Chocolate Hair / Vanilla Care : Natural hair care for kids, adoption, and family life.

February 28, 2011

Book Review: Poetry for Young People - Langston Hughes

I'd like to close out Black History Month by reviewing one of my favourite American poets, Langston Hughes. Although this book is not about hair, it is a great introduction to African American life and culture, both through the powerful words of Hughes as well as through the thoughtfully interpreted illustrations.

Flat Rope Twists

Flat rope twists are just rope twists that are done "flat" against the head, much like how cornrows are done. Although they are very easy to do, and allow you to get the same sort of styles that you would get if you were doing cornrows, there are some pluses and minuses to going this route. If you don't already know how to do a two-strand rope twist, head on over and check out that post. These instructions sort of build on that concept, so having a good basic knowledge of rope twists will really help.

Ask A Stylist: Are Haircuts Necessary, or Will Trimming Do?

photo by D. Reichardt

Question: I've had my daughter's hair trimmed all over a couple of years ago. As I am growing out my preschooler's hair, do I need to have her hair cut into a style (or even a blunt cut), or does it matter that it is various lengths all over her head, especially if I'm keeping it in protective styles most of the time?

Beads Are Not Unbreakable (and Neither Are Heads)

This really shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone that beads can break. They're plastic, not titanium. And it's a good thing that they do break, because they could probably cause more damage to the head if there wasn't a little give in them, should your child fall on her head and land on the beads, as Boo did this last week.

Knotted Two-Strand Rope Twists

Crazy weekend. Crazy! But in a good way. What started with the memorial service for Uncle L turned into a weekend of celebration with friends for my 40th birthday. Alas, that has come and gone and I don't feel a day over twelve. I don't act much like it, either! However, in the midst of all the hectic goings-on, we didn't have a whole bunch of time to commit to Boo's hair. Yet, I'm quite pleased with the style that I finally settled on, having tried something new.

CHVC Featured on Afro Puffs and Ponytails!

I personally read a lot of blogs. Not just hair blogs, but anything that is inspiring and well-written. You can see what eclectic tastes I have by perusing my list of favourites at the bottom of this blog. Not the least of which is a wonderful online resource called Afro Puffs and Ponytails.

Product Review: Butter Me Up!

A few people commented the other day on how shiny and moisturized Boo's twist-out looked and had asked what products I used. In all honesty, other than a daily spritz of a mixture of conditioner and water, the only product that I used while styling her hair was a product from Blended Beauty's Blended Cutie line called "Butter Me Up!"

Choosing the Right Size Beads for Your Braids

It's funny how things change. When I first started beading hair I had but one size bead (small, tiny, itty-bitty, whatever you want to call it) and every style that I used required only that size. Teeny-tiny beads are the perfect size for teeny-tiny braids, which were pretty much all I could make with Boo's hair when she, herself, was teeny-tiny.

Caring for Hair (And Other Ways We Show Our Love)

This morning Boo and I were out running errands. I was picking up something at a store and while doing so was speaking to the sales clerk. Just then a woman standing nearby, told me, "Oh, I love that they put a heart in your daughter's hair, that's so cute" right before answering her phone. Um, wait a second. Who is this "they" that you speak of?

Valentine's Day Hair 2011

Sometimes things just don't work out as planned. Or not planned. I didn't actually plan a hairstyle for Valentine's Day this year, my only plan was to "wing it." I sat Boo down on an unconventional Wednesday night to do a hairstyle for her preschool party on Thursday. It was the beginnings of the style, meaning that I was going to actually complete it on Friday morning (when I had more time). So I sent her to preschool with three puffs in her hair. Three puffs, and a bunch of parts, that returned home wounded. Clearly Boo's head lost the battle with the red paint in class and the result was a head and scalp that looked like it was bleeding. And the worst part was that I was there to witness the whole thing.

Twist-Out: Saying Goodbye to the Yarn Twist Extensions

Seriously, I cannot say "twist-out" without singing "aahhh TWIST OUT," with a nod to Chic's song Le Freak ("aahh freak out"). Yeah, I'm dating myself. So when you read the words "twist-out" in this post, know that I was singing it in my head every single time I typed it. I just love me some disco funk, and a twist-out is just as funky, so I think the two go great together.

Removing Yarn Twist Extensions

This post will probably be short and sweet because, well, removing yarn from twists is incredibly easy. In fact, that's why I prefer to do twist extensions over braids. Braids take me forever to take out but twists come out in a snap.

How We Maintain Yarn Extensions

I don't know where my head is this month, but I darn near forgot that I needed to do Valentine's Day hair for Boo's preschool party this Thursday! D'oh! I was feeling all proud of myself for the fabulous condition that her yarn twist extensions are in, completely overlooking the fact that they need to come out so that I can do "heart hair" for the holiday. Seeing as how the extensions are doing so well, I should probably share I've kept them up these last several weeks.

"I Love My Hair" T-Shirts

I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone capitalized on the Sesame Street video, "I Love My Hair." But these t-shirts are hard to resist. Well, not so hard for me, because they're totally out of my price-range, but if I could afford them, they are super cute! Thanks so much to Mama Sylvia for sharing this with me so that I can share with all of you! Just click on the photo above to see the many styles they have.

Explaining the Importance of Detangling

The other day Boo brought one of her dolls to me, complaining that her hair was a mess. In fact, she was upset that all of her dolls' hair was impossible to make "pretty." Try as she might, she just couldn't get a brush through it. She was horribly frustrated and threw some barrettes on one of them to mask the fact that the hair wouldn't do what she wanted it to. She brought it to me to "fix" it and make it look like hers. Bells and whistles went off in my head, accompanied by the words "teachable moment" flashing through my mind. *duh da da duuuuhhh* Enter Super OCD Mom to the rescue! *flipping my hair, wind flowing through my cape*

Facing the Dreaded Sand-In-The-Hair

Here it is: The dreaded sand-in-the-hair incident. Due to no one's fault but her own, Boo returned from preschool yesterday with the entire back of her lovely Dutch braided twists filled with sand. When I asked her how she managed to get so much sand in the back of her hair she said, "I was laying down on my back while P made me a hot cocoa with marshmallows." Great. So not only did she get sand in her hair, but now I'm thinking that she "drank" some as well. *heavy sigh*

Dutch Braided Yarn Twist Extensions

There's nothing like milking a hairstyle for all it's worth. And these yarn twist extensions are no exception. In fact, whenever you do a style that is in boxes, changing things up by braiding the boxes is always a stylish option. It preserves all the hard work of the original style while creating a whole new look. And the more mileage I can get out a style, the better in my book!