OBIA Naturals And Hair Goals

OBIA Naturals is helping a woman reach her hair goals this year.

For the past few months, I have been enjoying OBIA Naturals, an all vegan, cruelty free product line founded by chemist Obia Ewah. Although I was finishing off the rest of the Shea Moisture Shampoo, I started using the OBIA Naturals Coconut Shea Shampoo Bar this week. This amazing addition to my new routine took a while to find in stores (found at a Dayton, Ohio CVS for $9.99) and is a whole different experience using a soap bar as a shampoo.
The $35 Detangle and Seal Box came with the Babassu Detangling Conditioner, Argan Rose Oil, and Sweet Almond Heavy Cream aka the LOC (leave-in-conditioner, oil, and cream) Method. I love how soft my hair feels before, during, and after conditioning, the healthy sheen from the argan rose oil massage, and the extra oomph from the heavy cream. In using this line, I noticed and appreciated treasures my hair rarely experienced these past few years. Obia just really understands our unique hair texture and these products celebrate/enhance the beauty of it.
I will definitely continue incorporating more OBIA Naturals into my refreshing hair journey, for the goal is stronger, healthier, growing hair. In addition to these great products, I am using Jamaican Black Castor Oil on my edges and an apple cider vinegar/tea tree oil pre-shampoo scalp treatment (for dandruff) once a week.

OBIA Naturals gives a nurturing shine. Hair looks and feels good-- inside and out. 

Loving my braid. 

Here is to achieving all hair dreams in 2019.

Lip length in three months? Maybe sooner? 

Styling & Protecting Two Strand Twists

2017 is the year of committing self to a hair appreciation and health.

A few weeks ago, I received my first trim of the year, a deep conditioning treatment, and two strand twists at Syreeta Scott's Duafe Hollistic Hair Salon, the amazing natural hair salon chosen by celebs such as Janet Jackson and Jill Scott. It's a nice, comfortable atmosphere. Camaraderie between the stylists especially engaging among the hypnotic, bumping tunes of Nigerian born musician Yemi Alade. There wasn't a time where patrons weren't laughing or dancing in seats, reading magazines under hooded hair dryers or having locs twisted during this pleasant excitement.
As my hair received much needed TLC, renowned NYT's bestselling author/nutritionist J. J. Smith conducted a book signing of her latest book "Green Smoothies for Life." I didn't get to see her speak, but she passed through the salon a handful of times, glowing and exuberant. Maybe I will do a cleanse sometime. It has crossed my mind.

To keep my hair healthy and shiny, I alternate days between massaging coconut oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil (on the scalp). 

Side view.

Partial back view. I love the parted arrangement. Geneva did a wonderful job again!

The back.

Amusingly enough, on my way out of the door, I discovered The Sable Collective, a funky, hip art gallery and shop-- recently reviewed by Philly fashion writer Elizabeth Wellington. Opposite hair salon, the eclectic space sells custom art, handmade jewelry, catchy slogan t-shirts, Black Girl Magic flasks, and vegan lipsticks by The Lip Bar (stay tuned for beauty product reviews!). I talked to the very kind co-owner, Shanti Myers (she runs the popular Around the Curl blog) and hope to soon be putting up drawings and paintings to sell there. After all, natural hair is a huge context in my work.
Below features a few post-salon care shots.
In the meantime, I'm using my favorite Shea Moisture brand products (the vegan ones without honey or silk, etc.), drinking plenty of water, and keeping my sweets consumption to a minimum (hard, hard, hard when you're self-certified doughnut girl). Also has anyone ever tried out Deva Vegan Hair, Nails, & Skin Vitamins pills? They're currently out of order on Amazon. I'm thinking about investing....

For a simple smooth back style, I used an old purple braided hair extension (yes, I kept a whole bag of old braids) and pinned it on the back so that it wouldn't fall by the wayside.

Scrunched faces are just another way of showing great joy for an easy style.

I also braided the purple extension in my hair too-- for that awesome pop of royal color.

At work, enjoying museum sights (like Jacob Lawrence!) and wonderful architecture.

Another style, especially for swanky events like NYC gallery openings (where one can meet amazing artists such as painter Kehinde Wiley), a satin scarf with a stylish cheetah cat print (a thrift store find) atop of head with a few curls sticking out or some baby hair magic is a definite plus.

On days that I want to bring out a beautiful printed Africa headwrap, I first tie on a satin scarf and then loosely secure on desired cotton fabric look of the day.

Sayonara for now.

A Birthday Pictopost

On a horrific week that started with cleaning out discarded property and a lost uninsured phone, nothing was more pleasing than Google opening the day with special inedible yet fancy colored treats and a personalized "happy birthday."

And Twitter came with the profile balloons popping.

In North Philadelphia, I checked out Duafe Hollistic Hair Salon with Shea Moisture's dandruff line. I loved the minty smell of both shampoo and conditioner, feeling my scalp cool and desensitize under hairdresser's ministrations and gentle cruelty free healing. Fresh hairstyle by Miss Geneva, this new hairstylist (one of the friendliest chicks ever) who created this sophisticated open ended crown, is quite wonderful.

Cornrows up and around. Not too tight either.

It's such a beautiful, complicated design that I myself wouldn't have thought up. In fact, this wasn't what I had in mind, but in the end, I fell deeper and deeper in love. Superb.

A Confident Stance: I found this Jones New York vivacious purple dress at Philly Aids Thrift for a whopping $1! A solid steal! Definitely one of the best hidden rack treasures of the year. For a whole day, I didn't feel discomfort about body shape. I loved the color, the form fit, the bit of gold embellishment-- overall perfect for me.

A big thank you to my high school art teacher. She sent me this beautiful pink box of meaningful gifts.

A new scarf, journal, and trinkets were sweet, but the growing herbs carton (thyme, basil, oregano, and more) had a gazillion happy positive raining in my head. How I have always dreamed of growing an herb/veggie patch! I hope this works out.

Stopped by Dottie's Donuts (naturally) to indulge in true love. Just in luck, I grabbed the last pumpkin pie donut with cream cheese filling.

Heaven.

Lunch at Govinda's treated by my friend/co-worker. Note to the wise: not all vegan cheese are created equal. We were disappointed in the wet, soggy cheese fries. I took them to go and melted Field Roast Chao on top. Now that made those fries the bees knees.

Evening ended with a sweet phone call to my mother, an early time off work, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, the latest episodes of "Queen Sugar" and "How to Get Away With Murder," and Ava DuVernay's new release 13th, which surprisingly enough contains powerful moments from various people speaking at Black Portraiture [s] this year. I highly recommend that you all watch this gritty insight on prison systems and the truth behind wording of the 13th amendment. Nothing is ever as it seems.

This special birthday card signed by staff and friends (along with some kind social media messages) made the day magical.

En Route To Summer Braids Part One: Kinky Curly's Come Clean + Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Butter Conditioner

Hair closeup.

Hi kinky hair friends! Let me tell you something spectacularly great.
Ever since the Philadelphia Protest held many weeks ago, a lot of inner conflict raged inside. One primary basis struck close. Buy black business. Support black business. I want to incorporate that motto in every sense of the word. Not just say the gospel. I need to live it. Breathe it. I champion black online stores. I champion black writers and black artists. I champion black art galleries and black museums. I champion black films and black filmmakers. I champion black vegans. I champion us.
My hair debate stirred as well. I grew up on Suave. Cheap Suave. Always 99 cents or near 99 cents region. Nowadays I purchase imported raw cocoa butter and raw shea butter from faceless cyber entities in order to make homemade hair and skin treats. Marshall's seduced me with their low priced vegan beauty products imported from Australia. Yes, they're great quality. Nice steal at half off! That protest, however, forced remembrance of my brothers and sisters here in the states. They know our hair. They know how it grows. They know its kinks and twists and furrows and burrows. They know because they are us.
Shea Moisture for example hails from family tradition: a grandmother from Sierra Leone concocting potions out of bathtub and selling them in modest quantities. She started at 19. Impressive. Although the company was founded in 1990 by her great grandson, massive respect for them saying that the company was established in 1912, the year she started selling her natural ideas all over her country.
Kinky Curly is a brand formulated for natural hair that is au naturale. Shelley Davis is the founder. She too had a penchant for creating hair products sans harmful chemicals, realizing that a few ingredients hailed from earth goes a long, helpful way. I loved what she had to say about customers in this old interview at Natural Chica.

I enjoy connecting with my customers. It is something I don’t get to do as much as I would like but I love the praise (of course, who doesn't) – the kind words that I get via email or even when I meet customers out in the streets of Los Angeles. When ladies tell me how Kinky-Curly has changed their life and how much they love their hair now…words can’t express how wonderful it makes me feel. With all the hard work that is put into running Kinky-Curly on a daily basis this makes it all worth it. In addition to this there are so many myths and misinformation that have been passed down from generation to generation. 

When supporting black business, a business catering to a specific need such as strong, beautiful natural hair with an added bonus of the Cruelty Free logo, makes it worth hard earned money.
Shea Moisture and Kinky Curly are tried out in the nick of time. My hair is embarking on summer Poetic Justice braids. Before I can undergo that luxury, I'm following these steps at Black Hair Kitchen. In this three part blog series, "En Route To Summer Braids," I prepare my nappy, kinky hair for full bodied softness and strength, taking time to care and nurture proper etiquette. In order to have lovely, stylish, protective braids (by an African braiding salon), one must have a healthy hair start. Knowledge filled Kinky Curly and Shea Moisture are imperative first steps to keeping my hair in tip top shape.

Light fragrant Kinky Curly's Come Clean is a godsend. I massaged my scalp, alternating between gentle scrubbing and massaging, surprised to feel foamy sudsy lather. Not many shampoos lather like this. That's fine and dandy to be sulphate free. It is a nice, bubbly lather, cleaning and treating dryness and dandruff flakes, loving kinks and curls. Quite top notch at the $11.99 price at Walgreen's. Usual wet dryness didn't arrive after rinsing. By wet dryness, I mean my hair seems brittle even in water. It always irked and frustrated me. So alas, I found another shampoo that wasn't going to let conditioner perform the important work alone. 

A new experience I wouldn't trade.

Shea Moisture's Raw Shew Butter Restorative Conditioner is amazing, especially with their Restorative Shampoo. Talk about out of this world oomph! My hair drinks up this sea kelp and argan oil blended elixir drug like it's Love Potion No. 9. Great conditioning formula. I'm almost out of my trial size portions- $4.99 each at Whole Foods Market. Bound to move onto Kinky Curly's conditioner to see how that works out. And if it doesn't Shea Moisture is a plus to lean back on.

Last night, I also performed the L.O.C. (leave in conditioner, oil, cream) method before twisting strands together. My leave in conditioner is just the Shea Moisture conditioner and water. I spray a generous bit on. Coconut oil is my oil choice for softness. Other times pure argan oil or Jamaican Black Castor Oil are other choices.

For the cream component, I went with gel. This is a great product for making some bonafide amazing twists. The only minus is the sticky dryness which is solely thanks to Jamaican Black Castor Oil. My hair, however, gets a very beautiful shine. Shine is always good. Plus the progress on the edges have been worth applauding. 

Clean hair. Finally. I think dandruff is slowly but surely going away. That is one of the biggest battles to dispose before summer braids. We're talking two months of protection. Hair must be in its healthiest condition. Thanks to Kinky Curly and Shea Moisture, my hair is getting a much needed boost.

Nappylocs And The Three Combs: The Pan African Installation

"Nappylocs and the Three Combs: A Pan African Installation" was finished installing on Wednesday and closes tomorrow.

I usually don't showcase artwork often, but now I must. It's not called AfroVeganChick for nothing right? Poetry was performed yesterday to a modest audience. We enjoyed delicious vegan snacks like addictive Candy Cane Cream Chocolate Sandwich Cookies by 365 Brands-- Whole Foods' holiday sentiment. Everyone loved them. In fact, not much was left after the performance.
Here at PAFA, MFA/Post Baccalaureate students have a gracious opportunity to rent out studios to create an installation. I was rather excited to create a world inspired by Goldilocks and the Three Bears. That particular fairy tale takes place primarily indoors. My narrative of Nappylocs and the Three Combs is meant to be taken in outdoor context. However, there are varied common factors despite past and contemporary meeting together in almost conceptual manner. There's intrusion: stranger poking through someone's house using and "stealing" things. Combs each invade kinky hair roots and take away strands-- some of which thieved more than others. Each discovery was either painful or intolerable before being "just right." Despite three different "Made In China" factory combs only one of them is perfect.
Strands of red, green, and black ribbon are tied around hung combs, drawings, and kraft paper, threads of Pan African DNA. I have had some ask symbolism behind these specific colors, foolishly believing that everyone knew what they stood for. Red being blood of ancestral flow, green being land of African wealth and pride, and black standing for a race refusing to remain oppressed.

Braided Too Tight. Litho crayon on charcoal paper. Hairdresser was one of the poems I read. Based on an actual event.  In order to create parts, this hairdresser used a rat tail comb (one of the thinnest, most painful instruments known to kinky hair kind). And it hurt. It always always hurts.

Three Combs to The Afro. Litho crayon on charcoal paper.

Narrow Minded Comb. Litho Crayon on charcoal paper.

Wide Tooth Tears. Litho crayon on charcoal paper.

Close up.

Just Right. Litho crayon on charcoal paper.

The feedback has been phenomenal, inspiring. I've had both positive critiques and pointers to fix weaknesses. I would love to create another one either next semester or in the fall. It's quite invigorating to come up with an idea and use a space to generate manifestation.

Picks and combs dangling from Pan African ribbons.

Artificial black flowers wreathed by combs and ribbons.

High flying pick solo .

Floor is covered in red, black, and green tablecloths over scented white trash bags.

Outside door of installation was Red, Black, and Green What Does Pan-African Mean. A description of the symbolic colors and love leaves "growing" from flower petals.

Left side of floral arrangement.

These last seven photos were taken by dear sweet Tovah, fantastic artist, former Post Bac classmate, and most thoughtful friend. She has been awesome and one true supporter.

A little pause from poetry reading.

Staying valiant and strong despite horrors of using that tiny comb.

Black combs and black flowers hang from strategically hung afro picks.

Making sure the world is just right.

Some weird braid attempt. I'm still not quite good, but one day I shall overcome. I've been using mixture of Jamaican Black Castor, Argan, and Coconut Oils. I created a hair tie using red, black, and green ribbons.

The afro pick lady.

Standing in the world of my creation.