South Florida News Reporter Redefined by her Natural Beauty

Check out this reporter from WPTV * NBC!! I love this story, especially the little girls reaction to her mommy's natural hair! 

Gorgeous Atlanta Natural (GAN) Swap N Shop

Our last meet up (5/15/10) was a Product Swap and I had such a great time! Got to hang out with my Fav Natural Sistahs PerfectlyPretty, Jinx, Monicajoi aka Knapsgirl. I also got to see Mahoganyknots and various other GORGEOUS ATLANTA NATURALS. It was a blast and I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did! This was my 1st Product Swap so I was unsure how it would work. Fortunately for us, Jinx had everything under control. For each item that you brought you got a ticket, when your ticket # is called you get to go SHOPPING! And by that i mean shopping for products. I would say there were about 30-35 Naturals in attendance, everyone came with armloads of stuff so this gave us a LOT to choose from. I came in with various items from my stash. Not things that i necessarily hated, but things that I either have in abundance or that just did not work for me.

Included in what I brought was Mixed Chicks Shampoo & Leave In Conditioner, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Biolage By Matrix Shampoo & Conditioner, CoolAulin Conditioner by Lush to name a few.

Here is what I came out with after the Swap!

BRAND NEW Unopened jar of Taliah Waajid's Kinky Wavy Natural Herbal Style & Shine.

BRAND NEW Unopened jar of Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey.

....Very Gently Used Items

GioVanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner
Taliah Waajid's Crinkles & Curls
Carol's Daughter Hair Balm

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti Humidity Smoothing Milk
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave In Conditioning Cream

Darcy's Botanical Coconut & Cupuacu Butter
Darcy's Botanical Herbal Tea Leave In Spritz

PLUS Heaping Spoonfuls of Raw Unrefined Shea Butter that PerfectlyPretty shared with me (Thanks Sis!)

There were also vendors at this event!

KnapsGirl.Com was there. I STOCKED UP on Lil Better Butter. Don't think that I am playing when I say I love this stuff, cause I AM Not playin! This is the BEST butter that I have found for hair AND body. It is used by my entire family. Its subtly fragrant, perfectly blended, not too oily and full of natural ingredients. I LOVE this stuff! http://www.etsy.com/shop/knapsgirl


She also had the cutest little hairpins with her precious "Knaps" characters on them. This one sits neatly in my LittleChicks hair.


Tesa & Catrese were there with their custom Hair accesories. I got 2 lovely hair flowers.




Another vendor, whose name I didnt get, had some hot-to-death jewelry. I got 2 pairs of earrings.

...And a funky ring that I already adore!

Swap N Shops are a FANTASTIC way to try new products without spending a lot of cash. It is also a fun way to get together with like minded sistahs. If you havent had one yet in your area you definately should.

Gorgeous Atlanta Natural Meet Ups are always a blast! Check them out on FaceBook for more info.

Thanks for reading :-)

It's 2010... HapPy New Year!!

What A Year!! Can I give you some keywords to sum up my 2009? (How is that for proving that I spend way too much time on the Internet?)

The SistahChicks 2009 KeyWords

KIDS, Family, Home, Obama, Barack & Michelle, Michael Jackson, SmokeFree, The SistahChick, YouTube, Natural Hair, Tiger Woods, Carols Daughter, Mixed Chicks, Twitter, Marriage, Shea Butter, Oyin Handmade, HealthCare, OHIO, The Colts, Student Loans, OPRAH, Paula Deen, Success, The Neelys, Finances, Dreams, Admiration, goals, Positivity, PEACE

I'd say that '09 was a good year. I am not one to make resolutions, besides who ever keeps them anyway? I will try, as always, to exercize more. I will attempt to explore my spirituality more. Thats it. I started this blog about a year ago to learn to express more freely through my writing. I wouldnt say that I was 100% effective in doing so, but I will try more in the upcoming year. Click the link below my Afro below to see 2009 - A Year Review. Please enjoy the Montage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcvRJv0xFek

Thanks for Reading and HapPy 2010!!

The Hair Journey Continues!!

Wow! My hair journey has been kicked into high gear! Not only have i been able to test and review several new products, but I am learning about what ingredients to look for in certain products and which ones are important for healthy hair (No Petroleum, No Cones, No Sulfates!). Some of the techniques that I have tried have given me magnificent results (Stretched Out Afros, Twist Outs, Curl Refreshers, Shingling, etc.) I have expanded my hair supplies to include various things that I didnt have before (Rat Tail Comb, Ouchless headbands, Bonnet, Wide Tooth Comb, etc). One of my new necessities include: 100% pure Shea Butter. I haven't developed a full list of staple items yet but I am getting there. Some the newest products that I have enjoyed are:

Carol's Daughter - Khoret Amen Shampoo, Conditioner w/Sea Moss & Smoothie plus Hair Milk (and for the body...Mango Melange Shea Souffle, Body Jelly)

Taliah Waajid's Black Earth Products - Herbal Cleanser, Total Body Shampoo, Enhancing Herbal Conditioner, & Loc It Up

Paul Mitchell's - The Conditioner - Leave In Moisturizer

Lush Cosmetics - Curly Wurly Conditioning Shampoo

Biolage By Matrix - Hair Conditioning Balm

Here is a short list of Natural hair terminology that may not be new to you but it was to me!

BC - aka Big Chop. this is the first step to your natural hair journey. It means that you have cut the perm out down to the new growth to start anew!

Co-Wash - Using Conditioner to wash your hair instead of Shampoo. This process cleans your hair without stripping it of the natural oils that exist.

PrePoo - Shampooing your hair with something like a Clarifying Shampoo prior to using your normal shampoo.

Shingling - Applying product, usually a Leave In Conditioner, to your hair in layers for full coverage.

Stretching - Manipulating your hair in a way that stretches your natural curls to show length.

(more terms to come!)

I haven't gotten my oils (Coconut, TeaTree, Jojoba, etc) locked down to an understanding yet. But I am learning about different oils and their benefits.

Most importantly I am having FUN! The exploration, the pampering, the ME time...it's all been enabled!!! Developing an afinity for the natural me has opened the doors to other needs, such as skincare and physical health, It's hard to explain, but I guess I could say that any improvements that you consciously make for yourself affects your ENTIRE well being. One step at a time, but the path has been shown to me.

Much Love!