Banner Test

Enjoying this lazy Saturday watching the Sanford & Son marathon on TV Land and creating banners! After working all week for someone else, it feels great to just have some personal downtime! I'm equally as excited about the end of Daylight Savings Time! I will put the extra hour to good use.

Although I put together some random elements, what do you think of the banners? How does it look? Be honest! Please share in the comments section!

~Napp

I Maxiglided My Nappyliciousness!

We wore hats to work today for "Hats On" against cancer. Since being natural, I've not liked to wear hats because I totally look like a goober! I decided to Maxiglide my hair.

It took about 20 minutes. I instantly missed my nappyliciousness but I was happy with the results. It gave me a chance to see how much my hair has grown and how deceiving shrinkage is. See the complete process on my YouTube channel. (While you're there, please comment and rate the video.)

When I walked into the building, one of the secretaries blurted out: "Pimp". I wanted to yell back "B" "K.M.A.!!! This woman still wears a freakin' pineapple wave!!! Yes. A freaking shellacked pinned up 1985 pineapple wave. Thank God I was able to bridle my tongue because I was about to let her have it. I had just walked in from a massive down pour and my whole self and clothing were drenched! I may have looked like a wet pimp but when I go home, I can shower and wash my nappyliciousness back but she would still be a jackass!

Reflections

Hair is topic of the moment. Thanks Chris Rock! I have been thinking about my own hair and how I've arrived in this natural state: purely by accident!

Spring Break 2004, a group of my co-workers and even family members, took a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Conquest out of New Orleans. It was so much fun.

My hair was up in micro-braids that were on their last leg. I decided not to endure the take down process and sit another 8 hours to get them re-done for the cruise. The braids made it through. When I got home, I decided to take them down. Somewhere along the way, I got impatient. I had the grandiose idea in mid-takedown, to wash my hair with Creme of Nature shampoo. It always makes hair glide through right? Wrong. I had all kinds of tangles and matted hair and countless braids still in tact. The un-detangled hair became totally matted! Oh boy! Not even Creme of Nature was melting those tangles and snarls. I was very frustrated and desperate. There was only one thing to do. Cut it off! I had a male friend help me. Of course, he was not a willing participant as he did not want my mother to crack open his dome. But I was having a moment like Bernadine in Waiting to Exhale: either you do it or I'm going to do it myself. He did. I was brave yet terrified! I had been seeing the little waves of hair underneath those braids and wondered what my own hair looked like but I was also anticipating my next relaxer.

When he finished, I looked like a scared boy. I had hair but it was just very short and had permed ends. I looked crazy! I tied my hair up and threw on a baseball cap and ran to the nearest beauty supply store to buy a wig. I wore that wig and another one for fun, from March until November. I was almost natural underneath but no one knew. I got tired of the two textures and had it relaxed in November 2004. I wasn't ready for natural hair.

Being ready for natural hair requires mental preparation and thick skin. People will hurl all kinds of rude questions and comments about your hair. If you have the slightest concern about what someone may say to you, YOU ARE NOT READY!

I had no idea that on August 8, 2006, I would receive my last chemical relaxer. I got my hair braided in November for our Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas and so my transition began. I ended up transitioning for 8 months and on June 11, 2007, I did the big chop! This time I was ready and have loved this journey since!

Pre-Poo Process

Since becoming natural, I have maintained healthy hair. I have not noticed hair breakage or any other hair issues. I am a confessed product junkie but I do have certain hair regimen that remain unchanged: the Pre-Poo Process.



Pre Poo is short for pre-shampoo. I like to pre-poo if I've used various products on my hair that may have contained silicones which can cause build-up on the hair shaft. If I don't use a natural cleanser like baking soda or bentonite clay to cleanse my hair, I will use a regular shampoo that may contain SLS (sodium laurel sulfates). In attempt to combat any drying effects of the SLS shampoo, I like to coat my hair with an oil such as Amla oil or EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). I heat the oil in a microwaveable dish for a few seconds and transfer it into a small bottle which allows me to pour easily.

Once the oil is applied and is coated over my strands, I will apply a layer or two of plastic wrap to hold in the heat. I then apply a thick towel on top of that in order to hold in heat. You could use a heat cap or hooded dryer to speed up the process but I like to use this time to do household chores or read a few pages of a book or magazine.

When the time has passed and it is time to rinse, it is important to add the shampoo to your hair BEFORE adding water. Oil and water do not mix. Adding the shampoo first breaks down the oil on the hair shaft before the water is added. I like to apply the shampoo once or twice; it just depends on what my hair feels like. I follow up with a conditioner and voila! I'm ready for styling. I don't do a deep conditioner at this point but I suppose you could if your hair needs it.


Until later. . .

~Nappylicious

Censorship or Selected Cities?

I decided that I would go see "Good Hair" this weekend. When I checked the internet for show times, I could not find a theater showing the movie! Since I was using my telephone, I figured I needed to breakout the laptop and really do a thorough search. No luck. I thought Chris Rock was releasing the movie in cities "where black folks are". My mirror hasn't lied to me or the other people I know. No movie! Is this city a victim of censorship or selected cities? I don't do bootleg so I guess I'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD. Dang!

Chris Rock's Movie "Good Hair"

Hello Everyone!



Doesn't it seem like hair is on everyone's minds these days? I am very excited about that. I have always been obsessed about hair. Back in high school, my friend Pam and I could spend hours on the phone talking about hair, hair products and how to use them. The makings of a product junkie!



I am excited about Chris Rock's new movie, "Good Hair" that arrived in theaters this weekend. I was hesitant about seeing it as I've heard mixed reviews. I did not want to be upset leaving the movie. I was probably the only person in the world who missed Chris Rock's first appearance on Oprah promoting the movie. So I really had no idea what to expect. Knowing Chris Rock and how crazy he is, it could go either way.



Two things happened that swayed my decision to see the movie: Seeing Chris Rock on Oprah yesterday and hearing Dr. Maya Angelou on XM 156 talk about hair. Now if you know Dr. Maya, she is a no nonsense woman. If it were foolishness, I don't think she would embrace and endorse the movie as she has. When I saw Chris Rock's second appearance on Oprah yesterday promoting the movie, the negative feedback and its justification was, in my opinion, unwarranted and downright foolish! I understand not wanting to be the butt of a joke but the belief that mainstream America would now ridicule since secret hair routines of African Americans were revealed is absurd! Or the comment from "Shirley" that was read on the Oprah show that said white women's silky hair gave them an advantage over us and that's why our men wanted them? WTF? There is no secret to black hair. Chris summed it up by saying "secrets rot the soul"!



As a natural haired woman in America, I have other African Americans asking me questions like "how'd you get your hair like that?" or "is that a straw set?" or "can you comb your hair" or students asking if I'm African. Last time I checked, I was born in the USA. Heaven forbid that someone think I'm gay just because I'm natural. To each his/her own, but I've always been "strictly. . . you know! The most offensive comment/gesture ever made to me about my hair came from a relative who offered to give me money to get my hair done. I blamed it on the alcohol but I came close to using all the cuss words I knew and I know how to string them together and hurt your feelings, believe that! But I refrained and just stared at him with daggers in my eyes.



I think the big hoopla about this movie, though I haven't seen it yet, runs deeper than the movie. It's struck a nerve with black folks because we've rarely embraced our hair, especially in it's natural state. We were often put down and made to feel bad because of our kinky hair. We thought straight or silky hair would make us more likable. I know some real jack asses with straight hair.



What I hope for this movie is to open dialogue about hair, with other races and within our own homes. There are members of my own family who still don't like my decision to wear natural hair. But that is my choice. I have more freedom because I'm not sitting up in somebody's beauty shop all day to get my "hair done". I have more money because I don't have to pay someone to "do my hair'. However I do spend money on hair products so maybe I don't have more money! LOL. But seriously, we should take this movie as a one about acceptance. Live and let live.



I'm looking forward to seeing the movie and I will come back with my review.



Until then. . .

~Nappylicious & Proud