My Natural Hair Journey around the world...

A Timeline of Natural Hair in 2011

It's no surprise that sales of relaxer kits declined by 17% between 2006 to 2011. Although, 17% is a small number its definitely a step in the right direction. 

The natural hair journey is a discovery of self acceptance and beauty. We have learned what's good and bad for our hair while being conscious of what we put on our hair and in our bodies....take a look back at 2011!

January 2011----------> Natural Hair hashtag #naturalhair takes Twitter by storm. More and more naturalistas open up twitter accounts and joined #teamnatural.

February 2011--------------->Natural Hair makes the news in Richmond, VA in a two part series on "Why are natural African-American professionally controversial?"

April 2011-----------------> The World's Largest Natural Hair and Beauty Show hosted by Taliah Waajid.

May 2011--------------->Curly Girls Rock celebrates Natural Hair in Atlanta, Georgia.

June 2011------------->Natural Chica is featured in New York Times 'Going Natural Requires Lots of Help'. 

June 2011------------> Essence.com announces Natural Hair Vloggers are more influential than ever....but in December see what they say. 

July 2011--------------->Transportation Security Administration officers in Seattle demand to search a woman's curly afro.  Read story here.

July 2011----------------> Oprah's Celebrity Stylist Andre Walker says "Kinky hair can have limited styling options; that’s the only hair type that I suggest altering with professional relaxing." Read Here.

August 2011---------------> Nivea urges black men to Re-civilize themselves by getting rid of the afro....What were they thinking?? See advertisement.

August 2011----------> Nightie Aphrodites Solange Knowles, Corraine Bailey Rae, and Esperanza Spalding appear in The New York Times Style Magazine. 

September 2011------------->World Natural Hair Show draws hundreds of naturalistas in Atlanta, Georgia. 

October 2011---------------------> International Shea Butter Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. 

December 2011------------------> Landlord in Ohio puts up "Whites Only" sign after natural hair child swims in pool. 

December 2011-----------------> Essence.com disses Natural Hair Vloggers by encouraging transitioners to go to sites such as essence.com and naturallycurly.com for advice on "going natural'.  See statement below. 

"Be selective about using the information you get from the internet. “A lot of times YouTubers are speaking about their texture, which may not be yours,”says Martin. Instead, join natural hair communities like those at ESSENCE.com and naturallycurly.com, which are designed to help you learn your hair type and texture. A plus: You can connect with other women who are also transitioning."

Pucker up, lips are all the rage in 2012!

Leopard Print

Photo of: Natural Belle of hairspiration.blogspot.com

It's the winter and lips tend to get dry and flaky if not moisturized. Since our lips don't produce moisture it's important to have  the right lip balm to aid in your New Year's eve smooch! To compliment your New Year's Eve outfit and natural hair add a little character to your makeup with Violent Lips Temporary lip tattoos or good old fashion lip gloss. My top pics for New Years Eve are:

Pinks

Berries

Reds

Purples

Hair Twirling & Hair Loss

Most women are guilty of it whether conscious or not. Hair twirling, pulling or stroking can be a habit when you're thinking, flirting or conversing. Whatever triggers your need to twirl it can result in trichotillomania which is a self inflicted hair loss condition.

Being an habitual hair twirler, I decided to track my sudden impulses. To my surprise, I discovered the area that I twirled the most is thinner than other parts of my hair. When twirling my curly locks, I tend to reach for hair at the center to the top of my scalp. This particular area has less hair per square inch than the sides and back of my hair. 

Self inflicted hair loss does not only result from hair twirling.  Weaving (sew-ins), braiding, twisting or brushing can all aid in this process. Basically any activity that results in constantly disturbing the tresses. Being Naturalistas, we have to be extra careful with our tresses because we tend to style our hair more than usual. In a recent poll on KurleeBelle.blogspot.com, I asked the question, "How many times per week do you style your hair?" More than 70% of the respondents styled their hair daily. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but remember too much of anything isn't good (with the exception of love & money--->joke). If you style your hair daily, try styling every two days. When twisting, braiding, brushing or detangling take your time and try not to pull too hard on the hair shaft. Always remember moisture is key to healthy hair!

Why Some Hair Dyes Can Land You In a Coma....

The BBC reports that a 38 year old British woman collapsed into a coma after dying her hair with L'Oreal Preference hair dye. According to her family, her hair regimen consisted of dying her hair every 6 weeks for several years. The victim's husband stated, that while she rinsed the product out she began having difficulty breathing and then collapsed. He rushed her to the hospital but her brain had been without oxygen for too long and she could not be revived. She remains in a coma and has a slim chance of recovering.

Doctors believe that she suffered from a severe allergic reaction to phenylenediamine (PPD), which is a chemical found in permanent hair dyes .  Studies around PPD, show that high consumption of the chemical can be linked to injury, suicide or death. The victim's family believes that her frequent use of hair dye caused the chemical to build up in her system and is the main cause of the coma. 

Hair dyes containing PPD usually come packaged in 2 bottles, one containing the PPD dye preparation and the other containing the developer. Hair dye makers include PPD in their products because it is responsible for long lasting color. The chemical substance can also be found in temporary tattoos, dark colored cosmetics, printing inks, black rubber, and gasoline. In many instances people working with PPD such as hair dressers may develop dermatitis on their hands due to repeated exposure (Ever wonder why some hair dressers wear a mask and gloves when dying your hair?). 

This is a very sad story and can happen to anyone. And another reason why it is very important to check ingredients labels. In some cases the side effects can occur immediately or over time. 

Our Favorite Natural Hair Celebrities of 2011

Who would you add..........

Sorry your Nappy Natural Hair Child is clouding the poor......

'Seriously, your nappy headed child whose hair is full of chemicals is clouding the pool.' I wonder if this is what the owner of an apartment building in Cincinnati said to his tenant who happened to be the father of a biracial child. I mean I know some people come out the mouth with some outrageous things but really are you for real (reminds me of a line in one of Lil Wayne's song-----You should close your mouth and let your A*& talk). So if the little girl's hair was straight  I wonder if the landlord would have objected to her swimming in the pool. Which makes me think that this isn't just a case of racism towards skin color but racism towards hair texture?!?!? There is a lot of hate in this world but you have to be pretty bad off to hate on a child or anyone because of their hair texture.

The real problem I have with this is the effect that it will have on the little girl. No matter what neighborhood she moves to or pool she swims in I am sure that she will always remember the incident where she could not swim in the pool because her hair was natural. Which may create a complex in her mind that straight hair is better. Which inevitably happens to be the reason why many of us had chemically straightened hair before we could count to two. What a shame....

One a happier and more uplifting note, for the community of natural hair lovers that have encouraged so many of us on our journey. The support that we all have is tremendous from blogs that are dedicated to natural hair, youtube channels, Facebook groups/pages, Twitterverse, meet ups, Natural hair shows, etc have played a tremendous role in uplifting naturalistas who were told that their hair wasn't beautiful or may potentially cloud the pool.

In my opinion, one of the perks of being natural is the ability to get your hair wet!

Feel free to share your thoughts on the article.

Read CNN article here

You know you have natural hair when.......

you can do a two strand twist in your sleep

...........you use acronyms like TWA, BC, BSL, DC in everyday conversation

you're constantly cleaning up little curly hairs off of the floor or bathroom sink

............Miss Jessie and Carol's Daughter are not actual people that you know

every other tweet is followed by #naturalhair or #teamnatural

..................random people stare in amazement and ask "Can I touch your hair?"

the products under your bathroom sink contain shea butter, olive oil,coconut oil or anything that fights dryness

........you considered joining a sorority or vacationing with a group of girls just because they have natural hair

you've plan to attend meet-ups months in advance just to talk about hair

...............you read the ingredient list of every product before buying it

you know straight hair is only straight when humidity is absent

..............you have nightmares about relaxers

procrastination= natural hair blogs & natural hair vloggers

.................a stylist must specialize in natural hair to put his/her hands on your head

your heart doesn't skip a beat if you forgot your umbrella

....................your hair is no longer an excuse for not going to the gym

your bathroom cabinet looks like the inside of Sally's or ULTA

................that earring you lost was actually hiding in your hair

before having sex the first thing you look for is not your scarf

.............insect or bug infestation is a phobia of yours

............Feel free to add to the list........:) 

All U 242: Product Junkie Party (Nassau, Bahamas)

For DEETS: http://www.facebook.com/allu242

Flawless Natural Beauty: Janelle Monae

New Year>New Dreams>New You

The Holiday's are here! Although it may be a happy time of year for some. It can be miserable for others. Whatever your struggles remember to keep your head up and keeping smiling because there is a New Year ahead with no mistakes in it. Start looking forward to tomorrow and start planning for the future. Whatever it is that you're going through know that it will be ok. Love, finances, health, etc leave it in 2011. Write a list of goals and aspirations......and figure out how you're going to achieve them. Visualize victory in your life. Financial health, a loving relationship, a great career, long natural hair....whatever you want. Believe in it and watch it manifest in your life.

Fashion Blogger Melissa Chanel 2 & her Natural Hair

Natural hair takes time and patience. You must make sure that it is something you really want to do and have some good products to get started with. When first going natural I didn't think about all that came with it but was ready to learn. After researching and youtubing how to properly take care of my hair and styles I was excited about the journey ahead of me. I love how I can make my hair match my outfit. If I want something cute and sophisticated I can pull my hair back in a bun or my infamous roll and tuck or if I want something cute and FUNKY for a night out I can wear my FUNKY FRO wild and carefree. At first I was nervous about the looks I would get or if people would understand me but after my journey I could care less about what other people thought because I was in LOVE with my hair and all of the things it could do without chemicals.


My sense of fashion and my natural hair help me to express who I am and what I love. I enjoy talking about both and inspiring others to embrace who they are. Check me out at http://www.melissachanel2.blogspot.com