So I had another busy weekend and one that I’ve been promising to share with you for a long time now. I did something to my natural hair that a lot of naturalistas may be offended by and I may lose my #teamnatural status. I put a lot of thought behind my decision and knew if there was a mistake done to my hair that I can always big chop and start all over again. I guess you are all wondering what I am talking about. I colored streaks in my hair. I was a natural hair model in the La Salon One on One 15th anniversary hair show and my stylist thought that color would make my natural hair more dramatic.
The hair show was pretty awesome and I thank La Salon for inviting my hair to model itself at its event. It was divided into different scenes that showed off the amazing talent of the stylists at the salon. It also celebrated the amazing talent and drive of Dr. Teresa Bowman—the owner of the salon. The scene that I took part in was “On the Island” where the natural haired models participated in a Jamaican/island scene. It was the only showcase of natural hair in the show and was pretty awesome. We also had a guy with awesome dreads who was the centerpiece of the scene.
Do you see me!?
Our scene was “On the Island”
Tiffany, John, Quiosha (not pictured) & Quierha put Bantu Knots in Carla’s Natural Hair before the Natural Hair Scene
The best barber ever, Donald Lopez, Dr. Theresa Bowman and John Washington give a history of the salon while waiting for Tiffany and Quiosha to join them.
Our scene!
He wasn’t supposed to be seen…but I guess we didn’t cover him well.
Finishing my stroll…
Back to my hair transformation:
At first, I was a bit nervous about dying my hair. While my stylist was working in my hair, all kinds of thoughts raced through my mind. I wondered if my hair would be straightened, if I would lose my curl pattern…if anything weird would happen. After we washed the dye out of my hair, I ran my fingers though my hair and felt the same texture. I was so relieved. This will not be a constant thing because constant use of dyes will eventually alter your texture. I am enjoying the new hair color for now and will allow it to naturally fade with no thoughts at the moment for reapplication.
When leaving for the salon…
hm…
color 1
Color 2
foil!
after
day of the show
Ready for my scene!
I will follow-up with more posts covering the event. Since I was in the show, it was hard for me to get pictures of the actual event.
If you are in the area, please go and check out La Salon One on One and their amazing stylists who specialize in all hair types and textures!
La Salon One On One
530 Providence St.
New Iberia, LA. 70560
337-364-9363
salononeoneone@aol.com
First off, much respect and love to you Ms. Saldana. I know you are going to do an excellent job playing Ms. Simone because you are a brilliant actress. I’ve admired your abilities since the first movie that I’ve watched you in and am happy that you have the respect and admiration to play a role such as Ms. Nina Simone. I guess you are wondering what all of the fuss is about. Why a lot of black women have an issue with you playing the part of Ms. Simone. It’s not about you personally. You know you are our sista and we embrace your talent and what you are giving to this world as an Afro-Latina actress, but I am not sure if you fully understand the struggle of a dark-skinned black woman—and that particular struggle is what is making us so passionate about who portrays Nina Simone.
Since the beginning of Hollywood and movie making, black people, specifically ‘dark-skinned’ blacks have been portrayed in ‘blackface’ or if not, dark-skinned black actors and actresses, with an exception of a small few, play ‘race roles’—stereotypical roles slotted for the darker skinned. I think after a certain amount of time, darker skinned black people see this as being disrespectful when there are tons of capable actors and actresses who can play us and look like us at the same time. They do not have to be ‘blackfaced’ or demeaned to the background of a movie. But now, this is especially so for black women. We want to see more of ourselves portrayed in Hollywood. We want to see the dark-skinned black woman be the protagonist/heroine of a film who is not a stereotype. We want to see Hollywood engage in dark skinned beauty just as much so as they rave over the Hallie Berries and Zoe Saldanas. We want to be regarded as useful and talented and beautiful too, not just playing overbearing mothers and maids and thugs…playing people who inspired this country and this world such as Nina Simone.
Zoe, it’s beyond you so please, do not take it personally. I hope you understand being a dark girl is not an easy task. Growing up, we had to deal with the issues of not being pretty enough because our skin was actually black; people choosing lighter skinned women over us to do anything and everything because they were considered more attractive; being told that we were pretty for a dark-skinned girl and wondering what that meant… Zoe, when you constantly are being told you are second class to the lighter skinned girls…when you are being called black or a jigaboo…or when people tell you your hair is nappy and you are forced to look at yourself a certain way…it’s hard for us to grasp someone of your skin tone and hair texture to play one of us. It seems as if it is another blatant slap in the face that being dark-skinned isn’t good enough… that dark skin isn’t great enough to play the role of one of the biggest advocates of being black in history. We just want our chance like everyone else. We want some respect and we want to be considered beautiful–not beautiful for a dark-skinned girl. It’s so beyond you Zoe and we apologize that you have to come under fire for this. But maybe this is the chance that we get to show Hollywood that we matter too, we are gorgeous too and it is befitting for us to play roles that portray us in the positive and negative shadow. Ms. Simone was our heroine…that’s why we are so passionate about this portrayal. Ms. Simone in death is doing what she did in life right at this moment. It’s time for us to pay attention and make some changes and know that all women are beautiful…dark skinned to white skinned. Hollywood, I am beautiful and capable enough to play myself, so cast me as myself and do not dress me up in darkface and continue to insult the intelligence of the world.
For those who are ignorant of the issue…here is what causes the root of this backlash:
Ok guys, you know that I’ve been on the search for my dream mascara for a long time. I’ve met a lot of them that work awesome and reviewed them in the past. I’ve also met some junky ones and reviewed them also. LOL. Maybe I’ve reviewed the best and the worst of the mascaras that I’ve tried. The only reason that I am so passionate about mascara is because of the very thin lashes that I have that look nonexistent. Just as the hair on my brows and on my head, the hair is very thin and good mascara is very hard to find. A while ago, while in a very random trip to Kohls, I saw this Flirt Far Out Lengthening Mascara. I thought it looked pretty cool and saw a glimpse of the want which looked interesting. I splurged the $13.99 and since then have been enjoying the mascara…Why?
First, I love the wand. It’s more like a traditional comb and the teeth separate and elongates my lashes. Upon first stroke, I see a noticeable difference in the length of my lashes. Because of the way the wand is made, I also do not experience clumping and can only use a few swipes to get beautiful long lashes. I’ve been using this mascara for a few months now and am seriously considering going back to Kohls for a refill. LOL. The only issue that I have with the mascara is drying time. I have big eyes, and sometimes when I get the lashes going with mascara, I tend to make a mess on the top of my lid if it doesn’t dry in a decent enough time. It’s very easy to clean off of course, but just having that mess there is an annoyance.
Am I the only one with this issue?
Maybe I’m doing something wrong. LOL
Have you guys tired this mascara, and if so, what do you think about it.
If I were to rate, out of the mascaras that I’ve tried in the past, I would def rate this one a 4 out of 5!
I think we’ve all done it, gone to Sephora or Ulta or just the Mac counter in Dillard’s and experienced financial drain. It seems as if that one item that you needed to go in for turned into 5 and your bank account balance was left in the hands of your favorite make up store…once again. Here is how Fleur de Curl avoids financial strain at while makeup shopping.
1. Make a mental inventory of what you already have. Don’t do like me and keep buying matte red lipsticks if you already have a dozen. You are not probably wearing half of them anyway and another one will only gather dust with the others.
2. Shop with an annoying partner (pushy boyfriend or bossy mom). 9 times out of ten, they don’t want to be shopping for make up anyway and will probably harass you out of there quickly. They will help you to keep focus on getting in and getting what you need and getting out.
3. Don’t make eye contact with any sales people. If you know what you want and you know where to locate it, grab and run and leave sales people alone. They are the most dangerous people at the make up counter/store and can conn you in spending hundreds of dollars at one shot. If you have to talk with them, see step two. Being with annoying people will slow the attendants roll quickly.
4. Learn how to say no. In the moments where you have to speak with someone, practice self control and learn how to give a firm ‘no’ when being harassed to purchase or try on anything. I know it’s exciting to try on new lipsticks or blushes but it is only a scam for the sales person to go in for the kill and kill your bank account. Don’t show any weakness from first encounter and keep focus on exactly what you want to get.
5. Bring only cash and only what you need. Being embarrassed about not having enough money at the check out will always keep you on the straight and narrow when shopping for makeup. When you know you only have a certain amount of money to spend, you will always get what you need and get out untouched by the makeup money monger.
I often do not participate in specialized months unless they are very important to me. Last month was Women’s History month and I had to personally honor my two grandmothers and my old high school chemistry teacher who taught me not only a lot of things to help me in life, but who also taught me strength and self-love. If it was not for their input in my life, I would not have the strength to chop off all of my hair and ‘go natural’. Come to think about it—not one ‘celebrity’ or famous person has ever impacted my life as much as my two grandmothers and Ms. Shaw did. I am honored to say that they blessed my life with such positive influence—and so I digress. As I was stating earlier, there are some months that I celebrate: Black History, Women’s History…etc…but April is very special to me because it is National Poetry Month.
I fell in love with poetry the minute that I was able to comprehend the written word. The first poet that I’ve ever loved and admired was Langston Hughes. One of my all time favorite poems is the Weary Blues:
The Weary Blues
By: Langston Hughes
Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
I heard a Negro play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
He did a lazy sway . . .
He did a lazy sway . . .
To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.
With his ebony hands on each ivory key
He made that poor piano moan with melody.
O Blues!
Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
Sweet Blues!
Coming from a black man’s soul.
O Blues!
In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan—
“Ain’t got nobody in all this world,
Ain’t got nobody but ma self.
I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’
And put ma troubles on the shelf.”
Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
He played a few chords then he sang some more—
“I got the Weary Blues
And I can’t be satisfied.
Got the Weary Blues
And can’t be satisfied—
I ain’t happy no mo’
And I wish that I had died.”
And far into the night he crooned that tune.
The stars went out and so did the moon.
The singer stopped playing and went to bed
While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead.
As a child, my mind was wrapped around this poem. I wanted to eat it…take it all in and really understand it. I noticed that as I grew older, I was able to get more out of what it meant. I had no idea that my passion for poetry from so young…with poems that were too old for me…would be the molding for my love for poetry today.
As I grew older, I started to enamor over the work of Nikki Giovanni. There was a poem that she wrote called “My First Memory (of Librarians)” which was my total life story. Since I could remember breath, I remembered the library. My father would take me there as a child. I would not only consume tons and tons of books and the written word and the serenity of the library; I would also marvel over the librarians who worked there and secretly wanted to do that myself. My love for librarians was so strong; some of the closest mentors of my life (from now until today) were librarians. I still keep in touch with them and they still astonish me. Once again, my experience with the written word—through the library and poetry helped to build my love for it today:
A big room with heavy wooden tables that sat on a creaky
wood floor
A line of green shades—bankers’ lights—down the center
Heavy oak chairs that were too low or maybe I was simply
too short
For me to sit in and read
So my first book was always big
In the foyer up four steps a semi-circle desk presided
To the left side the card catalogue
On the right newspapers draped over what looked like
a quilt rack
Magazines face out from the wall
The welcoming smile of my librarian
The anticipation in my heart
All those books—another world—just waiting
At my fingertips.
And with that I noticed that a lot of my favorite poetry was a template for the life that I lived. The words that were constructed by my favorite poets were things that I was experiencing as I read them. I remember in middle school, I decided to construct my own poetry. At that particular moment, I became a poet. I knew that my life was enthralled in the written word. I knew that my expression would not be determined by my lips, but what was constructed from my pen.
During my journey, I met a librarian who introduced me to National Poetry month and I registered myself with www.poets.org. Every April, they send me a beautiful poster to celebrate national poetry month and every April, I hang it and adore it. I keep them in a box and this collection may be turned into some kind of wall art as remembrance of how much poetry means to me.
My blog means a whole lot to me and I wanted to share with you guys this month. Have any pieces of poetry inspired you and your life? How do you feel about poetry? Do you write any poetry on your own?
I am about to revisit a poem that I wrote that’s on my other blog: http://kimbamarie.wordpress.com that deals with how I feel about poetry and my natural hair. Hopefully this inspires you to write about you, your hair, anything at all. Pick a poem this National Poetry Month…share it with me or someone else. Keep the expression of poetry alive so it can inspire a young hungry literary soul like it did for me so many years ago:
Natural Hair Poem 8/23/2012 by Kimba Azore (Fleur de Curl)
Ok, so I cheated. I actually began the Greenhouse effect the same night after my post (March 5 instead of March 15). I honestly did not know why I was so much in a hurry or in other words, why I could not wait until the 15th to begin. The first night was not too bad, but I have to say, when you are playing with oils, make sure you change out of your good clothes and put on something you do not mind messing up. I had some brand new skinny jeans from Victoria’s Secret on the day that I began. I had to mention where they were from because the fit of these pants were amazing. I got the skinny jean look with the high waist—so I wasn’t offending anyone when I sat down (I digress). …and they were in teal… (I digress again). Well, I had an ‘oil spill’ on the left pant leg and now I cannot get it out. If any of you guys know what I can do or use to get oil out of my clothing, please, please, let me know.
Anyway, I began my Greenhouse Effect journey on the same night and used Castor and Vatika Oil. I made sure the oil was heavy on my edges and my ends. I then sectioned my hair and made large twists. I stretched them and pinned them down, covered my head with a plastic conditioning cap and covered with my satin bonnet.
The night was okay; I noticed that I was sweating at the top of my head when I woke up. I took the conditioning cap off and allowed my hair to air dry before taking down my twists. My hair was very soft, elongated (stretched) and my curl pattern was very nice. I was excited and did it for a couple of days in a row…
Then the itch started…
I started to get this weird itch on my scalp and knew it was time for a wash. I guess the build up of heavy oils in my hair and possible sweating during the night contributed to the itch. I had scalp itch but my hair was always beautiful and soft in the morning.
What have I been doing lately?
I do not use the Greenhouse effect method every night anymore. I try to at least 3-4 times a week with breaks in between—especially if I know I cannot get a good co-wash or wash in until the end of the week.
I have to recommend the Greenhouse Effect method with the warning of co-washing within a couple of days of doing it every night. My hair stayed stretched and moisturized when I used this method, I was able to get awesome styles and I noticed far less shed and tangling. I’ll continue this routine until the end of April and will let you guys know what has transpired so far.
Do you guys know of any other methods that are being used to keep hair stretched and moisturized? Have you tried them? If so, what do you think?
Some styles I was able to accomplish while using the Greenhouse Effect:
So, I was speaking with one of my friends/co-workers (Chawana) yesterday and she told me about the “Greenhouse Effect” and how she was using this method to keep her natural hair moisturized. She handed me a section of her hair and I felt how soft and moisturized it was and I wondered what rock I was under to not know about this particular method. I thought—as a natural hair blogger and enthusiast—that I was knew all of the strategies and methods known to natural haired woman…but I guess not. I decided to jump on the YT to get some information about the ‘Greenhouse Effect’ and I wanted to share with you guys. I am thinking about starting a new Greenhouse Effect challenge for myself on the 15th of the month until the 15th of April.
I will keep you guys posted on what happens.
Before the videos…
Have any of you guys tried the Greenhouse Effect? Did you like it? Do you recommend it?
If you have, please share your answers in the comments section below or on my Facebook page @ www.facebook.com/fleurdecurl
Now some videos I enjoyed on the Greenhouse Effect…
