Debunking natural hair myths 2

Hey my loves, let’s look at more natural hair myths that make us cringe! In part 1, we looked at the saga of natural hair growth, how weaves can potentially make your hair not natural and how colouring your hair can relax your hair lool (Not really but you get my point!). Read part 1 of debunking natural hair myths here > http://wp.me/p1uQOd-Ju

Let’s take a look at the myths we are debunking today

You can’t dye natural hair a bright colour/ it’s very difficult to achieve bright hair colours with natural hair, especially if it’s dark or black

The truth is, whether hair is natural or not, any hair that is naturally black or dark may be a bit difficult to dye, especially if you want a brighter colour. In my personal experience, when I was still learning about hair (Not just natural hair but how to take care of hair in general), I didn’t know this. I would buy hair dye and try and dye my hair or extensions and be frustrated because the colour didn’t turn out right! Until I realised in some cases you would have to ‘lift’ the hair, a few shades lighter before you can dye it the colour you like.

Needless to say, through trial and error (On my wigs, because I don’t dye my hair anymore), I found two popular brands that will dye your hair the colour you want without the lifting process aka bleaching. Although for really bright, intense colours e.g. a bright red or platinum blonde, you may have to go through the bleaching process or using peroxide to lift your hair a few shades lighter. I found that the Crème of Nature and Dark and Lovely brands are really popular among naturals and work perfectly to dye your hair ( if you guys know of anymore, kindly leave comments). I have used the latter and always recommend it when someone asks me for suggestions for hair dye. A friend of mine also swears by Crème of Nature. Take a look at my previous posts on how to achieve an ombre look with Dark and Lovely golden blonde hair:

Kenya Moore inspired hair colour >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ok

Ombre>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-e1

In terms of the dye working on natural hair, watch these videos for yourself

 

 

 

 

So after that, it’s safe to say this myth can be trashed!

Natural hair, nappy hair and the obsession with nappies

Ok now this one I completely don’t get. Let’s start with an illustration

This is a pic of natural hair

Beautiful pic of YaYA DaCosta's natural hair
Beautiful pic of Yaya DaCosta’s natural hair

 

This is a picture of a nappy

bambo-nappy

 

The two are completely different so can we stop calling natural hair something that collects waste please! No matter the origin of the word nappy for natural hair, its 2015 and we grown! I’m sure we have some common sense. Thank you

 

Men don’t find natural hair attractive

First I should say this, if a guy is not approaching you because he thinks you are not attractive because of you have natural hair then that guy is not worth your time or energy.

It’s all about personal preference, if he likes natural hair cool if he prefers weave cool, relaxed hair cool, braids cool, TWA cool, short blonde hair with blue-black tips cool. That’s his preferences and it’s got nothing to do with you. You keep remaining fly and rock your hair, after all you went natural for healthy hair not for a guy! There’s actually videos on this on YouTube, please check them out

 

That’s all for part 2 guys. Let me know what you think below, I would love to hear your thoughts on the suggestions above. What myths have you heard about natural hair that make you cringe? We will carry on our discussion a bit later on

 

Until then, have a good night

Sarah

 

 

 

Crown Pride Naturals

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Hey lovely people! It’s a hot day here in the UK, how you spending it? Whatever you’re doing, don’t forget that sunscreen (unless you’re at work like me lool) and enjoy! It will probably rain soon lool.

Any hooo, I am back with another UK based natural hair collection! It’s been a while huh?  From the results I have gotten so far from my Laika Project (Thank you for those who have taken part so far! If you haven’t already, you can take the survey here >> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1k9hvKmw3wjICTL-rFAqo3XxF29eO5l9MzJXeI1X1W8w/viewform?c=0&w=1 )it seems that most of us in the UK are not even aware of the UK brands out there that cater to us. This is where I come in. I have featured a few UK based brands that offer natural hair care products right here on my blog for you to check out! Look under the product collections tab for all of them!

Today is no different, we will be focusing on Crown Pride Naturals, a UK based company offering products for our hair texture. As always I will be showing you where to get them (because it seems that is a problem too for us) and any reviews on the products! Ready? Let’s get started

So they have a few products designed to help you from start to finish on your wash day.

crown use

Cleansers

Olive conditioning shampoo

Conditioners

Argan smoothing conditioner

Avocado detangling conditioner

Tucuma curl moisture mask

Leave in conditioners

Cream conditioning mist

Organic hair milk

Stylers and polishers

Nilotica and mango buttercream

Curl cream gel

Curl control styling puree

Shea and hemp whipped butter

Monoi hair pomade

Japanese camellia kissi oil

They also have collection packs targeting different hair problems. It’s the same products as above

Maximum hydration collection ft. the shampoo and all 3 conditioners

Smooth and repair collection

Style and polish collection ft. all the stylers in their range

They also have travel packs which have been divided into two types: Rich for thicker and tighter curls or Light for wavy or looser curls. Both packs contain 3 or 4 stylers. I actually think this is excellent value for money as you get to try out some products before fully investing into a bigger size!

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Rich travel pack

Reviews, I have been able to find one video on the avocado detangling conditioner. I have also contacted them to see if they can provide any products for a review, if they do or whatever the case I will let you know! Make sure you are following me on my Instagram or twitter; they are probably the best places to find out!

 

 

So the price point: it’s very affordable and won’t cost you an arm and a leg lol. You can purchase their full collection online on their website >> http://crownpride.co.uk/Store/index.php?route=common/home , you can also purchase on British Curlies >>http://shop.britishcurlies.co.uk/categories/Crown-Pride/

That’s all folks! I hope you enjoyed this post. I am really on a mission to find as many UK based natural hair collections as possible and let you guys know about them! I am also transitioning to only UK based hair products Enjoy the rest of the day and if you have already do take part in my survey; I need as many responses as possible!

Until next time

Love

Sarah

 

LoveShea 1st impressions

Hey lovely people, how’s everyone doing. This post will be the 1st impressions of the LoveShea whipped shea butter I received from LoveShea. LoveShea is a UK based natural products that offers natural skincare and body care products. I featured them in my product series, check that post out for their full product collection> http://wp.me/s1uQOd-loveshea

I received the whipped shea butter in Keylime pie and Bakewell tart scents/version/flavours lol. This is can be used on both hair and skin.

IMG_20150810_193255

I love this! The keylime pie smells sooooo good like. I really like how it feels on my skin. My skin loves shea butter! So this worked perfectly to soften and moisturise. If you love citrusy/lemonys scents then you will love this. When I used it on my hair it made it really soft and the same for my skin too.  The bakewell tart worked the same too and smells like cherries.

you can see how much i used! I used more than half and I love that I can recycle the glass jars!
you can see how much i used! I used more than half and I love that I can recycle the glass jars!

This stuff smells so good guys, if you could smell them through the screen you would understand how I feel. If you are in search for some scented whipped shea butter look no further. I recommend the keylime pie scent, you will love it!

They also have some body scrubs and black soap too. Check them out, http://www.loveshea.co.uk/products

Kora Naturals

Hey my loves

Here is another natural UK based product collection worth thinking about.

Kora naturals provide handmade natural skincare products with Shea butter. They provide both skincare and hair care goodies, so let’s jump straight into the collections

 

kooSkincare

  1. Unrefined pure Shea butter
  2. Virgin coconut oil
  3. Coconut and Shea whipped body butter
  4. Lip balm

Hair care

  1. Luscious locks Shea hair butter
  2. Dry hair and scalp treatment balm
  3. Shea hair oil
  4. Hair serum
  5. Conditioning Shea shampoo

If you love Shea butter, I think by now it’s safe to say every natural does lol, it’s worth having a look. I may be working with this company soon and hopefully I can bring you a review shortly after. The products are reasonable priced and in the UK! No more waiting for products from the US!

They also have an exciting bunch of new products soon such as green tea and Shea scrub (hmm) and more butters ( I know we love we different scents!), keep an eye out for those!

For more information or to make a purchase, please visit their website>> http://kora-naturals.co.uk/

Keep up to date with me on all my social media, you will find the links on the right hand side of this page so you don’t miss out of updates from Kora Naturals or other products I buy!

Until next time

Ciao!

Love

Sarah

 

ORS Curls Unleashed

Hey beaus

So carrying on with our ORS mini-series. Today’s post will be on their curls unleashed range. Created for naturalists with natural ingredients e.g. safflower oil, sweet almond oil and Shea butter and without mineral oil, sulfates and SD alcohol.  They say it’s also suitable for curly, kinky and wavy hair.

unleashed

The full product collection:

  1. Take command curl defining crème
  2. Set it off curl boosting jelly
  3. Second chance curl reviver
  4. Let it flow shine and define mousse
  5. No boundaries leave in conditioner
  6. Lavish in lather sulfate free shampoo
  7. No restrictions moisturising conditioner

So everything you need to cleanse condition and style your hair really. But is it worth it? Let’s check out some reviews

 

What’s your verdict?

Here in the UK you can purchase the full curls unleashed collection online on pakscomestics>> http://www.pakcosmetics.com/brand/namaste-labs/organic-root-stimulator/Page-1 or in store in any Paks store. I think most BSS have it as well.

That’s all folks. I hope this post helped you decide if the curls unleashed line is good for you. Let me know your thoughts on this below.

Until next time

Love

Sarah

Event: Curlvolution presents Curl Talk and Cocktails

1208331_1651858801717577_1068093668_n

Hey guys, another event worth noting. If you remember the Curlvolution event in May, event cover can be read here>> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ti . You remember it was really good day with great people and great vibes! Do you still remember the mantra? I’m beautiful, I’m smart and I am good to go (or something of the sort lol)

Well Curlvolution is doing it again. This time it’s a whole new level, check out the details below

What?

Curl talk and cocktails presented by Curlvolution. Come and enjoy some canapés, mingle, giveaways and a fab time!

Where?

Madison roof top terrace (This place is amazing, the views are so beautiful)

Madison Roof Terrace
1 New Change
EC4M 9AD London
United Kingdom

When?

Saturday 15th august 2015, 12pm to 4pm (I slightly wish this was a later time, I have a feeling I will be working lol)

Tickets- as always register on Eventbrite, there is a luxury goody bag for the 1st 30 people! You know Curlvolution don’t play with their goody bags! £15 plus £1.55 fee. Early bird tickets where were FREE are sold out!  Link >> http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/curlvolution-curltalk-cocktails-tickets-17682828817?aff=erelexporg

Be there! #curlvolutioncurltalk I really wish I can go, I am debating if I should get the day off or swap shifts lol, I know by then I would be needing a break, anyway we will see lool

By the way, early bird tickets for Curlvolution 2016 are OUT. AND THEY ARE £10 POUNDS ONLY SAY WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT? LINK > http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/curlvolution-natural-hair-beauty-show-2016-tickets-17124007367?aff=es2

I GOT YOU GUYS.

Until next time

Love

Sarah

MON SHEA FULL REVIEW

20150624_125006

Hey guys! I hope you guys are doing well. As the title suggests this post will be the full review on the products I received from Mon Shea last month. If you haven’t already check out my first impressions of the products >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ys

Let’s get straight to it!

So I chose to review the Pure Shea soap and the shea oil. I used the soap to wash my hair and I must say I LOVED IT! It lathers really well and mean really well! I use it ONCE! NO need for a second lather. It doesn’t strip my hair, infact I feel my hair clumping as soon as I apply it on my hair. Once is enough to cleanse the scalp and hair. I love the ease of use of this shampoo bar, wash day has never been quicker! It can also be used as a body soap but I haven’t used it for that purpose yet. It smells like normal soap actually if you’re from Ghana and you can remember the smell of key soap or duck soap or ameen soap LOL it kinda reminds me of that. If you’re not from Ghana, it smells like regular soap LOL

sheaso

Shea oil. I have used this for my body and not my hair yet. I LOVE the way it leaves my skin leaving- silky soft. I am DEFINATLEY purchasing this once it’s finished! It absorbs quickly and doesn’t sit on top of your skin. It’s also very good for dry/cracked heels. And leaves a lovely glow. I remember I used it on my legs when I wore a skirt out. I applied it in the morning, around 7am and at 3pm I did the scratch test LOL. Wait Sarah what? Ok every black person has done the scratch test without realising it lol. You know when you want to test if your skin is dry or not, you scratch it lol, if you get a white line you need some cream if not you’re good to go LOL ( now tell me you never done that before?) anyway at 3pm I decided to do the test and nope! No white mark!  It’s so easy to use and spread. I also like the smell, I mean it smells of shea butter and I like how shea butter smells on my skin. I will definitely recommend this! Especially in the summer when you don’t want heavy creams etc sitting on your skin! I’m trying to use this for my hair but guys I just love it for my skin so much!

83e893e74c-

Verdict- its two thumbs up from me! I love the multi of these products. I definitely will recommend you try them out. I have been using the oil in combo with my African black soap and my skin has never looked better!  Once again I used the pure shea oil and soap from Mon Shea. Check out their website for the full range of products >> http://www.monsheabutter.co.uk/

That’s all folks. I hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. Also keep up to date with me on my social media so don’t miss any of my shenanigans lol.

Until next time

Love

Sarah

FIRST ARTICLE ON BCBA!

BCBA-Website-homepage

 

Hey guys! hope everyone is doing great!

I woke up( like 10 minutes ago lol) to great news! if you follow me on Instagram which you should lol, you would know I am now part of the BCBA- British Curlies Bloggers Association. I love the British Curlies website so much, its heaven for product junkies like me! And it was my go to place when I first went natural, so I had to get involved with this programme!

Anywoooo, my first article on homemade goodness is now live on the website, if you want to know what that is all about, go take a look and let me know your thoughts!

Link>> http://www.britishcurlies.co.uk/2015/07/homemade-goodness/

All my social links are under the social tab on the right side of the page! Make sure you subscribe to my blog for more natural hair information and other shenanigans! Also check out the sale whilst you are there

Until next time

Love

Sarah

Event: CFYH Brunch

CFYH-Brunch-v4

 

Another event worth noting

Hey family, I hope everyone is enjoying this heatwave in the UK! It won’t last for long though and our summer will be over lol. So I am back with another event for your diaries, calendars, iCloud, and Google and whatever way you remind yourself of events lol. If you are in the natural hair gang (And I am assuming you are because you read this blog lol) you know Pelumi from CFYH or you know about the blog. I met her at Curlvolution 2015 (event cover >> http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ti ) and she’s really sweet and friendly. Anyway someone tagged me in a post of her natural hair event and you know I had to do my part to spread the word! So if you haven’t heard already, here are the details:

What?

CFYH intimate brunch discussing topics such as natural hair insecurities, Q&A sessions etc. Guests will receive full size goody bags!!!!

Where?

Hush Brasserie

Holborn

95-97 High Holborn, Camden, London, WC1V 6LF

When

Saturday 8th August 2015 from 11AM

Tickets?

You can purchase tickets on Eventbrite. Ticket sales will end on the 6th of August. £30.00 plus a £2.45 fee.

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/brunch-with-care-for-your-hair-tickets-17551872122

That’s all folks! I had to do this quickly and make sure you guys are updated with this event! For more information, visit the CFYH blog > http://www.cfyh.co.uk/2015/06/30/brunch-with-care-for-your-hair/

Let me know if you are going and what you will be wearing through my social media (All the links are underneath the social tab). I always get confused with ‘smart casual,’ honestly who invented that? Lol

Until next time

Love

Sarah

Inspire: Natural Hair Events UK

seriously waiting for stage 4!
seriously waiting for stage 4!

Checks Instagram feed:

10,00000 plus natural hair events! *starts thinking of outfits to wear* Where- USA? *so maybe I can’t wear that lipstick after all* Lol ok so maybe 10,00000 is an exaggeration, but I have noticed a lot more going on in the natural hair community overseas than here in the UK! This is why I have really enjoyed going to all these Natural Hair events here in the UK and blogging about them. I am really happy with the progress UK naturalistas have made over the years and I know there is more to come!

I first went natural in 2011. I transitioned for 5 months I think and BC in December that year! back then I didn’t hear of any events that were happening here in the UK and even though it didn’t frustrate me then or I didn’t care about it so much then, now I am very interested in these types of shows and would love to see a lot more happening right here in the UK!

Why the sudden interest?

I believe natural hair is more accepted now than before and is less of a ‘trend’ now. What these shows are doing are providing an opportunity to go and see live product demos ( I have lost count of the amount of companies that now have natural hair care lines, its great but sometimes you need to see it in action), shop till you drop and ask as many questions as you would like IN PERSON! For seasoned naturals, it’s an opportunity to network, take advantage of the amazing offers on the day (you just need to go and see! Lol) and even learn something new (I never seen so many different hairstyles in one room, I always come home and try some). For newly naturals or transitioners (Is that a word yet lol) it’s a fantastic chance to learn about new products and techniques and ask questions to the professionals themselves. It’s one thing to watch YouTube and it’s another thing to actually ask the professional about their products. Also it’s a great chance of business owners to interact with their customers and even produce new products just by listening to concerns etc. it’s honestly a win- win for everyone!

MORE MORE MORE!

Of course everyone prefers quality over quantity but I still believe there is a lot more room for more natural hair events here in the UK ( I truly appreciate the hardwork and effort that goes into planning these events).

IMPROVEMENTS

I would like to see A LOT more UK brands been represented at these shows as well. I’m honestly going to say I don’t buy as much UK brands like I should (does that make me a hypocrite?). It is so easy to pick up a product and not even realise it’s a US/restofworldbasicallyChina brand (lol). But I’m trying. Anyway I love what UnitedKurls are doing. (Check out their website for more information – http://www.unitedkurls.com/). In the simplest form it is a collection of UK based brands (if you were wondering where to find them- tadahhhhhhhh)

Also card payments/PayPal payments! Could this be impossible? This will be so BENEFICIAL to the attendants if most/all vendors could accept card payments. So far out of the 3 shows I have been too, I think only 3 accepted card payments and even with that it was at one show LOL. It’s just a pain to have to leave in search of a cash point when you get to a show (and somehow they are nowhere to be found lol) and somehow people forget to take out money. But if this can be done, please do so.

Refreshments. With this I can understand if it can’t be done- hotel/venue policies, food safety, health and safety etc etc etc. let me just leave this here (but maybe vending machines? I’m rolling in the deep here lol)

CONCLUSION

It’s simple: I LOVE where the UK is going in terms of natural hair events and we need more. Ticket prices seem good as well. Links to the shows I have been to will be below

Now I want to hear your thoughts. Have you been to a natural hair event in the UK? How was it? And what can be done to improve it? What would you like to see?

Make sure you subscribe to my blog and I will do my best to keep you updated with shows I hear off. Also connect with me on twitter, Instagram and YouTube to check out previous shows I have been to and listen to me rave about stuff lol

Twitter- slimtings1

Instagram- SarahFynn

YouTube- Sarah Fynn (It’s a work in progress! Support by subscribing)

That’s all folks. I’m just sitting here, looking for inspiration for something to write about and I got this. Please bear with me- I am still editing videos from the WITJ event and that’s why my event cover is not up yet. I would like to add the video links that’s why but best believe its waiting in my drafts lol soon come honey! I swear uploading videos on YouTube take forever!

Curlvoluton2015 event- http://wp.me/p1uQOd-ti

NaturalHairWeek2015 event- http://wp.me/p1uQOd-sZ

I hope everyone has a great day and week!

Love

Sarah