NATURAL BLOOM

Celebrating Your Hair, Style and Life Jan 2012, Edition 4

LONDON CALLING The Natural Lounge Meet up

CHICORO Get to know your hair product ingredients

NATURAL HAIR ON SCREEN Interview with TV Reporter Tonya Mosley

LOVING YOUR HAIR Star stylist Felicia Leatherwood gives us her best tips

Published by The Natural Haven www.thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com

Copyright All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Views and opinions by contributors may not represent views of the publisher.

Disclaimer All information presented here is not a substitute for professional advice for example use of certain products when pregnant or in the case of allergies.

12 CONTENTS Regular Feature

06

06 VINTAGE HAIR Ideas for your Valentine’s day hairstyle with our resident vintage maven Autumn!

11 TRENDSETTER Brand new micro-series featuring a quick and inventive style. The reverse cornrow is the first with Mikimu.

08 NATURAL HAIR ON TV TV reporter Tonya Mosley gives natural hair a public and professional face. Here is her tale.

12 CHICORO Natural hair author Chicoro discusses her new book on hair products.

22

16 26 16 STYLE Style blogger Krystal showcases some of her favourite winter to spring looks

11

22 LOVING YOUR HAIR Natural hair stylist Felicia Leatherwood discusses some of her tips for taking care of your natural tresses.

26 LONDON STYLE Angel of UK natural hair blog, The Natural Lounge, gives us a pictorial report from the annual London meet up that she organises.

28 CONTRIBUTORS GUIDE Saw something you liked?

All our contributors are listed and linked.

Natural Bloom Feature | 05

We Want You Advertisers We have a budding audience of women interested in natural hair, products and accessories. Our publication is bimonthly and is read on average by 20,000 women mainly in the US and UK. All you need to do is have an established website which we can check out and contact us for a media pack (see the last page of this issue).

Features We think that ordinary women deserve a spotlight. Whether you are new to the natural world or a veteran, we would love to hear from you!

We are currently working on many new strands and if you think you can contribute, give us a shout (see the last page of this issue). If you have a topic of your own to share, also give us a shout!

Our current topics: 1. Naturals with locs 2. Caucasian curlies 3. Hair colouring 4. Natural Hair in the UK 5. Foodies 6. Style features (all shapes, all sizes welcome) 7. New Naturals 8. Natural Hair Events and Meetups 9. Trendsetters - Inventive natural hair styles 10. Natural hair at work and at social events

Vintage Style | 05

Vintage Style with Autumn Happy New Year! Retro Natural here! It's brisk out and everywhere I look there are sweaters and mittens galore. Here is a simple but adorably retro updo perfect for a Valentine's Day outing with your favourite person or people - animals included!

Start with hair that has been set on rollers or has been elongated via twists/braids. The more your hair hangs, the better. I'm starting from day 1 of a 30s inspired waves set and my hair is a little on the fluffy side.

Step 1 Brush away any parts so that you only show a side part.

Vintage Style | 07

Step 2

Step 4

Roll a front section of hair upward to create a side roll and pin in place.

Pin with large bobby pins as you go and leave a section of hair out on the left front side of your head.

Step 3

Step 5

Start rolling the next closest section of hair upward and continue around your head.

Roll the last section of hair upward and pin. It is Valentine's Day so decorate with a big fat rose, heart shaped fascinator or a tilt hat.

08 | Tonya

Tonya | 09

NATURAL HAIR ON SCREEN A chat with TV reporter Tonya Mosley

Spotting natural hair outside the entertainment industry is hard. There is a misconception that natural hair is something for singers, artists and sportswomen....people who want to stand out.

While there is no argument here that natural hair might make you stand out, the truth is that it is simply how the hair grows out of the scalp.

I was really pleased to interview TV reporter Tonya Mosley who is giving a public professional face to natural hair.

Q: Can you please give a small brief on your career so far (i.e what made you become interested in broadcasting, what training you undertook etc) I was born with my eyes wide open! I've

always been an inquisitive person always asking questions and researching ideas. I fell in love with print journalism when I was 9 (yes 9!) and the rest is history, I went on to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia (#1 journalism school in the country) and began my television career as a producer. I made the switch about 9 years ago to TV reporting. I'm currently a reporter for KING 5 News (NBC) in Seattle.

Q: I remember reading your transitioning story on BGLH where you described approaching your co-workers and boss beforehand. Can you tell us why this was important?

Television news is subjective. People are hired and fired all the time - and in many instances "the look" plays a big part in those decisions.

10 | Tonya

My bosses hired me because they liked my work and my look worked well for what they were looking for. Chopping all my hair off was a big decision and it altered my look quite a bit. I wanted to give them to feel they were a part of the decision honestly. It makes this whole process a lot easier - they're rooting for me.

Q: Have you dealt with negative comments or odd questions about your hair professionally?

I've been natural for 2 years and in that time I've only received ONE email from someone who told me I should "tame" my hair. On the flip side I get complimentary emails all the time - and people regularly stop me on the street to talk hair. It has become my signature! On rare occasions I'll get the "your hair is so cool!" as if it's some sort of experiment - but I let those comments role off my shoulder, I'm not bothered by them.

Q. If there was anything different that you would do in terms of your natural journey, what would it be?

I wouldn't change a thing! Going natural is one of the best decisions I've ever made and I mean that wholeheartedly. I've never had doubts about it, I've never cursed my hair - I truly love my hair!

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

I am honoured to be a part of the natural hair community. I feel so much love and sisterhood - it's truly amazing.

Q: What does your daughter think about your hair now as well as about her own hair?

My daughter (who is almost 5) tells me often that she "likes my curls." It's such a beautiful feeling to see her big eyes looking up at me and saying so sincerely, "Mommy you're beautiful."

I think she has a healthy love for her own hair, although she does ask to wear it straight sometimes. I think it's only natural that she feels that - we live in Seattle where she is a minority. I feel my role as her mother is to equip her with a healthy dose of pride, integrity and love so that whenever she needs it through life she can reference the things we've instilled in her.

Tonya’s daughter Audrey

Trendsetter | 11

The Reverse Cornrow by Mikimu Welcome to the first of the new series trendsetter. In this edition, Mikimu turns the classic two French braids into something a little bit more special. Here is her simple 5 step guide to it!

1. Start with washed/conditioned hair and lightly blow dry for ease of braiding and apply a light oil (I used Moroccan oil) also to aid in ease of braiding.

2. Make a part down the back centre and clip the side where the braid will end.

3. Comb the hair at the top of the head forward (this will feel awkward unless you are used to braiding upside down).

4. Starting at the nape of the neck, braid upward (or downward if you are bent forward), turning the braid across the top of the head, then down the opposite side.

Remove the clip so as not to get it tangled during the braiding process.

5. Secure the braid with vinyl band or some other type of accessory. You can even add setting lotion and set on one or two flexi rods for extra pizazz.

Chicoro | 13

HAIR PRODUCTS 101 A new guide book from Chicoro Chicoro is a veteran in the natural hair scene and a successful author with her first book, ‘Grow it!’ Here we talk about her newest book and how it can help naturals.

Can you please explain why you wrote your new book?

I get about two hundred emails per month and the question I get asked the most is, “What products should I use?” I wrote Hair Products 101 to cut through and wipe away the clutter of too many useless hair care products.

What is a useless hair care product?

I would define it as a product that does not assist in helping you to resolve the issue you have with your hair. However what is useless to one person may be beneficial to another person. It is not the product, it is the person that counts.

What is needed products?

to

identify

useless

As I walked people through to the answer to their question, a pattern or process emerged.

First, you have to know a little something

about the science of hair, shampoos, conditioners and other hair treatments. Next you have to understand the state of your hair and be able to recall what you did to get it in the condition it is today. After you have identified the problem with your hair, you need to be able to match that problem with something in the store that is made to help you resolve, manage or move past your problem. That problem could be dryness, breakage or the inability to retain growth. The way you match it is to know your hair situation and to be able to read and figure out the purpose of the formulation by understanding the ingredients on the back of the bottle or jar.

What about cosmetic dictionaries?

A cosmetic dictionary helps you to figure out what an individual ingredient is and what it does. Unfortunately, that information is out of context. Just because you can look up a foreign word in a dictionary and understand it does not mean you can read a novel in that foreign language and understand it. You need to have lots of vocabulary, understand verb tenses and be able to string it all together. Hair care product ingredients are the same.

Ok, so what is the context that hair product hunters need?

Every store brought product will consist of only three types of ingredients. Those ingredients are solvents, surfactants and additives. I explain in detail what each one of these is in the book. Some ingredients can be in one or more groups. The placement and location of the ingredient on the label can clue you in about which group an ingredient may belong.

When you know the role and purpose of an ingredient in a product, you can figure out what that product is going to do for your hair.

You no longer have to rely upon the dazzling promises printed on the front of the bottle or

14 | Chicoro

product that was a leave-in. It specifically said on the bottle that it would moisturise the hair and stop breakage. I loved the cute jar, the texture of the product and the smell was wonderful. I thought I was so cute because the product would lay down my baby hair around my edges perfectly. Three weeks later, the edges of my hair were dry, crispy, broken and nearly gone. The product had done the exact opposite of what it stated it would do. That is when I realized that I could not blindly trust what was stated on the product.

How did you change the way you select products?

your friends’ product recommendations or some random hair guru who may be getting paid to tell you what to buy.

The question is no longer, “Which product should I use?” Your question becomes, “Based upon what is in this product as it relates to my hair issue, should I buy this product or not?”

You are now deciding based upon what’s on your head, your hair and what’s in your head, your knowledge.

Were you ever unsure or unselective about your hair products and what was the effect on your hair?

When I was a pre-teen I fell in love with hair care products. A fun Saturday for me was going to the beauty supply and walking up and down every single aisle. One time I bought this

In college, the texture of my hair changed. It started to become coarse, dry and hard. It became rough and dull. None of my favourite products worked and shopping for hair care products went from fun to desperation. After college I lived in Japan and Mexico and spent time travelling by myself to places like Thailand, New Zealand, Korea and Fiji. I had to learn to make whatever I found work. That is when I figured out that the way I handled my hair was important. Once I got the handling part down, I sought out information about how to figure out what a product was about without having to buy and try every single one.

How crucial do you think it is for women with natural hair to understand the products they are using?

I believe that it depends upon you as an individual. If the health and beauty of your hair are important to you, if you are conscious of and guard your physical health and if you want to do things to manage your money, then it is crucial. If you understand what’s in the bottle you are using, it is more likely that you will avoid ingredients that may be harmful to your health. Also, the less stuff you buy, the more money stays in your pocket.

Chicoro | 15

If you could pass on one key lesson from your current book to a reader, what would it be?

It would be the words of Socrates, “Know thyself”. Know yourself. Know your hair, your needs and what you need to buy to work for you. If you want somebody to tell you what to use and give you the product name and do the work for you, at least be honest enough with yourself to admit this. Then ask for what you want. Too often women ask for what they think they can get, not for what they truly want. I hope that people stay hungry for knowledge and continue to learn.

Are you planning any events/book signings or future books?

I am most definitely planning future books. My motto is, “Beautify Bit By Bit: Addressing the whole person, not just the hair.” That’s what I

plan to do in my book series. Tentatively, there are seven books in the series. I have two written. Both of those were on hair! I may have one more on hair. I have one on the back burner that addresses health and beauty. I feel a bit sheepish because I have been mentioning this book, “Nurture It!” and have not yet published it. My goal is to get it written and published in 2012. With Nurture It, I want to step beyond hair and move toward helping women develop inner beauty that reflects on the outside. There are simple, inexpensive actions you can take to optimize your physical beauty.

I have an online photo album with information about hair and raw vegan foods. One young lady contacted me and told me she lost 40 pounds by trying raw food. She told me that she learned about raw food from my online photo album. For anyone who wants to try raw food, here’s a raw cheesecake recipe!

16 | Chai

Krystal | 17

Style is Personal

18 | Krystal

Krystal or Koos is a style blogger at feisty house. We asked her for her tips on a winter to spring transition as well as some details on her beautiful natural hair!

Q: Can you describe your style in a nutshell?

Hmmm... my style in a nutshell? Think Charlotte from Sex and the City mixed with a little bit of Joan Clayton from Girlfriends and a dash of your librarian from elementary school.

I tend to really love sweaters and trousers, and I adore heels, probably because I'm so short.

Oh, and I will definitely wear the same thing over and over again if I really love the piece.

Q: What are your wardrobe essentials for a super stylish winter?

Booties, a few great scarves, and stockings (they allow you to keep wearing your dresses!)

Q: I have seen that you wear your hair curly and straight, does your style change according to the hair or does your hair generally fit in in with your overall look?

I think my hair does change my style to an extent. When my hair is straight, I think I dress more conservatively. When my hair is in its natural state, I wear more colours and I experiment with styling a lot more.

Krystal | 19

Q: Regarding hair care, what is your best advice for natural women?

Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! That's the most important thing I've learned on my hair journey. I'll also add that is so important to learn what works best for YOUR hair. If you've seen one head of natural hair.......you've seen one head of natural hair. That's the beauty of it! It's all so unique!

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

Your style should be an extension of your personality. Feel free to be inspired by other people's style, but don't feel pressured to become a carbon copy of someone else. We already have Rihanna. Having your own personal style makes you much more interesting!

20 | Krystal

Krystal | 21

Getting to Love Your Hair

Loving Your Hair | 23

prominent in the cosmetology text books and schools everywhere, that way everyone going to get a license in haircare would come to know and understand natural hair as a norm to work with.

Q: You teach women to take care of their own hair, how important do you think this is and what level of knowledge should women be aspiring to?

It's always really important to know as much as you can about yourself and that includes what you put in your body as well, so if anything starts to change or becomes different, you at least can look at how you've been caring for yourself and your hair in the last 30 days to figure out what your body/hair doesn't like.

therwood

a Felicia Le

We should at least know how and when to shampoo, condition and moisturise our hair during the changing seasons.

Here Felicia dishes on what stylists can do to overhaul their image and of course the inspiration for her gorgeous creations.

Q: Many naturals go the DIY route because hairdressers have disappointed them. How do you think the issue of a lack of knowledge among stylists should be tackled?

It would be nice if natural hair could become

Jill Scott’s hair styled by Felicia

Photo Credit : Wilson Morales

While many naturals do not trust hair dressers, there are some stylists who are pioneering the way to pain-free, breakage free natural hair.

One of these people is Felicia Leatherwood who runs natural hair care workshops (Loving Your Hair With Natural Care) and is also a celebrity stylist caring for the tresses of artists such as Jill Scott, Kim Coles and Tomiko Fraser.

24 | Loving Your Hair

Q: I love the inventiveness of your hair styles, where do you get your inspiration from?

I get inspired by the hair. The hair will always let me know what it wants. The hair tells me which way it wants to go/lay or what product it prefers. The hair is my inspiration!

Q: Heat treating natural hair is sometimes regarded as a huge no-no. What are your tips for women who wish to heat style but are scared?

Never use a blow dryer over 1900watts and use a comb attachment - starting at the ends to root and ALWAYS be sure to use a heat protectant. My recommendation - Koils by Nature’s "Shealoe Leave-In Conditioner".

Lastly only blow dry your hair at most twice a month so as not to damage it with heat.

Loving Your Hair | 25

Q: What advice would you give to someone who feels style challenged, meaning they cannot think of or do hairstyles on their own?

Youtube will be you best friend when it comes to learning styles for your natural hair.

Q: Anything else you would like to say?

If any of you have been loving the naturalistas that you see in TV commercial advertisements, be sure to send a note to the product companies, so that they know to make it normal to see natural hair in mainstream media!

26 | London Natural Hair Meet Up

NATURALLY FABULOUS LONDON MEET UP The team: Mahogany, LeAnne, Andrew, Angel and Adrienne

Angel, a London based natural hair blogger at The Natural Lounge is organising annual meet ups which are rapidly growing in stature.

natural hair product vendors, live music, poetry and many fantastic prizes (steamers!).

The last meet up in October was organised in conjunction with Naptural Roots Magazine, which is based in Atlanta.

While the vast majority of attendees were London based, some did travel from as far as France, The Netherlands and US to attend the meeting.

Angel was kind enough to share the pictures from this event which had everything from

By all accounts it was indeed a fabulous event.

London Natural Hair Meet Up | 27

Live entertainment

Hair Product Vendors

Photo Credit : Angus D Photography

Prizes

28 | Contributors

STYLE FEATURE

SHEABUTTER COTTAGE

CONTRIBUTOR DIARY WHO:

WHO:

Autumn

Sheabutter Cottage

WHERE TO FIND HER:

WHERE TO FIND:

theretronatural.blogspot. com

sheabuttercottage.co.uk

AUTHOR

STYLE FEATURE

HAIR FEATURE

WHO:

WHO:

WHO:

Mikimu

Chicoro

Krystal

WHERE TO FIND HER:

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

WHERE TO FIND HER:

mikimu.blogspot.com

amazon.com

http://thefeistyhouse.blog spot.com/

Contributors | 29

FEATURE

LONDON MEET

WHO:

WHO:

Felicia

Angel

WHERE TO FIND HER:

WHERE TO FIND HER:

lovingyourhairworkshop. com

thenaturallounge.com

FEATURE

WHO:

Tonya WHERE TO FIND HER:

newnaturalista.com

Editor’s Note Welcome to the first issue of 2012. This edition is packed full of hair care advice and inspirational styles. Hopefully it will hit the right note for you as the year begins!

As always remember that this magazine is about you and if you have something that you would like us to include, we would love to know about it.

Don’t forget to share it too using the embed code!

Ruby ( Jc )

Could you be our next cover girl?

Email us your head shot and link to your hair, style or make up blog.

The next Natural Bloom issue will be out on 1st of March, 2012 To Advertise or Contribute Email: thenaturalhaven@gmail.com