Sunday, July 31, 2011

Naturally Flyy Detroit Meet Up #6 with Pics and Review!

Ive been super tied up with planning on venturing out and attending this BLESSED Natural hair meet up"Face's Fro's and Funk" which happened to be in my old home town. I found out about this meet up group of wondrous powerful women a while ago and have been showing love ever since.  A little while ago i had messaged EttaFlyy Espy who is one of the two founders of Naturally Flyy Detroit Hair Meet Up and we talked back and forth for some time. She broke it all down for me and gave me lots of helpful information and tipped me off on this upcoming HUGE anniversary event for Naturally Flyy! I was so excited that finally something was created and BOOMING in my home area as years ago there was nothing like this!! So of course i HAD to go out and show some love to my DETROIT Fam and spread the word also about our Biracial hair care community as well! :)

So Here is the Naturally Flyy Detroit Natural Hair Meet-Up's flyer for the Face's Fro's and Funk...

This event was HEAVILY blessed with great speakers with lots of valuable and informative knowledge, a lovely variety of vendors with all types of goodies, great sponsors, an awesome panel of naturals who shared their journey's and a great session of questions and answers. Did i forget to mention the HUGE amount of giveaways and the awesome loaded gift bags that we got when we walked in?

Here is a glimpse of what goodies we received in our goodie bag <3

 

 I was super excited to get some Jessi Curl and Ouidad! These ones i would not have spent the oodles of money on PLUS shipping just to try them so i am super glad and thrilled to be blessed with the opportunity!!! Not to mention try all of the other awesome natural samples we received!!

 Right when we walked in Diva R was greeted with a little box just for her <3 This box included The following red feather hair clip!!!! She was beyond tickled needless to say!

 

Then as i was browsing through our bag i noticed another one of the pretty little boxes! I opened it and inside was another LOVELY unique pretty! A BIG thank you to Just Luvly Accessories for providing us with these GORGEOUS pretties! You have Diva R's approval :)

Here is a glimpse of some of the paper goods we had in our bag PLUS a new three way goody comb! I fully support the natural hair companies involved in this incredible movement!

 

 So of course i had to get a special shirt made to attend because its best to do it BIG each time you get a chance too because you never know who might notice you, that may benefit from what you could offer <3 The Diva wore a special combo also complimenting her natural curls in their natural state.


 I got the Diva's outfit from TJ MAXX after shopping through the whole store 10 times over it seems i must have missed this one until i decided HEY ill give it one more go and see what else i can find (not only am i a PJ but I'm a shop-a-holic too!) I seen a bunch of outfits with little blonde girls on it so i was determined to find something more suitable for her and low and behold in a random section i found THIS!!!


Usually I'm the super frugal one with coupons, store discounts and clearance deals ONLY but no price checking here because no matter the cost this was a MUST in the Diva's closet. I was thrilled beyond speech when i seen this shirt. It looks JUST LIKE HER <3 I showed it to her without saying anything and she grabbed and hugged it and says "Mommy she looks just like me!! and has curly hair too just like me!"

$14.99 plus tax later we had her a new two piece fit :)

My friend Mommy A accompanied us also rocking her special made gear! 

First i went and dropped off my swap products which Ive received from local beauty supplies on some of our many shopping trips which i have never used and didn't plan to at the swap table and moved along checking out the tables and tables of vendors. We got the pleasure of meeting the ladies from Thank God I'm Natural as well as Rachel Blistein the creator of Original Moxie Products and even some of our amazing FB fam as well as many new faces!!

 I wish i would have taken more pictures! I was just so captivated and in tuned that i didn't think about doing so until i was sitting down and my camera had its mood swings on high volume today.  BUT as i see others posting pics ill see if i can grab some more to share :)

I had reached out and asked EttaFlyy Espy if i could grab some pics from their album from the meet up and with her permission i am able to share some great pics with everyone!!

Here are the LADIES in charge of this incredible movement!!!! On the left most is Jen and the rightmost is her sister Etta! Because of them this is all possible!

Also Markquisha (2nd leftmost) and CharyJay (2nd rightmost)!


This is where it all went down!!!!



Flyy meet ups!


curtesy of Original Moxie's Rachel! The lovely array of curls, kinks and coils was so amazing and heaven sent! I just wanted to take pictures of all the loveliness around me without seeming obsessed LOL!

 

Just some random crowd and panel shots :)


I must say that thee were lots of great elements about Face's Fro's and Funk BUT my favorite part was the panel discussion. This panel was chosen by the Flyy

There were many great topics discussed ranging from newly natural, transitioning, braiding/cornrowing/styling, hair care tips, basic hair care/hair damage, natural make-up and skin care, FAQ's with answers, open hair and skin discussions, good food, great convo, vendors and GREAT sponsors.

There is not a thing id change about this meet up but id LOVE to see children elements as well as have a portion dedicated to multiracial hair care/styling solely and maybe a branch located more south of the D for those in the suburban areas.

We have a Children's Natural hair Meet Up where we live but its always great to see kids all over being embraced and lavished in natural hair meet ups. This i think would also prove beneficial in children's growing and developing attitudes with their natural hair. I was hesitant on bringing Diva R since it was our first ever natural hair meet up i didn't know exactly what to expect. BUT i would have kicked myself if i didn't bring her! This is a great instrumental tool and an even more incredible bonding experience on a whole nother level. There were children of all ages present and nothing is better for children to hear other children first hand get up and positively talk about their love for their hair!!!! BRAVO Naturally FLYY ladies! Thank you for welcoming and generously extending your kind words!

I was honored to be told that my posts are read, enjoyed and to keep doing what i do!!!!

God Bless and may EVERY STATE BE BLESSED with these powerful real life movements!

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Love Your Girls Biracial Curls: Free Style Cornrows with Beads and Following Braid Out

Cant go wrong with cornrows! No matter the occasion, no matter the season, cornrows are ALWAYS a go-to style. Once you learn how to do them its smooth sailing from there. I am still "new" into doing cornrows myself  BUT i find that there is never too many bits of information and advice to receive and learn from.  I find that experimenting and letting your fingers take course when braiding is a great starting point for improving.

I had taken down the previous style and let her hair "breathe" for a few days and the i decided to bring out the freestyle cornrows.  I had an idea in mind for how i wanted it to turn out ahead of time so with my rat tail comb, distilled water spritz bottle, Bee Mine Juicy Spritz, Shea Butter Curl Moisturizing Cream, Darcy's Botanical's Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream, our beaders, orthodontic bands and beads gathered i began "blue printing" or parting out my ideal sections.

I begun by spritzing our distilled followed by our Juicy as our initial layers of moisture, since i plan on leaving this style in for a little while its important to have moisture within. I generously applied the DB Shea Butter Moisturizing Cream from her roots to tips then I started on the right side first and just parted as i went trying to be somewhat neat but not perfect.


As i would begin cornrowing i would scoop a finger smudge amount of the Madagascar Styling Cream and braid until i reached the end of her hair and then i would add the beads and secure with our bands.

The Diva tolerated it mostly being done and then it was bed time for her as we had a fun filled busy day from the second we woke up :) So i Bantu knotted the top corner section and sent her off to bed with her faithful satin bonnet.

The next morning i finished and topped it off with our Juicy and i plan on the style lasting for a week this time. We will see of course :) From beginning to end the style took almost an hour and a half Diva R loves beads and she was excited to be able to wear her bow beads that we got from Curly Princess Hair Boutique.


 Back view


Here is the top view

                                       

So it has been a while since we have done a braid out so it was time to bring one back on out :) I had these cornrows in for a week solid and decided to take them out. I do this very carefully, with Diva R's tender head it is crucial for me to be light handed and because of this it takes a little longer to take braids out. This is dually beneficial though, because with my technique of un-doing the braids a MAJOR crimp and definition is kept.. I used to make mistakes of spraying her hair with water and or moisturizer heavily as i was un-braiding. This would make any hopes for a nice braid out an epic-fail. The last thing you want to do is saturate the hair when desiring to achieve a braid out. So without further a due Diva R's lovely braid out is as follows <3


This is pre light moisturizing. As you can see her hair is FLUFFY and full of nice crimpage. This is what one would call a successful braid out, i am very proud of how it turned out and so is Diva R! She loves her fluffy hair :)  

I decided to spritz VERY LIGHTLY our Bee Mine Juicy Spritz and "pat" it into her hair so that her fluff remains and a nice layer of moisturizer is able to seep in and give her hair a nice little drink until it is time for heavy moisturizing the following day. :)


 Braid outs never last beyond a day in our household unless they are done in my hair! Her fine-ness in texture makes her hair receptive to styles lasting no longer than a few days max.


But is LOVELY while it lasts and texture is always a plus!!

Diva R's Mommy-Kim

Friday, July 29, 2011

Combinaton 4-1 Style with Natural Curls, Braids, Sidewinder's, Ponytails, Braid-out, and Cornrows

Quick, Easy and Lovely! Natural hair is incredibly versatile in styling and combination styles can be easily created and easily altered each day creating a different and still equally as cute if not cuter style.  I am one for showcasing Diva R's natural curls consistently. She loves wearing her hair down just as much as she does styled. I think my teachings and embracings have paid off already at her tender age of 4!

So my idea was to create a style which kept the top front portion of her hair free from hanging in her face, this is the area where she sweats heavily from and since its SO HUMID here i (for complaints from the Diva's sake) thought of re-creating an oldie but goodie of ours...

I began with the thought being "Hey" its been a while since i have used the Sidewinder's so i had to bring em back out! As these are just amazing and so much easier applying to the hair than beads.  I used some of our 2 inch Sidewinder's in my choice of coordinating colors.  

Part 1

Before i begin parting i spritzed Diva R's hair moderately with our trusty distilled water in our lovely pink bottle from scalp to tip. I lift her hair up as i spritz to guarantee an adequate coverage throughout.  I then misted her hair with our Bee Mine Juicy Spritz acting as our light moisturizer and finger detangled the few knots that she did have while also smoothing the moisturizer into the already in place distilled water for our wonderful moisturizing method.  


I chose our Darcy's Botanical's Madagascar Vanilla Styling Cream as our styling/hold product. I applied this to her ends generously and then began parting. Its really a no brainer as to how i did this style BUT i will explain in case someone would desire i do so. 


I grabbed my trusty rat tail comb and parted ear to ear (just behind her ears) across the top of her head. Then i just split the top section of her hair in three sections, pony-tailed and singled braided each.

I ended each braid into one of the hair holders and a small pony bead. I opted out of the rubber bands for a little while to see how we like these orthodontic bands in place of them, and secured the bead on so the SW doesn't slide off (helped to provide a light ending weight on the hair holders). 

I &lt;3 our Sidewinders, I'd say my favorite size is the 2 inch because of Diva R's thinner type hair i like to usually put a smaller amount of beads on her hair per strand to prevent extra weight hanging off of her hair. 


These are still better than beads currently for us and we have used them quite often since i bought her very first set ages ago :)!

This style took all of 20 min tops from start to finish. I topped it off with our Juicy Spritz and we were off.

Now for Part 2

In Honor of our Blogging Anniversary We're Hosting a Giveaway!!!



I created Love Your Girls Biracial Curls 6 months ago come the 31st of this month!!! Happy Anniversary to US! I just have to celebrate and why not celebrate with a giveaway!! Since our Face Book admin community has grew to over 900 family members, our Fan Page over 200, Twitter over 100 and we have 90 registered blog readers, it is time to celebrate our milestones!!!.

Natalie from Cocoa Curlz has generously offered to sponsor our giveaway!  This will be hosted in honor of our blessed community! Since we liked the products that we were sent to try and review so much i just had to give our cherished fam/friends a chance to try the Cocoa Curls too! Thank you Natalie!!!

Here is a little about the foundation of Cocoa Curlz
"Cocoa Curlz is a gentle alternative to nurturing and maintaining your little one's precious locks and skin. 

Compared to leading brands in the multi-racial hair care industry, our line of homemade hair and skin products are formulated from the most natural and mildest ingredients.

Proudly, a majority of our products are Paraben, SLS, and Gluten free!

Whether you're kinky, curly, or wavy, healthy hair is beautiful hair!"




We've been blessed to receive and review the CC Cutie Kit and if you missed our review check it out here.



There will be two winners chosen!

The prizes are as follows...



First place will receive the Cocoa Curlz Cutie Kit which includes a 2oz sample trio gift set of the Sweetheart Hydration 'Poo, Cutie Pie Conditioner and Moisturizing Hair Milk in the Candy Scent.




Second place will receive the Cocoa Curlz Butterfly Kisses Body Butter in Candy Scent & Cocoa Curlz NEWEST product Baby Boo Bubble Bath each in 8oz sizes.






This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada

To enter you must FOLLOW our blog via Google Friend Connect by using your Yahoo email address, Twitter account, OR Google account. This is super easy and takes all of 3 seconds to do! Just click on the follow button in the FOLLOWERS section on the right hand side of our blog (1 Entry)

And/Or

Subscribe to our blog via EMAIL ADDRESS... This is a new option that i have added to the blog per request. It is on the left hand column of our blog. This will get you (2 Entries, you must COMMENT TWICE IN A ROW)


Here are some additional methods to gain entries

1. Check out Cocoa Curlz Website and come back and list the item under this blog post that you would like to try most and why. (1 Entry)  
2. "Like" Cocoa Curlz FB Fan Page and show some page &lt;3 in LYGBC honor. (1 Entry)        

3. Comment on any of our previous posts which you have not commented on already. (1 Entry) 

4. Wish us a Happy Anniversary on our Twitter Page and come back and leave the time stamp link showing that you did so. (1 Entry)

5.Share the giveaway on your FB Page, Twitter or even blog about it! (1 Entry each PER DAY)

6. Share some style love on our FB fan page wall all styles welcome child or adult <3 (2 Entries each picture) No limit

In order for your entries to count YOU MUST come back and comment here for EACH seperate one that you complete. One of the top two requirements must be met in order for you to begin entering the giveaway. I do verify ALL comments left.

Who doesn't like all natural/organic products? ^_^

God Bless and best of luck to everyone. This giveaway begins tonite and goes through August 14th at 11:59pm EST.

I will be using random.org to choose both winners.


Diva R's Mommy-Kim