naturalista update:: my first twist out!

happy monday loves!


so i decided to do something a little different after washing my hair last night, and that was twist my hair and let it set over night. and let me telll you, the results were FAB!

after i washed and conditioned my hair (shampoo: elucence moisture benefits shampoo; conditioners: elucence moisture balancing conditioner and rosemary purifying conditioner by carol's daughter) i toweled dried it and added a little bit of cantu shea butter leave-in-conditioner to it. to give my hair shine, i also use coconut milk by organix. 

the finished twists :)

to twist it, i simply just part a small section with my fingers and two-strand twist it, sealing the ends with raw undefined shea butter. easy, right? once i was done (this took about an hour and some change) i just moisturized my scalp with more shea butter and put my silk cap on. 

right after the twist out - so curly!

this morning, i untwisted my hair to find these amazingly bouncy curlies on top of my head! it was simply terrific. again, i moisturized my scalp with shea butter and added the coconut milk to my hair for shine. to add a little pizzaz to my curls, i used a little bit of eco styler gel (the pink kind) and i was on my way. 

the added hair flower for freshness ;)

i loved the results from my twist-out, and i think it's great way to re-define my curls and make them look fuller. yay for natural hair! *lol*


what are some of your favorite styles for your hair, natural or not? 

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

ain't no feeling like being free - going natural :)

so i did it! i finally had the BC (big chop) and i couldn't more in love with the look. of course, before making the decision, i had been transitioning from having relaxers every six weeks to just going cold turkey.

i didn't even see the chris rock documentary "good hair", but going natural had been a though in my mind since fall 2009. i just wanted to take time to make sure that i was really ready to take the next step.

i've gotten such a positive response for my hair, and i'm sure that there will be some nay-sayers, but so what! i took this step for me, and i couldn't be happier. i know that this journey is going to have some ups and downs, but i'm ready for it.

this is more than just a physical appearance change for me, but i feel like i've let so much go by cutting off my hair *cue free by destiny's child* but seriously...there is something about going natural that makes a female become so much more in tune with her inner and outer beauty. i believe that india.arie said it best in the hit song "i am not my hair" that it's about the soul that lives within =]

there is such a large community on the internet of young women that have natural hair, and i've already got a number of fave blogs and youtube channels that support the go natural movement. i think that i chose the perfect time to make the choice of going natural, and i can't wait to see the evolution of my hair. as always, i will be sharing with you all my progress as i take this journey.

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

examining racism in the fashion- (documentary attached)

 "i need a black model, but she has to be a white girl dipped in chocolate..."

 



from music to movies, the industries that are driven by millions of consumers around the world seem to have one thing in common: there aren't that many african-americans that promote the products that these industries endorse. after watching this documentary about twenty-four year old model renee thompson, i just thought that this is something i should discuss.

everyday, i see thousands of advertisements about products that push being thinner or lighter or blemish free. as an african american female in america, this can very overwhelming. i'm not the thinnest person in the world, but these advertisements just make me want to try even hard to pursue this unrealistic representation of beauty. in my opinion, instead of promoting universal beauty, health and acceptance, the fashion industry and many industries like it are constantly drilling into young females heads that in order to be perfect, you must be a size 00.

renee thompson is a gorgeous girl and fierce model, but she's constantly rejected by major labels like gucci and prada because simply put "black models don't push products" - which i find extremely ironic since the hip-hop music that a percentage of blacks do listen to are usually talking about these labels (but that's another topic for another post).  there are so many different representations of beauty but until those are exposed and shown to the world, we really can't diverge from seeing a pale porcelain-skinned models on the cover of magazines and on billboards everywhere.

i want to start a dialogue about this topic - why do you think black models are scorned by the fashion industry for having full lips and curvy hips? will it ever change?

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.