On the road again: from natural to texlaxed

Hey yall it's me Monee! I'll hurry up and get to the gist of the matter: I will no longer be natural and will begin to texlax my hair. I have a youtube video that goes into more detail and explains things further ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-cGNnM8J1o)

Key points I need to make to you all:

1. I still love natural hair: I think it's beautiful in everyway and it's a sure fire way to a head full of healthy tresses. I'm only 17, I have a long life to live( God willing) who knows where I might end up and what else I may do. But if I do go natural again, I most likely won't bc, but instead I will transition.

2. I will be working on changing the name of my blog from Naturally Beautiful Afrodite to something more fitting. I think that's only fair.

3. I hope that you all don't unfollow/unsubscribe from because of this choice.

4. I will still be doing product reviews, deep treatments, and other helpful how to's.

5. Most of my articles will be about texlaxed hair from now on.

6. Natural hair sistas are still very much welcome to participate and patronize my blog as before.

My resources:

youtube

www.youtube.com/user/alraines

www.youtube.com/user/zanandrob

www.youtube.com/user/thetruthishair

Articles:

www.associatedcontent.com/article/23259794/how_to_texlax_your_hair_simple_texlaxing.html

http://zanandrob.com/hair/texlax/how-to-successfully-texlax-or-relax-your-hair-instructions/

I also did research through long hair care forum.

Very soon I will be running a twitter page all about my texlaxing routine/regimen/journey etc. it will feature hair care tips, product reviews and other hair related qwerks(?)

LOove you all much!

The Natural Chick! Epidemic

I titled my blogpost with "The Natural Chick Epidemic", in honor of Alicia James. Ms.James is a natural-haired sista who also is a singer. So far the only music I've heard by her is "Crazy in Love". When I first heard the song, my mother was watching one of Ms.James's Youtube videos and I thought it was a clip of a Jazmine Sullivan song that she'd inserted into the intro. Then I later realized that it was HER OWN RECORDING! Not to say that I'm putting her in the same box with Jazmine Sullivan, instead I'm speaking in reference to the quality of the recording and her skills.

As I said earlier she is natural and her hair is FAB-YO0H-LOUS darrrling! She has a youtube channel, where you can get to know her better and see what all she has been up to. SSoooo, go check out Ms.James and let all us naturals come together and bring this natural sista to the light!

Links:

• Her personal website: http://msaliciajames.ning.com/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/aliciajamesmusic
• Purchase her music: www.reverbnation.com/aliciajames

The N-Word....

.....was a term of hatred and degradation.

.....is not a term of affection.

.....is NOW a term of camaraderie.

......only has as much power as we give it.

.......should not be said by non-black people; if it is said at all.

This is only my opinion. And yes, shamefully, I do use the N-word,but not profusely.

I do solemnly swear to preserve and protect my ends

I recently did a post on preserving/protecting your edges. Now I want to touch on preserving and protecting the ends. Some of you natural sistas refuse to cut your ends, because of extreme length retention efforts. But NOT cutting your ends is actually detrimental to having long, healthy, and beautiful hair. Those splits will travel up the shaft of the hair, weakening it and causing it to break/snap off/apart. (and make it look ugly.) Tip1: Get rid of those split/dead ends by cutting them every 3 months, between 1/8-1/2 inch. If you haven't cut your ends for a while you may have to cut more the first time; possibly even up to 2- inches. Either way, you have to get rid of those dead ends; now or later. After that first cut, the length you will need to cut on a tri-monthly basis will decrease.

How-to accomplish 1:
(1)Wear your hair in stretching hairstyles for an entire week. This way it will be very elongated, not curled and coiled up on itself, making it easier to see and feel dead/split ends. Use cutting shears for this, NOT scissors! Also use a very fine tooth comb, dealing with sections of hair no thicker than ¼ inch.
(2).Put your hair in to small-medium size two-strand twist and cut the ends off the twist as needed. When you're done, your twist should have a blunt, soft, and chunky look.
"How will I know when it's time to cut my ends?" My personal experience has told me to cut my ends when my hair snags on combs, when it becomes difficult to comb with my conditioner-laden hair my conditioning comb while in the shower, when I find/feel knots on the ends of individual hair strands, or when my hair looks very frizzy even though I haven't changed my regimen and/or the weather hasn't changed. After that you just cut it every 3 months on that same day.

In between cuts you want to minimize the occurrence of split ends. You can do this by wearing protective styles, moisturizing your ends (actually grabbing sections of your hair and applying the moisturizer directly to your ends), and always comb your hair from the ends up. Deep condition your hair on a regular basis to strengthen the entire shaft. And always know and keep in mind that when caring for your hair, that your ends are the weakest part, because they are the oldest. Take this information and use it to your desire, but don't stress over your hair and drive yourself crazy by combing ever so gently. Baby steps are what it's all about.

Light skin, Dark skin....Let it Be

If you are on Twitter, then you most likely know that the comedian Kevin Hart has been making some jokes about dark-skinned women. When slapped with the backlash he said, "I'm a comedian...it's just a joke, jeeezzz....Don't be so sensitive....." But how could he be so INsensitive. He used to be my favorite comedian, smh.

But about a week ago, I found this poem, and even though I have light skin I feel the same way he does.

Ebon Venus
Let others boast of maidens fair,

Of eyes of blue and golden hair;

My heart like needles ever true

Turns to the maid of ebon hue.

I love her form of matchless grace,

The dark brown beauty of her face,

Her lips that speak of love's delight,

Her eyes that gleam as stars at night.

O'er marble Venus let them rage,

Who sets the fashions of the age;

Each to his taste, but as for me,

My Venus shall be ebony.

- Lewis Latimer

I do Solemny swear to preserve and protect my edges

“Aw man! What's going on with ole gurl's edges?” Maybe even you've asked this about your own hair. There are two main causes of this problem: chemical abuse wrought by relaxers and texturizers and daily hair care/styling practices.

When we subject our hair and scalp to such harsh chemicals, there are going to be adverse effects,one of them thinning edges. The best way to combat this is to immediately stop using all chemicals; but I guess if you're reading this you're in transition or already natural.

Women who have just bc'ed (big chopped) and have short hair tend to style it tightly in order to keep the short hair in check. For instance,your afro puff is cute,but it may be a lil' too tight. Stylin' and profiling' can be done, but not at the cost of your edges.

Loosen up, literally;try a new style if that doesn't work. Wearing tight scalp braids,micro
braids, and glueing in tracks are also big no-no's. You shouldn't need a bottle of Tylenol
after getting your hair done. Tell the stylist to go easy; If you're too intimidated to do
so,then it's time to find a new stylist.

Another culprit may be using a gel with too much protein. Protein is good, but
like everything else it's only good in moderation. Excess amounts can harden the hair
causing it to snap off. Instead of that protein-enriched gel, try IC Fantasia or Eco styling
gel. They always relax my rebelous edges.
There are a few ways to reverse these effects and get your edges to be lush
(again) .Try massaging the scalp with rosemary-infused evoo*. It's not so hard to loosen
your hair accessories from around your hairline. More obviously you should be more gentle when brushing and
combing your edges into submission. It may take a while, but you will notice a difference. And remember, don't sacrifice the health of your hair for the sake of looking
good.

* If you can't find rosemary-infused oil or don't want to make it yourself, then add10
drops of rosemary essential oil and 4 drops peppermint essential oil to 4oz. Of evoo(extra
virgin olive oil) or any natural,organic oil of your choice.