sleep in the satin bonnet. In the morning I would moisturize with jojoba or coconut oil. I would shake and pull on the curls to help them pop back out.

Miss Jessie's

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:38:00 +0000

I can not wait to be all natural so that I can try out the Curly Pudding...

Rod Set

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:23:00 +0000

This vid has me wanting to do a small rod set so badly...

This chick is pretty fab. Check her blog out here.

I might give it a go this weekend. Especially if it will last for two weeks!

I's Engaged Now...

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:47:00 +0000

I've been ghost here recently and I wanted to let you know that it's not without reason. I got engaged on April 10, and I've been caught up in a whirlwind ever since. We have set an aggressive timeline for the actual ceremony (October), so I have to get on the ball. A million things ran through my mind when I was thinking about my big day, but as you can imagine, one of the first things I thought about was..my hair. What style could I have that wouldn't require me to sell my soul to be fierce? First thing I thought about was some type of curly updo. I really like curls and think that this won't be too difficult to pull off. When I searched the net however, I didn't really come up with much, but this:

So what about a sleek look, simple but elegant. This is what I found:

My gripe is this though: why when you search for updos or wedding hairstyles, all the ones featuring African-American women are hard or weave down the back? Where is the creativity? Can anyone hook me up with some other styling ideas?

Bantu'd

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:36:00 +0000

I tried a "dry" bantu last night. And today I have T.A.C. (tight ass curls). I must admit, I do like the curl pattern that the knots create. But it took forever to dry. I didn't even start completely wet, so I can only imagine how long that takes. You probably need a few days where you do not have to leave the house to try this as a wet style.

This isn't really a how-to, because I'm lazy today. Hit up the comment section if you need details.

The back was still damp this morning, but I kept it moving. I hope they fall...if not, I'll do a half and half to stretch it out.

Hair-perimentations: Flat Twist Out

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:57:00 +0000

I have to be honest, I have not been feeling fierce these last couple of days. I have been sick and rocking the same faux curly pony fro (i need to come up with a better name- it's just rodded hair pulled back with a stocking and gives the allusion of a big curly ponytail). While bored at home and cruising the internet, catching up on my reader, I came across this video on CurlyNikki . After watching I figured why not give it a try. I was at home with nothing else to do, didn't feel like washing but knew I needed to do something for Friday. So I went to it. Here's what I did.

Took a section of hair that I would twist and combed through with my wide tooth comb.
Applied some shea butter to my ends.
Sprayed a generous amount of Giovanni Leave-In to the section.
Followed with a pump of Giovanni Mousse (loves this stuff, shine is undeniable)
Started to twist. Refer to the video linked above for the method, but I did mine a bit tighter.
Applied a satin roller to the ends.
Repeated until I had about 6 twists. Looked a lil' something like this. (I really need to work on my phototaking skills)

I tied down with a satin scarf and kept it moving for the rest of the day. This morning after showering, I took each twist down being careful not to manipulate the curls too much so they wouldn't frizz. I wasn't exactly pleased with the front (I never am), but instead of pinning back as usual, I decided to try something different. I took a section of hair from each side and braided it back, braided the other side, then pinned them to the back together. This is the end result.

I must say, I was a flat twist queen when I was relaxed, but hadn't really attempted since being natural. I guess I figured it was too much work, but I must say it was pretty simple. It took no more than 20 minutes to twist and I hopefully it won't look a ham tomorrow. When I do a braid out, it's easier for me to just rebraid at night.

Price of Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Toots) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:53:00 +0000

In this article from Black Voices, the writer highlights 3 experiences and the difficulty she had with trying to get her natural hair done at an affordable price. She refers to it as the Natural Hair Tax which basically means that often, those living the natural life often pay an arm and a leg for any hairstyle done professionally that doesn't require the hair to be cooked.

To be fair to the stylists, it does require additional effort and time to style natural hair. If it takes them 3 hours to twist natural hair, why is it not expected that they will charge you at least 2x as much as a style that only takes them 1.5 hours? I've sat in the shop and had to wait for the natural girl to finish getting her hair twisted. Though natural myself, I was still salty as I was in there to get my birthday press and sitting in the salon longer than anticipated was not conducive to my other birthday pampering plans. Not only did that experience and extra 1.5 hours of my life ~~that I can't get back~~ remind me of how I hate going to salons now, it made me realize that for any 'natural' style that doesn't require heat...I won't waste my time or money going to the salon. I'm sure there will come a point in time where I will want to have someone else do all the work, but for now, I enjoy being a DIY-er. May not always save me time, but it saves me $. If I don't like it, I can switch it up the next day without worrying about how much money I'm wasting.

How much are you willing to spend to maintain your natural fierceness? If you frequent a salon for natural styles, is it because you've tried and failed to create these styles yourself or is there another reason?

June

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

So who knew that June Ambrose was natural? The folks over at The Fashion Bomb talked hair with the stylist to the stars.

June has a standing appointment every week at the Paul Labrecque Salon in New York City.

She dished that she wears her hair in knots at night and sleeps on a silk pillowcase since scarves drive her nuts (me, too since they can slip off while you sleep). Her knots are pin curls formed with your fingers in the way you would with actual rollers and are then secured with bobby pins. The smaller the pin curl the tighter your curls will be when you take them out in the morning. Doing your hair like this is super-healthy since it requires no heat. Plus it’s uber easy to style since all you need to do is take the knots out and finger comb the hair. Perfect way to save time for busy rock moms like June who is a mother of two beautiful kids.

June also said she never puts any product in her hair since it weighs it down, but when rain and humidity tries to spiral her ‘do, she relies on Mizani HRM Humidity Resistant Mist. HRM helps protect against the formation of split ends and frizziness, surface damage caused by chemical treatments, and provides firm, weightless hold with protective UV filter for hair.

Main Stream Big Hair

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Julia Sarr-Jamois, Model and Fashion Editor at Wonderland Magazine, works it out.

Do "they" really like our hair all wild and fierce? I get so many compliments from "them". Always makes me wonder what they are really thinking.

source

Half and Half

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

I had been wanting to achieve the half curly/half straight look that Joan does on Girlfriends. So in these last days of my press, I decided to give it a try.

Before

During

After

I am ok with the results. I am sure it will look better as it starts to fall.

Out Of Africa

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:20:00 +0000

During a recent Bed, Bath and Beyond visit, I discovered a new product. It is called Out Of Africa. They sell three different types of shea butter. Too bad I just bought coconut oil.

Unscented Shea Butter

Grapefruit Shea Butter

Lavender Shea Butter

It's all natural folks.

Ingredients:
Unrefined shea butter, essential oils

Since I am into the whole oil instead of lotion for body moisturizing, I want to try the shea butter oil as well.

I give up...kinda

noreply@blogger.com (G.Danielle) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:44:00 +0000

So this past weekend at my hair appointment, my stylist suggested that I try the Pantene Relaxed and Natural Breakage Defense Mask Deep Conditioner. I gave her the side eye of course. But when I saw this post by Curly Nikki and another on The Fashion Bomb about the product my inner PJ rang out.

Tuesday, I went to Walmart looking for it. No luck. Although I did walk out with some coconut oil (which I have been wanting for a while) so it wasn't a total waste. I then ventured on to Walgreens. They didn't have it either. I mean, isn't this stuff supposed to be easy to find? Isn't it like the only product that they stock for blacks at stores. When I wasn't looking for it, it was everywhere.

So yesterday, I figured I would try Bed, Bath and Beyond. I discovered their extensive beauty section on a Giovanni product hunt one day. They had the shampoo and the conditioner, but not the mask.

Looks like I'll have to order it. And thats a bummer because I wanted to try it this weekend. Where else should I check?