Natural Hair Salon in Manhattan or Brooklyn???

Hello everyone,

I have a readers question. Kimberly is searching for a natural hair salon in Manhattan or Brooklyn. If you know of any salons or stylist, please respond to this post with the information. Thanks!

"I would love some help finding a good salon to get my hair done and keep it natural. I'm being "pressured" by my family to get it relaxed and cut short. I live in the Bronx so if you know of anyplace in Manhattan or Brooklyn, please let me know - Thanks,  Kimberly"

Reader Question - From Thin Loc's... to Free Form

Question from Christy, Naturally Beautiful Hair Blog Reader:

"I've had my locs for 7 years and 8 months. They are the size of a pencil or smaller, and although they don't feel heavy, some of them have thinned at the roots. I presume it is from over twisting (in the past three years or so I've moved to twisting every 5 to 6 weeks which still seems to be a stress on my locs) when it is dry, or the small size of them in the first place. At any rate, to solve this I'm thinking of moving to free forming" in the hopes of slowing down the thinning of my hair, by not constantly re-twisting my roots. "I thought about cutting them but at this point, but I am not ready to let go of my length. If free forming doesn't help to strengthen and thicken my roots then I'll think about cutting them, to see if that helps with thinning. Also, I don't know if  I'll totally committ to free form for the duration of my loc journey. That being said, for those of you who free form,  are there any tips/advice/stories/products you use? Anything you can share with me, to help me start my free forming journey."  Please email "any comments, suggestions, advice to cskipperl@yahoo.com."  - Christy

Readers Question - Reversing Damaged Hair??

Email Question from Victoria- 

"I just did the big chop after a month's transition. My hair is pretty short so I am now wearing braids. I decided to go natural after a major destruction of my front hair after wearing weaves and relaxing my hair continuously.  It really did damage so i decided to leave the world of perms and weaves. One major problem that really bothers me is my front hair. It has never grown after the damages of the weaves. I have taken almost everything to help with the blood circulation but nothing has helped. I take multivitamins with iron, I apply serums and healing oils , and I don't plait it. now that everyone is noticing it never ending occurrence, it really makes me feel sad and I am disappointed in it!"

What Victoria has already tried -
"I have used essential oils like peppermint( I have a just started using it) and caster oil. I have also used healing oil by doctor miracle and a fertilizing serum by organics.  The boldness has been there for exactly one year now. I love hair but this boldness is driving me crazy and I really need your advise what to do!  Thank you! ~ Victoria, UK"

If any one has and advice or tips for Victoria, please reply to this message with the information or email me at naturalhairbeauty@gmail.com. 

700 Subscribers!!!!

Wonderful news for you - we have reached 700 subscribers. Yet another milestone that we have come to together. We are an international family that comes together in the commom goal of celebrating the joy we have for our natural textures. I hope that you will all continue to read, contribute and participate in making this blog a place to share and encourage each other in our love for Natural Beauty. Let's keep this positive flow of information, beautiful encouraging images and sharing of knowledge going. Please remember this blog is about you, for you! You are always welcome to contribute and participate. Thank you again for your supported!!

~ Particate & Contribute, Giveways, Website, Press ~

As always, I am very thankful to everyone that subcribes and visits. Please keep an eye out for giveways, that will have prizes, that will make great gifts!

Readers Question - Natural Hair Inspriration for Young Men

 I received a question from Naturally Beautiful Hair Blog reader - Romy.  I did know the answer to her question or what direction to point her in, so I asked if I could share her question with you all. Maybe someone can offer her some helpful advice. Here is her question:

"I am wondering if there is any website out there for men/boys with natural hair. I am asking because I have a 9 year old son who is rocking his fro and I want to give him male inspiration. Do you or your readers can recommend any website?" Also, "I have started my own blog about natural hair care for black/afro-german hair in German language because there is not much information available in German. You can find it here http://afrodeutschehaare.blogspot.com."   

~ Best wishes, Romy

Beads, Braids & Beyond

Nikki from Beads, Braids & Beyond  has a great blog where she shows how to create cute hair styles for little girls, along with useful styling tips and kid friendly product information. She also highlights a lot of her readers children and their hair styles.  Look below for my interview with Nikki -

What inspired you to create the Beads Braids Beyond blog?

The lack of information on Biracial/African American children's hair care inspired me to create the blog. I remember being "the clueless mom" and not knowing where to start when it came to my daughter’s hair. I remember goggling and goggling and never being able to find a lot of information on my daughter’s hair type, or being able to find styles that I could. I found countless blogs for children with naturally straight hair, "what about our children?" … I thought. Don't get me wrong, I love those other blogs, but I wanted to see a blog dedicated to natural Biracial/African American children’s hair. I wanted to see our children’s hair being embraced. 

How do you come up with so many creative styles?

All of my style inspirations come from other women and mothers. I browse a lot of different forums, blogs, and other hair care sites and I try to tweak a lot of styles so they are appropriate for my daughter’s age. There are so many talented women out there so I definitely owe my style inspiration to them.

How old is your daughter, and what does she like most about being the star of your blog?

My daughter is 4 years old. I think her favorite thing to do is seeing all of the other children featured on the blog. My daughter is the only child with curly hair in her class so I think it's a nice change to see so many other natural children with curly hair.

She seems to love participating in the styling process. Most kids don't have the patience! What keeps her interested showing off her cool hairstyles?

Well, depending on how long the style takes, we might take breaks. Snack breaks, run around the kitchen table breaks, restroom breaks, etc. I think I keep her interested. We talk the whole time I am styling or washing her hair. If we're watching one of her favorite cartoons/movies I make it a point to sing along with her and dance. Her current favorite is The Princess and the Frog. The songs are really great and when mommy gets into them....it's over! She definitely gets into it and forgets her hair is even being styled! I think the styling process is all about mother and daughter bonding time. It's important for me to show her that doing her hair is not a chore, that I enjoy it, and we should enjoy this time together.

You have a great following. How long have you been blogging?

I started Beads, Braids & Beyond at the end of October 2009. I think it's amazing that the word got out so quickly. This goes to show that people were waiting for something for our kids. I mean...I was waiting myself! I couldn't wait any longer. I actually asked some moms on another hair board if they would make a blog but it seemed like everyone was too busy, so I took the plunge. Your styles and post have been great inspirations to other Moms.

What has been one of your most cherished moments as result of sharing your knowledge through your blog?

Probably all of the emails and comments I get. So many mothers (and non-mothers) email me thanking me for taking the time out to create this blog. Some moms find the blog and are like me when I first started, clueless. They tell me how much the information I provide helps and show me pictures. They tell me there are no more tears during "hair time" and that they now look forward to the mother and daughter bonding experience. I have also had emails and comments thanking me for my Texture Softener post because they were going to use it on their child. I am always happy to hear that they changed their mind about relaxing their child’s hair, or that they are transitioning their little diva.

What are some of the products you use regularly for your daughters hair type?

Right now we are experimenting with products. We have tried lots and it's funny because most of her staple products are pretty cheap: Virgin coconut oil, unrefined shea butter, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner, Giovanni Direct Leave-in, ORS Lock & Twist Gel. I currently love Blended Cutie Down & Out Styles for her hair. There are other products I really like for her hair but those are the main ones we use.

What is your advice for styling curly hair?

Don't try to fight it! It will fight you back. If your hair wants to be big, it will be big. LET IT BE BIG! A lot of people email me asking how to get "the wet look" and in my opinion, you cannot get the wet look! You can define your curls but it definitely will not look like it does when it's wet once it dries. I don't care what product you use. If the hair wants to be frizzy one day, let it be frizzy. Don't keep chasing your child around the house with a spray bottle filled with water. I am going to take a quote I see in so many forums..."Let it do what it do!"

Beads, Braids & Beyond 
Nikki's You Tube Videos

Readers Question - Rounded Tips

Marcus has a question about maintaining rounded tips on his dreadlocks. Read his question below, and comment back if you have nay advice for him. 

" I just recently came across your site and l love the advice you give on dread lock maintenance.  I have had my locks for about three years now and I have noticed that the tips of some of them have become slightly undone where as they were round and tight before. I was wondering how I should go about cutting them...should I cut them at an angle to achieve the desired rounded tip or just straight across and hope they become round over time like they did when I first started. I hope you or your readers, can help with this...I'd like to go over many of my locks and trim the ends of them, but I don't want flat tips. I desire rounded tips. Thanks a lot!  ~  Marcus"