Brandy Rocks a Curly Weave At Billboard Music Awards

Brandy wearing natural wig at the BBMA

Actress and R&B singer Brandy graced the Billboard Music Awards' red carpet with a headful of hair -- curly weave and all.

Hit or miss?

Personally, I like it. The hair compliments the dress perfectly -- classy and sexy at the same time. Love the cut! Wig or weave? I'm gonna say it's a wig that's been given a custom cut that falls perfectly. The hair is the perfect accessory -- big hair that doesn't clash with her outfit. As we know, natural hair is the ultimate accessory -- whether it's yours or not!

I should have known something was up when Gary with the Tea, a host on Ricky Smiley's radio program, said Brandy was wearing 20 pounds of hair at the BBMA during his gossip announcements. I love my weave girls, but I'm glad to see there are more curlier options. Weave doesn't have to only be straight and hang down to your ass!

Plus, this is the first time I think I've ever seen Brandy wearing a curly weave; it looks stunning on her. Brandy joins a host of celebs wearing kinky and curly weaves/wigs, including Serena and Beyonce. Go Brandy! And I love her makeup.

Do you love or hate Brandy's hair?

HairTroversy: Are Curly Weaves Better?

Source

Lately, I've noticed that more celebs and Black women in general are opting for curly, kinky, wavy or natural weaves.

Whether it's Serena Williams, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce or your average girl on the street, the curly look is in. Now, mainstream media has picked on, as this piece on Philly.com illustrates, via BGLHOnline.com.

The hair is so popular, that weave shops can't keep it in stock.

Is this an improvement?

Depends. If a woman wears weaves only because she's afraid to wear her natural hair, that's an issue that she'll have to deal with when she's ready. If a woman is wearing a curly weave because she doesn't want a straight one, that's an overall improvement, perhaps.

The Curly Paradox

Now, I don't think straight weaves will ever go "out" of style -- just ask the women shelling out thousands of dollars for Remy or Malaysian hair. But, just like more women are wearing natural hair, more women are also copying that look -- except with wigs/weaves.

Maybe this will be the impetus they need to go natural; maybe it won't. Maybe they like natural hair, but are afraid to really embrace it and want to dip their toes in the "natural" waters. Meh. Yet, it's still important to point out: Unless it's your natural texture, natural weaves are not our hair.

Better question: Are you comfortable with the kinky, curly, coarse stuff that grows out of your scalp -- even if it doesn't look like the curly weave you're rocking? If you're crushing on some hair that you can't realistically achieve For some of us, I'm not so sure. It will be a good day when we can love OUR hair, no matter how curly or kinky it is.

Do you think curly weaves indicate a broader acceptance of curly hair or is it still a step back in terms of hair acceptance? Would you wear a curly weave/wig?

Big Hurr E'ry Day

I finally got the La Jay wig by Vanessa!

Now that I got it, umm... I don't know if I'm feeling it. I heard -- and saw-- on YouTube that it was big. But I don't think I was prepared for how big it was until I got it yesterday. I'm on some 80s Diana Ross and Chaka Khan ish, lol!

It's similar to my natural texture, but it's longer and fuller -- which is the look I'm going for. But the thing is so. damn. BIG!

Takes a bit of getting used to. I wore it right out of the beauty supply shop to the Goodwill next door (came home empty handed, unfortunately). Maybe it was my imagination, but I felt like everybody was staring at me.

Then, when I got home, my hubby and kids clowned me. My son said, "Mom, it looks like you  have fake hair, but I know it's not."

My daughters were not fans, and my hubby teased me about it all night. Didn't know it could be this hard to wear a wig! Despite what they say, I think I'm going to stick it out a little bit more. I wouldn't mind cutting it to shoulder length.

Hopefully, I'll grow to like it a bit more once I style it a bit more.

I didn't wear it today because I'm wearing a curly fro (plus, I figure it'll be easier to transition to the La
Jay after a day of wearing my own "big" hair, instead of my usual wash and go) and I needed a bit more time to work with it.

This morning, I went straight to YouTube to see how people style it. Seems like it looks the best when the front is left out, but it's a half wig that can also be worn as a full wig. I like the way this blogger styled it.

Here are a few pics. Let me know what you think.

Yay or nay?

Stylin and profilin the La Jay wig at Goodwill



Not so sure if I'm feelin' La Jay!



Wig it Up!

It can turn into an ugly, vicious debate in the natural community: Wigs/weaves vs. naturals.

But really, there shouldn't be an us vs. them.  I think naturals feel some type of way about weaving/wigging up, but I'm all about doing "you" and whatever that means for Y-O-U.

If that means wearing a wig or a weave to protect your precious tresses, then so be it. If length is your goal, the wig/weave wearer (depending on how well they maintain their natural hair, of course), will probably retain more length than those twist outs, braid outs and wash and go girls who wear their hair out non-stop.

Pick the wig or weave that looks best on you and do you, BOO!

Heck, I wore a straight wig three years ago to grow out a pixie cut. And I'm strongly considering buying a few natural wigs just to give my hair a much-needed break. I probably won't wear a straight wig, but a natural wig? Yeps, that's the plan.

If you haven't checked kinky wigs out recently, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. There are so, so many on the market these days. From short to long to everything in between, natural wigs are all the rage. Why buy all these concoctions, curly cremes, $40 puddings and all of that when I can buy a wig with realistic looking curls?

I think my hair just might thank me for it.  Even weaves have gone kinky. I saw a kinky weave on a model in a magazine that was just GORGEOUS!

I don't have a problem with curls in my natural hair; my problem is uniform curls. My curls are about the size of the tiny metal pieces inside a push-button pin. But they're not uniform. And shrinkage is a MUTHA! Some days my curls are poppin' all over. Other days, ehh.

That, and I get tired of manipulating my hair at times. I think of wigs as an accessory. I'm easily bored. I probably won't color my hair, but I sure will sport a wig with the color I'm feeling at the moment -- and save my natural hair from the maintenance and upkeep that comes with color.

I'm loving the La Jay by Vanessa and Creta Girl by Freetress. I hate wig stock photos, (they look SO much better on a real person) so I'm showing images of wigs that were posted online or in forums with a link back their original source.

Would you wear a wig or no?

Creta Wig by Freetress

La Jay by Vanessa