"Holy Grail" Hair Day #2

Good Friday morning family!

Yes I know what you're thinking..."two post in one week...something must be up". Lol. YES SOMETHING IS UP...I had yet another "holy grail" like day with my hair this morning. Plus I was totally feeling myself as well (cue top model photo in 3 2 ----------------->).

Before I go into the toiling details of how I got this lovely style, I think today is a good lesson for all us women (natural or not...for I have diversity on my blog). You have to love yourself first before anyone else can. While others may see you as being full of yourself, now and then we need to look in the mirror and compliment ourselves. I am a firm believer that we need to speak over our lives and speak positiveness over ourselves and those we love (as well). God created us in his image....remember that.

Considering I am marking this post as my second ever "holy grail" hair day, of course I had to share with my blog family. You all are the reason I keep going with my hair....lol....no seriously. As for the routine, its the same as always. KBB's products are always used and I style once a week and utilize protective styling techniques to keep the hair moisturized and healthy in these cold months. To read about the products I use, click here and for my current routine, click here. I keep saying I am going to post my current regimen...but to be honest with you, it has changed since the above posting. I am using the same products that I've always used and I continue to sleep with a satin cap; along with be diligent in staying out of my hair on a day to day basis. Lol.

I absolutely love this clip in my head. To match it, I also purchased some dangling earrings (shown in pic) and a "blinged out" wanna ring. Family I have been trying for at least 6 months to properly install and rock this clip correctly. If I could not get the hair in the actual clip, it was lop sided, sticking out or just fall the heck out. I mean the list goes on and on with the drama I was having with this hair candy. WELL, clearly today was my day because as you will see it actually is in the right place AND so far it hasn't fallen out of my head (while in the middle of a meeting or presenting). I love the front side pull and clip look. With my type of hair (4A/B), to me its a real cute after 5 and professional look. I hope you all will think the same. Enough talk, below are the pictures. Please share your thoughts......

( I finally got that darn sparkly clip on the side of my head CORRECTLY...baby steps family..lol)


(the softer side of Silky....)

Job Hunt Hair - THE DECISION!!!!

First thanks to all who read, reflected and posted comments in on the previous post "To Straighten or Not - Weighing In". It was a difficult decision for me, but in the end I feel I made the right choice. The post did however spark some very interesting dialogue on how we as blacks view ourselves AND what is considered "the norm" in a professional setting. If you haven't done so already, please click back and read what some of the Silky Chronicles family wrote...again thanks for the love.

Below is a picture of me (in the hotel the day of the interview may I add) of how I decided to wear my hair. Please note that I have been on a serious job hunting trail this month, and chose to keep the same style for ALL INTERVIEWS/VISITS.
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
V


Soooooo....what do you all think? Personally, my hair turned out uber fabo! While I have professed in the past about the illusion of "holy grail hair"....this was definitely one of those days...if there is anything as it. Lol.

This will be my last post until after the Christmas holiday. I wish you all a blessed and happy holidays and want to encourage you to take time to tell those you love that you love them!


The orAKAle has spoken......................

"Holy Grail" Hair Day

For those who REALLY follow the Silky Chronicles, already know that I posted an entry that dismissed the whole idea of "holy grail" hair....WELL family, I have to surrender because TODAY I had some absolutely perfect and gorgeous photos of a twist out set I did.

Take a look and tell me what you think:

Hair Myths - Holy Grail & "Ethnic Hair"

Hey family! With keeping my promise of providing more information on natural hair topics, I came across a GREAT post from hair stylist and curly hair expert Tiffany Anderson. This article speaks mountains for us coily, curly and kinky sistas of all shapes and colors. Don't be fooled and stop running around sounding crazy....there is no such thing as "the holy grail" curls. Read and learn...I sure did :)

Hair Myths?

We now interrupt this blog for two small conversations that will most likely result in having lots of things thrown at me...or a collective belief that I have gone over the edge and no longer have the slightest idea what I'm talking about.

But as I've said before...I am not nor will I ever be 100% right 100% of the time. My thoughts, posts and advice are based on what I believe and observe from my professional training and my professional career as a hair stylist and curly hair specialist. If it works for someone, that's great. If it doesn't and something else works better, then that's great too. But I'm largely Italian, which means I'm always going to open my mouth when I have something to say, LOL. And there have been two topics on my mind lately I feel I need to address.

#1 - There is No Such Thing as "The Holy Grail"
Many curly girls get obsessed with finding what is known among us as "The Holy Grail" for their curls - that mythical, miraculous, one-of-a-kind, priceless treasure of a product that will give us impeccable, frizz-free, red carpet curls--the kind that always snap back into perfect ringlets even in the worst rain, hail, humidity, sleet and hurricane-force winds known to mankind.

The good Lord knows, I was on an HG quest myself for eons and there are times I still find myself falling into that trap. Even when I find a product combination that makes me look great 99% of the time, I'll catch myself thinking: sure, my curls look great...but what if I stop looking now and that one great product--that one single elixir of magical fairy tales--is just over the hill? And what if I never find it because I was happy with "second best" and I stopped looking too soon? It was enough to drive any curly girl to drink.

It was with a mixture of relief and sadness that I finally came to the conclusion--after doing hundreds and hundreds of curly heads, and studying reams of information on hair type and product ingredients--that, despite our greatest hopes and wishes, that mythical "Holy Grail"

just. doesn't. exist.

Yes, there are products that are great for our hair and will work wonders the vast majority of the time, sometimes even 99% of the time. There are products with ingredients that love our particular hair type--our texture, our porosity, our elasticity--and will make our curls look the absolute best they can possibly be.

For a time.

But ...

Hair type changes over time. Texture changes, porosity changes, elasticity changes. Weather changes. The chemical composition of your water changes. Hormones change. Medical conditions change. If there is one thing we can count on in the crazy world of curly hair, it is change. And that means no product is going to work 100% the best 100% of the time.

The same product might work almost as great, but from the bottom of my heart I do not and will never believe one single product can unfailingly give you what I call "red carpet curls"...the perfect, rockin' kind of curls that make any Hollywood A-lister turn around and think jealously, "I want HER hair." Unless you live in an environment and in a body where absolutely nothing changes, the Holy Grail will have to remain the myth it is.

Incidentally, that's why it is all the more important to understand your hair type and your environment and, subsequently, what product ingredients work the best for your particular situation. There might not be a single Holy Grail...but that doesn't mean there can't be a foundational core of products that act in tandem with each other to give you red carpet curls all the time.

#2 - There is No Such Thing as "Ethnic Hair"
Didn't see that one coming, did you?

I get a lot of questions on whether or not I know how to handle "ethnic hair" or about the special needs of ethnic hair. And I'm here to tell you there is no such thing. Hair is hair is hair. Period.

Your hair is fine, medium or coarse. Your hair is porous, overly porous, or has low porosity. Your hair has normal elasticity or low elasticity. Your hair is thin, medium or thick. It does not matter what your ethnic background is. Fine, porous, elastic, thick hair is fine, porous, elastic, thick hair whether it is on an African-American woman, a Caucasian woman, a Native American woman, an Asian woman, a Latina woman...you get the picture.

Now, you may have a genetic predisposition to have a certain type of hair based upon your ethnic background. African-American women often have much finer hair and a much tighter wave pattern than women from other ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Native American women can be so coarse and stick-straight, cutting their hair is a huge challenge because every slice of the shears can leave a visible mark. But there is no guarantee your hair will follow a certain pattern just because you belong to a particular ethnic group. I have African-American clients with loose waves and medium texture; I have white clients with coarse hair and extremely tight coils. And that's just the way it is.

That's not to say we shouldn't take pride in ourselves and where we come from, or not seek advice from others who share the same culture as we do! But by realizing that "ethnic hair" truly doesn't exist and knowing that our particular hair type is the key to taking the best care we can of our curls...we will always have those red carpet ringlets, no matter what our ethnic backgrounds.


If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to subscribe to The Silky Chronicles. To find out more information on Ms. Tiffany Anderson, check her out on her blog - Live Curly, Live Free.