Hyperpigmentation, Big Pores, And Other "Flaws" To Accept This Year

Big pores among other broad facial features.

In high school, a school comprised of mostly black students, I was constantly picked apart, savagely crucified as if my very existence were a running gamut for the cruelest jokes. If it wasn't the gap between my teeth, it was my facial structure, my broad nose, giant lips, and ugly glasses. Plus, I admit my style was downright horrible.

Are You My Family: Finding Kinship in the Africa Section of the Art Museum, pencil on Strathmore Smooth Bristol (animal free) Paper, 9" x 12," 2018.

Growing up, one of my biggest problems was hyperpigmentation-- the reason I couldn't wear open toed sandals or dresses that exposed elbows and knee caps. I wasn't one brown color. My skin ranges from medium brown to Ebony. I often wore hip hugging pants that slid downward, exposing the darker flesh of my back and mapped out stretch mark coordinates. Menacing peers would be quick to tell me, "hey! Pull that up! Nobody wants to see that!" Meanwhile, the girl ahead of me is exposing the same amount of flesh-- save for the flaws. She was smooth and even toned, no blemishes.
During this rough time, my depression continued gradually climbing. I experimented with over-the-counter bleaching creams to lighten up "my problems," not knowing what these harmful chemicals were creating within my cellular structure (likely damaging my whole teen life inside as well as out). I cannot be positive on my eventual realization that other people's problems with my body had nothing to do with me.
It happened along a painful, many years passing road.
Months ago, I was especially pleased to discover that an Afropunk highlighted artist featured "imperfect" models. Their hyperpigmentation, freckles, and stretch marks were documented as quite beautiful captures that we rarely see put on pedestals. I wish I could find out that artist, having not saved the information, but those photographs reenergized my self love.

The First Time I Saw Myself Was in the Africa Section of the Art Museum, pencil on Strathmore Smooth Bristol (animal free) Paper, 9" x 12," 2018.

Isn't it also funny that a person can Google search "big pore love" and a thousand articles for "How to Minimize Your Large Pores" come up?
I was never a huge fan of foundation. Sure, I played around with it in those dreadful teenage days whilst paying close attention to application instructions from Seventeen and Teen Vogue. I had better luck with a few free makeovers at the mall. Still, it was bad enough finding my shade for the shade that I started growing fond of. I began asking myself, "what exactly am I trying to cover up?" I like the shade. I no longer cared about callous people saying, "you're too dark for this" or "you're too dark for that." I had the defining Penelope moment, loving my face as it is. I wear eye shadow every now and then. Blush sometimes. I love lip glosses and lip sticks. But by gosh, I love washing my face, blotting on moisturizer, and coconut oil, leaving the home just like that-- giant pores, pimples, hyperpigmentation, and all.

As January draws to a close, my confidence continues to build as I drift further away from societal beauty testaments.

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.

Homemade Avocado Seed & Banana Face Mask

Never throw this away ever again for this little pit holds the key to glowing, dewy skin.

Am I the only one who always feel regret about discarding avocado pits?
That smooth brown rounded seed must be good for something if their fleshy tasty green surroundings have so many uses it's hard to pin it down to just one. So alas, it was time to research if this should continue being garbage... 
Well, through the grapevine (aka, the Internet), I learned that this makes for a great mask blended with bananas. Faccia Bella calls it The Glow Factor and for great reason! I didn't add the olive oil (it's in my homemade moisturizer) nor used it as a scrub, but left it sitting on my face all mask-like.
After making this for the first time from now on, not another avocado seed will see the darkness of a trashcan bag. It's amazing magical natural loving for the face and I plan on using this once a week- the results were fantastic!

Homemade Avocado Seed & Banana Face Mask Ingredients and Preparation

1 avocado pit, completely dried (takes 5-6 days)
1 half ripened banana (feel free to eat the other half like me, lol)

Rid of the brown outer edge until all you have is a smooth, fleshy seed.

Grind & grind & grind until its a powdery consistency.

Toss in banana half & blend evenly.

Cleanse the face first & smile excitedly.

                                                             

Let the mask sink into face for 3-5 minutes. A strange sensation happens here. Then rinse.

Tone & moisturize as usual & voila!

Delicately soft, satin finish & a radiance too lovely to sleep in.

I'm sure on some level Olivia is happy too! But I doubt this works on cats....

Vegan Hair Food Recipe

A nourishing dessert that the hair will love, especially after a fresh shampoo/conditioner treatment.

The hair needs its vitamins and minerals too.
Another part of that mixture crafted a few days ago with the addition of Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, and Jojoba Oil comes a miraculous hair salve that nourishes as well as conditions giving naturally kinky hair roots glossy shine and incredible softness that fingertips and combs adore!
Keep refrigerated until use.

2 cup shea butter, melted
1 cup cocoa butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sweet almond oil
1/3 cup Jamaican Black Castor Oil
2 tablespoon coconut oil
A few drops jojoba oil
1 4 ounce container

Our hair necessities- Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, & Jojoba Oil.

Inside of an old Carol's Daughter 4 ounce jar, 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of previous mixture of semi-melted shea & cocoa butters, olive, & sweet almond oils.

Stir in 1/3 cup Jamaican Black Castor Oil.

Whip in about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil & a few drops of jojoba oil.

Mix well & refrigerate. Turns into a nice pomade.