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FUN FACT ......... I'VE BEEN NATURAL ALL MY LIFE !!!

3/20/2020

Ladies and gents, you read the title correctly; I've avoided relaxers, also known as "creamy crack," for many years. Now I'm going to be honest: when I was younger, I had issues fully embracing my texture. I was more like 68.2% of the way there, feeling it. My hair is what some would consider PUFFY. It could hold some heat for a little while, but once I sweat or water gets on it, it loses it. OH MAN !! It became an instant puffball for sure. I remember my 5th-grade graduation; my cousin Louise gave me an old-school hard press-and-curl the night before. The next morning, my mother took down my pin curls, finger-combed my hair, and voilà! I had a cute, soft-curl hairstyle, and I was elated. Before I left out the door for school, I can recall doing a quick twirl in front of our wall of mirrors in the living room. Pretty white dress with daisies on it, white sandals with a gold buckle, and my hair had bounce and shine. It was going to be the best last day of 5th grade. Until ................ I WENT OUTSIDE !!
It was the month of June, so the sun was shining bright. It wasn't a hot day, but it was warm and humid. From the car to my school, my bangs that once had a curl were morphing into a sponge. From the school's main entrance to the gymnasium stage, my soft curls were just soft because humidity and sweat had made them no more. When I got up to sing my rendition of "Tomorrow" by Tevin Campbell and the great Quincy Jones, I looked like one of the Commodores (Lionel, to be exact!!!) As my hair grew larger, I was DEVASTATED! You would think after that incident my mother would cave in and slap some relaxer on my head, right ???? NO MA'AM! My mother still refused to put any chemicals on my hair. Oh, to be me in the early 90's.

Thankfully, God anointed my little hands with some giftings, and I grew up during the DaBrat, Lady of Rage, and Brandi era. Those hair inspirations encouraged me to learn to twist and braid my own hair. Learning those techniques eventually led me to add hair braiding, and by Middle school I was doing my own microwave ponytails and sew-ins along with my go-to twist-and-braid styles. I rarely wore my own hair out when I did; it was for 1-2 days, and I wore it in an afro-puff ponytail. After the 2 days, it was back to box braids, sew-ins, or microwave ponytails.

The journey continued through high school, minus the microwave ponytails. I got tired of smelling like fried Barbie hair. I continued to wear braided and woven styles, often combining the two. But I began to step away from the weaving and braids and sometimes wore my natural tresses in a simple slicked-back ponytail with a headband (used to be subconscious about my forehead) for a week. The reactions used to be HILARIOUS when people would see my slicked-off black hair ending with a massive puffy fro behind my head. It was hard for some to believe that I wore braids and weaves all the time, but for me it was understandable because I didn't understand my natural hair.

Oh, but good ol' senior year, I was stumped as to how I would wear my hair for the first day of school. As I sat on my bed watching videos of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu, I found myself focusing on their natural beauty and features, and how their naturalistic style just intensified them. Then " Round and Round " by Jonell came on, and BOOM, the idea hit me. " I'm wearing my hair in twist the first day of school. So I made my way to the hair store, got some cherry cola rinse and clear gel. The final result was the cutest two-strand twist for the first day of school, and in that moment I fell in love with my hair. From that day on, I began to play with my hair texture. NEVER desired to wear my natural hair straight, but I would do twists, twist-outs, braids, braid-outs, pineapple puffs, and sometimes my Afro. Do I love protective styles? ABSOLUTELY !!!! I love my wigs (no longer do the sew-ins), crochet braids, braids & faux locs, but I now appreciate my hair texture because I took the time out to learn what works for it. For those natural, transitioning, relaxed, and protective style pros, love the tresses you were blessed with while you still enjoy the versatility of other hair options.

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GOTTA LOVE CROCHET BRAIDS !!!

3/13/2020

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Crochet braids are a protective style that has swarmed my home state of Connecticut, along with the Tri-State area, the whole East Coast, the West Coast, the South, the Midwest, and let's just be honest, WORLDWIDE. This style is here to stay. Durability, longevity, and a variety of colors are just a few of the great qualities this protective style has. Providing scalp freedom rather than a sew-in weave, crochet braids give those wearing the style the opportunity to cleanse and moisturize their scalp frequently, which, for many protective-style wearers, is a bonus. Textures range from Kanekalon straight, Bohemian Curly, Beach waves, Kinky Curls, Faux locs, twist, and braids; the options are endless.
As a hair artist, I enjoy creating a variety of looks with crochet hair.
Certain brands are staples in the crochet braid community.
Shake n Go Freetress brand was the first textured brand I ever worked with.
Their Deep Twist, GoGo Curl, and Waterwave are some of my clients' favorite hair.

As the years go by, more brands are creating and improving their crochet hair. Adding faux locs, goddess locs, and box braids to the fold had to be one of the best things to happen for both clients and crochet braid artists. Reducing installation time while maintaining the same, if not longer, style longevity makes it a no-brainer to opt for the crochet alternative rather than always doing it the traditional way.
Our community of crochet braiders is so innovative that we have techniques like Half individuals with Half Crochet or Full-Head individuals using the pre-made locs or braids. These installation techniques give individuals a look but take only 1-3 hours to install. It's AMAZING !!!!!
Brands like Bobbi Boss, with their NuLocs crochet locs, are natural-looking fresh out of the pack and only get better with time. Freetress didn't miss a beat with their crochet box braids, senegalese twist, and the GOREGEOUS Bo Locs. Janet Collection gives you a two-in-one style with the Havana Mambo Twist: you can wear it as a twist or unravel it for a fluffy, fierce twist-out. AfriNaptural, ModelModel, Lulutress, Zury, African Collection, and Boho Locs are other brands with high-quality textures. I can go on and on listing brands because thankfully so many are coming out with great products.

To every crochet braid wearer, keep adorning your tresses with these phenomenal protective style options, and for those who have yet to step over to the crochet side, I encourage you to do so. Saving time while looking fine. Crochet braids .... You gotta love them !!!!

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FUN FACT ......... I'VE BEEN NATURAL ALL MY LIFE !!!

GOTTA LOVE CROCHET BRAIDS !!!

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