Style sNaps: Summer in the City (Boston 2012 edition)

For awhile, I just didn't notice. I didn't realize that the impact had reached my city. I failed to recognize that the natural hair movement (trend? phenomenon?) had made waves (see what I did there?) in Boston. It really only hit me earlier this summer at the Shake the City rally (a peace rally organized in the wake of the brutal fatal shooting of three young women here in Boston). As I walked around Franklin Field taking pictures, I found myself distracted from my sober and serious surroundings by sistas all around me rockin' fly styles. Who were these women? Where had they all come from? Had I been asleep only to wake up to an invasion of naturals? Again, at the Caribbean carnival in Cambridge, I was struck by the array of natural styles in the streets. As I snapped more pictures, I decided this level of loveliness should be shared. Thus, Style sNaps was born. From time to time, I'll share natural hair street style pics so that we all may be inspired by the flyness of others.

Carnival queens

Lovely lengthy locs

Natural rainbow

Masterfully mature

Tone and texture

Pretty in pink

Twist and puff

Viewing the variety

I didn't know whether to admire her locs or her abs.

So, that's it for the inaugural edition of Style sNaps. Let me know what you think and if you too have noticed an increase in the natural population in your area.

All photos copyright 2012 © Nuri Chandler-Smith. These images are NOT to be used or reproduced unless written permission has been given. To request permission please email: beantownbrown617@gmail.com

Blow Out lazyness FAIL

After discussing, at length, how lazy we have become (Nuri and I) thus introducing the buff™™, I decided to investigate a bit.  Nuri sent me a video a few weeks ago of a woman who accomplished like 5 styles in 10 minutes.  I feel like although she is doing something with her hair, its a form of successful "less is moreness" to come across looking like a "hair artist" in only a few minutes.


But what she has, that I never do, is a blow out.  This makes it so she can part her hair with her fingers, and manipulate it pretty easily.  No-can-do with curls/kinks.  I certainly don't want to tear any hair out, nor continuously slather it down for slip.

So I said to myself, in a moment of boredom and a clear schedule at home, what if I blow MY hair out?
As many times as I have done this and regretted it immediately, I still thought this a good idea...

And as usual, I'm like WHY did I do this..... (look at the progress of my facial expressions!)
My hair is so darn fluffy.  It's not a texture that makes for ease of anything.  but parting. then my ends are mostly blunt, so twists don't stay, flyaways poke out from everywhere.

I figured I'd better start posting these pictures, and what the heck I'm doing with it now. Because I'm taking a lot of picts and having to be very creative.  Lazyness FAIL!

Stay tuned for some of the styles I'll post in a few days or follow me on Twitter @nisus or Instagram @niathebee for real time updates.

Instagrambi

I've been having a good ole time on Instagram lately! Add me- @justhairblog

Here are a bunch of the images I've been posting there, since not all make it here on the blog! Leave a comment below and I'll follow you back.

http://instagram.com/p/W23sfZJzVv/

I need a trim!

It's funny- the little knots seem to crop up exactly after 8 weeks.  It's been almost 12. I used to ignore them and try to prevent them but ever since I have been trimming often- since last fall- they are gone, until they are back. I don't just live with them any more as in long hair days past.

I have to decide if I want to press to trim.  I really only want to take 1/4 inch off, and my shape is good, so cutting wet may not work any more. BUT I just colored a few weeks ago so I dunno how I feel about pressing, even though the last two times I escaped unscathed.  You never know with pressing! My confidence has increased due to my new iron that has a heat setting I can see and set to 320. And my discovery of beeswax as my pressing and maintenance aid has been priceless. If I do press it will be in the next few days.  If I trim curly I'll wait until the weekend.

Meanwhile I went camping last weekend and had a great time with some friends and my brother. I just wore a head wrap the whole time to keep any of the various (and numerous!) bugs from making a new home on my head.  I got bit up on my hands and one leg though :-(

  I also went out a few times over the past few weeks.  Here's what I wore one day. I thought I was so very clever. It's a skirt from H&M and a shirt from JCPenny  :-)

All Black Everything

We went to a fabulous and fun all black party this weekend.

Check us out- looking fly, if I do say so myself  :-P  Friends for ~13 yrs. All natural :-)

How the cars get in the buildings! (and glowing hair)

I know this has nothing to do with anything but I have ALWAYS wondered about this - inspected doorways and pontificated on this phenomenon. lol.  I'm a nerd, I know...


And for the sake of saying something, anything, about my hair... I was driving home from work the other day with the sunroof open and was getting the glowing hair phenomenon and took these shots.  This was a true wash and go using only some curl cream (didn't like- had some left) I had from Garnier I believe.  Not raked through- just scrunched in. Loving this color!

The Color is...

You've got to be seen green
To show that your stuff's layed
If you're not seen green
You better be wearing jade


Oh, you've got to be seen green
Don't tell them your cupboard's bare
That you gave up one week's feed
To pay for your colored hair
Oh, oh, oh


AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE GREAT POWERFUL OZ:


I thought it over and green is dead
'Till I change my mind, the color is red

 :-) You know where that's from?

So here are some picts of my color. It came out perfectly, finally, after all this time, the reddish orange I had been looking for is MINE! It was hard to get as I detailed here, but I think it will grow out nicely given the strategic placement I did lol

Here is how I have been wearing my hair over the past week and some color shots in the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you see in some of the pictures it still looks dark (not very noticeable) but in the right light it really glows with the orange color.  It's the perfect balance of light and dark if you ask me :-) I'm very happy with it.  I hope it grows out well because I have no idea how I will duplicate this color when I need to re-up, in say 6 months.  I didn't color all the way down to my roots, except in a few hidden places, so it already looks like I've had it in a while. I hope that buys me some time.

I have also been killing the high puff and bang, a deviation from the bun and bang. Its so easy to re-do in the morning because once the back and sides get stretched initially they go up in a snap each time after. I've been using some old Garnier Fructis Style Styling Glue, Survivor Tough it Out to keep the flyaways up in back- that stuff lasts ALL DAY!  It dries super hard and really controls the friz that tries to come down. I got it to try mixing in with aloe vera and/or flaxseed gel to give it some extra hold, but those experiments have failed. So here it is reincarnated.

Styled twists with a pinwheel bang.

hey ya'll.  I twisted my hair up this past Friday evening.  I twisted it dry but used KMF gel as I went, which resulted in some very thin and smooth twists- which I don't like.  What do you know.  They were super elongated and stringy so I put them on flexi rods for the night, but the next day I still wasn't feeling it.  So I came up with this for Sat and have been wearing variations ever since.

They are all just pinned to one side and left to fall as they may.  The front I pinned and tucked into a pinwheel shape.

 Then this week at work it turned into this as more of the twists got uber straight and wanted to unravel.  The curls also fell the rest of the way out of most of them.  That KMF gel is very wierd.  it really changes my hair to a different texture.  bueno for loose hair, not so good for twists.  Here is a twist taken loose- it looks like I did it on pressed hair or something.

So I have been wearing it like this, which I have rather enjoyed!! Its in a "selective ponytail" to one side.  a few twists have been freed to hang longer that the rest.

 I was feeling my outfit too so here it is! lol.  Nine West boots, Forever 21 jeans, OldNavy blouse and sweater. AND 65 degrees outside yesterday and today in DC!

Fluffy hair follow up

Remember this post about bigger hair?
So the first pic kinda accurately projects how it feels 2-3 days later :-(
And the rest convey how it looks.

SO I ended up putting it in a puff after the very first day.  It felt DRY and tangled and I did not feel I could wear it down without risking a lot of single strand knots and snags.

Today I wore it like this because even the puff was rubbing my shoulders and I worried about my ends.  It looks ok but the cream of nature leave in is not so much a leave in as it is a sealant.  Great shine, but that's it.  Like for relaxed hair.

But look at my little curlies :-) I love them so. I just have to protect them and this product combo is not the way!

Rebooting with a co-wash tonight!