Riteaid

The CN ladies pulled me in again. They posted about a Riteaid sale, so I had to go check it out.

Giovanni products: Buy One, Get One Free (ends Jan. 2nd)
Herbal Essence products: $2.99

and in case you're curious, the micro fiber turban was $10.

I bought Giovanni Smooth As Silk shampoo & conditioner(2), Giovanni 50:50 shampoo & conditioner(2), Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship conditioner, Hydralicious, Totally Twisted, and None of Your Frizzness.

Photobucket

Photobucket is messing with me! lol I will have all of these pictures fixed later on today. Sorry. I'm being a little lazy right now. Please forgive me, lol. :)

Happy New Year!

If you would have told me 1 year ago that I would be able to complete all of the above styles (and then some) and actually have a blog about my daughters hair, I would have thought you were nuts! Yet here I am, most days I still can't believe it. I remember calling my sister last year, so upset that I couldn't cornrow. I remember telling her I give up, and A would be rockin' a ponytail for the rest of her life. Obviously that is not the case. :)

Beads, Braids, & Beyond has been up for just over two months and we already have 280 followers. We have had 10 diva's participate in Diva Spotlight and 4 little handsome men participate in Littleman's Lounge. We have 172 fabulous friends on Facebook, 26 followers on Twitter, and 77 subscribers on Youtube. Needless to say, you are all amazing! I have received so much positive feedback through emails, comments, and forums and I am truly grateful.

Mixed Chicks added B,B,B to their Friends & Links section.

One of my favorite websites, http://cornrows.co.uk, the website that finally taught me how to cornrow added B,B,B to their Links section.

B,B,B submits weekly articles over at Curly Nikki now. Her website helped me tremendously when I first started learning about natural hair care.

I can't close 2009 out without giving a shout out to my BBC mama's who gave me the push to create the blog. I <3 you girls!

A special shout out to:
-Drea, who was our first follower (I was really excited, she can vouch for that)
-Lee, who has helped me so much!
-Diana, you are sooo helpful!
-Tasha, for coming up with the blog name!
-Coll, always giving me an extra push when needed.

And of course, I have to thank everyone who has helped me in various forums along the way. All of the women I have come in contact with in the natural hair community are so helpful.

A loves seeing all of the women and children with hair similar to hers, and I am so happy and thankful for that.

I look forward to 2010. More Diva Spotlight, Littleman's Lounge, and Hair Share. Here's to growing the natural hair "family" for the little one's! I'm anxious to meet new people, and learn new things.

I hope you all have a happy and blessed new year!

My New Years Hair Resolution

Hey ladies!

I wanted to share my new years hair resolution with you all. I previously shared these pictures and exciting news with my BBC mamas, then shared them over on NC in the 2 section.

Both pictures I washed my hair and let it air dry with no product in. The first was taken July 18th, the second was taken December 28th.

My hair is naturally curly but I have been flat ironing my hair since I was about 13 years old. I'm talking every day, 2-3 times per day. Well, I completely flat ironed my curls out. I had 8 inches cut off a few months after having my son. (he was born in April) I have *rarely* been using heat on my hair and it seems like it is trying to come back to life. I know I still need a major cut to get rid of all of the damage. Looking at the after picture, my hair is just wavy, but when I look at older pictures (specifically when I was 9-13) my hair was curly. I'm definitely excited for my natural hair to be back. So my new years hair resolution is to put very minimal (if any) heat on my hair, and if I do happen to flat iron my hair, use a heat protectant. I look forward to learning more about my hair, and what products my hair likes. In the mean time, I will be checking out The Wavy Tales. She has a lot of great reviews and is definitely a certified product junkie. lol :) I also plan on learning more about the Curly Girl Method for my hair. Stay tuned!

By the way, don't mind the sunglasses picture, that was the only one I could find where my hair wasn't flat ironed.

Do you have a hair resolution for yourself or your little one?

The Best Way to Remove Tangles, Will you take the pledge?

Your fingers!

I know! So simple, right?

Unfortunately, many people (sometimes including myself) often skip this step.

When you wet your childs hair and load it up with conditioner, you probably automatically take a wide tooth comb to it. The thing is, the comb does not remove the tangles like your fingers would. The comb just rips through the tangles, causing a lot of unneccassary breakage.

So I am taking a pledge. From now on I will detangle her hair with my fingers first before using a wide tooth comb.

I, Nikki, pledge to always remove tangles from A's hair with my fingers before using a wide tooth comb.

Just copy what I said, and add your comment with your name and your childs name.

Remember, if you take the pledge, you must stick with it or else we will have to find you and do kung fu! :)

More Hair Accessories

So I go to the Beauty Supply Store today to pick up some ORS Lock & Twist gel, I'm in there minding my business when next thing you know I am in the accessory department. Now how did that happen? I don't need any more accessories. It's like an amazing force takes over and you have absoloutely no control over the situation. Here you are in a daze looking at products and reading ingredients while your significant other is calling your name. You can be in Walmart picking up some cleaning supplies but somehow you always end up in the product/accessory department buying up things you know you don't need. Oh, is that what you call a product junkie? Now you KNOW you're a product junkie if that happens! Better yet, how about you're in a store and you get mad because they don't sell hair products OR accessories. Over there muggin' the clerk like they did something wrong. (is that just me?) I mean, not even accessories though? C'mon! :) haha I'm being silly. Let me stop.

So I bought the ORS Lock & Twist Gel alright. I also bought some more beads (regular and stars) and some heart hair snaps. Now supposedly, you can snap those little bad boys at the end of a braid/twist to hold the beads. An option if you're not into rubberbands. Hmmm, will it work or will beads be lost? We shall see!

First Grade Teacher Cuts Girls Hair

I have been reading about this on various forums/blogs since yesterday and I still can't believe it! Please watch the video.

This is a shortened video:



Longer version: (goes on to say they have been stressed about budget cuts)

Go watch/read the news story HERE!

"A Milwaukee teacher is charged with disorderly conduct after punishing a first-grader by cutting her hair.

Lamya Cammon is angry, confused, and scared by the incident last week in which the apparently frustrated teacher cut one of her braids off after she wouldn't stop playing with them in class.

Cammon, 7, sports a few dozen braids, but one is conspicuously absent.

"She told me to stop playing with it. Then cut it off and sent me back to my desk," Cammon said.

Cammon's a first-grader at Congress Elementary and said her teacher used a pair of classroom scissors to cut off one of the braids after she absent-mindedly kept playing with them.

"Tell me how you play with your hair. Show me what that means," 12 News reporter Nick Bohr said to Cammon.

"I wasn't playing with it that loud," Cammon said.

She said the teacher called her to the front of the room and cut it in front of the whole class.

"What did you do?" Bohr asked.

"I went to my desk and cried. And they was laughing," Cammon said. "She threw it away, and she said, 'Now what you gonna go home and say to your momma? ' And I said, 'That you cut off my hair,'" Cammon said."

______________________________________

This woman is STILL working at the school and only received a $175 fine for this assault! The little girl is in a different classroom however, she will still be seeing this teacher out in the hallways. Can you imagine that being you (7 years old) and how traumatized you would be?

I am very angry about this, to say the least.

So after chatting it up with some of the fab Curly Nikki ladies in the forum, a few of us are going to write the school. It may not change anything at all. However, I am very bothered by this, just sitting around talking about it won't do anything at all. Hopefully some of you join in as well.

This is the schools address:
Congress Elementary School
5225 West Lincoln Creek Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53218

This is the schools email address:
116@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us

This is the school districts address:
Milwaukee Public Schools
5225 West Vliet Street
Milwaukee, WI 53208


What are your thoughts on this?

Organizing Hair Accessories

I remember back when I first started learning how to style A's hair, I would always buy random hair accessories and throw them all in this huge bag. Well, that didn't work. When I needed something I would have to dump the entire bag out and search for that white clip or that pink ballie. On top of that, everything was wrapped around each other! It was not a good sight, that's for sure. Plus, it made things stressful. Especially if we didn't have a lot of time.

Now we have this little setup that works out perfectly. I found some things around the house and made it work. You can too!

First, we have a new addition. A super cute cupcake themed bow holder from Little Lady & Me: A lot of Style for your Little Lady. All of the bows seen on the bow holder are from Little Lady & Me.



Next, we have a storage bin I had laying around the house. I finally put it to good use. You should be able to find one of these at Walmart, Target, etc for around $10-$15.

I have beads in ziplock baggies, headbands in a bag that came with one of A's princess sets, ponytail holders in ziplock baggies, barrettes/ballies in onesie packs. (thanks to her baby brother!) I also have the spray bottle hanging on the side, and combs and other various things on the bottom.



I hung up a long ribbon on the side of the storage bin and added all of A's bows.



On the other side of the bin I have curlers. The flexi-rods and rollers are in bags that came with her princess sets.



I took these pictures so you can get a better look at everything.

Ponytail holders, headbands, rubberbands, and other unopened accessories.



Barrettes/ballies in onesie packs. :)



Beads in ziplock baggies.



Hair tools.



Hair curlers.



I try to keep everything color coordinated. It is very helpful. Especially when you're dealing with beads. At one point I had all of the beads in a jar together and I struggled finding the right colors to put on the beader.

So there you have it! Our little set up. I hope it has given you some ideas. I know we will have to upgrade to something bigger soon but for now this is what works for us.

How do you keep your hair accessories organized?

Walgreens

Ummm, yeah. We didn't need any of the above products. I blame BBC & CN ladies for this. They posted about the Organix sale, so I had to check it out. Of course you know once you go into a store, you leave with what you were looking for and then some. $25 for everything posted in the picture above. Not bad, Walgreens.

I guess I'll tell you about the sales now. :)

Organix Shampoo & Conditioner:
Buy one get one free. So, 2/$6.99

Samy's Curl Defining Creme:
Buy one get one free. So, 2/$6.49

27.3oz Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner: $5.99

And the Winner is.....

(Watch video to find out who won)

Congrats!!!

Please email me your mailing address by December 11th at beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com Make sure everything is correct!

I want to thank everyone who participated! There will be more Giveaways to come. Thanks to everyone who follows our blog!



In case you forgot, you will receive the following:



Didn't win? Head over to Denman to get one of these amazing brushes! These brushes are also available in UK
through Boots nationwide.

Everyone subscribe to Beads, Braids, & Beyond on youtube HERE!

I plan on trying to do some tutorials so please request away by leaving a comment! Do you want to learn how to cornrow? Sister twists? Detangling? etc.

Thanks everyone!

Last Chance to Enter the Giveaway!

Tomorrow (December 4th) is THE last day to enter the Giveaway everyone!!

If you follow the blog, simply comment on the giveaway post telling me you follow along with your first name and that gets you one entry! View the post to see how you can get additional entries.

Our Paint Creation

I think it's apparent that I am not good at designing things, lol. Once again, boredom got the best of me so I played around with Paint. A helped me every step of the way, so it makes it kind of special. She kept telling me to make the puffs bigger (that's my girl!), she told me what color dresses and shoes she wanted, and so on. I decided to make it a button too, so feel free to add it to your website. Hope you all like it! :)

Just say HELL NO Texture Softener

I am so tired of seeing misleading information about the Just For Me Texture Softener, that I decided to make a post about it. I do not wish to offend anyone.

Edit: A post on a forum inspired me to make this. Someone posted a lot of misleading information. She deleted the thread after I gave her this link though.

To sum it up, if you or your child has used the Just For Me "Texture Softener", then you have a relaxer. A no-lye relaxer, but a relaxer nonetheless.

After looking at Just For Me Texture Softener's website, I think it is safe to say this product is marketed towards African American/Biracial children. Specifically Biracial children if you read their Advice for Moms section.

First we will talk about ingredients, which I could not find on their website. Surprise, surprise. I googled "Just For Me Texture Softener ingredients" and Walgreens was the first to pop up.

Ingredients:
Water- Aqua, , Petrolatum, , Cetearyl Alcohol, , Mineral Oil- Paraffinum Liquidum, , Polysorbate 60, , Calcium Hydroxide, , Propylene Glycol, , PEG-75 Lanolin, , Sodium Stearoamphoacetate, , Aloe Barbadensis, , Oleth-3 Phosphate, , Linalool, , Fragrance- Parfum, , Water- Aqua, , Guanidine Carbonate, , Xanthan Gum, , Denatonium Benzoate, , Green 5- CI 61570, , Green 8- CI 59040, , Water- Aqua, , Sodium Laureth Sulfate, , Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate, , Citric Acid, , Polyquaternium-7, , PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, , Polysorbate 20, , Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, , Algae Extract, , Aloe Barbadensis, , PEG-150 Distearate, , Tetrasodium EDTA, , Phenolsulfonphthalein, , Diazolidinyl Urea, , DMDM Hydantoin, , Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, , Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, , Benzyl Salicylate, , Butyl Phenyl Methyl Propional, , Citronellol, , Coumarin, , Linalool, , Fragrance- Parfum, , Carthamus Tinctorius, , Helianthus Annuus, , Glycine Soja, , Mineral Oil- Paraffinum Liquidum, , Zea Mays, , Limnanthes Alba, , Lanolin Oil, , Tocopheryl Acetate, , Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, , Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, , BHT, , Amyl Cinnamal, , Citral, , Limonene, , Linalool, , Fragrance- Parfum, , Water- Aqua, , Mineral Oil- Paraffinum Liquidum, , Polyquaternium-22, , Hydroxyethylcellulose, , Acetamide MEA, , Panthenol, , Hydrolyzed Keratin, , Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, , Sodium Cocoyl Collagen Amino Acids, , Algae Extract, , Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, , Simmondsia Chinensis, , Tocopheryl Acetate, , Aloe Barbadensis, , Oleth-3 Phosphate, , Sorbitan Stearate, , Linoleic Acid, , Linolenic Acid, , Triticum Vulgare, , Wheat Germ Acid, , Propylene Glycol, , Sorbitol, , Cocoyl Sarcosine, , Methylisothiazolinone, , Methylchloroisothiazolinone, , Fragrance- Parfum, , Water- Aqua, , Mineral Oil- Paraffinum Liquidum, , Lanolin, , Lanolin Wax, , Petrolatum, , Lanolin Oil, , C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, , Hydroxylated Lanolin, , Panthenol, , Sorbitan Oleate, , Sodium Borate, , Methylparaben, , Diazolidinyl Urea, , Limonene, , Fragrance- Parfum, , Red 33- CI 17200,

So I took a trip over to Teri's ingredients dictionary.

Calcium hydroxide
Avoid
Often found in “no-lye” relaxers and texturizers.
It is still as harshly alkaline as lye. Highly caustic. Denatures hair and can dissolve it. Can cause severe burns on skin. Of the same pH found in oven cleaners, drain cleaners and hair removers. Pg 155.

Read more about calcium hydroxide here.

Guanidine carbonate
Avoid
This is mixed with calcium hydroxide to form guanidine hydroxide, a common ingredient in relaxers. Pg 155

This is also listed on the Walgreens website under WARNINGS, which I assume is also listed on the box.

Warnings:
-This product contains calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate - toxic.
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Keep this product and all others away from eyes and mouth.
-Product may be harmful if it accidentally gets into eyes or mouth.
-Contains alkali agent.
-Avoid contact with eyes. Can cause blindness.
-Can cause hair breakage and/or loss.
-If product gets into eyes, wash eyes thoroughly with water.
-If product is swallowed, consult a physician immediately.
-Follow directions carefully to avoid skin and scalp burns, hair loss and eye injury.
-Do not use on bleached or permanently colored hair which is breaking, splitting or otherwise damaged.
-If hair has been previously treated with Texture Softener or relaxed, apply only to new growth as described in the instructions.
-If product causes skin or scalp irritations, rinse out immediately and wash with the shampoo included in the kit.
-If irritation persists or if hair loss occurs, consult a physician immediately.
-Please wear suitable gloves.
-Misuse of this product can cause hair damage.

Here is what I find very interesting when I go under the Advice for Moms section:

"Building Your Daughter's Self Esteem Starts Early
Ethnic and multi-ethnic children, especially little girls, realize the values that society places on outer appearances, especially what may make them different, much sooner than you might think. Little girls form their self-image early and are impacted by messages and other influences in their environment. By the time your daughter begins to interact socially with friends or family members or take in the many messages in the media, she will have some idea about her image and how others may view her. In order to ensure your daughter has a healthy self-concept, it is important to begin talking to her about her identity as soon as possible so that you can instill in her a strong self-esteem and a healthy self-image. It is just as important to de-emphasize the importance of outer beauty and communicate to her that her beauty begins on the inside. Because we believe this is crucial for little girls, Just for Me™ Texture Softener™ tapped nationally renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere to offer ways to start the dialogue with your child. "

Building your daughter's self esteem DOES start early but putting chemicals in your daughter's hair most certainly will not "build" her self esteem. They might be lead to believe that their natural hair is not good enough, or pretty enough.

That's why we as parents need to tell our children every day that they are beautiful, that their hair is beautiful, and it is not some difficult task to take care of.

Do not talk negative about your childs hair infront of them. Kids pick up on things very easily, I think we should all know that.

Now, lets move on to Just For Me Texture Softener's F.A.Q's section:

My daughter's curly/kinky hair is difficult to manage. Why should I use Just For Me! Texture Softener?
Tightly curled hair tangles causing breakage when combed. Just For Me™ Texture Softener™ softens the natural hair texture to prevent breakage caused by combing and styling.*

First of all, ALL hair can break if it is not detangled properly. Kinky curly hair may take a little more time but the Just For Me Texture Softner is NOT the solution! You need to learn how to properly detangle the hair. Simple as that. Work on wet hair, in sections, comb through with a wide tooth comb starting from the ends and working your way up. Try finger combing first for an easier detangling session.

Also, I want to be CLEAR that on the Just For Me Texture Softener's website, they state "Texture Softener™ is so gentle it can be used on girls as young as five years old.", FIVE years old. So yes, to those of you who have said it can be used on children of all ages (in forums) you are wrong. They surprisngly have an age limit.

I am not making this post to put anyone down. I know people make mistakes. I know once upon a time there was not a whole lot of natural children's hair care information out there. I wanted to make this post for anyone considering the Just For Me Texture Softener. I hope that by seeing the harsh chemicals they use and reading the warnings you will change your mind.

Curly hair is not hard to manage, you just need to learn how to properly care for it. Of course, if you have the means (internet access) to do research, then PLEASE, do your research mama's!! Please feel free to email me any specific questions at beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com or you can ask me over at Curly Nikki in the Curl Friends section of her forum.

I also would like to add, I read on a forum that the Just For Me Texture Softener does not straighten the hair, that is untrue. After viewing many before and after's most of the time the hair was almost straight, or just wavy, not even curly anymore. I know this is not the case for all, but that is what I have seen.

From here, it is up to you to decide what you want to do with your child's hair. I am not your mom, I am not your child's mom, but I did want to give you some facts. I am hoping you...

Just say HELL NO!!! :)

And learn to embrace your child's beautiful hair.

Please feel free to discuss.