NAPNATURAL

SUAVE ROSEMARY MINT DUO

2010-10-17T19:21:00.005-04:00

I recently purchased this shampoo and conditioner since I'm a PJ (product junkie) and wanted something for my itchy scalp. The shampoo does have sulfates, which I don't like very much, but it left my hair nice and soft. The conditioner contains silicones but is also nice and left my hair feeling moist and conditioned. Each one of the duo was under $3 for a large size (32 oz.) product. I would still recommend using a good moisturizer on your hair after shampooing and conditioning with these products or similar products if your hair is in it's natural afro state simply because most shampoos and conditioners robs the hair of needed moisture. Suave and White Rain products are quite inexpensive if you are on a budget or just want to save money on hair products. I haven't CW (conditioner wash) with the conditioner yet, but plan on doing so in the near future. I have been perusing quite a number of websites/pages for info on making a moisturizer and have made a nice moisturizer for my hair that really works out very well. I will post information for this moisturizer in a future post, so please check back for this and other great information for your hair.

*Note: Information for this product says Star Magazine beauty editors named Suave Professionals® Rosemary Mint Shampoo “Best Shampoo” for the 2010 Star Beauty Awards!

REVELATION: THE 144,000 CONCLUSION

2010-09-14T13:56:00.001-04:00

While imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos, more than nineteen centuries ago, the Apostle John received an extraordinary vision that took him on a spiritual journey far into the future. As his supernatural vision unfolded, twelve vital keys were revealed. Each key is a clue that helps solve the longstanding mystery surrounding the 144,000. Together these twelve keys form a body of unimpeachable evidence that finally reveals the identity of this fascinating group of people.

The 144,000 are sealed with the holy Spirit as servants of God. They are an exact number of people who have been redeemed from among men. They stand on Mount Zion--the New Jerusalem, a city of whose dimensions are multiples of twelve and which has the names of the twelve tribes inscribed upon its gates. The 144,000 are destined to rule from this magnificent structure. They are the first fruits--spiritual Israel--God's true Church. They will rule alongside Christ, as kings and priests throughout the millennium, and beyond, for all eternity.

The 144,000 are those who have not allowed themselves to be defiled by the false doctrine, superstition, and practice of the counterfeit religions of this world. They are virgins--clean and pure--ready to marry Christ at His return. They are part of a better covenant with better promises--heirs to a better citizenship and a better resurrection (Hebrews 8:6, 11:16, 11:35).

The 144,000 are the first resurrection, raised up to work personally with Jesus Christ. The final members of this elite group will be finally chosen before God executes His wrath on the Earth. These will join the New Testament apostles, ancient prophets, righteous kings and holy people of God from all ages. They will be Christ's bride. They will be His friends and coworkers for eternity.

The rest of mankind will come up in another resurrection. Unlike the first resurrection of 144,000, this resurrection will not be limited in number. Rather, it will be a multitude that is so vast it cannot be numbered by men. Because of God's love and never ending mercy, He desires that all people who ever lived on earth be saved. The Apostle Peter tells us that: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).

God loves all mankind, no matter what color or culture. No matter how squalid our lives once were, He loves us all. For this reason, He will give every man and woman a chance for salvation. Once God makes that chance available, most of mankind will likely be brought into the family and Kingdom of God by choosing to live His way.

A REWARD WORTH WORKING FOR
Although the vast majority of mankind will one day be saved, the greatest rewards are reserved for the 144,000. Jesus will marry only one bride. At present he is working with a comparatively few number of people who will be included in the 144,000--the elite group that will be His bride.

At the same time, He is preparing a wonderful home in excited anticipation of His bride to be. The New Jerusalem will be the home of Christ's beloved wife. This magnificent edifice will contain the palatial estates where God the Father, Jesus Christ, and His bride will live and work for all eternity.

The future of the 144,000 is truly staggering to the imagination. It is a future more glorious than anything the human mind could ever conceive. Compared to it, the material rewards and physical pursuits of this life pale into utter insignificance. Nothing else can equal the promise of such a wonderful and stupendous future.

This incredible future has been the motivation of the faithful men and women of God throughout history. They were willing to give their lives, if necessary, to attain this goal. They understood the magnitude of what God is offering. Do we?

Abraham looked to a city "whose builder and maker is God"--the New Jerusalem! The inspired prophets of old also envisioned the time of the Kingdom, and they were fueled by this same hope. It is what transformed the Apostles--men who once ran in fear--into men willing to die if necessary, to continue preaching the gospel message of the Kingdom. The apostle Paul also confirmed that this future, which God offers us, is worth more than any sacrifice we might make. He writes: I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:).

Winning Christ means having the exhilaration of working directly with God the Father, and Jesus Christ. Imagine the excitement of eternally sharing an intimate relationship with Jesus, discussing intimate details of his projects, hopes, and dreams for man and the universe. Imagine enjoying God's sense of humor, and sharing in the pleasures He experiences. For those who are called during this age, it is more than the opportunity of a lifetime. There is nothing greater, and nothing more compelling. Christ explains: The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it (Matthew 4:44-46).

Christ is saying that in comparison to what God will give His servants, no sacrifice is too great. It would be worth losing literally everything we count valuable in this life, if it means gaining the Kingdom.

In the Kingdom, the 144,000 will experience the intense excitement and interest of life at the very hub of the universe. The cultural, artistic, and musical events, sponsored in the presence of the Father and Christ, are no doubt elevated to a level beyond comparison to that of the human realm. The fascinating discussion of ideas, projects, and inventions conceived and implemented will delight and awe the inheritors of God's Kingdom. This itinerary of incredibly creative activities and projects will continue for all time, uplifting and enthralling all who are included therein.

At present, among those who enjoy this glorious atmosphere at the the throne of God are the twenty-four elders. These magnificent and glorious beings, who apparently act as advisers at God's throne, are so awed by the decisions and judgements they witness that they cast their crowns before God in praise. These twenty-four elders are not simply programmed to do this automatically. Instead, this is a spontaneous reaction done in deep and profound admiration (Revelation 4:10).

Is it possible that in His Kingdom, Christ will include the 144,000 in His decision-making process, much as a man counsels with his wife? The thought of being able to think and plan with the very God of the universe is more than thrilling! This thought should inspire Christians everywhere, lifting our imaginations to the very heights of God's throne.

A NEW BODY
Each individual included in the 144,000 will be given a new body to complement his or her position and office of responsibility in the Kingdom. Christians often wonder, "What will this new body be like?"

Paul explains that what is sown in corruption will be raised in incorruption. What is sown in weakness and dishonor will be raised in power and glory. These weak, corruptible, physical bodies will be changed into powerful, glorious, spirit bodies (I Corinthians 15:42-44). The new spirit bodies will shine with the brilliance of the sun and stars (Matthew 13:43; Daniel 12:3).

Just as stars vary in brilliance, some spirit bodies will shine much brighter than others. God designed life so that the physical reflects the spiritual. Therefore, Paul explains that each spirit body has a different glory, as do the sun, the moon and the stars (Romans 1:20; I Corinthians 15:40-41).

In this life, some have more beauty than others. Some people are blessed with hair and skin that seems flawless-their bodies sleek and beautiful, the differing beauty of each human being pictures the fact that each person in the resurrection will also differ in glory.

Human beings can be very beautiful, but God is much more than beautiful. He is glorious. He radiates a resplendent glory, majesty, and dignity so awesome that humans cannot look upon Him and survive. Christ's hair is white as snow, and His feet appear as brilliantly burning brass. Looking into the face of Jesus as He now appears, is likened to looking into the very heart of the fiery sun (Revelation 1:15-16).

God is offering those who will be the 144,000 this same kind of glory. Paul describes the change that will take place in the resurrected Christian. He says the Christ will: Change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:21).

Those who are a part of the 144,000 will have greater glory than the great multitude. They will be more beautiful to behold. As John writes in his first letter: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is (I John 3:2).

When the 144,000 stand before Christ, He will perform a miracle in each one. He will put each person's reward in their body. It will be visible--evident to all. The apostle Paul explains: For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (II Corinthians 5:10).

Our spiritual reward will be reflected in our body. Even in this life, to a greater degree than most people realize, a person's body is a reflection of who and what he or she is. Most psychologists realize that personality traits, talents, and abilities are tied to a genetic code that is reflected in the physical body.

In a similar way, our spirit bodies will reflect who and what we are in the family of God. Depending on the gifts that God has given us, and what we do with those gifts, our new spirit bodies will shine brightly, radiating a beauty and brilliance befitting our reward.

SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
With the realization that all we will become depends on what we do in this life, we should be more diligent in our quest for the Kingdom of God. If we truly comprehend the glory of the first resurrection, it will become our consuming desire. We should, and yes, we must, seek it with all our might and with all of our strength (Matthew 6:33).

We cannot allow anything to stop us from pursuing this most magnificent quest. The problems we experience, the setbacks we endure, the pain we suffer--these are nothing compared to the glorious future God has in store for us. As Paul writes: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:16-18).

Unimaginable glory can be yours, if you have been called to be one of the 144,000. The glory which shall be eventually given to us is worth any sacrifice--any effort. Make up your mind now to push toward the "finish line" in this extraordinary race. Pick up the pace and give your whole heart to seeking God's Kingdom. Commit all resources to it!

Do not let down! Even if you have let down in the past, even if you have failed miserably in some way--don't quit! Instead, commit yourself to overcoming. Fast often to draw close to God. Talk to Him in prayer on a continual basis. Listen to what He has to say through reading and meditating on His Word. Strive to fill your thoughts with the mind of God. Work at truly understanding and living God's perfect, spiritual laws of liberty.

SEEK HIM WHILE HE CAN BE FOUND
There now exists a window of opportunity for each of us who has been called. There is still time for us to change our lives. There is still time to overcome, and to succeed in attaining the first resurrection.

The time is coming, however, when the window will be closed. The door will be shut, and there will be no more time left (Revelation 10:6; Matthew 25:1-5). There will be no more time to overcome, and no longer a chance to qualify for this magnificent reward. Notice Gods warning: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with Me, to give every man according as his word shall be (Revelation 22:11-12).

Right now is the time to begin to DO more and to BE more. Now is the time to prove to God that you belong in His Kingdom. Now is the time to give God reason to finally say about you, as He did Abraham, "Now I know." Seize the moment! Give God the best that you have. Use this remaining time to rededicate your life to God, and strive to develop the qualities of the 144,000.

TWELVE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
The Scriptures reveal twelve keys that identify the 144,000. These keys are the character traits that qualify these individuals to attain the first resurrection. Therefore, these are literally our keys to God's Kingdom. We must recognize who and what God is, and the incredible price He was willing to pay to redeem each individual. We must see that our real value lies not in our material possessions, or even our own talents and abilities, but in what God is creating within us.

We must strive to be led by the Holy Spirit which seals us. We must become faithful servants of God--not servants of the self, or Satan. We must live up to our covenant name--Israel.

Before God will allow us to rule over others, we must first allow God's Spirit to rule over us. We must study to understand God's law and meditate on how to apply it in everyday life. We must then strive to live by that law. We cannot permit ourselves to be defiled by the doctrines, and practices of this world's counterfeit religions.

We must seek to emulate God's holiness, and work at keeping ourselves pure. We must strive to follow Christ in every way--to think and act as He would in every situation.

To be His firstfruits, we must eliminate hypocrisy, and become a people who are completely sincere. We must become what Christ saw in Nathanael--a people who live without guile.

TWELVE KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE IDENTITY OF THE 144,000

KEY------ATTRIBUTE---------APPLICATION
(1) They are sealed---Christians are sealed by the Holy Spirit
(2) They are servants of God---God's servants are converted, obey Him, and will be
resurrected
(3) They are a precise number, consisting of 144,000---Their number is a factor of
twelve picturing divine government
(4) They are spiritual Israel---Spiritual Israel is the Church
(5) They stand on Mount Zion before God's throne---They stand at the base of New
Jerusalem in Heaven
(6) They sing a song no man can learn---They are the only ones in the first
resurrection
(7) They have not be defiled by women---They have not accepted doctrine from the
false churches
(8) They are virgins---They are qualified to marry the High
Priest, Jesus Christ
(9) They follow the Lamb---They are Christ's followers
(10) They are the firstfruits---This is the first resurrection
(11) They are redeemed---They accepted Christ, overcame and are resurrected
(12) They are without fault,having no guile---They lived without deceit, and
raised as faultless

The 144,000 are sealed by the Holy Spirit in their foreheads (minds). Revelation 14:1 shows that this sealing is done by writing the Father's name there. Jesus' very last prayer was that His church would be kept--preserved, guarded--in the Father's name (John 17:11). This suggests that the 144,000 are set apart, and thus protected (in an eternal sense), by God's work of building character in them, as God's name identifies and defines His character.

So, like those is Ezekiel's day who "sigh and cry over the abominations that are done," the 144,000 will be sparred the terrors of the Day of the Lord because they have proven their sterling character before God. Their sealing is obviously based on their spiritual condition rather than their physical descent.

They are also called "redeemed from among men,...firstfruits to God and the Lamb" (verse 4). This can only mean that they are those who take part in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6; I Corinthians 15:23). They are a special first "crop" of God's harvest, who are given special rewards and privileges because of their struggles in overcoming of Satan and their sins--Hebrews 11:35 calls it "a better resurrection".

The 144,000 are a unique group of people who overcome their sins and grow in character, and their reward is to live and rule forever by the side of Jesus Christ."

RUN THE RACE
We are now living in the lull just before the storm of the last days. It is a time of sifting in the Church. God is separating the wheat from the chaff. It is a time of final decision-making about who will be accounted worthy for inclusion in the 144,000.

The Scriptures tell us plainly that judgement is now upon the Church (I Peter 4:17). God is watching and making decisions about where we will fit in His Kingdom, or even if we will fit there at all. Our purpose should be to dedicate ourselves to proving to Him that we do!

This time of proving ourselves has been compared to running a race. The Apostle Paul makes this analogy to convey the urgency of this critical time in our lives. He writes: Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain (I Corinthians 9:24).

Not all who run this race will reach the finish line, and not everyone who is called will automatically be chosen. Many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Christ is very selective when it comes to choosing whom He will marry. Many run the race, but not all will obtain the prize. The apostle Paul reaches down and pulls from his vast personal experience in order to give us an important warning message. He writes: And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we are incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others I myself should be a castaway (I Corinthians 9:25-26).

Some will be castaways! Paul realized that even he could be disqualified. For that reason, he ran the race with diligence. He worked to bring himself into subjection to Jesus Christ in all things. While there is yet time, we must also run the race. The end is nearer than before. We must be diligent, and continue to run with renewed zeal.

HANG IN THERE
Far too many in God's church today seem willing to let the prize slip through their fingers. Some are completely turned off to the Church. They complain that the Church has wronged them or failed them. Perhaps they have been hurt by the ministry or offended by another Church member. Some have simply been disappointed by their own failure to measure up.

Others have become distracted by the pressures and cares of this world. They have been caught up in careers, investments, and the pursuits of this physical life. In this age of spiritual indifference, few pay real attention to the spiritual anymore. Many have become weary of well-doing and have begun to let this precious calling slip through their fingers. What about you?

Perhaps you have seen the poster that captures the image of a somewhat frantic little kitten suspended in mid-air, while desperately clinging in wide-eyed panic to the most precarious of paw holds. The caption under the kitten reads, "Hang In There, Baby."

Many of us have felt like this kitten during difficult times in our Christian walk. Sometimes the trials we face while striving to live God's way can make us feel as if we are desperately holding on for dear life, but we cannot afford to give up. We must hang in there! The following story is a fitting illustration of this point: Off the coast of New England many years ago, a fishing boat was being tossed about in a rough sea. Suddenly, a seaman noticed a young man clinging to the mast, lashed by the biting wind. In horror, the seaman ran to the Captain and exclaimed, "Look, Captain, it's your son up there in grave danger. If he lets go he'll be dashed to pieces!" The Captain looked up calmly and replied, "He won't let go. He's my son! He won't let go!"

In the story, the Captain knew what his son was made of. He knew that he would not let go. What about your Captain, Jesus Christ? Does He know that you won't let go? Will you let go of the magnificent calling God has given you? Is there anything that could cause you to let go of the fantastic reward God offers to those who endure to the end?

The understanding of God's Word that you have been given is priceless. You now know who the 144,000 are. You now know what it will take to be counted among them. Let this knowledge motivate you. Realize that you are being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with absolutely fabulous rewards that will last for all eternity. Recognize what has been laid at your feet. Pick it up and run with it. Overcome! Strive to be worthy of your calling and be chosen as one of the 144,000.

This information relates to the end of time as we know it and includes information on the 144,000, or the servants of God who will be sealed and set apart from the rest of humanity at the end of time. Jesus' explanation of the 144,000 states: They are of the tribes of Israel, 12,000 of each tribe (verse 4). In Galatians 6:16, the church is called "the Israel of God," so this separation into "tribes of the children of Israel" may be a spiritual designation rather than physical lineage, meaning that these 144,000 will be of a spiritual nature rather than only decendants of Israel as we know it. So that being said, everyone can be included in this number! Take the time now to bow your head and go deep inside of yourself and put yourself out there humbly to God. We must subject ourselves to Jesus Christ and hold steadfastly to our belief of being saved.

Jehovah, Lord most High, I put my life in your hands and ask to be included in this 144,000 and pray that every human being may come to rely on You and You alone. I worship You from the bottom of my heart and hearken to hear Your Word. Thank you for all you have done for me when I pour out my heart to You. I only pray that EVERY HUMAN can know You as I know YOU!

REVELATION: THE 144,000

2010-09-05T13:15:00.002-04:00

The book of Revelation clearly reveals twelve distinct keys that identify the 144,000. Each key is a characteristic that unmistakably proves that this unique assembly is the first resurrection in its entirety--but what about the great multitude? Are they not also in the first resurrection? Doesn't the Bible state that they attain this reward, having gone through the Great Tribulation that comes on the whole world? The Apostle John continues his vision, he states: After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues...These are they which came out of a great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-14).

Many read these verses, and assume they refer to the Great Tribulation which comes upon the whole world at the end of the age. Armed with this assumption, readers may then conclude that the great multitude must be a part of the first resurrection.

All the evidence, presented thus far, has shown that the 144,000 are the entirety of the first resurrection. They are spiritual Israel, the redeemed, and the firstfruits. Therefore, the great multitude cannot be part of the first resurrection.

If this is true, then what does the Scripture mean when it states that the great multitude come out of great tribulation? The answer is found in the fact that there are different tribulations mentioned in the Bible. One type comes upon individuals, another upon specific churches, and one is a worldwide ordeal that lasts three and one-half years at the end of man's misrule. Which of these does the great multitude experience?

THE GREAT TRIBULATION THAT COMES ON ALL THE WORLD
The word "tribulation" has a wide range of usage in the New Testament. In the broadest sense, it means any difficulty or trouble. In all but one case in the New Testament, the word "tribulation" is translated from the Greek word "Thlipsis," which can mean "trouble," "pressure," "affliction," "anguish," or "persecution."

When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world, the Savior used this word, "thilipis" to describe the time of terrible trouble called the "Great Tribulation." The Lord answered them, saying: For then shall be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21).

The Tribulation that Christ speaks of in this Olivet Prophecy occurs only one time in the whole history of mankind. It is so awesome, frightening, and destructive that if God did not intervene, there would be no flesh left alive on the earth (Matthew 24:21-22).

This Tribulation is a three and one-half year period of Satan's wrath, beginning shortly after the armies of the beast surround Jerusalem and the abomination that makes desolate is set up (Matthew 24:15-16). It culminates in Christ's triumphant return to rule the earth as King of kings.

This end time Tribulation is perpetrated by a political, military leader the Bible calls the beast. This beast leads a united Europe, fueled by religious fervor. This combined European power forges an awesome military machine that will control Eastern Civilization. It will destroy any opposition, whether it be military or religious.

This Great Tribulation will span the entire globe, but it primarily focuses upon the modern day descendants of Israel. As Jeremiah states: Alas! for the day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it (Jeremiah 30:17).

The modern day descendants of Jacob, including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, will suffer more than any other people ever have. They will experience an even greater time of trouble that the Jewish people suffered during world War II.

Eventually, the other great powers, such as Russia, India, China, and Japan will be pulled into the fray, but only at the very end (Revelation 16:12). Small groups in many third world countries, described in Revelation seven as "every tribe and tongue," may be little affected by the Tribulation until the day of the Lord. This "day," which lasts an entire year, is God's wrath. It will affect all the inhabitants of the world.

Some believe that this is the "Great Tribulation: from which the innumerable multitude emerge. However, such a belief contradicts all the previous evidence that makes it clear that the 144,000 are the entirety of the first resurrection.

Consider the fact that the majority of those who lose their lives in the end time Tribulation are physical Israelites. The description of the great multitude as being "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," cannot possibly apply to a group primarily composed of Israelites.

Is it possible that the tribulation which the great multitude comes through is not the Great Tribulation that engulfs the whole world at the end time? Could it be that the Bible be speaking of another type of tribulation?

TRIBULATION EXPERIENCED BY SPECIFIC CHURCHES
The Bible also speaks of tribulation that is to come on specific churches. The messages in Revelation, chapters two and three, were sent to seven Churches on a mail route in Asia Minor. Each of these individual churches were representative. Each pictured the entirety of God's Church during a specific era of time as history flowed down through the centuries culminating at Christ's return.

The first church on the route was Ephesus, and Christ explained that this church experienced tribulation (Revelation 2:9). This tribulation was the persecution by the Jews and the martyrdom perpetrated by the Roman Emperor Nero.

Jesus also predicted ten days (years) of tribulation that would fall upon the church of Smyrna (Revelation 2:10; Ezekiel 4:6). This was actually fulfilled by a ten year persecution against Christians instituted by Diocletian in 303 AD and abolished by the edict of toleration in 313 AD.

Christ further threatened Thyatira, representing the Church during the Middle Ages, with "great tribulation." Jesus Christ said: Behold, I will cast her (Thyatira) into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds (Revelation 2:22).

The "great tribulation" spoken of in the above verse was actually the Crusades and the inquisition, not the Great Tribulation which will come at the end of the age. It is not the tribulation the great multitude experiences, nor is it the one to come on the entire world at the end of the age. The great multitude come out of a kind of tribulation different than either of the two types mentioned thus far.

TRIBULATION ON INDIVIDUALS
While imprisoned and suffering on the island of Patmos, John spoke of being a companion to other Christians who were in tribulation (Revelation 1:9). In another case, Christ explained to His followers that Christians should expect tribulation simply because they were required to live in this world (John 16:33).

Paul also suffered many difficulties and troubles as he performed God's work of preaching the gospel. As a result, this great apostle reminded believers down through the ages that Christ's followers should also anticipate tribulation. Paul taught Christians: To continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).

While tribulation is certainly part of the Christian life, non-Christians are by no means exempt. Suffering occurs in even greater degrees to those who know nothing of the truth. Paul states that every person who does not obey the truth will suffer tribulation.

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the gentile (Romans 2:9).

It is this kind of anguishing tribulation from which the great multitude emerges. Rather than being firstfruits, the great multitude is all the rest of mankind who are not now called to salvation. They are not God's true Church, and are not sealed with the Holy Spirit during this life. Instead, they are those who, in their lifetime, have experienced the tremendous suffering that all mankind has endured throughout the ages--the consequence of sin.

OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION
Every generation has suffered tribulation in its lifetime. Violence has covered the globe. Terrible atrocities have been endured, but also perpetrated, by virtually every race and religion throughout the history of mankind.

Jews, Albanians, Rwandans, Kurds, Armenians and Africans, to name just a few, have all suffered terrible tribulation during their lifetime--some even the specter of genocide. Many who will read this are facing some sort of suffering and tribulation of their own even now.

Beginning with Cain and Abel, man's history has been a parade of violence, and a path of blood. Since mankind was evicted from the garden of Eden, and cut off from God, the character of our world has not changed. In the last four thousand years, the world has only known some two hundred and fifty years of relatively calm and peaceful times!

The vast numbers of people, since the time of Adam and Eve, have experienced tribulation of one kind or another! All have borne some of the heartache, pain and suffering that this present life brings. All have witnessed the terrible ravages of illness and disease such as smallpox, cancer and AIDS, and more recently mankind's latest affliction, SARS. Everyone eventually loses loved ones, and everyone eventually comes face-to-face with his or her own death (Hebrews (9:27).

In the course of human history, there have been millions who have suffered terrible upheavals of nature. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, bitter cold, scorching heat and floods have exacted a heavy toll in the form of human lives. Many have lost everything.

The earth naturally responds to the anguish mankind has brought upon it. From God's perspective, the planet actually groans with the suffering of this world. It convulses within itself as a consequence of all the destruction inflicted upon both it and mankind (Romans 8:22-23).

In addition, the vast majority of people on earth exist in suffocating poverty and oppressive squalor. Most inhabitants of the west have no idea of the tribulation that afflicts those who live in third world countries on a daily basis. For many millions of people around the world the greatest challenge, each day, is to find enough food to survive one more day.

The tribulation this world suffers is a direct result of man's human nature. Man's greed and self-centered way of life have caused pain to everyone. None have escaped the tragic consequences of living in Satan's world (II Corinthians 4:4; James 4:1-6).

This is the kind of great tribulation the innumerable multitude comes out from. It is the tribulation each person experiences from living in Satan's world.

Although Satan is prevented from influencing the world during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, he is once again loosed at the end of the thousand years. He will once again create the kind of suffering that man has repeatedly known for 6,000 years. He will influence men to wage war.

Christ will put down this rebellion, but people will again suffer under the devil's power and influence. Those who live at this time will be required to overcome his sway, both in the world and in their personal lives.

This is what the Scripture means when it states that the multitude come out of "great tribulation." It is not speaking of the Great Tribulation that comes on the whole world just prior to Christ's return. It is speaking of the tribulation that each person experiences while living in a world influenced by Satan, both during the first six thousand years of human history and the "little season" when Satan is once again free to sway the minds of men.

The great multitude is a collection of all those who will be saved after a second resurrection. All those who lived and died without knowing the true Jesus Christ will be raised.

They will be given physical life at the end of one thousand years of God's Kingdom, and with that new life, their real and first chance at salvation. This is their time of judgement (Revelation 20:5-6; 12). During this time, the great multitude must overcome Satan's influence. In this way, they follow the example of the 144,000, but are called at a different time and for a different purpose. They are not called now. They are not called to be Christ's bride, or to have rulership roles in the Kingdom.

They will receive salvation and have eternal life, but not the same reward as those who are called to the first resurrection. For this reason, they are not called firstfruits, or Israel. Instead, they are called the "great multitude." Their story is a fascinating one, and it also proves the identity of the 144,000.

Christmas Message

2009-12-04T16:11:00.001-05:00

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, ad I heard a voice of one that spake. Ezekiel 1:26-28.

Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem; And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Ezekiel 4:1-3.

Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers, and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare neither will I have any pity. A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted; and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal when I have accomplished my fury in them. Moreover I will make thee waste and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in sight of all that pass by. So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it. When I shall send upon them the evil arrow of famine, which shall be for their destruction and which I will send to destroy you; and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread. So will I send upon your famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it. Ezekiel 5:10-17.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them. Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine; thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savor to all their idols. So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations; and they shall know that I am the Lord. Ezekiel 6:10-14.

And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and the seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof; And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying , Not my might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel those shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to the from through the whole earth. Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

These passages are indicative of what we as humans beings face in our world today. We are embroiled into the midst of opposing figures that want to destroy the opposition, and when this is not achieved, place their fury on whatever they believe in their minds, holds the key to destroying the opposition. We must hold steadfast to the words of God and utter His holy name and give Him thanks and praise without ceasing. I thought I would put up these passages from the Holy Bible to inspire myself and anyone reading this to know that there is salvation for us all and we must always put God first in our lives and trust that no matter how we suffer and are caused to suffer, God loves us.

Some Answers to Questions

2009-12-02T18:33:00.006-05:00

Since I'm no expert on this blogging stuff I tried to post some questions that I received on this blog. One of the questions was where you get liquid lecithin. I'm thinking that you can probably pick that up at any health food store or maybe even at a GNC type store. I also got a post about pulling or tugging on the hair causing the hair follicles to be irritated or something like that. I try not to pull my hair tight, but sometimes to achieve a style you do have to pull your hair tightly to stretch it to get it to the straightness you want for the style you are trying to achieve. I can be found on most days rocking one of my many wigs and wear my hair out when I feel like it. I do twists on my hair, but have never worn them out since I don't believe I can do them properly and make them look nice enough to wear out in public. I've had people question as to why I do what I do with my hair and it escapes me as to why anyone would care what I did with my own hair. Whether I intend to wear a wig everyday until I die or style my hair stretched to breaking shouldn't matter to anyone but myself. This type of thing is a constant when you have natural afro type hair because some people would like to dictate to other people how and what they should do with their hair and shouldn't be so. I love all types of hair and have in the past had my hair straightened and relaxed to within one inch of my hair's life. I decided that I didn't want to do that to my hair anymore and decided to try to go natural. I tried many times before in the past to go natural and was met with some very rude comments from my own people (afro American). What a shame when it matters to someone what is on someone's head, rather than what is in someone's heart. I am constantly puzzled by some people's actions as they relate to someone's hair. In case you don't know or do know, hair is dead when it comes out of your head. How something that is dead could warrant so much attention is beyond my understanding. I guess I didn't invent the love or hate of hair and that's that. It is what it is. I happen to like my nappy hair now, because I didn't for many years and tried to alter it to fit into what was considered "good hair." I have seen many a head of so called "good hair", (in the black community hair that is either curly or wavy) looking just awful. I've seen many a head so relaxed that the whole front of the hairline was moved back about an inch or two. I like curly, wavy, straight and afro hair equally and find all of them beautiful, especially when taken care of and kept up. So in closing, we should love what God gave us and style it the way we see fit. Whether you have natural, straight, curly, wavy, relaxed, or no hair at all, more power to you. Love your hair and love yourself more and focus on the positive things in life and leave the negativity at the doorstep.

Heartfelt Thanks For Viewing My Blog

2009-10-21T13:19:00.007-04:00

Thank you to all who have viewed this blog for great information on hair care and other stuff. Sorry I haven't been putting up more information, but I have some things that I'm currently working on to put up in the very near future. I have more comments on numerous products that I have tried and even some I've concocted my own self. My hair remains natural (without chemicals or heat straightening). I may one day try out some of the more popular heating implements eg. flat iron, to straighten my hair, but for right now I'm living and loving my natural hair. Yesterday I did some flat twists in the front and regular twists in the back of my hair and am posting a pic of the results of that. I am interested in starting maybe some tutorials on You Tube or maybe some photos of my hair and what I've been doing with it for the past three years, since I went all natural. It isn't super easy to deal with natural African American type 4A thru 4C type hair, but you can make it more manageable with diligent conditioning and paying attention to ends and trimming as necessary. I had someone ask a question about 4C type hair & I posted their question on here. I'm by no means an expert in hair, just a quasi expert with my own type of hair, which is all different all over my head. I have heard on different websites and pages of people referring to 4C type hair. We are more familiar with up to a 4B, which is coarse and frizzy type African American hair. I believe the 4C to be a bit more frizzy and coarse than the 4B. There are numerous websites with information about hair typing and you can visit these types of sites if you need additional information about hair typing. As I said, I'm no expert in hair, but I try to give out as much information as is readily available to myself and also from trial and error. I will in the near future have links to any other web pages that I create, especially You Tube and Fotki for your perusal and to give additional information on styling and caring for mostly 3C to 4C type hair. I love all types of hair and believe everyone should take pride in their own unique head of hair. I will never have hair down to my waist that can blow easily in the wind and I'll never have juicy, plumped up curly ringlets either, but I can work with what God deemed fit for me to the best of my ability. In closing love yourself and love the hair that God gave you and never think of anyone's hair as "better" than yours, but rather different than yours.

P.S. I couldn't get my camera to work to show the twists I have in today so I have posted two photos of twists I did a few weeks ago, with one photo showing some of the length of my very shrunken twists.

This Blog Stuff...Geez

2009-06-15T19:08:00.005-04:00

I hadn't been on my blog for a few months and am quite surprised to see my viewing count in excess of sixteen thousand. Wow! I can't believe that many people are interested in my little old blog. He he he. WFT! Now I'm no slouch in the intelligence department and happen to know that roughly fifty percent of the viewers of this blog are cultish haters who haven't got much of a life. The Internet has so many pages, websites and blogs, that I can't fathom how mines get so much play. Wow! That's about all I can say. Now to all the legitimate people who come on my blog to get hair information, I welcome you and sincere thanks for viewing my blog. I happen to be somewhat a celebrity in my part of town to certain people, who just can't get enough of me. They are constantly up on here absorbing every single word that I put on here and looking to see what or if I say anything about them. I feel sorry for all of you and pray for you all and hope that you all find God and put Him into your lives instead of doing all the things that you all do. I'm a simple woman who happens to appeal to numerous folks who are on a path straight to the bowels of hell and believe that my intervention can save them or something. Newsflash: God is the only entity that can correct your evil ways and redeem you! The next time you have me on your mind, which I know is all the time, ask God for forgiveness and turn your lives around! I was watching Dr. Phil today and the topic was about mind control and cults and it hit home for me. Any human being that wants to control another human being in a very negative way, is surely in line for the harsh reality of what God has in store for them. You will see yourself and your offspring spiral to the point of no return. If people really knew what hell consisted of, they would get on their hands and knees and beg God for forgiveness and never do wrong ever again!! Hell is not a really hot place where you go and see a man in a red costume with a tail and pitchfork. Think of hell as a place where you are in a free fall for all eternity, with no one to help you, while you are tormented with bitter pain, with demons ripping your flesh off, burning you, causing the worst feelings you could not even imagine! Intense fear, anxiety, and the worst nightmare that you cannot awaken yourself from. This is not a joke! So don't believe that what you do in your day to day lives goes unnoticed. Maybe your family, friends etc. will miss some of it, but God misses nothing! Think twice before you succumb to someone telling you what to do to other human beings and what to say! Be careful of what you do and say to people because you can never be one hundred percent sure of who people really are!!! There are numerous angels on the earth who work in tandem with The Almighty and watch everything that goes on constantly. Your best pal who you like to brag to about all your "doings" just might be that angel who was sent by God for a purpose. Now being an observant and intelligent woman I know numerous people are in the frame of mind that what they do doesn't matter at all and they can conduct their lives in whichever manner they choose. True, we all are given the gift of free will and can choose to do evil things and cause chaos and then we can choose to behave in a way that is pleasing to God. It is very easy to love the people who you love, but the real test is to love the people who you feel you hate or don't like. The Bible teaches us that God finds favor with people who have the ability to love their enemies. That's a bitter pill for most people to swallow including myself. But if you wish to see God's face and not end up in hell, then that is what you are required to do. Anyway in closing, DO NOT TAKE REVENGE ON ANY HUMAN BEING, BOW DOWN AND GET ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES AND ASK GOD FOR FORGIVENESS & LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE CHRIST LIVED HIS AND DECIDE THAT FROM THIS DAY FORWARD YOU WILL WALK IN GOD'S FOOTSTEPS AND NOT YOUR OWN!

NOTE: The above photograph is taken from the Shroud of Turin and is a depiction of that Shroud. This is said to be a likeness of Jesus Christ by many people. They do not know how this shroud came to be and how the image was put on there to this very day. I myself am mesmerized by the man's eyes and find it hard to not stare at the photograph. I find this photograph to be a comfort for me when I'm feeling down. The face is of a man who enjoyed smiling, by the deep laugh lines. Every time I look at this photograph I am reminded that Jesus Christ did indeed walk on the Earth, was crucified, died and arose from the dead all for us!! He was mocked, jeered, and generally hounded by non-believers. Now imagine if the Son of God could have sustained this kind of treatment from humans, then whatever we go through in our lives that is negative and causes us pain is nothing compared to what Jesus Christ suffered on our behalf. For this reason I put my whole trust and faith in the Almighty and pray for folks who do wrong to me because I know that that is the way that Jehovah wants all of us to be. Look deeply in this man's eyes and in doing so you will be able to search your soul and know that there is salvation and so much love for all of us from the One Most High!

Kinky Curly Curling Custard

2009-06-15T18:42:00.002-04:00

I had been on numerous sites that sang the praises about this product and wanted to try it for quite some time. I was a little leery about ordering off the Internet and had read many a blog and website of people complaining about their orders taking forever to arrive, so I never did order this product online. I happened to be in a grocery store (Whole Foods) and was looking at the hair and beauty products that they had and noticed the product on the shelf. I was shocked to see it there and promptly snatched one up to the tune of $25 dollars. For me that's a lot of money to spend on one hair product. I didn't try the product out right away because I had been sporting my collection of wigs. I finally decided one day to try the product out, so I washed and conditioned my hair and applied it to my hair. Now on account that my hair is fairly coarse and doesn't have a curl pattern, I was pretty much sure it wouldn't curl my type of hair. I was right. This product left my hair hard and extra dry by the next day. My hair seemed like it wanted to fall out from it being so dry. I don't know if I applied too much of the product, which has the consistency of slimy gel. My hair only waved up some, but no curl whatsoever. I believe my hair type is 4a,4b & some 3c. I would not buy this product ever again. My daughter, who has a curl pattern to her hair, loves this product and it works beautifully for her. She can't say enough good things about this product. Well to each head, it's own. I would say that you have to have at least 3c hair for this product to work and produce a curl pattern to your hair. Also if you have baby fine 4a-c hair, it might also work. My hair is very thick and coarse and it doesn't work well for my hair. I recently twisted my hair using a fair amount of regular gel (Fantasia IC) with good moisturization, and noticed much more of a curl pattern to my hair than when I used the Kinky Curly. I would recommend if your hair is less than a 3c curl/wave pattern, that you use a lot of moisturizer with this product due to the dryness it produces on a more kinky wave pattern of hair.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Peppermint Shampoo

2008-12-20T18:24:00.004-05:00

I bought a bottle of Dr. Bonner's Peppermint shampoo to try out since I sometimes have a dry itchy scalp because I like to keep my hair braided up in the winter months, and I like it. I previously posted on the soap that I tried, but the shampoo is a little better than the bar soap. After shampooing my hair with this shampoo, my hair felt very soft to the touch. It didn't stop my scalp from itching and I still had some dryness and flaking on my scalp after using this particular shampoo. I still say it's a fairly good shampoo. Now I went to my usual BSS (beauty supply store) and priced it at $9.99 for, I believe, 16oz. bottle. I think I used to see a smaller bottle and wanted to try the smaller bottle in case I didn't like it and decided to check into another BSS to find it. I didn't find a smaller bottle, but found this product a little cheaper at $7.29, so I bought it. The consistency of this shampoo is rather watery. The label says it's concentrated and to dilute, but I just poured some in my hand and lathered away. This shampoo has no detergents and says it's 100% vegan. This shampoo is a castile based shampoo. Now one thing I noticed after using this shampoo is that it dried out my hair somewhat. So if you are going to use this shampoo, follow up with a good conditioner and a good leave-in type conditioner. Below I list some of the ingredients & claims of this shampoo.

Ingredients: Water, saponified organic coconut*, & organic olive* ( with retained glycerin), organic hemp oil, organic jojoba oil, organic peppermint oil, mentha arvensis, citric acie, vitamin E.

*Certified Fair Trade Ingredients (I don't know what this means)

Claims: 1 soap for 18 different uses. Guaranteed no synthetic peppermint oils and 100% vegetarian. Super mild castile has outstanding water softening and cleansing powers. Preferable to harsh soap & defattening synthetics. It does not cut dirt, but dissolves it. it is the mildest, most pleasant soap you ever used or your money back.

Dove Anti-Frizz Cream

2008-12-07T15:32:00.003-05:00

I recently purchased this cream and tried it out on my hair and I happen to like this a lot. You don't need to use a lot of the cream and it made my hair feel nice and smooth. The day that I used it I didn't happen to have any gel to smooth my hair back and it worked like a charm all by itself. I don't know if this product is an active product on the regular store shelves, since I bought mine from a dollar type store for $1.99. A lot of times you get products in the dollar store that are either discontinued or not actively placed on store shelves like CVS, Wal-Mart etc. They had two different types of the cream and I have the "Smooth & Soft" type. I believe the other one was a botanical type anti-frizzant if I remember correctly. Below I will list some of the ingredients of this cream and the claims the product makes. This product has silicones and if you don't like to apply silicone to your hair you may want to skip this one.

Claims:
*For a smooth, finished look with enhanced shine
*Smooths away frizz and tames fly-aways
*Won't leave hair weighted down, even after reapplying

Ingredients:
*Water,Dimethicone, Silk-Amino Acids, Glycine, Arginine, Cystine, Hystidine, Borage Officinalis Seed oil & Glycerine.

*I included some of the ingredients. For a full disclosure of ingredients look up product information.

A Comment On Something I Read

2008-11-18T14:45:00.006-05:00

'4 Little Details Men Notice About Women'

Here's something I read on the Yahoo page that I thought I would post a comment on.
Someone wrote about the things that guys (4 little details) notice about women.

Below is a condensed version of the article.

Hands:daintiness, complexion, how they look holding a wine glass, whether they are manicured.

Hair: doing simple actions provoking powerful emotions (hair blowing in the wind) giving a man a good mood.

Attitude Towards Others: how she treats others ie. nicely respectfully.

What She Notices: someone who can laugh at and notice little things, and who always brings new insights to different situations.

Firstly, as for hands, I have big hands (nothing that dainty about them). As for the complexion, the writer didn't say what they meant by complexion, eg. light, dark, tanned, porcelain like. I don't know because the writer didn't elaborate on it.

Now about the hair blowing in the wind...Come on, don't men know that we women don't like our hair blowing in the wind? You spend all day getting your hair just right, perfectly coiffed, all hair sprayed up, with finishing spray to boot. And then it happens. The big swoosh of wind that dismantles the entire hairstyle. So maybe you guys should rethink that blowing hair in the wind stuff. And how could someones hair blowing in the wind evoke such a strong emotion that could change a man's mood anyways? All I know is us sisters don't usually have that "blowing" type of hair unless it's got a relaxer in it and mine doesn't have a relaxer and I don't believe it could blow in the wind. he he

Now as for attitudes of women, and how they treat other people whether 'nicely' 'respectfully' etc. I try to treat people with respect and I believe that's a good thing. So I agree with this one.

What a woman notices is also a biggie for me. I notice things about people, but don't dwell on it. I might give a little sly remark about things I notice about people and like a guy that can appreciate my brand of humor.

Now a word for the gentlemen of the world since the aforementioned writer of the article asks: What is a little thing (appearance, moment or personality)that you notice in a guy that is a simple, beautiful thing?

Here are some things that we women do notice in you guys: height, hair, well dressed/groomed or not, roving eye or not, chivalry and how they smell.

Me personally, I am attracted to a well groomed guy, meaning, his hair is neat and not wild looking. Someone who dresses well (love, love suits), and I don't quite care what type of clothes a man wishes to wear as long as it's fitting him good. nothing more sexy for me that seeing a man in a nice polo type shirt and a nice pair of slacks & shoes without socks (sexy sexy). A guy who listens to his woman and who realizes that we women are hormonal, meaning we do get our times, and who can still see beauty in us when we act a fool, is the kind of guy that, in my pinion, is ideal. Men should also realize that some women are simple and appreciate the simple things in life and are low maintenance and then there are some women who are high maintenance and like to have everything done, but that's only one's personal preference, and either way it's all good. My hair won't be blowing in the wind anytime soon and my nails may not be manicured to perfection all the time and I'm not always 'nice' he he (you can tell this by some of my posts). I can hold a wine glass and swig wine like a guy if I want to, even though I'm not really a drinker, or I can drink a soda and be fine. It's about time we women and you men did try to understand each other a bit more and not place so much emphasis on things we read about on how someone should be or act and pay more attention to our own feeling about a particular person and try to enjoy the good aspects as well as the not so good aspects of that person.

In closing, both women and men should 'notice' what's on the inside as well as what's on the outside. We should also 'notice' whether someone is being authentic or if they're being what you or someone else wants them to be. Some simple and beautiful things that we should notice is how we feel around someone, how they react to us, and how the dynamics feel when we are just letting loose and being ourselves are all simple things that we can notice about someone.

Shea Butter As A Hair Conditioner

2008-09-15T18:40:00.003-04:00

Recently I bought some African shea butter at a festival down at Penns Landing that I thought I'd put something up about. The gentleman I bought it from said that it was all natural, so I plunked down $10 for it. So far it's a good conditioner, but the only thing that I don't happen to like about it is that it causes the hair to shrink a lot, especially in humid type weather. It also builds up on the scalp with regular use and I had to really shampoo my hair a few times to get it out of my hair. I think I'm going to mostly use this on the ends of my hair and not too much on my hair because of the build up problem and the tendency for the hair to attract a lot of lint if you are heavy handed with this. I know that some people on the Net swear by shea butter for their hair and it is a good product for your hair, but for all the people that like to CW (conditioner wash) their hair, should probably use it sparingly because you'll have to use shampoo to get it out of your hair. Anyway, I've posted a photo of what the tub of shea I bought looks like if you'd like to try some of this.

Something For Your Spirituality

2008-08-22T11:56:00.002-04:00

This post isn't about hair, but I thought I would post it anyway to help people come to terms with their spirituality. I've posted photos of St. Edward the Confessor who was canonized a saint in 1161. I'm also posting information about this saint for anyone interested in saints in general. Please read the following information and really reflect on your life and doings:

ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR
King of England, born in 1003; died 5 January, 1066. He was the son of Ethelred II and Emma, daughter of Duke Richard of Normandy, being thus half-brother to King Edmund Ironside, Ethelred's son by his first wife, and to King Hardicanute, Emma's son by her second marriage with Canute. When hardly ten years old he was sent with his brother Alfred into Normandy to be brought up at the court of the duke his uncle, the Danes having gained the mastery in England. Thus he spent the best years of his life in exile, the crown having been settled by Canute, with Emma's consent, upon his own offspring by her. Early misfortune thus taught Edward the folly of ambition, and he grew up in innocence, delighting chiefly in assisting at Mass and the church offices, and in association with religious, whilst not disdaining the pleasures of the chase, or recreations suited to his station. Upon Canute's death in 1035 his illegitimate son, Harold, seized the throne, Hardicanute being then in Denmark, and Edward and his brother Alfred were persuaded to make an attempt to gain the crown, which resulted in the cruel death of Alfred who had fallen into Harold's hands, whilst Edward was obliged to return to Normandy. On Hardicanute's sudden death in 1042, Edward was called by acclamation to the throne at the age of about forty, being welcomed even by the Danish settlers owing to his gentle saintly character. His reign was one of almost unbroken peace, the threatened invasion of Canute's son, Sweyn of Norway, being averted by the opportune attack on him by Sweyn of Denmark; and the internal difficulties occasioned by the ambition of Earl Godwin and his sons being settled without bloodshed by Edward's own gentleness and prudence. He undertook no wars except to repel an inroad of the Welsh, and to assist Malcolm III of Scotland against Macbeth, the usurper of his throne. Being devoid of personal ambition, Edward's one aim was the welfare of his people. He remitted the odious "Danegelt", which had needlessly continued to be levied; and though profuse in alms to the poor and for religious purposes, he made his own royal patrimony suffice without imposing taxes. Such was the contentment caused by "the good St. Edward's laws", that their enactment was repeatedly demanded by later generations, when they felt themselves oppressed.

Yielding to the entreaty of his nobles, he accepted as his consort the virtuous Editha, Earl Godwin's daughter. Having, however, made a vow of chastity, he first required her agreement to live with him only as a sister. As he could not leave his kingdom without injury to his people, the making of a pilgrimage to St. Peter's tomb, to which he had bound himself, was commuted by the pope into the rebuilding at Westminster of St. Peter's abbey, the dedication of which took place but a week before his death, and in which he was buried. St. Edward was the first King of England to touch for the "king's evil", many sufferers from the disease were cured by him. He was canonized by Alexander III in 1161. His feast is kept on the 13th of October, his incorrupt body having been solemnly translated on that day in 1163 by St. Thomas of Canterbury in the presence of King Henry II.

Note: (top photo) The Wilton Diptych, depicting Richard II being presented by three saints to the Virgin and Child. Nearest to Richard is his patron saint John the Baptist. Behind are Saint Edward the Confessor and Saint Edmund.
(bottom photo) St. Edward the Confessor

Stretching Out Natural Afro Hair

2008-07-30T12:14:00.005-04:00

When you have natural kinky type afro hair, trying to achieve certain styles can be a bit difficult at times. After I wash my hair it shrinks way down and I look like I have about two or three inches of hair, even though it's much longer than that after I braid it and it dries. Just the other day I was in a rush to style my hair after washing it and I braided it & used a hood type dryer to dry it quickly, but my hair didn't dry all the way & it was shrunken when I slicked it back. Maybe had it dried thoroughly, it would have been more stretched. I do not apply any type of heat to my hair and usually like to stretch my hair by braiding or twisting it up. Usually after the second day of braiding and re-braiding my hair it's usually sufficiently stretched so that I can pull it back. There are many "straightening" type products on the market, but I have only tried one of them by Smooth & Shine, a straightening balm, with minimal results. The product I tried recently escapes my memory, but I will post a photo & name of the product as soon as I am able to. I've posted a photo of the relaxing balm, which I tried on my hair many years ago when I was trying to go natural and wanted something to stretch out my new growth hair and it worked okay, but nothing spectacular. Some people like to use a hair dryer to stretch out their natural hair, but I have not done this myself, since I don't like to use heat on my hair. If I were in a pinch I might use a hair dryer though. Another good way to stretch out natural kinky hair is to use some type of roller after washing the hair, making sure the hair is sufficiently damp and rolling the roller tightly on the hair and either letting the hair air dry or by using a hair dryer. Here is a helpful link to a page on follica.com with reviews for the Straight Out product: href="http://">href="http://www.folica.com/Smooth__N_Shine_r1510_1.html

Getting Some "Shine" on Kinky Type Afro Hair

2008-07-08T11:40:00.003-04:00

Throughout the years, even when I was regularly relaxing my hair, I was always trying to get my hair to look shiny. My hair always seemed to look dull most of the time. The only time I did have shiny hair was when I went to the beauty salon and let the professionals work their magic. They have knowledge of what products works best with your type of hair, and the expertise to have your hair looking good. Too bad I didn't take some courses in beauty school because I believe that would have helped me out some. Some of the products that I have used on my hair in the past and currently, mostly contain some type of silicone in the product. I believe silicone is supposed to reflect light off of your hair if applied properly. And even though a lot of web pages/sites do not think using silicone on kinky afro type hair, I use it sometimes and don't have a problem with it.

Here is a recipe for a shine type concoction. I have not tried this, but am anxious to try it out. I know that my afro type kinky hair doesn't really have a shine to it per se, but you can always increase the sheen on your hair, so try this out and post a comment if if works.

Liquid Brilliantine recipe

3 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons castor oil
4 teaspoons mink oil
3 teaspoons liquid lecithin
3/4 cup mineral oil
Few drops of essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together. When you shampoo your hair, this mixture floats away very easily. The castor oil helps to hold the hair in place after combing. You may also use this mixture under a hot cap.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Peppermint Soap

2008-06-22T14:21:00.004-04:00

I recently bought this soap to try out on my hair for a change and it's okay. I had to shampoo my hair several times to really get it clean with this soap, but it left my hair nice and soft and my hair didn't feel like it was stripped after the three washings. I used to use to soap to wash my hair when I was younger and decided to give it a try once again. I like to try out new things and am a bit of a PJ or product junkie for those of you who are familiar with hair language. I have so many products that I have tried, some I like and and some I don't. This particular brand also comes in a liquid shampoo also. I was going to try it out, but decided I would try to soap first. Here are the ingredients:

Saponified organic coconut, organic palm & organic olive oil (w/retained glycerin), water, organic hemp oil, organic jojoba oil, organic peppermint oil, mentha arvensis, salt, citric acid, vitamin E.

My Kitty Leading A Life of Leisure

2008-06-22T13:55:00.005-04:00

Will you take a look at this photo of my cat? I bet your eyes can't believe what you are seeing. He He. I snapped this photo of my cat because she always does this move and I am perplexed when I see cats do this. I'm thinking I would put a caption on this photo as: This is your brain on drugs! He He. Or how bout this one: Just polished off a six pack of Miller, now I'm chillin. He He He. And to make matters worse this cat has the nerve to always be in your way while you're trying to walk, and if you even brush up against her she hauls off and double whacks you with her paws and then hang onto you and bite you!!!! Ungrateful Puss!!! He He. I keep telling this cat that I'm not gonna have her stuffed when she dies if she keeps biting me like that! Yuck Yuck. She's never gonna get that part in Puss & Boots if she keeps up doing this. Anyway, I still love my kitty. Even though cats seem to generally be mean spirited, ungrateful, sneaky, not giving a damn if you like them or not, people are still bending over backwards for their cats. A dog would never bite you if you accidentally brushed against them. My cat destroyed my brand new living room set by clawing it to pieces, yet I still buy her premium food! What a fool I am. Anyway, to all cat lovers, keep on letting your kitty lounge on your freshly washed clothes, pick fleas on your just changed bed linens and generally being aloof, uncaring and biting you whenever they feel like it cause we all know we still love our kitties.

Suave Sleek Frizz Control Gel

2008-06-09T19:04:00.004-04:00

Since I'm on frizzy hair I might as well add this gel to the mix. I bought this gel some time ago and used it a few times. It is a very good gel for when the humidity is high and your hair frizzes up. It has a nice smell and a silky feel to it. When I use this gel it holds my hair nicely and keeps the frizz at bay. As a matter of fact I used it today and it held my hair beautifully. I recommend this gel to all "nappies" and even to people who don't have afro type hair, but hair that frizzes up.

One Hundred Degrees of Hair

2008-06-09T18:40:00.008-04:00

The weather for the last few days has been very hot and humid. Today it got to 100 degrees in Philly. Anyway, I decided to post a hair recipe for frizzy hair. I know that my hair frizzes up a lot on humid, hot days. Even when I wash my hair on a humid day, it never seems to dry at all. I envy people who do not sweat in their head and their hair does not shrink. By nature kinky afro type hair has a tendency to shrink roughtly 75% or more when damp or wet. I really hate that about my hair. Cool days don't give me that much of a problem with shrinkage other than when I wash my hair. I am super hot as I type this up because I don't have any air conditioning yet, but am going to get it in a day or two. Well, as I said that I would give a good recipe for a frizzy hair:

Frizz Buster Hair Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup conditioner
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon almond oil

Directions:
Mix ingredients, blend well. Pour mixture over damp hair, work it in....leave on for about 20 minutes for a good deep conditioning. Rinse out. This works for all hair types.

NOTE: I haven't tried this myself, so if anyone tries this out and it works pleas email me or post a comment and let me know. Thanx.

My Strands

2008-06-06T15:42:00.005-04:00

I tried to take a photo of a few of my strands, but my digital camera is not that good, but I'm posting the photo just the same. The four strands show the different types of hair on my head. As you can see the top strand bends in the "z" angles, which eqauals 4B or 4C hair. The bottom strand has more of a curl pattern to it, namely 4A I believe. In the middle the strands are little "o's", with the left one a little smaller than the right one, again two different types of hair. When I purchase a better camera I will again take photos of different strands of my hair and hopefully the photos will be a little clearer. The hair samples came from the middle and front of my hair. I did not take any from the nape or sides of my hair which I believe is more of a 3C.

Tightly Coiled & Kinky Hair Information--3C thru 4C Hair

2008-06-03T20:31:00.005-04:00

Information regarding type 4A thru 4C hair seems to be the most popular on this page. I have looked at other websites and webpages and have come up with additional information for this type of hair. I took information from naturallycurly.com, which is a good website for all types of hair. They have numerous pages filled with all kinds of information about products that work, in their opinion, and products that don't. I still believe you have to try out products for your own hair, because what may work beautifully for one head may not work on your head. In my opinion, hair can be very unforgiving. Too much shampooing, not enough shampooing, too much conditioning or not enough conditioning can have deleterious effects on your hair. And sometimes you can take what you feel is the best care of your hair, only to still end up with damaged and/or unruly "bad" hair days, weeks & months. To look at type 4 hair, you would be led to believe that it is strong and can withstand whatever you would do to it. But because type 4 hair is so fragile, it needs the most moisture of any other type of hair and needs to be handled with care. So without further adieu, below is some good information I got from the web and I hope you will find it of further help:

Type 4: Kinky hair
If your hair falls into the Type 4 category, then it is kinky, or very tightly curled. Generally, Type 4 hair is very wiry, very tightly coiled and very, very fragile. Like Type 3 hair, Type 4 hair appears to be coarse, but it is actually quite fine, with lots and lots of thin strands densely packed together. Healthy Type 4 hair won't shine, but it will have sheen. It will be soft to the touch and will pass the strand test with ease. It will feel more silky than it will look shiny. Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg and the actress Angela Bassett are all Type 4s.

Type 4 hairs looks tough and durable, but looks can be deceiving. If you have Type 4 hair, you already know that it is the most fragile hair around. Why? Type 4 hair has fewer cuticle layers than any other hair type, which means that it has less natural protection from the damage you inflict by combing, brushing, curling, blow-drying and straightening it. The more cuticle layers in a single strand of hair, the more protection it has from damage. Each time you damage your hair — fire up the curling iron, fry it with chemicals – you break down a cuticle layer, robbing your hair of much-needed moisture. I cannot emphasize this enough. It's like taking a wire and bending it again and again. Eventually, it's going to snap and break.

Many women with Type 4 hair rely on chemical relaxers to make hair easier to control. In its natural states, sometimes Type 4 hair doesn't grow very long because every time you comb it, it breaks. (Of course, if you have dreadlocks and never comb them or keep them braided, your hair can and does grow quite long.)

There are two subtypes of Type 4 hair: Type 4A, tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an "S" pattern, much like curly hair; and Type 4B, which has a "Z" pattern, less of a defined curl pattern (instead of curling or coiling, the hair bends in sharp angles like the letter "Z"). Type 4A tends to have more moisture than Type 4B, which will have a wiry texture. But what if your hair has been chemically straightened? How can you tell which subtype you belong to if your hair is relaxed? You'll need at least one inch of new growth to tell. Pull at the roots. If you can see a definite curl pattern, then it's an A, if not, then it's a B.

Type 4 hair can range from fine/thin to wiry/coarse strand texture. Generally, this hair is densely packed to give the appearance of very thick but fragile hair. 4a hair has a clearly visible curl and wave pattern that ranges from pen size curls to pen spring size coils. 4b hair has a tighter wave pattern and kinks of various size. This texture does not exhibit the shine or silkiness of looser type curls, but instead has sheen, and a soft, almost cotton-like feel. As with other types of curly hair, showing the true length can be an extra challenge, as the hair may grow “up” or “out” before starting to hang down. In its unlocked/unbraided state, type 4 hair is known to shrink up to 75% of the actual hair length. With the proper care and technique, type 4 hair is indeed resilient, manageable, durable, growable and easy to control.

NOTE: Here is an excellent link to a page with photos and more information about tightly coiled hair: http://www.nappturality.com/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=35

Two New Products

2008-05-31T13:39:00.008-04:00

I just bought two new products a few days ago, so I decided to post about them because I like both. I got Extreme Curling Gel & Press -n Curl Wax, both by Lottabody. I tried both of these products and like them. Even though the gel is a gel to create curls, I like curling type gels because they have more slip to them and always seem to hold my hair better. Now as for the Press -n Curl Wax, this product has petrolatum & parabens, two things that are not that good for your hair. The smell is nice and I didn't find the curl wax to be either too stiff or too greasy. I mostly will use the curling wax around the edges of my hair when I pull my hair back to keep the hair down. The gel was very slippery, which I like, and didn't dry too quickly before I could properly brush down my hair. This is what the products claim:

Press -n Curl Wax
* Temporarily straighten coarse hair (with a blow dryer).
* Use as daily maintenance to smooth stray hairs.
* Use as a wax for twists and locs.
* Even coarse hair remains straight on the most humid days.

Extreme Curling Gel
* Eliminate frizz and enhance curls while conditioning, moisturizing
and adding shine.
* A must for anyone with tight curls and coarse hair.

These two products were cheap and you get a good size for both of them. I'll use them for a while and then post an update on the bottom of this post.

My Hair

2008-05-24T14:52:00.005-04:00

This is a photo of my freshly washed hair with no product on my hair (bottom photo). I conditioner washed my hair and then applied another conditioner and rinsed out my hair and this is how it looks after I finished. After I did the conditioner wash I decided to twist my hair up and I did just that (top photo). I used ORS Twist & Loc Gel *(the one with the coconut milk in it). I like the product but the only thing I don't like about it is that it made my hair stiff and tacky feeling after I removed the twists a week later. I also used ORS carrot oil, which I had not used in a while and now I know why I didn't. It caused my scalp to itch a lot and I was allergic to it. I'm going to try something a little different the next time I decide to twist my hair because when I remove my twists I don't like my hair to be dry, stiff or not feeling moisturized. After about two days with the twists I did put olive oil on each twist so that my hair wouldn't be too dry, but it didn't seem to help as much because the twist gel was way too stiff. I don't think that I would purchase the twist gel again when I'm done with it. I don't know if maybe I used a little too much of it since my hair is thick. Anyway, next time I'll use it more sparingly and see if I get better results.

My Two Babies

2008-05-09T13:58:00.004-04:00

I recently purchased two things that were on my wish list of some things I have wanted to get. I got two new combs from Sally Beauty Supply and I'm liking them both a whole lot. The first one (first pic) is the detangler comb & the second one is a wide toothed comb. These are two dynamite combs that work and get the tangles out of your hair with the least loss of hair. What I did was after conditioner washing, I combed my hair using the detangler comb in the shower with a full head of conditioner. It's always best to detangle your hair in the shower with a good amount of conditioner on your hair, since wet hair can be quite fragile, but with the conditioner on it and using careful strokes of a good detangler comb, you'll save more of your strands. As you know, kinky natural hair has a tendency to knot up and tangle easy and should be carefully handled wet or dry. I do comb my hair dry and I know I shouldn't, but sometimes you have to. I take my time though when combing my hair dry and always put oil on it before doing so. Anyway, in closing, happy mother's day to all the mother's everywhere and to my future mother-in-law. Cuckoo time...Happy happy joy joy, whoo whoo hoo hoo, spinning & twirling, eyes floating to the back of my head looking at my man. Whew! Why the he** did he have to be so damn fine???

Getting Smooth Skin for the Summer Months

2008-04-29T11:44:00.020-04:00

Dragon skin belongs on dragons, not people. It's about that time again when we all will be bearing more skin for the summer months. You know what that means. You want your skin to look good for shorts, skirts and sandals. I personally like to keep my skin looking good year round, but for those of us who want to get ready for summer skin now I'll share a few tips. The one thing that I have found that is really important for nice looking skin is to exfoliate. Whatever products you like to use to smooth out your skin, you should start now to get your skin looking good. I like to use a loofah pad for my entire body, top to bottom. They're relatively inexpensive and you can find them almost anywhere bath products are sold. I sometimes get mine from Liquidators store. You can sometimes find discontinued ones for real cheap. CVS and other stores of this type sell exfoliation pads for both the body and the face. Get one of each and use it and you'll see a difference in your skin in no time. Pay special attention to your feet ladies, because there's no use in looking good and your feet looking bad. Keep your toenails clipped and clean and ALWAYS POLISHED. After a bath or shower is a good time to scrub off dead skin on your feet. The skin is softened and can be easily removed with the least trouble. I like to use one of those pumice type stones on the back of a grater type thingy. And remember that your toes have hang nails and the cuticles need to pushed back as well as your fingernails. There is nothing more unpleasant than to see a woman with ugly, unsightly looking feet. If you get into the habit of keeping your feet looking nice year round, then they will be summer ready from the get go. Baby oil (gotten on the cheap from the dollar store) is a good moisturizer for feet and legs, especially after shaving the legs. I'm hairy and have hairy legs that I like to shave in the summer. I keep one or two bottles of baby oil on hand at all time. I sometimes like to put a few drops of fragrant oil into my baby oil so I have a nice scent with my moisturizer. Easy, easy, cheap. There's no excuse for bad looking feet or skin in the summertime.

Hair Brush Information

2008-04-12T12:22:00.011-04:00

Dry hair can be a big problem with most people, and particularly people with afro kinky type hair. On account that kinky hair grows the way it does, spirally from the scalp, the natural oils from the scalp cannot reach the length of the strand to properly lubricate it, so you are usually left with parched, dry hair. In order for you to get the natural oils to the very ends of your hair you usually have to brush the hair. I'm careful with using a brush on my hair because improper brushing or too vigorous brushing can break the hair. I have three brushes that I use. Two are natural boar bristle brushes (more delicate type brushes) and a detangling type brush. The natural boar bristle brushes I have are two different types. One of them is a bit more sturdy for when I am trying to pull my hair back. The other one is very soft and I usually use it to brush back my hair after I put it in a pony tail, to even out the hair and get the hair to lay down. My detangler brush (Denman knockoff), I use when my hair is tangled and a regular brush cannot remove the tangles without breaking off my hair. I'm going to one day buy the real Denman brush because I've wanted this brush for a long time. Denman makes a lot of brushes and they cost more than regular brushes you buy from the BSS. They're not super expensive, around $7 or $8 dollars for the one that I want. You can get the Denman brushes from Sally Beauty Supply store. I have looked in different stores, but haven't found them in other stores. I have been using natural boar bristle brushes for many many years now. I used to use the nylon type brushes and started using the natural boar bristle brushes after my sister told me about them. They are more gentle to the hair, by not pulling the hair like nylon brushes do. Nylon brushes are definitely a no no for any type of hair, and in particular natural kinky hair. That old adage about a hundred strokes of brushing the hair doesn't apply today. A few strokes with the brush is all you really need. Only enough to get at the natural oils on your scalp and distribute them to the rest of your hair. So brush on baby, but take your time and don't overdo it.

Old Time Fresh from the Kitchen Hair Helpers

2008-04-12T11:46:00.001-04:00

In the past I have used all kinds of things on my hair, to get that "perfect" head of hair. Well, as you can see from my postings, I'm still looking for good products that work. I have read so many articles from magazines that tout using things from the kitchen as moisturizers and conditioners from your very own kitchen. Egg yolks, mayonnaise and molasses for conditioning the hair and vinegar and baking soda for clarifying the hair etc. The list of things don't end. I have tried just about all of these things and had no noticeable difference in my hair at all. The only kitchen item that I frequently use on my hair is olive oil. I read an article some time ago where this woman, who had very thick and long hair, said that she used molasses on her hair as a conditioner. I tried the molasses thing, but didn't notice anything special about it either. I also have tried mashed avocado on my hair only to end up with a nasty mess to wash out of my hair. Maybe I need a food processor to finely blend the avocado or something. The vinegar hair rinse is okay to clarify your hair, but only if you regularly use a lot of product on your hair. I don't use a lot of product on my hair, and to date have only used a vinegar rinse once. I like to use a little gel on my hair and maybe a heavy moisturizer on occasion when I want a nicely slicked back hairstyle. I mostly concentrate on hair moisturizers and stuff like that because my hair can get dry very quickly. Lemons are also supposed to be good for the hair to remove buildup and make the hair shiny. Lemons can also be used to lighten the hair slightly in the summer months. You can use a q-tip to apply lemon juice to your hair and have nice highlights without dyeing the hair. I like the idea of using things from my kitchen to condition my hair etc.

The Cutting Edge on Sponge Rollers

2008-04-12T11:22:00.012-04:00

On my previous post I put up information about making your own hair "donut" to style your hair in a bun. I have seen the sponge type of hair "donuts" at Salley Beauty Supply store and almost purchased one of these. Now I'm glad that I didn't, seeing that I can now make my own and have any color that I choose to have. I used to use sponge rollers when I was younger and thought that they were everything. I recently was watching a news program on television and saw an older woman and she had the nerve to have one sole pink sponge roller in her hair. I was mortified and couldn't believe what I was seeing. How are you going to get yourself up on television and have a pink sponge roller in your hair?? I guess some things never change. I remember when I used to use those same pink sponge rollers and would use them until they had totally flattened out and would get a very tight curl because they were so old. Sponge type rollers are very damaging to the hair by the way they are made. If you look closely at a sponge roller you can see the sharp edges that make them up. It looks almost like a honeycomb up close. A honeycomb full of sharp edges ready to attack your delicate hair and break it off. At the time that I was using them I guess nobody noticed this and thought that they were okay to use on your hair. They even came out with black sponge rollers and you know I bought some of them too. I think that I still have some sponge rollers in my possession until this very day. I then later went on to purchase hard rollers, with the tiny little spikes on them to grip the hair tightly when you roll it up. I swore by these rollers too. They made a nice curl, but were difficult to sleep in at night. In my opinion these types of rollers should only be worn in the hair during the day because they hurt the scalp when you sleep in them. I still have my hard rollers and sometimes use them. The things we women do to look nice for ourselves and you guys.

Dunkin's Got Nuthin on my "Donut"

2008-04-04T10:53:00.026-04:00

As the summer months approach I usually like to have different hair styles to wear. A while ago I found some directions on how to make a hair "donut". Well, I tried it out and I made my own. A hair "donut" is a form you put on your hair after you make a ponytail so you can have a nice uniform bun. Buns are good for work or when you want or have to have a more professional type look to your natural hair. All hair types can use a "donut", just as all hair types can create a nice bun. So many times in the past when I used to hot comb straighten my hair, I used to try to make buns and always had an uneven or ratty looking bun. When you use something to hold the hair it always looks better. They sell "sponge donuts" at many beauty supply stores, but why settle for sponge, that can cut through your hair and damage it, when you can make your own. Below I'm going to give directions to make your own "donut" so when you want a nice bun you'll be ready to style it that way.

What you need: Two old socks or one sock and one stocking sock (which I use)

How to do it:
1)Cut off feet of socks/stocking sock.(bottom photo)
2)Turn both inside out, so it's right side out when finished.
3)Put one sock inside the other. If using a sock & stocking sock, put stocking sock inside of regular sock.(middle photo)
4)Hold both socks with your thumb & fore finger and begin to tightly roll both from bottom to top.
5)When you reach the top tuck in ends and there you have it, you own "donut" (top photo)

Natural Beneficial Botanicals for Hair

2008-03-17T14:19:00.005-04:00

There are so many products marketed to hair that you don't know where to start and where to end. I am from the school of finding products that are both beneficial to the hair etc. and also not too expensive and that actually work. In my quest for beautiful natural hair, I have for the last two years, constantly tried out different products claiming they are all natural and all that and are supposed to be very good for the hair. Aura makes products that include botanicals like rosemary for the hair. I have one of their conditioners and I like it. It's cooling to the scalp and is good to the hair also. It's called Rosemary Mint conditioner or something like that. I used to look at a girl's web page and she always had nice looking hair and she said that she used Aura Cherry Bark conditioner, but I never tried that one, but will in the future. I know that botanicals like herbs and the like can do good for hair, but finding the right one or the right combination is what is a problem for me. I will find what I believe to be a good conditioner and use it and then either it stops working, or never works from the start. I found some helpful information about certain plants like horsetail and biotin, which are supposed to be good for the hair. Sometimes when I'm purchasing products I try to look for certain things in them, so that even if the product isn't very good, at least it has something beneficial in it. I like to look for Aloe and things like biotin and even silicone, because they usually work for me. As far as taking biotin by mouth, I won't do that again. I once took this as a supplement because all over the Net they touted this as a miracle supplement for both hair growth and hair retention. I took it and after I took it about a few weeks, it made my skin break out. I didn't like that aspect of it at all. I stopped taking it and decided to not take it by mouth anymore. Some vitamins and supplements can be powerful and you have to be careful what you take and how much you take. When I take something I've never taken before I take the minimal dose that I can get away with and still have some kind of results. I do take vitamin supplements everyday and have for as long as I can remember. My mother used to make us kids take vitamins when we were young. She used to give us this liquid type vitamin that tasted awful. I couldn't stand it, but she made us take it anyway. So many products for one head of hair, mine. So my quest continues for the perfect product(s) for my hair.

More Good Stuff

2008-03-17T12:10:00.001-04:00

I recently trimmed the ends of my hair and almost immediately I could feel a difference in how my hair felt. I had been meaning to do it for some time, but couldn't find the time because of my work schedule. Now my hair looks a bit better and feels better to the touch. Those split and uneven ends were not good at all and I'm glad they're gone. I am thinking of a very funny story about something that happened when I was younger, but I think I'll share it another time though. Anyway, today is St. Patrick's Day, so happy St. Patty's Day to everybody, Irish or not. I should have played the lottery and picked 317 as my number. I'm lazy too today, I don't have on my green. I remember when I was in Catholic high school, we always wore something green to school to honor St. Patrick's Day because everybody was Irish that day. Well, back to hair, I still am looking for a product that will tame my hair whenever I want to set it 'and forget it'. I used one product that I thought was just dreadful. I can't even remember the name of the product, but it was to set your hair nevertheless. This product smelled awful and was flaky and didn't live up to its promises on the bottle. Whenever I find the product I will update this post with the name of the product. I'm not an expert on products, but I will say if I like a product or dislike one. I had high hopes for this product and thought it would work, but it didn't. When I took my hair out, it was a mess. A ridiculous mess. I wasted my time and my money. There has to be some good products out there for setting natural hair that don't make the hair look like a jherri curl. I know some people like those types of products that they apply to the hair to make "curls" and it's all good, just not too good for what I have in mind for how I'd like my hair to look.

Gentlemen's Quarterly

2008-03-10T09:35:00.002-04:00

I've talked a lot on this blog about hair and other things, but haven' discussed the guys. Lord knows I do love you all and haven't forgotten any of you. A well groomed man is something to fatten up a woman's eyes. Being well dressed doesn't hurt either. I always did like a man in a suit with some nice shoes. Casual clothes are good too, but a man in a suit always makes me do a double take. Hubba Hubba, bowing down to the suited gentleman. I don't know if it was the fact that growing up I always saw guys in suits as mysterious or something. I remember when I was a teenager I used to be in a club. Clubs back in the day were the thing. Me and my club sisters always liked to go clubbing with other clubs and my club even gave some dances too. We also had a brother club and the guys were always dressed pretty nice for teenagers. They used to wear gabardine, silken wools, nice shirts and SHOES. Not sneex mind you, and these were teenage boys around 15, 16 & 17. They used to wear Kangol caps too, and that's when they weren't even that popular. I still can remember seeing the guys walking around looking nice and dressed nice. I remember two of the guys who had red Kangol caps and us sisters used to call them the red cap duet. They used to get mad at us for calling them that. What happened to young men like this?? Now I'm not stupid and I know young guys like to be comfortable and the like, and express themselves with their clothing, and I don't have a problem with that, but they should sometimes make an effort to dress up once in a while. I know back in the day when my mother took us kids in town to Center City we had to have on dresses and patent leather shoes and nice socks and gloves. Whatever happened to all that? Our hair was neatly combed and we had to be on our p's & q's. We had to act like little ladies because my mother wouldn't stand for nothing less than that. God rest her soul, that woman is a saint I tell you. I know she would be turning in her grave if she saw me wearing sneex, which I wear all the time for comfort, since I once tore tendons in my foot and still have some problems. My mother didn't own a pair of sneakers and didn't own pants either. Anyway, I'm still paying homage to the suited man and a little facial hair doesn't hurt either. Sexy, Sexy. Damn! Woo Hoo! Smacking my lips on hickory chips...That's me being a little cuckoo. See what you suited gentlemen do to me?

Hair Color & Coloring

2008-03-06T12:23:00.006-05:00

Hair color is something you get from mom and dad. In other words its hereditary. I have naturally dark hair(darkest brown) but have colored my hair throughout the years. It lightens up a little bit in the summer months and I like that too. I used to use Clairol Ultra Blue hair dye back in the day because that was the in thing among my friends in school etc. This particular hair dye was supposed to lighten the hair to a blond shade that then could be further manipulated with a tint to get the color you desired. I always kept a box of this dye around. I would lighten my hair in strategic places since that was the style then. I then went on to discover Henna. This was supposed to be a natural type hair colorant that was beneficial to the hair. I used henna a few times, but didn't find it that great. It used to come in either a box or tin can. It was a powder and you mixed in water to get a paste you then were supposed to apply to your hair. I tried both types, box and can and the results were the same, so so. The color was okay, but I never did see where the conditioning part came in. It was sloppy to use and you had to leave it in your hair for a good while if you wanted to really see the color. The colors were usually darker to red colors. I used to get the brown tones and they didn't make much difference in my hair color as far as I was concerned. When mixed it looked like a bowl of soft mud. It didn't have any unusual smell to it though. You gloped in your head and waited and then was supposed to have nice highlights. I found that it usually dried out my hair a lot, because at the time I was relaxing my hair. People still use this and swear by it. I also heard that beets are good for tinting the hair too. I color the little gray I have in my hair from time to time. I used to let it stay and then got tired of it and began to color it. Most of my gray hairs are towards the front of my hair, on the hairline. Look, I didn't start the movement of dying gray hair I just go along with the program. Gray hair looks awesome on some people. I have seen many women and men with a full head of gray hair that look wonderful. I find I don't look as good with gray hair because I have a somewhat youthful face and it doesn't go good with a lot of gray hair. I sometimes use a color stick, which is great when you're in a hurry and didn't have the time to color the gray. There are all types of hair dyes on the market and they all work pretty good. I one time bought jet black hair dye and colored my entire head of hair. I was washing black soot out of my hair for the longest time. Every time I washed my hair, more dye was released. It was a mess. I promised myself I would never do that again. That dye was a semi-permanent type dye and I thought I looked ridiculous with jet black hair. I like my jet brown hair better. Nowadays when I want color to my hair, I buy a wig. I can change it in a snap if I happen to not like it. I have posted photos of Jennifer Lopez & Star Jones Reynolds above because they have what I believe is beautifully colored hair. Both of these women show how to wear a lighter hair color that compliments their style and skin tones. Nuff said.

Natural Eyebrows vs Arched Eyebrows

2008-03-06T11:03:00.002-05:00

I am always forever plucking my eyebrows. I like doing this because I like my eyebrows to be perfectly arched at all times. If I could, I'd pluck them everyday. I was plucking them yesterday while holed up doing jury duty and I got quite a few looks while I plucked away. There's nothing mystical about plucking eyebrows or anything else for that matter. I sometimes pluck a wayward facial hair from time to time also. I'll get one really long ugly squiggly hair on my chin every so often and I got to get rid of it. I used to have very thick uneven eyebrows when I was younger and didn't know what to do with it. I take that from my very hairy grandfather, whose eyebrows looked like you could comb them. I recall one time long ago when I was around 15 or 16 years of age and I was outside talking with a good friend of mine and she looked up at my eyebrows and frowned. She went on to ask me why did I shave my eyebrows the way I did. I didn't shave them at all because that's just the way they grew in, wild, untamed and uneven. I think this friend of mine made me want to have nice eyebrows. We were always good buddies in school and also at home. I saw this person about two years ago and we talked for a long time and I gave her my number, but she never got back to me. She was always a nice person to me and I like her to this very day. Hope to see her again soon. Anyway I think she kind of inspired me to think about my eyebrows and to this very day I pluck away. I love plucking other people's eyebrows too you know. Man, woman, come one, come all and I'll pluck your eyebrows for you. Ha Ha. I even convinced my daughter to let me pluck her eyebrows one time. I had been eying her very thick eyebrows forever and wanted to pluck them for her badly. She was very afraid to have them plucked and wouldn't let me do them for the longest time. I begged and begged for a few years until finally she allowed me one time to pluck them. Well, she was so impressed with the look that she is a devoted "plucker" like me. Hell, her eyebrows look better than mine! I have converted a few people to plucking their eyebrows to clean them up and let them look nicer. That initial fear of pain soon is replaced with wanting to have the eyebrows looking good. I started shaving my eyebrows with a straight razor for the longest time because I was a bit frightened of the pain that plucking would cause. My oldest sister was also a devoted "plucker" and one day she came to see the family and noticed my very shaved up looking eyebrows and told me that I should pluck out the hairs instead of shaving because I might permanently damage the area around the eyebrows with frequent shaving. I didn't listen to her right away and continued shaving my eyebrows for some time until one day I was looking in the mirror after washing my face and the area around my eyebrows looked like it was covered with fine sand. After my face dried the area looked plain awful, like I had used a grater on the area. There were little bumps and nicks and the like and I got scared and decided to give in and start to pluck them instead of shaving them. I let my eyebrows grow in completely and waited a few more weeks for the area to heal completely. There was some pain, but after I finished and and redness went away I was blown away. I really liked the look and have been happily plucking away for years now. I sometimes over pluck and have to wait for them to grow back in and then repluck to get the look that I want. Thick eyebrows are fine for men, but in my opinion, not a good thing for the ladies. Clean up your eyebrows ladies and instantly your face will look a little better.

Some Do's & Dont's

2008-03-03T10:31:00.005-05:00

I always had a healthy interest into hair and anything that would create healthier hair, skin or nails, since these three things are what people see first when they meet or see you. I have a particular interest in skincare because so many people, both women and men, are putting so many things on and into their skin. The Botox craze has me continually puzzled. It costs a bundle and nobody really knows the long term risks of using this sort of thing. Also, the way a person looks when they have just gotten an injection of botox is very odd looking. Their faces look puffy and unnatural. Sometimes I will be watching a television program only to see someone I haven't seen in a while up on the screen and immediately I'm wondering why they look so different. I guess to each his own. I realize that in this youth driven society, people will do whatever it takes to keep their youthful looks and figures. Now I'm from the old school advice that I received from my mother to always look good, but don't believe I am ready to buy into the botox craze. You know my mother always wore a little makeup at all times. She always used to tell me that you never know who you are going to see when you go out. She would say that you might just see somebody you haven't seen in a while and you don't want to look bad. Even in her later years, she was concerned with how she looked. She was an incredible person. Anyway, I never leave the house without lipstick. I can pass on the other stuff like foundation, powder, mascara and blush, but not on lipstick. I feel naked without a little something on my mouth. I try out all kinds of lipsticks all the time and currently am liking a nice red shade that I recently bought. I never liked red lipstick or nail polish, but wear it occasionally now. I once got a make over at one of the counters at Macy's some time back and didn't like what I saw. The lady gave me some tips on what colors that would suit my skin tone, but I didn't like the way I looked with a full face of makeup. I love the Chanel makeup counter at Macy's and always stop by to see what they have new. I used to use a facial cream that worked like a charm from Chanel, but I think it's discontinued now. The last time I cruised the Chanel counter a very nice lady there gave me some samples of the products and gave me an invitation to show they were having, but work schedules did not allow me to attend and I'm sorry I couldn't go. I like makeup and need to learn how to apply it correctly. I remember one time I applied some makeup to my face thinking I had it down pat because I had read an article in a magazine showing how to apply makeup. I have the photo of that makeup job and will one day post it. I looked like Bozo the Clown. Ha Ha. I was way to heavy handed with the blush and eye shadow. Funny funny is all I say about how I looked and maybe that's why I don't use a lot of makeup today. I've posted a photo of Bozo the Clown above so you can see how I thought I looked.

When Will Hair Haters Learn?

2008-03-03T10:02:00.002-05:00

I honestly would like to know when hair haters will give it a rest. I guess never. Seems like a few hair haters have all the time in the world to be on the internet and wreak havoc on sites and all. I don't know what they get from their actions, but they are to be pitied. Anytime you find someone who is so disgruntled with themselves and their family and friends etc. that it hits to the core of who they are, you get a hater. I have always wondered why some people are this way. Maybe it's a way of calming their own fears and anxieties that make them want to do underhanded things like put up fake hair websites with the hopes that people will flock to their convoluted websites so that they can show just how infantile they really are. I know people who are so infantile and who hate themselves so much that they are always putting things up on the net for shock value. Instead of getting the help they so desperately need, they instead are hate filled mongers. The truth is that hate stems from fear. Sometimes if we as people would take a look at ourselves and really have some sort of introspective thoughts about ourselves and our lives, the world would turn on it's axis the way God intended it to. Hating someone accomplishes NOTHING. The only thing that hate creates in someone from my opinion is a person who is sad, lonely and pathetic. I know people like this. A trip to your local church for a good confession might help some. Negative thoughts and hate will never produce the results you think they will. Hate will ultimately destroy the one who hates. This is something that came to mind and I thought I would share it with my readers.

Where Would We Be Withouth Hair?

2008-02-29T12:22:00.007-05:00

Here are representations of all types of hair since I am hoping all types of people will read my blog. Hair is an interesting topic indeed because it brings out a range of emotions in people. I remember as a child when one of my sisters had a vest that had hanging fringe on it and me playing around with it and acting like it was my hair. I would put it on my head and swing it around and pretend I was singing on stage. That was the good old days. I don't understand why hair is so important, but when I think about it I know its important. I remember many times trying new relaxers back in the day and them burning my hair out until only a few strands of over processed hair was left on my head. I even went to a beauty shop and had my hair relaxed a few times. One time I went to an older Black lady who probably was more familiar with using a hot comb as opposed to chemicals to straighten hair. If I can remember correctly I think she used the new relaxer that had just come out that claimed that you didn't have to "smooth" the hair and get beautiful results. I think it was called French Perm by Revlon. She put the relaxer in my hair and was assuring me that my hair was going to be looking so nice and I believed her. She didn't smooth the relaxer and washed it out of my hair and then blow dried my hair afterwards. The whole time I was thinking that she should have smoothed my hair since my hair was resistant and coarse. She gave me a mirror to look at my hair after she had relaxed it and I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't say anything to her and left. When I got home I looked at my hair in the mirror under a good light and it was the same way before it was relaxed, tightly coiled and nappy. I was beside myself. I paid her $30 dollars and this is what I got? The next day I went to the BSS (beauty supply store) and bought my usual relaxer and re-relaxed the mess she left and my hair promptly fell out. I'll never forget that. See, hair woes again. I had bald spots on my hair and was so disappointed that I wore a wig until my hair grew back in. The reason I posted the different photos above is to say that hair is beautiful no matter what type, thickness, etc. you have. For us women, hair is our crowning glory. I don't know of a woman or man for that matter, who doesn't fret frequently about their hair. To think that something dead could garner so much pressure is unbelievable. I didn't invent the love of hair or hairstyles, but I do play the game. In my opinion, people should love their hair no matter what type of hair they have. To me "good" hair is hair that is properly conditioned and looks good. Good meaning it doesn't have a lot of split ends and is clean and conditioned properly.

Can I Get A Wittness

2008-02-29T11:44:00.004-05:00

I'm wondering can I get a shout out from the peanut gallery concerning shrinking hair? There are people who do not have this problem. I will stretch my hair and it's long and when I wash it, it looks like a pulled in Slinky(photo to the left). I guess people know what a Slinky is, but if you don't: (you know I'm gonna tell you) A slinky was an old time toy that I had as a youngster. It's made out of metal and coiled tightly and you can make it do tricks and so on. Here's a story for you: I remember when I was younger wanting a Slinky so bad. When my mother finally relented and bought this contraption for me guess what?? I thought I was going to re-invent that Slinky and make it do things nobody else could make it do and I completely twisted it up. You should have seen that Slinky and what I did to it. It was twisted, mangled and looked like a crazy person had used it. I was devistated about ruining my new Slinky. Ha Ha. I still think about that Slinky from time to time. I think I'm going to get me a new Slinky one of these days because it's a great toy. Well, back to hair, what I was trying to say is the shrinkability of tightly coiled hair can be a problem when you are trying to achieve certain styles. I'm going to post a photo of my freshly washed hair looking like a dozen Slinkys. I knew someone who did not have hair that shrank and I couldn't believe this woman's hair. When she washed her hair it just stayed the way it was before she washed it. She had a baby fine texture and it just stayed out and didn't shrink. I'm going to invent a product that when you wash your hair it doesn't shrink. Well, good luck to me. There are numerous products on the market that are supposed to "tame" unruly and tightly coiled hair, but none of them really seem to work. I have so many things that I have tried and been disappointed with. These products only coat the hair and make you believe that they are improving the condition of your hair. I probably could retire on the money that I have spent on products that did not work or worked minimally. Well, I keep looking for good products for my hair and will continue to do so until I find what works and keeps working.

My New Wig

2008-02-29T11:01:00.005-05:00

I bought a new nice wig last week, but haven't worn it yet. It's a really hot looking wig. It is a lighter color wig than I usually wear and I'm going to be kicking it live with this one. Hope the haters don't come out in droves when I wear this wig. You know I see so many types of wigs being worn by women and that's a good thing. It used to be that haters were waiting for you when you wore a wig. I was watching an episode of one of the court shows on television the other day and saw an interesting case. There was a woman who said she had bought one of those lace front wigs from a lady who didn't deliver on the wig she thought she was going to get. The judge went on to ask the woman being accused of giving the defendant a wig she didn't order, about the "wig". The defendant insisted that she referred to the wig as a "hair system." What? Hair system? Oh, I see. When people in Hollywood wear these "wigs" they are not really wigs, they're "hair systems." The last time I checked, anything on your head that is supposed to be hair and is a full cap and is not growing out of your scalp IS a wig. Call it for what it is. I would like to know how wigs came about. I believe that even in ancient times women wore wigs. Ancient Egyptian wall paintings show women in what appears to be wigs. Wigs have always been a part of history if you think about it. Even early presidents wore powdered wigs. In England, even today, judges still wear wigs. Like I said in a previous post I always wore wigs and didn't care what anybody thought about it. I had some ridiculous wigs throughout the years too. I bought this one wig one time that was sort of an auburn & strawberry blond mix and decided to wear it out one day. I knew I was so fine in this particular wig. My daughter broke my bubble big time when she came home from work and said "Hi Tina!" What?? She had the nerve to say my wig looked like Tina Turner, and then went on to sing her rendition of Proud Mary. She made me so mad that I didn't even know what I was saying as I started to give her a few choice words. It makes me laugh when I remember that day. I have always been interested in different color wigs, but never seem to find one that compliments my skin tone that is on the lighter side. Maybe I'll have to become rich and then I can have my wigs custom made like Beyonce and the other women in Hollywood.

Hair Typing Woes

2008-02-25T12:12:00.004-05:00

After my last post I am putting up this one concerning hair typing and why some people are so overly concerned with hair typing and hair typing systems. I just got finished reading some posts on nappturality.com concerning hair typing and thought I would put my two cents in on my own blog. Some people posted comments that said that some people do not know what type of hair they have etc. All heads have multiple hair types and the majority of people have a few different hair types on their heads. I was a bit perplexed to read some of the posts from people who said that people try to "upgrade" the texture of their hair or that they have a different type of hair than what their photo looks like. Who cares?? Hair typing systems are only as an index so you have somewhere to start from to get helpful information to style your hair. Just like it's impossible to count every strand on your head, it's probably almost impossible to exactly type your hair correctly. Other than going to an experienced hair stylist who is educated in hair types, the only way anyone can type their hair is to look at other people's photographs and their self stated hair types and compare your hair to theirs to try to figure out what type of hair you have. If someone believes they have a hair type and you view a photo of their hair and you happen to disagree with the type of hair they say they have, what do you gain from that?? Nothing. Now I wasn't born yesterday and I know that some people will try to "upgrade", that is say they have type 3 hair when in reality they have type 4, but so what? Hair has always been a hot bed of conversation for a long time and probably will be for years to come. As far as I'm concerned, unless you are right there with the person and you can closely examine their hair there is no way you can tell accurately what type of hair someone has. In addition to the type of hair you have to take into consideration the thickness and texture also. There are many people with 4A/B/C type hair who have a baby fine texture and their hair will appear to be more "curly" or "wavy" looking than someone with a thicker or more coarse texture. I have personally cornrowed the hair of a guy who had what appeared to be "good" hair only to have the hardest time trying to cornrown his hair because it was so thick and coarse. I would estimate that he had type 3b/3c hair just looking at it, but it was very very coarse and unruly and difficult to handle. There are people all over the internet who are very concerned with hair, but only in a negative type way. They may have a little curl or wave pattern to their hair, and they believe that if your hair isn't as "nice" as theirs, then something is wrong with your hair. I remember when I was younger having a neighbor hate on my hair because I didn't have the same texture of hair like one of my sister's. I bet that person is reading this blog right now! Hate on hater. My sister has baby fine wavy type hair and me on the other hand have coarse kinky type hair. And what?? This hater had the nerve to tell me I didn't have hair like my sister. SO?????? Well, this hater didn't either! This hater was trying to hate on my hair when the hater's hair was more nappy than mine! Now that's really stupid. I never told anybody that I had my sister's hair. This particular hater was always jealous and envious of me and my family and is to this very day! I bet that same hater and some family members still are using "creamy crack" (relaxers) while they hate on everybody's hair. I personally know people who talk through both sides of their mouths. They will talk a good game about the beauty of natural hair and being Black and so forth, only to get up on their soapbox to crow about their curls & waves, as if the fact that they have what is known in the Black community as "good hair" makes them something they are not. You'll see them with a truckload of Dippity Do on their hair, knowing well they were in that mirror for a whole hour brushing their hair back to slick it down. Don't be a hypocrite. Hair has always and always will be individual. Anyone who wishes to alter their hair to please anyone other than themselves, I feel sorry for. If you are happy with your texture, style, type of hair then that is all that should matter. There will always be people who do not like your hair or hairstyle, but that's their problem and not yours. It's very easy to point the finger at someone and ruminate about their hair, whether you like it or you don't. But at the end of the day it's still your hair and not anyone else's.

4A-4C Tightly Coiled Hair Information

2008-02-25T11:28:00.002-05:00

Here is some general information for types 4A thru 4C hair. My hair I believe, is a mixture of 4A, 4B & 3C. The front, crown and middle perimeter of my hair is 4B & 4A. The nape & the sides are 3C. After washing my hair it is tightly coiled and shrunken. I use a lot of conditioner when I conditioner wash because my hair is thick. I comb out my hair in the shower when it it full of conditioner to cut down on damage and hair loss. I use a wide tooth comb to comb out tangles in the shower. I try not to sweat too much about the amount of hair in the comb because sometimes my hair has been braided for a few days before taking it down for a shampoo and conditioner and I know more hair is going to be in the comb if I haven't combed it for a few days. If you want to know more about shed hair in your brush or comb you can pull a few hairs out of either your comb or brush and examine them closely. If you see a little white bulb on the end of the hair strand, then that is natural shedding of your hair and not breakage. What you have to look out for is a lot of short pieces of hair without the white bulb on the end when you comb or brush because that could indicate breakage. And do not be fooled into thinking that because your hair is natural that you will not have breakage. That's a fallacy, that natural hair doesn't break off. If you do start to notice more breakage than usual, then check out what you have been applying to your hair and how you have been handling your hair. You may need to change up your hair routine some to stop breakage. You may need a good trimming of ends also. As I have said before, hair grows differently on each head. Some people have fast hair growth and some slow. How and when you decide to trim your hair depends on the growth and whether you have a lot of split ends and/or damage to your hair. How I trim my hair is I usually twist and trim. I will twist my hair and trim each twist when I finish the twist. Nappturality.com has some good information on Type 4 hair.

More Good Products & Cheapies

2008-02-25T10:42:00.005-05:00

I should have posted about this product before but didn't so now I will. I find White Rain products to be good and cheap. I don't use the shampoos, but I do use the conditioners. I have two different conditioners by White Rain and like them both. In a pinch I used the Ocean Mist conditioner on my hair as a leave-in type conditioner and it worked good. I also use the Energizing Citrus to conditioner wash from time to time. I rotate my conditioners that I use to conditioner wash and do general conditioning to my hair. If you like a lot of smell to your hair after conditioning, then this brand of conditioner delivers. The Ocean Mist is quite perfumey and the smell lasts a while. The only problem I sometimes have with using conditioners as leave-ins is sometimes they make my scalp itch or I find that I'm allergic to them. After using the Ocean Mist my hair felt nicely conditioned and moisturized. There are no 'cones' (silicone) in these two conditioners, but they do have some herbal extracts like seaweed, chamomile & aloe extracts in the Ocean Mist. I don't feel like I'm throwing money down the drain when I use White Rain products because they are so inexpensive.

Something For Your Funny Bone

2008-02-22T13:39:00.006-05:00

From time to time I'm going to include something funny on my blog like a funny clip or whatever I can find funny on the net. Here is something funny from one of the funniest shows on TV, Crank Yankers. Enjoy. NOTE: This video is available. Press on big arrow to see video)

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

2008-02-22T12:21:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite things to put on my hair is EVOO. I got that name from one of my favorite people in the world, Rachel Ray. I just love her. She can cook on a shoestring and quickly. I know, I know, this is supposed to be a blog about hair, but from time to time I'll put up other things for entertainment or informational purposes. I like to cook and always wished I could cook. I sure try to from time to time. I can eat my own cooking and that's half the battle. Anyway, extra virgin olive oil is one of the best things on the market both for cooking and for the hair. I buy it by the gallon cans. I get the ones imported from Italy that are first cold pressed. All olive oils are not created equal. When I go to the supermarket and see some of the stuff on the shelves in the olive oil aisle my head is spinning. They have all types of olive oil out there. If you cook with olive oil and buy a bottle of first cold pressed virgin oil, you're going to taste the difference right away. Your hair is going to "taste" the difference also. You don't need to use a lot of olive oil on your hair either for good results. I have thick hair and usually use about two quarter sized dollops of olive oil on my hair. It's relatively cheaper that some of the very expensive conditioners on the market that do not work on hair anyway. I sometimes cruise the shampoo/conditioner aisles in stores and look at the products they offer and see more of the same all the time. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Scarves, Do Rags ,Stocking Caps & Grease

2008-02-18T12:03:00.003-05:00

Everybody with natural kinky hair probably have all of these things in their possession. I have them all and use them all. Scarves don't stay on my head at night while I'm sleeping. They come off and I'm always half putting them back on in the middle of the night. I hate that. I have been using stocking caps on my head at night. They work better than scarves and even the dreaded do rag. I got one, so what? I love my do rag. It come in handy for a lot of things. I sometimes wear it to bed, (it comes off too) and also use it when I want a more polished look when I pull back my hair. I wear my scarves when I have my hair braided up around the house. Do rags are traditionally worn by Brothers when they want to have that "waved" look to their hair. I think it looks nice. This talk of do rags etc. brings back a memory of one time when someone told me to try out one of those pomades marketed to Black men, on my hair. The directions on the can says to wet a rag with hot water and put on the hair, then put on the pomade and then brush hair in desired style. Well I tried this stuff and ended up with a greasy mess. My hair stunk and looked awful using that pomade. I still don't know why this stuff is even still sold. It's the hardest type of grease known to man. My hair looked like I had blow dried one of those old type of plastic rain things that us ladies used to wear back in the day right onto my hair. Now I know some of y'all remember those things. It folded up like an accordion and had plastic strings that you were supposed to tie underneath your chin to keep the rain thingy in place. Ha ha. Stupid thing! I tell you I need photos of this stuff because I know that anybody reading this should remember how silly women looked wearing those things. My mother used to make me wear these things when it rained and I hated it. Anyway, that's how that pomade made my hair look. My hair looked like it had a light coating on snow on top of it. I never saw anything like it ever. So ugly. The newer pomades are a bit lighter and probably were not like the one I tried. And the grease that I used to use, I tell you stupid. They still sell them in the stores even today. Some like: Dixie Peach, My Knight, Marcel Curling Wax, Bergamot (I used to actually like this stuff). Here is a story about Bergamot: One time when I was younger, around 9 or 10 years old I would guess, and I was going to camp and wanted my bangs to look nice, I put a whole scoop of bergamot on my bangs and off I went. Them bangs looked so nice, but I didn't put the grease on the rest of my hair. I had the nicest looking bangs and the rest of my hair looked like I had been in a tornado. I still remember that. And then I remember one time when I was young, a lady had a good laugh about my hair. See, always people hating. She called me over to her and asked me who did my hair. I was all proud thinking she thought my hair looked nice, since I had did it myself. I was very independent as a child and didn't want anyone doing my hair so I used to do it myself. I told this hater that I did it all by myself and she looked at my hair and began to laugh so loud other kids came to see why she was laughing. I'm laughing as I type this up because it's funny now when I think back on it, but how juvenile of a grownup to make fun of a child. She had a good laugh then, but I bet if I saw her now, I'd probably be the one laughing. She was short, ugly and wore glasses and probably thought she was so fine. Hair haters is what I call them. Then there were various neighborhood kids that used to laugh at my hairstyles, only to copy them a few days later! Such hair haters. It didn't bother me then and it doesn't now. I just keep trucking while the hair haters hate. You know what, it will be 30 years from now, and the hair haters are going to be still hating, still doing the same stuff like the previous years, NOTHING. I've put up a photo of what I believe the hater who laughed at my hair as a youngster probably looks like today above. Enjoy! Ha ha. Now I'm laughing.

Cheap Conditioners & Conditioner Washes

2008-02-18T11:29:00.006-05:00

I have a lot of conditioners that I use on my hair and none of them are all that spectacular. Some of them have become conditioner washes for me when I tire of using them to condition my hair. I sometimes use Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner to conditioner wash my hair. Some women rave about this particular conditioner on many websites so I decided to try it. It's an okay conditioner in my opinion. When I conditioner wash my hair with it I don't see anything that I can write home about. It works, but nothing special about it. I do happen to like the Nexxus line of shampoos and conditioners though. They are pricey and I don't use the conditioner I have to conditioner wash my hair. I used to use Nexxus products when I had relaxed hair and they worked fine then and now. I got a special price of $25 for both the shampoo and conditioner and they are the liter sized bottles! Any trip to your neighborhood BSS to price Nexxus products and you will realize that twenty five dollars for two bottles of the liter size is a real bargain. I do not like to use a lot of shampoo on my hair even when I shampoo, but sometimes that isn't possible since I have thick hair. My hair drinks up whatever I apply to it. I didn't know anything about conditioner washing my hair before looking at the websites on the net. I usually look at Nappturality.com for good ideas on natural hair care. That's a good website. When I conditioner wash my hair I use a lot of conditioner, so it's in my best interest to find cheap and effective conditioners to do this. So far all of them are mediocre at best. When I read the ingredients on them, all of them have about the same things in them: Water, a lot of chemicals and fragrance. I do happen to like a little silicone in my conditioners even though a lot of web pages and sites frown on using silicone on natural kinky type hair. I believe whatever works you have to use. I don't find silicone particularly damaging to my hair. It makes my hair a little smoother when I'm combing it after washing. One line of shampoos and conditioners I don't particularly care for is VO5. I have tried this line many times and always end up with super itchy hair. They have good products, but they don't agree with my hair. I tried the tea tree conditioner and liked it a lot. The smell was nice and it left my hair feeling good until the next day when I couldn't stop scratching my scalp. No more VO5 for me.

My Wish List

2008-02-18T10:29:00.007-05:00

This post is about some of my wish list stuff. I have wanted to get the Nita half wig forever and cannot seem to find it anywhere. It's kind of old, so not that many stores have it I guess. I like it a lot. It's not too long or too short, just right. I've put up a photo of Nita (bottom photo) & Polly(middle photo). I'm not really impressed by Polly as much as Nita because the ends of this half wig are too free form. I kind of like my ends to be a bit more curly and not so out there. I've also included Ruby (top photo) because I have never seen this one and I like it. Imagine me out with this one!! Here come the haters!! I think maybe I'll get this one and wear out to a club one day and fool the guys into thinking it's mine. Ha Ha funny. Some women like to do that. They have all this fake hair and try to let everyone believe it's their real hair. I guess if you want to do that it's okay, but not for me. I've always come clean with my hair. I have never tried to let anyone believe that something I bought was growing out of my scalp. That's me, but I'm not everybody, just me. Maybe I'll get it in a nice shade of blonde. Here come the haters twofold! With this wig (Ruby), I probably could score a husband. Boo Yah. Guys seem to like a bunch of hair on women and I don't know why that is. Look, get this scenario, you with a fine young thang you been sweating forever and you finally get her and then she pulls it off!!!! Good lord. Now imagine again you with your lady and she has her own hair, whatever the length etc. Which one do you like best guys??? I know if I was a man, I sure wouldn't want to run my hands through somebody's hair to have it come off in my hand. Hair glorious hair, so much fuss about something that everybody has. I'm chomping at the bit to get up on You Tube. When I put up my video, I'm going to get so many hits with my ridiculous and silly video.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MUSHROOM?

2008-02-15T11:47:00.004-05:00

I was thinking about some old time things when I remembered a hairstyle from the 70's called a mushroom. I used to wear my hair in this ridiculous style too. The hair was put in a page boy all around without any parts and then the back was combed down into a smaller bottom page boy. I wish I could see an old photo of somebody with this hairstyle because it was so odd looking. It was nice back in the day, but to think of some of the styles we wore can definitely call for a good giggle. Then there was the flat top. This was a blown out afro flattened on the top and then patted down. I've got some photos of myself with this style that I'll post in the near future. Warning, you're gonna be laughing! So ridiculous. Remember the days when you wanted to buss on somebody and called them either Jackson Five or The Silvers? If you do then you're getting old. Then there was the style that some Brothers wore that defies logic. It was a sort of half straightened afro combed towards the front of their head. It looked like they had on a cap. This is going back some time. And the style of all styles that some girls wore when I was in high school was a flat top afro with one large box braid in the center of the flat top. Those were the good old days. Days when you could wear your hair how you wanted without somebody hating. I used to wear all of those styles. I got pictures of some of them too. Then back in the days when us girls was describing how fine a Brother was, if you threw in the "he got a big bush," you knew he was fine. The bigger the bush, the finer he was. So many memories based on hair. Then remember when Vigorol came out? This chemical was supposed to loosen the kink just enough so you could then straighten it and the straightening would last and last. I never personally tried Vigorol, but many of my friends did. I do remember getting my hair pressed & curled one time (got the pictures) and I knew the sun was rising and setting on me. I thought I was the finest thing that ever existed. I found the photo of that press and curl recently and couldn't stop laughing at how I looked. I had some little blue glasses on and looked so stupid. Well at least I thought I looked good. One of my favorite styles from back in the day was cornrows. I loved having them and doing them. I still do cornrows on my hair from time to time and on one of my grandkid's hair. I'm pretty good at doing cornrows too. I taught myself how to do them. I think I'm the only one in my family that knows how to cornrow. This next little story goes out to my very good friend Inez. She was one of my favorite people until the day that she pulled my wig off of my head back in high school. She was sort of a prankster and I had on this afro wig and while we were at lunch she kept looking at the wig. I was wondering if she thought I looked cute with my afro wig. Anyway, on our way home she plucked that wig right off of my head in front of everybody. I think I said something smart to her earlier in the day why she did it. I still remember that, but we remained friends for many years even after that. I wish I knew where she was today. Then here's goes the can't stop laughing story. One time I was coming home from work and had on a wig. I've been wearing wigs etc. for years. I was wearing wigs even when it wasn't cool to do so. I didn't care, because I always do what pleases me. On this day I was coming out of the Broad Street Subway. Well, anybody that takes the subway knows how you have to hold onto your hat, keep your dress pulled tightly when you are walking up the steps and the train is leaving the station. I completely forgot about the woosh of wind when the train took off, and my wig came flying off and I had to chase it back down the steps. I was embarrassed that day because my hair was a complete mess under the wig. Well, these are life lessons and that's why I'm glad I'm natural today. I still wear wigs, but keep them in place with big bobby pins.

HAIR HATERS, YIKES!

2008-02-15T11:14:00.005-05:00

I recently was checking out some sites that I look at on the web and saw that one of my favorite people with natural hair had decided to put a relaxer in her very long natural hair. I believe that she must have been natural for many many years because she has a lot of hair. I was sort of shocked, but then thought that it's her hair and she can put a relaxer in it if she so chooses. I'm on this again because something came to mind to me a few days ago. I was visiting a family member and had my natural hair out in a parted afro on this particular day. A neighbor of my cousin happened to come over to her house and instead of her focusing on my cousin she immediately put her focus on me and my hair. (What else is new?!) She looked at me and then looked at my hair and matter-of-factly asked me if didn't I know how to twist my hair tightly and then let it out so I could have "curls" & "waves"! What the %#$@!!!!! Now I know good and well Miss messed up hair with an old weave did not just ask me a question about MY hair! You know I could have given her a few choice words about her hair, but I let her slide, because I know whenever I say something biting to people IT HURTS! I guess whenever people have you on a high horse, whatever you say about them HURTS! I can be minding my own business, as I usually do, and here comes somebody trying to hate. Look, it's only hair. And by the way, hair is dead. Why so much craziness about something that's already dead when it comes out of your head????? It's 2008 and people have all types of hairstyles today. No matter what your race or ethnicity, hair comes in all types from poker straight to super kinky or curly. Get over it and do your own thing with your own hair. As far as I'm concerned I can have any type of hair I desire by using a wig if my hair can't attain that particular style. I can go straight one day and the very next day curly and so on. I think the next thing I'm going to do is get a video of myself up on You Tube to address the hair haters. Well, that's my little anecdote for today.

Relaxer, Hot Comb & Hair Piece Nightmares

2008-02-11T10:08:00.003-05:00

I have come across web pages, blogs etc. of women/men with natural hair styles and still am puzzled about some of the things I see on these sites and pages. Natural hair to me means that the hair is not altered ie., applied heat or chemical treatments of any type that include: relaxers, perms, chemicals that loosen natural curls or kinks, blow out kits, wave type relaxers and the list goes on and on. When I go to either the BSS or anywhere I go to purchase hair products the shelves are full of all types of hair altering chemicals. These chemicals are both marketed to Black people as well as the ones geared towards White people. All races have people who chemically alter their hair and it's okay if that's what you want to do. Hair to me is individual. What works for one person may not always work for another person. I see sites where people get up on their soapboxes to scold women for putting products in their hair to style their hair the way they want to. Now that's a shame. I have come a long way as far as hair is concerned. I remember many times in the past wanting to wear my hair natural, only to be met with rude comments and stares from my own people. Now that's really sad. I remember one time in particular a girl had the nerve to loudly say that "somebody needs a perm!" When I turned around to see who made the statement there she was in all her glory with about two or three spriggles of overprocessed and badly damaged permed hair. I don't have anything against any person that straightens their hair because that was my reality for many years. It worked for me then, but not now. I happen to like the texture of my hair. I used to think that it was way too thick and kinky to do anything with other than relax or straighten. That was then, this is now. I like my kinks. I resisted relaxing for many years, but then relented because straightening didn't hold well in my hair. And talk about burnt ears and foreheads, it happened all the time. I can remember well one time that I straightened my hair with a hot comb and then decided to curl it with those old time hot curlers you put on the stove. I just knew I could do hair! Wrong! Evidently the curlers were on the burner for too long and and I put it in my hair and turned them curlers and guess what????? After I pulled it out of my hair, I decided to check my nice curl and wouldn't you know the curl crisped off right into my hand!!! I can laugh about it now, but then I was left with one sided hair. All burnt out by those damn hot curlers. I should have saved that crispy curl as a memento and should have went natural the next day. I'm laughing as I type this up because when I looked in the mirror to see what was left of the crispy curl, I saw a sad mess. I was self conscious for weeks all the while thinking that everybody saw that crispy curl. And another time I put in a relaxer that said it could straighten the most resistant hair and again I was left with about three or four strands of overprocessed hair. It looked fine the day I did it, but by the very next day half of my hair was gone. Those were the days. And another time I can remember a particularly hot and humid day and I was going somewhere and decided to press my hair. I got through one side and by the time I had started on the second side, the first side was all but an afro. I was so mad. I was hot and mad. And when it rained I had to take a deep breath and say a prayer before attempting to go out. I remember one time I thought I was really cute and put on a very loose type curly hair piece on my relaxed hair. Well that day it was really windy. I mean trash and people were blowing in the wind. I was waiting to take a bus and these two women were killing themselves with laughter. I didn't pay them any mind because I didn't think they were laughing at me. Then when I got home I had to pass a large hung mirror in my living room and then I saw IT!! You should have seen the piece I had on top of my hair. It looked like about five or six dead raccoons were curled up on top of my head. There was fake hair everywhere. It was a mess. I stood there and laughed for a good five or ten minutes. I couldn't believe I was looking like that. I kept it like that so that I could show my daughter and when she saw it, she nearly died laughing. The memories I have about my hair are too numerous to put up on here. I could go on telling stories for an hour or more. Anyway, those days are behind me for two reasons, first no more hot combs or chemicals and second I'm not bothered by people's comments about me anymore. To each his own. So in closing all I can reiterate is, love yourself to the fullest. Wear your hair however you please and don't let other people define who you are.

Favorite Products (Leave-In Moisturizer)

2008-02-04T11:11:00.002-05:00

This product by Cantu, Shea Butter Leave-In is a good product. The strange texture of this product at first was somewhat puzzling. It reminds me of coagulated mayonnaise. It smells good, kind of like something tropical like pineapples and other tropical fruit. It absorbs well into your hair and does not build up with frequent use. I can wash this product out of my hair using a conditioner wash. I use this product year round. Some products are better in the summer and some better in the winter months, but I find this product works well year round. I don't like having to buy different products for different times of year, which I find is a waste of money. The only product that I usually use in the summer months that I don't in the winter months is glycerine. Glycerine is a cheap product you can purchase almost anywhere. This Cantu leave-in is a good product to layer on when you pull your hair back. It gives good moisturization and acts like a base to put under gel to keep the hair moist and give the gel a little more holding power. Top the whole thing off with a little EVOO and voila! you can have a nice pulled back look.

Some Of My Favorite Products (Gel)

2008-02-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my favorite products that I use to keep my hair in control, to moisturize and keep dryness from the ends of my hair. Ends equal length. I still have not found the perfect product as of yet. IC Gel from Fantasia Industries seems to be a good all around gel. I also like FOTE Gel, usually using it once in a while. I don't put a lot of gel on my hair anyway because if I pull it back I usually just go with it like that. If I want a really polished look, then I do use gel and a holding product like a heavy moisturizer to keep the hair down. I have tried both the regular clear IC Gel & the super hold. I did not find much difference in the super hold at all. My hair is thick and I thought if I used the super hold that it would hold better, but have not found that to be the case. The ingredients in this Gel I believe are better than most gels that do no contain any aloe. Aloe is a good moisturizer and I always look for it in gels or hair products.

Hair Types 3A,3B,3C--4A,4B

2008-01-28T12:03:00.006-05:00

This is a photo of 4A/4B Thick hair using the 1-4, A-C, typing system. Most heads have multiple hair types. I don't know of anyone with only one type of hair on their head.

Star Jones

2008-01-24T15:58:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo of television personality Star Jones Reynolds. I am putting up this photo because she has the hair that I would like to try to wear. I'm liking the color a whole lot and she looks good with this particular hair cut and style. I don't believe that under this wig she has natural hair, but I always liked her style etc.

Make-Up vs No Make-Up

2008-01-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have checked out blogs on here and websites on the internet where women are discussing whether we should wear make-up or not wear make-up. As far as I'm concerned, wearing make-up is something personal. Either you like it or you don't. I like make-up myself personally, but hardly ever wear it because my skin does not take well to most make-up. Some of the most beautiful women in the world regularly wear make-up most of the time. I don't think a woman wearing make-up should have anything to do with if her man, or men in general thinks she should or shouldn't. If you are fine with a bare face, then go with a bare face. I don't like a lot of make-up on myself personally because I think my own skin looks better without it. Maybe I need a course in using make-up to better enhance my looks or something. I'm all for that. I like eyeshadow a lot and have a lot of eyeshadow that I use sometimes. And lipstick is the one thing that I never leave the house without. What I don't like is mascara. I have tried using this stuff a few times and always hated it. I don't naturally have long eyelashes and can't warm up at all to mascara. I sometimes wear false eyelashes which I enjoy wearing. The natural hair ones are the best. The synthetic ones I find itch etc. I have a pair of false eyelashes that look like the ones they used to wear in the 60's that were very thick and long. When I wear them, you can't tell me nothing! Don't even be hating when you see me with my super thick and super long false eyelashes! Don't hate, participate.

Erykah Badu

2008-01-23T10:26:00.002-05:00

This is a super BAA. Erykah sports the biggest, baddest afro on this photo. It must take her hours to wash and condition her hair. However, I would guess she has it professionally done.

Angie Stone

2008-01-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo of one of my favorite people, Angie Stone. She is a natural beauty, but knows how to rock a wig big time. She wears different types of wigs and they all look good on her. I love her music and I think she is beautiful.

Two Strand Twists

2008-01-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking about doing some two stranded twists on my hair maybe over the next few weeks. My problem with doing twists is they always unravel and I end up having to re-twist over and over again. I'm going to try it again though. I personally like to do my twists on either dry or semi-dry hair so that they hang nicely. Whenever in the past that I have done twists on shampooed hair, I always ended up with shrunken twists that tend to knot up when I try to remove them. With twists you need a good base on your hair like a twisting type cream etc. The one I have I think is by ORS. It smells good and has coconut milk in it. I'll post a picture of my twists when I do them. (Any helpful hints on doing twists would be appreciated. Either e-mail hints or put in comments section)

Getting Enough Moisture in Your Hair

2008-01-16T16:14:00.001-05:00

This winter has been an odd one. Some days the temperature is warm and other days it's cold. This poses some problems when I style my hair. I have found that on some days it's easier for me to wear a wig. I have a lot of them and want some new ones. I don't like really short or really long wigs. I sort of like my wigs to be about the same length of my own hair. Now as far as moisture is concerned, there are so many different moisturizers on the market that I sometimes don't know which one to purchase. I have tried a lot of them. Some of them work and some of them do not. I guess if I want the perfect moisturizer I might have to combine some of the products until I get what I want. Sometimes I find what I believe to be the perfect product and then I read the ingredients and here comes the petrolatum. I must admit that I did recently purchased a moisturizer by Hollywood Beauty (pic to the right) and it has petrolatum and mineral oil in it. I'm only going to use this product right after shampooing & conditioning to seal my hair. I'm going to have to see how it works out on my hair, since I haven't applied any petroleum or mineral oil based products on my hair in the longest time. I will post up here how I like or dislike it anyway. (*UPDATE ON THIS PRODUCT): I used this product and found it very hard to wash out of my hair. I don't like this product and would not purchase again.

Pulled Back/Center Part Afro Looks

2008-01-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

This is how I like to wear my hair out in an afro in the summer months with a middle part held back with barrettes. This is an easy look and I don't use anything on my hair other than a moisturizer.

Top photo is another pulled back look using moisturizer and a little gel. I also added a "puff", to complete this look.

Untamed Natural Look

2008-01-09T17:13:00.000-05:00

India Arie shows off an untamed twist out type of look that I like. She looks awesome on this photo.

Hair Follicles

2007-12-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

Here's something I found that shows the different types of hair and how they grow out of the follicles. I hope this can help you to figure out what type of hair you have.

Curly 'Fro

2007-12-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

This representation is of a curly afro. You can achieve this look either by twisting the hair or if you have naturally curly hair.

Jill Scott

2007-12-19T09:29:00.000-05:00

Jill Scott has one of the "nice heads" I said I would post. Here she has a BAA (big ass afro). This is what I hope to achieve with my hair.

Tools of the Trade

2007-10-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

These are some of the tools I use to style my hair. You might use different things, but this is what I use.

MY HAIR PIC

2007-07-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

This is a side view picture of my hair put back. I have hidden my face because the internet is full of people who take other people's photos and use them for foolish pranks. Sorry about any inconvenience this may cause, but I prefer to not show my face at this time. My hair was pulled back with oil and some Gel on this picture. No heat or chemicals whatsoever was used, this is my hair in it's natural state.

WIGS & HAIRPIECES

2007-07-26T15:51:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things is to wear either a wig or a hairpiece. Show me a wig or hairpiece and I'll show you how to rock it. I've worn them for many years and they come in handy when you need a quick style and your hair won't behave. Any time I want a particular style and my hair is either not long enough for the style or just can't be styled that way, wig to the rescue. I have quite a few wigs myself. My next wig is going to be something blond and sexy. I want to completely change my look and vamp it up a little bit. I'll do it one of these days. I always check out lighter color wigs, but can't seem to find one to compliment my skin tone. I've never had a weave in my hair because to me a weave is too final. You have to have the same look until you take it out. Too much trouble for me. I can pop a wig or hairpiece on and pop it back off when I'm ready. No nasty glue or thread in my hair. Quick weaves, the ones that you add your own hair to are nice and very versatile. You can change your look immediately, and if you don't like it, take it off! They are neat. So ladies, all I can say is, go for it. Wear what you like and like what you wear.

TO GEL OR NOT TO GEL

2007-07-26T15:46:00.000-04:00

Ah, Gel. This word conjures up a lot of things for me. Either you love a Gel, or you hate it. I have tried so many types of Gel on my hair and was usually disappointed with them. Either they left an ugly white film on my hair or they flaked and usually looked awful. Gel is great for you if you want to pull back your hair. Sometimes I use it and sometimes I don't. I usually layer the Gel with some type of oil or leave-in conditioner and top everything off with some type of oil so my hair doesn't dry out with the Gel. Gel is my friend now since I know how to use it right.

HAIR & MORE HAIR

2007-07-26T15:36:00.000-04:00

To most women, hair represents our crowning glory. Especially Black women. There was always an unwritten law of do's and don'ts. We all know them...Don't go near water or get your hair wet, do put grease on your hair and scalp. Yuck! I never put grease on my hair, ever. "Grease" as we know it is mostly made up of petroleum. In other words, plastic. So every time you put grease on your hair, you are only coating it with a by product of plastic. Oils are fine for our type of hair. I like extra virgin olive oil personally. The same kind you cook with is what I use. I also happen to like the brand Jamaican Mango & Lime Cactus Oil. It smells very nice and keeps my hair feeling good. I have learned that you have to try out different things for your hair because what works for someone else may not always work for you. Experiment. Experiment. Experiment, until you find products that will give you the look you want for your hair. I'm still learning and trying out different things. I guess you could say that I'm sort of a product junkie, but that's okay, as long as I find what I want for my hair.

BEAUTIFUL HAIR & MORE!

2007-07-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

I hope this blog will address some questions about wearing our hair in its natural state. I don't have anything against anyone who wishes to either straighten their hair with a hot comb or with chemicals, after all I did it for many years. I decided I didn't like the look anymore and it was too much to do for so little results. I wanted to go natural for some time and am sorry I didn't a long time ago. Our hair is the most versatile hair on the earth. My choice to go natural, meaning I do not chemically alter or use any type of heat whatsoever on my hair, was so easy for me. After years of chemical & heat damage to my hair, enough was enough. I also looked at some natural hair websites and got a lot of ideas from the beautiful women on these sites. Their hair looked awesome and gave me the push I needed to go natural. I am also interested in skin care as well, because both things, in my opinion, beautiful hair and beautiful skin, go hand in hand. I will be posting pictures of my hair and other "nice heads" as well on this blog in the near future. I will also put up some skin care secrets I have used for many years. So enjoy this blog and leave comments if you like. No need to post hostile or negative comments because this is a positive blog! E-Mails can be sent to: Napnatural@gmail.com!