Contest: Cuties, Curls, & Coils!!

I'm happy to be hosting a contest for the Natural Hair CommUNITY Days! Do you have a son or daughter with the natural hair and want to showcase them? Then this is the contest for you. Here are the details:

Who: All the natural hair children (6mths-12yrs)
What: Photo Contest
How: Submit your photos via EMAIL by Saturday (26th). I will will then post the pics on this blog on Sunday (27th) and give the public the chance to vote for the cutest cutie with curls, coils, naps, and fros!
When: Winner will be announced Thursday, March 31st.
Prize: The winning child will win one (1) Taliah Waajid Easy Herbal Comb Out AND one (1) Taliah Waajid Herbal Style & Shine.















**For the safety of your child, I will gladly blur out their faces if you prefer it that way**

Natural Hair CommUNITY Days Feature: Jenell

Of all the posts I've made on my blog thus far, this is without a doubt my favorite post. One of my fave persons, who I have come to call a friend, Robyn (@NaturallyRooted) came up with an idea for a month long celebration and highlight on the natural hair community; thus Natural Hair CommUNITY Days was created. It goes the entire month of March with blog posts, giveaways, contests, and deals almost everyday. So my contribution to the NH CommUNITY Days is a feature of my favorite or inspiration and Jenell is that person.



I met JenellyBean (lol) via twitter and began tweeting back and forth with her and over time we realized that we are hair twins. My hair is 3c and hers is 4b but our hair "acts" the same exact way and most things that work for one of us, works for the other. She has a great hair care forum and YT channel that I'll share with you later. Side Note: this is more of an inside thing between she and I but I HAD to post her puff pic as the main picture of this feature. She swore up and down that her hair wasn't long enough for a puff and then I told her about trying a pantyhose leg..VOILA! a puff =)

How long have you been natural: I've been natural for almost 1 year. 3/26/11 will be 1 year.



What prompted you to go natural: My cousin was interested in going natural and she shared this info with me. I thought she was crazy. But she shared some YouTube videos with me of beautiful women who big chopped and I was inspired by their natural hair, curl definition, and growth. After one week of watching over 100 YouTube videos, my mind was set--I was ready to Big Chop.

Fave product(s)/Least fave product(s): Anything made by Shea Moisture makes my hair happy. I also appreciate products made by Giovanni, Herbal Essence, Kera Care, Design Essentials, and Organix. Coconut oil is my favorite oil. Tropical Traditions makes an awesome batch.



Who are your natural hair inspirations: My hair inspiration from the YouTube community is Vanisha aka AfricanExport- her 4B Kinky Hair has grown long and healthy and she "Keeps it Real"!
Some honorable mentions would have to be Tracee Ellis Ross, Janelle Monaé, and Jill Scott.

What's the oddest request for a tutorial you've received (if any): I create tutorials on a whim so usually no one has to even ask for something. But I have subbies (subscribers) that wish to learn more about my personal life.

If you could choose any 7 twittermates/YT vixens to meet up with, who would it be? Why? (Think of it like a Who's Who of natural hair lol):Fortunately for me I've had an opportunity to meet some great TwitterMates and YT Vixens and have made great friends with them. But there are some I'd love to meet. YT- AfricanExport, MsVaughn and her sister MeechyMonroe, KimmayTube, and Naptural85 TWITTER - (Im sorry I don't remember twitter names I always remember first names) Nicole (you!) and Shannon (I think her twitter name is BluNatural)



Any parting words?Love your hair. Remember its a natural hair journey, not a race!

Check out my website KinkyCurlyCoilyMe From there you can find links to my YT channel where I have lots of information and styling options, you can join my FB fan page, join my Natural Hair Forum, and follow me on Twitter. MUAH!

Transitioning Feature: Adrienne

I love doing features on my blog!I know that with 2011 just starting, a lot of relaxed ladies are starting the transition to natural hair. Now some ladies can do the big chop and sport it proudly, whereas other prefer to transition into natural hair to give themselves more length for when they do finally cut off those last few end of relaxed hair.

So, I wanted to do a feature on a tranitioner to help others out there doing the same. Adrienne has an AMAZING blog (which she will share with you below) that I follow and when I read that she was transitioning, I just had to have her featured here on BGBH.

Here is her story:

How long have you been transitioning?
My last relaxer was November 29, 2009 So I've been transitioning for 1 year and 3 months now!



When do you plan to BC/cut off the last of relaxed ends?
Hmm... Now that's tricky, I'm super excited about my curly roots but I'm not sure how I'll look with short hair! I'm leaning towards possibly doing 2 mini chops versus a BC... But who knows, my original plan was to BC in May 2011... Anywho I'll be sure to keep you posted!

What prompted you to start the journey to go natural?
My girlfriend was natural at the time and I always thought she had beautiful hair! She convinced me to see what my natural texture was like so I stopped relaxing my hair for a few months. I loved the texture but I wasn't sure I could handle the maintenance. Then after I got my last relaxer in November 2009 I hated the results and I decided then that I would be a Natural Girl!



What's your favorite/go-to style?
Well I'm pretty new to the whole natural thing. I kept straightening my natural hair for months to make it blend with my relaxed hair. Also most people seem to think that just because you go natural you get special powers and know how to bang out these fly hairstyles! Lol I just learned how to braid tight enough to give myself braid-outs! Quite honestly that's all I do, it's simple and it always looks great! I'm hoping to try bantu knots soon! ;D

What are your staple products?
I've been using Hello Hydration (Herbal Essence) shampoo and conditioner and Suave coconut conditioner. I also like to throw in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the DC mix. My favorite product thus far has been the Olive Oil Gel! I use it for my braid outs and the hold and shine is amazing! I usually apply it with the Shea Butter Curl Enhancing Smoothie or whatever creamy curl butter I have in the cabinet just to give it some extra curl!

What have been the toughest parts about the transition?
The hardest part has probably been learning what my hair likes. I spent my time when I first went natural watching a billion youtube videos a day looking at women who probably didn't even have the same texture as me. Finding products that work is very hard, time consuming and costly. Another tough part are these darn relaxed ends! I hate having them hang off my braidouts but I'm still too scared to cut my hair.

What are you favorite blogs/sites/social networks to read concerning natural hair?
The MopTop Maven Her site is amazing she is truly my hair inspiration!
Curly Nikki The product reviews on this site is on point! Plus there is a forum so its just a lot of ladies lots of opinions and lots of hair!
Twitter's #TeamNatural community is awesometastical!

Where can we find you online?
Check out my blogsite
Like the Lez & The City Facebook Page!
Follow me on twitter @LezCity



Last parting words?
I love being natural and it's the best decision I could have made! Its easier to maintain than relaxed hair and I don’t have to worry if I sweat too much or get stuck in the rain! My friends don't believe me when I say that my natural hair doesn’t tangle! I'm excited to see when I'll finally cut off the relaxed ends... if its not May 2011 it will definitely be in December 2011. Overall, The best thing is I can do it myself!

Etsy Shop Now Open!!

One of my goals coming into 2011 was to showcase my talents more. I began making hair clips and earrings and find it so relaxing and rewarding when I see the finished product. I was asked repeatedly if I was going to open up shop and sell them but I didn't want to until I built up my inventory more. Well the time has come! If you look over to the right, that is a small sample of my inventory.

bigGirlbigHair presents Arym's Creations. It will feature homemade and handmade fashion and hair accessories to include assorted hair clips and earrings. I will take custom orders. We can discuss what you are wanting before setting a price.

I will have an Arym's Preferred mailing list that will allow those subscribed to it to find out about sales and specials before it's announced publicly. Please send an email with your Name, Email address, and Birthday to bigGirlbigHair@gmail.com

Currently, if you use the code Twitter during checkout, you'll receive 15% off!

Castor Oil Challenge

As much as I love kinky twists extensions and similar extension styles, I hate what they can do do edges/hairlines. I just took out a set of twists after having them in for about 2.5months. My edges are still in tack but just look thinner than usual so I've decided to challenge myself to a Castor Oil Challenge as it supports hair growth and thickness in hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. I would love for you to join me in it.

Details:
What: I'm using the HomeHealth brand Castor Oil but you can use whatever brand you want (Palma Christi or even any of the Jamaican Black Castor Oil brands)
When: I'll be applying to my edges and scalp once in the morning and once at night on dry hair (using it on wet hair will cause your pores to clog because pores open when they are wet)
How: I'll be mixing it with some EVOO or other essential oil just to help with the smell.
How Long: This challenge will go from Sunday January 9, 2011 to Sunday March 13, 2011. That gives a full 2 months

I'll be posting pics tomorrow of my hair so I'll have a comparison and I encourage you to do the same. If you are interested in this challenge please leave your twitter name in the comment section and I'll be sure to mention (@) you on twitter using the hashtag: #CastorOilChallenge

Natural Hair Expressions -Product Review

I love being able to test products for natural hair. About 3 months ago I learned about a company out in California that was creating and selling natural hair products and contacted them about being sent samples to do a review. I never heard anything back at first but about 2 weeks ago they I sent me a message on Twitter asking if I was still interested. Of course I was :-) I was send the Herbal Shampoo and Misty Hair Spray. So I wanted to share with you all the product info (directions and ingredients) and my review.

Herbal Shampoo- Wet hair thoroughly. Apply shampoo to the scalp and gently massage toward the ends of the hair. Shampoo, rinse, and repeat.
Ingredients: Purified water,disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate (a non-toxic cleansing agent) green tea extract,rosemary oil, peppermint oil, horsetail extract, wheat protein, and hydrolyzed silk.

For those who know me, know that I am a no-poo/low poo girl. I shampoo about 3-4 times a year. So since we're coming into a brand new year I did a full wash. I shampoo'd with the Herbal Shampoo, detangled while using Giovanni 50-50 condish, DC'd with Giovanni Deeper Moisture, and used Giovanni Direct Leave-In. The shampoo was great. The usual issue I have with shampoos is that it dries my hair while I'm washing it and I can actually feel the texture change. This shampoo barely gave me that feeling. It had a tingling to it that felt amazing and the peppermint smell of it was so relaxing. It cleansed really well and had a good lather to it. I used about a quarter sized amount and it lathered like crazy lol, a little definitely goes a long way.

Overall Grade: B; Definitely recommend
Misty Hair Spray- Apply to damp or dry hair and massage thoroughly. For deeper conditioning cover with plastic cap for 10 minutes. No need to rinse.
Ingredients: Distilled water, lavender oil, rosemary oil, and peppermint oil.

As I was previously saying, I did a full wash Sunday night (1/2/11). After applying my leave-in I put my hair into four ponytails and then twisted and bantu knotted the ends and wrapped my hair in my satin headwrap to let it dry overnight and also stretch it naturally. This morning (1/3/11) I loosened up the bantu knots and twists and sprayed the hair mist on my hair to lightly dampen it enough to use my wide tooth comb and achieve the big hair look I was wanting. The mist has that same nice peppermint smell to it as the shampoo. It refreshed my hair greatly without over-wetting it. It left my hair so soft and smelling good.

Here's the final product today. I did a puff with a modified pompadour in front:















Overall grade: A, Highly recommend.

Please check out Natural Hair Expressions to purchase either of these items. The line also includes a styling lotion and conditioner. The founder of the line, Miss Tee, can be found on twitter. I'm not sure if she's still sending out samples but it may be worth it to at least ask.

Thanks for coming by and I'd love to hear your thoughts on other products you've tried that may be worth me reviewing on here.

2011 Natural Hair Goals

As I sit here and type this I am working on my top goal for my hair for 2011; no heat! I never use direct heat but I do sit under a hard bonnet dryer when I do my deep conditioning treatments. A few days ago I was chillin with my best friend and my goddaughter and my bestie was walking around with this foil on her head shaped like a bowl and I asked her what it was and she was saying she was DC'ing with the ORS Replinishing Pack and that the foil kept her body's natural heat in better than just a shower cap. Makes sense right? Well why was I shocked about it lol. After taking off the foil, I touched her hair and it was so incredibly warm. It felt as if she had sat under a dryer. Welp! That did it for me. In 2011 as I near my 2nd hairversary I'm challenging myself not to use any heat!

So here's my complete list of 2011 Natural Hair Goals:
1. No Heat (explained above)
2. More Water (Body loves it, hair can't get enough of it)
3. Pescetarian Diet (Vegetarian + Seafood/// A cleaner, more natural eating lifestyle)
4. More Protective Styles (Less manipulation plus i have Hand-In-Hair syndrome lol)

I want to hear yours. Please leave a comment with at least three goal for your natural hair in 2011!

ALSO: I have created a twitter name in connection with this blog so if you already follow me on beautiifuldream, please add bigGirlbigHair, thanks loves!