Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts

Jun 13, 2014

A letter to Beyoncé, concerning Blue Ivy's hair

Hi Bey!

Can I call you Bey? Thanks! First up, I'd like to say that I am a true fan of your work. From Destiny's Child to the Beyoncé album, I've always been here for the cause. Not quite a 'Stan', I know good work when I see it. Who am I? Just a blogger living in Nashville, finely crafting words about fashion and natural hair. Believe me, I posted about you, your hubby, and your darling girl plenty of times. This letter happens to be about your precious angel, Blue Ivy. 

As I was perusing the twitter streets I came across a petition asking you (pop star, diva, philanthropist, super-wife, and mom) to 'Comb Blue Ivy's Hair'. Now, I'm sure you are super busy prepping to give your fans - life abundantly - on this On The Run Tour (I have tix!) so this little petition probably hasn't hit your desk yet. Basically, a bunch of people who don't really know you, want you to comb your daughter's hair. 

Now, being that I'm a natural-hair blogger, I'm sure people think I'd have something to say, and I do. Here it is: people are crazy. 

Blue Ivy looks well taken care of. She looks happy, she looks well fed, she looks clean, and frankly she has a bigger bank account than some of those petition signers can imagine. The fact that so many grown adult people are concerned about a child's hair is totally ridiculous!
I guess the person who carried her for nine months and who has taken care of her for the last two years isn't the authority on how she'd want her daughter to look. I guess the father who maintains his daughter's well being and trusts the woman he married doesn't have say either. I guess it's up to the public to decide what two independent people do with their child's hair. Does unkempt hair equate abuse? Naw, I don't think so. 



Furthermore, Blue Ivy isn't famous, she's famous by default. She hasn't sung on any stages nor has she written any books. If you weren't her mother, I wouldn't know who this little girl was. I think you are doing your best by allowing her to be the little girl that she is. I mean really, I love to see a little braided up girl just as much as the next person, but I still smile at the mom who let's her baby's hair run free - stretching as far as the sky. I know how it feels to sit through a corn row session, it ain't fun! 

So, Bey, I guess they are gonna keep on talking until you decided to do whatever you plan to do to your daughter's hair. Because really, a petition won't change a thing. As long as reports don't surface about Blue being treated badly, there's really nothing we need to say or do.

All I can say is "Thanks." Thanks for sharing your little girl with the world - I'm so sorry the world tries to force its ideas and opinions on her.

Say hi to the family for me!

Melissa







May 11, 2014

Happy Mother's Day: 10 pictures of natural-hair mom & daughters

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy readers! Today (and every day), I hope your family treats you like the Queen you are. Seriously, being a mom can sometimes be a thank-less job, but YOU do it with style and finesse. 

Today I share some awesome photos of mom & daughters with natural hair. It's already a challenge to take care of our own hair, but add a mini-me in the mix and the challenge gets even more difficult. I hope these pics encourage you to continue you and your daughters natural hair journey. 


One of my faves, we've shared this on the site previously. So cute! 


This is blogger/author, Alex Elle and her daughter Char. 


Super-adorable! I can't even take it!!


Another fave photo that we've posted on the site. 


Twin twist-outs! Too cute!!


Just gorgeous! 

 
I bet their hair styling sessions turned into some wonderful stories. 


Two natural hair cuties!  Oh my!


Had to throw an mommy - son combo in the mix. 


We love baby-naturalista Riley, and her mom/photographer Christin. 

Once again, have a wonderful Mother's Day! 

Apr 24, 2014

NATURAL KIDS: Thalia's Easter hair


Getting your hair done is a special event for most little black girls. Getting your hair done for Easter Sunday is an occasion! As most know, I love doing my little goddaughter Thalia's hair - I've documented her styles here previously. Today I'll tell you how we achieved Thalia's Easter Sunday curly puffs. 

Usually we keep her hair in two-strand twists but lately, Thalia's asked for what she likes to call "Mickey Mouse hair" lol! At three years old she's currently OBESSESSED with all things Minnie or Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse hair, for her, resembles the cartoon mouse's iconic ears. I decided for Easter, we'd do two curly puffs that would give her her Mickey Mouse ears. 



WHAT PRODUCTS I USED:
  • Olive oil and water: to re-hydrate her hair. We didn't need to wash because she'd already done a wash & condition last week. 
  • Miss Jessie's Baby Butter Creme: our go-to moisturizer and styling aid for her 3b/4a curls. MJ's gives her shine and it smells really good. 
  • Two Goody Elastics: to secure the two ponytails on either side of her head. 
  • Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion: to set and style her curls without leaving them crunchy or leaving flakes in her hair. 
  • 12 Goody's plastic Rollers: to set and curl the hair. 
  • Olive Oil Edge Control: to smooth her edges. 
Since Thalia's hair is so much longer and thicker, we've started using more adult products on her hair. I try to stick with more natural-based products because I know her scalp is still young. I always start with olive oil and water for hydration. AND she's getting ALOT better about sitting to get her hair done. Much less crying these days.

Here's oue result. Her curls were nice and fluffy like I wanted. As the day went on, the style puffed up even more. She was so cute!



How'd your natural baby wear their hair on Easter? What's your fave product to use in your child? Hit us up in the comments section. 


Mar 5, 2014

LINK LOVE: Annie - Official Trailer feat Quvenzhané Wallis


Last year, Quvenzhane Wallis won everyone's heart in the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild - so much so she was nominated for an Academy Award. Of course, the talented lil miss was offered one of the best roles of a young actor's career - the roll of Annie. The 1985 classic has been re-made and updated featuring Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, and Quvenzhane. 


With this update, Annie as a little black girl, we get to see Quevenzhane rock a natural hair look. The original Annie head a head full of ginger coils, our new Annie has a head full of coils. Too cute! It's a great representation of natural hair for lil girls to see. 

Take a look at the official trailer for the new movie coming out December 2014.

Feb 4, 2014

HAIR LUST: Rocking those Puffs

 

I was going through my cell phone and came across this photo of my goddaughter. OMG, isn't she the cutest! This pic was from last year, and I promise you, her hair is two times longer. I'm so happy her parents are raising her to love her natural hair! We love the natural babies!

Do you have any photos of you rocking your afro puffs?

Sep 24, 2013

DISCUSSION: Did your dad do you hair?

 

I didn't grow up with the luxury of having my dad at my house, so I don't what it's like to have him do my hair. So, I thought I'd pose this question to my readers. Did your dad do you hair when you were younger? Does your hubby/boyfriend do your daughter's hair now?

Yep, I love my daughter so much. I’ll do anything for my little princess. She means the absolute world to me. Hopefully there are more fathers out here like this!!!!! #ProudDaddy #Father&Daughter #LoveMyPrincess #MyWorld #MySunshine #MyEverything
I saw the picture above floating around my facebook feed; the man in the picture, Mike Heath, posted this on his personal FB page. The photo is SO endearing. Not even the fact that he's a white man doing his black step-daugher's hair, but the fact that he, a MANLY looking man, is taking time to do her hair.

We all agree that doing natural black hair can be a bit more difficult than other hair - just for the tight curls and the de-tangling. Men, in general, don't quite understand why women (black or white or any other ethnicity) take so long to do our hair. So for a dad to sit down and do his daughter's hair seems awesome and amazing to me.

Taurus James doing his daughter's hair, read his story HERE
Searching Google, I've found other pictures of men doing their daughter's hair. I like that men are taking the time to learn about the needs of their girl children, and not just leaving the responsibility to the mothers. Through my Google research, the easiest style for guys is two strand twists! Ladies, don't let the guys beat us to perfecting those two-strand twists! LOL!

So, this week's discussion question is simple - did your dad do your hair? Does you mate do your daughter's hair? Chime in below!

Sep 5, 2013

Discussion: Natural Hair Is Not A 'Fad'

Before we start the discussion, watch the video below.


So Deborah Brown Community School forbids faddish styles. My first question is: When will people learn that natural hair is not a 'fad'? I understand that wearing natural hair is growing in popularity, but that in itself does not make something a fad. It's only growing because at one time, it shrank. People went from coarse to chemically processed and straight hair. The term fad is especially used refer something that is popular, but "is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities".

Sorry Deborah Brown Community School, but I see quality in my hair the way it grows out of my scalp. It's grown out of several brown scalps this way for a long, LONG time. If anything, the chemically straightened hair should be considered a fad. These naps and kinks and coils ARE the original. Even if the young, intelligent, and adorable student in the video didn't have locs, she couldn't wear her hair in an afro either. She would be required to have her hair straightened with chemicals or heat because it is textured kinky or in locs. And what is the difference between locs and braids? I wonder if they didn't single out braids as a distraction because that's too broad of a target.

 

And to be clear, I came to these conclusions just from watching the video. About 32 seconds in at the 1:19 mark, you see students walk down the hall. On the right is a young girl who walks with a happy gait, and her hair flies free. So... it's okay for her to wear her hair untamed. Although it is textured, it's not afro-textured. Her hair is only slightly wavy. And while some may say it has nothing to do with race, you can certainly say that genetics play a factor. Kinky hair is more prevalent in Black girls than white girls. That's just a fact. Dreadlocks are a black cultural thing. It's a way of styling coarsely textured hair. It is even a part of some religions. So how can you distinguish the motives for singling out kinky haired little girls as "not presentable" versus making sure little black girls aren't... too black?

And my second question is: When will society learn to let children be children? Why is a 6 year old under such strong standards to conform to an idea of being "presentable"? Miss Parker is an A student. She's already developing her intelligence. But, being told that a perfectly normal hairstyle for black girls is "not presentable" is preventing her from developing a positive self-image to match her book smarts. It's a disturbing message to send to such a young girl: No matter how smart and talented you are, your success will never carry more clout than your appearance. Did you see her crying because "they don't like her dreads"? There will be many things in life that will make a child question her appearance. But the administration at this school didn't even let Tiana Parker hit puberty before they started chipping away at her self-esteem. If anything is a distraction to the learning of the children at Deborah Brown Community School, it's the focus on appearance rather than achievement. Shame on them for that.

Luckily, young Miss Parker has her father there to take pride in her appearance, and to stand up for her. But that doesn't change the idea of the staff at Deborah Brown School. They are clearly unapologetic. I just hope the people of the community remember this next year when they line their children up and have them inspected. I'm sure the admission committee will be sure that every newly enrolled child fits quite nicely into their aesthetic check list. After all, they probably don't want to disrupt any more education with any more dreads, afros, or bothersome newscasts showing how they made a 6 year old girl cry about her natural hair.

I'm glad that Tiana Parker is continuing her education somewhere else. I agree with Tiana. She should be allowed to keep her dreads. And I think they are just fine. What do you think of this situation? Share your opinion in the comment section below!

Aug 21, 2013

HAIR LUST: Little Lovely One


Just in time for the Back To School season I find this cute phot of this lovely little girl with he rlong flowing locs! Ugh! I wished my mom let me wear my hair 'out' when I was in grade school. But I know I would never act right - LOL!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm so happy our little girls are able to grow-up in a world where natural hair is accepted. Keep up the good work parents and keep looking cute kiddies!

Jul 2, 2013

Kid Kool: Kicking it Old School!

This weekend I had the pleasure if giving my godson a 'mini' makeover. For the last three months, he's been growing out his hair to get a new style. Well, new to him … not to us.

My godson, J'halin, went to a consultation with my favorite barber, Tristan (celeb barber to the stars) who told him how to maintain his hair until he got his new cut. 

Before the cut, three months worth of growth
After that, I watched my little homie go through what a lot of us ladies go through when growing out our hair. He had to learn how to take care of a longer length, wash it more often, and learn what moisturizers kept his "head from being itchy."  It was a struggle for him. His mom made him learn to take care of his hair because this was the first time he was able to choose what type of haircut he wanted.

Before and After!
In the end, he was able to rock his new style: A modified box fade with a side step part! Kicking it old school like Omar Epps from the movie 'Juice'!


Thanks TRISTAN for the amazing haircut! Almost had me thinking about cutting my hair again! Wanna get you little prince a fly cut? Contact Celeb Barber, Tristan, here.


May 16, 2013

Kid Cuteness: Khloe and Karson


I had to post these photos of my friend's gorgeous twin girls, Khloe and Karson!

When I saw these cute pictures float across my Facebook timeline, I immediately called my friend and asked if I could post their pictures on our site. I was with their mom when she first decided to 'BIG CHOP' (the tears that flowed!). I remembered her desire to be relaxer-free, not knowing that she'd  be blessed with TWO girls and two heads of beautiful hair!

These lovely little ladies have a head full of curls that remind me of where we all started from. Like, really, aren't these girls the CUTEST?! Enjoy!


Tutus & headbands were created by Danielle Walker of TuTu Fruities
Photographer is Justin Morris for JustInVision Photography - Memphis, TN

Dec 26, 2012

HAIR LUST: Lil Sophisticate!


Be still my ovaries! GEESH! Look at this head of hair! And, let's not look past this sophisticated jacket! Whoever her parents are, watch ya back - she is too cute! Side note: Remember when you mom let you wear your hair out on special occasions - that was always fun! Happy Holidays!

Dec 17, 2012

CHRISTMAS WISHES Day 5: Tristan's Barber & Style


Did everyone have a nice weekend? Well good! Let's get back to the awesome giveaways! Today's giveaway features one of my favorite barbers in Nashville. Seriously ladies (and gentleman), Tristan is THE TRUTH! This celebrity barber is giving away two $25 gift certificates for barber or styling services at his shop. 


Ladies, if you are thinking of doing the big chop in 2013, Tristan is the barber to see. He really knows natural hair. He will clip and style you TWA or low-cut into something sophisticated and fly!


Guys, you think your barber is good, you haven't visited Tristan! Every guy I send to Tristan ends up using him as their permanent barber. Wouldn't you love to say you get your hair cut by the same barber who clips the Titan's hair? Yeah, pretty fly! 


Oh yeah, you can use this gift certificate for the kids. Tristan is great with kids and loves to encourage the youth and give them a good word while he clips their hair. 

So, enter below! Good LUCK!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nov 12, 2012

HAIR LUST: Beautiful Big Hair


I don't know who this little beauty is, but she and her big hair are amazing! I mean, this little girl is just GORGEOUS! That's the best twist-out (or rod set) I've ever seen on natural hair. Nothing witty to say here. Her hair is SUPER lust-worthy!

Oct 29, 2012

BABY LUV: Two Strand twists on a 2 year-old, tips & tricks


4 new bows and headbands from Adorably Bowed - she was excited!
Last year, I posted about how difficult it was to comb and style my two-year old goddaughter, Thalia's, hair. She just wasn't down for it! But now that she's a little older it's a bit easier to do her hair. But her mother and I have some tips and tricks to make the experience a bit easier. Below are pics of Thalia's first two strand twist and the story on how it came to be.

This time around, we came with another approach for getting her to sit for an hour while I detangled and twisted her hair. I'd just came from the African Street Festival, and I had a bunch of pretty new bows from Adorably Bowed for her hair. Thalia is all about clothes, shoes, and bows, so these new accessories bought delight to her two-year-old heart. All she kept saying was, "Hair, aunty? Hair!" So I asked her if she wanted me to do her hair and she said "yes!"

Giving a 2 year old a choice is a big deal. She understood that she wanted to wear her new bows, and she knew that she had to sit down for this process to happen. So, we got her chair, put on a movie, and got to work. Moms and dads, you have to put on that favorite movie. That favorite movie will get you at least 15-20 good minutes of detangling time.

Next, you have to get a good dantangler. My favorite detangler (for kids) is Soft & Beautiful Just For Me 2-in-1 Conditioning Detangler (above). The Just for Me detangler is the best detangler I've used for children's hair! It brings shine and really helps to separate any knots or kinks. Thalia's hair is past her shoulders when stretched, but her 4b coils shrink right up to her ears when wet. Braiding her hair causes her to have more knots but 2-strand twists have proved to protect her curls, make the mornings easier for styling, and keep away knots.


By the half-hour point, she was restless. The movie wasn't keeping her attention so I had to resort to another technique: SNACKS! Cookies & Cream Goldfish Grahams and a sippy cup full of juice gave me another 15 minutes to start the back part of her hair. When installing a time-consuming style like 2-strand twists, this is the time to allow you child to have treats they don't normally eat. Doing this makes the experience special and she'll want to do it again.

The last 20 minutes were torture (in her toddler mind)! The snacks were gone and the movie was done. Her brother had went out to play and she wanted to go too. So, I gave her a break. A 15 minute break to go play. I also took this time to give her encouraging words, "You are SOOOO pretty! You hair is gonna be GORGEOUS! Aren't you being a BIG GIRL!" We, then, revisited those new bows. You have to remind toddlers of the goal. She didn't want to sit back down, but we powered through and finished the job.

Another technique I used was letting her twist her own hair. Although her coordination rendered no result, the feeling she had from helping me do her hair was undeniable. She kept saying, "Twist, twist, twist!" and I could tell this simple action was increasing her independence and her confidence. 


So, the whole process took about an hour and half (with breaks and a short crying spell), but we finished. This was the first time she'd had her hair in a style that she could shake. She was swinging her hair back and fourth loving the feeling of her individual twists. Since then, she's been wearing her hair twisted consistently. She even wore her hair twisted for her birthday party at school. I hope this story helps you when you have to braid, twist, or style your little one's hair.


Aug 13, 2012

HAIR LUST: Curly Sailor Girl


Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh - how cute is THIS? There is nothing like a little brownskin girl with to afro puffs! This reminds me of my youth, but my hair wasn't as curly. This is the cutest picture ever and I love finding photos like this. I found this one on tumblr (as usual). Check out www.mininaturals.tumblr.com for more cute images of little natural ladies.

Jun 27, 2012

Discussion: Styling Kids' Hair

SOURCE

The recent post of Yasmeen and Yusef made me wonder. Do you ever think parents can allow kids to go too far with their hair? Granted I see children with the same styles everyday, and I get happy when I see fearless kids breaking up the monotony of a low fade or twisted ponytails with bows on the ends. But if your child wanted to rock out a la Willow Smith....

Photo courtesy of Willow's Tumblr

How  would you feel when he or she asks you to dye their hair blue for the summer because blue is a favorite color? If the child is not up for a promotion at work, or getting lewd things cut into their hair, what's the limit? We all know that hair grows back, and a temporary color washes away.
Does limiting style options really protect the child, or would you be more inclined to say no in order to avoid being uncomfortable as a parent? I can understand wanting to avoid statements like "Purple streaks? I bet she just does whatever she wants..." or "You really let him get Spiderman cut in his hair? Don't you think that's ghetto?"


This also brings another question... I notice a stronger reaction when children are given weaves and relaxers at a young age. What about locs? Did you feel the same way about the first picture of the blog that you do about the last picture? Why do we feel that permanent changes are okay... sometimes? Let's talk about it.


Have you ever told your child "no" to a hairstyle that they wanted? Why or why not?
What do you think if you saw a young girl with orange streaks or a boy with a unique cut and color on his hair?

Full disclosure: I am not a parent.
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