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Black people may be a lot of things, but wasteful is not one of them. In fact, we probably hold on to too much stuff for the sake of being resourceful when we’re really being lowkey raggedy, or simply reaching when it comes to the benefit of keeping any and everything that’s ever come through our doors. I know some of our parents and grandparents grew up in times where they didn’t have much and they’re always operating out of a fear of scarcity but I promise you the world will not end if you start to throw away at least some of the stuff on this list. Check out the stuff black folks refuse to throw away.

In order to be the most beautiful version of ourselves, we women have to go through some pretty rigorous beauty routines. Now, when you’re in a relationship, do you want your man to know how much work you put into yourself, or do you want him to think you were born with it, no Maybelline needed. We checked in with our Facebook followers to see what they had to say. 

Jacque: The cellulite cream. And YOU know why, ugh! But he said I look good.

Mommy Needs Alcohol: Girl bye. I don’t hide crap. 16 years together 5 married with 2 kids. He done seen my insides cut open (c-section) so seeing me exfoliate my pores etc is really not a big deal.

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When my hairstylist posted a status the other day that read “I hate Tara hair”, I just knew there had to be a number of other offenses that we clients commit when it comes to getting our hair fried, dyed and laid to the side.  With the help of my stylist, Ramika of Shear Ingenuity Hair Salon in Philadelphia, here are 10 minor annoyances that hair stylists feel makes their job just a tad bit more difficult:

In Hollywood, changing hair is like changing clothes. Celebs want to be able to perfect and tweak their hair on the daily and with the use of weave, it’s plenty possible. Though you only seem to hear about black female celebs and their amazing weaves, here are 14 white female stars who have some notable weave game.

Daniel Tanner/ WENN.com

Kim Kardashian

It’s no surprise that Kim’s luscious locks aren’t completely her own, but she does rock some good weave.

Each year, African American women spend millions of dollars on hair extensions and hair care products, contributing to the multi-billion dollar bottom line of a market that is 90 percent owned and operated by Korean businesses.

In recent years, there’s been an outcry by the African American community calling for an investigation on the Korean domination of the market and many media outlets including Madame Noire have tackled this issue in the past.

Michelle Morant (background) and Kendra Austin

In spite of higher-than-normal barriers of entry to entrepreneurship in the black hair care and weaving industries, veteran companies like Carol’s Daughter, Dudley’s Q and newcomers like Huetiful and curlBOX are working feverishly to reclaim ownership of the brown beauty conversation.

Joining those ownership ranks is Amizade Hair, a new hair extension company founded by friends Michelle Morant and Kendra Austin that launched this past August.

According to Austin, the company provides “quality, affordable, and luxurious virgin hair extensions from around the world, in a range of textures, styles, and lengths,” and hopes to become a go-to brand among extension loyalists who may have traditionally purchased products from a non-black owned company.

We recently caught up with Morant and Austin to learn more about how they launched Amizade Hair, discuss industry obstacles and where they see themselves in the marketplace.

The black hair care industry is a billion dollar industry in America that has largely been dominated by a group outside of the African American community. A little known politically backed deal has allowed for the black hair care industry to be cultivated and monopolized by Koreans. Your average brick and mortar beauty supply store is a Korean run establishment, featuring products largely produced by Korean and Chinese companies. An industry that was ignited by the inventions of Madame CJ Walker and popularized by Dudley, has in the last 30 years made an impasse at allowing African Americans to successfully thrive in an industry that caters to their direct needs, instead placing it in the hands of others. However, in more recent years, with the advances of online shopping and social media, black-owned businesses have been making waves in the hair care scene again, as independently owned companies.

In this article we will seek to highlight black owned hair care businesses, not as an endorsement, but to provide insight, knowledge and inspiration to the black community to support and participate in having ownership of an industry that we are moving into the height of economic success, while others are collecting our coins.

Five years ago, Cindi Primm stepped out of the corporate world and took a leap of faith into the world of business owner. At a young age, while others were fantasizing about being veterinarians and ballerinas, a family friend told Primm about being an entrepreneur and the dream began. In March 2008, Primm opened a store in Atlanta, Sage Naturalceuticals, carrying mostly natural body, bath and hair products. Primm’s goal was to help women find naturally made products for all facets of their daily maintenance, something she could personally stand behind. Sage Naturalceuticals is an ever-evolving business as Primm caters to her clients needs. Though Sage originally had a broad focus with a high demand for body products, with the change in consumer demand, the store has grown to have one of the best selections of natural hair products for all hair textures. Primm notes, as a business owner you can “never put yourself in a box, because evolution is inevitable” and “if you know how to maneuver when change happens then you will survive.” A flexible mindset and a strong ambition to never give up has helped Primm to thrive as a black owner of a beauty supply store and she credits her customers for making it easy for her to be in business, as they voice their satisfaction for her customer service. From woman to woman, it’s great to have someone who understands your needs and can provide a service (with a smile) that is a far cry from your standard BSS experience. For more info on Sage Naturalceuticals check out their site or visit the storefront.

The theme of good customer service carries over into another arena of the black hair care market with Select Strands, a boutique hair extension company out of New York City. As black women, shopping at the local BSS does typically deprive us of a decent customer service experience even though we are the ones guaranteeing that the rent is paid every month. So when we take our business to smaller and independently owned companies it is paramount that they fill that void, a philosophy that Select Strands says they live by. Jude Bernard launched Select Strands in 2010 and partnered with Scheffe to turn it into the boutique hair company that always offers a great product at great prices. Focusing on good customer service with a one-on-one focus for each client and reliable deliveries, Select Strands has no desire to become the biggest. Rather they want to remain a boutique that can inform and educate their client while offering a better quality. To start his business, Bernard traveled to India to and even went through the temple head-shaving process to understand how hair is selected.  In a hair industry that has no regulations, which can leave consumers blindsided, Select Strands strives to listen to their clients needs and shape their business around the consumer. Offering six textures of hair, some even named after exotic locations (though that’s more a reference of texture as all the hair comes from India), they interchange textures based on demand and offer one-on-one consultations to help with the purchasing process. You can find out more information about Select Strands and their NYC showroom from the website.

Know of other Black owned businesses that are offering superior hair products to the Black hair community? Leave a comment below.  Jouelzy offers tutorials on all aspects of Black hair care via her YouTube channel, focusing on women with tight budgets. You can also find her daily hair tips and inspirations on Facebook.

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A few months back, I wrote an article about women changing hairstyles impulsively. The point in this argument was that sometimes, women want a change so bad that they will resort to drastic changes in hairstyle to appease their need for something different. Their friends may know that it’s a bad move, but will let them fall into that trap anyway. Some women have success with a completely new hairstyle, while others fail. While the post was written in 25% jest, I started to wonder whether a woman’s hair played a major factor in the courting process for men. Do men really scrutinize and judge women’s hair?

First of all, men front a lot when it comes to the importance of women’s hair. We chime in on Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media outlet with our jokes on weaves, yet we will not hesitate to holla at a woman who’s Hot with “fake hair”. Trust me when I say that I have never heard a man say “I took this woman out, and she was feeling me. We were ready to get it on, but I couldn’t go through with it, man. She had a weave! I was turned off, yo!” Yes, men have preferences, but few will let those type of superficial barriers stop them from approaching a woman, dating them, even marrying them! As men, we have much more going on in our lives to be concerned with whether a woman’s hair is in a certain style. Here are some key points that smart men have already figured out:

More Women Wear Fake Hair Than Ever

If Beyonce can rock a weave and box braids from the 90s, and still command a level of attention from men that’s off the charts, then you know that other women will attempt to wear it with no issue. It actually blew my mind when I found out that black women weren’t the only women wearing weaves and wigs! Women will do different things to their hair over time, and if it’s an official hair-do, you shouldn’t be able to tell unless you touch it. My personal issue is when you have the type of hair that gives me the urge to buy a token and wait for the 6:45 train. Raggedy hair is a complete turn-off. I wouldn’t expect to be appealing to a woman with no haircut and unkept facial hair resembling a bum, so i don’t expect women to do that either. Women are way more particular about their looks than men, so if you are going to rock a weave, rock it right!

If Your Hair Isn’t Complementary To You, Men May Not Find You Attractive

You would think this point is simple, but it’s completely overlooked. When men say they don’t like a particular hairstyle, what gets lost in the translation is that they don’t like that particular hairstyle on you! Women have to be real about how hair looks on them. All women aren’t built for short hair, natural hair, blonde (!!) hair, etc. Men may not come out and say that your hair doesn’t work, because that’s just doing too much. If we want to just have a physical relationship with you, then most won’t care. If they face the reality that you will be around for a long time, then the hair and other factors will be more heavily scrutinized.

Men Who Superficially React To Hair Shouldn’t Matter To You

I won’t act as if I’m naive. There are groups of men who only want a woman with long flowing natural hair. It’s one of the measures of popular beauty out there, and you can see it in all areas of life. Natural hair (afros, curls, etc) are beautiful also. I still swoon at seeing all the natural sistas that were on shows like A Different World. I wouldn’t let a weave stop me from approaching a woman, but many men won’t even give a woman a chance if they don’t fit the hair quota. You can’t get past that, so you shouldn’t try. The way I see it, those men aren’t for you, and there are plenty of men who won’t be as superficial. There’s nothing wrong with preferences, but glorifying one set of women over another because of their hair only, is disheartening. However, those men have the right to do it, and you have the right to take your womanly goodness elsewhere.

Do I like women with long hair? Yup? Do I like women with short hair? It depends on how they look with it. Do I like women with wigs? That isn’t a relative? Umm.. next question. My point is that although I do have preferences, I prefer women overall. It isn’t my place to demand what a woman does with her hair, but I won’t let it become a dealbreaker. That doesn’t mean that I enjoy women with ratty hair either. Men who let the insignificant things deter them from a chance at a woman with overall redeeming qualities means more for the smarter dudes. If I were a woman, I wouldn’t sweat it either way.

How important is a womans hair to men? Is it a deal breaker? Ladies any stories of men who passed you by because of your hair quality?

Vaughn Streetz

Twitter: @Streetztalk

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I was never a fan of science class. Even today if someone starts spewing large scientific words, I mentally check out. However the further I delve into maintaining healthy hair, the more I realize that the science of my hair matters. Not only does the science of my hair matter towards keeping it healthy, it matters because it helps to save me money. Being a product junkie isn’t cheap. Nor is running to the store to try every new product because you can’t find the right product that works in your hair. Having a basic understanding of the science of your hair will help you save time, money and some peace of mind. So let’s minimize the hair frustration, get you back some valuable time in your schedule and help keep a few more dollars in your bank account by looking at the 4 basic science tips everyone needs to know about their hair.

1, Your hair and nails are the last part of your body to receive nutrients from your food intake.

Yes it is reaching the point of redundancy to constantly have to read that what you eat affects your hair. But it is of the utmost importance. Because your hair and nails are the last part of the body to receive nutrients, if you are shortchanging yourself by drinking sugary beverages while eating over processed foods, your body will stave off nutrients from your hair to ensure that the rest of your body gets what it needs. So all you ladies skipping out on the broccoli, spinach and water, while heading straight for the Doritos Locos taco and Grande Spice Pumpkin Latte, we’re talking to you.

2. Internal is greater than external.

You could be doing all the right things on the outside to your hair, but your internal well being trumps all of that. If you are experiencing severe stress, going through hormonal changes due to pregnancy of menopause and/or have blood flow problems due to medical issues or lack of exercise – your hair will be affected. We can apply any and all topical products, wear protective styles for 5 years and cease use of any heated products like flat irons. That still won’t trump the impact that your internal well being as on your hair.

3. Maintaining hair at a neutral pH balance is key for all hair types.

Whether relaxed or natural, the pH balance of your hair is important for all. pH balance affects how the cuticle of hair lays and is very integral in the relaxing process. If you want to minimize frizz or prevent your hair from being a poof ball, knowing how the pH level of your hair works is key.

4. The importance of detangling is a scientific fact. 

You have to detangle your hair, no way around it. It’s best to detangle hair prior to washing it and you will see a guaranteed change when styling your hair. Detangling your hair prevents excessive shedding, knots, more tangles and frizzy hair. You’re hair goes through three stages of growth on a continuous basis: anagen, catagen and telogen. The telogen stage is the shedding phase. You are continuously shedding hair on daily basis, just as you hair grows on a daily basis. If you have extra curly and/or kinky hair, your shed hairs are prone to get caught in the curls/kinks of the rest of your hair. Detangling your hair will loosen those shed hairs from your head and pull them out without catching them into tangles. Ever had a bunch of string or yarn that was in knots? You get it out of knots by taking strands out individually, same as detangling. Shed hair will tangle and you will shed because of the phases of your hair. Having a good detangling process that you start at the onset of your wash routine will help you out all the way down to styling your hair. Now think of it, all you ladies that fuss over your weaves that tangle and shed, guess how you can prevent that too? Yes girl, detangle it and brush it in a downward motion.

Jouelzy offers tutorials on all aspects of Black hair care via her YouTube channel, focusing on women with tight budgets. You can also find her daily hair tips and inspirations on Facebook.

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