AfroPuffs and Ponytails - Inspiring African American Girls!

A week ago my daughter and I had the pleasure of seeing ourselves featured on this fantastic website regarding Our Natural Kids.  When I tell you that this website is your ONE STOP shop for all things black girl related, you need to believe me.  Afro Puffs and Ponytails, Inc. is a non-profit organization created primarily for supporting and uplifting African American/Black Girls! Their website provides encouraging articles, events, program listings, and resources for African American/Black teen girls, young girls, and their parents.

AfroPuffs & PonyTails
Inspiring African American Girls

If you know anything about the real me or even if you have just been following my online persona, then you know that I believe that our beautiful baby girls are our most important resources for the future.  I have dedicated a very BIG part of my life towards encouraging young girls by providing information and resources that promote self esteem.  We are so honored to be mentioned on this website, I just had to come and share.

Please go there and check out our feature in the Hair Care for African American Girls' section
Our Natural Kids - An Active Natural Hair Network for Parents

and please save the following link to your favorites so that you can return often.
AfroPuffs and PonyTails

Thanks for reading!

Peace

The Bronner Bros 2010 Mid Winter International Hair & Beauty Show - Atlanta

I had a GREAT time at this event!! This is the 1st hairshow that I have ever attended and I couldnt have picked a better place to lose my hairshow virginity than the The Bronner Bros 2010 Mid Winter International Hair & Beauty Show. It was very crowded so it's good that everything was super organized. This show runs from February 20th - February 23rd. If you are into hair and in ATL this weekend you might want to check it out. I chose the $40 1 day Exhibit Hall Pass. (There are many other pricing options available, including 3 day VIP passes. See the website for details http://bit.ly/dfigm4 ) The Exhibit Hall Pass gives you access to over 300 displays of the best (or worst) that Black Hair Care has to offer. Being a Natural Chick, a lot of it did not pertain to me, but it was still fun to look & listen. I loved the many mini productions that took place from aisle to aisle. The lights, the action, the drama... it was good fun.

Even though this show did not cater to Naturals, I was able to bump into a few well known Natural Hair Product Vendors such as:

Wendy & Kim, the creators of Mixed Chicks. These 2 Chicks were super cool. It was a pleasure to meet them. It was even more cool that Kim knew who I was when I got there! (These girls really do watch our YouTube videos regarding their products!) It blew me away that she was just as excited to meet me as I was to meet her!

I spent some time @ The Taliah Waajid booth, and got a fantastic deal on some 32 oz bulk size products that I use already and some that I have yet to try. These sizes were being sold 2 for $30. I have been a fan of the TW Products for awhile, so this made me very happy and I stocked up. I got 2 of the 32 oz Herbal Condish, 1 - 32 oz Protective Mist Bodifier and 1 - 32 oz Total Body Shampoo. I have never tried the Protective Mist Bodifier before so looking forward to that. I also learned about TW's New Kinky, Wavy, Natural Kids line. (info regarding this line coming soon to Our Natural Kids - join today so you wont miss it! http://ournaturalkids.ning.com/ ) The folks running this booth were very informative and gave so many compliments regarding my natural hair, that i wanted to stay with them and never leave. Check out my review of TW Products http://bit.ly/6bEzKG

I got the deal of the century @ The Jane Carter Solution Booth. I have been wanting to try these products for awhile, so being able to get the full size 8 oz bottles for $5 bucks a piece motivates me :-) Stay tuned to my YouTube Channel for a review ( http://bit.ly/5NZLg1 ) Here is what I got:

4 oz Nourish & Shine
8 oz Revitalizing Leave In Condish
8 oz Hydrating Invigorating Shampoo - (SLS FREE) **New
8 oz Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner

I really liked the fact that Clairol used this beautiful Natural haired model during the exhibition for their Beautiful Collection.

Unfortunately I could not find any White Shea butter, every vendor that I saw only had the yellow kind.

These really cool earrings caught my eye... Thank you Earring Lady http://www.myspace.com/robynsearrings

It was a great way to spend a few hours, and I'd say it was worth it. Shouts out to my hubby for going with me and carrying all of my stuff :-) If you went tell me what you thought of it.

Can't wait to attend the Natural Hair Show in April 2010!!

Thanks for reading!!

Peace,
The SistahChick

Our Natural Kids

What a great time for Naturals! We live in a time where information can be shared and gathered with the touch of a mousepad. We can reach out to one another, learn from one another and make real connections from the comfort of our own homes. When I started my own Natural journey back in 2006 I had no idea of the wealth of information that was available. I continued my journey just the same, but without the support of other sistahs that had taken the steps before me. Today we have the YouTube Natural Hair Movement, which I am thrilled to say that I am a part of. Sistahs world wide are experimenting, learning, sharing, teaching...its a beautiful thing.

Recently, my daughter and I put together a brief 4 part video series on YouTube. (http://bit.ly/5KH2MN) The videos demonstrate the different methods and techniques that are used on my daughters (The LittleChick) natural hair. As a result of those videos we received an overwhelming amount of feedback (ideas, questions and comments) regarding the care and maintenance of our childrens kinky/curly/nappy hair.
While there are tons of blogs, sites, and YT vids dedicated to adult natural haircare, we dont find equal support for Our Natural Kids. SO...we decided to create a place devoted to our babies, where like minded folks can gather, blog, meet, share pics/vids, network and chat all in one.

Our Natural Kids is a Ning Network set up to do just that!

I believe that teaching our children to love and respect themselves just the way they are is very important and letting them love their natural hair is just the beginning!

Please Join Us!

http://bit.ly/9TDOjE

The SistahChick

My Natural Hair Journey

If you haven't recognized by my profile pic already, I am one of them "Natural" Sistahs. The word "Natural" refers to my hair and the fact that I do not perm it or alter my nappy hair texture by straightening it. I have been natural since 2006. My natural hair journey has been in the making for many years I believe. Taking the step to actually make it happen came in waves (no pun intended)before i decided that I was going to do it. Here is my road to change:



#1. I moved to Atlanta in 2000 and was happy to see MANY sistahs with various natural styles that I adored but was never bold enough to try.

#2. With the hot summers here in the south I was constantly pulling my former permed shoulder length hair up into a pony tail.

#3. I asked my beautician to chop it all off into a short bobbish style that was inspired by Missy Elliots hair in her Lose Control video.

#4. keepin it real, in 2006 my hubby got laid off and i couldnt afford them 100 bucks a pop/3 hour beauty shop visits anymore, so I cut the perm out (the big chop)and my natural hair journey began.



Getting to know my hair in it's natural state was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. I haven't looked back since. Am I trying to make a statement? Maybe...wearing my hair this way is like screaming to the world, "I'm me! I'm Free! Get Used to It!!!" That's what it is for me anyway. LOL. I am not even going to go into the whole black self hatred thing or how we as a people have brought some of mental remnants of slavery into the millenium with us. Not gonna talk about the 1- drop rule and the systematic denigration of our people...Oh, and I am not going to talk about so called "good hair" and how your hair is considered to be "good" if its a certain texture and "bad" if its a kinkier texture. Nope. Not going there. This is all about me, and loving myself... just as I am. Natural is more than just nice. I get way more compliments on my hair when we go out and My hubby LOVES my hair natural and he constantly tells me so. When we go out, I am frequently stopped and complimented/asked about my hair. He enjoys that. He also likes the way it smells, when I was permed up it smelled different I guess. The versatility of my natural hair also enhances our relationship too, I think. When we go on vacation I don't have to hide or cover my hair, cause it may be humid or raining. When its time to jump in the pool..I jump. without worrying about whats going to happen to it or spending hours to get it back "right". When we shower together I dont have to put that ugly cap on, cause I am not scared to get my hair wet anymore. It's very liberating in all aspects!