From Twitter

From StyleBlazer

Ursula Stephen, the genius behind Rihanna’s hair transformations talked to NYMag about her experience to the top. From growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn to traveling around the globe, in her own words she’s honest about the journey and the stereotypes. “It’s just my job to correct people, so they know that I’m not just the African-American expert; I’m a great hairstylist.”

Read more at StyleBlazer.com

Source: Shutterstock

Using the right shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers will all have an impact on the overall health of your hair. However, what you eat also affects how healthy and strong your hair really is. With the right diet consisting of the optimal foods listed here, you can treat your hair from the inside out instead of the other way around. Here are 14 foods that are known to promote healthier and stronger hair.

Shutterstock

First dates, or dates in general, can be nerve wrecking, anxious, and exciting all at the same time. For many of us, we are going out with a guy we are actually interested in and want to make a good impression. For the rest, maybe it’s just for a free meal. Either way, there are always a lot of things to think about before you go out on with someone. Like these 14 things.

Source: WENN

Kim Coles has had a successful career with various comedy tropes. In TV roles, she’s been sassy, aloof, and witty. At stand-up shows, her confidence in being herself and connecting with broad audiences is unparalleled.  Since 2010, the Brooklyn native has worn her natural hair out, ditching the weaves we’ve seen her wear for years, and now she’s taking her talents off-broadway with a new project, Supernatural: The Play. In this interview with MN, Kim talked to us about the new venture, dubbed “The Vagina Monolouges about hair,” and explained why the black hair conversation is about unapologetic swag.

Zahra: I have to start by saying that you are the perfect choice to MC this play as KeeKee! A few years ago, I recall you on Dr. Drew’s show discussing natural hair. You were a model of poise and confidence. Describe the importance of being a part of this project and your role.

Kim: I met Candace (co-writer of the play) a while ago when I did a natural hair meetup. She told me about this play, and then I saw it when they brought it to LA. It is perfect for me. I play the narrator of a conversation with other women, giving them permission to explore. It’s not about telling someone they should be natural. It’s about exploring the conversation and the conversation around it.

Zahra: It’s a conversation within a conversation. You’re right.

Kim: It’s a good conversation that we’re having, accepting, embracing and celebrating what we have.

Zahra: We know you as a cast member on In Living Color and Living Single, and as a guest on Martin. Then, you had straight hair. Straight is pretty standard in terms of your business, show business.

Kim: It’s interesting. I didn’t think about that when I decided to make this change. I always marched to the beat of my own drum. You do have to look like what they want to cast, but I didn’t think about the ramifications because I wasn’t working that much. When you’re on a regular show there’s a look they want you to have and maintain. On a couple of casting calls, I had people look at me, and then my hair. They were thinking, “now, what are we going to do with this?” I sort of whispered, “don’t worry, I can wear a wig.” So I do me, and let them come to me.

Zahra: You have been very public about your natural hair love affair. Why? I mean your hair and face are all over your website, honey! Where does that confidence come from?

Kim: Maybe it’s the confidence of naïveté. I’m Kim Coles. I’m a personality. I shouldn’t have a website where I’m a shrinking violet. If you have the audacity to build a website, you should be living out loud. Right now, I’m shopping without makeup.

Zahra: Your candor is pretty hip. I believe that you were born in Brooklyn, and the play is set in Brooklyn where your character, KeeKee, is doing a hair show. Have you recently walked around Brooklyn to take in the vibe?

Kim: I haven’t done a hair meetup there yet, and I’m dying to do an event. You know people always ask me, “what’s so great about NY?” Here’s what’s so great about Brooklyn. You grow up around so many cultures and foods. I know how to say “hello” in three languages. It’s a real melting pot. Particularly, there’s such a strong Afro-Caribbean culture and they are very proud of their Africanness. I grew up around that. You can be unapologetically black and unapologetically whoever you are. There’s a swag, a natural, unapologetic swag there.

Zahra: Kim, Kim you’re awesome! I have lived in the area for five years now, and that’s the best way to describe why I’m sticking around. I mean some swag is manufactured, but when that’s the case, it’s not made in this part of the USA.

Kim: Yes, you can do you and no one blinks. You’re expected to be different.

The LeMetric studio during an open house event.

Get your hair done on the go? Of course someone is offering it. From food trucks to mobile medical services, businesses on wheels aren’t exactly new, but they are experiencing rapid growth. With many new entrepreneurs looking to launch a business on shoestring budgets, running a company from a truck rather than leasing a brick-and-mortar property is a cost-saving strategy.

One of the beauty-mobiles taking advantage of this trend is the LeMetric Mobile Hair and Beauty Studio. “Elline Surianello, who has owned the LeMetric Hair Center in Midtown since 1987, recently bought a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and had it custom-built into a beauty shop on wheels that offers blowouts and cuts in front of your office, like a taco truck,” The New York Times wrote back in September. We took a tour of the mobile studio just a few weeks ago. Outfitted with comfortable seating and even a runway, the truck can service busy working women or entire parties of ladies looking for a fun way to get ready for a big event, doing hair, nails, eyelashes, and more. Surianello, gave MadameNoire a personal tour of the van, talking about the challenges of a business such as this.

The LeMetric mobile salon.

“Because of the size of it, it’s for a major city like New York, Chicago, or Philadelphia,” she told us later during a phone call. “The goal is this is going to be one of many.”

Surianello has been in the hair business for about 25 years, owning and operating a traditional hair salon business long before the mobile salon took off in more recent months.

“When I first got into this business, no one was talking about additional hair,” she told us. “Now it’s a very open conversation. Hollywood and the runways are very open about it. It makes extensions very accessible. Now young girls regardless of age and income are into fuller hair.” Indeed, Surienello notes that she even gets calls from women in their 80s looking to add a little oomph to their hair.

While this is one of the flashier aspects of the business, what it comes down to is hair. “Women have an emotional connection with their hair and how it makes them look and feel. We have created safe no-evasive & non-surgical approach to the women’s hair issue,” says the LeMetric website. On the site, you’ll also find pictures of Surianello, with and without her own hair. In fact, during the tour we took with her, without prompting, she removed the hair piece she was wearing.

Source: Shutterstock

Yes. Men do have preferences when it comes to women’s hair, though those preferences tend to give way when he deems a woman attractive.

Preferences aren’t anything more than a way for people to narrow the pool when it comes to potential mates. In the same manner a woman may have height/weight/body type requirements for men, men have the same type of “checklist” when it comes to women they may be interested in dating. More often than not, preferences tend to be fluid. I haven’t come across too many men who’ve simply outright refused to date a woman because she didn’t have a certain hair type.

There’s also a chance what wasn’t attractive or deemed problematic before, will not be problematic in the future.  For example, while I was in undergrad I preferred for any woman I dated to not wear weave or heavy make-up. My dating preferences were pretty open then so I didn’t automatically turn down a woman who wore make-up or weave. If I was, however, deciding between two women, the woman I believed to be more attractive without weave/make-up was more than likely to be chosen over her counterpart. At that particular time, I had it in my mind that the way a woman wore her hair spoke to something about her personality.

Likewise, I currently have dreads that reach past the middle of my back. Depending on the woman I approach (or if I’m lucky, approaches me) her preferences will come into play. Some women think my locs are beautiful and would love nothing more than to spend half the day (and all night) running her fingers through my locs and counting each individual one. On the opposite end of the spectrum I’ve been turned down by women that preferred “clean cut” men with fades and thought men shouldn’t have hair that can’t be maintained by a brush. There is a certain stigma attached to men with locs (some believe the hair is dirty or can’t be managed) and it likely goes back to either what she has observed or where her standard of beauty is derived from.

As we all know, men are creatures who are more likely to judge based on appearances than anything else when dealing with the opposite sex. What a man uses to judge that standard of beauty can be based on any number of influences. Society tends to prefer that women look a certain way to be deemed attractive and if a man is heavily influenced by these outside factors, he’s more likely to find himself attracted to that standard. If a man has seen a variety of women with differing hairstyles who all look attractive, it’s likely he won’t make hair a determining factor when it comes to choosing a mate.

The preoccupation with women’s hair is mostly to determine if a woman is attractive. Meaning, as long as a woman looks good, a majority of men could really care less about the way a woman’s hair looks. You’d be hard pressed to find a man who found Halle Berry attractive when she had long hair saying she’s no longer attractive because she started rocking the short cut. Preferences for women’s hair aren’t set in stone, so if a man believes an attractive woman would look better rocking long/short/permed/weaved hair, he’s still more than likely to at least approach said woman, even if her hair isn’t styled to his preference.

In conclusion, yes, men do have hair preferences but those preferences moreso tend to be tied to appearance. Not just the hair itself.

So I want to hear from you. Do you find that men approach you more when you’re wearing a certain hairstyle? Has a man ever taken issue with your hair because of the way it was styled or stated he wanted you to go back to a certain hairstyle?

Hit the comment box and let me know.

Peace.

For more on RealGoesRight’s opinions on men and women, be sure to check him out with the all-star collective of black men writers over on SingleBlackMale.Org. If you prefer something a bit more direct, feel free to follow him on Twitter at @RealGoesRight and subscribe to his blog at RealGoesRight.Com

Photo By: Kenya Smith

From StyleBlazer

Solange Knowles and Tracee Ellis are two gorgeous women with one thing in common– Chuck Amos. The celebrity hairstylist is close to both ladies, having worked in the industry for years. Signed to Jump Management, he’s definitely the first person we thought about when looking for Coachella hair advice.

Let’s be honest, having natural curls is hard work and keeping them looking good during the summer months can be extra challenging. Amos has a few suggestions to maintain moisture, keep your color-treated hair bright and your weave tight.

Peep his advice below.

Avoid frizzing with cream and oils: “Cream to penetrate into the hair and give it its nutrients and moisture, and an oil that will lay on top and protect the hair from the harsh elements of the day.”

Check the other tips on StyleBlazer.com.

Source: Always A List

Funny lady Sheryl Underwood has always been an “aunt in my head.” She always seems so cool, down to earth and downright real, which is why it didn’t come as a surprise when we learned that homegirl yanked her wig off on national television just to get a little chuckle.

I know you’re probably wondering, “What on earth possessed her to do that?” So, allow me to fill you in on how it all went down. On last Friday’s episode of daytime television show, The Talk Sheryl and her cohorts Aisha Tyler, Sarah Gilbert and Julie Chen were interviewing actress Kristin Chenoweth, along with their guest co-host, Donny Osmond. During the interview the ladies got to chatting it up about hair extensions and making fun their “enhanced,” luxurious locs. In the heat of the moment, Julie took off one of her hair pieces and began waving it around. As everyone broke out in a fit of laughter, Kristin and Aisha did the same, joining in on the fun. Julie then looked at Sheryl, egging her on and chanting, “Do it! Do It.” Sheryl eventually pulled back her wig, exposing her greying hair.

In other The Talk news, according to Always A List, back in January when it was announced that the daytime talk show would be renewed for a third season, it was also revealed that the CBS show had been doing really well as far as ratings are concerned. With an average of 2.35 million viewers, which is an 11% increase from the previous year.

Keep up the good work, ladies!

Source: Alwaysalist.com

Source: Alwaysalist.com

Do you think Sheryl should’ve passed on the wig-flipping session?

Source: Shutterstock

Q: Is excessive dandruff related to eczema and what can I do to remedy the problem?

Dandruff and eczema are part of a group of skin conditions called dermatitis.  What dermatitis means is that you have inflammation occurring in certain parts of the skin.  This inflammation can contribute to you feeling sensations (eg, itching) or make the skin look different (eg, redness or dry flakes of skin).   

Dandruff (also known as seborrheic dermatitis) causes the skin to get red and scaly often in areas where there is too much oil such as the scalp, face, and chest.  Itchiness is also part of the package and can be very frustrating.   For those who have been diagnosed with dandruff, there are several treatments out there.  I’m sure many of you have seen the medicated shampoos in the stores that help in getting rid of dandruff.  These daily shampoos usually keep the dandruff from getting worse and can be used as a first option.  Tea tree oil has also been used as a “natural” remedy for dandruff.  Your doctor can prescribe  stronger medicated shampoos and creams to also help in stopping the inflammation.

Q: I’ve heard that you can have fungal infections of the scalp, is that true? How do I protect against that?

Yes, you can have a fungal infection of the scalp.  It is actually called tinea capitis and it almost always happens more in kids than in adults.  It is very similar to the ringworm infection that you may have heard of.  When the fungus invades your scalp, it causes balding of an area of skin (aka patch).  This patch can look red and/or scaly.   There may be a single patch or multiple patches on the scalp.  Tinea capitis is often obtained through someone who has it and who you frequently are in contact with (eg, family).   However, it is not restricted to just humans.  Dogs and cats can also get the fungal infection and transfer them to you.  So, it is not unusual to see all family members be treated once someone is found to have the infection.  It is also not unusual for pets to get treated as well.  Treatment usually involves antifungal pills that your doctor can prescribe to you.  As far as how can you protect against it, that is very hard to do because not everyone knows when they become infected.  I would say that protection should involve avoiding sharing items such as combs, hats, and brushes with anyone who may be infected.

Dr. Mercy Edionwe is a physician specializing in internal medicine. She earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and afterwards, completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. During her free time, she loves to write and educate the public on medical issues. She currently resides in Texas. You can follow her on Twitter at @fuchsiamd.

Disclaimer: The information contained here are intended solely for the general information of the reader.  It is not to be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion between you and your physician.  Please consult your physician for further information in regards to your own general care.  Knowledge is power!  Be informed.

From StyleBlazer

If social media has taught us anything, it’s that natural hair isn’t going anywhere! A simple search of the hashtag “naturalhair” will pull up MILLIONS of awesome curly hair enthusiasts on Instagram. So to help feed all of your natural hair cravings, we put together a list of kinky-textured mavens who provide endless hair inspiration. It was SUPER tough picking ten, but after much deliberation, here’s our list (in no particular order).

1. curlBOX

This monthly subscription box, that allows natural hair-istas an affordable way to experience products for curly hair, provides TONS of hair inspiration pics updated several times of day. All you have to do to get your fix on the latest styles and product buzz is to hit that follow button on the curlBOX Instagram account.

See the other 9 on StyleBlazer.com.