Serving 'em

Can I love this any more? Yaaasss!!!

Stevie Wonder and the braid chop heard 'round the world, well, maybe not

The Internet is a mofo.

No sooner than we thought Stevie had cut that struggle ponytail of his (I know), now we find out that it's not true. Listen. Cut Stevie a lil' slack. I mean. He is blind and all. Now don't get me wrong. I gave a handclap of praise when I thought he did a braid chop. Just because. I did a slow clap.

I mean, I do not know who is stylist is ... just sayin'. And I know it's hard to let go. We big chop all the time and will hold on to raggedy split ends for dear life. I get it. But Stevie, tho! He's blind. Someone needs to tell him.We owe a debt of hair gratitude to the musical genius who created 'Songs In the Keys of Life.'

We can't let him go out like that. Still, I'm mad that we got fooled us big time. I do not like folks playing with my feelings. These memes ain't loyal. Stevie ain't cut ish. That domed struggle braid is still there.

Does Stevie have no friends? He can't. Can your kids or your boo not tell you gently ... It is time to let the braid locs go? I mean. Love Stevie and all. Love him. But nawl. Them braids -- and that bald spot -- are still there. Carry on. Stand down, Internet. Damn, you.

You didn't know?

Point blank.

Yaaasss!

Stunning! Beautiful black skin against white.

Celebrating your doggie on National Dog Day

Today is National Dog Day -- and what better day than to celebrate the special pooch in your life!

Our dog, Teddy, is a rescue Shih Poo that we've had for five years. Love him to death - him and his crazy shenanigans. 

So would you actually go here for braids?

So ..... ummm yeah. Raise your hand if you would actually get your braids done here?

Exactly what I thought ... Chile, BYE! Place looks all kinds of sketch. How can I be sure you aren't going to use hair from a Cabbage Patch Doll in my head if there is no sign on the front door? 

Photo credit: Joel Kurth

Now, Oumy might be able to lay my braids down like nobody's business. She might be able to beat these edges down like the Gawds, but I will never find out, I swear

Braids on Eight Mile Road 

Oumy's is on Eight Mile Road near Kelly in Detroit. And as much of a born and raised Detroit homegirl as I am, this ain't happenin'. 

Some places you just don't go.

The only sign on the front of the building looks like it saw the wrong end of a blow torch. The sign on the side of the building isn't much better: Looks like somebody painted it using a Dollar store paint brush and leftover mistake paint from The Home Depot.

I cannot with you today, Oumy!

Now, I'm fully aware of the term 'hole in the wall.' But that does not mean that I would patronize such an establishment and trust it with my crown and glory! You know how much time I spent on this hair? 

No ma'am and no sir! 

Just why?
If it all goes left and you leave me #teamnoedges, I need to know how to ... ahem ... get recourse, if you will. How do I find you? Especially when the front door is boarded up with a piece of plywood and appears to be padlocked?

Curb appeal much? And just who is 'Oumy'? Is this a government name? Is the number even legit? Bye, Oumy, whomever you are! 

E'rybody can't play in your head

I'd rather have a crooked neck sitting at someone's kitchen table while they're doing my braids, with them eating Chinese, watching Judge Greg Mathis and Maury and running after their bad ass kids, than mess around with Oumy. Or have my head dangling under a kitchen faucet while getting my hair scrubbed with Dawn dish soap, than deal with Oumy's foolishness.

Because, you see, I know what to expect from the hood beautician. Hey, a girl's gotta save coins somehow. But Oumy? I am really not so sure about any of this. Braids and taxes are not exactly complimentary. 

Will be edges be snatched and my taxes done?
Can I pay for my Sengelese twists using my tax refund?

Must I give Oumy my W-2s to get some zillions?

IJS. These are all things you must know.

How many of you remember this?

I combed my grandfather's hair, not my grandmother He'd come in from a long day working the line at Chrysler and I'd take his little pocket comb and comb his hair while he dozed off to sleep at the kitchen table.

I'd use the comb to scratch his scalp, too. Good memories.

That fro, tho!

I am a huge Stevie Wonder fan. Did you see the tribute yesterday on BET? I did not! Boo!!!  I was picking up my teenagers from work and missed it (hopefully, there will be a repeat).

But this photo gave me life this morning!!! I miss Michael Jackson and that fro.

That's right

Hear no perm.
See no perm.
Speak no perm.

Yaaasss!

Support "Pelo Malo" at a theatre near you

The acknowledgement that natural hair is beautiful isn't just a battle being waged in these here United States - it's also a battle being fought around the world. The issue of natural hair and how it so often intersects with race, class and gender is the subject of "Pelo Malo" (bad hair).

The  movie profiles a nine-year-old Venezuelan boy's efforts to straighten his curly hair for school pictures. The movie is now being shown in:

• Santa Fe, Argentina
• Mexico City, Mexico
• San Diego
• Miami
• Houston
• Madrid, Spain
• Rome, Italy
• Torino, Italy
• Vancouver, Canada

It's more than just about curly hair.

It's an important story that needs to be told -- this time by Venezuelan director Mariana Rondón,  through the eyes of a 9-year-old boy as he seeks to loosen his curls to look more like his idol, Justin Bieber. The boy's father is Black and his mother, who is light skinned, isn't having it and worries that he may be gay.

Yes, the movie is about more than just hair straightening; it's about what is deemed beautiful or socially acceptable -- and how those intertwine with many other issues.

Blacks in the U.S. aren't the only ones fighting the curly hair "fight."

It's an international issue -- and the struggle is real, especially among our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and Latin America, who may not have access to the same products or support that we do in the U.S.

The movie has already won several awards, including a top prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival, as it seeks to expose racism, colorism and hair prejudice among Venezuelans.

On vacay in the Bahamas

Spent almost a week luxuriating on a cruise in the Bahamas for my 40th birthday. And I had not one natural hair worry in the world. I had my hair pressed about a  month ago and was too damn lazy to do anything to it. Plus it rained in Nassau, and I was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

So I wore a fedora and a top knot. And that was that!

On the cruise deck

A fedora solves most hair anything

Jamaican graffiti

Nassau was lovely, just rainy and "cold" by Bahamian standards

At the beach in Freeport 

Natural Hair VID: MY TWIST UPDO

Love this style for fall!

Flawless!

♡♡♡♡♡

Dopeness

Afro perm takes Asia by storm

By Tenisha Mercer
www.HairNista.Blogspot.com 

We all know what a relaxer can do to kinky hair. But what about when you want to turn straight hair into kinky? There was really few ways to turn it kinky - until now.

A new chemical process can now turn straight into kinky --  and the Japanese are pioneering it by wearing it, according to AfroHair.net.

Hey, I'm all about kinky inclusion. And this s some straight up kinky, 4C-beyond type kink.

And it's entirely different than most chemical processes, which usually tend to straighten the hair.

The process is extremely popular in South Korea and Japan, where it's being used to transform straight hair into dreads and cornrows. The process is known as the Reggae Perm or the Asian Afro Perm. It creates new hydrogen bonds to form in the hair using small perming rods during a chemical process that transforms straight into straight up kink.

Now, let's hope that those of us who are born with kinky hair can learn to appreciate what we've got naturally, a little bit more. 

Hair Crush

Lush!

Your hair after da' club

Funny!

Do you remember these?

Oh, I remember these. These would hurt like a mug if you slept the wrong way or got popped with one.

Sheryl Underwood takes her wig off

By Tenisha Mercer
www.HairNista.Blogspot.com

Comedian and The Talk co-host Sheryl Underwood isn't shy about her hair opinions. Keep watching the video below to see her take her wig off in the big wig reveal.

See the video: