During Christmas break, I went into a beauty supply/wig store with intentions of buying a clarifying shampoo (with minimal ingredients). Not sure what brand I was looking for, I assumed it would be in the shampoo aisle. In this store, everything was arranged according to brand. It was a huge store. As I walked down the long aisles full of hair product, I sighed in relief because I felt like going natural was the BEST darn decision I’ve ever made. I no longer need to buy relaxers, numerous shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, etc. My required hair maintainence is minimal. My hair is full, healthy, and starting to really grow. In this “warehouse” of beauty, all I needed was a clarifying shampoo. Eventually, a rep found one for me because all the product had my head spinning!

To think, I’ve been wearing my hair natural for… (counts on fingers) 5 years and I don’t own any novelties that celebrate natural hair. It’s time I do something about that huh? After the launch of my good friend Jennae‘s Differently Clothing line, I had become a fan of her designs celebrating natural hair. More specifically, I had been eying the Don’t Tell Me To Relax! tee. It’s clever and represents my thoughts exactly. Seriously, I will never ever, ever, ever relax my hair again. There’s just too much work involved managing two different hair textures and the chemicals aren’t that great for my body either.

Jennae was generous enough to send me that Don’t Tell Me To Relax! tee in galaxy blue and I am loving it. A size small fits me perfectly. It hugs the right places with space for comfort.

It was a bad nail day. Please ignore :).

Jennae and her husband, John, pride themselves in offering stylish, graphic tees that are fly with purpose. All tees at Differently Clothing are printed on organic and recycled cotton, making them super comfy and eco-conscious. Some of my favorites are the Empress, Paper Chaser, and Kinky Relationship (it’s a natural hair tee, lol). So what are you waiting for? Find a tee that speaks to your soul and snatch it up!

P.S. Be sure to join the Differently Clothing Fanpage on Facebook. The first 300 fans will be entered to win a free graphic tee or tote bag of their choice!

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | 11 comments - Let's chat!

I’ve been wanting to dye a few of my locs pink or purple, but in order to do so, I’d have to bleach them. I don’t want to bleach my hair because it’s not the healthiest or the most natural choice. I’d be a hypocrite if I said, “Oh, my hair is natural and unprocessed.”, when clearly it would not be. Well, I already kinda dyed my hair black when I first started my locs because they looked bad (to me) brown. At the same time I feel like I should live my life to the fullest and go for it, but that little voice inside my head keeps nagging me telling me not to go near the darn bleach.

Since I decided not to dye my hair, I decided to wrap some of my locs with yarn instead. I found a cool turquoise and brown soft boucle yarn on Ebay that I used to wrap two of my locs with. I started by wrapping up each loc, and then down to get any gaps I may have missed. Oh, and of course I tied the yarn around the loc a few times and cut off any excess yarn. Some of my hair shows, but it blends in with both colors well. I’m loving the look. I’m thinking about picking up a few more color varieties, maybe the brown and orange combos for a Fall look.

To my non-loc rockers, you can still do this. Just make a braid and get to wrappin’!

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 6 comments - Let's chat!

He colored on his face…again.

Jayden has been doing a very good job at convincing us that he doesn’t need any siblings. His lil’ male diva (in a non feminine way) attitude has taken over this house. He’s very particular about his wants. He wants cereal, with milk, in a bowl, in that order. Sandwich, with meat, on bread. He has to have covers with his pillow. His covers have to completely cover his feet and must be tucked around his neck. We must fix (pull apart) his duplo blocks after each new creation. Of course things could be worse. He could be beating up other kids, falling all out in the grocery store, and doing things that would score us a solid spot on Maury. He’s being a normal 2 1/2 year old, I suppose. This stage shall pass and my sanity shall be restored. Not.

Tuesday, we decided to do something that we have been debating the longest. We.cut.his.hair. I desperately wanted him to have a head full of long, wavy hair, but it just wasn’t happening. His fro was getting out of control. It was different lengths all around his head. And because he can’t keep his head out of the carpet, it stayed lent-y. So Greg, with great apprehension, grabbed the clippers and gave our lil’ dude a new do. Jayden did well during the cut. We thought he’d fight it. He just sat there with his Yummy Earth sucker watching Max & Ruby. After the cut, I worked in some Bee Hold Curly Butter and aloe vera gel for moisture. Thoughts? I’m thinking frohawk for next cut ;). Can’t knock it ’til you try it. There goes our baby…

He’s a little man now.

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 20 comments - Let's chat!

A few days ago, I wrote a post about an incredible deal Walmart had going on for Six Flags this summer. In return for that post, I received four tickets to Six Flags. Exciting right? Especially since we are in need of a fun family getaway.

Well…

It has come to my attention that there has been a case of Six Flags theme parks refusing to hire individuals who wear their hair in dread(loc)ks. Six Flags does not permit this “extreme” hairstyle as it detracts from Six Flags’ theme.

Here we go…

“Six Flags enforces a conservative grooming policy across all parks. The policy does not permit certain hairstyles such as variations in hair colors, dreadlocks, partially shaved heads, tails, and hairstyles that impair vision. Braided hair is allowed but must be in neat, even rows and without beads or other ornaments.”

It doesn’t matter long or short, thin, thick, clean, or dirty; just dread(loc)ks in general. Meh.

Since braids (long or short) are allowed, it isn’t a matter of the dreadlocks (long ones) being hazardous to the rides or food. If that was really the issue, why not ask that those with long hair in general to neatly pin it up and those working in food put on a hair net?

It just makes no sense.

Personally, I feel that men and women with dread(loc)ks look more mature than those with braids in their hair. And the people who I know that wear their hair this way carry themselves in a respectable manner and prove to be as intelligent and insightful as people who choose to wear their hair in other styles.

In this Essence article, it states that a lady with locs who worked at Six Flags previously with no problems, was asked to come back to work for another season…but only if she changed her appearance. So obviously, she rocked her position, but her hair was a little too much for the Six Flags image.

The types of jobs available at Six Flags are great part time jobs for teens and young adults. They are not white collar jobs where grooming standards would be a little more strict. Six Flags is a theme park; a place that promotes fun. A diverse group of people seek entertainment at Six Flags from all walks, races, and hair styles. Having employees that represent their customers totally makes sense. It’s good for business, but maybe Six Flags missed that memo.

My hair is loc’d. It is the best decision I’ve made next to leaping into wearing my hair natural and chemical free. I take pride in my hair. I wash it regularly = as needed for my hair type and physical environment. Natural hair has been growing out of my scalp for four years and boy was it a journey transitioning from stringy chemical treated hair to my natural untreated curls. And then there was the two year journey of watching my hair evolve from two strand twists to beautiful locs. What grows on top of my head shows that I did not give up. I am just as approachable as someone without locs. I don’t hug trees, get high, or walk around like a little lady militant.

Locs are just multiple strands of hair bound together to make thicker strands. These thicker strands can be styled in just about any style imaginable. What is so extreme about that?

Because of this debacle, I cannot in good conscience keep the Six Flags promo post up or visit Six Flags theme parks until they make reasonable revisions to their grooming policy. I am disappointed that a company that I stood by has been caught slipping over something as silly as a hairstyle. And yes, to many individuals, it is more than a hairstyle, it is a way of self expression and empowerment just as any hair style may be. But what’s wrong with that? And since there is a much stronger story behind this specific hairstyle, it just flusters the hell out of folks.

There’s so much more going on in the world today that we need to be worrying about rather than how we, as human beings, wear our hair.

I am sorry to those who may have gotten offended by the previous Six Flags post. I am sorry to those who commented in excitement because that deal was pretty darn good. Know that if you choose to take advantage of the savings, I absolutely WILL NOT hold it against you.

Now, to plan a new family adventure for us elsewhere. And here’s to hoping their grooming policy won’t bite me in the ass too.

#thatisall

#carryon

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 20 comments - Let's chat!

Before having Jayden, we decided that we would not give him haircuts. We’d let his hair grow out and if he decided he wanted it cut when he got older, we’d allow it. His hair growth is pretty much at a standstill. I’d like to be able to style it in braids and twists, but I realize that without a routine and good products, his hair will not grow. For a long time he only had bangs because his hair fell out due to cradle cap. So considering, his hair is now full and in great condition; just not as long as I think it could be.

His hair is soft with a pretty nice curl pattern. It stays dry and since he likes to roll all in the carpet, it attracts lint and whatever else.

We had the opportunity to try Sof n’Free n’Pretty GroHealthy products. The products are catered towards children of various ethnic groups prone to specific hair or scalp problems: shedding, thinning, temple and nape damage, breaking, and chronic dryness. What won me over is the fact that the products are made with natural ingredients and contain no mineral oil and petrolatum. While they are not 100% “green”, they are an affordable solution to higher end natural hair care products and can be found in various local stores.

We’ve been using GroHealthy products for two months and have received pretty good results as far as moisturizing is concerned. I usually start by squirting a few drops of the Growth Oil with Olive & Soybean Oils into my hands and I massage it into his scalp. That is followed by massaging in a few dollups of Olive Oil Growth Lotion. Next, I add a little more Growth Oil. Then, I gently pick or comb his hair and scrunch his curls with my fingers. Twice a week, I use the Thick and Healthy Olive Oil Cream in place of the Olive Oil Growth Lotion. I usually will do this after washing and conditioning his hair for extra moisture.

Here’s a before and after shot of his hair once dry and full of lint and then after a wash, condition, and GroHealthy treatment with the Growth Oil and Olive Oil Cream. As you can see, his hair went from looking a little rough to nice and moisturized with a healthy shine.

GroHealthy doesn’t magically get rid of lint; that I had to pick out myself :).

More photos on Flickr…

Overall, I am pleased with the products and how they perform. I do wish they didn’t contain parabens. I’m on this mission to a greener lifestyle, but I realize I can’t always have my cake and eat it too. I plan on trying out more natural hair care products, those of which may be higher end and sold online. If I’m in between purchases, I know I can grab GroHealthy as an affordable solution.

Price: Olive Oil Growth Lotion 8.8oz ($5.99), Thick and Healthy Olive Oil Cream 8.8oz ($6.99), Growth Oil With Olive & Soybean Oils 8.8oz ($6.29)
Green-worthy Stats: GroHealthy products are not 100% “green” but they are made of healing, growth-enhancing natural ingredients such as aloe vera, almond oil, nettle, arnica, shea butter, rosemary, silk protein, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, tea tree oil, honey, vitamin e, and olive oil. They contain no mineral oil and petrolatum. Parabens, however, are present.

GroHealthy is the very first children’s product line made to treat specific hair or scalp problems: shedding, thinning, temple and nape damage, breaking, and chronic dryness.

Extensions, chemical use, braiding and even everyday brushing and combing can damage your little girl’s fragile, young hair. Now you can restore and repair it with new GroHealthy.

© Sophistishe 2010 | Permalink | 8 comments - Let's chat!