If I could I would swim in a vat of shea butter I would

I am in LOVE with shea butter. It is the all time best hair and skin product of all time. If you already knew about it, why didn't you tell me about it before? And if you haven't yet had a shea butter experience, go get yourself some!

Now, I'm not talking about lotion WITH shea butter or hair products WITH shea butter. While those products are good, I'm talking about 100% natural, unrefined shea butter. It's the consistency of hair grease (sort of - that's the best way to describe it) and when you rub it between you palms it melts. You can moisturize your hair and body with it. As someone with dry skin I am amazed by how long this stuff keeps your hair and skin shiny and soft. It works wonders in the winter, but it's not heavy so you won't need to switch moisturizes come the summer months.

I get my shea butter from my hair salon. They have a number of butters infused with essential oils and they all smell FANTASTIC! There's lots of online retailers selling 100% unrefined shea butter, but you can also find it in some beauty supply stores. Happy hunting!

Oh yea... my co worker uses shea butter and offered me this tip, melt some shea butter in the microwave - it makes a great massage oil.

A momentous occasion...

Testing 1, 2, 3 - Is this thing on?? I have something incredibly important to say. Here goes... today I pulled my locs back in a ponytail! Not an 'onytail where the short hair in the front slips out and hangs down in your face, but a REAL ponytail! You may be thinking, "That's nice, but is it it that serious?" Heck yeah it is! My hair has gone from long, to broken off and now (11 years later) back to long.

How did I accomplish this amazing feat? With the help of the amazing locticians at Urban Nature Styles in DC and some fabulous hair products.

I'm not sure how you plan to celebrate this amazing news, but I'm going to treat myself to a chai latte at Starbucks.

This is my president...

...and I'm really happy about it. The End.

My Nappy Journey

So... I found out the other day that me and my nappy hair will be traveling to Denmark on Monday - yes Denmark - for 5 days. I haven't yet been to this part of the world so I am ecstatic, but trying to pack correctly has me stressed. First of all (and most importantly), it is going to cold there. I hate being cold. I am known to sacrifice looking cool to be warm. However, I'm trying to make a good impression on the people of Denmark (because I'm so sure they'll be paying attention to me)so I want to be stylish. My biggest dilemma you ask? What am I going to put on my head?!?! I want something cute that will actually keep my head warm. The added challenge is to find a hat that's not wool, or any similar material, because it will leave lint in my hair. And have have you ever tried pulling little fibers out of locs? Not fun...

So, can anyone tell me where to find this hat?

My own myths... busted

When I went natural, I thought that natural hair would be easier to care for.

Ummm – NO! I had experienced so much hair trauma with relaxers I just knew that when I went natural all those problems would go away. My hair would be strong – almost indestructible, and all I’d have to do is throw some oil on my scalp and keep it movin’. I was so wrong. Whether natural or relaxed, I had a difficult time with breakage and keeping my hair moisturized – and the key to a great looking natural is moisture and shine. Sounds simple to achieve those two things, but it’s not quite that simple and by no means easier than caring for relaxed hair.

Happy birthday to you...

happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear nappy, happy birthday to you!  One year ago I finally got the guts to lock my hair and I am loving it.  Not everyday... not on the days when my locs decide to stick out in every possible direction, but those days are few in number compared to the days when I look in the mirror and think "This is me".

So, happy first birthday locs.  And many more...

My hair story

Going natural was an accident. It all began with what I refer to as the Hair Debacle of 1994. A family friend relaxed her own hair and her daughter's. She offered to do my hair at her home and my mom agreed. I sat in this woman's kitchen on a Saturday afternoon and 1 do-it-yourself relaxer later my hair was gone. I noticed a lot of hair in her sink that day, a few days later I realized a lot of hair was falling out each time I ran my fingers though it. The end result - bald spots around my edges that could only be hidden with a horrible mushroom hairstyle. Needless to say, my school photos from that year are the bane of my existence. After that relaxer my hair was never the same. No matter what miracle product I used my hair wouldn't grow - it was thin and continued to break off. By senior year of high school I was completely frustrated with my hair. My solution was to put braids in my hair - for about 3 years. While in school (and away from my parents wallets) my braids were starting to look kind of crazy. They needed to be taken out, but I didn't have money to get my hair done again. I was seeing more natural styles in magazines and one of my friends had done the "big chop" and was sporting an afro, so I figured that'd I take my braids out and work with whatever was underneath. I rocked a curly afro puff and headband the following day and got a ton of compliments. I couldn't believe it. For the first time in a long time I felt confident about my hair. The hardest part about going natural for me - the night a friend made me an official nappy girl by cutting off all the relaxed hair. That was five years ago now, and last year I decided to lock my hair (that's an entirely different story). I've never been happier with my hair, or felt more confident than I have being nappy.