A couple of days ago I wrote and article about "pre-poo" and its affects. Well, I tried it. Yes, that's right. I did a pre-poo. I loved it. It made my hair really soft and my curls were looser, and not as tight as they usually are. My experience maybe different than someone else's but all in all I would, no I am going to do it again.
Below are tips. Again, I suggest do your own research and experiement to see what works well for you! In the original article, I listed links for you to go to. Enjoy-CurLillies!
Tool/Ingredients you will need:
1. Bowl (to combine ingredients)
2. Applicator bottle/brush (make sure you get something that will get down into your scalp)
3. Conditioner
4. Natural oil ( I used olive oil and raw shea butter oil)
5. 1/4 cup of water
6. plastic cap
7. hooded dryer (you can let the conditioner sit without sitting under the dryer).
Combine into the bowl your conditioner and half of the 1/4 cup of water. Remember you don't want the condition too then as when you warm the conditioner it will then even more. Add enough water until the conditioning mix is at a consistency you are ok with. Add your natural oil. You only need 1 to 2 tablespoons. Mix well and heat. Before applying the oil conditioning mix, warm up your dryer (if you plan to use one). Either using the application bottle or brush part your hair and make sure you get the warmed mix into scalp first. After you have covered your entire scalp, then you can distribute the rest of the mix on your hair making sure all your hair is covered (especially the ends). Cover your hair with the plastic cap and sit under the dryer for at least 30 minutes. If you don't want to sit under the dryer, I suggest putting this on your hair at least 1 hour before washing your hair.
After you have completed your treatment, rinse your hair well before washing it. I suggest using either a low-poo or your regular shampoo for your wash. I think using a no-poo or doing a co-wash will leave your hair too soft. After washing be sure to do a quick condition and pat your hair dry. It is ready for your regular leave in conditioner or daily moisturizer.
I have heard some complaints about "pre-poo's" making your hair to soft. That could be true depending on the type of hair you have. If you notice that "pre-poo's" have that affect on your hair, try just doing a plain hot oil treatment using a natural oil. This is a great alternative that can provide amazing results. I hope you find this helpful.
Enjoy!
CurLillies
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Natural Hair and Professionalism. An Oxymoron?
I read this article and wanted to share it with everyone.
Enjoy,
CurLillies!
Are natural hair and locs unprofessional in corporate America? That was the subject broached by the friend of a friend on Facebook recently. The young lady stated that she likes natural hairstyles, but because she works in an entry level position at a conservative investment bank, she doesn’t think it is “work appropriate,” and that it would be difficult to move up the corporate ladder with an “ethnic” hairstyle. The statement made me wonder whether many women on Black Enterprise’s 75 Most Powerful Women in Business list wore their hair in natural or “ethnic” hairstyles. A cursory glance produced about five, including Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox and one of the most powerful women in business. I couldn’t think of any C-suite men who had locs or short afros. When I informed the young woman on Facebook what I found, she countered that those five women were at the top of their game, and that their hair may not have been "kinky" on the way up.
Hmmm. She’s got a point.
I’m a believer in freedom of expression when it comes to appearance. I definitely do NOT believe that all Black people should wear their hair natural. But for those who choose to, the idea that you can’t succeed in business if you choose to leave your naturally curly hair, curly, really bothers me. So, when I pitched the idea for an article about natural hair in the C-suite at a recent meeting, a few of my BLACK ENTERPRISE colleagues said that the way in which one wore their hair was an expression of fashion; something meant to change with the seasons and maturity. Others thought the issue had been played in the media too many times. And some just wondered why anyone would care about expressing their self through hair if they were unemployed and in desperate need of work.
Then there were those like me who asked the same question that actress Tracie Thoms did in Chris Rock’s movie Good Hair. Why is it that wearing one’s hair, the way God created it such a revolutionary idea? After debating our different perspectives for the next 10-15 minutes, we all realized this was truly a divisive issue worth covering.
Why is natural hair such a big deal? Here is some background for anyone who is completely clueless on the subject and a reminder for those who already know. There is a negative stigma attached to natural Black hair in the United States and frankly in most places of the world. The story starts way before the current natural hair craze that some people think is a fad, and before the 1970's when afros became popular as a “political statement” for activists who wanted to revel in “Black beauty” but was then temporarily accepted by the rest of the Black community and White ones too.
In the 1800's and early 1900's nappy, kinky, curly, hair was deemed inferior, ugly, and unkempt in comparison to the flowing, bouncy, hair of people from other cultures. The caricatures of Blacks that surfaced during that time in movies, children’s books, on laundry detergent, and food products were commonplace and they taught Blacks and Whites alike to loathe the appearance of Black hair and to associate it with dirtiness, unruliness and even character traits like laziness and dishonesty.
While the dark complexions, wider noses, and fuller lips of Blacks were also disparaged, the texture of our hair was the only thing that we could realistically and drastically change (at that time) about our appearance to escape those negative associations. And making that change was encouraged as Blacks who straightened their hair were deemed more likable, agreeable, and dependable by Whites; even more employable.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, that sentiment still exists, although I do believe that fewer Whites and more Blacks actually believe it to be true. If you haven’t noticed recently, Black women with kinky hair dominate the same commercials that are cast by all White ad agencies (that is the only time you’ll hear me giving Madison Avenue props). It’s mostly Blacks, not Whites who have internalized the hype from 100 years earlier and who just won’t let it go.
The aspiration to straighten and lengthen our hair wasn’t all bad. The money that was created from Black businesses like Madame C. J. Walker, Dudley Hair Care Products, and hundreds of thousands of Black beauty parlors has done some good for the Black community. It also led us to experiment with our hair and pave innovative roads in hair fashion. But our obsession with straight flowing hair has also caused us to allow some people to take advantage of us financially.
As a woman who chooses to wear my hair in natural styles, it’s disheartening to me that I receive more negative comments from Blacks about my hair then I’ve ever received from Whites.
That’s not to say that White people don’t still feel nappy Black hair is hideous, but they aren’t as vocal about it and when they are, they’re usually condemned as racist. Remember the White staffer from Glamour magazine who told a group of lawyers that ethnic hairstyles were a fashion don’t when it came to corporate dress? She was reprimanded and the editor and managing editor of the magazine was made to apologize publicly on her behalf.
Meanwhile, day in and day out, Black women and men tell other Black women and men the exact same things without any condemnation.
Now, having said all of that, I’m going to contradict myself (Hey, Blacks are not a monolithic group and my opinions don’t walk a straight line either). The unemployment rate fell to 9% recently, but it is still 15.7% for Blacks not including the under-employed, marginally attached, and discouraged workers. The reality is that your chances for getting a job and getting promoted are lessened when you don’t conform/assimilate to an ideal, predefined standard of appearance in certain industries. Is it right? No. Is there something you can do about that? Yes. If you’ve demonstrated that you have an incomparable work ethic, you can tame your company’s most challenging projects, and you’ve dotted every I or crossed every T on your resume but you still aren’t getting hired or promoted, then you have three choices: 1) Change industries 2) start your own company or 3) conform and straighten your hair and/or cut your locs.
At any cost, as Indie.Arie once reminded us, we are NOT our hair, and if you cut it, it will grow back. And that’s just what you can do once you’ve proven your worth and scaled the company hierarchy. At which point you can start hiring some of those people who were in your shoes and make sure they don’t have to walk the “fine line” in order to make the cut.
Enjoy,
CurLillies!
Posted by CURLYNIKKI | Labels: Curl to Curl, natural in the workplace, Question of the Day
Is it Possible to Reach the C-Suite Without Straight Hair?
by Marcia Wade Talbert of Black Enterprise.com
by Marcia Wade Talbert of Black Enterprise.com
Are natural hair and locs unprofessional in corporate America? That was the subject broached by the friend of a friend on Facebook recently. The young lady stated that she likes natural hairstyles, but because she works in an entry level position at a conservative investment bank, she doesn’t think it is “work appropriate,” and that it would be difficult to move up the corporate ladder with an “ethnic” hairstyle. The statement made me wonder whether many women on Black Enterprise’s 75 Most Powerful Women in Business list wore their hair in natural or “ethnic” hairstyles. A cursory glance produced about five, including Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox and one of the most powerful women in business. I couldn’t think of any C-suite men who had locs or short afros. When I informed the young woman on Facebook what I found, she countered that those five women were at the top of their game, and that their hair may not have been "kinky" on the way up. Hmmm. She’s got a point.
I’m a believer in freedom of expression when it comes to appearance. I definitely do NOT believe that all Black people should wear their hair natural. But for those who choose to, the idea that you can’t succeed in business if you choose to leave your naturally curly hair, curly, really bothers me. So, when I pitched the idea for an article about natural hair in the C-suite at a recent meeting, a few of my BLACK ENTERPRISE colleagues said that the way in which one wore their hair was an expression of fashion; something meant to change with the seasons and maturity. Others thought the issue had been played in the media too many times. And some just wondered why anyone would care about expressing their self through hair if they were unemployed and in desperate need of work.
Then there were those like me who asked the same question that actress Tracie Thoms did in Chris Rock’s movie Good Hair. Why is it that wearing one’s hair, the way God created it such a revolutionary idea? After debating our different perspectives for the next 10-15 minutes, we all realized this was truly a divisive issue worth covering.
Why is natural hair such a big deal? Here is some background for anyone who is completely clueless on the subject and a reminder for those who already know. There is a negative stigma attached to natural Black hair in the United States and frankly in most places of the world. The story starts way before the current natural hair craze that some people think is a fad, and before the 1970's when afros became popular as a “political statement” for activists who wanted to revel in “Black beauty” but was then temporarily accepted by the rest of the Black community and White ones too.
In the 1800's and early 1900's nappy, kinky, curly, hair was deemed inferior, ugly, and unkempt in comparison to the flowing, bouncy, hair of people from other cultures. The caricatures of Blacks that surfaced during that time in movies, children’s books, on laundry detergent, and food products were commonplace and they taught Blacks and Whites alike to loathe the appearance of Black hair and to associate it with dirtiness, unruliness and even character traits like laziness and dishonesty.
While the dark complexions, wider noses, and fuller lips of Blacks were also disparaged, the texture of our hair was the only thing that we could realistically and drastically change (at that time) about our appearance to escape those negative associations. And making that change was encouraged as Blacks who straightened their hair were deemed more likable, agreeable, and dependable by Whites; even more employable.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, that sentiment still exists, although I do believe that fewer Whites and more Blacks actually believe it to be true. If you haven’t noticed recently, Black women with kinky hair dominate the same commercials that are cast by all White ad agencies (that is the only time you’ll hear me giving Madison Avenue props). It’s mostly Blacks, not Whites who have internalized the hype from 100 years earlier and who just won’t let it go.
The aspiration to straighten and lengthen our hair wasn’t all bad. The money that was created from Black businesses like Madame C. J. Walker, Dudley Hair Care Products, and hundreds of thousands of Black beauty parlors has done some good for the Black community. It also led us to experiment with our hair and pave innovative roads in hair fashion. But our obsession with straight flowing hair has also caused us to allow some people to take advantage of us financially.
As a woman who chooses to wear my hair in natural styles, it’s disheartening to me that I receive more negative comments from Blacks about my hair then I’ve ever received from Whites.
That’s not to say that White people don’t still feel nappy Black hair is hideous, but they aren’t as vocal about it and when they are, they’re usually condemned as racist. Remember the White staffer from Glamour magazine who told a group of lawyers that ethnic hairstyles were a fashion don’t when it came to corporate dress? She was reprimanded and the editor and managing editor of the magazine was made to apologize publicly on her behalf.
Meanwhile, day in and day out, Black women and men tell other Black women and men the exact same things without any condemnation.
Now, having said all of that, I’m going to contradict myself (Hey, Blacks are not a monolithic group and my opinions don’t walk a straight line either). The unemployment rate fell to 9% recently, but it is still 15.7% for Blacks not including the under-employed, marginally attached, and discouraged workers. The reality is that your chances for getting a job and getting promoted are lessened when you don’t conform/assimilate to an ideal, predefined standard of appearance in certain industries. Is it right? No. Is there something you can do about that? Yes. If you’ve demonstrated that you have an incomparable work ethic, you can tame your company’s most challenging projects, and you’ve dotted every I or crossed every T on your resume but you still aren’t getting hired or promoted, then you have three choices: 1) Change industries 2) start your own company or 3) conform and straighten your hair and/or cut your locs.
At any cost, as Indie.Arie once reminded us, we are NOT our hair, and if you cut it, it will grow back. And that’s just what you can do once you’ve proven your worth and scaled the company hierarchy. At which point you can start hiring some of those people who were in your shoes and make sure they don’t have to walk the “fine line” in order to make the cut.
What do you think? Can natural hair and professionalism co-exist? Or should we all expect to conform when we take (or apply for) positions in various companies?
Should it matter how you wear your hair as long as you present yourself well? Join the conversation by leaving your comment below.
Originally featured on BlackEnterprise.com
Should it matter how you wear your hair as long as you present yourself well? Join the conversation by leaving your comment below.
Originally featured on BlackEnterprise.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
Pre-Poo. Does it work?
One element that is new to me is the concept of "pre-poo". Pre-poo is a pre-shampoo treatment for your hair that consists of your favorite oils, conditioners, or both elements combined. The idea is to treat your hair for 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to washing your hair. I have heard that this process leaves your hair soft and manageable.
I personally have never tried this exact process. I have done a hot oil treatment before, but that was a simple oil treatment leave on for 10 minute and then shampoo. So my next trial is to "pre-poo" before my next wash. I'll let you know how it goes and the products that I used. Below I have listed some websites about "pre-poo". I hope everyone finds this helpful.
Pre-poo websites:
http://healthtexture.live.subhub.com/articles/20080901
http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/10/do-you-pre-poo.html
http://www.afrobella.com/2008/03/28/do-you-pre-poo/
Enjoy!
CurLillies
I personally have never tried this exact process. I have done a hot oil treatment before, but that was a simple oil treatment leave on for 10 minute and then shampoo. So my next trial is to "pre-poo" before my next wash. I'll let you know how it goes and the products that I used. Below I have listed some websites about "pre-poo". I hope everyone finds this helpful.
Pre-poo websites:
http://healthtexture.live.subhub.com/articles/20080901
http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/10/do-you-pre-poo.html
http://www.afrobella.com/2008/03/28/do-you-pre-poo/
Enjoy!
CurLillies
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