Solange Does The Big Chop

I don't generally pay much attention to Beyonce's little sister but I have to admit I was a little surprised to see this photo of her sporting a TWA (teeny weenie afro) this morning. The girl may not have the chops, looks, or appeal of her older sibling but she's definitely proved that she's gutsy for stepping out of the shadow of Bey's lace-front and letting the sun shine down on those follicles.

Sigh.

Anytime I see a picture of a woman with super short natural hair like this I miss the days when I sported the style. I can still remember how good it felt the first time I took a shower with my new 'do and felt that warm water pouring over my scalp.

Now if only Solange could record some music to match the fierceness of her new look...

Tyra's Hair @ The White House Correspondents Dinner

She will never abandon her lace-fronts but the darker color really suits her. With all the comments online about Tyra and her wigs I'm surprised that she (to the best of my knowledge) hasn't done a show about the topic. I mean, the woman got her breasts screened on TV to prove that they are real. I'm dying to know what's underneath her wig cap.

What do you think of this new look?

ETA: Naturally Sophia provided this link about the show. Jezebel discussion on the show here.
s: lipstickalley

Christina Milian in Louis Vuitton s/s 2009

s: Mahalofashion, justjared, style.com

I just can't get past her hair. It reminds me a bit of Tina Turner in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome.

Attack of the Wiggy Bangs

A comment in the last post got me thinking about something that I see quite often on the red carpet but was hesitant to bring up on this blog for two reasons. One, it's a hair police issue which can get heated sometimes and two, of the most recent perps are women that I just love: Joy Bryant and Kerry Washington

The issue is wiggy bangs.

Let me start by stating that I have nothing against a weave, a relaxer or a natural. I firmly believe that we are all sisters under the scalp even if some of us have chemical burns and track marks on ours.

Speaking as a person who in high school had a bi-level two toned jheri curl (technically it was a Wave Nouveau but it did just as much damage,) I simply cannot throw stones. To me, as long as a sister's hair is looking fly, I have no complaints.

But I cannot stand wiggy looking bangs. Bangs are tricky enough as it is. Really they are the follicular equivalent of those big ass sunglasses that skinny starlets were sporting two summers ago -- meaning that just because they are in style, that doesn't mean that you should sport them too.

On the wrong head bangs can make a woman's face look like a troll. If they are too long, a pot head; too short, and they make you look like an idiot who burned off her hair with a too hot curling iron.

This is complicated even more for full weave wearers. Choose the wrong texture and cut and suddenly those silky tresses look like rejected scraps from the Barbie wigging floor at Mattel. I'm talking lumpy, artificially shiny and fake as the friendships on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

Kelly Rowland' strikes a wiggy pose

That said, I'd take Barbie bangs over a crusty lace-front wig any day of the week. Seriously, some women (who shall remain nameless) are not even trying to hide that line of demarkation anymore *cough*Tyra*cough*.

It saddens me that I've seen Joy and Kerry sporting Barbie bangs recently. In the past I've tried to turn a blind eye but I had to get if off my chest:

Ladies, if your six year old god daughter has taken to hiding her dolls anytime you come around, it might be your bangs!

Please take those overwhelming bangs down and start over. Extension bangs can be done right but you might have to comparison shop or find a weaver with a special bang guarantee. Do this so you can just go back to being fabulous and I can go back to fawning.

I should add that bad bangs also afflict the weaveless and occasional piece wearer. A careful study of Jada Pinkett Smith reveals that her bang game has varying degrees of success and failure. You be the judge here:

Okay I'm done.

Friday Free Post: That Sisterlocks Thing

Between getting my hair did and Peanut starting preschool this week, I haven't had much time for updating my blog.

I was surprised at all the posts about my hair so I've embedding a slideshow here to show off my new Sisterlocks. I spent part of the morning in front of my mirror with the camera and came away with about 100 close up shots of my camera and a few dozen more with only parts of my head showing. I guess I need to learn how to properly frame a shot.

Anyway. I mentioned before that this is my third set of locs. The first time I did it, it was in the traditional palm-rolling method. I'd been wearing my hair natural for several years and it took to locking pretty easily. I went twice a month to a salon called Muriel's in Dorchester, MA to have my hair washed and re-twisted. 

After a few months, the locks settled in and I was able to maintain them on my own. I kept them for about four years before I got the itch and wanted something new. I cut them into a shoulder length bob initially (lengthwise, they were at my shoulder blades) but after a few months of that I just started detangling them. It took about a month (I was only able to detangle about four a day with a metal pick comb.) When it was all said and done (after combing out the shed hairs and getting a haircut) I was left with the shoulder length hair that I always dreamed of. I was throwing that stuff over my shoulder enough to cause neck injury but after six months, I got sick of the upkeep and braided my hair in an attempt to re-lock it. 

It was fine for about two years but I hated that the locks still kind of looked like braids and that my parts were so crooked. I got fed up again and just chopped it back down to a TWA. As it started to grow out I started thinking about getting Sisterlocks. I'd admired the style for awhile and wanted something a little more versatile than my first set of long heavy locks.

I met a woman at Costco with Sisterlocks and she gave me the name of her stylist (a trainee consultant named Valorie Lowe) and I was off. Got my test locks and a month later I was sitting in Valorie's living room, watching movies and joking while she put 400+ locs on my head. It took a total of about 24 hours and I am very happy with it. The price was steep but considering the amount of time it took and the money I won't be spending at the hair salon and on the latest curly hair "miracle" creams it wasn't bad. 

So there you have it. I called this entry a "free post" because I'd love to hear your hair stories too. You know sisters love to talk about hair so have at it and have a good weekend. 

Also, there isn't much there right now but I'll share more pics of my hair on Fotki in the future.

Off-topic post: Sisterlocks

After three days and 24 total hours of tugging on my scalp, I finally have Sisterlocks. My head is killing me. I am so happy the ordeal is over because I was really really tired of wearing my hair in an oversized  afro puff.

ETA: I'll post more information about my hair soon. This is my third set of locs in nearly 10 years and will hopefully be my last:)

That Hair Thing

You can't look at images of black models in fashion magazines without noticing that there seems to be a fear of kinky black hair in the industry. Unless it is played for laughs, like in Moschino's recent advertisement, naturally kinky hair on a model is a no no. I recall reading an interview with Veronica Webb where she mentioned that she got individual braids once and her bookings stopped almost immediately. She had to run and take them out to keep working.

In fashion there are three acceptable ways for black models to wear their hair: shaved close to the scalp so as not to offend, weaved up, or relaxed (preferably with extensions to add length.) I've read the stories countless times told by models who have had their hair destroyed by stylists who don't know what to do with it. Even Naomi, who is the queen of the flawless weave, has been sporting a fragile looking hairline these days.

That's why I love baby-faced model Wakeema Hollis who is one of the few regularly working black models who sports natural hair longer than an inch. Occasionally TPTB slap a wig or extensions on her but her hair (along with those lips and long graceful neck) have become her signature. Interestingly, she is also in that Moschino ad wearing an afro wig. Go figure.

sources: simplylovely/TFS, models.com, Myspace, WhyNot

Black Hair Is...

Black hair can be a lot of things.

It can be political:


It can be conservative:


It can have more fun:


It can be edgy:


It can be sculpture:


It can be bold:


Or, it can just be itself:


But under no circumstances should it ever be a mullet:


Jada Pinkett Smith, consider this is your hairstyle intervention. We love you and are here waiting for you with some deep conditioner and scissors. Come on home girl.

Chrystèle Saint Louis Augustin Appreciation Post

To me, Chrystèle Saint Louis Augustin was THE model of the 90s in spite of the fact that she wasn’t a household name like Naomi or Iman. I still remember the first time I saw a photo of Chrystèle. I was in college so I had no money and once again found myself at the bookstore flipping through fashion magazines that I couldn’t afford to buy. She was in an ad for Ghost, a half body shot of Chrystèle against a dark background. Her fair skin was practically glowing but what stood out to me, and just about everyone else, was that magnificent hair. As flawlessly beautiful as she is, her natural hair made her something more than just a pretty face, it practically had its own personality. She would say in Vibe Magazine that when she first started doing runway shows people “wanted to touch me, and I'm, like, `Wow, it's just hair. Calm down!' " Her hair wasn’t an accessory or a fad, it just was. Reading her comment on how she thought “straight hair was really ugly [and] suits the white girls but…[not] my hair,” was downright revolutionary thinking for me. I’d struggled for years trying to keep my hair in check, which meant dousing it in lye every few weeks with awful results. Chrystèle became my role model and gave me the final dose of courage I needed to chop off every last bit of relaxer in my hair and start over. Looking at old pictures of her always brings back those memories and makes me smile. If I could get motivated enough to copy her ridiculously toned abs, I think it would elevate me to the superhero status.

Photo source: modeldatabase, TFS, CSLA Livejournal

Jamelia for Tony&Guy Model.Me

One good thing about being with the in-laws over the holidays in Central Massachusetts is that there is not much to except read magazines and eat cookies*. While perusing British ELLE, I came across this ad for Toni&Guy's Model.Me line of hair care products represented by top models Erin O'Conner, Helena Christensen and pop singer Jamelia. Each woman has a range of products catering to specific hair needs.

I don't know much about Jamelia aside from the fact that some people call her the British Beyonce and that her song "Superstar" was my jam for about two weeks several years ago. I have nothing against the woman but two things stick out here.

First, why isn't a actual model in Jamelia's place? And second, why are the only Black women we see in "mainstream" haircare ads usually sporting industrial weaves? Now, I know that a good weave requires a lot of care but seriously, what is up with this? It's like the companies are saying, "See! We haven't left you poor black women out of our campaign! You too can have healthy manageable hair, provided that you are wearing someone else's." It just seems silly to me.

I'm also bugged that everyone in the media seems to think that singers and rappers are always the go-to girls for ad campaigns and films when there are plenty of actual black models and actresses waiting in the wings. I admire any woman who can make a career in either of these industries without succumbing to bitterness or the allure of too much fried food.

What About Bob?

I swore off the hair relaxers when I graduated from college almost 15 years ago and never looked back but I am seriously loving the bob cut. Although I can't really see myself diving head first back into a vat o' creamy crack but I might have to invest in a good wig so I can rock this look when the mood hits me.