Hair – Page 2 – Sometimes Yaya

Curls are so IN

Look y’all. I would be hard pressed to ever tell you that curly is not the way to go. Curly is Yaya all the way. When I was little, I used to cry because my hair was such a problem. I wasn’t savvy yet to the benefits of hair oil and sprays and such. I went completely natural with my hair and the frizz was tease factor number one. It was cute until the end of kindergarten and then it was back to reality. My grandfather (yes you read right) was the genius behind giving me pigtail braids that would last through any of my toss and turning dreams and still look neat for school. Whenever my mom or grandma offered to make my braids I would refuse. They were too soft with their hand and my braids would fall apart. How I longed to have sleek straight hair and maybe even bangs (another toddler horror story for another day). But my mom didn’t let up. She said if I didn’t like my hair the way it was, that she could easily shave it all off. Now look. No one could strike fear in my heart like my mama. She knew just the words. Soon as I transitioned into high school, my knowledge bank began to expand with hairsprays and leave in conditioners. Though I can’t say I haven’t suffered any epic hair fails after my learning sprees, I can say that I couldn’t love my curls any more than I have since those learning days.

Image Credit: Style.com

That’s the story of my hair. The story of fashion week? Let’s start with the invites. Once the season starts, to get an invite in the mail is of the highest level of excitement. It’s like Secret Santa at Christmas mixed with a surprise birthday party. You want it to happen. You want someone to think you’re special, but you just sit and wait. Then it comes. You ooh and ahh even if it’s terrible, because the experience can never be terrible. Right? Imagine my surprise party when I opened my invite for the Ports 1961 show. A small calendar just for fashion week, with a packet of seeds was in the mail. The date of the show was written in on the specified day in the calendar. As famous as they are for fancy invites, they didn’t fail this season.

You wouldn’t be surprised then, that no hail, sleet, or snow could stop me from attending the show. I was late, yes. I wrongly thought that I would be able to get from point A to point B and wherever else I wanted on the alphabet path during the first days of fashion week, to find that my little legs and public transportation didn’t agree. So I got to stand on my tippy toes to watch the show, with nary a backstage detail on the beauty or hair. The silver lining on my depressing cloud? Not a single thing could dampen my day once I saw the models. The models were rocking big CURLY hair. I took pictures and phoned home that the show’s hairstyle was what Yaya looks like in the mornings. Hello 80s? How nice of you to bring the hair back.

I met with the head stylist for hair for the show later on in my fashion week adventures (oh wait, did you doubt me?), and he said the Ports 1961 was a fun recreation of a big 70’s perm. He said 70’s but I couldn’t get the 80’s out of my mind. Any 70’s hair experts out there? I’ll research this and get back to ya.

The music at the show was a definite plus to me. Sometimes the runways turn into an excuse to run similar sounding techno back to back and ruins the experience. The collection had a vibe of Amelia Earhart going through the desert during the day and attending an Arabian Nights party. The makeup was soft, the hair was big, and the colors of the garments were in tune with all things fall and winter, with sultry sapphire and gold tones amongst others. According to the designer, the theme was the nature vs. technology, and you can definitely see it reflect in the fit and drape of the clothes. Check out all the looks from the show at my go to site for fashion week (outside of MyOwnJudge.net!) at Style.com.

Line up of models for the show

Do you feel big hair is back in? Reawaken the curl fiend in you!

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Bah Humbug Frizz!

The weather outside is frightful the songs blare. Well… I don’t know about that. If you wear enough layers, you can keep your fears at bay. But our skin and hair are always victims of drastic weather changes.

What to do? I’m a big fan of using every hair product on every shelf until you find the one that’s right for you, but I never go too far from my Organic Root Stimulator Anti Frizz Olive Oil Glossing Polisher from Walgreen’s (I buy one for every house I stay in – i.e. mom’s, aunt’s, etc.). It adds a soft sheen without a crunchy texture & doesn’t dry my hair out. Plus it has this faint fresh smell. It’s good for straightened, frizzy, freshly washed, etc. hair.

But enough about me, let’s hear more about me, lol! Miss Yaya has a guest editorial about winterproofing your curls on the curlytop fave NaturallyCurly.com. Be a dear and check out the article here. Even if your curls come courtesy of a hot iron, a braid, or even a dream – you might enjoy the read (and even pick up a tip or two)!

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Hydroveil Hair Show

The first time that I mentioned Hydroveil, I was posting a review of their hair oil that continues to work wonders for my scalp. I made promises to post images and gossip from the event, and I am coming through!

As you might have read through Twitter, this was an event I was not used to at all. Anyone seen Good Hair or been to the hair show in hotlanta? This show harkened back to their commotion and excitement, but on a smaller scale (I don’t think the original size can be duplicated at all). The air was full of dancers, Hydroveil hair spray, and scissors galore.

Check out all the photos and contest details after the jump!
Remember that all images are clickable for detail.

There were several competitions for the event. They stylists competing had to stick to a ‘go green’ theme. Hairstylists chose to promote being green from eyeshadow to making costumes out of recyclable materials. There was an everyday hair style contest, a performer contest, and an avant-gardeish contest.

Can you guess who this fella is? Send me a twitter reply that goes something like this: “Hey @myownjudge, I know who that stylist is from the @hydroveil show. His name is ______” to win yourself a hair and scalp mist! (must be a follower) First three to respond correctly will win.
peep the heels, even I wasn’t as bold

lovin’ the eyeshadow? I was!

the blurry left image was my attempt to show how dark it was and on the right you can see the stylists and their fans holding up phones for light!

these are some of the avant-garde designs. There were a lot less stylists for this competition

my favorite was the Poison Ivy do

Which hairdos were dos and which were don’ts? Any favorites for you? Let me know!

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Hydroveil Hair Oil

For years I was told that to have long hair, I needed to take care of the split ends, and dry tips of my hair. With my frizztacular curly head, I never questioned the advice because every time I got a trim, my hair was back to its bouncy and yaya lovin’ self. But then winter came and I saw flakes.

Winter snowflakes? Nope. Winter scalp flakes. It probably sounds disgusting in writing, but there’s nothing more frustrating than a desire to claw your scalp to pieces every five minutes and the snowstorm to follow. I didn’t realize that all my painstaking methods of haircare weren’t bulletproof. I thought I was finally educated, but you learn something new every day.

My scalp was a dry mess. Every time I deep conditioned my hair, my scalp was sitting in a corner (kind of) wondering ‘what about me?’ I even thought using Olive Oil in my hair would alleviate the problem, but the leaves fell and so did my assumptions. Your scalp needs attention all its own.

After attending the Hydroveil ‘Ultimate Hair Show‘ this month, I have been blessed with a solution to my scalp worries. Have you heard of their Scalp Soothing Hair Growth Oil? Amidst the hairstyles and scissors in the air, there were product giveaways, and yours truly was front and center. Both the images and extra goodies for MOJ readers will be coming soon, but the review had to be first.

I have only used the oil twice you guys. That’s how good it is.

First, I tried to use the oil without washing my hair (or in between washes, rather). The oil soothed the scalp as promised, but the next day I was itchin to scalp myself again. When I have a dry scalp, I like to do hot oil treatments as soon as possible, but I don’t have the time or funds to do that on a regular basis as if it was a shampoo time, so I decided to shampoo and condition as usual and right before styling my hair, I squeezed the oil onto my scalp. I must be a stinkin’ genius. This is the best method I have seen so far, if only because:

easier to manipulate nozzle onto scalp when hair is moist. You get to cover much more scalp and rub it in without messing up style.
rather than addressing an emergency, you are post shower and your scalp is conditioned. Using the oil becomes a preventative measure good enough to last until your next wash.

After the first wash and oil application, I had no urge to scratch my scalp. This is key to eliminating dandruff. First you don’t scratch, and second you make sure your scalp is moisturized. Lest you forget, your scalp is part of your skin! The smell of the oil is a little herby, but it is not overpowering, and goes away after the first day (or first spritz of perfume if you’re like me).

As with many companies, Hydroveil is already on the social media wagon and is present in the blog world as well as Twitter. The products are mostly sold at beauty supple stores- find out where you can purchase with the store locator. Make sure to check their events page as well so that you can make it to their next gathering!

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Really – It’s all Good…

As y’all take a peek at the calendar date and the last time I posted, I’m sure many are sitting there giving me a side eye. Almost a week y’all. That’s how long I took time off from blogging and even scheduling any posts because I felt like first thing’s first. No internet for me.

I spent the days enjoying my birthday week (as I like to call it) meeting with people and sometimes just napping the day away. Maybe it’s that I was tired, but really – I was trying to catch back up to the things in life you can never get back. Time with friends, enjoying the moments as they come, and letting your body do what’s natural.

Now, I’m also a junkie for events and places that are all about expanding my box of memories and my mind. I’ll always look for new places to go and check out, and this week was no different.

As part of the UrbanWorld Film Festival in New York City, I got to see the premiere of Good Hair (and Mississippi Damned – but that’s another story). I loved it to strands [ 🙂 ] just so you know.

The movie comes out October 9, 2009 in select theaters and on October 23, 2009 nationally. I can’t recommend this movie to everyone enough.

Chris Rock did a great job addressing hair and more specifically “bad vs. good hair” and how a lot of people viewed it. Most of the world views the “European” straight and sleek look as the constant optimum.

While I am the first person to say do what makes you feel good, I would love to see more people embracing their natural them and realize that good hair only means “well taken care of.” Bad hair to me is the same as bad skin, or bad anything really- if it’s left alone, uncared for, & unaddressed, what do you expect?

What do you consider good hair?

Check out the trailer below, and the movie when it comes out for yourself!

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Magazine Weekend – Ladies’ Home Journal August ’09

Happy Saturday!

Magazine Weekend is fully underway!

The clip for today is from Ladies’ Home Journal magazine for August 09. I loved this issue and especially the Julie & Julia cover – don’t they look related?!

The article I found most interesting was about taking care of your hair in this weather. Recently a lot of people have been paying closer attention to hair management and maintenance as compared to a high focus on color and change (unless you plan to shave your head – ‘cuz that’s a trend too).

If you like this tidbit as much as I did – get yourself a magazine!

and don’t forget to check out their website either! They have a cool outfit planner tool that I’m sure you’ll enjoy while at ::ahem:: work.

Shoot me an e-mail to MyOwnJudge@gmail.com if you would like me to explore other/have topics and/or magazines, or for general opinions of what’s in magazine weekend.

Talk It Out Tuesday! Hair!

From NaturallyCurly.com: “We asked our CurlTalkers for their biggest concerns about your curls and kinks, and they told us. The answers covered a wide range of topics, from self-image issues to finding a good stylist. Here are the ones that rose to the top of the list“

2. Finding a stylist who understands how to work with curls.

“Finding a stylist who knows how to deal with curly hair without making their curly client look like a mushoom when done. (nightmare process! I just went 6 years without a professional cut!),” said CurlyCassieRo.

4. Unpredictability.

“With the same routine every single day for 30 days, I can have 20 different heads of hair in a month, and maybe only half of them are good, if I’m lucky,” says PrettyPorcupine. “I know you’re just supposed to ‘embrace’ its “unique” personality and be all “free and easy,” but let’s face it. That is just not realistic when you have to look decent for work every day, want to be sure you look good on a date or for a special event, or because you just are so fricking tired of not knowing how the hell your hair is going to look at any given time.”

5. Acceptance of curls in society and in the workplace..

“Every time I pick up a magazine or see a segment on a TV show about “how to manage your curls,” the answer is always to straighten them! It’s insulting,”says Tinah. “The mainstream media pushes straight hair as the only acceptable option. Just once I’d like to read an article on how to manage curly hair that actually tells me how to manage curly hair, not how to make curly hair straight. I’m pretty sure we ALL know how to make it straight! We’ve spent years doing it!”

Click over to NaturallyCurly.com to read the rest!

I’m a crazy curls kinda girl y’all and I love it. When I was little I would have it because it was such trouble for other people to brush my hair. I would wear braids a lot. Also – since I was little, whoever did my hair never put products in it, just brush it into a poof and voila – yaya. Not cool.

Once I got the hang of it, it became my trademark. I have only straightened my hair three times in my entire life.

What are your hair concerns? (no matter curly or not!)

Is it hard to maintain it? Do people always ask you why you don’t change it? Tell all!

Location Location Location!

Okay so we already talked about danger and such, but we’re shallow right? (sarcasm people sarcasm!) All we want to know about is beauty and fashion.

So here’s TotalBeauty.com running down the best and worst hair cities.

The Top 11 Best-Hair Cities

Average member rating: 6

“No. 6: New York (yay!)

The summers can be hot and humid and therefore tough on hair, but New York’s perfect-for-hair water makes up for the three months of hair-challenged weather. Plus it holds six of the top 10 ZIP codes with the most beauty salons in the country.”

And a snippet from the worst:

The 13 Worst-Hair Cities

These towns have the worst conditions for hair.

Average member rating: 3

No. 3: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

It’s not called the “Pitts” for nothin’. As the most polluted city in on this list, your hair will be calling Green Peace on a daily basis. Pollution has been known to cause premature balding, graying and dullness.

How did your city do?

Product Review: Knot Today

An ode to a detangler:

Dear Knot Today,

I went to Ricky’s one day and we found ourselves staring at each other in the aisle. You were laying down the charm and I found myself weakened as I reached out for your bottle. I wondered if you would be the one to turn my life around and treat my curls the way they should be.

I wondered if my honey’s sister was right. Should I give someone like you a chance? I mean your packaging was alright, your words were convincing, you even wanted to condition my curls as you detangled. You promised to set my life in order.

I’m sure you hear this all the time, but you are great. You are something special (tangent: has anyone seen the short film Validation on YouTube?) You caressed my hair as if it were your own and never let me down.

Even as my faith faltered when you got super creamy when I was brushing my hair, you did not falter. Soon (ten minutes to be exact), my hair was brushed and I was happy. No longer did my biceps and neck hurt with the side dish of throbbing temples from brushing my hair. No – you are the real thing.

Yaya + Knot Today = LUV 4EVR

Product Story:
KNOT TODAY TM is a creamy herbal conditioner and detangler designed to smooth the cuticle and remove knots, snarls and tangles from thick curly textured hair.

After washing hair, apply KNOT TODAY TM generously and work through troubled areas with a wide tooth comb.

Can be used as a regular rinse out conditioner for wavy hair or as a leave-in for thicker curlier hair types. An excellent product to use after removing braids and extensions.

Review (5 highest, 1 lowest):
Packaging: 4 out of 5 (to the point)
Price: 4 out of 5 ($12.99 at Ricky’s $12 on website)
Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5

My Verdict:

Like I said in my original post y’all. It’s not often that I find a detangler that works right. I have me some crazy hair and this detangler/conditioner stuck around and delivered on its promise. 10 minutes of brushing hair might be excessive to some, but I have that to compare to my normal 40 minute brushing. Yes 40. The conditioner keeps your hair soft and it smells good. I used it and sprayed light hair spray over it and went out, and had commercial worthy curls all night and then all morning (you know how we do in NY!).

So hear this ladies and gents of the jury, if a knot is what you got – tell them, Knot Today!

New Hair Products!

Hi ya’ll!!

So 2 things about me:

I have very curly hair. I love love love it, and usually don’t style it much more than clip up, or leave down. The curl is most of the style. I don’t straighten it (in my whole life I’ve only done it twice… if that says anything) and I have learned to work with it (imagine my childhood lol).
I’m not much of a different products person. Shampoo and conditioner for my hair require severe loyalty (hello Dove and Pantene). I buy a million and one different products that I don’t need, and then in accordance, don’t use. Other hair products like gel, hair spray, and mousse (use one of the three on a regular basis to tame the frizz-monster) don’t require loyalty, as most of them suit me just fine – so that is usually left up to price.

With that in mind. I have ventured out of my comfort zone this week and decided to try two products.

First – hello discount.

While using my $4 off $20 at CVS, I found a new shampoo from Organix with a free trial coupon attached to it (they know me so well). Of all the flavors/scents, I really liked the Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo. The free trial reimburses you for up to $6.99 so long as you send in all the stuff within 30 days of purchase. The shampoo in my favorite flavor had to cost more of course. So it was $7.39. After mail in rebate it is $.40. I think I can handle that.

Here’s what they claim on their site:

Organix Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea Collection

• Luxurious Sulfate-Free Formulas • Organic Active Ingredients • Amazing Scents

Why We Love It…It’s thoroughly sensual, exotic, unique and totally intoxicating.
Why You Want It…An alluring, revitalizing, antioxidant rich blend of Pomegranate extracts and Green Tea for a provocatively irresistible experience which will have your hair craving for more.
What’s In It For You…Luscious antioxidant rich Pomegranate extracts and Green Tea target dry and brittle hair while awakening follicles to create a luxurious and revitalizing experience, adding a brilliant and luminescent shine.
What’s it in…Organix® bottles are eco-friendly, manufactured from materials containing recycled post-consumer resin. All labels are printed utilizing environmental inks and compostable label film made from annually renewable resource corn, not from petrochemicals.

~~~~~

Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo & Conditioner
Revitalize your senses with sensual and exotic antioxidant rich organic pomegranate extracts and green tea which target dry and brittle hair, while awakening follicles to create a clean and rejuvenating experience, adding a brilliant and luminescent shine. It’s an alluring, revitalizing, antioxidant rich blend of Pomegranate extracts and Green Tea for a provocatively irresistible experience, which will have your hair craving for more.

And second! After watching me huff and puff through working the knots and what have yous out of my hair this weekend, my honey’s sister asked if I used a detangler. I said I had tried a few only to have seen it fail on my hair and had to donate them to better homes. With that, I stumbled upon a company named Kinky-Curly in Ricky’s this week and saw a detangler that served double duty as a leave-in conditioner also. I figured if it doesn’t detangle, at least it will still have a purpose!

Here’s their claim from their site:

KNOT TODAY TM is a creamy herbal conditioner and detangler designed to smooth the cuticle and remove knots, snarls and tangles from thick curly textured hair.

After washing hair, apply KNOT TODAY TM generously and work through troubled areas with a wide tooth comb.

Can be used as a regular rinse out conditioner for wavy hair or as a leave-in for thicker curlier hair types. An excellent product to use after removing braids and extensions.

**TIP- When using this product as a leave-in, apply in the shower and rinse with a little water to evenly distribute the conditioner.

So stay tuned my dears.
I will try these out in the upcoming week
and will let you know what happens.