Hair Envy of the Day!

Check out Ms. Ilovemaicurls! She got the dopest hair in the DMV....except for my baby girl of course! ;-).

Not only does she rock fly hair, homegirl is innovative too.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ That shirt in that pic....she made it from a skirt she got at the thrift store....yeah....ROTATE IT!!!! LOL!

Oh, and did i mention she makes her own earrings too?!?! PLAY WIT IT!

Check her out at:
http://ilovemaicurls.tumblr.com/

Random Rant....

There are so many things that i want to do. So many things going through my mind and i swear if i dont blog about it real quick, my head is going to burst, so here goes.

1. I want to take a vacation somewhere, anywhere, as long as it has blue skies, blue water and white sand. I'll take Miami if i have to. I need tranquility, nice serene scenery, a poolside, a book and peace of mind. Ahhh....just thinking about it...

2. I want to color my hair so bad! I mean, i have even tried henna, but it only makes my hair look rusty and dry although i do like the conditioning aspects of it and it's really not dry at all. However, the color for me sucks!. Plah! :-P. So, to try not to be unhealthy or unnatural to my hair, i think i will give Aveda a shot...eventually and IF i can afford it. Lord knows, i would love to walk into Sallys, get a box red color and call it a day. my conscience won't let me. Sigh :-(

3. Speaking of hair, i have been trying to be patient, but i am dying for my hair to grow a little bit longer so i can do a nice twist out. I even made my own concoction of whipped Shea Butter [unrefined shea butter, EVOO, EVCO, a little grapeseed and Almond oil too]. I'm so excited but so far, i have only 1 1/2 inches of growth since March 10,2011 from when i shaved it completely off. Ugh! WHY DIDNT I TRANSITION?!?! Oh well! it is what it is. When my hair is longer, i will wish it was shorter. We always want what we don't have, am i right ladies?!?! And how about that color in the pic?!?! Fab! (via http://public.fotki.com/xtremelyperfect/)

4. So to get off the subject of my hair [because i will stay on it if you let me], the other thing i would love to do is paint my apartment. The colors i'm considering is a soft blue like glacier from Restoration Hardware), a spa like color like Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware and a tan color...like a cappuccino, also from Restoration Hardware. I'm on the fence because my apartment doesnt have a whole lot of natural lighting and i dont want the place to look darker, however, these white wells are not that warm and welcoming AT ALL. All the paint colors can be matched at Home Depot with Behr for half the price as long as i have the right color swatch, so i'm going to get on it. My place just needs an all around makeover. IKEA...here i come. :-)

Glacier

Cappuccino

Silver Sage


Ok....i think i'm done ranting for now. Ahhhh....that felt good. i needed to get that out. :-)

Let the fun times begin!

SincerelyNiah!

Hair Envy of The Day!

I recently became a follower of this beautiful young lady because of her addiction to Etsy as well as mine. Funny thing is, i saw her a long long long time ago while surfing Essences' online magazine looking at their Wedding column. One wedding that caught my eye was the wedding of Cyn and Les. The photographs were absolutely amazing but even better, so was her dress, his tux, their location and the many fun items they purchased to decorate their wedding on a budget from Etsy.
Maybe a year later, i ran across her website, www.addicted2etsy.com and fell in love with her natural hair. As i went through her blog, what do i see?!?! Her wedding pictures....the same ones i saw on essence.com and coul never forget about. What do you know....it was the same girl! Her fro is breath taking! It looks healthy, full of body and sheen. And i just adore the way she styles her hair whether it be in a hat, a curly bang, flat twisted or an all out fro. AND her style of dress is too cute. Homegirl can put a fly outfit together and make it look effortless! She inspires me with my hair as well as shopping on a budget. Support her blog as she continues to give divine ideas of outfits, shops to shop from on etsy and inadvertingly, hair styles to rock! :-)

Check her out at:
http://www.addicted2etsy.com
http://twitter.com/#!/addicted2etsy

Stay Fabulous!!!

SincerelyNiah :-)

They said i had to go to rehab, but i said...NO! NO! NO!

As you all know, i am a product junkie!!! Yeah, i said it and i'm not shamed to admit it! Well....a little, but don't judge me. Lol! I buy any and everything on an impulse. if i think it may give my hair a little extra umph in enhancing my curls, loosening my curl pattern, giving it shine or just making it FIERCE, i will try it!!!

I have tried everything from henna treatments to making my own concoctions and just about anything that claims to be organic or geared towards natural hair. I really need to step back and just try a few things at a time and create a staple, so to rehab i go....

What i noticed works for me right now are the following:

- For Shampoo, either Aussie Moist Shampoo or Yes to Carrots, which is my favorite! Smells soooo good! (target)

- For co-wash, Aussie Moist Conditioner (target)

- After co-wash or shampoo, Giovanni Direct Leave-In (VitaminShoppe)


- For Deep Condition treatment, Generic Biolage (from Sallys), mixed with Organic Honey and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Whole Foods) that i mix together myself.

- For styling of my TWA or to define my curls and hold them, Eco Styler w/Olive Oil. (Sallys)

- Sealant and or twists, Organic unrefined shea butter (Online...can't remember the site. Eek! ) mixed with coconut oil <---(VitaminShoppe) Shout out to NaturallyCandi for the recipe!

All i want now to keep moisture in my hair is a Huetiful Steamer and i will be the happiest person on this earth!!!! ( i hope my boyfriend is reading this....hint hint! ;-p)

There you have it! This product junkie is officially in rehab. I wont try or buy anything new until i run out of all of these products. Lord knows i will definitely save some money.

Tootles chicas and stay fab. :-)

SincerelyNiah!

Hair Envy of the Day!

Can we say absolutely gorgeous?!?!? Not only is her hair super duper fly, homegirl has her own sense of beautiful style, she's a writer and has a sense of humor (and not even on purpose, but you will see once you check out her Youtube Channel. LOL!)
Support her as she continues on her journey of being natural. For me, supporting her is inspiring me!!! Her twist out/braid out fro is FAB-U-LOUS!!!

p.s. her secret to a fabulous twist/braid out fro simply consist of 3 products:
-Extra Virgin cold pressed Coconut oil and unrefined shea butter (mixed together)
- Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner.

Simply wash hair, section into 4 sections if long enough, add leave-in conditioner to section before blow drying it with a comb attachment, then twist/braid each section in the direction you want the hair to drop when you remove the braids. Cover with a satin bonet overnight and then carefully unravel twists/braids in the morning. Add Coconut oil for shine.

To maintain twist/braid out fro, retwist or rebraid hair each night before bed and unravel the next morning. Shouldn't be too difficult since sections are still somewhat easy to feel.

Check her out at:
http://naturallycandi.tumblr.com/
http://youtube.com/naturallycandi

SincerelyNiah ;-)

Hair Envy of the Day

One word: Magnificent!!!


Her hair is absolutely gorgeous! I love the color, the thickness, the texture and naturally the style. This picture was taken in the last months of her 24 month transitioning! Kudos to FusionofCultures for just doing her BC just a few days ago!

Love her senegalese twist!!! They look very natural and not that ole shiny synthetic stuff. Blah!

Check her out at:
http://twitter.com/NeffyFroFro
http://members.fotki.com/Laila-Jean/about/ http://keepitsimplesista.ning.com/profile/LailaJeanWashington
http://www.youtube.com/user/FusionofCultures

Summertime heat, natural hair, & oily skin!

Today in the DMV (DC, MD, No. VA area), it is supposed to get up to a whopping 100 degrees with an index of 101 to 105 degrees. Can you say blazing?!?! Its so hot, the devil is pissed and sitting in a corner somewhere fanning.

Needless to say, this heat is making me drink more and more water with lemon to stay hydrated and have a good vitamin c in take. However, the heat is still putting a toll on my hair and my skin. The water i drink keeps my skin somewhat hydrated, but because i've been working out more and sweating more because of all that i drink, i'm still loosing out slightly. I can literally see the difference in my skin when i dont have enough water. It starts to look dull and lack of life no matter how much moisturizer i put on or the amount of blush to rosey up my cheeks. One thing it does do for sure is getting super oily when outside. I blot my face with facial tissues, which is a very temporary fix and rubs off my makeup a little bit, which i hate because i really dont like to have to touch up my makeup more than once a day.

In regards to my hair....what do i say?!?! I can DC (deep condition) all day everyday, co-wash, use a leave-in conditioner...it doesnt matter. During this heat, my hair soaks up water and any product. if it doesnt soak it up, i can later find it running down my neck. There's no winning. I'm in dyer need to find something that will keep my hair moisturized during these hot summer days and winter that is soon to follow.

I've been doing a little research and i have found a couple of things i want to try to rid myself of oily skin and dry-undefined curls-no matter how much product you use-hair! :-)

For my oily skin, i found Pallido Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissue.

Palladio rice paper tissues "natural" [also comes in translucent and beige] is a very unique, oil-absorbing two-sided tissue made with natural rice which is much gentler for the skin compares to pulp. With added rice powder to eliminate shine and to leave skin feeling and looking smoother. Use to blot off excess oil that causes skin blemishes. The matte side (without powder) is for blotting to absorb the excess oils and the powdered side is for finishing. Packaged in a pull out tissue component with the convenience of fitting in a purse.

In short:
* Made with rice instead of pulp
* Powder-coated for continued oil control
* Eliminate shine and skin imperfections
* Ideal for midday touchups

As for my hair goes, i have been from vblog to vblog and heard raving reviews about Huetiful Hair Steamer.

Huetiful Hair Steamers are designed specifically for your unique wavy or curly hair. We understand that your hair creates unique hair frustrations that can never seem to disappear. Dry hair, breakage, split ends, or dandruff? A Huetiful brand hair steamer can resolve all of these frustrations and allow you to stop buying multiple deep conditioners and hair treatments that never seem to completely restore enough moisture back to your dry hair.

Huetiful Brand Steamers have multiple benefits:
* Restores moisture to your dry hair 5x better than deep conditioners or hair treatments alone
* Opens up your hair cuticle to allow your conditioners and hair treatments to work more effectively
* Bathes your hair follicle with warm, ionized mist to replenish moisture lost from chemical or heat treatments
* Reduces future breakage and split ends caused by dry hair
* In colder months, keeps weather-dried hair moisturized and strong


You can find both of these products here:
Huetiful Hair Steamer - http://www.behuetiful.com/store/index.php (or Amazon)
Palladio Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissues - www.Amazon.com

Who can ask for anything more?!?! I'm excited to try both products in the the next coming months and i'll be back to give my results! :-)

SincerelyNiah

Nappturality done right!

As some of you may already know from reading my blogs or knowing me personally, i have recently shaved my hair off in efforts to go back to the way i came into this world. All of a sudden, it seems to be the buzz nowadays with African-American woman. I initially had my big chop back on 02/07/2007, but impatience only allowed me to stay napptural for almost 2 years. I was so anxious to run my fingers through my hair again, so i did the inevitable...permed it! Bad choice, but i dont regret it. I had fun with my hair, doing all the things i had never done...getting bangs, doing blunt shoulder length cuts, short sharp rihanna cuts, sow in weaves...i mean, i did pretty much everything to it but color it. Now i am back to being my napptural self again where i belong (for now) and love. One of my favorite R&B singers felt the same way.

“I was tired of black sista’s feeling subject to having their hair pressed and straightened, and damaged, with relaxers, and heat. I wanted to make short and nappy hair fashionable, and let the industry know that there is nothing wrong with the texture that we have been born with. So I plan to grow it out to the big beautiful nappy hair that I have.”
-Chrisette Michele

I'll be honest, my first reaction to this bold move caught me off guard. Its very rare you see anyone in the industry do something like this, and with meaning. Yeah, you have the Rihanna's and Cassie's shaving half of their heads off to be a part of "the now", and to be what is considered hip to set a trend, but to do something with meaning that is so much deeper than the surface, i can appreciate that.

I was my first inspiration to shave my hair off the first time, but of course, my fellow pisces and other favorite R&B singer Erykah Badu did the darn thing too, but way before shaving your head as a woman was cool. But that is what i love about her. She has that "I dont care what people think about me" attitude. And when i tell you homegirl rocked the heck out of that cut, it is not a game. Her beauty magnified.

Most people ask me, why did you just shave it all off instead of getting braids first to allow the new growth to grow out first? Well, i'll tell you why. I believe, to fully appreciate what you are doing, its a must to start from scratch and to not half step it. I must say, it's a bold move to shave your hair off, but when you do it, it is by far the most liberating experience for a woman. To walk around with your head held high knowing that you are beautiful in your natural state and don't have to conform to what society and mainstream considers acceptable, is a huge statement to make without saying a word. Its so powerful.

So although some trends are cute for the moment, like shaving your hair off on the side like La La Vasquez who is said to have mocked Cassie and Cassie who is said to have mocked Rihanna and Rihanna who is believed to have mocked...., well, you get the idea, be original.

Do what feels right for you but don't cheat yourself.

More of my favorite bald beautiful bold bombshells below!!!! :-)

And of course (saving the best for last)....ME!!!

Sincerelyniah xoxoxo!!!

Vintage at its best

Spring is FINALLY here (well, still feels like winter), but technically it is Spring. It's my favorite time of year. The sun is out, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and it all makes me want to shop!!!

I'm not your typical shopping girl that runs to the mall and gets excited about running from store to store. Nope...not me at all. I'm a pisces, which consists of me being creative, so i like to mix it up a bit and make it WERRRKKK!!! LOL! When it's time to shop, i go straight for vintage.

Normally, i keep it local and try to find vintage shops in the DC, MD, VA area, but not this year. I plan to venture out. I hear Philly is the next best thing to sliced bread when it comes to vintage shops, so i think i'm going to give it a go.

I look back on all the fantastic outfits my mother wore back in the day and i think to myself, "Sheesh, i wish my mother kept all of her clothes from when she was younger." From high waisted fitted jeans and high waisted pencil skirts, to the gorgeous hats with the short mesh veils in the front. i just LOVE IT!!! It's all so funny to me because my daughter begs me now to keep all of my clothes so that she can wear them when she gets older. I take that as a compliment, so i must oblige!!!

I must say, one of my favorite things to shop for when it comes to vintage is the accessories. More along the lines of handbags, the oversized clutches, sunglasses and the jewelry. I guess this is why i favor star actress Tracee Ellis Ross from the hit tv show 'Girlfriends' and also the daughter of Diana Ross.

Tracee Ross' style is so beautiful to me. In my opinion, she defines elegance, classic, chic, edgy and vintage. No matter what she wears, honey is fierce!!! From baggy pants and a blazer, to a dress that can make the red carpet blush, honey is always on point with elegance!

This is a woman who embraces her curves, her nappturality, simplicity, her sense of being bold.....in short, she exudes confidence and to me, that is what every woman should do. I don't care if you are full figured, hour glass shaped or skinny as a twig, be fearless honey!!! WERKKK!!!

On a vintage note, its all about doing and wearing what feels good to you. If you wear it with confidence, than that is what shows. Vintage isnt for everyone for sure, but i dare you to give it a twirl.

sincerelyniah...xoxoxo!