I received my samples from As I Am this week. I'll be doing a product review on a few very soon. The samples were FREE :) I only had to pay $3.95 for the shipping and it didn't take long for them to come.
Have you tried this product line yet? What did you like/dislike?

My mom and sisters were thrilled to inform me that while driving on a major road here in Orlando, they saw a billboard advertising for naturally curly hair. Is this a "sign" that the natural hair community is growing here in Central Florida? Hmmmm...Well, I for one surely hope so! What about you, do you think its a "sign" or just a sign?

TypeF has responded to our outcry for them to get some help on those misinformed and damaging natural hair care videos. Yay! They have removed pretty much all of the videos featuring Ms.JoAnn Robertson giving bad advice. So, you won't be able to view the videos from my previous post. If you didn't get a chance to see them, trust me, its probably for the best.

If you want to keep the hair on your head, please DO NOT follow the current advice being offered by TypeF for afro-textured hair (on YouTube or on their website). Below is an example of things you should NEVER, EVER, EVER do to your hair. This is a HOW NOT TO video.

This tutorial/video/whatever its supposed to be, is wrong on oh- so many levels. First, lets start with the fact that you should NOT attempt to detangle/comb/brush your hair when its bone dry. I had to listen to this video through my earphones (my people where watching tv) and I could HEAR her hair as she brushed it. It sounds like she is brushing velcro. Also, I didn't know that a "down afro" was a style. That was new. I'm not sold on the technique of how to accomplish the look though. It isn't working for her, thus I doubt it will work for me.

This isn't the only video with major NO-NO's. Here's another one where this "licensed stylist" does the UNTHINKABLE. She uses a small tooth comb to detangle her dry hair.....stop the insanity! I watched several videos hoping that at some point the advice would improve, but it did not. It's like watching a bad movie, you know its not gonna get any better, but you can't turn it off!

Its information like this can cause major damage to your hair and cause set-backs to achieveing and maintaining healthy hair. I'm an advocate of using the Internet (websites, blogs and YouTube) to educate yourself about natural hair care, but PLEASE USE DISCRETION. A good way to judge if you should follow the advice of someone you see in doing research on the Internet its to look at THEIR HAIR. It don't tell no lies! Watching these videos from TypeF, you can see that the woman they are using to educate others has obvious hair damage (no doubt caused by following some of her own detrimental advice).
Also, just because a person is a “licensed hair stylist”, it doesn’t mean they know who to help someone achieve and maintain healthy hair (as seen from these videos).

Cassidy of NaturalSelectionBlog.com has an open letter to TypeF, which I think is well stated. She even has a proposal and message that you can send to them via their YouTube channel or website. I hope that TypeF gets the message and takes up the offer for help in making improvements. Sometimes the truth can be cruel and hard to except, but in the end it will be the the best for them and those they are attempting to educate.

To "Big Chop" or to "Transition"?...that is the question.
If you are just starting out on your journey to healthy natural hair, this is the first big decision you will have to make. Doing The Big Chop (boldly shaving all your relaxed hair off and starting from scratch) is a scary thought for some women. If you feel that way, then transitioning may be the best first step. If so, you can either short-term transition (less than 6 months) or long-term transition (6 months or more).The most important thing you will need when transitioning, be it short or long term, is PATIENCE! Its very easy to get frustrated dealing with 2 types of hair textures (relaxed and natural new growth). So here are a few tips to help you keep your cool and your hair while transitioning:

1. Low Manipulation
I found that during my transitioning, it was best to leave my hair alone for as long as possible. The less you manipulate your hair the better. Combing, brushing and styling your hair everyday will increase the chances of breakage. One way to lower having to handle your hair too much is to find a style that will last for several days. Personally, I roller set my hair because it served a dual purpose in blending the two textures and keeping me from having to mess with it too often. Plus, I love curly hair!

2. Deep Condition Each Time You Wash Your Hair
This is essential! How often you wash your hair is up to you. I found that apart of transitioning my hair including transitioning my mind. My relaxed hair did not like water, but my new natural hair did. So it was best for me to wash & deep condition once a week, which appeased both textures. Its also VERY important to use HEAT when deep conditioning. Now, I used a dryer for a long time to do this (now, though, I have a Huetiful Hair Steamer, yay!). If you are like my sister and you HATE sitting under dryers or having any type of heating appliance near your head, don't panic, there are alternatives. Take advantage of the heat your body naturally gives off. Use a plastic shower cap and wrap a few towels around your head. Some people even line the plastic cap with aluminum, which I have to admit is pretty ingenious, just please don't go to Wal-Mart sporting this look.

3. Avoid Using Heat
While transitioning, your hair needs to be treated delicately because the line of demarcation (where your relaxed hair and natural hair meets) is fragile and can easily break at this point. Excessive heat could also cause you to lose the texture or curl pattern of your hair. If you would like to straighten you hair, here are some tips to help protect it.

There's a lot more information out there about transitioning. Lisa of NapturallyCurly.Com (who transitioned for 18 MONTHS!) has a great list of transitioning do's and don'ts, be sure to check it out here. And don't forget, YouTube is an awesome source for information, so I highly recommend utilizing it as well.

Is there anything else you would like to know about transitioning? If so, let me know below! My next post about transitioning could include your question.

For those of you that don't already know, listen up: Right here in Orlando there is going to be a Natural Hair Show! That's right! Exciting stuff, huh? Well, its gonna be even more exciting because the wonderful women of Chase Ford Productions (Donna Chase Benton & Natashia Ford), who put the event together, are sponsering a FREE TICKET for BOTH DAYS (Sat.Oct 29 and Sun. Oct 30) right here on GCG.com! I don't know about you, but I am psyched! I will be posting the details of how you can get your chance to win VERY SOON, so KEEP CHECKING BACK. It will be under the "Win It FREE" section of this site. And a special thanks again to Chase Ford Productions for hosting what is sure to be an Awesome Hairextravaganza right here in Otown.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about this event. Were you able to attend last year? If so, how was it? What are you looking forward to this year?