sarah fynn

And whilst I’m waiting for sleep to come

Heart beats

And whilst am waiting for sleep to come

My mind comes to life to re-live moments

But it hurts that I can’t figure these things out

But that’s how you operate

Calling me strong when I can’t rise up to YOU

But maybe I’m looking in a different direction

And all these happen whilst I’m waiting for sleep to come

And in those moments

My hands begin to shake

Shiver to write something

A deadly text

A fatal ping

To write those spiteful words to release some tension

So I clump them together in a feeble attempt to stop them from shaking

And all this happen when I’m waiting for sleep to come

And in those moments my stomach churns

Because my regular heart contractions have been replaced by an irregular rhythm that causes more blood to be pumped out through my aorta to the cells of my hands

And with this excess oxygen they begin to shake, shiver so I clump them together and they get slippery because they get sweaty

And moments keep on playing in my mind because there is fuel to keep it going. Yes I had rice for dinner and those carbohydrates are been put to good use

And whilst am waiting for sleep to come

I hear a different voice speaking but through me

And it tells me of who I am

This person I don’t see in the mirror

But it tells me again

And again and that I need to come to the realisation of this person and for me to see her I have to change my mirror and behold Him, my true reflection

So whilst I’m waiting for sleep to come

I breathe

And my mind stops playing

Heart returns to normal

And my hands relax

I am loved by Him and sleep came quick.

my spoken word piece. i yh i did write this when i was waiting for sleep to come. have a blessed day. mwah xx

A fireproof journey of love

It’s a word I thought I knew. And I know you thought you knew it too. A definition so true and a mind so conscious of it yet a life lived to the contrary.

It’s like a bus journey. Am at the bus stop knowing where I want to get to. It’s clear what buses I must take because obviously I got my Google maps on my blackberry( the latest I should add) and the obvious fact that it says so on the bus timetable too. Standing here, rain, wind, a shelter shared with an old lady who keeps her Chanel handbag as close to her as possible, with the odd stares at me. Moving at my slightest hesitation. (I should have told her I wasn’t interested in stealing her Iphone4 or Prada purse or the two 50 pound notes in it, maybe I wanted the orbit chewing gum. Maybe. Yh I could see its contents clearly but how and why does this lady who I presume it about 65 years old have such things? The thought makes me smile. I taste a raindrop that falls on my teeth. Salty.) But if I did that, the sheer shock of it would scare her half to death and I really don’t want to go to jail at the moment. I got a life to live. Well am trying to live this life.

Life. and almost instantly I’m transported into that world. Memories. Running through and fro. Clouds seem to darken, rain hits harder and there I was in that world standing with my pink Primark umbrella which is doing a very bad job of keeping me dry.

And whilst am still here, a bus arrives and I can’t really see the number but I hop on. Anything to get me away from this place. Oyster card beeps. Green. Well let’s go then. Green. I know he sees the reflection of the colour in my dark eyes. Green.

Colours, they seem to matter too. Because my mind thinks it’s so clever linking colours to words to memories to places then people. So when I see the colour green, it stimulates a chain reaction in my mind and the end result is always him. You. And it’s always to that place because well that’s the colour associated with that place. Green.

Faint smile.

Windows. The rain hits hard against them. In a drop I see the relief of the woman! Her legs seem longer, she seems taller! Lawrd don’t tell me she was holding her breath!

Windows- a shield against this rain. It seems to me they want to purposely get on me. Fighting hard against these windows that are innocent. As a matter of fact, these things are the only ones that have put up a fight for me… wet. Jeans. Rain is getting on me. An open window.

move.

My journey! Yes.

I check my phone. It says am going the wrong way.

The honk of a car.

The bark of a dog

A Cry of a cold baby

Rain hits my eye (I know my mascara will run). Blurred vision.

Am standing at the bus stop with this old lady. She’s still here. But I thought I got on a bus?

“But how I can change lines just like that?

From northern line to London midlands?

No it’s not a journey you pre book tickets for

Only to be collected the train station and discarded after the journey has ended!”

But what bus am I waiting on? I check my blackberry (low battery. Typical!)

‘Enter destination’

At that moment I knew, I wasn’t getting home anytime soon. If I hadn’t entered the postcode whilst I was there the last time then I don’t have it and I can’t seem to remember.

(This either means I have to find my own way or get a better phone with a longer battery life. I agree with the latter.) If only I could make one call

“To show like a missed call

But maybe when my minutes come

I may give you a buzz

Send a text

To let you know I was busy (and lost)

So busy that even my voicemail couldn’t answer

The last time you called?

It didn’t even ring twice and I answered

But now I check my phone log

Did you call?

Or did I call you

When I had no minutes?

Maybe that’s why I got a busy tone

And my phone charges went up”

I look up to this this woman staring at me. I know she can tell am pissed and she knows I can tell she’s even more afraid. But would she risk getting out her IPhone and calling the police? No. she wouldn’t.

I try to look out ahead trying to find my way through the rain. Trying to recognise the place I’m at, at the moment. Maybe my clever brain would recognise I have been here before and try and remember how to get me home.

15 mins later

It’s no good.

The word we both thought we knew? Meant a lot but we treated it as nothing. Playing with fire and hoping not to get burnt but fully knowing the scars it capable of leaving. Why? Because we both have been near this fire and been scotched by its heat alone however we seem to think we are ‘fireproof’ even though our suits seem to melt each time we get closer to it.

This time, fire wasn’t playing with us.

Heat.

But I was so sure. I knew. I was convinced because my knowledge of it stood the tests of time meant I passed the test too. But the signs were clearly shown. And I knowedgebly chose to ignore the signs.

*sighs*

I must keep going. It needed to be put out. Somehow. And my tears weren’t enough, either was the past and the pain seemed to increase the intensity of the fire. Those fire extinguishers did not work. Either did the fire blanket too. This type of fire? Needed something new. The heat was draining, causing the waters of my soul to evaporate. I almost died of thirst! (Frowns)

But you look so happy.

“So maybe this was a PS3

And you can changed games because you were losing at it

Switched controllers and reset setting s

To suit whatever mood you were in!”

But it’s a bus journey. With a never ending final destination but bus stops seem to be a place of shelter till the same bus with the same driver comes along. Each time. Without fail.

It’s a never ending final destination because well it never ends.

And by now you should have guessed what I have been trying to illustrate.

“No, in matters like this

The heart is none of that

To be played upon, on anyhow

When it gave its all

Nothing was done

So when another requests everything

Then one begins to wonder

Back to the response that was first given

Retreat!

So whether it’s true or not

This time I won’t answer love’s call”

I think you need to read this poem to make your thinking complete. http://wp.me/p1uQOd-58

Everyday inspiration: Rachael Twumasi

“Hmm. That’s a tricky one. When I began to transition I was at university so I’m not sure how much my home town perceptions affected me. It was really out of necessity – a receding hairline and frequent scalp scabs at the age of 19 is not okay!” – Rachael

A truly inspirational woman in all aspects, Rachael Twumasi, Co-founder of the product line, Afrocenchix shares her transitioning story with me. Afrocenchix is an amazing line for transitioners and naturals featuring all natural products at an amazing affordable price! (links at the end and yh you guessed it! i would be purchasing some very soon)! lool

Rachael Twumasi ( am guessing ghanaian if so eti sen? lool), co- founder of Afrocenchix, was born and raised in North London. She has recently graduated from the university of Birmingham and currently holds a Law degree!

Being the only black girl in her primary school, she often encountered questions like ‘ why does you hair move with the wind’ ( pls read that in a whiny voice for max impact) which eventually lead her to be uncomfortable with hair. Then there were the few mixed race girls around and that led to hair envy ( i can imagine!)

As I grew up, moved round and began to encounter more black people, I began to believe that relaxers and weaves were the norm.

Ok, with this in mind, did you find it any easier or more difficult to transition to natural hair?

Hmm. That’s a tricky one. When I began to transition I was at university so I’m not sure how much my home town perceptions affected me. It was really out of necessity – a receding hairline and frequent scalp scabs at the age of 19 is not okay! As my hair was pretty much always relaxed from the age of four, I found (and still find) afro hair fascinating – this made it easy to avoid the temptation to get back on the creamy crack (and oh was I tempted.)

from the age of four till university!! wow… girl i can imagine your the temptation. This goes to confirm something i have been thinking about over the past couple of days, many people think transitioning is a physical process that takes place, you know, its just your hair, you’re just transitioning to a different texture thats all! but please dont make light the situation. i have found and i think most ladies would agree with me that, a woman’s hair is her glory ( Maya Angelou ) ( had to put tht in here lool), a woman’s hair is so personal ( hence the reason why you cant touch most black girls hair lool) and to have it straight for so long then change it to a completely different texture is something that requires commitment, dedication some form of will power and the Holy Spirit! ( yes!). it is a journey of self discovery because within that one or two maybe three years a woman would transition, she would have encountered several temptations, discouragement, the feeling of ‘ugly’ lets not forget the looks and the disapproval of many including some family members. Transitioning is more than just a hair journey, its also a self discovery journey ( but ok lets get back to Rachael and her wonder-full hair)

Now the big one- why did you choose to transition? Can you remember the date? How long has it been?

Okay, so when Joycelyn (now my business partner) refused to relax my hair one day and we had a discussion about natural hair, I thought I’d try it out. This was around May 2009. I transitioned for around 6 months till around November 2009 when I chopped off all but around 2 inches of hair. So I’d say I’ve been natural for about two years now however I only began to take care of my hair properly in July 2010 – so the last year has been the most successful part of my natural hair journey.

30JUNE2010FAILEDTwistOut — so i get the picture and its called failed twist out so i had to put it in here!lol

Did you feel that making that decision was hard for you especially when most of the women around you had silky straight hair?

Yes! I had many days/weeks of feeling just plain ugly and it has taken a while to accept my natural texture. It’s been worth it – being comfortable with yourself in your raw and natural form is a beautiful feeling! Everyone should get to experience it. I have to agree with you there sista!

hair products!!!

Yep, I was a case book product junkie. Every miracle cream, hyped product and famous brand was on my dresser table. When I began to care for my hair in 2010, I decided to only use my own natural products and, hair wise, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. ( i find i got the same symptoms too!!! hands up, i confess, am a product junkie tooo….. )

She says the Afrocenchix essentials range and Dr. Organics pomegranate shampoo and conditioner( never heard of that but will be researching it soon, found at holland and barret) have helped her maintain her natural tresses. Whilst transitioning she had her hair in kinky twists to get used to the afro texture ( thts actually a good idea) and went through a serial weave wearer phrase ( now if you dont know what that means, you can ask her lool, i dont know but am pretty sure it is what i think it is and no am not going to tell you )

the products she recommends and uses

ok i find that the kinky curly product line is used a lot, recommended and used by many.. hmmmm

also her own range of product she makes and uses! introducing, to the slimtingz blog, Afrocenchix( you are advised to read that in a loud voice)

Would you advice any women to go natural? And why?

Yes! For the health and self image benefits I think natural hair is for EVERYONE.

36SEP2010TenMonthspostBC (1) — 10 months post BC… still hot and rocking!

And finally what the best piece of advice you would give to a woman who has just decided to go natural?

Do your research. Read up about products, regimes, styles and hairdressers and take advantage of the wealthy of blogs, youtube channels and facebook pages dedicated to natural hair and you will soon love your hair as you find it easier and easier to tame.

ok folks you heard it here first! Rachael Twumasi is the latest fab woman to be added to our everyday inspiration series. From her journey she was able to bring out a new hair care line, which goes to show transitioning is not just a hair jounery! Smart, beautiful ( ghanaian) lool and natural haired ( of course) she provides inspiration for us all. So whether you are transitioning or thinking about that, take her advice ‘ natural hair is for everyone!

her afrocenchix products can be bought at http://www.afrocenchix.com/

have a fab day guys and oh just to let you know its been 4 months for me! yayyyy….

Everyday inspiration: Naptural 85

Experienced transitioners e.g myelf or anyone pass the 6 weeks stage ( lool) or naturalistas everywhere would have certainly heard of Naptural 85. the youtube natural hair vlogger sensation! Her videos are amazing inspirational and dead easy to follow and guess what? She gives me the low down about her transitioning phase ( yes she did transition! her fab curls didnt grow over night and yes i know she makes it look as if she was born with it lool well she was loool)

“I transitioned because I hated perming my hair. I never enjoyed going to the salon to get my hair permed. The process, the smell, the time it took, how flat my hair was, the sporadic burns on my scalp… all of that annoyed me, so I decided to go natural! ” – Nap 85

Whitney White or Naptural 85 or Nap 85 as she’s better known was born in Rhode Island ( for those people who dont know where tht is, no its not here in the UK its in the US lool) and moved to Massachusetts when she was about 7 years old. She’s a freelance graphic designer( so holla at her if you want your graphics designed!), a Utilities Consultant ( holla if you want your utilities consulted loool) , and of course a Natural Hair Vlogger!

She says there werent a lot of women with natural hair in Massachusetts however this did not make her transitioning any harder! infact she describes it as a ‘breeze’ ( yes theres hope for us!!!). So how did she transition? in her own words she says;

“Oh, transitioning was a breeze! Lol, I didn’t do anything but put my hair in braids and go about my business! I transitioned with long extension braids that my mother re-braided every month. It was a lot of fun for me and really easy to take care of. I didn’t receive many stares because it’s common to see an African-American woman with braids, but when I took them out, yes, I noticed many eyeballs turning my way! Lol, again, where I’m from you don’t see too many natural African-American women with their hair out, nonetheless with a short “BC” cut. Either it’s relaxed or braided; if you are natural in my area however, it is common to see it “loc”ked up.”

Now the big one- why did you choose to transition? Can you remember the date? How long has it
been?

‘I transitioned because I hated perming my hair. I never enjoyed going to the salon to get my hair permed. The process, the smell, the time it took, how flat my hair was, the sporadic burns on my scalp… all of that annoyed me, so I decided to go natural! Even in college when I was relaxed, I would wear it in it’s wild, curly state; I like big hair! I transitioned around August 2008, right after my senior year of college; it’s been 3 years!’

Did you feel that making that decision was hard for you especially when most of the women around
you had silky straight hair?

‘Oh no, it was definitely an easy decision for me! I was always trying new things with my hair, cutting it, wearing it curly, etc… and I was an art student, so I was used to expressing myself freely without a care. My husband was actually the one to first point out my natural hair “curls” and how much he liked them! When it was time to get a relaxer, he’d say “..why don’t you just let it grow out…?” Soon enough, I was like, “Yeah! Why DON’T I just let it grow out!?” lol, and that was it!’

HAIR PRODUCTS……

Currently, I only use shea butter, flax seeds, water, aloe vera juice, organic hair wash, and natural oils to care for my hair. With these 6 items (ingredients) I can solve ALL of my hair care needs… naturally.

shea butter

flaxseed oil

so i google image search organic hair wash and this is what came up…..

organic hair wash lool

yh literally!!!!! you can try it…

Anyways she finds that people over-complicate things with one product for one problem ( which i find is true because whne i first started i thought i had to get so many different products for different things. but thats not the case. althought i have increased my product range because quite frankly i didnt give a toss abot my relaxed hair lool, i find tht many products are multi purpose) anyways she says you can one product for multiple things and guess what it saves money too! lool she said she did cut product consumption.

Has there been a change in your hair routines? Like the number of times you wash your hair a week,
how you protect your hair when you sleep? Protective styling? ( weaves, braids, ponytails)

There really hasn’t been a big change here! I wash my hair with a product about once every 5 weeks, and I still protect my hair with a satin bonnet at night. I don’t do much protective styling, never have and probably never will. I enjoy my hair, and I want to wear it out, lol, that’s why I grew it! The only “protective styling” I do is mini twists. I don’t do them for protection though, I do them when I either want a break from styling my hair, or if I want the feeling, or illusion, of having my hair straighter (I don’t like to straighten with heat because I don’t want to damage it).

A lot of women I have spoken to say they want to go natural but find there are hardly any products for
them. Can you recommend good hair products and if possible where to get them?

Sure! I love Terressentials Organic Hair Wash in Lavender to cleanse. You can buy it online or in one of their stores (you can check online for the listing of stores). That’s really the only product I use, the rest are ingredients you can buy from you local grocery store and online.

so i google searched terressential organic hair wash and her picture came up again!! but this time i got a proper picture of the product lool

Would you advise any women to go natural? And why?

If they wanted to go natural, of course! I don’t push my ideals on anyone, so if they like their hair relaxed, “to each their own.” I do think it’s a healthier option, of course, but it’s a personal choice for each woman.

And finally what the best piece of advice you would give to a woman who has just decided to go natural?

Do lots of research! There is so much FREE information online, so take it all in before you get started! Knowledge is power, so knowing what to do and NOT to do before getting started may save you A LOT of heartache along the way!

ok folks… Nap 85 youtube natural hair video sensation has shared her transitioning jounery with me. The whole point of this series is to show that you dont need to have a celeb stylist or a vast amount of products to transition but everyday people like nap 85, you and i can transition easily to enjoy fab curls. You heard it here first and hope you enjoy your transitioning journery!! check out my girl’s youtube channel for everything!! literally for hair products, styles and simple hair care decisions…

You can check out her hair vlogs and tutorials online at http://youtube.com/naptural85 and other random acts of naptural-ness at http://youtube.com/dearnaptural85.

have a great day guys xxx

everday inspiration- Myriam Osei

“Well I think first of all, people have the wrong misconceptions of what natural hair is….” – Myriam

I met this young beautiful lady last month at my mummy’s birthday party now as ladies we naturally started talking but it wasn’t till a couple of weeks after I found out she is a fab naturalle!! Yes! So knowing this I decided to interview for my blog and this is what she had to say….

Her name is Myriam Osei, a French born Ghanaian ( yaay just coz I am as well lol) who lives in the UK ( but sometimes runs off to France lool) and is a student. Her decision to go natural came after watching Chris Rock’s Good Hair film( and I must say I recently watched this and boy does it give you a lot of information! Oh and we both watched this film out of curiosity too lool). Now this girl is brave. She Bced!! For all of you who don’t know BC( big Chop is when you cut off all your relaxed ends to leave your natural hair underneath. She describes her transitioning journey as ‘not intention’ as she describes in her own words….

“I did not transition, well actually I did technically but not intentionally (laughs), okay, okay I will explain. So basically what happened is, one day I was watching “Good hair “featuring Chris Rock out of curiosity really, it was around midnight, something, it was late.( I had braids in actually).So as I was watching that, I got more and more interested, we got to see where certain weaves comes from, we also got to see interviews from celebs who wore weaves and were pretty confident admitting it, which made me think if they’re that confident, why are they not bold enough to show and wear their natural hair, it looked as if what black people imagined as natural hair was nappy, incredibly thick, ugly hair. But I personally did not think that. So, after watching that, I made my decision to go natural. When I took off my braids, a month after, I was still firm on being natural, but my hair it did not look natural yet, it was still a little bit relaxed. Then, I did not know what transition, big chop whatever meant, I had just made my decision of being natural and that was it, so I did not relaxed my hair, just shampooed it, and braided my hair again, 2 months after I took the braids off ,shampooed it and did another hairstyle, this one was with pick n’ drops and weave in the middle, so while I had this hairstyle I went in YouTube watching videos of people who are natural or just started being natural Etc. And that’s when I got to learn about transitioning, BC (big chop) and all these wonderful words, so a month after I took my weave/pick n’drops style out and actually realized that my hair was getting thicker, more natural now while I was touching it, which I found nice and weird at the same time, it’s as if I’ve forgotten that I hadn’t had a relaxer for five months, which made me realized that I actually transitioned technically for five months without knowing it. Basically, when I was touching the inside of my hair it was thick, felt heavy and then when I was touching the ends or seeing the ends of my hair in the mirror, it looked straight, like my hair had actually 2 different textures.

So all night I was thinking “should I cut off the relaxed perms of my hair or not??” Then I came to the conclusion, that I actually should because otherwise this thought “what could’ve been if I had actually big chopped my hair” would keep coming and plus it wasn’t as if I will get bold, because I had transitioned for five months without knowing, I thought my hair wouldn’t be very short anyway, so the next morning, I got up more exciting than ever, took the scissors and cut,cut,cut!! until I had a TWA(another word I learnt from YouTube which means tweeny weeny afro) it took me about 2 hours to cut, because when you do the Big chop by yourself, you never know if you’ve done it alright, or if the shape look even, so it’s a bit nerve-racking. But it’s worth it. I got my last relaxer in November 2010 and did the Big Chop the 10th April 2011, and how long it’s been? You lot can do the calculation yourselves hah”. ( yh so do the math for yourselves. ok incase you cant do it its been 5 months)

Hair products

Not having to relax her hair anymore meant she had to change her hair routines and hair products. The number one place she went for research on hair products? Youtube( I must admit me too!!!!) but she found Pure African Shea butter to do the trick1( I must say I have heard good reviews about this and it seems to me that in the natural world shea butter is really good! Ok. Noted). She mixes this with her usual moisturizer cream which is hazel oil and nut oil( never heard of these but noted!) her shampoo? Olive oil shampoo and leave in conditioner

Has there been a change in your hair routines? Like the number of times you wash your hair a week, how you protect your hair when you sleep? Protective styling? ( weaves, braids, ponytails)

Well, yes there are ,for example now, I braid (not tight braids) or twist my hair much more than before, before it was more weave than anything else, but now I rather like doing natural hairstyles than having weaves and things like that. I also condition, moisturize my hair more and I use a net for my hair at night..

A lot of women I have spoken to say they want to go natural but find there are hardly any products for them. Can you recommend good hair products and if possible where to get them?

I think it also depends on the texture of the hair, some products are easier to find than others depending on how the texture of the hair is in its natural state ,for me, I have an afro-like texture, so there were no point in going to the curly hair session in the shop, cos this is not how the texture of my hair is, so I think first of all that you have to really know what texture your hair is and be realistic in finding products that are good for your hair texture, there is also a lot of help you can find via the internet, YouTube videos etc.

Good hair products? I would recommend, for people who have an afro like texture, like for e.g. Lauryn Hill or Solange Knowles would be 100%Shea Butter, I mean this cream is good, and it is non-greasy, I think as a cream it works best for afro-textured hair, and it is best to mix it with a moisturizer to make it a bit smoother. You can also buy Shea butter as a shampoo, or mix it with other products, this one works for all types of natural hair texture .You can find them in your local hair shop, I’m sure, you can also buy olive oil shampoo and live-in conditioner, this is what I use and it works very well for the texture of my hair.

Would you advice any women to go natural? And why?

What I think first of all is, people have the wrong misconceptions of what natural hair is, some think that natural hair doesn’t grow, is hard to manage, nappy ,ugly all the negative. But there is not a lot of people talking about the benefits of wearing your hair natural for example, the Versatility ,when you wear your hair natural there is loads of different styles you can do like,-two-strand twists-bantu knots- -flat twist,-affro puffs Etc.

Going natural can also make your hair much healthier, whether you want it or not chemicals used after a while in your hair can damage your hair and scalp, therefore one can get a lot of breakage. And I got to say since I’ve been natural I havent had a lot of breakage at all, the amount of breakage I got in 3 months is the amount of breakage Id get in 10 days altogether with relaxed hair, no jokes. Having natural hair makes you unique and you get to be yourself, you dont have to be afraid having to pass through the rain and it also save up money hah.there is a lot of benefits being natural. But I also got to say though, that I think it is a personal choice and I also believe that as long as you DONT get a relaxer to hide your real hair texture or is ashamed of your hair texture but rather get relaxer simply cos u like how your hair looks relaxed and so on, then its okay ,but I firmly believe that everyone though, should try to at least once, not getting a relaxer for at least 3 months because this is how you would know that you are not ashamed of your real hair texture, and you would maybe get to like it- or not.

I tell you something there is a lot of people who dont know how their hair texture is until they went natural, there is a lot of girls who dont know what to expect when they go natural, I mean how their hair texture would be like and they get surprised when some see curls coming out theyre like “Oh my gosh, I never thought my natural hair would have curls in it” People shouldnt expect the worst to happen. So in overall, yeah I would advise women to go natural, I mean its wonderful, and also when you go natural, you get to notice women who are natural more in the street you are like “oh shes natural too” its as if you just want to make conversation with them, its a good feeling, it puts a smile in your face. So to sum up, yes I would advise any women to go natural but as I said it is only a personal choice.

And finally what the best piece of advice you would give to a woman who has just decided to go natural?

I’ve got 3-The three best advices I can give are :

1-Be sure that it is what you want to do and that there is no going back, and also you should not expect everybody to like it, I mean do not get into this expecting everybody to like it, because obviously they are some who are going to like and also some who would not, so you have to be sure it is what you want to do, what you like.

2-Secondly, I would also advise one who want to go natural to be confident in themselves first and not go natural to gain confidence or try to be unique,cos you are already unique in who you are, and the natural hair should just add to the uniqueness you already have.

3-.And, thirdly, embrace each part of your journey I mean enjoy every moment and do not get so caught up in wanted to see growth or get to your target length that you don’t enjoy the present of being natural, embrace each moment.

And Also, watch videos that keep inspire you you’re not alone there is a lot of women going natural too, or if you ve got friends, family that are going natural with you too, stay together and keep motivating, encouraging and enjoying this journey together, it helps.

Enjoy your Naptural Journey!

Ok folks, a young girl, blessed and ahead of her time she paves the way for other young girls( or even older like me) to take into consideration the decision to transition. She is a true inspiration to us all including the writer( me lool) and has showed me that your transitioning journey does not have to the the hard way as in sit down think about it do some serious soul searching( lool) but can come out of curiosity, be unintentional but totally love the results!!

She is fab and we are in total support of her!! #teamNatural!! Invading the UK…

For more information contact her on twitter- @AngelPeaceJoy

Thank you and Good night…xxx

everyday inspiration series- Crystal Ford ( Rochelle)

‘What does the black spectator identify with when his/her mirror image is structurally absent or present only as Other’ – Mercer, K .1996

Recommended by her cousin, Marion, to me for this series, I catch up with Rochelle aka Crystal Afro about her, her hair( of course) and stuffs.

I actually thought her name was Crystal ford lool. But clearly not. Her name is Rochelle aka Crystal Afro( and you can see why lool) and she’s 26 and a Jamaican ’with a dash of Cuban on one side (yhh blug wagan? Obviously am trying put on my Jamaican accent but I have failed so I will stick to what I know! Lool). Recently graduated community Arts Practitioner and is looking to create all sorts of arty stuffs( oooh interesting, her contact details at the end of the article).

Growing up in Balham and Wandsworth( big up she says lool) she didn’t really see a lot of women with natural hair or they may have been a few but she probably didn’t notice( lol) but looking back she can remember her Nan and aunty rocking their natural hair( good good lol). But in her primary school there was another black girl with type 3ish hair who had manageable hair( Ohhhh am sensing some envy? Back then nah I lied lool no but seriously maybe a little? Loool). Anyways in secondary school, that changed and almost everyone had relaxed hair or the next thing- weaves or braids- including her.

seeing girl wearing really bait weaves also helped me. Like when your looking at a girl on the bus and you feel bad for
them because you can see their tracks- not cool! ( why she transitioned lool)

To her, seeing other black women with natural hair encouraged her to stay natural. And the fact that she didn’t want to ‘ take the risk of any fake-ness being exposed’ ( lool I feel you on that one!!!!) her decision to transition was influenced by money( well, no comment lool), breakage, as a matter of fact it would be better to write her own words lol:

quote was by Kobena Mercer, who raised the question: What does the black spectator identify with when his/ her mirror image is structurally absent or present only as Other?”(Mercer, K. 1996)

“This question is still so important to me even now. As I did my research trying to find BlackBritish female celebrities from past decades I realized just how dangerously absent we are from the history books, and the majority of those that can be
seen are playing it straight. It was all this that made me think, “when future generation of black girls compare themselves to the black girls of our generation I want them to see how naturally beautiful their ancestors are/were. Idont want them to think they need to have straight or fake hair to be beautiful.”

Did you feel that making that decision was hard for you especially when most of the women around you had silky straight hair?

There were definitely difficult times in the early days. It’s easy to be confident about about natural hair when your in the comfort of your own home but when you’re confronted with the real world and the various social pressures it can be a lot more challenging to stay strong. Sometimes you feel like you stand out for all the wrong reasons. But I guess its important to remember that just because you’re pursuing not the same type of beauty that’s being dictated to us, it doesn’t mean that you’re not equally as beautiful.Although the first couple of weeks were difficult, if I hadn’t gone through that difficult stage I wouldn’t have learn the things I needed to know to be happy with my hair as I am now.

Hair products? Yep, yea, yes! Most definitely! Lol. A very excited Crystal I mean Rochelle.

She had to get rid of most of her hair products( like that is a problem when you’re shopping for new ones lool) as she found out they leave too much residue. But the products she has come to love? Kinky Curly knot today( I actually love the name of this, did u get the pun, knot today? No? well lets just carry on) she cant tell me how much she loves this product! Lol. But unfortunately its only sold online( links to the website at the end). She’s also loving oils- coconut oil( again), almond oil( new to me) and castor oil.. Also loving vegetable glycerine too.

Has there been a change in your hair routines? Like the number of times you wash your hair a week, how you protect your hair when you sleep? Protective styling?( weaves, braids, ponytails)

It’s all about trial and error, and when I looked back at my blog posts I realized that you’ll usually see a few tweeks in my routine as I try to find what my hair likes. Im experimenting with various deep conditioners like Keracare and Aubery Organics. My protective styles change every few weeks or so, as I learn more convenient and quick ways to style my hair. Iv changed how often I wash my hair from practically never (when I wore weaves) to 3 times a week when I first went natural to once a week and at the moment usually twice a week. I also change the times I spritz my hair. Im trying to figure out if it prefers a spritz in
the morning or the evening, but I’ve learned twice a day can be a bit much for my hair depending on what I’ve got in my spritz. Oh yea and now I try to do a co-wash once a week.

upcoming designers: CJAJ09

By SARAH FYNN

CJAJ09 is a new fashion line that incorporates the beauty of African
fabrics with the elegance of European fashion. An aspiring fashion mogul, a
style icon to many of her friends, fashion blogger and daughter, AJ Taylor, the
proud owner of CJAJ09 allows me to be her protégée for a week for this article.

Born in her homeland Ghana, West Africa, Sophie Taylor better known as Taylor
started CJAJ09 about 2 years ago. With what she described as her last amount of
‘dough’, she purchased a sewing machine that started the revolution. She is a
woman of colour who loves colour. She describes her personal sense of style as
‘ethical and colourful with a little bit of class and quirkiness’ which she
says transcends into her clothing line. Her simple motto ‘if it’s something I
won’t wear, it’s something I won’t make!’

Since its early beginnings in 2009, CJAJ09 has grown from the first dress she
made (of which she still owns), to elaborate pieces oozing with colour, to many
fashion shows and photo shoots. The journey of CJAJ09 has also been a personal
learning experience for the lady herself. In her own words she describes it as
‘a big learning curb’ something she had to learn and learn fast.

SO WHAT IS CJAJ09?

CJAJ09 is a new fashion line. Pieces that complement every shape, size and
colour that make women feel confident, sexy and sassy. It’s also heritage
clothing, something that every woman should own and should not have to break
her purse for. With pieces ranging from £15 to £25, women of every tax bracket
can afford quality handmade clothing that is tailored exclusively for her. Her
talent is displayed when you buy a piece. She cleverly combines African prints
with leather or plain material that really adds the ‘oomph’ to an outfit.
Bright blues, reds, and pinks that complement each other and the person, really
brighten up the outfit. Pieces cut in a specific way that highlights the best
features of the wearer, whatever your shape and size! Dresses cut from quality
African fabric bring out the richness of the fabric and blazers, tailored to
fit the curves of the woman, pieces from CJAJ09 scream heritage and ethnicity.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF CJAJ09?

Taylor is looking to expand the collection to include bags and shoes. In the
near future she hopes to also include menswear and childrenswear: heritage for
everyone in the family.

When asked who she would like to collaborate with, she answers with a
seriousness that strikes me, ‘any designer who shares her vision and any
designer who is up for it and can take on the task’.

Trend setter or Follower? ‘Setter definitely’. In the near future she hopes to
take her line of clothing to the fore front of fashion: New York Fashion week
after which London, Paris and Tokyo would follow.

As a woman herself, she has learnt that fashion is not just about designing a
beautiful dress or photo shoots, no matter how glamorous they are. This
‘learning curb’ as she calls it, has also taught her a lot about herself.
Reminiscing the days when she didn’t know a thing about retail to now, when she
runs her own online store www.cjaj09.webs.com
AJ Taylor is grateful for this experience.

CLOSING REMARKS

As I look back at this week, I find that it has also been a learning experience
for me. It has been a chance to sit down with a very interesting woman with a
very bright and promising future. A chance to learn about heritage and fashion
and how these two can be incorporated into our very modern lives now. AJ
Taylor, proud owner of CJAJ09, is remarkable both as a woman and designer and I
do hope after reading this, your hunger for rich heritage clothing is
stimulated.

Contact details

Twitter- @myafricancloset

Website- www.cjaj09.webs.com

Blog- myafricancloset.wordpress.com

For a taste of CJAJ09 please see below for some pictures.