Mahogany Boisseau

Check out my interview Mahogany Boisseau.  She is a model and the spokeswoman for Naptural Roots Magazine.

 

How long have you had your hair in its natural texture? I have been natural for 14 years

What challenges have you come across in the modeling world with keeping and loving your natural hair? The biggest challenge is that natural hair modeling is not mainstream yet, natural hair modeling paying jobs are far and few, but I remain positive that this will change.

Would you ever cut or process your hair to please a big client? No, I would not if they do not accept my hair as it is I will not take the job. I am doing this for such a bigger purpose that is way beyond money. I feel like modeling should be more diverse and I will not conform to what the majority of society considers to be beautiful.

What are some of your favorite products? My favorite products currently are all under the “Jane Carter Solution” umbrella. They work the best on my hair but I am still experimenting with new products.

What do you love most about your texture? I love everything about my hair, I love that I can switch up my hairstyles wearing styles like: braids, afros or curls. I love that my hair represents my ancestors and the beauty of god’s creation.

To read more about Mahogany, check out her interview on Afroniquely You. Or checkout Naptural Roots Magazine.

Ledisi Inspired Updo

I love this up do on Youtube. They style was inspired by singer Ledisi. See Part 1 and 2 of how this style was created.

Beauté Afro

Inspirational photo's from Beauté Afro on Facebook. 

Willow Smith

 I love that Willow Smith is able to be expressive with her hair. Jada has a beautiful family in general. 

“Look, it’s 2010. Can’t our little girls move into the future without ruffling feathers? The look is fun, empowering, anti-relaxer and anti-weave. More women need to steer their little girls in this direction. If your child is a forward-thinker, you should guide her instead of smothering her.” - Jada Pinkett Smith

Thierry's in the House!

I have been a big fan of loctician Thierry Baptist for quite some time. He is a very creative stylist, that has a flare for turning loc's into a work of art. Thierry is based out of Indianapolis, and I have always wished that he would come to Northern California. Not only so that I could get a chance to meet him, but to also get my hair done by this loc genius. Well guess what?!?  My wish came true. 

Thierry came to Oakland, California to teach a Color & Cut class at a salon called Bare Canvas Nail Spa  (I will be highlighting this salon in future post). The day after his class, he was able to stay over for an additional day to do some hair.  I did not know what to expect when it came to meeting Thierry. He is famous in the loc world, and could very easily be a diva, if he wanted to be. But it was the complete opposite.  Besides being a very talented hair stylist - Thierry is charming, honest, sincere and very Funny! It was a pleasure meeting Thierry, and I look forward to getting my hair done by him again.

Here are some photo's from my appointment yesterday and from a few of Thierry's other clients (Sylvia & Michele). The salon was full of laughter, dialog, music and food. It was a good day.

Michele & Sylvi had hair color added to their hair by Thierry. The colors were very rich and made me wish I had gotten some color myself.

This young man was styled during Thierry's Cut & Color Class , the day before my appt. 

 

Defying Gravity

Another amazing style from Twist and Curves . More photos from their recent hair show -

   

Rock'n your TWA (teeny weeny afro)

Video with various style you can create for a TWA -

More TWA Videos  on Youtube

Recipe for a hot TWA (teeny weeny Afro) from Keep it Kinky

"A dash of confidence 
(You must know that you are beautiful just as you are)

One pair of large fashionable earrings  

(An obvious feminine accent)

A nice shade of lipstick"

My IC Styling Gel Review

After seeing Wahidah's video on how she maintains her hair, I decided to give one of the products she uses a try. I have always avoiding gel, because I knew that it has a history of building up, becoming a flacky mess and just drying out loc's. But I have always admire Wahidah's loc's, so I said.. ok, I will give it a try. And I love it!

I washed my hair, oiled my scalp with African Pride Oil, and then palm rolled each loc - using the IC Styling Gel at the base of each loc. As I palm rolled my loc's into sections, I braided loc's in groups of 6 loc's for each braid. Once all of my loc's where braided, I let them air dry. I left the braids / plaits in for 3 days.  With the IC Gel, the roots of my loc's stayed shiny and neat the whole 3 days (It always helps to wrap your hair with silk scarf at night, and wear a comfortable scarf around you hair line when working out to keep your loc's looking fresh).

When I took my braids / plaits down... I was so surprise. It looked salon fresh!  This is how my hair looked after I went to the salon two months ago. I was able to get the same look at home that I got at the salon for $60 bucks!  So I am so happy with the results. I am alreayd a fan of the IC leave in conditioner; but now I am also a fan of the IC Styling gel. Of course use the gel moderately. A little bit will go a long way.  Thank you for the recommendation Wahidah. Great info...

Kelis's TWA

 I like Kelis's new hair cut. Her TWA (teeny weeny afro) is cute. She looks great with short or long hair. Check out her new video - 4th of July

Photo's from N.B.H. on Facebook

Wahidah's Product Review & Styling Video