Trailer for Chris Rock’s Good Hair

Earlier I posted an article about the right way for us to take care of our children’s hair so I found it only fit to show the trailer for Chris Rock’s new documentary called Good Hair.  Click the image below to watch the trailer, and it definitely seems like a must go see.

How to Take Care of Your Child’s Hair

Your little girl is an angel most of the time... until you sit her down between your knees to comb her hair. Then it's tears and squeals and tantrum time.

I don't have kids myself, but trust me, I know. I was once that little girl. And I can tell you from experience, there's a right way and a wrong way to care for your child's hair.

I first learned about this story via The Root, in Teresa Wiltz's essay Beauty, the Brush, and Black Girl Pain. I can barely stand to watch this now-infamous YouTube video (click the picture of the little girl to watch), which raises more questions than it answers.

For example, does this mother think she's actually making an efficient and effective attempt at combing her little girl's hair? Because she isn't. In fact, she's doing just the opposite.

Click here to read more

Black Women Stun the Oscars

Viola Davis and Taraji Henson were both snubbed from winning an Oscar, but at least they were looking FABULOUS

Queen Latifah
A side shot of the dress
I guess Beyonce thinks the Academy Awards is more important than the Grammys
Alicia Keys and Taraji...I am loving Alicia's dress, but she could have done without the wig

John Legend and his girlfriend

Labels: Academy Awards, black celebrity gossip, red carpet

posted by N. Taylor @ 12:25 AM 0 comments

Technorati Tags: black hollywood,black actors,black actresses,taraji p. henderson,john legend,beyonce,queen latifah,black celebrities,african american celebrities,black celebrity gossip

Baby Phat Fashion Show

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Posted By Lady Drama to Your Black Gossip at 2/18/2009 09:15:00 AM

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black gossip,black celebrity gossip,african american celebrity gossip,baby phat fashion show,lady drama,black bloggers,african american bloggers

Beautiful Black Women (and men) at the Grammies

J. Hud looking FABULOUS

M.I.A. and her new edition

Jay Z. minus Beyonce
Snoop and his wife
Jamie Foxx and his daughter

Leona Lewis

Rising star Karina Pasian

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black celebrities,african american celebrities

Barack Obama Daughter Look-a-like sets the fashion world on fire

Ariel Binns is cute, smart, outgoing and looks remarkably like first daughter Sasha Obama.

Young model Ariel Binns, right, resembles Sasha Obama.

The similarity has not gone unnoticed by the fashion industry. Harper's Bazaar magazine cast the 6-year-old Brooklyn, New York, first-grader with model Tyra Banks in a photo spread showing an African-American family in the White House.

Binns, a child model, was peering out from under a big wooden desk in an image reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's time in office.

When it comes to fashion there's nothing like a powerful brand to boost sales, especially if that brand is a dynamic first family.

"Marketers are finally waking up to it -- you know -- black is beautiful," says global branding expert David Rogers who predicts African-American models will play a more prominent role in fashion photography as a direct result of the Obamas. "It's just going to become part of the fabric of the fashion imagery of pop culture, which is a great thing," says Rogers. Watch young first daughter look-alike model »

At Wilhelmina Kids, a modeling agency in New York for kids and teens, agents say there is increased demand for first daughter look-alikes.

"It's a trend because, what little girl doesn't want to emulate the first kids?" said Marlene Wallach, president of Wilhelmina, which represents Binns.

Unlike the Bush twins or Chelsea Clinton, global branding experts say the appeal of the Obama girls is unique -- and infinitely marketable. After the first kids appeared in their J.Crew outfits on Inauguration Day, the company's Web site got so many hits, it crashed.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: barack obama,obama family,sasha obama,black news headlines,african american news,black news

Your Black Beauty: How To Wrap Your Hair

Wrapping the hair is a concept well known to many Black women, but some people either have never tried wrapping their hair, or just don't know if they're doing it correctly. Here's a quick how to from BlackHairMedia.com:

Sleek Wrap

A wrap set is a great way to get a sleek look! You will need a comb, setting lotion and hair clips (these are optional depending upon how long your hair is) and/or some paper wrap strips.
Step 1: Shampoo and condition your hair and apply setting lotion
Step 2: Use your comb and comb/wrap your hair around in a beehive or
circle, blending the hair together all around your head
Step 3: Secure where you hair joins with hair clips, or you can place a
wrap strip around your head to secure your hair in place
Step 4: Dry your hair under a hooded dryer, remove clips or wrap strip and
comb and style


Dry Wrap or Roller Wrap Set

To do the roller wrap set, also know as the doobie, you will need to roller set your hair, dry it under a hooded dryer, take the rollers out, then comb/brush your hair around in a wrap). Leave it wrapped for a while and when you comb it down, you will have big loose wavy curls with lots of body.


(Here's a video on how to do it)

Nappturality, Black Hair Untouched

Many women of African descent all over the world have stopped relaxing, straightening, and playing with their hair, and have started embracing the natural look. There are many different reasons why people decided to go natural, whether it is because of hair damage from chemicals, scalp problems, illnesses, finances, hair loss, being tired of spending hours at the beauty salon/weaving lady's house....or simply curiosity. Or, if they're anything like me, others are just looking for something new and interesting to try when it comes to black hair.

No matter why we choose to go natural, it is a very convenient choice when it comes to maintenance, and it is definitely something that our wallets will thank us for.


The site Nappturality.com is a website dedicated solely and specifically to the woman who chooses to go "au natural". The site was created to help those who were simply looking for healthy, beautiful and painless hair solutions, and those who needed to see things that actually worked for others.

Nappturality.com provides photographs, Black natural hair articles and journals, links to websites, forums, other information and links about the care, maintenance and politics of natural hair.

The site is also a community where people discuss and upload their own photos, so if you're already wearing it natural, check the site out...and then come back and tell us about your experience!

Black Beauty: Controlled By Black People or Not?

Black beauty is not controlled by black people. Black women are among the biggest spenders in the hair care industry, yet black people do not own much of the profits that come from the sale of African American haircare products.

Aaron Ranen does a wonderful job in this documentary highlighting the issues with the black hair care industry. After watching this, you will be informed, enlightened and perhaps motivated to send your black daughters to business school so that they can teach their black husbands how to own a piece of the 40 acres and a mule that African Americans are buying, building and creating for other people.

Black hair is a fundamental part of a black woman's beauty standard. Perhaps we should also try to understand the norms and origins of African American haircare choices so that we can be better informed in the future.

The documentary on African American hair care is below:

Some of the Many Black Hair Care Myths

Over the years I have done a lot of hair and met a lot of people. With that has come some incredibly false information about how to take care of our black hair. I know the feeling, after a while we just don't know what to believe or what works. Well, here are at least 5 things you can be sure about:


Top 5 Black Hair Care Myths: True or False?

1. Relaxed hair will NOT grow.

- This is FALSE. Relaxing the hair does present a lot of chemicals that your hair may not be used to, but that doesn't necessarily hinder growth. Proper upkeep after a relaxer can maintain hair growth. By not applying too much heat (blow dryers, straighterners, etc.) and other chemicals closely after relaxing, you can prevent a lot of damage. Further help with relaxing hair will be featured in this blog soon.

2. Black Women should NOT wash their hair.

- This is definitely FALSE. Black women should NOT wash their hair EVERYDAY. Unlike our white friends, Black hair is much more dry and excessive washing can lead to excessive breakage. We should not wash it every day, but instead once every 3-7 days depending on your level of dryness. A mistake often made is not washing it for extended amounts of time, such as every 2 weeks, or even months while hair is braided or weaved. Instead, very dirty hair can slow down hair growth.

3. Herbs help hair growth.

- This is TRUE. Some herbs such as rosemary, chamomile and ginkgo are as good for the hair as they are for the body. Our friends at Kristen Lock detail the herbs myth on their site. (Check it out here: http://www.kristenlock.com/Herbal-Remedies-For-Black-Hair-Growth)


4. Leave-In-Conditioners DO NOT work.

- This is FALSE. Leave-In-Conditioners provide hydration and nutrients necessary for hair health. In fact, you can use leave-in-conditioners often without shampoo, especially after washing or quick rinses to maintain curls (for those of us with natural waves).


5. Massaging the scalp regularly stimulates hair growth.

- This is TRUE. Massaging the scalp regularly can stimulate hair folicles to grow. A daily 5 minute massage can help your hair grow (in addition to proper hair care), and make you feel better and calm while you're at it!



FEATURED PRODUCT: Motions Nourish Leave-In Conditioner.



This spray is easy to use, and leaves hair managable, fresh and detangled. It is about $5 at hair supply stores.



There are many myths, do's, and don'ts to black hair care, and I will make sure to tell you what I know, what works, and what just doesn't! Some of it will come from my own personal experiences with doing hair, and others will come from questions and comments, so feel free to leave some!

Sisterlocks is Taking the World by Storm

A national movement is forming in black women's hair. Sisterlocks started in Boston and is spreading. The movement is formed around the idea that the person wearing her hair should have pride in it. There's nothing wrong with that.

"Hair is a big issue for black women," said Jacqueline Ashby, a Sisterlocks technician in Boston, MA. "They want to end being ashamed of it and start being nappy and beautiful. Some women are even afraid of the word nappy."

Started in 1993 by JoAnne Cornell, a professor at San Diego Stat University, Sisterlocks promotes both a hairstyle and healthy hair. Those who wash their hair can wear an go, roller-set, curl and style their hair without chemicals to change the texture.

The movement is called for in light of the controversy surrounding the way black women should and should not wear their hair, especially in a corporate setting. Even braids have been criticized as being unprofessional, and hair straightening has become the norm.

Black Women and Our Hair: Tips to Keep it Beautiful

Bobs and crops are bold and beautiful but if you want longer, healthier hair we’ve got some tips for you.

Cut the damage. If your ends are fried and tried, scraggly and haggard, disappearing and raggedy let them go. They may add to the length but long doesn’t always mean pretty. Visit your stylist and tell her to cut until it’s even and healthy.

Increase circulation. You can do this in two ways.

1) Get up off of the couch and get your heart pumping. Exercise, it just keeps coming back doesn’t it.

2) Give yourself a daily scalp massage using your fingertips.

You are what you eat. What goes in helps what comes out. Foods rich in vitamins A, B, C and E are essential for growing healthy hair and iron and zinc are proven to help your hair grow its fastest.

Keep it clean, especially if you use a lot of products. Remember, the days of petroleum and mineral oil based hair grease and conditioners have retired. Product build-up can clog follicles and prevent your hair from growing. Be sure to shampoo often (talk to your stylist about how often is often enough for you) and give your hairbrushes and combs a weekly cleansing too so that you’re not re-brushing in old dirt and oil.

Be kind. Long hair is old hair. Swap abrasive products for gentler ones formulated for your hair type. Add a deep treatment or hair mask to your regimen and try to stay away from heat-styling appliances.

Get regular trims. You want your hair to stay undamaged and split-end free. Otherwise you’ll end up back where you started.