Announcing Our 8th Annual Hair Show... Introducing Keyative Styles: Keyanna and Toni

 Welcome to our 8th Annual Hair Show featuring Toni and Keyanna from Keyative Styles!!!!! This is an honor for us to feature the famous Toni and Key! We had the opportunity to interview them so see what they had to say and show some love!

Q1

Please introduce yourself and your lovely Diva... Does your Diva have any special hobbies, interests or participate in any activities that she is partial to? Anything she doesn't care for much?

My name is Toni and I have am the proud momma to a 6 year old little girl named Keyanna. Keyanna is mixed with Italian, African American, and Native American. She is very outgoing, she loves to make people laugh and loves to be the center of attention. Ever since she was a baby she has loved music and dancing. She plays the keyboard, some guitar, and is hoping Santa will bring her a drum set this year! Her dream is to be on Disney’s Shake It Up one day. Keyanna is also enrolled in a local gymnastics program and loves it, and she plans on joining the basketball team soon. 

Q2

Do you have a specific hair regime which you follow for your daughter? Do you have one for yourself? Please detail.

 

We try to stick to a hair routine but it changes a lot, because our schedules are so busy. Currently, on unstyled hair, I try to Co-wash her hair every other night, and shampoo/deep condition once a week. Every morning I spray and detangle Keyanna’s hair with a moisturizer/conditioner mix, and again at night on days we don’t wash. If her hair is in braids or twists I simply spray with our conditioner mix 2x a day and do a co-wash every 3-4 days. She also sleeps with a satin bonnet to protect her hair at night. 

 

Q3

What are some of your favorite products, hair tools, accessories and other pertinent hair items? 

 

OK, so first let me start off by saying I am a total “product Junkie”. Lol. With that being said, some of our all time favorite products are Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer, Bee Mine Curly Butter, Bruce’s Babes Hair & Body Butter, Bruce’s Babes Shake ‘N Shampoo, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, and DevaCurl No-poo, and Pooka Pure and Simple Nectar Hair Oil. Our Favorite accessories? Key is a major girly-girl, she loves bows, beads, barrettes, and her Sidewinders.

As far as tools go we really just use a basic Conair brush, and a rat tail comb. 

Q4

Looking back to the beginning of your daughters hair journey what could you say that you've learned that got you to the point that you’re at now with what you do/use and how you do/use it to properly care for your daughters hair?

 

In the beginning of our hair journey I used products on my daughters hair that did more damage than good, Incorporating natural products into our hair routine has helped a lot.. Her hair is much healthier and so much easier to work with. 

Q5
Are there any products in your product hall of shame? Any that you do not recommend?

 

A few summers ago I had heard good things about Cantu Shea Butter, so we decided to try it... Total fail on Keyanna’s hair. It dried her hair out horribly. I put that one in the cabinet of shame. Everyones hair is different, what worked for others didn’t work for us, but that doesn’t mean it wont work for you. Just experiment with trying new products until you find “the one”. 

Q6
Is there any styling method or technique that you have yet to master? Anything new brewing for the future?

I can not for the life of me do a flat rope twist, or 3 strand twists. But I do have a few idea’s brewing for future styles you’ll have to wait to see those.

Q7

Have you came across any road blocks along Key's hair journey? Please detail...

 

I guess really the only road block we have hit is dealing with my perfectionism. I would start on a style and if the parts weren’t exactly right, or if it wasn’t turning out how I pictured it I would just take it all down. Now I don’t worry about any of that.. Even if things don’t look right while I’m braiding, by the time I finish the style I am always happy with it.

 

Q8

What is your definition of natural hair? Where do you base it from?

I define natural hair as the hair that grows out of your head. Hair that hasn’t been chemically altered in any way. 

Q9

What are your favorite styles to create?  What are some of Keys favorites? How long do you usually spend doing hair each time?

My favorite styles to do on Key are unique ones, styles that you really don’t see anybody else rockin’. I love to get creative and use her hair as an outlet for that. Lol. Key’s favorites are cornrowed hearts, braided Mohawks, and pretty much anything with beads.. She loves to swing ‘em!

We usually don’t spend more than 45 minutes doing hair, MOST of our styles we keep it pretty simple. But for the more creative styles we sometimes spend 2 hours or more. The longest style we have done was mini braids and we did it over a 2-3 day period.

 

 

Q10
How does Key feel about her hair? What are some things that YOU feel are important for her to know as she builds her own thoughts and feelings about her hair?

Q11

Please describe hair time with your daughter... Does she like to help? What do you allow her to do? What are some of her favorite activities to do while sitting?

Keyanna loves to help during hair time. She usually will put the beads on the beader for me, hand me barrettes, or put the curlformers on the rod for me if we are using those. I also put a movie or her favorite show on to keep her busy, she plays her Leapster Explorer, or we just talk. 

Q12 

Any suggestions for making hair time an easier or smoother experience for others with children?

 

Make it fun for them, get them involved, and take breaks when they ask. If their bored and stuck sitting for hours at a time it might start to seem more like a punishment to them, and they will definitely start putting up a fight when its hair time.

Q13
By asking your Diva Key what she likes most about her hair what does she say? What is her reasoning?

“I like that it’s long, and you can do lots of pretty things with it. I like to always show my friends at school when you braid it for me.” -Key

 

 

Q14
Are you a self taught artist or were there means of which helped guide you in learning how to care for and style your daughters hair?

I started doing Keyanna’s hair in January 2009, and for the first year I learned everything through trial and error. Then I started coming across hair blogs, and am still learning and finding inspiration through them everyday, as well as through some awesome braiders on my face book page!

Q15
Please share some things about yourself that aren’t mentioned above, likes/dislikes, hobbies, interests, fun facts, what sparked your interest in natural hair… ETC

Well, I just recently built up enough confidence to start braiding other peoples hair (other than key’s) lol. I am considering going to school for hair design and making a career of this.

 

 

 
Q16
Rep your blog and social networks! Where can people see more of your amazing artwork?

 

You can check out our styles, along with instructions and fav products on the blog @ http://KeyativeStyles.Blogspot.com

Keep up with us on our 

Facebook page:  Http://Facebook.com/KeyativeStyles 

Youtube Channel: http://youtube.com/xxprettyma

Twitter: @KeyativeStyles

 

**

Thank you Toni for participating in our Hair Show and for showcasing the lovely Key and her glowing attributes! From the beginning of times Ive been inspired by your creativity and have been you-tubing for as long as i can remember and it has been such a blessing to get to know you and be a part of your community as you are mine.  Key is a super star Diva and is always wearing the most gorgeous styles that bling with love and great care.  I am a HUGE fan and am always looking forward to new styles from you and I never cease to be amazed by each one :) Not to mention your blog and social networks! <3 IT! One God Bless and keep doing your thing! One thing i have learned from you is that any style can be created on finer hair types like my daughters and that styling is limitless as well as achievable in any degree!

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Announcing Our 7th Annual Hair Show Featuring Curly Girl Braids And More

Welcome to our Annual Hair Show where we show case our feature participants! Introducing Brittany and her two beautiful daughters Brea and Me'ana...

Q1

Please introduce yourself and your lovely Diva daughters... Do they have any special hobbies, interests or participate in any activities that they are partial to? Anything they dislike?

Hi my name is Brittany, I am a stay at home mom to 2 wonderful daughters, Brea and Me'ana. Brea is 4 years old and she is in preschool. She loves to paint and color. She also loves to do her dolls hair. Me'ana loves to write the letter M and she loves to play in lotion and make up and she loves to play babies.They both love riding bikes and jumping on the trampoline and to swing too.

Q2

How long have you been styling the girls hair?

I have been doing Brea's hair since she was 6 months old. (she has always had alot of hair). I have been doing Me'ana's hair since she was about 18 months old. She was born with alot of hair then it started shedding.

Q3

Do you have a specific hair regime which you follow for your daughter's? Do you have one for yourself? Please detail.

I wash Brea's and Me'ana's scalp every other day with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner. I leave the conditioner on about 10 Min's. Then wash it out. After i towel dry their hair i use some wonderful products from Nina Rae, she makes her own products. I use her hair butter on their scalp and hair and then i seal in the moisture with Nina Rae's hair oil.
 

Q4

What are some of your favorite products, hair tools, accessories and other pertinent hair items?

So far my favorite products are Nina Rae's hair butter and hair oil. I also like the curly set from Frizzoff. I am currently using that kit, I received to review. I love beads and pony balls. I also love the bows i make for my girls too.

Q5
Are there any products in your product hall of shame? Any that you do not recommend?  Please detail.
  
I do not recommend you to use gorilla monkey snot gel. It is really hard to wash out. I tried it on Me'ana when Brea cut off almost all of her hair and it took me like 4 times to wash her hair to finally get it all out and it made her hair really stiff too.

Q6

Looking back to the beginning of your daughters' hair journeys what can you say that you've learned that helped/inspired you to achieve the level that you’re at now with what you do/use and how you do/use it to properly care for their hair?





In the beginning I didn't know about having to moisturize Brea's hair and I use to wash her hair everyday with what ever I had. Thank god i have a great neighbor that helped me and told me why Brea's hair kept breaking off. She told me i was washing it too much and not using the right kind of products and she also told me to oil the rubber bands and the ends of Brea's hair before i applied beads and rubber bands. This helps alot. I am thankful that i learned this before i had the chance to mess up Me'ana's hair too.

Q7

Is there any styling method or technique that you have yet to master? Anything you are practicing now or would like to try on the girls hair?

I cant do the spiral curl cornrows, but i can do swirls and zigzag one's and also the heart and the half circle one's. I am going to keep practicing eventually i will get it.

Q8
Have you came across any road blocks along the way? If so how did you overcome them?



Yes i have come across a horrible road block, when Brea decided to play hair stylist and cut off almost all of Me'ana's beautiful curls. I over came that by finding new hairstyles to hide the bald spots, as in the top of the picture of Me'ana's hair you can see that there is the short hair that wont go into the pony tail. It isn't that noticeable unless you look closely.

Q9
What is your definition of natural hair? Where do you base it from?


My definition of natural hair is no hair dye and no perms. It is fine to add extensions.

Q10
What are your favorite styles to create?  What are some of your daughters' favorites? How long do you usually spend doing hair each time?


I love micro braids on Brea. It is so versatile you can do many things with them. They usually take me about 4 hours to do. I love to do Me'ana's hair in a pony connecting mohawk. Brea's favorite hair style is anything with beads. She loves to shake em. Me'ana loves a big bow in her hair she says i am oh so beautiful.

Q11
How do they feel about her hair? What are some things that YOU feel are important for them to know as they build their own thoughts and feelings about their hair?


Brea's loves her wavy hair and she already likes to help me try to fix it. Me'ana

Q12
Please describe hair time with your girls... Does they like to help? What do you allow them to do if so? What are some of their favorite activities to do while sitting?


Yes i let them help. I let them pick the beads or pony and clip colors for there own hair. Brea will hand me Me'ana's hair clips and pony's or she will put the beads on the beader and Me'ana will do the same for Brea too. They both love to watch the Disney channel while getting their hair done.

Q13
Any suggestions for making hair time an easier or smoother experience for others with children?


Sometimes when Brea is cranky and tired i let her go to sleep on a blanket and pillow on the floor then i put her in my lap and do her hair while she is sleeping. Brea is a hard sleeper.

Q14
By asking each of your daughters what they like most about their hair what do they say? What are their individual reasonings?

Brea says I love my long hair and she wants it as long as mine. Me'ana says she loves the color and her curls too.

Q15
Please share some things about yourself that aren’t mentioned above, likes/dislikes, hobbies, interests, fun facts, what sparked your interest in caring for and styling your daughters' hair… ETC

I love sharing my hair care and styles on my blog. I have always liked doing hair. I went to school for doing hair in Chicago but didn't finish. I love to cook and bake with my girls also. I also make my girls bows. I always like to make sure my daughters look beautiful first and then if I have time I do my own hair and make up. If I don't have time I just put my hair in a flipped up pony tail and apply lip gloss and go.

Q16
Rep your blog and social networks! Where can people see more of your amazing and cute styles?

I am including links to my Facebook page, my blog and my twitter too for you all to see more of my hair styles and products reviews and giveaways.

Curly Girl Braids and More FB Fan Page

Curly Girl Braids and More Blog

Curly Girl Braids and More Twitter Page 

**

Thank you Brittany for participating in our Annual Hair Show! Your girls are adorable and we enjoyed seeing the girls hair styles and getting to know more about you and tid bits from parts of your girls hair journeys and beyond. Your blog is really progressing and its great to see all the new styles you post and whats a great element about it for us is that my daughter has nearly the same hair texture as your girls and when i see styles of all varieties on fellow little hair Diva's that i know i could pull off on my Divas hair type it inspires me to experiment <3  I love to accessorize my daughters hair also she loves beads and Sidewinders the most and lately her fav has been hair bows with her natural curls freely hanging. Thank you for sharing your tips and advice as well! God Bless.

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Cornrows with Curl Puffs and BEADS

Here is the description and more pictures of Diva R's style for Naturally Flyy Detroits 7th Meet Up, as promised.

I was going for something that would last all day while staying nice and neat with minimal if no need at all for maintenance. I had plenty of time to think of a style and this one became the one that i chose.  I haven't really done many fancy looking up doo's with her curls in a "pinned" looking fashion so i was excited to try this new method.  I call this style Cornrow's with Curl Puff's because Diva R doesn't have the texture of hair that puffs like an afro so for varying types sake i refer to her puffs as curl puffs specifically.

I had already had it predetermined that i wasn't going to use bobby pins to secure her curls so instead i opted for matching pony tails underneath the butterfly ballies. I began by parting the frontal section out first which i was going to create the two cornrows with.  I applied our distilled water generously throughout and had created two separate sections, a front and back. I clipped off the front section and split the back section in two pig tails. I applied some Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer to each section i was going to pig tail from root to ends thoroughly, this is important because i planned on this style staying in and being well moisturized throughout a whole day without need for reapplication.  So i put one pony tail on each side and had two regular pig tails then i had 4 more ponies in place ready to help fix up the puffs that i am going to create.  So i then grabbed one pony tail and loosely gathered it up by the base and put a pony tail around it almost like a messy bun and i started fluffing her curls in a neater positioning. Then i added another pony tail to complete the curl puff and i repeated these steps for the next side.

I then had created the two curl puffs and i spritzed them with our Bee Mine Juicy Spritz and they were done. I moved on to un-clip the frontal section and i parted an angled part and spritzed some more distilled and added a few dabs of Bee Mine Curly Butter to each section as i began. I cornrowed one side and adorned it with beads and an end clip which i rubber banded on so her hair wouldn't unravel causing the beads to slide off. I repeated that for the second cornrow and topped them both off with a little Juicy Spritz and the style was complete in about 20 minutes.

The results turned out adorable and i LOVE how cute, girly and easy this style was to doo! It is suitable for even formal events.

 It kind of looks like Diva R has really short hair but in reality her hair stretches down the middle of her back.

This style is cute and appropriate for all little girls and can be done on any and all hair types.

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Halloween Hair Style! Skeleton Frenzy Plus Diva R and Little Bro Z's Costumes

Happy belated Halloween from us <3 We have been beyond busy getting ready to move YAY So this is something that can be thought about for next years Halloween Hair Style, I call this one Skeleton Frenzy.  I had got the idea of using the Skeletons after seeing a Halloween style over at Princess Piggies. 

 

The skeletons i used i bought from Walmart in the Halloween goodie bag section and they came in sets of 4 for 1.00. I bought two bags which gave me 8 skeleton straws which i had planned on sliding the skeletons off and using just the two piece skeleton bodies.

First i had split her hair in two even sections by making a straight part from ear to ear. I was spritzing our distilled water throughout as i went and since her hair was detangled prior too, this was smooth sailing. I applied thoroughly our Mixed Chicks leave In Conditioner, finger combing it in. After i did that i split the two even sections into 4 parts on the top section and three parts on the bottom section creating 7 triangular parts which i radiated outwards towards the crown of her head. I then applied some Bee Mine Curly Butter to each section as i parted out three even parts of each section.

I piggy tailed the top box part and slid the upper body of the skeleton on using a beader and then piggy backed a second rubber band under neath the body creating a unity with the first and second parted box. At that point the upper body is secured in place and has the ability to move around a bit to create the dancing like element. THEN i slid the bottom half of the skeleton body onto the hair hanging from the first and second box and piggy back rubber banded a third rubber band on to secure the bottom half in place and wah-lah i repeated this for each section.  I spritzed a few mists of some Bee Mine Juicy Spritz and then decided that i was going to do something different with the remaining 7 sections of free hair. 

 I began at the front of her head and i started by grabbing the left grouping of free hair and rolled it just like i would doing flat rolling twists and as i reached the second section i twisted it in and moved on to the 3rd and 4th until i was at the middle of the back of her head. I repeated this to the front right side of her head "rolling" backwards until i reached the middle back section of her hair where i then pony tailed the rolled groupings together.

This idea turned into a resulting halo or crown finishing touch to her skeleton frenzy which we have yet to have experimented with ! Yay for accidental amazing style additions... (BTW the skeletons arms and legs move as well)

This style took about 2 hours from beginning to end as i was striving for uniform parts.

This style was a huge success at school and the kids as well as parents and teachers were awestruck <3 Her teachers told me i should open a shop.  This was in celebration of her Halloween party and i wanted to do something over the top yet fun and cute and her friends really adored her hair the boys even liked it <3 <3

My only concern for this style was that i used some new rubber bands along side some of our usual ones and i wasn't sure how they would hold up against being in place and being used along side organic products... I will be reviewing the clear proclaim bands soon and will detail how they held up and what we think about them...

Now onto Halloween night!

This year we wanted the kids to dress up in something that would match but be different and we believe in letting them choose their costumes as well so we had to meet somewhere in the middle and agree on something as a whole.  Diva R wanted to be Candyland princess but no where locally sold it in her size so she tried on a few princess costumes and she just didn't care for them much. Then i got the idea that Little Bro Z try on a Batman costume and he LOVED it as soon as he seen himself in the mirror he didn't want to take it off! So i went back down the isles and to my surprise there were a few Batgirl costumes in Diva R's size!
So we asked her if she would like to try on Batgirl and she was excited so off to the dressing room we went and she came out and immediately wanted it! No questions asked she wanted to be Batgirl so 35 Dollars (thanks to our given discount) later we had two complete costumes and they were so super cute!

Here is Diva R ready to Trick or Treat!!!

Here are both kiddies and Daddy about to have fun at the local Mall's event! I must say these were great and the kids retired them after Halloween into now being Dress up Costumes <3 I don't even want to get into how much candy they got (EEEK) I'M so not a candy eater so Daddy better polish it off because we have enough for 15 families LOL

 Hope everyone had a blessed and safe Halloween!

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Diva R's Hair Growth Timeline

Due to popular request i have created a time line of my Diva R's hair growth and journey.  Since my computer crashed a while back i only have baby pics and such on discs in boxes so the earliest picture i could find of the Diva is when she was about 2 months old so i began there and concluded the timeline at our present state which Diva R is now 4 1/2 years old :)

 Not only did i want to highlight her growth but i also wanted to highlight her hair changes throughout her 4 1/2 years as well.  I will begin by saying that when Diva R was born she had about an inch and a half's worth of jet black straight hair all around her head, her hair was as soft as pure silk and didn't have much texture to it at all.  I seriously was unable to do anything with her hair at this state because everything would slip out from rubber bands-clips so i just used a baby brush and kept it neat, clean and natural.

From top to bottom...

Pic 1- Baby Diva R at just about 2 months old rocking her jet black tiny all over the place curls

Pic 2- My big girl at 1 year old with her curls that nearly vanished and only reappeared when wet which also turned from being jet black to having a red tone and brown throughout being about 3-4 inches long

Pic 3- My still drinking buh-buh girl @ 16 and a half months with her curls that came back! Her hair was probably about 4-5 inches long and the curls were present with no need for being wet and it seemed like her hair was transitioning to brown.

Pic 4- My big girl Diva is 2 and has her definite curl pattern throughout which i believed would stay as it was and clearly her hair has turned brown with highlights of red and no more black was present, this is the age where her hair began to hold pretties in it and became easier to style at 4-5 inches long and growing!

    

     

                                     

I could not believe how much her hair has changed in the first two years of her life! At that time period i didn't use any special products i used products which i thought would be good per recommendation and per shelf appeal such as Johnson and Johnson, Just Like Me, Dark and Lovely for Kids, Organic's for Kids, Sofnfree, Soft Sheen-Carson, and Creme of Nature. Her hair never fell out and grew back differently or anything of that nature it just curled up when it wanted to and laid near straight randomly. Her curls went in every which and way and were of all shapes sizes and density throughout. 

So as she got bigger i was told by random people that her hair was going to get real coarse and real kinky, hard to manage and yada yada. So over the next year and a half i was closely observing her hair and doubted it would drastically change like that and as you can see below....

                                 

From top to bottom...

Pic 1- Sweet curly top 2 years old and 3 months at the beach with her full head of soft ringlet brown curls which are about 7 inches long and perfectly rounded.

Pic 2- Diva R at 2 years at 8 months old her hair seemed like it really hit a growth spurt over the last few months. Her texture hasn't changed yet it is still super silky and curly as ever. Hair color still brown with infusions of red all NATURALLY given by God.

Pic 3- My Diva turned 3 and had a texture change! Her hair became slightly coarser and required much more care and moisture. Her curls were still ringlet in shape and bouncy in nature, her hair stayed brownish with red but her hair began to poof out more and enter the type 3 pattern/texture. The length was about 9-10 inches.

Pic 4- At 3 1/2 years since we started using natural products around age 3 her hair started growing and growing and her curls were more uniform then and i could do nearly anything with her hair besides twists since they wouldn't hold. (she is laying down in the pic so her hair is hanging off to the side.)

    

During that period i noticed a heaping amount of growth and i cold firmly root for natural products because by using this i was able to give her hair that extra moisture and maintain her natural health so that styling was easier and her hair wouldn't tangle as easily as if i didn't use anything or were still using the bad products. She had loose curls that were probably as wide as a thumb or just bigger than a sharpie.

Here is the latest time line which shows how much my sweet Diva's hair journey has grown and came along. I began doing length checks around this time and was able to note better difference than with the prior measuring by inches.  We have still steadily been using natural/organic products since around age 3-3 1/2 and now here are the growth checks from age 1 month shy of being 4- just over 4 1/2.

From top to bottom...

Pic 1- The Diva is almost 4 and up until this point she has only got two hair trims (very tiny trims) and there hasn't been much change with her hair, i have learned how to do many styles on her hair and its evident that her curls are choosing to begin at about 4-5 inches passed her follicles. Her length is a few inches below her

Pic 2- By now her hair is at mid-upper arm level at 4 years 1 month old and per product type depends on how much her hair will shrink as it dries from being washed. Her curls never used to shrink up at all, during this time is when i noticed her curls getting more springy.

Pic 3- This was taken as her hair was freshly washed conditioned and lavished with Cocoa Curlz products, my Diva was 4 years and 3 months old and her hair was in its wet state. It was still around the same length as the previous picture and her hair will not stay "down" and in place without certain product/texture combinations. 

Pic 4- Currently my Diva is just over 4 1/2 years old and her hair has grown to elbow length when stretched or wet! We've been getting asked lately about her growth and how fast her hair is growing and how healthy it is and i can proudly say that this was achieved naturally, the long and hard way, after having many hang ups, trials, errors and bad experiences which we have overcome.

   

 

No hurdle was too big for me to climb in efforts resulting in nothing short of success.  She loves how long her hair has grown and tells me all the time "Mommy i love how you do my hair! I love you, your the best mommy ever". This humble journey has turned into an amazing bonding time for mommy and daughter and is always fun and now she takes part in hair time and is very prideful :)

 At this stage we are at we both are 100 percent satisfied and pleased with our current status and accomplishments. This was a long and somewhat bumpy journey thus far yet its had many more cherished moments and not near over ^_^. We had plenty ups and some downs but i never gave up and over time the Diva became very acclimated and loving of her natural beauty.  I still use completely organic and natural products from lines such as Bee Mine, Darcys Botanicals, Original Moxie, Cocoa Curlz, and also Mixed Chicks from time to time which isn't all natural.

Her hair is down to her elbows when wet or stretched out and this is after she got her hair cut about 2 months ago. I got about an inch trimmed off of her hair which i feel she needed desperitely because of bead usage, making that the third trim she has gotten. But the stylist was raving over the health of her hair and said that it really didn't even need a trim but for my own peace of mind i got it done anyways so we can be sure as well as promote better and healthier growth.  

This present day, Diva R's hair consists of her ever growing partially ringlet curls, brown in nature with red hints throughout (just like mine) softer than coarse by feel and her hair texture is very comparable to mine, with me being 100% caucasian.  Her hair is very prone to knots, tangles, dryness and being stubborn in the stage its at but i do see a possibility for another change as she gets older. This is all still very manageable to me and i have never lost ability to manage and maintain her natural curls. We don't have what one would call "bad hair days" as we don't believe in such. The weather where we live is extreme and strangely enough the Diva doesn't have changing hair needs per climate change.

I like butters/butter consistency moisturizers best in her hair, when accompanied with oils they are great as well and help to establish and seal moisture in.

If there is anything else that anyone would like to have more specifics on please comment below and i will answer all comments <3

Here is our time line and i will add to this as the months/years pass...

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Naturally Flyy Detroit Meet Up Faces, Fro's and Funk Part 2

NATURALLY FLYY DETROIT just had their 7th meet up and  this time around we were asked to be a part of it!!! So we really didn't have much time to plan for this but because this meant so much to me and Diva R we ran around like crazy putting together our ideas and the elements needed for Diva Rs FLYY part.  Etta had messaged me asking if my Diva and some fellow biracial cuties would like to be in their mini Fashion and Hair show, for lack of better words i went NUTS with excitement! So immediately i asked Diva R what she thought about it and if she would be interested in participating.  She was stoked and excited, she really wanted to be on stage. Then i thought of Diva R's friend Diva S and asked her mommy if she would like to have her do it with Diva R. She was on board for sure so we both went out to search for the perfect outfits for them and for the perfect hairstyles for them also.

I had spoken with Etta on the phone and got the run down on what the girls will be doing and what the idea behind the show was, which for our girls being 4, the idea was for them to represent the school aged cuties by wearing clothes age appropriate being funky cute girly and school appropriate for the fall season. Their hair styles needed to be natural of course with no weave and something that would be suitable for school.

This was the first time around for Naturally Flyy to present a fashion show and due to high request this was made to happen! It was an amazing blessing for Etta to approach us with this opportunity on so many levels! This meant to me so much because there needs to be a voice out there for children's natural hair care as well as a voice that is present for the multiracial families out there who are seeking guidance or ideas as well.  This is the first time that Naturally Flyy has focused on children as being a part of their presentation and WE got to put our stamp on it and Diva R got to be there representing for ALL children being PROOF that any and everything is possible with good will and drive and as a clear example that there is way more to having natural hair than being black/african american.  This was a chance for us to show that these natural hair meet ups are for people of any and all races and no one should feel as if they are excluded because of their make up or skin color.

This meet up showcased tons of things for people of all walks to enjoy and gain from such as tutorials for those interested, demonstrations, question and answer sessions, vendors for your shopping pleasure, topics such as hair in the work place, hair while working out, transitioning-natural topics, giveaways and much more! This is a one size fits all event and had around 400 in attendance at this 7th meet up.

We met so many amazing ladies and gentlemen and got the pleasure of meeting fellow parents of beautiful children as well.  We stayed from beginning to end and got a chance to give advice, spread awareness and touch the hearts of many people present.

So when it was time for the fashion show Diva R got nervous and wanted me to walk with her so i tried to orchestrate my friend walking with her so she would feel comfortable as the plan was for Diva R and Diva S to walk out together holding hands anyways. So the lovely Jen and Markquisha escorted our beauties out so i could take pictures and videos of the show and so Mommy A could be on stage side for their comfort. Diva S was ready to go and beyond excited! She was also looking forward to this just as much as Diva R they were seriously counting down the hours to this event and it was the topic of conversation in both of our household from the very moment we were approached until the very second it was their turn &lt;3 So as Etta announced the girls Diva R's nervousness started to subside as everyone began clapping and cheering the girls on they BOTH ROCKED THE STAGE with such style and grace! They all were definitely the cutest kids ever and they just ate up the love that they received from everyone around them! They loved it so much they sure didn't want it to end! Diva R wanted to go do it again &lt;3

So we had to wait until all the ladies had went and then Etta called everyone back up on stage for questions and answer sessions with all the models. I must say each and every lady and little one that rocked the stage was nothing short of gorgeous, amazing, inspiring and outright striking! This fashion show was proof that there is not a way that one can style their hair or proudly display their beautiful baldness that isn't acceptable in society, at the work place, at school and beyond! DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU DIFFERENT!

The girls were so excited to go back on stage and were so good on stage while patiently waiting for all the ladies to speak and for people to ask questions. This was the part i gained so much insight on as it feels great to be able to put myself around such an amazing group of empowering proud women who've overcome stereotypes, haters and are still standing strong beyond societies evil swords.

THEN Etta asked for us parents to come and say a few words about our children their styles, products we use and what ever other tid bits we want to add. I so was not prepared for this EEK! I was so nervous but at the same time i jumped up without hesitation and knew this was our time to shine! I felt at home immediately and it became my time to shine. I had so much to say and if i would have been prepared i would have said much more! I have a tendency to go off in all types of other areas LOL So i just asked God to take over and i just spoke straight from my heart and would have spoke all night if i could have :) I really loved how we were so embraced and people were so interested in what i had to say and how i take care of my Diva and what our regime was and just the all out praise we received was beyond words.

 (my silly face LOL) I'm waiting for more pics to pop up that i can snag...

Diva R was so thrilled that i was asked to come on stage and she was seriously all smiles at this point and was saying things as i was talking &lt;3 She is seriously in love with everything about herself in a healthy way and this is why i feel we are great examples for others to gain from. If you will check out the below video you will see a bit of the fashion show and what i had to say!!!! The video begins at 3:35 with my Diva and her bestie ROCKIN IT!  I begin talking at 7:58 after this thoughtful and very sweet caption that Nekia Morris-Cutright added in the video that i am going to show you, she is the FAB recorder behind the video that captured our on stage moments!...

I also took a few videos but of course i couldn't video tape myself talking on stage so here are some shots that i took while watching.  It was dark at the Village so video capturing was difficult but i was still able to get some keepsake memories for us.

 They got figgity at a point LOL Cant blame em they did so good and stood for a long time...

Here are some random shots :)

I have been asked where we got our girls outfits and accessories from and here are the answers :)

My Diva R's outfit came from Gymboree it is part of the Pugs and Kisses line and Diva S's outfit came from Crazy 8 being from the Owl collection...

I had chosen a simple yet cute and girly style for my Diva and this style i got inspiration from the ever so famous Toni from Keyative Styles. The hairspiration style was re-made from one of her hairstyles that she did on her sweet daughter Key <3. To check out the exact style that inspired us by Toni (where we seen it first) click here.

It took all of about 20 minutes to create two front diagonal cornrows and pig tail curl puffs as i called them. Stay tuned for further detail on her finished style &lt;3

We had such an amazing time and afterwards i sat down with my sweet girl and asked her if she liked the hair/fashion show and for her to tell me about how she felt and what she liked and what were her favorite parts of attending Naturally Flyy Detroit and she seriously had a whole list of things that she loved and favorite parts. She remembered specific parts of the event and loved every element of the event especially when everyone cheered clapped and rooted for her. She felt like she made a great impression on everyone and was really excited about doing this... Shes already talking about next time LOL I tell her i don't know when next time will be for a fashion show or hair show where she can relive the moment LOL So i see possible dance classes or something girly coming up in her future.

Thank you HUGELY to Etta you have made such a blessed experience be one that will for ever be cherished in our memories and it was such an honor being able to be a part of Naturally Flyy Detroit and being involved as a whole with the Naturally Flyy Fam. We loved the children's element that was added because from the beginning of my hearing about Naturally Flyy Detroit i was really hoping for a children's section to highlight the younger generations and varieties within all cultures as well. Words cant express how much fun the girls had from beginning to end and beyond the girls have talked about this and it meant so much and was so much fun for them to do.

No better way to love and embrace yourself as you are than being a part of a huge community of love, respect, diversity, relation and being an all out God given setting with people of every walk of life and shade of skin <3

Diva R's Mommy-Kim