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SPOTTED - Natural Haired Beauty on Facebook

Written By Bold Apps - March 27 2014

ANDREA - #hugmyhairbeautyspot

H: Introduce yourself

A: Hi everyone! I am Andrea aka Dreya... I'm a 25 year old mom of one, Baker soon to be Pastry Chef and flourishing business owner and ofcourse a Naturalista!!!

H: Describe the moment you were spotted by Hug My Hair

Hahaha... chatting about Erykah Badu's 'fro pic and how I can't wait to replicate that pic!

H: Have you always liked your curls/kinks/coils? if not how did you come to embrace your natural hair?

A: I never minded my hair, which I believe was my biggest problem...it was just there! Growing up relaxing seemed to be a right of passage (kinda like a black barmitspha - transitioning from child to teenager/adult), so as soon as I turned 13, I pestered my mom if I could relax my hair... I didnt enjoy the whole process though as despite my following the hairdresser's advice...dont comb hair the day of the appointment etc, I still ended up with ma-hu-ssive (covered my entire scalp) burns! After that I only relaxed about 2-3 times a year and then did my first big chop in Year 10.

I rocked my 'fro in puffs and twist until in college I started experimenting with the hair straighteners and by the time I left college... dying my hair became a major staple. I found a really good hairdresser, who was my neighbour at the time, and everytime I had the urge to do something different... her house( when she wasnt at her salon) was my first point of call. She did my next relaxer, as I wanted a bob, which was not possible on afro hair (trust me I tried)... I loved it for a while and got bored (story of my life), started wearing extensions and unknowly transitioned.. which was easier as I started working as a receptionist at a Natural Hair Salon. I continued dating natural hair then cheating with relaxer (one time I relaxed my hair myself, and both sides fell out - I ran over to her house and had her shave some more off the sides and rocked my hair with both sides missing) until my daughter was a few months old and I realised how much of an impact I had on her life and the way she would feel towards herself.

I wanted her to believe that she was beautiful even with the kinks that grew out of her scalp and the only way for her to see that - was to fully embrace who I was when I decided to stop with the relaxing and keep my kinks. So on December 31st 2010, I did my BC... my motto was New Year, New Hair!, and I have not looked back since. Trust me it was not easy... I looked in the mirror and I looked like I was a cross between Tito Jackson (during the "I want you back days") and Wanda Sykes... after the 2 months I wore my hair constantly in braids as it was hard not having hair in my face. But I did enjoy washing my hair, shaking it and then leaving the house... Now I can't see myself without my 'fro... though sometimes she doesgets on my nerves... I love her...!!

H: How would you describe your hair texture?

A: My hair texture is confused...LOL... Its curls in some places... and in some it's like cotton. My hair is a mash up of all textures! LOL

H: Tell us one 'Do' and one 'Don't' for your hair type

Do- Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize Don't - Don't wear your hair out toO often... protective styling is a must!

H: What advice would you give to somone considering going natural?

A: My advice is do it... But remember that your natural texture is alot different to your relaxed texture. Enjoy it and become your own hair whisperer... listen to what her hair needs and do it... having a routine is good, but knowing what your hair needs is better. If your hair feels dry, that's the time to moisturize it. If it feels dirty, thats the time you wash it!

H: How do you love to wear your hair?

A: I love wearing my hair in high buns or high puffs and recently updo's has become another staple hair style of mine!

H: How often do you wash your hair and what products do you use?

A: I wash my hair, when it needs it and for co washes - Herbal essence hello hydration has become the must for me or when I'm doing the works... I will deep condition on dry hair with mizani deep conditioning mask or have a a hot oil treatment with a mixture of oils - coconut oil (love love love holland and barretts organic coconut oil), jojoba, olive and argan oil. After washing I use my Direct Giovanni Leave in conditioning spray then anorganic shea butter mix on my hair , seal it with argan oil or coconut oil and twist or braid.

H: Describe your WORST hair day

A: My worst hair day is when my hair (at that time I call her Eva) decides not to work with me... so those times you will find her in a puff or bun or headscarf or a combination of all the above.

H: Is there a blog or website where we can find you?

I don't have a blog or anything about hair... But you check out dessert business facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sweet-Hibiscus/202188803189328

SPOTTED - a Natural-Haired beauty in South London

Written By Bold Apps - March 20 2014

Michelle - #hugmyhairbeautyspot H: Introduce yourself M: My name is Michelle. I am 27 years old and I recently relocated to Abuja, Nigeria. I BC'ed (Big Chopped) in May 2011, it was a very emotional transition for me as I previously always kept me hair long and usually chemically straightened. I didn't take into account how big a part my hair played as part of my identity. I also didn't consider the drastic change a transition from long and straight to short and curly would be. I quickly got used to it though and now I cant remember having different straighter hair. At the moment my hair is very 'wild' as it is at that in between stage were it is not very long but not short and I love experimenting with it. H: Describe the moment you were spotted by Hug My Hair M: I was 'spotted' by Hug My Hair on a night out for a mutual friends birthday. It was at a restaurant called Ping Pong at Southbank. My hair was in a 'messy slicked back afro puff', my 'go to' hairstyle for a work to night out situation. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Dalilah during the dinner and she complimented my hair. I complimented the amazing scarf she had on and I am still waiting for details so I can go get mine :). H: Have you always liked your curls? if not how did you come to embrace your natural hair? M: I love my hair, 'she' has a mind of 'her' own but like I said it was a journey, an emotional one too. Hair has become such an important part of our identity, the confidence you get from a well executed hairstyle isn't something to be scoffed at. With time I have learnt to appreciate it so much more. I believe it feels how hair is supposed to, healthy, alive, strong instead of limp and lifeless. I embrace all of it. H: How would you describe your hair texture? M: My hair has so many different textures and moods, 'she' is more wavy than curly now that 'she' is longer and gets quite frizzy if I don't treat her right. I notice that the shorter I go the curlier it gets. H: Tell us one 'Do' and one 'Don't' for your hair type M: One big no-no for my hair is using a towel after a wash. It immediately frizzles it up. I find that it's better when I let it drip dry, or If in a hurry I use an old tshirt and try to get it as dry as I can without frizzing. Moisture is key. I like to make sure my hair is hydrated without all the oiliness that comes with most lotions. H: What advice would you give to someone considering going natural? M: Do it! And don't get discouraged. I think it is so worth it. Plus after watching a few documentaries on hair and hair products, it can't be good to put a substance that can erode a coke can in a few hours on your head, so do it for your health too

H. How do you love to wear your hair? M: I usually have it in a fro hawk. Hair pins are my friends! I leave a trail of them everywhere I go. I think a fro hawk is versatile. It can be neat and formal or messy and stylish.

H. How often do you wash your hair and what products do you use? M: I wash my hair very often, I think it was a factor in my decision to leave London as I couldn't wash it as often in the winter. I don't use any heat on it And Wet hair in winter is just suicidal. In the summer or in a warmer country I wash my hair everyday or every other day. I love clean smelling hair and the feel of water in my scalp. I usually co wash and only use black soap as shampoo about 3 times a month. I use the treseme silicon free naturals conditioner to co wash and condition. After washing, I use a little almond oil or coconut and a whipped raw Shea butter concoction I made up. Then style and leave to air dry. H. Describe your WORST hair day M: I have a bad habit of going weeks without de tangling when I am wearing my hair out. It is because I am lazy and can't be bothered and I have really full thick hair that takes ages to detangle. After about 2 weeks of this, my hair starts looking more and more a tangled mess and I usually just put it back in a messy slicked back Afro puff to keep it out of the way without looking too bad. Usually when I have my hair in this style I am having a not so great hair day. H. Is there a blog or website where we can find you? M: I don't have a blog but I do have a tumblr page, it isn't all about hair although I occasionally blog hairstyles I will like to try or hair tips that I come across. My tumblr address is mishadventures.tumblr.com

NoScrunchie

Written By Bold Apps - March 13 2014

Do you think the scrunchie will officially make its way back onto the high street? Or are you of the same mind as this brand who state clearly their thoughts on the subject! NoScrunchie is the brainchild of Leillah Sekalala. Leillah was fed up with searching for good Afro salons after moving from Uganda to the UK. She had too many bad experiences in the salons she visited and was underwhelmed with the lack of good stylists equipped to deal with the afro hair market. She spoke about her experiences with friends, family and posted on her social networks and as a result, found so many people going through the same thing. She thought it was time to do something about it. That something was NoScrunchie. The UKs first salon ratings website for Afro hair. Leillah and her co-founder, Alex, worked hard on designing a website that would appeal to her target market and enlisted Online PR UK to help her reach out to them even more. Onthe website, there is a lively forum that covers just about everything and theblog is all about afro hair, tips, tricks, hairstyles, fashion, beauty, health,you name it! They are all over Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter too so make sure you follow them and get involved! They have celebrity endorsements from Shingai Shoniwa, no less AND they have theirvery own empowering meet up where girls get together from either a professional or personal point of view and chat about everything from the natural vs. relaxed debate to being a women in business and their very own personal hair horror stories! Since launching the site in January 2013 NoScrunchie has over 200 reviews and nearl y2000 social media connections. In just 2 months! So there really is a call forthis service in the UK and their lists are growing each day. Why don’t you head over to their website and rate your salon, follow their blog and join them on their social media pages, they have some brilliant competitions and giveaways that you should really not miss! Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Blog | Website Online PR UK – Online PR and Marketing

About Me

Written By Bold Apps - March 06 2014

Dalilah Baruti

The Founder of Hug My Hair

Me in New York October 2012

I was born in Tanzania and grew up in London. I did not know I was ‘different’ untilI came to the UK aged 5. I was in awe of and completely LOVED European hair, dreamt of it even, the idea of having golden flowing locks sweeping against my back as I ran around the playground really had me on cloud 9. But I'd alwayswake up from this dream and my hair was still shorter than the other girls, it was still blacker than the other girls and it totally defied gravity. I was so excited when I got my first relaxer, I couldn't wait to look like the girl on the box. I was beaming. After about 9 years of attempting to look like the girl on the box, I saw my hair for what it was - damaged, thinning and my hairline was a lot further back than I'd have liked it to be. I decided to cut all my hair off. Mind you, I was 17 and this look was NOT cool. So I exchanged my braids for a headscarf and that's been me ever since.

After 8 years of being natural & wearing my hair in a scarf-bun with big earrings I realised that I had grown to accept that black hair - coily afrohair doesn't grow. My hair appeared to stay the same length for years after reaching my shoulders. In a moment of protest I took to the Internet and started researching hair and its properties and how to get it to grow. I learnt three things 1. Black hair grows just like everybody else’s, but because it's naturally dryand very fragile it breaks off a lot more 2. Our skin is the largest organism on our bodies and it absorbs up to 60% ofwhat we put on it 3. Applying 'Grease' to the hair is not what black hair needs, petroleum basedproducts can block the scalp from breathing and your scalp is like soil, if youdo not cultivate it, nothing is going to want to grow there! So in July 2012 I was on a mission to grow and retain the length of my natural hair -naturally. If my skin was going to swallow what I put on it, I wanted to make sure It would be something I would be happy to eat. I couldn't wait to learn how to retain moisture, rid my shelves of products that contained chemicals and cultivate my scalp so my hair would want to grow. The result was Hug My Hair and I've never looked back. I no longer dream of European hair, I still appreciate its beauty but the difference is that I can see the beauty in mynatural hair too; all I had to do was understand it.

Photo credit: Janine/What Renee Made

I have since created 6 hair butters and Vintage (pictured below) was the first. It contains Lavender and Rosemary Essential oils, Virgin Coconut, VirginAvocado, and Virgin Olive oils - all of which are superior ingredients for thepromotion of hair growth, application of moisture and reduction of dandruff. All my products use unrefined certified organic and fair-trade shea-butter as a main ingredient. The butter seals the moisture in and acts as a natural SPF and barrier, protecting the hair from further damage allowing you to retain length and minimize breakage. I want anyone who has experienced hair-envy to see the beauty in their naturalselves and hug their hair! "Her life improved dramatically when she decided to break the rules, and find beauty where she'd been told [telling herself] there was none."

Hair Crush of The Month - March 2013

Written By Bold Apps - February 27 2014

Aida [Hug My Hair] - #Hair Crush of The Month - March 2013

H: What's your name and where are you from?

A: My name is Aida and I was born and raised in London. No I'm not half Jamaican and half Irish lol, my mum is Tanzanian and my dad is half Kenyan and half South African.

H: What's your hairstory? (have you always been natural? did you do the big chop?) A: I was natural up until Year 11 (aged 16), I then relaxed and cut my year into a short Rihanna-like style. After experimenting for a few years I shaved both sides of my hair and went to the barbers for some crazy patterns. I rocked my mohawk through the summer holidays and the begining of university. My last relaxer was in October 2011, and without realising it I transitioned until the sides of my hair were long enough to cut the rest to that length. So I chopped off my relaxed ends in June 2012, I've been natural ever since! H: Tell us one 'Do' and one 'Don't' for your texture A: DO - Spray with water before combing or styling. It just makes it that much easier to handle, and it feels pretty good. DON'T - Wear your hair out too often. I love to rock my 'fro but find that I get endless amounts of single strand knots

H: How do you like to use Hug My Hair hair? A: I LOVE IT! I started using Shea Butter once I found out about it, and I also use olive oil in my hair. I'm one of those people who like to use natural products as much as possible as I just think that nature knows best. So Hug My Hair has definitely combined my love for Shea Butter and naturalness. I first used Hug My Hair's 'Vintage' as a sealant after I had washed my hair, so it was still damp. I applied it onto my scalp and then canerowed my hair. I rarely moisturise my scalp so I can say that it was jumping for joy, it loves the mixture and I have been applying it ever since, even when my hair is dry. I have also recently discovered that it can be used to slick down the sides of my 3c/4a hair, which is good for me because I've always hated those pesky white flakes that gel produces. H: How often do you wash your hair and what does 'wash day' look like? A: Erm, I don't really have a hair washing schedule. I wet my hair daily, and wash it probably once a week. I must admit that when it comes to washing my hair I don't know too much about rinse out/ leave in conditioners, co-washing and all that jazz. I am still experimenting with conditioners. But as for shampoos I usually use one that I won from Keracare (yay me) - Natural Textures Cleansing Cream, I use this weekly and once a month I use a clarifying shampoo (Motions Neutralizing Shampoo) to just get all the junk from my hair. I didn't choose this one in particular, it's only because my mum has always used it on my hair and since learning about shampoo ingredients I decided to use it only when necessary. H: How do you love to wear your hair? A: I love many different styles, but they all have to do with my hair being out. I either rock my combed out afro, do a braidout or canerow my hair for the week and take it out, or even a flat twist out with bantu knots. They all give different outcomes which I love.

H: What do you find challenging about your hair? A: I love doing braidouts or flat twistouts but my issue is that once I step outside or have a shower at night (even with a showercap) the curls start to lose definition and my hair basically becomes a fluff ball. Sometimes this can be an advantage if I want the style to change during the few days I wear it but if I want to go out with my curls for the day then it can be a bummer. H: If you could go back in time to AVOID a hair choice what would that be? A:

Well I don't regret cutting and relaxing my hair as I feel that it is growing back much better, but I would have probably actually done a big chop rather than just cutting off my relaxed ends seeing as I notice a lot of heat damage in the front from where I used to straighten it. The front of my hair is completely different to the rest to the point where I often feel as though I still have some relaxed parts even though I know I don't. H: Is there a website or blog where we can find you? Nope, I don't have anything dedicated to my hair. My youtube channel is too embarrassing to give out lol but you can have my instagram; StarryEyed_Ahh

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Hair Crush of The Month - March 2013

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