Say Hello to Flexi-Rods!! Part 1

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting! I have been SUPER busy! But here I am with a SUPER cool post :) LOL.

***side bar***

Hello to all of my new followers!

I am so excited to see that you are

following this blog. Greetings!!

Be sure to leave a comment so I

can get acquainted with you all!

***side bar end***

Now, I have been DYING to get some flexi rods but every time I would go to look for some, I would forget and get sidetracked. Then when I would get home, Its like oh no... nooo flexi rods. I am extremely forgetful. It has been months since I have wanted them so I finally got some! I found some today at a random beauty supply for $4 per pack- I got a medium size (5/8") of 6. I am not sure if that is pricy but I think its more than worth it!!

Kendra, why flexi-rods?

1. If you love curls like me, and I love curls, this is a simple way to achieve them!
2. I can no longer stand to put bantu knots in my hair. They are too tight and I get headaches.
3. In the past I have used foam rollers but its a hassle. They unclip too easily and then it takes forever. No bueno!
4. They are very gentle on your hair. No tugging, no ripping out strands, low stress.
5. Great for protective styling. When you twists look frizzy, flexi rod them and wear them curly. Unravel your twists and have a curly twist out
6. Versatile on wet hair, dry hair, straight hair, blow-dried hair, etc.
7. They come in MANY different sizes. From the tight straw curls to large curls!

So, I am going to show you my first experience with flexi rods. I am going to wash my hair - right now. Detangle it and then put my flexi rods in over night. I promise to show you pics when I take them out in the am..

Do YOU have flexi rods?
How do you set your hair with them??

Here is a pic of my flexi rods

I bought four 6 piece sets that are

5/8" in diameter for $3.68 + tax!

TO BE CONTINUED....

Celebrating the best curls in the world <3

Hair Tip #12: Hair Scrub Recipe

Have a dry scalp in need of some therapy?  Here is one way to give your locks some TLC during the winter season. This works very well for me when I have a dry scalp! In fact, I will probably be doing this treatment next wash day!

Hair Scrub Recipe:
Milk 1/4 cup
Olive oil (or any oil of preference) 1/4 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Conditioner

-Lightly scrub with your fingertips into your scalp. You want to slowly massage away the dry flakes and dead skin
-Once you have worked it in well, rinse thoroughly and follow up with your normal wash and condition regimen.

ENJOY!

Celebrating a healthy scalp <3

Hair Tip #11: Chemicals to AVOID in Hair Products

Here is a very helpful list of chemicals to avoid when you go shopping for new hair products. I strongly encourage you to seek out organic and herbal types of products. PLEASE, I cannot stress this enough! Check the labels!

If you don't believe me, keep reading :)

 

• ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL: aka, rubbing alcohol. Sure, thats a great thing to put in your hair! NOT!!! EW! I am sure you wouldn't want to go pour this in your hair, so I am sure you wouldn't want to use shampoo with it either!!
• PEG & PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PG): (abbreviation for polyethylene glycol) Polyethylene glycol is a petroleum product used in commercial cleaners such as oven cleaners. It is also used in personal care products. Over time, this chemical can cause premature aging of the skin. Do you really want something strong enough to clean an OVEN to go in your hair?! I think not!
• SODIUM LAURYL SUFATE (SLS) & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES): Both sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate are used as detergents and surfactants. If you look at MOST hair products, they are used in over 90% of them. They are used because they cause a lot of foam. And to us, foam = clean. Well accordng to research, It is possibly the most dangerous of all ingredients in personal care products.
• According to the American College of Toxicology both SLE and SLES can cause malformation in children's eyes. Other research has indicated SLS may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties. Hair is made of protein and is affected by SLS and SLES leading to poor quality hair, corroded hair follicles and inhibited hair growth, contributing to hair loss. SLS has the potential to cause cataracts through skin absorption, even without direct contact with the eyes. It can denature the protein of the eyes and delay the healing time of the eyes. Check it out here!
• Skin contact can cause SLS to be absorbed into the blood circulation and can then concentrate in organs such as the heart, liver or brain. This is potentially dangerous since SLS is a mutagen, capable of changing the information in the genetic material of your cell and organs.
• SEVERAL TYPES OF CHLORINE for obvious reasons, it is VERY drying!!
• DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (momoethnanolamine), & TEA (triethanolamine):These chemicals are sometimes listed as Cocamide DEA or MEA, Lauramide DEA. These are hormone disrupting chemicals and are known to form cancer causing nitrates and nitrosamines. They are common in shampoos. A study at the University of Illinois found that repeated skin applications of DEA-based detergents result in a major increase in the incidence of liver and kidney cancers. Children are at greater risk. TEA is used to adjust the pH. TEA causes allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin and can be toxic if absorbed into the body over time.
• FD & C Color PIGMENTS: Synthetic colours are used in a shampoos and conditioners to make them more visually appealing. Many pigment colours used in hair dye cause skin sensitivity and irritation, and nerve problems. Absorption of certain colours can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and even death. Many colours contain coal tar, which has been shown to be carcinogenic.
• FRAGRANCE: If a hair care product lists 'fragrance' on the label it can contain up to 4,000 separate ingredients, most of which are synthetic. Symptoms reported from use of these fragrances include headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin irritation. Studies have shown that exposure to fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioural changes.
• IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA and DMDM HYDANTOIN: Formaldehyde is used in shampoos, and conditioners as an inhibiting agent against carcinogenic nitrosamine production. Yet, formaldehyde is carcinogenic itself. It readily penetrates the skin and can cause serious long term health concerns, and often sensitises individuals to other chemicals. It can seriously weaken the immune system and can cause cancer. It also causes allergic reactions, headaches, and chronic fatigue.

Print this out and take it on your next shopping list!!


Information taken from http://altowebmasters.com/, check it out for yourself!

Celebrating beautiful locks of glory <3

 

Chronicles of a Natural Apostolic: Straight Hair, Please Share!!

It has been 6-8 months since I have straightened my hair last! I was sitting on my hands and waiting for the day. And you know whats funny? After wearing it straight for a week, I couldn't WAIT to get my curls back. Girls, let me tell you! As my friend Geanie said, Your curls have more character. I agree. Not that I'm anti-straight hair, don't get me wrong, I just like my curls better. It was a nice change and it was cool to see how much my hair has grown!

Before I show you the pictures, let me explain how I straightened my hair as well as some other details,

• Wash & Detangle: I washed and detangled it on a Wednesday. After detangling, I braided it in about 10 plaits. I made sure to use extra oil, paying special attention to my ends
• Preparation: I continued to moisturize and I left the plaits in until Saturday morning. I kept my braids covered with a crocheted hat (with my silk bonnet underneath) in order to keep it protected from the cold weather.
• Straightening: I used my brothers girlfriends straightener because I was out of town, but I didn't take the temp over 350 degrees. I took small pieces and slowly straightened my hair. It took about an hour and a half in total
• Maintenance: Just about every night I put my hair in loose bantu knots and covered it with my silk bonnet. If there were any tangles, I gently worked them out with a wide tooth comb. I NEVER used a thin toothed comb. In the shower I just put a shower cap over my silk bonnet
• How did my ends look? FABULOUS! The last time I straightened it, I was somewhat devastated. lol. My ends were so brittle and dry. I was like, greeeat. I will never be able to wear my hair down again. BUT this time, it was amazing! My ends were smooth, moisturized and they looked so good. I was very pleased with them :)
• Did my hair get dry? Slightly but whenever it did I just used my oils before bed and in the morning it was just fine!!
• Did it poof up easily? It was strange because on Sunday morning we shouted the house down soo I was left with a kinda Tina Turner look lol. But midst and a small amount of water didn't really phase it too much. Weird. lol. But no my husband actually mentioned that he was shocked how well it stayed straight.
• Did it revert back to curls easily?  OH YES! As soon as those locks hit the shower, the curls came bouncing back into town. In fact, I had more shrinkage than usual. I don't know what that was about lol.

NOW for the pictures...

Like I said, the straightener wasn't that hot

(I did that on purpose so as not to burn

my hair- you can do that, you know)

So its not BONE STRAIGHT. Anyhow

this is where the longest pieces are falling...

I only wore my hair down TWICE lol

It was so weird having it on my neck.

It was HOT. So yes, my name is Kendra

and I am addicted to protective styling up dos

See told ya.

This is Sun nite after the recital

You can see some of the curly roots

But its not too bad!

This is like day 6.. So its pretty poofy!

But big is great!!

It was 6:15am

I was not happy.

Grrrr.

My 50s inspired up do,

Yay :)

The Day of Reckoning

"WASH DAY"

Well, it was fun while it lasted!!

Feel free to comment with questions!

Celebrating a Season of Loving Naturals <3

Braids, Braid-Outs.. & Expressing Myself!

I have been told time and time again that I don't take enough pictures of my hair. So I tried really hard to remember this part thanksgiving weekend so that I could show you a thing or two. Sometimes I get tired of my regular twists so I decided I wanted to do braids! Now in the past, I did them this small:

IT TOOK ME FOREVER AND A DAY...

AND THEN ANOTHER MONTH ON TOP OF THAT

PLUS ANOTHER WEEK!

Okay I am totally exaggerating lol :)

Anyhow- this time I decided that I was going to make them a bit bigger and add some cornrows to the front for a little jazz. I took some pictures to give you some style possibilities because they are endless when it comes to protective styling.

By the way I want to point out that I absolutely adore my herbal essence leave in conditioner. I will be doing a review this week so stay tuned.  

Braid Style One: Side Bun Swept Back

To achieve this 5 min look:

(1) Pin back braids and secure with bobby pins

(2) Add the headband, scarf or accessory of your choice

(3) Pull the back into a low side bun and secure with bobby pins

* Headband handmade by Jasmin Robinson *

Braid Style Two: High Flower with Sweeping Vines

 I got creative with the name :)

How to achieve this 7 min look:

(1) pin curl the front sections of your hair

(2) pull the rest of the hair into a high bun, flare out

and pin in place. Wrap the excess around the

ponytail and pin all stray braids down.

(3) Add a flower or headband of your choice

* Flower clip handmade by Jasmin Robinson *

Braid Out Funn.

I love my buns ya'll!

They are uber protective

They are uber quick to do

They are uber cute too!!

I also love my little "Jew" curls as my husband calls them <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bows, and headbands add some spice

Ribbons and bows are lovely too

Silk scarves and things that blow in the wind

Find and embrace what makes YOU, YOU!

~~~~~~

I love cheetah rain boots and fuzzy socks

Fleece scarves and thick winter tights

I am a thrift store junkie, yes I do admit

But that's just me, and yes that is alright

~~~~~~~

Do not look to the fashions of the world

And make sure its God you seek

Most of all desire holiness

Tis' only beautiful and unique!

<3 Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair

Anyone feel this way??

"The only regret I have with going natural

is that I didn't do it sooner"

I feel that way as well as many others! But now that we know, lets impact our friends and family, our children and loved ones. Natural hair is beautiful! I can't tell you how I am getting new followers and new ladies who are interested in going natural on a weekly basis now! It is incredible!

My sis in love called me last night to tell me that someone wanted to talk to me. She hands the phone to Sis Nichelle who let me know what she is going natural! I was so excited that she even wanted to tell me! My sis told her to look at my blog and she said that she already had! I was like wow thank you Lord!

Nichelle is going to be transitioning to natural hair.

WITHOUT the big chop. WITHOUT trimming. WITHOUT cutting. She's a one God apostolic pentecostal ya'll :)

I am SO excited for you girl! I hope you read this post!

How is YOUR hair doing?

Comment with update :)

Much love girlies!

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair :)

A Week of Protective Styling: Updated Twist Tutorial & Day 1 Style

As promised, I am taking this week to show you all how to do twists as well as 6 days of styles!

Each morning I will do a video showing you how I did my style. (Notice me yawning in the footage from this morning lol. I was tired ya'll) Kendra unedited! Rambling and all!!

Protective styling is a must as we are heading into the colder months! So ENJOY ... This week is twists and the next week might be braids!! Who knows?! :)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

To be continued ....

 

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair :)

Hair Tip #6: Quick Hair-Do, Bun

I never have enough time!
24 hours a day is simply not enough time!
I somehow always end up with about
5-7 minutes to style my hair...
So what do I do?...

* One hair tie

*6 bobby pins (not even lol)

* Gel

*Water

Here is a video tutorial  of how to do this hairstyle

along with some extra little tips about growing out your hair.

ENJOY <3

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair :)

Perspectives From Persons #3: Brendan Thaler

Hello ladies. Meet my hubby Brendan Thaler. He has an awesome blog :) I don't think he posts often enough, but I still think you should click here to check it out! In this post, he has a thing or two to say about natural hair... Listen up!


1. Why do you think more black apostolics should go natural and take better care of their hair?
It is pretty simple as far as I am considered as to why black apostolic women should go natural which in turn means taking better care of their hair. For obvious reasons pertaining to the health of a black woman's hair, by going natural it is easier to obey 1 Corinthians 11. However, I would like to put the "Hair" chapter aside, and look at another passage:

[9] In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; [10] But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. - (1Ti 2:9-10 KJV)

I want to first say there is nothing modest about different colored hair. Hair that is a reflection of this present culture and age, also is not professing godliness. The God we serve is both the same yesterday, today, and forever more. Therefore, the trends that change on a regular basis do not profess holiness. Also, that broided hair that the Apostle Paul is speaking of is very similar to those hideous multi colored braids that the hip hop girls seem to love in their hair. Considering we are called out from this world and commanded to be seperate, we ought to take great consideration in our appearance. We are created in His likeness and in His image, we ought to be very careful with our appearance, considering we are ambassadors of the Holy One. We don't not believe a religion that is spoken, taught, preached, and not lived, but our greatest witness is our lifestyle. That is that the gospel of Jesus Christ actually works. We called out of darkness into His marvelous light, we repented, our sins were buried in baptism, and we are resurrected and walking in the "newness" of life. With all that being said, it is no secret that our women are walking and living testimonies and witnesses of the Lord. The modest dress, the long hair, the lack of jewelry, and all that goes along with holiness, is completely contrary to our society and culture. I have seen conviction fall on sinner women time and time again when in the presence of a woman who has taken on the Holiness of God.

Back to the question, God loves His creation. All creativity is derived from God. Therefore, the creation is pleasing unto the Creator without any embellishing. We need not add or change what God has created. Black women naturally have what many women spend buckets full of money on, naturally curly hair. Everyone at one time or another wants what they don't have, but the pure essence of self esteem is to be happy with what God has given you. So why change what God has found so beautiful?

2. When you see one of us rocking natural hair, what do you think about it?

To go against what is "popular" or "normal" takes confidence, and confidence is attractive to everyone. Men and women alike are attracted to confidence.

3. If you could give a word of encouragement to all of the sisters who are natural, going natural and considering it, what would it be?

Your hair ain't broke so don't fix it! Black hair is just different than white, Hispanic, or Asian hair. Rock what ya got! Men love confidence, and there is a reason that people who are individualistic. Love who God made you and become who He called you to be. By the way weaves and fake hair stinks, and I mean that in a literal sense, they really smell bad! Funky smells are appealing to no body that I know so just stay away from them.

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair :)

Spread the word!!!

If this blog has blessed you and helped you on your natural journey, SPREAD THE WORD!

I am so thrilled that I have impacted you, but I want to impact more women, so please SPREAD THE WORD!

If you are happy with what you see, SPREAD THE WORD!

My goal is to have 50 followers by the end of the year, you can help!!

Encourage your friends, sisters from church, family members, etc to subscribe

and FOLLOW BLACK APOSTOLIC HAIR!

Because after all,

This is for you :)

and you,

and of course you too!

SPREAD THE WORD!

Hair Tip #5: Hair Washing and Detangling Methods

What is more important than clean hair?

And what is better than saving money by saving shampoo??

I decided it would be easier to show my hair washing techniques rather than just

trying to explain them in words. I explain the best method I have found to distribute

 shampoo from my scalp to ends without tangling my hair. With this method

 there is the guarante of saving soap! I'm all about having the best of both worlds!

So here are a few short vids explaining how to shampoo and detangle your hair,

Kendras way of course :)

I hope this helps!!

 

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair :)

Hair Tip #4: The Mirror

When you look in the mirror, what do you say to your reflection?

When you look in the mirror, what is the expression of your face?

Do you embrace the image that looks back at you?

Or do you anxiously turn away thinking its all a waste?

When you look in the mirror, is there a smile or a look of disdain?

Is there a thought that natural beauty is a waste or is it all a pain?

When you look in the mirror are you sad at what you see?
Or do you say, "that is beautiful and yes it is me"?

Is your perception of beauty what God sees?





This is an extremely important hair tip! I know its not about a style, a product or something "conventional". But I feel that I need to encourage some of my beautiful ladies that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! I know some of you might be the only black girl in your church with natural hair but know that you are beautiful.. We were fearfully and wonderfully made. I have had days where I have cried and just wished my hair wasn't so different and hard to manage. But I go right back to the question, what is your purpose Kendra? Why are you doing this?? Because your hair is your glory. No need to hang our heads in shame or feel embarrassed. This is how God made us and it is beautiful!

So I ask the question,

When YOU look in the mirror,
what does your reflection say?...

Celebrating healthy, happy and long hair :)

Transitioning without trimming???

I cannot tell you how many people have asked and desired to know how do you transition your hair without trimming and cutting it??

------------------------------

Let me begin by clearly stating, I am not an advocate of the big chop! Neither am I am advocate of cutting and trimming hair. So with that said, I know you are really asking, Kendra how in the world can you transition without trimming or cutting off relaxed ends? There is NO way!!

Well guess what?

I transitioned without trimming or cutting my hair.

This is a picture of my husband and I from December 2008.

(of course this is before we got in church!!!)

My hair was completely relaxed, dyed and damaged.

When I decided that I wanted to go natural, I started looking into it. Well I immediately noticed the STRONG influence of the big chop. And let me tell you, I had cut off all my hair before (I'm talking inches in length) and I was not about to do it again. This was my initial motivation. I'm just not about to go around with short hair and wait for it to grow back again.

Been there done that.

So I decided ... I'm going to transition.

I started with a few braid outs:

I did bantu knots. I did twists., braids, wore weaves, extensions, you name it I tried it.

But I never cut or trimmed my hair!!

When I started out this process of transitioning without trimming or cutting it was because I wanted to prove everyone wrong and show it could be done!! I mean, I knew that your hair could grow without being trimmed. Well I believe that was the hand of God upon my mind because every time I would think about trimming off the rest of the relaxed or dyed hair, I just couldn't do it! Within about 8 months, God gave me the revelation of hair! It was so exciting! So I kept up my transition without trimming or cutting.

I did buns.

I did bantu knot outs.

I did twists in updos.

(in this picture notice the hair dye)

My hair was light brown at the ends.

I want you to see that because I no longer have light brown in my hair

YES my hair shedded.

YES my hair was weak.

But I pampered it with moisture, protective styling and gentle care.

After a hard 6 months of some breakage and dryness, my natural hair really began to break forth.

It was different and it was new..

But it surely wasn't relaxed anymore!

No dangling straight ends!

You can see here how my ends curled right up when wet.

Now notice how there are still light ends..

BUT NOW...

Hardly ANY dyed ends.

Completely natural.

Curl city.

So ladies,

it can be done.

I'm a living witness.

In Jesus' name lets keep going and pressing towards the mark!

Celebrating healthy, happy and long hair :)



Hot Oil Treatment Day!

Hello beautiful ladies! Today is my wash hair day! I am so excited because I love how great my hair feels when I'm done. But to be honest, I am not a fan of the actual washing part. For starters, I don't like washing in the shower because you know how the little hairs stream with the water down onto your legs and back! YUCK! And then my water doesn't stay hot for much longer than 25 minutes. And then I start to get itchy ahhhhh....

[insert more complaints here]

BUT i sure do love the way my hair feels when I'm done!

So I am going to wash my hair with Nourish Spa Shampoo,

apply a hot oil treatment and then

condition my hair with Nourish Spa Conditioner.

Here is my hot oil recipe of the day:

(It's not always the same lol)

2 Tablespoons of:

Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil - $2 at Wal-Mart

Ingredients: Soy bean oil, walnut seed oil, kiwi fruit extract,

olive fruit oil, castor seed oil, sesame seed oil, jajoba seed oil,

carrot seed oil, sweed almond oil, etc.

1 tablespoon of:

Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil - $2 at Wal-Mart

Ingredients: Soy bean oil, tea tree leaf oil, safflower seed oil,

Rose hips fruit oil, sweet almond oil, peanut oil, etc.

1/4 cup of purified water

So here I go! Off to the shower - I mean, kitchen sink!!!

I will post an update post when I am done, and yes I promise to take lots of pictures too!!!

On another important note!

Today is my hubby's birthday!!

I have a great day planned for us, so I better get

going so I can be a cute wife for an AMAZING

and extremely handsome husband :) Love you babe!

Check out his blog while you're at it :)

Celebrating healthy, happy and long hair :)

Old skool french braid

So I was exhausted after two awesome services on Sunday! We had such powerful moves of God both in the morning AND night! By the time I was home, I had no energy to think about twisting, braiding, or doing anything to my hair- except throwing on my sink bonnet and calling it a night!! So I thought of a super quick style that I could rock on monday.

A french braid :)
sometimes you just gotta take it back to the good ol' elementary school days...

I added a small braid across the front for something different

And I'm wearing one tiny plastic headband :)

Side view: I pulled the back into a bun at the bottom

Perhaps a better side view :)

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair :)

The TRUTH.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

(John 8:32)

----------------

These photos are alarming!!

Perhaps even shocking, but believe it or not,

hair loss, damage and breakage is a legitmate problem

in the black hair community.

so, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

The solution is not as difficult as it may seem. Allow me to hypothesise that the reason for a lack of solution, is due to ignorance, oblivion, failure to comply and sheer lack of knowledge. I am going to list typical things that black women do to their hair- along with the long term consequences. If you aren't ready for change, this may be a tough pill to swallow. But if some of those photos are not far from where your hair is headed, you may want to listen up...

Hair Weaves and Extentions:

"It makes my hair grow!"

"It gives my hair a break..."

"I want to switch it up... I like straight hair without hair damage..."

"It gives my hair a chance to breathe..."

Well what happens in the long run??

Relaxers and Perms:
"Its too much for me to have to wear natural hair..."

"No one likes all those naps and curls anyway..."

"Its too humid where I live... "

"Do you know how nappy my daughters hair is???"

"I like my hair to look done! And an afro don't count.."

"Don't no one need to dwell on African pride, we aren't in Africa. We are in America!"

Hmm... but in the long run?

(We ALL know that does NOT look healthy)....

Maybe your hair hasn't reached this point yet but it can easily happen.... Consider what is entering your blood stream and affecting your overall health!!

Excessive heat:

"I prefer my hair straight..." 

I am not insinuating that straight hair is wrong,

this is in reference to EXCESSIVE HEAT...

And in the long run...

Using "black/ethnic" products just because they're made for us...

Of course most of us don't realize who is really making these products.... and what the overall goal is.

Buuut...

"You don't know the way it makes my hair feel, it must be workin!!"

"My hair squeaks because it feels to clean."

"It SAID all organic on the label..."

In the long run...

____________(fill in the blanks)__________

• 
  
  Rubber bands
• 
  
  Rough combing
• 
  
  Ripping out hair with brushes
• 
  
  Harsh dealing with hair
• 
  
  Products with mineral oil and petroleum
• 
  
  Hair grease
• 
  
  Excessive styling
• 
  
  Packing on products
• 
  
  Scrubbing scalp with nails

Do I need to post more pictures??

Celebrating happy, healthy and long hair  :)