Senior hurdler sets example on, off track for RU - Daily Targum - Sports

Senior hurdler sets example on, off track for RU - Daily Targum - Sports

Yup that's me! :)

Natural Hair in the Media

This is a great story and a total inspiration for natural women who are constantly told that natural hair is unprofessional.

Happy Easter!

Well Sunday came and went faster than the speed of light. I had a relaxing Easter Sunday at church with my best friend and my second family down in Trenton. Hope you all enjoyed this gorgeous 75 degree tropical weather like I did!

Things that Don't Work in My Hair

When taking care of natural hair it is important to take notice of and avoid things that don't work in your hair. This requires you to take time to "listen" to your hair and figure out what your hair responds well to and what it does not respond well to. 

Here are several things that do NOT work in my hair and why (what works for me may not work for you and vice versa): 

1. Gels ( both harden and dry my strands) 

2. Baking Soda rinses 

3. Kinky Curly Curling Custard ( It worked when my hair was short but as it got longer it became a hassle) 

3.  Shampoos ( even Sulfate free) - In general my hair responds well to Co-washing 

4. Excessive use of products ( expensive creams, hair smoothies etc.) = Product buildup and matted hair 

5. Mineral oil

6. Protein based deep conditioners  ( make my hair hard, knotted and difficult to detangle) I usually need to follow with a deep conditioning moisture treatment

What my hair LOVES: 

1. Water 

2. Leave in Twists

3. Shea Butter 

4. EVOO

5. Co-Wash 

6. Low Manipulation styles 

7. Apple Cider Vinegar rinse instead of shampoo 

Long Overdue: February 2011 Naturalista Takeover @ Rutgers

Graduation and Natural Hair

I have been debating whether or not to wear my hair curly or straight for graduation. I was leaning towards curly and went online to see if I could find pictures of anyone else who wore their hair in a natural style or up-do for their graduation photos. I couldn't find ANYTHING! So the day before my graduation photos I was short on time and did not feel like straightening it so instead I improvised.

• I had about three day old hair already so spritzed my hair with water to dampen it a bit instead of washing it 
• Sectioned my hair into in four parts 
• distributed Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding throughout each section and made two medium sized two strand twists in each section 
• Sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes until it was dry and took each section out

It looked great! But my biggest worry was that the cap would not fit over my hair but I smoothed the top down and the cap fit perfectly. Here is a picture of the final look and my graduation photo! I was surprised that my parents actually liked my hair natural instead of straight. 

To My Mother...

A Tribute to my Mother 

I walked through the front door of my house in Northern Virginia with my laundry in hand and eager to start my winter vacation only to find my father in his office working vigilantly on the computer with a strange looking device by his foot. On the computer screen connected to this strange device, I saw a young child about the age of six or seven standing next to an older woman of a similar complexion hand in hand and smiling as though she had the world in front of her eyes. The older woman was my mother and the “world” was simply a giant Aladdin themed birthday cake. There was something peculiar about the footage of my seventh birthday party I noticed as I continued to examine the way I clung to my mother as though she were my only advocate, and tried to emulate every movement she made from her hand gestures to the way she angrily told my older brother to stop acting “foolish.” I remember little of the moments in which I looked up to my mother with adoring eyes and more so of the violent temper tantrums and the, often hurtful, words exchanged in these altercations.

 I realized in that moment that much of the tension that ensued between my mother and I was fostered by strong feelings of envy I developed growing up in middle-class suburbia. As I started hanging out around my white friends at summer camp and school in Atlanta, I grew envious of the things they had and eventually angry that I could not have the same. I was often the only black child in the mix of Anglo-Saxon white girls and instead of emulating my mother I began to emulate my friends. I wanted to wear my hair out to be free, flowing and straight like the white girls but my mother refused and sent me on my way each morning with two chunky braids on each side of my head. I became enraged when my mother would pick me up at eight o’ clock at night from sleep over parties while all the other girls would return to school Monday morning only to talk elatedly about the movies watched and the games played in my absence.  My mother and I grew apart because I wanted her to be something she was not. I longed for her to be a stay-at-home mother like my next door neighbor and have cookies and milk prepared for me when I came home from school. I wanted her to buy me the same toys and the same clothes my white neighbor would flaunt before me. She was not that kind of mother. She was an educator, an enforcer, and authoritarian. Most importantly, my mother was a Black woman. She carried with her a burden in every gesture she made, each word that rolled off her tongue and the way she raised her three children, one of whom is autistic. My mother, like many Black women in America, was given a different set of rules than the white women in suburban Atlanta. She had to adjust her actions in order to conform to societal standards and avoid racial confrontations in order to provide a comfortable life for her own family. 

5 Hair Habits That Will Change Your Life

5 Hair Habits That Will Change Your Life

Natural Hair Workshop and Other Updates

Updates:
Friday night: I hosted a natural hair workshop at a church in Trenton. It was quite successful and I am pretty sure we will be hosting a few more in the future as well as a workshop for young middle and high school girls interested in learning more about natural hair care.

Saturday: All day track meet in rain, wind and frigid temperatures. I won't find out the exact results of the meet until much later due to inclement weather conditions. I did well though and I am pretty sure my school won the meet.

Saturday night: Went to the Caribbean Day festival after party at a lounge in Piscataway. Fun but definitely too crowded hot and humid. I straightened my hair after the meet earlier that day but as soon as I walked into the room it reversed right on back to its natural. I felt so un-Jamaican that night.

Sunday: Ate chicken and waffles with my roommate and cleaned. I cleaned the kitchen, my room, the living room and bathroom. Cleared my head and my mind and made dinner. I feel so much better now that my work space is finally clean and now I am working on this 10 page paper due tomorrow. So far I have about two pages done.

Is Your Nighttime hair Regimen Becoming a Hassle?

Don't become that "nega do cabelo duro que nao gosta de pentear." In Portuguese that translates to black girl with difficult hair that hates to style it. I've learned not to dread doing my hair at night before I go to bed. Let it become part of your "you" time. Seriously just put on some music, watch a movie and de-stress while you do your hair. Don't let it become that dreaded part of your day.

New Hair Regimen and Natural Products

It took me almost a year to figure this out but I have discovered the three things that work for me better than any product ever has. Those things are: 

• Water
• EVOO ( Extra Virgin Olive Oil) 
• Shea Butter 

Over the course of the semester running, school, and job responsibilities have made it difficult to really focus on how I have been taking care of my hair. I've noticed significant growth since January but I think it's mostly due to low maintenance styling, no heat, and few products. I have stopped using unnecessary products in my hair. Mostly because it hurts my wallet but also because I can't pronounce half of the things on the jar (if you can't pronounce it you probably can't eat it and if you can't eat it then don't put it in your hair). I  always hear people complain about how natural products are expensive whatnot but I think they are just looking in the wrong places. Seriously if you want to go natural for cheap buy a jar of shea butter in bulk ($12.00 jar will last you at least a year no joke), EVOO, and a spray bottle for water. I know it may seem like a lot but it lasts! 

Here's how I use it:

• Once a month I clarify my scalp with a vinegar rinse to remove product buildup
• Deep Condition or Co-Wash if necessary 
• Pat dry with a towel and section detangle hair 
• Twist each section and distribute shea butter throughout each section 
• Let dry and take out the twists

At night before you go to bed 

• Separate hair into 4 or 5 sections
• In the spray bottle mix water with EVOO 
• spray and comb each section with a wide tooth comb
• Re-twist each section 
• Sleep with bonnet or scarf

I've been doing this for the past month and my hair has NEVER felt so soft before. 

Waiting for Superman

For those of you who seek to reform our educational system this is a great movie to watch during your free time.  I had a moment of clarity when watching and I'm glad I made the conscious decision to dedicate my life to educational change. There is no way you can sit around and do nothing after watching this. You'll want to get up and do something!

Instead of doing my own work right now I am sitting here helping my cousin with an essay she is writing for her english class about a theme in the Iliad. It bothers me that she cares more about "getting by" than actually putting in the time an the energy to actually understand the concepts she wants to discuss in this paper. In a nutshell, she is basically telling me to write the whole paper for her (as if I don't have things to do). I have no problem with "helping" but doing this paper for her defeats the purpose of her getting an education. We are so worried about the letter grade we lose the concept of substance in the midst of our competition. It bothers me that she is unable to put together a decent 5 paragraph paper that consists of a clear thesis and supporting body paragraphs. I blame her teachers for failing to make writing  a priority. She is fine with math and science but her writing needs some improvement. She doesn't understand yet that writing is power. It doesn't matter if you can solve a math problem but how will you communicate if you can't write a decent essay?

This system is broken and it's time to start fixing it from the bottom up. Let's start with some decent teachers.

Trip to New Orleans

My trip to New Orleans last week went well! I had a great time giving a sample teaching lesson to enthusiastic kindergardeners. So now I have two job offers at two different charter schools and I'm pretty sure I know which one I want to pick but TFA has asked me to make an impromptu trip back to New Orleans this Wednesday ( as if I don't have 50 million things to do this week) in order to check out the other charter school I did not get a chance to visit before I make a final decision. I feel like I have established a rapport with the principal and the kids at this one school and that is where I am leaning at the moment. Who knows what will happen this week though... 

Are YOU Protecting your Hair?

Do's and Don'ts of Protective Styling 

The weather is indeed getting warmer, especially for you ladies in the south ( so jealous), but that doesn't mean that you should stop protecting you delicate strands. Here are some tips:

Do: 

• Wear cute beanie's and hats  ( check out Forever 21, H&M) 
• Twist your hair for the week and wear a twist out for the weekend
• Pull your twists into a bun or pony tail 
• Pin twists or braids into a style of your choice
• Wear hair out occasionally 
• Moisturize twists/braids daily by applying a light cream or oil and/or water
• Make sure ends are protected and or tucked in 
• Try to keep ends of your hair from rubbing against your collar or clothing ( I've been experiencing some breakage because of this) 
• Co-Wash hair with twists in and and re-twist if necessary for a polished look ( this keeps breakage to a minimum) 
• Detangle in the shower or when hair is wet/damp 

Don't: 

• Overuse products ( keep it simple!) 
• Use gel 
• Wear hair out every day 
• Comb or brush daily 
• Overuse heat

Anything else you think we should add to this list? E-mail Naturallyminimal@gmail.com and let me know!