Friday, September 30, 2025

Bon Bon Vie GIVEAWAY! *closed*

(All images courtesy of Bon Bon Vie online)

Awwww, shucks ladies! Look what we have here, a SUPER COOL tee shirt giveaway sponsored by Shari of Bon Bon Vie. I LOVE Bon Bon Vie and I so happy that Shari has given me the opportunity to share one of my FAVORITE tee shirts with you all. Up for grabs is one (1) "The Greatest Love of All" tees. I have this shirt and it's super cute! 


Here is how you can enter to win:

1. Leave how would you wear your #naturalhair with your NEW Bon Bon Vie tee in the comment box.
(Details can include styles and/or accessories)

2. Include your email address with your entry.
 If you don't you will NOT qualify to win.

3. For one (1) extra entry tweet me here and Shari here saying:
"I want that tee, please!" #TGHB #NaturalHair

This deadline to enter is Friday, October 7th at 6pm!

You must be a blog follower to win. 
This giveaway is only open to U.S. readers.

Good Luck!



Thursday, September 29, 2025

A Man's P.O.V: Nafis


Name: Nafis
Age: 26
Location: Philadelphia 

How important is a woman’s hair to you? Especially if you are dating her, does she have to wear her hair a certain way to keep grab your interest? (i.e. which styles down vs. ponytail vs. bun, hair length? To me, hair is just hair; however, I do feel that no matter what hairstyle a woman wears it should always be well kept and neat. As I get older, I do see myself paying more attention to a woman’s hair now more so than ever before. At this stage in my life, I feel like everything comes into play when dating a woman including their hair. By me being a very active and adventurous person (i.e running, working out, water fun etc.), I need a woman who is ready and down for adventure just as much as I am without the restrictions of a hair issue. 

Do you think that there is a ‘Natural Hair Movement’ or trend going on these days? Why do you think so many women are choosing to go natural now, do you think it’s a fad? Right now it does seem like the natural hair thing is big. Honestly, I really don’t know why that is. There are a ton of natural hair blogs and videos out there now so I think that may add to it but also I think lot of times people just get bored and might want to try something different. I was told by a good friend of mine that, “only the strong survive. Having natural hair is a lot of work.” So with that said, I think that will separate the true natural women from the fad followers

Would you support your partner or family members (i.e. mother, sister, daughter) if she decided to become natural? Of  course! I LOVE women with natural hair. It says a lot about their character I think. To be honest, I think I’m more attracted to those with natural hair than those without it. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate and have love for all black women but it’s just something about a natural woman that I’m drawn to. Natural women have always stood out to me. They represent a part of our culture that has been stripped away from us. I feel we’ve been conditioned to believe what is considered to be beautiful, normal, or good-looking when it comes to women especially black women and their hair.  Natural women have my upmost respect because it takes courage and confidence to do what they’re doing and to me that speaks volumes.  I’ve been telling my mother for years to get locs. I think she’d look awesome with them but she won’t do it lol

How important is hair texture to you? If your significant other were to go natural, would the texture of her hair affect your opinions on whether she should remain natural or not? Texture isn't really important to me. Fine, medium, coarse, curly it doesn't really matter. Besides, I can’t be too picky about a woman’s texture when mine is like a Brillo pad lol

What is your definition of “Good Hair” and how do you feel about the word “Nappy?” Growing up, “good hair” to me always meant wavy, soft, straight or long hair. I think we as a people are forced to believe that. Now that I’m older I think that “good hair” is whatever kind of hair makes you feel good. Whether it be natural or weave, relaxed or loc’d, long or short. If it makes you feel good, rock out!

Would you rather your partner wear her hair natural or in a weave? Why or why not? As I mentioned before, I’m a very active person and I would like my partner to be also to a certain extent without her hair holding her back.  But above all else, I want her to be happy so if that means wearing a weave then that’s something I would have to deal with. However if I had to choose, it would be natural.

If you are involved with a woman do you think she should consult with you when it comes to making changes to her hair? Not really but I think that depends on the change. If she wants to go completely shaved after having a head full of hair, I think some type of heads up would be nice lol But after awhile, I think you kind of know how far your woman will go with her hair.

Why does it seem like some men are “hung up” on hair length? Does it matter to you? Again, I think this is something that has been forced on us through the media and everything else we as a people are so consumed with. The long hair fetish goes back decades along with this whole “light-skinned” non sense. For YEARS, they’ve been the only symbols of beauty for black people in this country. It’s been regurgitated and passed down from generation to generation. There was a time when a black person wouldn’t get a chance in Hollywood if they were darker than a brown paper bag. I think this way of thinking has stuck with us.   Her length is not important to me.

Would you be supportive in your partner’s journey to go natural?
Without a doubt.

What makes black women and their hair unique and beautiful to you? Everything about a black woman makes them unique and beautiful. Their lips, hips, ass (Can I say ass on here? Lol), sassiness, even their hair. They all represent beauty. This might sound crazy but to me natural women have a sense of “realness” about them that makes them unique. Immediately, you get the sense that they are down to earth, cool, and open minded. That right there alone is a beautiful thing.  There is nothing more beautiful and sexy than a confident, educated, curvy, down to earth, open-minded natural black woman.

Who is your favorite “curly girl?” (i.e. celebrity, actress, friend, ect.) Erykah Badu, Amel Larrieux, and Alexandra Smith all three of these women are dope and amazingly gorgeous.

Monday, September 26, 2025

TWO YEARS


Today is my 2 year natural hair anniversary! Time has flown by so fast and I am super proud to say that I have stuck with my choice of being CREAMY CRACK free.  I so do not miss my permanently, chemically altered hair. NOT AT ALL! There have definitely been some bumps in the roads but I have enjoyed my journey thus far! I look forward to many more years of growing my kinky, curly crown of glory. I appreciate you all for following my hair journey over the past couple of years, it's nice to have people in my corner! #TEAMNATURALHAIR all day ;) 

xoxo,
Alex

Thursday, September 22, 2025

Natural Hair Regrets



(photo by Teck)

*GASP* Yes, you read the title right, I have some regrets about things I've done to my natural hair! How many of you are shocked? LOL, we all have our moments and we all make mistakes; so yes, I have learned some lessons on the way over the past 2 years. Like I mentioned in a previous post, September 26th will mark my 2 year natural hair journey and this past week I have been thinking about things I could've done differently to help my hair flourish, along with what I will do from here on out to keep my hair healthy.

My first and MAIN regret is coloring my hair. I know, I know, some of you said not to do in the first place but I wanted "something different" when in all actuality I should have left my hair alone! Yes, overtime I experienced some breakage which in turn stunted any type of length retention I was trying to achieve. To this day, I wish I would've just gotten highlights or maybe even nothing, versus having my whole head dyed. My advice to new naturals is to not color your hair right away. Wait, at least 3 years. That may sound like a long time but you'll have some length and hopefully would have gotten to know your hair by the time you choose to "spice it up" a little bit. I know that some may think their TWAs are boring but would you rather have boring healthy hair or borderline damaged "cute" colored hair? There is too much to loose especially if you have fragile type 4 strands like me and are trying to grow your hair to great lengths. Just a suggestion! 

I have also come to accept that my hair needs to have a low maintenance regimen. Nothing "extra" because then she, LOL, yes, "she", will not flourish. That color really set me back and I would say that last December,when I started protective styling nursing my strands back to health, I can definitely see the difference. 

Speaking of protecting strands! I wish I did more protective styling when I first BC'd, I regret that I didn't. I would dabble in it here and there but I used to have a bad case of "hand in hair" syndrome so I really wouldn't give my hair a break. A tip for my new natural's, "keep it simple sistah," for real! If you want healthy hair with some length, you will have to sacrifice somethings and have patience to get your hair where you'd like it. I've always struggled with hair patience but now my regimen and routine is second nature. I am retaining length and most importantly my hair is healthy!

For the most part, those are the things that I look back and say "Dang, I should've or shouldn't have..." Lesson LEARNED! Do you have any natural hair regrets? Share your experiences and learned lessons below.

xoxo,
Alex


Too long for TWA?

image credit

A great question came in via email from one of the ladies participating in TGHBPSC a couple of days ago and I wanted to get your feedback. The question was from Tia, she writes; 

"When do you stop considering your hair a TWA? I have very coily 3c hair with a lot of shrinkage. But if I straighten my hair I have a bob. Would my hair in its natural state still be considered a TWA?"

When I read her question, I immediately thought it was a GREAT one and to be honest, I kind of don't know the answer to it. Some of the other ladies weighed in and gave their answers.  Evelyn responded,  "Good question Tia, I still consider mine a TWA because without any stretching it doesn't touch my shoulders." 

So, what is your answer to Tia's question? When do we stop considering our curls and coils a TWA?

xoxo,
Alex

Tuesday, September 20, 2025

Almost Two Years...

Wow, how time flies! On September 26th, I will be 2 years natural and counting. Those 2 years flew by and I plan on making a video of my journey soon. I just have to gather some pictures together for y'all! Thus far, my journey has been full of lessons and growth. I have learned so much about my hair and myself. I was looking through some old pics and I found a the photo below when my puff was just one year old!




It was so little and cute! I never notice how much my hair has sprouted until I look at comparison pictures. I am very excited to look threw my old photos and share them with you all. 2 years is a big deal for me because, remember, this is my THIRD time going natural. It makes me very happy that I found the patience and knowledge to stick with it this time around. Thank you for following my journey this far and I look forward to documenting more of my natural hair journey! 


xoxo,
Alex

Natural Hair Take Over

Alex SHORT from Teck Films on Vimeo.


Teck made a snippet of me from our shoot yesterday and I wanted to share with you all!
I am thinking about putting together a Natural Hair Takeover shoot soon and Teck will be shooting it.
I think it's amazing that so many women are going natural, I LOVE IT!
Seeing all the different textures, lengths and colors is great and such an inspiration.
So, if you are a DMV local and are interested in shooting leave a comment below and I'll be sure to contact you!

Enjoy the short video and make sure to follow DJTeck on Twitter if you like his work!
He's awesome.

xoxo,
Alex

Hair Porn: Corinne Bailey Ray

(Photo Credit)

The minute I laid eyes on Ms. Corinne Bailey Rae, I fell in love with her beautiful mane. CBR is this week's Hair Porn star because she and her hair is absolutely stunning, not to mention, her outfit in the above photo is FLAWLESS!



Monday, September 19, 2025

Photo Shoot Fresh

I am so amped about these pictures, I can't stand it! Y'all know that I when I have my photo sessions either one of two gentleman shoots me; Teck or Dizzy. I actually had the pleasure of shooting with both this week. Dizzy yesterday and Teck today-- EXCITING! Any who, Dizzy is one of my favorite folks and I've been shooting with him since day one. His work has progressed so much since our first shoot and I am so proud to say he's wanted to use me as a "muse" because he's truly an amazing artist. He sent me the pics today and I LOVE them. Of course, I had to share with my natural hair ladies! My hair is wrapped in a turban in these pictures because my natural hair needed a break.  I think the turban added some flare though, you tell me...


Click the jump for more.

Sunday, September 18, 2025

Front Bun Turban Tutorial


This front bun turban wrap is SUPER easy to achieve. Many of you wanted to know how it was done so I finally made a video. If you are participating in my protective style challenge, this wrap is the perfect thing to do when you want to keep styling your natural hair to a minimum. Click the jump if you are interested in learning how to wrap your hair yourself.

xoxo,
Alex

Thursday, September 15, 2025

The Thickness



I love having type 4, kinky curly hair! I feel like my stands are so versatile and because my hair is so thick I am able to achieve styles that last. I know many type 4 girlies may wish for a "different type" of hair but I am here to tell you, embrace your thickness. Love it, mold it and flaunt it. There's nothing better. :)

xoxo,
Alex





Hi, Best Friend...


My shrinkage is insane! I am learning to love it more and more but it's still tough for me. I know my shrinkage loves making my hair coil up into tight ringlets but sometimes, just sometimes, I wish shrinkage wasn't my best friend...



Mommy Love



Just wanted to share this picture of us. We had just finished dancing in circles to Maroon Five's "Moves like Jagger!" I am trying to teach Char rythm, I'm not too sure if it's working but we will get there, LOL! GOOD TIMES with the munchkin, peep her hair. I love when it's wild.

Wednesday, September 14, 2025

Hair Love...

I was playing around in my new photo software and came up with the little image below. Out of PURE BOREDOM, mind you!  I am thinking about having this printed on a tee, would you ladies wear it? Give me your feedback, please!



Monday, September 12, 2025

Hair Porn: Solange


Yes, you read it RIGHT, HAIR PORN! That may be a little much for some of you but I think it's catchy and extremely funny. Hair Porn feeds my hair lust cravings. I LOVE seeing women and men with AWESOME NATURAL HAIR. Big, bouncy, and beautiful locks of kinky, curly, coily hair, COMPLETELY tickles my fancy. Yes ma'am, it does! So, from now on there will be a Hair Porn section on my blog. When you need a little pick me up or hairspiration, just click the Hair Porn tab on the right hand side of the blog and VOILA, there ya go!

With all that said, today's first Hair Porn star is SOLANGE KNOWLES! One of my favorite style icons. When Solo first BC'd, I fell in love with her TWA. Now, I am not sure if that is all her hair in the above picture BUT either way it and she looks amazing! Her bush is KILLING AND UM, I really think y'all should tweet her HERE and get her to read my blog. LOL, just a thought. 

xoxo,
Alex

Today's Hair: Twists and Turns



This week marks week 6 of TGHBPSC! That's exciting and my hair is feeling great, looking great and RETAINING LENGTH. Not to mention, I feel weird wearing my hair loose now--I like it and I'm used to my protective styles. When I am in between wash days or styling and I have my puff ball out, I feel out of my element. Is that weird? I kind of feel like I am doing my hair a disservice if it's not protected. NOW, of course it's not THAT deep, LOL but I'm just saying wearing PSs have become second nature to me.


Anthropology Headband, $32

Any who, today's hair is a styled in individual, medium sized twists that are pinned up and adorned with a BEAUTIFUL hand beaded headband. How are you wearing your hair today?

Sunday, September 11, 2025

IN REVIEW: Miss. Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment


So, I finally got my hands on Miss. Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment. I had NO CLUE that they would start selling this on the ground, at Target. I have been wanting to try it for months now but the shipping charges online have always deterred me from going through with my order. Yay, for Target! I am so glad that they are selling products geared toward us natural hair gals!

Click the jump for an in depth look on my NEW LOVE for this product.

IN REVIEW: Shea Moisture's Curling Souffle


I really wanted to like this product. Despite all of the negative feedback I came across about it, I still wanted it to work for me. It didn't quite do the job. I wasn't highly disappointed in the results more so the terrible sticky coating my hair was left with. My hair felt greasy and extremely sticky. To say the least, I was not impressed with Shea Moisture's Curling Souffle; which was surprising because I love everything else in their line. 


I was told that a little goes a long way, so I was sure not to be heavy handed. I was also advised to use it alone, no extra products were needed. So on freshly clean and naked hair I started twisting. Immediately I was taken back by the texture. It felt weird and for this product to be water based, it had no slip. My twists were not bad looking after it was all said and done but my hair felt extremely oily. I had to wash my hands at least 6x while twisting. I did not like that at all.

Under the jump is the video of my true and honest opinion about the Curling Souffle. Have any of you tired it? If so, how did your strands react?

xoxo,
Alex

Thursday, September 8, 2025

Captured Curls: Brittany





Please, introduce yourself!
Hi, I'm Brittany Monet! I'm a 21-year old gal just trying to make my mark in the world. I currently reside in the DMV. I'm a former Clark Atlanta University undergraduate student who is now transferring to a school in the Big Apple soon! I'm a Public Relations major and Business Administration minor. I'm a big kid at heart. 

What is your current hair care regimen?
I've only been completely natural for about three months so I'm trying to maintain a consistent regimen - it's hard. I co-wash my hair three to four times a week using either Yes to Carrots Nourishing Conditioner or Garner Fructis' Triple Nutrition Conditioner. My hair wasn't long enough before, but now I do two-strand twists on a regular basis using a variety of products (I'm a product junkie =/ ) which includes Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme and Curly Pudding. When I need a good deep condition, which is usually about three times a month, I saturate my hair with Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment or Shea Moisture's Deep Treatment Masque. When I don't have enough time to style, I just wash n' go. Oh, I also wear a satin bonnet to sleep every night and sleep on a satin pillow as well. I've tried finger coils once, but as far as other protective styles? Well, I've got to keep practicing, lol. I plan to straighten my hair on my 22nd birthday which is in January of next year. It will have been about seven months and it will be my first length check.

What is your hair type and what works best for your texture?
My hair type? I'm still trying to figure this one out. I know it's type 4 and then after that I'm lost. Sometimes it curls, sometimes it kinks, but it's always doing what wants to do. What works best for my texture is MOISTURE! I've always had an extremely dry scalp and hair.



What reaction did you get when you first decided to go natural?
I received all positive feedback from my family and friends and even inspired a friend to do her BC. My coworkers didn't notice anything different about my hair which was kind of disappointing since I see them every day just about. This guy who works in Cosi down the street from my job believes that I'll revert back to relaxed hair since his sister did. Last time I checked, I wasn't her, lol.

Did you BC or transition, if so when or for how long?
Oh, how I'd love to say I transitioned until my relaxed ends were nonexistent, but that wasn't the case. I started transitioning in December of 2010 after my last relaxer and tried a few styles that I learned from YouTube videos. That only lasted until June of 2011 when I was completely fed up with my hair breaking off from the completely different textures... It was June 12th and I was with my friend Gabby ( she was featured before here. celebrating her 21st birthday. On my way home, I decided that enough was enough. I’m not sure why, but I hopped off the bus, walked into CVS, purchased some shears, and took a cab home. I co-washed my hair and began chopping away. It was an amazing feeling. I’d been getting relaxers for about five years and I missed my hair in its natural state, kinks and all.


 
What makes you love your kinks, curls and coils?
They're mine. I can do almost anything with my hair from straightening it to wearing twists to rocking a curly fro. I couldn’t do that when I had a relaxer.

Where can we find you on the web?
Tumblr: beethemisfit.tumblr.com
My Personal Blog: beethemisfit.com
Twitter: @ms_slimthickems (changes every couple of months or so)
 
Anything EXTRA you want us to know?
Although I'd love for every woman to embrace their hair when its in its natural state, I know that's not possible. Honestly, do what works for you. Natural or not, love your hair, love yourself. Um, anything else? Thanks to my one-year old cousin Chloe for having somewhat of an influence on my decision to go natural. I love your blog, your Tumblr, YouTube videos... yeah, all that, lol. Thanks!

Sunday, September 4, 2025

Proud

I love my hair, my nose, my skin, my face, my flaws. You should love yours too.
Be proud. Stay beautiful.




Earlier today I experienced some of the most disrespectful nonsense in my life! I have been debating on speaking on the situation but I think a lot of people may benefit from reading this. Many of you don't know my "story" but to make a long story short I used to be very unsure of myself, insecure and I was not proud of who I was. I was never good enough, not just for other people but for myself. It took me such a long time to embrace who God made me. I hated my hair, my skin, my nose, my figure-- EVERYTHING I was I hated. So rewinding to today, I am proud of who I am, I love my features, I adore my hair and I am pretty darn happy with the woman I am being molded by God to be. 


I got on Twitter today and was greeted with a tweet from a COMPLETE stranger saying that I was a "slave looking, ugly, black crow and a nobody in this world b**tch" and that, he (yes, a man was tweeting this) "hates my face and my nose" along with other crazy insanely rude comments, like he "hates the remy weave I am wearing" LOL, and my hair is NOT weaved at the moment. I was stunned, not only because I do not know this individual but because he dedicating so much time and hatred on a person he's never met. 


After doing some research, I found out who he was and indeed he is a resident of my county and he went to school with several of my childhood friends. Still confused at his hateful words, I was convinced he had the me mistaken with someone else, until the tweets kept coming. The verbal harassment was RIDICULOUS. I've heard somethings over the years but experiencing this as a 22 year old young woman and mother, I was stunned. It seems that some black people really hate their race. While reading through his timeline I saw that he refers to himself as a "bigot and a racist," he also exclaims how he's so happy to be light skinned and not a "crow" (I have NO IDEA what a crow is, by the way)-- if you are wondering, yes, he is a black man.


Never did I thought I'd be the target of "cyber bullying" as an adult. Especially, since my life is so different now. The things that person said did hit a soft spot with me, I'll be honest. I was teased a lot as a kid and I was also in a verbally/emotionally abusive relationship with the person I have a child with. So some bad memories were brought to the surface, verbal wounds take so much longer to heal that physical ones. I've changed so much over the years, the past year alone my life has evolved and God has truly blessed me. I've grown to love my flaws and accept who I am. These days I'm much calmer, gentler and nicer. I try my best to give and spread love as it was intended.  My life and future success is dedicated to my daughter. Tteaching her that it's more to this world than the superficial expectations of beauty and perfection is important to me. With that said, I really try and watch my thoughts and actions carefully even when I am angry or hurt. I am a strong believer that you are what you think and allow in your space, negativity and hatred is NOT allowed in mine.


The point of  this post is to tell each and everyone one of you, who have been teased, bullied, picked on, and targeted out of hate; to stay strong and STAND PROUD in yourself. If I wasn't who I was today, I would have taken his hurtful words much harder and it would've shaken my world in a completely different way. Although the hate that was thrown my way did sting a little, I was able to laugh at the ignorance he portrayed PUBLICLY on a social network. Black people hate each other more than other races hate us and that is a shame!
Not everyone is going to love your looks, your hair, your complexion, ect... but as long as the you love them and you're proud of YOU, that's all that matters in the long run. 


Let no one steal your joy.
xoxo,
Alex


Thursday, September 1, 2025

Flat Twist Tutorial




Hey Ladies, here is the tutorial I have been promising y'all for weeks now, I know, I am terrible! I tired to make this video as short as possible but it still ended up being longer than 15 minutes, completely unintentional and I apologize in advance if I bore you---LOL. This particular twist style has been my go to PS for the past month and I am very happy with it. I have also found ways to spruce it up a little bit; it's been fun playing around with different up-do styling options. This flat twist style is really simple to achieve and easy to maintain once you get the hang of it, practice makes perfect! I hope you all enjoy the video! 

xoxo,
Alex