Evelyn Ngugi

Wanna take your ‘fro to new heights? Try a natural hair blow out! Using a blow dryer with a comb attachment will stretch out your coils and show off more of your length. You can rock it as is, or style it for a larger, longer version of your staple styles.

Everyone’s technique for blow outs is different—it depends on the how long your hair is, how textured it is, and how much shrinkage you’d be trying to stretch out. My hair shrinks to about one-third of its real length, so my blow out process requires a bit of hard work!

Below is what I need to do a blow out:

• blow dryer with comb attachment
• butterfly or duck bill clips
• heat protectant

Ideally, a blow out is done on freshly washed, conditioned, and detangled hair. That will cut down the time needed to comb it dry. The less time exposed to heat, the better, because while this style can be pretty fabulous (you’ll definitely get compliments…or at least comments!) heat can really damage fragile hair.

Excessive heat on the hair can (1) weaken and destroy the hair proteins (2) change the natural oils in hair that help hold it together (3) dry up internal moisture of the strand. To prevent heat damage, you’ll need a heat protectant. While some products are labeled ‘heat protectant’, any product that coats the hair before you apply heat is essentially protecting the strands from damage. You can start by giving your washed and detangled hair a deep conditioning treatment.

After that, divide your hair into manageable sections. Personally, I detangle, shampoo, and deep condition my hair in TWO STRAND TWISTS, so my hair is never really loose anyway during the process. I grab a twist to start and clip the rest back.

Undo the twist and run a bit of your heat protectant from root to tip, focusing on the ends, which are the oldest and weakest part of your hair. If using a spray, don’t saturate the hair—it’ll leave a sticky feeling and will make the hair too wet to blow dry quickly and efficiently. Using medium heat (because using cool would take forever on my length and curl pattern), run the comb attachment through your hair just like you would a wide-toothed comb—gently and from root to tip, working your way up. Continue with the other twists/sections.

For blowouts, you’re looking to stretch the hair, like a huge undefined twist out. Blow it out too much, and it may look more like you’ve passed a flat iron over it. Many people actually blow out their hair before flat ironing it. So just stop when you’ve reach your desired fro!

The result should be fluffy, soft, huge hair! Questions? Comments? Talk to me below!

Sunday night, BET aired the first annual awards show celebrating and commemorating black women and girls around the world, reminding us that Black Girls Rock!

Black Girls Rock is first and foremost a non-profit organization, started in 2006 by Beverly Bond. It started off as an idea for a line of T-shirts, but Bond said it was a concept that needed to be expanded into something greater. The organization works to increase self-esteem and self-worth among African American girls ages 12-17 through volunteering, creative arts, and mentorship.

Nia Long

The broadcast used celebrities as examples of how Black girls can rock, but also celebrated M.A.D girls: girls who Made A Difference in their communities, like Amiya Alexander who owns her own traveling dance studio at age 11.

Nia Long was the elegant host, and the band playing for acts like Jill Scott, Ledisi, Monica, Keisha Cole, Marsha Ambrosius, was ALL female: the horn section, the drums, the base – EVERYTHING! Those black girls truly rocked!

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” is actually the cinematic adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s 1975 play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.” The original is a series of 20 beautiful poems, and unfortunately I felt like I needed the script there with me to fully grasp the movie. Such beautiful language would be easy to read, not necessarily listen to. This made the movie feel like a series of complicated and descriptive monologues strung together by a plot line delivered in normal spoken English. THe movie had a star studded cast: Janet Jackson, Thandie Newton, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Phylicia Rashad, Tessa Thompson, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Without giving too much away, there were two events in the movie that made it worth seeing. The acting for those scenes was heart wrenching and horrifying – not a dry eye in the theater. Kimberly Elise’s performance was amazing – her character broke my heart and resonated with many people in the theater because she had a loved one who suffered from war-induced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Akina Noni Rose, who you may know as the voice of Tiana in Disney’s Princess and the Frog, delivered a beautiful performance. Of all the poems, hers was the easiest for me to understand. It was clear and powerful, and wasn’t bogged down by flowery language. It will hit home for women across the world – its message transcended all races, nationalities, and ages.

As a film, it had too many plot lines, and although Tyler Perry attempted to connect all the leading ladies, it was difficult to for me to follow their stories. I probably would have enjoyed it better as a play, or a piece of literature to read. “For Colored Girls” had a lot of potential to be an amazing film, and I wouldn’t have minded if it was longer.

For those who wanted “For Colored Girls” to be an uplifting sort of movie, this wasn’t quite it. In my opinion, it presented the many different issues and struggles that face African American women and women in general. While it may be comforting to see that yes, other women have faced tribulations, the movie didn’t fully resolve each character’s story. It was much like reality – none of the ladies had a story book ending.

If this is the sort of movie that you need in your life, i highly recommend it. If you’re just looking for something to watch on a Saturday night, I say pass.

What did you think of the movie?

Vitamin D facilitates skeletal growth and strength, working with calcium and phosphorus to be absorbed better. It also strengthens your immune system by increasing the activity of “natural killer cells.”

You can get this vitamin by eating fatty fish (catfish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna) eggs, and meat. In more developed countries, staple foods such as milk, flour, and margarine are artificially fortified with vitamin D. Mushrooms are the only vegan/vegetarian food source of vitamin D.

Our skin cells actually make this valuable vitamin when they come in contact with UV rays from the sun, but research shows that darker skinned people living in temperate climates (like the United States) have lower vitamin D levels. The reason behind this is that melanin (the pigment of our skin) actually prevents the synthesis of Vitamin D. The darker complexion you have, the more likely your body isn’t producing enough Vitamin D for itself!

A deficiency is not readily noticeable, so talk to your doctor about getting tested for Vitamin D levels – it’s a simple blood test.

And if you still need some convincing, vitamin D has been linked to healthy hair follicle growth!

We all remember when musician Solange Knowles big chopped, right?

She even wore a textured wig to get a taste of big afro life!

And now, It looks like she’s decided to grow one out for herself!

Some ladies decide to rock the big chop look as a style and continue to cut it to achieve a short, cropped look, but if you decide to see how far your fro can go, here are some tips to help you reach your goals:

1. Cut down on the hair washing:
   Our scalps make a natural oil called sebum, but the bigger your fro, the harder it is for sebum to travel around and around your tight coils to naturally moisturize the hair. That’s why highly textured hair always feels dry. Overwashing the hair can actually lead to drier hair! Play around with washing schedules and see how long you feel comfortable without washing. Focus on your scalp when you wash, since the oil and dirt is rarely able to travel to your actual strands. You can also experiment with conditioner washing — called co-washing. Conditioners have slight cleansing properties, but won’t strip your hair of the little oil it does get, unlike most shampoos.
2. Pump up the moisture:
   More hair means more potential for dryness. Make your own spritz by mixing water, aloe vera gel/juice, and jojoba oil. The water and aloe vera add moisture, and the jojoba oil seals it into your hair!
3. Experiment with styles:
   Now you can play with twist, braid, and knot styles. Check out some natural hair style ideas here! When you grow out your hair, you will also start to notice your natural texture and curl pattern. Embrace it!

It’s dark. I’m snuggled safely in a bed that looks like mine but there’s no other furniture in the room. “Hmmm, that’s strange,” I think as I drift off to sleep. My eyes flutter and I fight the urge to sleep—something is wrong, but I just can’t figure out what.

Why is my door cracked open? Did I leave it like that? I never usually leave my door open…

Something is oddly wrong with this picture, but I fall into a deep slumber anyway. I wake up what seems days later. I’m stumbling out of bed and lift my arm to scratch my head and stretch. Wait. Something’s wrong. My hair. It’s flat. And I don’t mean bed head. It’s . . . straight. SOMEONE PUT A RELAXER IN MY HAIR WHILE I WAS ASLEEP!

My mind races. Tears blur my vision. This is too horrifying to be true. Two years happily nappy and it’s all down the drain, right along with that relaxer concoction. “My life is over,” I yell to the sky. I can’t go on anymore. What’s the point? Sure, I complained about how long it takes to detangle and how expensive natural ingredients are, but that didn’t mean I didn’t love my natural coils! Now I have to start all over. WHY HAVE THE GODS DONE THIS TO ME! I catch a glimpse of bone-straight, deep-brown hair brushing my shoulders. This is what I look like now.

My straight hair circa 2008. It went through cycles of growth and breakage, hence the “bangs”. I had to rock them somehow

In slow motion, I see myself collapse.

Before I hit the floor, I sit straight up in my bed, sweating. I look around to make sure I’m not still dreaming. Wait. I was dreaming? There’s only one way to be sure . . . I race to the bathroom, flick on the lights and see it in all its coily tangled glory: my afro smooshed perfectly on the side I sleep on. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yes, the straight hair nightmare exists.

Now’s the time to give thanks to your hair and provide it with the nutrients of this season’s most popular ingredient: pumpkin!

Benefits of Pumpkin

You can use the pumpkin flesh or the more potent pumpkin seed oil to get the benefits of this ingredient. It’s a powerful antioxidant and contains omega-6 fatty acids to aid in hair and skin regeneration.

Pumpkin Hair Products

Take a look at these hair products that infuse pumpkin seed oil! Leave a review after you try them!

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Conditioner

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Detoxifying Shampoo

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Enzyme Therapy Mist Leave-in Conditioner

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Potion Leave-In Conditioner with Ginger Root

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Puree Treatment Masque

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Rehydrating Shampoo

• Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Whipped Souffle Styling Creme

• Darcy’s Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Moisturizing Conditioner

Pumpkin Deep Conditioner Recipe

If you’re in the mood to step in the kitchen, try this Pumpkin Deep Conditioner recipe. Great for hair and skin!

• 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin, canned pumpkin puree, or baby food (to avoid chunks of pumpkin stuck in your hair!)

• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp honey

• Mix thoroughly and let sit until room temperature (if cooking the pumpkin). Wash hair, and apply deep conditioner in sections, smoothing down the cuticle. Let sit for 10-30 minutes depending on hair type or dryness. Rinse with cool water.

The result: shiny, soft hair that smells just like the holidays!

Try creating your own hair products using organic ingredients!

Curl Moisturizing Spray

A perfect balance of distilled water and aloe vera gel or juice will keep your curls, coils, or kinks refreshed and ready to take on the day! Add a few drops of peppermint oil or tea tree oil for soothing scalp therapy.

Israel Segal’s kids were the inspiration for his product line.

Three years ago, Israel Segal adopted fraternal twins—Nola, their daughter and Ziggy, their son. They aimed to provide them with the best, from wholesome formulas to organic foods. There was only one problem—what should they use on Nola and Ziggy’s hair? The children are African American with natural coils and kinks, unlike their Caucasian parents.

“I go to the store and I was shocked to find that a lot of the products were the same old products that were there when I was a teenager—sulfates, parabens petrochemicals or even natural chemicals that just wouldn’t work at all,” Segal says.

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Segal has spent the last 25 years as a stylist in the fashion and beauty industry, so his background and connections helped him find the best possible chemists and perfumists. Instead of giving them the financial constraints that result in cheaper, low quality products, Segal’s constraints were ingredient-specific. None of the low-quality filler oils, no pore-clogging greases. They may get the job done in the short term by adding immediate shine, but it’s not good for the long-term health of the scalp and hair, he said.

Free Your Mane products

“I liken it to putting Miracle Grow in your grass—it’ll make your flowers look pretty but afterward your soil will be stripped of all its natural nutrients,” he says.

Segal worked with his team for three years, tweaking and testing the product in various salons as well as on his own daughter.

“I didn’t even get their hair braided—I wanted her hair out so I could test the products!” he said.

Free Your Mane has six products to help in all aspects of our hair regimen. From cleansing to detangling and styling, Free Your Mane keeps four key ingredients consistent throughout the line: sweet almond oil, pomegranate seed oil, Argan oil, and baobab oil. These four botanicals work to soften, protect, and nourish the hair with no greasy feeling.

Israel Segal and daughter Nola.

“I finally had products lined up that was I was wildly proud of,” he says.

Free Your Mane, now available for purchase from his website, was not simply inspired by his children—he actually uses all the products on his daughter. He recognized that highly textured hair doesn’t receive the natural oils from the scalp, so the Sulfate Free Shampoo gently cleanses. While the hair is wet, he finger combs or uses a wide-toothed comb to detangle with the conditioner. The Hydrating Hair Masque is a deep conditioning treatment to repair very dry hair.

“To style her hair, I usually sweep it back in a ponytail using the Conditioning Pomade, dress the ends to be curly with the Reviving Spray and use the Daily Detangling Conditioner as a little bit of a leave in to make her coils pop,” he says.

Along with Free Your Mane, Segal started SE%EN, the nonprofit division of Nola Industries, Inc., named after his daughter. Seven percent of the line’s profits will go back to existing non-profits that serve the African American community. Segal is passionate about U.S. adoption, of course, and wants that to be a focus.

“It’s crazy that someone would go 5,000 miles away to adopt a child when there are about 70,000 kids in foster care here in LA county alone,” he says.

SE%EN also plans to support HIV/AIDS education and support the HollyRod Foundation for autism.

“These are things that are near and dear to my heart and we’re open to suggestions as we develop,” he says.

As a parent, Segal felt the need to keep hygiene and beauty safe, he said. He wanted to provide his children with the tools to help their natural texture flourish and hopes Free Your Mane will allow all of us to do the same.

Hungry? Why not improve the health of your hair in the process? Following are some quick and healthy munchies that will give you great hair also!

Almonds

This small snack is packed with vitamin E, which is great for circulation to the scalp.