Back At It...Albeit a Few Hairs Short!

Hi everyone! I have to say thank you for your patience in my absence. I had no idea how long I intended to be away but I sincerely appreciate all of you for hanging around! Being a mom is amazing and a LOT of hard work! So many new things to learn and I am finally starting to feel confident in my abilities. I love my baby boy and it is true what they say, EVERYTHING changes once you have a kid. Finally, welcome to all the new folks who have joined the site! I never dreamed when I started that anyone besides my mom would care to read what I had to say, let alone 1000+ followers, and I am humbled and flattered. Thank you all!

Speaking of changes, I am still adjusting to my new schedule, my new body, and my new hairline. Of all the things pregnancy and childbirth did to my physical appearance, hair loss was not one I seriously anticipated. I think we've all heard of post-partum hair shedding but I had no idea I would see clumps of hair literally fall out in my hands! Every time I wash I lose a significant amount of hair and it kinda freaks me out! I have always had so much hair, did not notice any real change during pregnancy, and didn't really expect to lose much after. Around month 3 post-partum, I noticed that things began to change.

I was taking down a set of mini twists that I'd had in for a few weeks. As I got to the ones framing my face, I noticed I was losing clumps of hair. I ran out of the bathroom with my hair in my hands, showing my husband in disbelief. "I'm BALD!", I screamed. Ok, well not really but I do have very short patches where my temples are. It's like a thin layer of peach fuzz is beginning to emerge but still quite see through!

My bday was last Friday and we went out on Saturday with the family to celebrate. Truthfully I had all but forgotten about the hair loss until I saw these pics:

(Pic 1- I got a cookbook! Is that a hint or something???

Pic 2- Blowing out the candle on my cupcake. I still have some pp weight to lose so portion control is my friend, lol)

I don't know if you can see but clearly I am missing some strands. I am not extremely bothered but I do plan on taking special care of these areas so I can increase growth. My plan includes eating healthy and continuing my prenatal vitamin (both are givens due to b'feeding), gentle styling, and massaging castor oil weekly into my scalp.

I perused YouTube to find some inspiration with the castor oil:

Seems like folks are getting good results. Hopefully after a few weeks these patchy parts will fill in! Out are tightly pulled back buns and puffs.

Have any of you ever experienced hair loss due to pregnancy or other causes? If so, what have you done to remedy it?

What's Your Opinion: What's Next for Naturals?

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I have been thinking about this for a long time and wanted to get your opinions. I don't know about you all but it seems to me that natural hair is becoming more mainstream. Granted, there is still a long way to go before natural becomes the "norm", but compared to even just 10 years ago, there is so much information and awareness out there. More than ever, women are coming to embrace their god-given locks with pride.

It also seems that every day there is another natural hair product business, website, forum, you tuber, blog, etc cropping up to support, promote, and educate about kinky and curly hair. Talk about info overload!

So my questions to you all are these: What is next for natural hair? What do you anticipate will be the big issues of the next 5-10 years in this movement? What do you want to see bloggers and You Tubers tackle on their pages and vids? What do you hope to see in the media? Are we at the point where we no longer need to celebrate ever next person who goes natural or are we still just getting started?

Your thoughts....

Reader Question: Style Help for Dry Hair, Damaged Hairline

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I received the email below from one 14 year-old Naturally Leslie reader:

Hi Naturally Leslie,

I am a huge fan of your blog and love reading your
post. I am currently fourteen and have been natural for a long
time,almost all my life. Only recently have I really begun to care for
my hair. It has been difficult lately because my mother is a
hairbraider and aften braids my hair in weave(usually kinky twist) so
I don't really have much time to control my hair. Although I do wash
it and try to moisturize I am having difficulties moisturizing and
finding styling options. My hair is really fine and since I've worn
braids for a long time my hairline is severely damaged. I don't know
how to style it because of my hairline dilema or what products to use
to moisturize. I'm thinking about purchasing aussie moist for my hair
as a conditioner and leave in conditioner would this be a good idea? I
would love it if you could possible help me find some suitable
hairstyles and product.

Thank you very much.

I know so many of you here know a ton about how to have healthy natural hair so please weigh in and leave you advice in the comments section!

To learn more about dealing with the issue of hair thinning, click here.

Brandy's All American Girl

"BRANDY NORWOOD BOUGHT HER DAUGHTER A BLACK DOLL FROM THE AMERICAN GIRL STORE . . . BUT WHY THE DOLL'S HAIR LOOK LIKE THAT???"- Actual Media Takeout Headline

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I spotted this pic of Brandy with an American Girl doll in her hands. I thought the doll was cute and I liked the fact that the hair was not bone straight like most dolls. It kinda looks like my hair when I've blown it out a bit. However, to be honest, I really wanted to get a better look to see if Brandy was still rocking her braids so I kept scrolling down. There was only one other pic ( a close-up of the doll) but then I came across the thread of comments left below. It wasn't until then that I actually read the headline. I can't say that I was especially shocked but some of the comments just reeked of ignorance, in my opinion. Here were a few...

"American Girl is supposed to be a HIGH END doll company. They can't be putting out RATCHETNESS for our children . . ."

"Looks like its from Brandy's wig line!! And its a hot mess. Lets just pray Brandy aint DRIVE to the store!" "MTO...really? Stfu w/ this nonsense. Its a black doll. The texture of the doll's hair is representative of what most of us black women hair is like. At least the doll's hair isn't a nappy fro. Gtfoh. MTO racist as hell with all these race driven stories." "A lot of those dolls are old fashioned... That's kinda why I like them... But so many black women fry and dye their hair out... This is what our hair would look like if we kept shyt out of it... Long, coarse, and thick..."

"So a doll with the hair texture of black girl is "ratchet"? That's the reason why little black girls grow up hating themselves." ...and so on and so on. Interesting to say the least. Do you all ever see comments like these posted online? Do you ever jump into the conversation or just consider it trashy and stay out?

Natural=Expensive? One Natural's Perspective on Products

If you went natural before the wave of online blogs and sites dedicated to natural hair, you probably bought whatever you saw on the shelves of your local store. If you've gone natural since, you no doubt have heard the endless lists of ingredients to avoid, ingredients to look for, chemicals, preservatives, yada yada yada. Nothing wrong with information right? Maya Angelou did say "when you know better, you do better" and I think she's right. So it is always interesting to me to hear perspectives of natural ladies who have been around before the latest "hype" if you will. I remember when I went natural 11 years ago, there were no forums or blogs, at least not like today. I tried different things and stuck to what worked.

Lately, there have been tons of natural hair lines popping up around the web. It's really cool to see so many women taking control of their own hair and making products that work for them. However, one of the coolest things about going natural to me was having freedom from "needing" certain products to make my hair healthy and look good. If I buy something now it is for fun, not because I feel I have to have something in order for my hair to thrive. How many of us grew up using grease and water and our hair did just fine? Does that mean I will go back to using the thick blue gunk in a jar? Probably not. But I realize that it is less about what I use and more about how I treat my hair.

So what got me thinking about al this was AyannaNaeela's video below. It's a response to another YouTuber's comments about the expense of natural hair products. What do you think? Does natural=expensive for you? Have you found you spend more money now than you did before you went natural? If so, what do you attribute it to?

Routine Tweaks!

For the past few months, I have been trying some new things with my hair routine and thought I'd share. Now, I don't measure my hair but when I last straightened it about a month ago, the back was slightly below my bra strap and the front stretched to about the collar bone. It seems that as my hair gets longer, it gets harder to deal with and I was beginning to dread wash days.

While it was straight, I took the time to cut out some single strand knots. It seemed that for a while, they had become the bane of my existence! I was getting more and more of the little buggers and did not know what to do. On top of that, my scalp was not reacting well to the cold weather. I felt like a hot mess!

So, I decided it was silly to continue doing the same things to my hair and expecting different results. But the last thing I wanted was to devote more time to doing my hair. I abhor sitting under the dryer for long periods of time and the thought of spending my entire Saturday walking around deep conditioning seemed out of the question. (I guess you just get lazy and lose enthusiasm after a decade?) So I decided to try some other tweaks to see if they made a difference.

Here's what I've been trying lately:

1. Wash in two halves. Simple I know. But for some reason I have resisted the wash/condish in sections mantra that seems to be so useful for other naturals. Well, it has made all the difference in the world. When my hair was shorter, washing my whole head with all my hair loose was no big deal. But as my hair gets longer and longer, washing one half at a time really cuts down on the tangling and knotting. This is a must for naturals once hair gets past sholder-length for sure!

2. Detangling in the shower. Well, after I wash each half I apply a slippery conditioner and run a bit of water over the section to make everything even more slippery. I take a wide toothed comb and detangle one half at a time. I used to be obsessed with using my denman or a detangling comb to go over every inch but now as long as I get the big tangles out, the rest I can work through as I twist. My detangling time went from 30 minutes to about 3. And yes, that is without me ripping or breaking a bunch of hairs.

3. Apply oil to my scalp after I apply the conditioner in the shower. Well, once I have detangled and both sections are secured with a ponytail holder, I just take one down, take a bottle of oil (olive, almond, grapeseed, whatever) and apply oil to my scalp. I section off portions of my hair with my fingers to expose the scalp and simply add the oil. Once I have gone through one half of my head, I massage with the pads of my fingers then twist the section up, securing with an elastic. I repeat this on the other side then proceed to finish the showering process. Finally, when I rinse I am left with super conditioned hair as well as a lubricated scalp which eliminates me having to add oil when I get out and style. This step has really helped with my dry scalp issues over time. I read on one site that too much added oil could actually feed the bacteria that cause some scalp problems, resulting in even more flakes. I feared I was excessively oiling my scalp and exacerbating the issue. Now, my scalp is lubricated and flake free without being overly oily.

4. Stretching the hair. Again, when my hair was shorter, this was a step that felt very optional. Now it is required to keep me from losing hair and my sanity. I don't bother anymore with doing small twists while my hair is wet. I do about 12 total, working on one half of my head at a time. Again working in halves has saved my hair and my ends. I lose far less hair and styling is done in about 30 minutes versus the 1-1.5 hrs I spent in the past. I was over detangling and over twisting. Now, once the 12 large twists dry, I can twist in smaller sections if I choose. Also, drying hair in larger sections means less coils to get tangled on each other. Bigger equals looser and that equals retention for me.

5. Shea butter for my ends when wet/damp. I'll admit it. I got lazy with this one step and my ends have screamed at me in protest. They were splitting and knotting like crazy! I kept wondering what the heck was going on and now I know I was not taking the time to seal them after each wash. Now, I make sure I apply a pea sized amount, melted between my fingers, to the end of each big twist as I prepare the stretched style. When my ends dry, they are smooth and less likely to tangle on each other or knot up. I cannot neglect to do this or it's back to splitsville.

So, long story short, these few tweaks have totally changed my hair. Less time spent, less energy wasted, healthier scalp, and better ends and length retention. I feel like I'm back in control of this mane and it no longer controls me....or my weekends!

What if any routine tweaks have you recently made that you can share for the good of the group?

Reader Email: Fired for Being Natural

I received this email in my inbox from Jess of Sincerely Jess and wanted to share. I personally have never had issues professionally with my natural hair. I've worked in pharmacies (in high school and college), as a teacher and now as a school counselor. I've had temp jobs in corporate America. I've worn it long and bushy, in puffs, cornrows, two-strand twists, buns, straight, wavy, in wash-n-go's, and even short like the woman in the reader email below. I would be so livid about someone insinuating that my naturally growing hair is somehow inappropriate that I would probably get fired for my response! Well...maybe not quite that bad, but I would be seriously offended and would go to HR for discrimination.

So read the email I received below and share your thoughts in the comments section.

I’m outraged. A good friend of mine’s job is in jeopardy because she chose to BC and grow out her natural hair. No, this picture isn’t my friend I’m respecting her privacy (well…a lil bit) but she has short hair like this, except more curly. Anyway, my friend’s–I’ll call her KC– boss is saying that it violates company policy because her hair is not “well groomed” and that patients (she works in a Dr. office) have been complaining. Her boss has been more than outrageous in her response to KC’s hair from the very beginning being vocally unsupportive, derogatory, and snide. Not that KC necessarily needed support from her boss, but who would have thought that such discrimination would come as the result of going natural.

Who doesn't love a TWA?

I wonder how many of my other naturals have faced harsh reception in their place of work over their choice to go natural? I know in my place of employment, my coworkers, supervisors and really everybody in my building that has seen me has been fascinated by my curly journey. They touch my hair, question my process, and ask me tons of styling question. One coworker even started wearing her hair naturally as well, and now we often get mixed up.

In the black community, I’m constantly surprised at how we discriminate against one another. Now, with KC’s boss, she actually suggested (publicly, in front of patients and staff) that KC get a perm, put in weave, braids, etc and even offered to “find her a stylist” to which KC declined. I just would not know how to act if my boss was so actively concerned with my hair!!! Her boss is black, and I guess reading so many natural hair blogs I forget that not everyone is supportive or even tolerant of the natural hair movement. Being the psychotherapist (in training) that I am, I have to wonder what kind of self-hate this boss has going on that spurs her to act so cruelly.

It is a hard enough journey to learn to love your TWA, get used to the BC, and begin loving how you look without blow-in-the-wind relaxed hair. Then add on top of that someone in your life at least 40 hours a week telling you that you don’t look good or professional, telling you that there’s something wrong with your hair…its just discouraging and arouses all sorts of emotion in me. Have you guys had to deal with this sort of thing at work?? What did you do??

P.S. if you have been harassed at work because of your hair, check out the EEOC‘s discrimination complaint form. Natural community this is NOT okay, so speak up!!

Natural in the News

I just saw this video over at BGLH and wanted to repost it here in case you missed it. I think aside from the media and all that, the biggest influence over our children's self esteem and self-perception comes from the people closest to them. That goes for weight, skin color, and hair. Take a look and share your thoughts.

Is FEAR getting in your way?

What was your biggest fear about going natural? Was it realized once you finally chopped or completed your transition? What would you have told yourself one, three, six months ago that you know now? Finally, what words of wisdom do you have for others who are afraid to take that step to natural?

Hot Hair!

"In its first issue dedicated to hair, ESSENCE highlights the unique relationship between African-American women and their hair with the launch of HOT HAIR, an interactive experience covering all things hair -- from root to tip. This special issue covers all of the beauty needs, questions, concerns and triumphs of African-American hair care and style..." essence.com

First the Race in America issue and now this? Well, I'm a sucker for glossy hair pics so I might have to mosey on down to Barnes and Noble for a chai latte and a quick flip-through! So many hair magazines with "natural" styles have a lot of locs and weaves, neither of which really help me out at all! I hope there are some real natural looks here we loose-haired naturals can try too!

Essence's 'Race In America' Issue

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Kerry Washington graces the cover of November's Essence cover. "The goal of this month's issue is to create a national dialogue on race that will inform, inspire and empower African-American women." Sporting large, lush curls and a red, white, and blue halter, the look in her eye and hands on her hips say she's ready to take the conversation about race in America head-on! I am interested to see what Essence has to say this month about why race still matters . I also want to check out the article described by the top left headline which reads "Love Your Natural Hair: Curl It, Twist It, Lock It, Rock It".

So, will you be reading this November's Essence?

What is a REAL woman anyway?

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There is so much debate over the media's impact on women and self esteem. On the one hand, we are supposed to love our bodies, no matter what the shape or size. Embracing ourselves just the way we are seems to be a common theme among talk show hosts and columnists alike. On the other hand, however, we are bombarded with messages that we need the latest this or that to make us thinner, prettier, younger, healthier, richer, more popular, etc. Whew! It can really confuse even the most grounded of girls out there.

As a school counselor, I see many young women and men who struggle with self-image on a daily basis. As a counseling intern, I remember co-leading a girl's group on self esteem when we began to talk about body types. The goal of the session was to help the girls identify the ways in which the media uses advertising to get us to feel a certain way about ourselves so we buy their products. One girl made a comment about "skinny models" and the other girls quickly jumped on board, ready to bash any woman they found among the pages who was tall and thin. Just then, the counselor I was working with made the comment that we must be careful about going too far in the other direction, that there are some women out there who are naturally tall and skinny just like there are those who are more pear shaped or "big boned". It was a light-bulb moment for me to think about what she was saying.

So often we are taught that real women are not skinny or thin or model-like at all. Real women have curves, hips, thighs, meat on their bones. But, the counselor was right. Some women are just naturally small. Does that mean they are no longer "real"? What is real? Why do we as women feel that we can only be validated if we devalue someone who is different? I say ALL women are real women.

I walked away from group that day, hoping that the girls took away the same message that I did. You don't have to stand in opposition to something or someone to find the beauty within yourself. Someone else does not have to become ugly or less than just so you can be worthy. I guess in the same way, we can apply this to other beauty standards like skin color or hair type/texture. One does not have to be made bad so that the other is good. Light is not better than dark, dark is not better than light. Equally, natural is not better than permed just like permed is not better than natural. It is all good.

What's your opinion?

Is Your Natural Hair Too Much Work???

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I love looking around You Tube to get hair inspiration. Lately I have been looking for different versions of mini braids, kind of like the ones I had a last year, to wear to Cancun. I didn't want to spend money getting them done again and I was looking for other natural ladies who did mini braids themselves.

One channel I found featured a young woman who had recently put in a set of pixie braids on her short natural hair. I remember thinking how beautiful she is and how well the style suited her face. I kept watching the video over and over, partly because her hair was amazing (and I wish I had tried that when my hair was that length) and partly because I just though the colors of her scarf, earrings and skin looked so rich together.

So, a few days ago, I go back to her channel to see more of her videos and to hopefully see more cute styles. Imagine my surprise when the first video I see, the woman on the screen is sporting a straight, flipped do. It was very cute but clearly not "natural"! At first I thought, oh so it looks like she straightened it out for a change or a length check or whatever. Then, I pressed play and realized what I should have surmised from the title! It clearly says Natural to Relaxed.

Now, I know plenty of women go natural then go back to relaxing their hair. Happens all the time. Some of you probably have done the same at some point. I guess what surprised me the most was that she felt her relaxed hair was easier. Don't get me wrong, I have heard that same sentiment expressed from countless other natural-back to relaxed folks. That is usually followed by naturals who condemn or try to make the person feel like they just didn't give it enough time or they were somehow complicating it for themselves. I mean, who are we to judge another person's lifestyle, routine, time management, etc? Sometimes, usually when I'm detangling, I feel like my hair is a lot of work too! I don't believe that relaxing would ever be an option for me again but I see that it is for other women.

So my questions are for you all. First, do you ever feel like your hair is more work now than when you were natural? Second, are there any ladies out there who are currently relaxed or who locked to get away from dealing with a bunch of loose natural hair?

Side note: Still in Cancun. It's LOVELY! If you've never done an all-inclusive before, put it on your list! I will share some pics when I get back and internet is limited here so I might not get to moderate all your comments/answer emails immediately. But I will get to them as I can so please don't stop sharing your thoughts.

Reader Question: Where Can I Find A Good Salon for Locs in ATL?

UPDATE: Many folks probably want to know where good natural hair salons are in their area. If you have not already seen this site, check out Black Girl With Long Hair's Salon directory of tried and BGLH-approved salons. I personally cannot endorse or recommend any of them because I have not been to any salons. But, this might be a nice starting point to get you going. Good luck!

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Got another reader question that I am throwing at you! I am not in ATL but I know many of you are. If you know somewhere good please help this lovely reader out!

Found your website as i was reading about products. Great site btw :) curious if you know any recommendations for natural hair salons in Atlanta just moved here from Virginia and other than a few male friends that's pretty much it (and they are all bald :) although i'm the only one that has touched my locs for the past 3 years it would be nice to go somewhere to get my hair washed and scrubbed hard..you know how they do in the shops that's pretty much all i really miss about letting someone else do my hair.

any recommendations would be appreciated

thanks..peace...

So if you have a spot or person in mind, leave the info in the comments section. Thanks guys!

Reader Question: Mixed Kids, Unequal Treatment? Help one reader decide.

I got the following question under the comments section of this post about Heidi and Seal's newest little baby girl.

Anonymous said...

I am black and my husband is white we have two children my son has very thick curly hair and brown eyes while by daughter has very loose curls and blue eyes. I find myself telling him how beautiful he is and how much I love his hair, my husband thinks I will give my daughter issues. What do you think?

This is an excellent question and I imagine that it is tough for this mom. I wanted to open this up to everyone to give some tips. What do you think? Should this reader continue what she's doing or should she take a different route with her kids? Everybody feels differently about how to raise their children so please post respectfully!

Have You Ever Been Straight Up LAUGHED At in Public...

*** See Update Below***

...because of your hair??? I have. It happened today as I was driving down the highway. And I must admit, it kinda hurt. I was surprised at just how much, actually, and I immediately told myself that some people only see big afro hair atop the heads of silly painted clowns. Or, they must think I'm single-handedly trying to "bring back the 70s". Either way, the look on the faces of the two guys in the pick-up next to me was shock and awe, and not in a good way. This happened to me another time in Wal-Mart. I had just walked into Wally World, approached the cart section to get a cart, and I just happened to look up and catch a glimpse of some guys and a lady sitting in the McDonalds immediately in front of me. They were looking dead at me, in the face, and were laughing. I thought at first that maybe I caught them in the middle of a joke or something but then one of the guys had the woman next to him turn around to gawk at me too and I knew it was the hair.

On both occasions, I was wearing my hair out and huge, probably standing up on my head, not down in a controlled, twist-out, curly look. Usually when I leave the house looking like that, I am the only one I see with such big hair. So I get that it is something to look at if you're not used to seeing massive fros. But I would never dream of laughing in someone's face. Like they're not even human! It made me think of all the times I have seen overweight people on tv talk about how people laugh at them in their face as they walk through the mall or get on the bus. It is really sad how we can treat each other, not realizing that everybody has feelings and wants to be treated nicely.

So, that was just something that happened to me today that I thought I would share. Have any of you experienced something similar with your hair or otherwise? How did you handle it? Did it impact how you feel about yourself at all or lead you to question/change your look?

***Update***

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your comments and support. You better believe that I have NO intentions to change or tamp down the big hair for a few naysayers! It just never fails to surprise me how people can be so silly and thoughtless. Too bad for them!

So, one commenter asked to see pics of what my hair looked like. I did not take any from yesterday but these below are pretty much identical to how it was. These pics are from the DC cherry blossom festival from a few months ago. I think it was an old twist out that blew up in the humid air! Not bad I thought.

Have a Frotastic Fourth of July!

Don't forget to rock your Fros on the 4th! Tomorrow is Afro Independence Day so if you've got it, rock it!

Kinky on Racialicious

I love to read about the experiences of other kinky-nappy-curly haired people regardless of their ethnicity and background. So I was delighted to read this article entitled Kinkosis (an essay) by guest author Safa Samiezade’-Yazd, on Racialicious.com. It is a wonderful read about an American woman of Iranian and Irish descent who comes to embrace her whole self, coils and all!

The entire piece was inspiring but here are a few excerpts that I found to be especially cool...

"My hair went curly in early adolescence, right around the time I hit middle school. I was a small, petite tweenster, and instead of fretting about breasts, which were hardly there, or periods, which were nonexistent, I poured my angst and energy into my newfound mop of kinky hair that sprung itself on me almost overnight. My father hated my curly hair. He said it made me look black."

"This ideology is pervasive, to the point that many times, we don’t even realize we’re buying into it. Beauty requires an acknowledged ugliness in something else, so in order to look damn good, someone else has to look like a train wreck. I remember being told as a child that curly hair is really a genetic mutation. I remember thinking I was a freak."

"Just look at our cosmetics industry. How many different types of foundation does a woman need to put on before she looks like a piece of dry, flaking cake? So when we’re confronted with opposing images of a woman with straight hair that’s styled with a curling iron, and a woman with free-styled kinky curls, the one with straight hair is going to come off as more mature, because her beauty routine takes more discipline."

"Perfection, or ideal beauty is really a distraction, especially amongst minorities, because instead of guiding us to look inward, it manipulates us to focus on outside projections that tell us how we should look and feel, and we become white-washed, so to speak; formulaic, sterile. The more Euro-centric you look, the easier it is to get taken seriously."

Funny how so many of us (curly kinky coily folks) experience similar things across racial and ethnic lines. At the end of the day, a curly journey is one of self-acceptance and we all have our own path to take to get there.

So what do you think of when you hear the word kinky? Does it always conjure up images of Black people or has your view expanded? Do you believe on African Americans can have Afros? I used to have strict views on race and ethnicity and hair, but slowly that is changing. What do you think?

Click HERE to read this article in its entirety.

A New Natural Hair Store In Town!

Hey ladies and gents! I have the distinct honor to tell you about a new store in town called Hairizon. This is a brand place that caters to those of us who want all natural products for our hair. The lovely ladies who co-own this store were kind enough to give Naturally Leslie an exclusive interview. If you are ever in the area, please stop by and show these ladies some support. If not, make sure to visit them online at www.ourharizon.com!

1. Tell Naturally Leslie readers who you are and a little about your new business venture,Hairizon.

Hairizon is a premiere natural hair care superstore founded by myself and co-owner Charia, and is located in Fuquay-Varina, NC. We sell on-line and at 601 E Broad Street in Fuquay-Varina. We are open Tuesday –Saturday from 10 am – 5pm.

Joi Stepney, co-owner of Hairizon, showing off the goods!

2. What was the driving force behind this idea?

When Charia and I decided to refrain from chemically straightening our hair, we surveyed our options of hair care products in mainstream beauty supply stores. Many products were chemically laden and catered more to people with relaxed hair. We then realized there was an urgent need for a beauty supply store that catered to natural hair care.

3. What types of products do you sell at your store?

We sell natural hair care products for all ethnicities and hair textures that are specifically formulated for those with natural hair and/or for those who are seeking natural-ingredients when purchasing hair care products. Our products have been specifically selected to avoid any unnecessary chemical additives and instead incorporate nature’s best essential oils, herbs, flowers and minerals to protect, strengthen, and promote healthy hair.Some of the brands we carry include Jason, Jane Carter, Mixed Chicks and Burt’s Bees.

4. How easy/hard was it to get started considering so many Black hair care supply stores are Asian-owned and operated?

Hairizon offers a specific service within a broad industry, a service that, Asian-owned operated stores are only beginning to tap into. For that reason, we have not been hit hard as many other black owned and operated beauty supply stores. However, there are also many Asian owned distribution companies. One distribution company in particular asked that we submit a picture with our vendor credentials! We believe this was done to ensure our ethnicity. Nevertheless, we did so at their request. We have yet to hear from them to date. There is definitely a monopoly in the beauty supply industry. With the help of loyal customers, we will continue to strive and thrive through the dominating stronghold.

5. What have been the greatest challenges/ greatest achievements in this journey?

The greatest challenge is that most well-known natural hair care producers require the retailer to have a physical, brick & mortar location. Being a startup, this can be quite a large expense. Leases in most urban areas run between $1500 - $2000 per month. Then, you have to take into consideration utilities, shelving and product.

6. Will you be doing any promotions in the near future?

The following promotions are going right now:

-Every month one lucky facebook fan receives free products. Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=131483580200163#!/pages/Fuquay-Varina-NC/Hairizon/131483580200163

-Free shipping for $50 orders

-10% off all orders for a limited time (coupon code: CW9826CB1B)

-We are also in the process of creating the “Product Junkie” club. For $20, you get special discounts and secret sales for a year. You heard it here first! We are in the process of putting the best package together as possible for our customers.

7. For folks who do not live in the NC area, how can they support your business?

Our products can also be purchased online at www.ourhairizon.com.

8. Is there anything else you would like Naturally Leslie readers to know?

Customers and supporters can also sign up to receive our free monthly newsletter on our website www.ourhairizon.com and are encourage to become a member of our online forum at http://hairizon.onediscussion.net,and be a part of our online natural hair care community, where one may commune with fellow naturals, learn hair care tips, and much more!

Good luck ladies and thanks for sharing with all of us here at Naturally Leslie!

Natural Pressure...Keeping it in Perspective

If you are new to natural hair, you might feel pressure to conform and learn everything you read or hear. That is too bad because for so many, going natural is about being free from conforming. With the growing natural hair blog and vlog presence, a whole new world has emerged with product lists, terminology, length issues, texture issues, etc. I recognize that I am a part of that world and that's ok. I hope I do not contribute to any folks out there who are just starting out and beginning to feel overwhelmed by what seems to be another heap of expectations. I have been natural for so long now that sometimes I forget what it was like to just chop off all my hair or struggle to find products that worked for me. I forget what it was like to fear rejection by co-workers and peers. I forget that feeling of walking out into society with huge hair for the first time, and what it was like to feel what seemed like a million disapproving eyeballs burning a hole through the fro. I enjoy writing here and giving tips, ideas and thoughts about hair. If I have written or said one thing that helps another person out then I am satisfied. In the end though, it really is a personal journey that does not have to live up to anyone else's expectations or goals. You really have to have your own goals and know that at the end of the day it is YOUR hair. So you don't want to follow a 6 month protective style challenge? Fine. Don't want to spend hours memorizing good vs bad ingredient lists? Don't! Cause why trade in one set of rules and pressures for another? That sucks.

If I had to give my readers any advice about how to deal with pressures in the natural hair kingdom, it would be these. (And in the vein of this post, you can take them, leave them, not even read them. Nobody's word should be your master.)

1. Read all you want (blogs, you tube, sites, etc) but at the end of the day take from it only what seems good and reasonable to you.

2. Try products that are suggested if you want to but don't feel pressure to do so if you're happy with what you like or if your routine works just fine.

3. Bandwagons can be fun but once they are no longer so, jump off!

4. Length, texture, etc are fun to explore if you are doing it without putting undue pressure on yourself. Once you feel stressed about it, let it go.

I guess I could think of more but you all are intelligent, free-thinking, beautiful people who don't need someone else giving you a long list of do's and do-not's.

I truly appreciate all of you who read, comment, and support this blog. It started out as something fun, as a way to share my journey with you. It has become such an inspiration to me to hear about all of you. Please don't stop reading, posting, commenting and sharing your stories. I love you all!