I did it! (Kinda)

Several months ago I made a post about a flat twist updo that I wanted to try. The inspiration was a video by YTer SimplYounique. When I first discovered the video I attempted to copy the style; no luck. But I happened to watch it again on last Saturday night and realized that the problem wasn't just that I didn't know what I was doing when trying to flat twist. It was that I was trying to do too few twists, resulting in... well, there were no results because it wouldn't twist!

This time around I did smaller twists and the results somewhat resembled the style she did! Of course, with this being my first real attempt at flat twists, they were not nearly as neat as they should have been. But that didn't stop me from wearing them Sunday and Monday!

I was reeeeaaaally pleased with the front

front left stuck out a little

front right looked great IMO

side view. couldn't get a good pic of the back

too puffy and loose, especially the back (this was after sleeping on it one night and wearing it one day)

Next time I try this I think I'll make the following changes:
1. after twisting & pinning the top, I'll put them into a ponytail. Then when I twist the back I'll incorporate them into it to make a tiny bun (or if that doesn't work I could cover it with a rounded claw clip)
2. Using coconut or olive oil when I twist. Dunno why I didn't think about that. Frizzies are not the business!
3. Having cute bobby pins strategically placed throughout the hair
4. Using a comb to secure the back. I used almost all my bobby pins and was still uneasy about it staying in place.

11 One-Ingredient Face Masks

11 one-ingredient DIY face masks on Shine

A lot of naturalistas are no stranger to getting in the kitchen and whipping up something for their tresses. Well guess what? In your fridge and pantry there are goodies for your skin as well! Now if you're lazy (like me) you may not be crazy about experimenting with different recipes, finding what mixes well with what, etc. But the good news is that there are little items that we can use as face masks, no recipe needed! Some of these were no surprise to me: I've used honey before (great at fighting monster zits, BTW) and heard about using avocado and raw egg white. But some of these really shocked me! I think I'm going to put some to the test and see what really works.


So what do you say readers? Which of the face masks should I try first? Which, if any, will you be trying?

Essential Oils

I'm looking for information on essential oils. I know about some of them, like jojoba and rosemary, but I want to dig deeper to find what other oils are out there and what they do. So far, the best information that I've found has come from Esoteric Oils. It includes information about various oils and gives a couple hair care recipes. The info is not limited to hair care; there are links about alternative medicine and treating various ailments with oils.

Please note that I am not endorsing anything sold by Esoteric Oils, nor have I tried any of their products/recipes. This is just the most comprehensive list that I have found to date. If any of my readers know of other sites (or better yet: books!) that provide information on essential oils, please hit me up in the comments or via email. I'd appreciate it soooo much!

Natural Hair Apparel

Even though it's only March, it's starting to warm up here in Mississippi . That means more casual outings, which means a need for more casual clothes. As I do more reading and searching the web for natural hair information, I often come across sites with cute tees, totes, etc. celebrating natural beauty. I wanted to share some of them with y'all just in case you wanted to buy me a birthday gift.

I love this Retro Chic T-shirt over at RegionUSA.com. Only thing I wonder about is how long the image would last. I've had bad luck with tees that had that kinda foil-like detailing on it. One or two washes and it was over! But of course this could be a lot better quality than what I had. I hope so, cuz I really want this shirt!

CafePress has tons of cute natural hair tees. I love this Kinky tee and how the word was used as an anagram. The word nerd in me is pleased!

This super cute "No exception" shirt is also from Cafe Press. I feel like I should wear this to church for all those older folks who say I look soooo much better with straight hair!

Through Twitter, I discovered YoungBlackNappy. They have a variety of tees, and I'm gonna get my hands on the "Naturally Sweet" and "Pick Pocket" shirts. I love "A mother's love" too. That may be next on the list. 

Back to CafePress. I found this I *heart* locs gym bag. It's a simple little design but I fell in love with it!  I am a sucker for a fine man with locs. I can't get it tho. The BF just had to cut his locs recently and he's still a little touchy about it! LOL Maybe I can get it when he's not so sensitive...

Soapbox Theory is one of the few sites I've seen that had apparel for men and women, and surprisingly my favorite design is one that is for men! The BP (Black Power) Stance design is awesome. Would be great to have a curvy female figure for a women's shirt!

Goddess Zuri has several lines of t-shirts, many of which have a natural theme like this I'm a Natural tee from  the beau-tees line. I love the creativity behind one line especially, the Sorori-tees. They have a natural spin for all four of the NPHC sororities, and one for non-Greeks as well! Only one complaint: it looks like they ran out of ideas by the time they got to my beloved Zeta. -_- I like the design on the Delta tees much better.

Zazzle, like CafePress, has plenty of natural-themed shirts, bags, pins, etc. This Afros are Love tee is among my favorites. In fact, I really like most of the designs under Bushy Baby! Apparel. I haven't found out for sure, but from the design I want to say its the same person who did the "regret" pic that I love. Anyone know for sure?



I know I'm missing some great ones. And I've seen some in the past that I cannot find online. That gives me the sads. LOL Tell me what I've missed! Surely my readers know of some great pro-natural apparel that they're keeping secret :) You can tell me, I promise not to show up in the same place as you with the same shirt!

By the way, one of my projects that I'm working on (besides a new website and book) is a line of natural tees. It's still a little ways off, but I wanted to give y'all a heads up!