Thanks to Bananas Clothing and Apparel for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

Bananas started with a beat.  A group of friends that enjoyed the rhythm of sound and wanted to share a love of music and other expressions of thought through creative art and design.  All of our graphic designs you see before you began as a glimmer of an idea that when put to paper fulfills our basic need to showcase that individuality.

Our motto symbolizes a style that is at the top level of greatness.  So we will always create a design that’s bold, that’s fun, that’s RIDICULOUS.

To win one of the tees, just “Like” them on Facebook. The winner will get to pick their favorite Banana Gal Tee  (click on link to see more designs) and size. Please comment once you “like” them and I’ll pick the winner randomly! Contest ends  Saturday December 22nd at 11pm CST! Please read the disclaimer section.

Here’s a story from a  long term transitioner with a gawjess mane of hair! Thanks for sharing your journey Napturally Obsessed! See more of her on Fotki and YouTube! 

How long have you been natural? How long did you transition?

I have been 100% natural for two years and six months. My last relaxer was June 2008. I transitioned for 24 months, cutting off the remaining relaxed ends June 2010.

 What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?

My biggest obstacle was shrinkage. I transitioned for so long because I’ve always been used to length, but little did I know that my hair would shrink 75% of its stretched length; therefore, I set and accomplished a length goal, by wearing protective styles 90% of my first two years natural.

What are your favorite styles to wear?

My hair does best in a stretched state, so I’m not a wash n go kind of girl. My “go to” style is a twist-out. I wear a lot of twist-out variations and buns. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with rod sets.

What are your favorite products?

My favorite product is Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa. It is a rinse-out conditioner, but I use it as a co-wash, leave-in, and styler. Another product I love is raw Shea butter. I infuse it with natural oils to seal my hair and oil my scalp, and I also use it as a body moisturizer.

Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?

To the transitioners and newly natural sistahs, go natural for the right reasons, not hoping to have someone’s texture; be patient and practice healthy hair practices and you will retain length beyond your imagination. I did.

I’ve got a full sized bottle up for grabs! This is a short giveaway. It ends tonight at midnight central standard time. Just comment below and tell me what your favorite deep conditioner is! Winner will be chosen randomly, yada yada yada. Must be a subscriber to enter.

I have  a new obsession. The Walking Dead.

First let me say that I’m not generally big on horror stuff anymore, especially since I became a mother. I don’t like the end of the world type stuff, I don’t like masses of people dying, and I can only take so much gore/despair so I originally spurned this series when my husband tried to get me to watch it.

About a year later, I tried it out again so that hubby and I might have something to watch together (he just will not get into Grey’s Anatomy, can you believe that???) Thankfully, the first two seasons are on Netflix streaming.

And, once I set aside my unsettling feelings about seeing the dead rise, I realized it was an excellent story with a lot of subtle commentary about human nature. However, I’m a reader by choice. I love to read and if there’s a book behind a movie or show that I enjoy, I want to get my hands on it. Furthermore, once I found out that this lady was a part of the comic book, I had to have it.

Meet Michonne. This katana-wielding, zombie slaying,  ass kicking, dreadloc wearing lady immediately had my jaw dropping with how awesome she was. What more can I ask for in a strong African American female character…with natural hair?! She is also clever and, later on in the series, the voice of reason.

Ok, she is a little nutty sometimes…I mean, who wouldn’t be in the zombie apocalypse? But I love that she has natural hair. I mean, let’s face it, there is no running to get that relaxer touch up when all of society has collapsed? Where would you get your relaxer? What about running water?

Yes, a TWA or dreads would be the perfect apocalypse hairstyles. I would personally go for the TWA so the zombies would have nothing to hold onto.

After reading her adventures in the comic, how excited was I to find out that her TV counterpart would be appearing in season 3? Played by this beautiful sister, Danai Gurira.

So I was basically in heaven: My natural haired comic book hero played by a beautiful lady who, in real life, sported a TWA. And doesn’t she have a beautiful smile? Well, soak that smile up while you can because her character (on the TV series) usually scowls. She also wears a wig as Michonne.

At first I was ok with TV Michonne. She seemed strong and independent. She didn’t say much, but I thought that would change as time went on. However, about three episodes ago, I was through with TV Michonne.

That expression on her face in the picture above is pretty much the range of her emotion. I have to say, after watching this past season, that I was pretty disappointed. I think the writers have done the character of Michonne (and the actress playing her) a disservice by making her into a constantly scowling angry black woman.

And at least a stereotypical angry black woman will speak her mind. This Michonne replies to questions with an even deeper scowl followed by staring or maybe attacking with her sword.

I’m sorry to go off on that tangent, but it just irks me. Anyway, Michonne from the comic is still my hero.

I highly recommend the comic but please don’t read it if you’re sensitive to violence, gore, and sexual situations. I would also recommend buying the compendium as it ends up being cheaper and a longer read than issue by issue.

For the Oyin Giveaway, our 3 winners are:

• (Facebook entry) Whitney Payne
• (Feedburner subscriber) Brandy
• Madison Sanders

For the Rahel giveaway the winner is Nina, the mother of three girls. I hope they can share Ms Rahel and have a lot of fun with her!

Please send me your mailing info, ladies, so that I can get these prizes out to you! Email kcurly@newlynatural.com.  Thanks to all who entered.

I’ve been wearing my hair flat ironed for the past 2 weeks. Needless to say, it’s time to wash. However, because I was so tired last night, I decided to do a braid out to make my hair last a little longer. I used Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream and braided medium sized sections. I was really pleased with the results.

Please no comment on my makeup. I know I look like Casper the Friendly Natural Haired Ghost. That’s what I get for letting the saleslady choose my new powder.

Anyhoo, on to the giveaway!

I posted about Rahel before.

She’s adorable, her hair is on point, and she wants to belong to one of you!

I am also including this change of clothes:

To enter this giveaway, tell me how you have fostered a feeling of self confidence in your child/ren where their heritage is concerned. How have you let them know that their African American heritage makes them unique and beautiful? How have you shown them that their hair is a gift? How have you let them know that, no matter what shade they are, they are beautiful?

Comment below. It doesn’t have to be long. One entry per person. Please read the Disclaimer section. You must be a subscriber to this blog, or “like” on Facebook or Twitter. Winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends Friday December 7th at 12pm CST.

Product Name: Curly Curl Cream

Company Name: Taliah Waajid

Consistency: Thick, creamy

Price: $7.99

Purchase From: locally, beauty supply, Walgreens

Ingredients: Deionized Water , PEG-75 Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii) , Sage Extract , DMDM Hydantoin , Vegetable Glycerin , Burdoc Protein , Sodium Polyacrylate , Ethylhexyl , Trideceth-6 Fragrance

Scent: sweet, light

Review:

I tried this cream in my ever growing attempt to buy products available locally. The ingredients were decent for the price.

I’ve used this product twice.

First, I used in twists done on wet hair. It gave my twists pretty good hold without making my hair hard and crunchy. The thick consistency is perfect for twisting but not so dense that the hair has trouble absorbing the product. The resulting twist out was also very defined with a good amount of sheen.

The second time I used it was on dry hair that was previously flat ironed. My flat iron job was on its last leg so I did a braidout using this cream. Again, it gave a wonderful and soft hold.

Would I compare this hold to the hold of a gel? Probably not. However, there’s no crunchiness at all that can be associated with the use of  gel and I saw no flaking at all.

My only complaint is that it doesn’t impart much in the way of long term moisture. I did not, however, use it over a leave in conditioner or other moisturizer.

I plan to have some great giveaways for the month of December! I know it’s not technically December yet, but I just can’t wait!

Three lucky ladies will be the recipients of Oyin Handmade 5 Piece Snack Set!

It includes:

• (2 oz) Honey Hemp Conditioner
• (2 oz) Greg Juice leave-in spray
• (2 oz) Shine & Define coaxing serum
• (2 oz) Hair Dew creamy leave-in
•  1-oz Mini Burnt Sugar pomade

To enter, just tell me how you wore your hair for Thanksgiving! You must be either subscribed to Newly Natural on Facebook, Twitter, Feedburner, whatever’s your choice! Please read the Disclaimer section before entering. The three winners will be chosen at random.

Thanks to the lovely Chanelle for sending these vintage natural hair shots. I love the feel of the entire shoot! I especially love that she is wearing a freeform ‘fro! Too fly!

More info on Chanelle:

Credits:

Celebrity Photographer: Will Sterling @sterlingpics

Wardrobe Stylist/ Creative Director: Kollin Carter @kollincarter

Makeup Artist: Erica Gabrielle Gladney @bella_donna82

Model: Chanelle Renee’ @thecrproject

I love me some Shoni! This lady is insightful, unique, and has a beautiful head of hair! Check her out on her blog and YouTube. She also has a great video about why she went natural. 

How long have you been natural? How long did you transition?

I went natural in college way back in 1997 before the word “transitioning” was common vocab, and before natural hair sites and groups existed. My change from relaxed to natural was abrupt. I decided to go natural because I was tired of being a slave to the salon, having to go back ever 6-8 weeks for touch ups, and running the risk of getting burned by chemicals, curling irons, or even over-heated hood dryers. I also developed a strong urge to feel my real texture without the straight ends getting in the way. Six weeks after my last touch-up, I went to some random salon on a weekday afternoon and just asked the barber to cut it all off. It was shoulder length at the time and I went down to a half-inch of hair. For the first several years, I alternated between TWA and locs.

At the time, I didn’t think I could wear my natural hair loose and long unless I had a texture like Diana Ross or Lisa Bonet. Fast forward to 2006 when I made the jump from locs to loose, and I’ve learned so much about ways to care for my hair. I love my natural hair!

What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?

Immediately after that first big chop, I felt an odd mix of elation and anxiety. On the one hand, I was thrilled to have taken the plunge, so to speak, and I really liked the way my little fro brought out my facial features. It made me feel unique and forced me to stop hiding behind my hair. But on the other hand, I was overly very concerned with the opinions of others — parents, friends, potential boyfriends, hiring managers, etc. So my biggest obstacle, without a doubt, was overcoming the fear and moving to a place of truly being comfortable with this new hair. It’s an odd world when we have to become comfortable with the hair we had since birth.

What are your favorite styles to wear?

After my chops, I absolutely loved wearing my hair in a tiny little afro. It’s so EASY! But now that my hair has grown out, I am a huge fan of creatively sculpted updos — the type which could look different depending on the day and where I place my bobby pins. Twists outs are cool, but I find I can do more with banded stretched hair.

What are your favorite products?

Tough question! As much as I try to keep it simple under my sink, I have a huge stash of great products right now. At the foundational level, raw organic shea butter and aloe vera gel are my must-haves for day-to-day styling, plus I combine them to use as a face moisturizer. For cleansing, I typically use either Chagrin Valley shampoo bars, Dr. Wood’s liquid black soap or I co-wash with Suave Coconut conditioner. As a product reviewer for NaturallyCurly.com, I was recently introduced to Sunny Isle JBCO’s whole line of products, and I really like all their stuff. For conditioning, I typically use SheaMoisture Deep Treatment Masque as a leave-in. I style with DTM or use some combination of Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade, Kinky-Curly Curling Custard and something buttery.

Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?

Wear your God-given natural hair with confidence. Use all the resources at your disposal, such as blogs, YouTube, meet-ups and message boards, to help you in your journey. Remember, this is not meant to be a sprint, but rather a lifelong marathon toward healthier hair and an overall improved lifestyle. Keep going, keep learning, and do what works best for you. Even if the whole world is telling you avoid plain ‘ol hair grease, if it works well for you, you should do it!