Hat Dressing

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Dressing for Church Service

• It is imperative for many African-American women to look their grandest when going before God. Today, it is most often the older women who dress elaborately on Sunday mornings.

  For many of these women and their ancestors, dressing up for church was one of the few opportunities they had to remove domestic aprons and house dresses. These drab garments were replaced by bright colors, fancy shoes and elaborate hats that would stand out in a crowd. Style and sophistication would rule the day.
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From Slavery to the 21st Century

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  The hat tradition began with the writings of the Apostle Paul, who said women must cover their heads when they come to worship (1 Corinthians, chapter 11). During the time of slavery, black women dressed for church rather simply, sprucing up their worn hats for Sunday service.
  Now that African-American women have come so far through years of struggles, pain and suffering, part of the hat tradition celebrates their confidence and independence. As black women began earning good livings, they treated themselves to new hats, gloves and purses to match. The hat became a status symbol, showing triumph over the hardships.

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Not Just Any Hat

• Hat shopping is serious business. Just any old hat won't do. Women will scour boutiques for one that's special and unique. It will be big, elaborate, chic and a bit on the flashy side.

  The church ladies strive for a stunning appearance, with colors and fabric that match from top to bottom, including accessories. The hat will tie the entire outfit together and give it the "wow" factor their looking for. Regardless of how they appear during the weekdays, on Sundays African-American women want to look like a queen.

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Hats and the Elder Women

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  With today's hairstyles such as braids, twists and dreads, the big elaborate hats are taking a back seat -- especially with the younger generations of black women. The new hairstyles are too big and bulky to accommodate the hat. The culture and tradition remains, however, for elder black females. Many of them wouldn't be caught at any special occasion without their fabulous hat. Going without would be like walking around naked, and that would be just unacceptable.

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Read more: http://www.ehow.com/about_5374431_history-women-wearing-hats-church.html#ixzz2qfsRHWto

Using Baking Soda to Loosen Natural Curls

How to Loosen Natural Curls With Baking Soda

By Jaimie Zinski, eHow Contributor

GET 10% OFF ANY product purchase at Curl Kit Shop!  Hit the link below!

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Skip the store bought straighteners that damage hair.

Naturally curly hair is a blessing and a curse, depending upon who you ask. For many, their naturally curly hair is a constant challenge involving chemical straighteners, trips to the salon and money needlessly spent on treatments that damage the hair and scalp. The use of baking soda is a more natural, safe way to loosen curls for women with any hair texture or length. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

• Mild shampoo
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Conditioner
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. avocado oil
• Plastic cling wrap

Instructions

1. • 1
     Wash your hair with mild shampoo only. Do not use conditioner. Rinse the shampoo away and allow your hair to dry, until it is slightly damp, not soaking wet.
   • 2
     Prepare a mixture of 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 cup conditioner and 2 tbsp. honey.
   • 3
     Prepare a mixture of 1 cup normal conditioner and 2 tbsp. avocado oil. Set this mixture in a small bowl next to your bathtub or bathroom sink.
   • 4
     Work the baking soda and conditioner mixture through your hair, beginning at the scalp and moving down the shafts of the hair until you reach the ends.
   • 5
     Cover your hair with a layer of plastic cling wrap and allow the baking soda mixture to remain for five to six hours.
   • 6
     Rinse the baking soda mixture from your hair. Do not attempt to detangle or brush out your hair.
   • 7
     Cover your hair with a healthy dose of the conditioner and avocado oil mixture.
   • 8
     Allow the mixture to remain for 15 minutes before rinsing it out. The mixture will help renew some of the moisture that was lost during the baking soda treatment.
   • 9
     Style your loosened curls as desired.

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Back in stock is this beautiful Multi-Colored Rhinestone Headband sold at Kerah's at Etsy.  The link is:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/177276123/fancy-multi-color-crystal-headband?ref=shop_home_feat_2.

REVE ESSENTIALS CLOSES IT'S DOORS!

I received the following e-mail from REVE Essentials and I was quite shocked and bewildered.  I remember when this line first came out with it's first product.  In fact, I've done a review on it!  REVE Essentials took the natural hair care world by storm!  There were countless YouTube reviews, Blog Reviews, and personal articles.

I still have a jar of their shea butter still left.  Loved their moisturizer, they were quick to ship, and easy to reach.   They were an overnight sensation and a model of success to others like the CoileyHeadChick YouTuber.

For whatever the reason, REVE you will be missed!

Dear ReVe Team, We would like to inform you that effective midnight February 28, 2014, ReVe will be closing its doors in efforts to pursue other interests. Effective immediately, no new orders will be accepted, as production has been discontinued. We will be in contact with current loyalty membership subscribers to issue refunds for the remainder of  their subscriptions. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your continued love and support. Please feel free to contact us via phone with questions or concerns regarding orders and subscriptions. We thank you again for allowing us to serve you! Best Wishes, ReVe Customer Service

Copyright © 2014 ReVe' Essentials, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the ReVe Essentials mailing list. Our mailing address is: ReVe' Essentials 22 Tonywood Circle West Carrollton, OH 45449

Wash N Go Myths!

This was shared on our Homemade DIY Natural Face Book Group page and I thought my readers would appreciate it also!  This article was submitted by Joanna Paterson, a blogger herself.

I'm sure many of us have watched and digested the natural hair video that's evidently gone viral since the first hour of it's posting several days ago. A young woman in clear visual distress, takes to her video phone to record a myriad of tribulations associated with her "unmanageable" natural air. It's a doozy...certainly entertaining well thought out. Yet, once you have reached the end mark of the video, you're left wondering if, in fact, she's just spilled the beans on what many newly naturals have long been feeling, but are either too frustrated to speak on, or are still in search of that "miracle product."

After first viewing the video, I chuckled and empathized as she guzzled her slurpie and hightailed it to the wig shop to cover up her TWA. I laughed but also felt a pang of sadness for something that has evidently ballooned into a clear unattainable idea of what it means to be natural today.

Can We Talk About the Wash-N-Go For A Sec? Mmmkkaaay.

A brief background on where I'm coming from first:  As a woman who went natural a little over ten years ago, I still feel there is a ton of lessons to learn as far as how to care for one's hair.  I doubt this will ever change.  Much like your skin, body, and other aesthetics change over time and require different needs, so does your hair!

Looking back over the years, it's clear to see what was lacking in my journey.  I had very little to work on as far as product knowledge, proper methods to wash and detangle textured hair.  The importance of moisturizing was key!  There were very little resources at my disposal ten years ago.  In hindsight, while this may seem disastrous to those just going natural today, it was a personal blessing to me.

I did not have to filter through, what's today, become the prodigal language for most naturals (wash-n-gos, hair typing, protective styling, and so on).  I have adjusted my vocabulary over the years to stay inclusive on the natural hair scene, but a part of me still continues to hold tight to what it was like not to have to worry about the debat and divisiveness that props up from the ironic misunderstandings.

Tami from What Tami Said makes an interesting point

Drop in on a natural hair forum and you might think caring for natural hair is like nuclear physics.  Gotta figure out your hair type...4c, 4a, and  3c.  To co-wash  or not to co-wash?  Use this brush, not that one.  Buy this expensive product and that one, too.  Let this thing sit on your hair for 30 minutes, followed by this thing and that thing for just the right curl.  And a lot of this is done because we are supposed to look like the neatly curly, women on the "after" side of that Miss Jessie's page.  Except, most of us naturally do not!

What she addresses here is the possible Tyranny of Natural Hair, a new conformist ideal we’re all attempting to mold into each time we struggle to understand the directions to yet another hair pudding or custard.


I generalize this all as the ‘Myth of the Wash-n-Go’ because this was my wake-up call. I distinctly remember watching Youtube vid after Youtube tutorial, trolling through the often times overstaturated forum boards filled with advice…standing in front of my mirror and attempting to recreate an image that would never…or could never be an authentic representation of me.

Truthfully, while I dish on the proper maintenance and stylings of the ‘traditional’ wash-n-go, hardly ever do I clock in under 30 minutes when attempting this style. I haven’t met many naturals who have either (save for the TWA gals, heeeey!), & I think this is why it’s often kept in the confines of the warmer months.

Realistically, what ultimately goes down is a washing/light conditioning/styling/slight drying = end time of 1hr (if that) . Now, like it or not natural hair…no matter how you slice it or style it, takes not just time…but patience. You cannot cut corners 9 times out of 10, and expect satisfied results. How often do many of us spend a minimum of 30 minutes in a Hair Salon & expect top notch results? Maintaining natural hair is all in what you know, how you use it…rather than what you use to achieve the perfect twist-out, braid-out. I don’t doubt there are many women who do get up in the a.m. brush their teeth, wash-no-go, and head out the door, coffee in hand to greet the day in less than an hour. Yet, for the majority of women living their own day-to day, whether with children or attached to a textbook…this is often not the case.

Today, I choose to take care of my natural hair because no one else will. I wash/style/condition because currently there are not enough hair stylists working their magic fingers on a woman with highly textured hair…I don’t trust that. I trust me, and what I’ve learned in the over 10 years that I’ve been on this journey. None of it was easy, nor did I expect it to be. I learned to manage the frustrations, overcome the inevitable obstacles and love that me & Fro are still here…taking compliments, biding time until the next lesson needs to be learned. Taking care of one’s natural hair can be easy…over time it certainly does, but much like other instances in life, you have to earn your place…follow your own path and demystify your own misconceptions of what going natural is really about. There is no singular ideal to having/wearing natural hair….no sameness to all of our looks & styles. Forget what marketing brands & companies who are vying for your attention ( & $$) have to say. Reject the mold & begin to cultivate your own version of you.

Natural Hair Pomade Recipe

by Emme G of www.curlybeautyblogger.com

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Ingredients:

2 oz. Castor Oil

2 oz. Coconut Oil

1 oz. Beeswac

1 Clean/Sterilized Container

1 Double Boiler

Instructions:

First, sterilize your container and lid with rubbing alcohol and set it aside for later use. Prepare your double boiler. If you do not own a double boiler, make one by putting a small pot on the stove with about an inch of water, then place a heat-safe bowl in the pot. Use a bowl big enough to rest in the pot without touching the water at the bottom.

You will then melt an ounce of beeswax in the bowl. I use Frontier Natural White Beeswax Beads from iHerb.com. Once the beeswax has melted completely, add your castor and coconut oils. At this time, you may want to add an essential oil, of choice.

Heat thoroughly and stir to the bottom of the bowl. Before it starts to set, transfer the warm pomade to your sterilized container, that you set aside earlier, and place it in the freezer uncovered to cool.

Side Note If the pomade cools down gradually, you will end up with granules in your pomade and you will have to warm and emulsify longer before applying.

Freezing the pomade will cause it to set up quickly and which will result in a smooth pomade.

If you like Oyin Handmade Sugar Pomade, you will LOVE this recipe. The two are extremely comparable in appearance, texture, and performance.

Oyin Handmade Sugar Pomade Recipe

You can stretch your Oyin Handmade Sugar Pomade by just adding a tablespoon of Oyin's Burnt Sugar Pomade to a bowl and melt it down with the two oils. You will get the smell you love and the same basic product at a fraction of the cost.

Thanks to Emmee for sharing this recipe.

Please remember to subscribe, comment, and share!  Happy Curls to You!

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Heavenly Body Boutique Gone "LIVE"

A new Year! A new Venture!  Your invited to visit our new on-line store for your shopping needs!

Heavenly Body Boutique

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