Center Stage: Apondak

A couple weeks ago we had Kerry from Cornrows & Braids and her lovely daughters Mariah and Renee on our Center Stage. This week we have the "other half" of the awesome Cornrows & Braids page, Miss Keryn! This is her adorable daughter, Apondak:





Tell us a little bit about yourself, Apondak, and your hair journey.
My name is Keryn, I live in Australia, I am 24 years old and Apondak is turning 4 very soon. She is half Aussie half Sudanese and can speak a little of her tribal language, which is Dinka. I began to learn how to braid when she was around 22 months old..she didn't have a lot of hair at all, but I watched all the aunties doing their daughters hair and I was convinced I could do it to. I started learning the extentions with wool as it was much easier to get a grip of then went on to synthetic hair. My first extentions were horrible but practice makes perfect: I have always been able to cornrow so that wasn't a problem that I had to learn lol. So, in all I have been braiding in extentions for just over 2 years and still have a lot to learn :)

What is her current hair care routine?
Her hair routine is very simple, I am a massive coconut freak so I use coconut spray and oil ...basically nothing else unless I am untangling the hair I use a leave in conditioner :) I don't use too many products on her hair when braiding because I hate build up, just a litttle on the roots to hold the style and keep it moist I don't like braiding her hair too much because it dries it out really bad, so she gets it as a treat if we are going somewhere or if I have the time to do it.

How long does it take to put extensions in Apondak's hair?
It can take up to 8 hours to do her hair, depending on what style I choose to do, but that is why I always choose to do cornrows...they last around 3 weeks and micro braids last over 2 months, so the time is worth it.

Do you normally use wool or synthetic hair? Why?
I prefer to use synthetic hair to wool, because it looks much more realistic and you can have more fun with it...it can also be washed just like normal hair. I use wool if I want to do a quick style, but I find wool dries the hair out and it does a lot of damage to the hair because it is so coarse! Wool is easier for me to grip, but it doesnt look as nice as synthetic hair.

Can synthetic hair extensions also be damaging to the hair? 
Extentions definatley can kill your hair if you use them foolishly, that is why I only do Apondak's hair about once a month just to keep it tidy.

Some people don't agree with doing extensions on children. Why do you choose to do extensions on her hair?
I know a lot of people don't agree with extentions, I think some are just haters because they can't braid, some genuinly don't like it and some love it... each to their own. I once braided up Apondak's hair in hot pink and black (I included a picture) and it caused so much controversy. I braid her hair because it is so coarse. She has a beautiful fro... but no curls... I have tried everything, her hair just does not stay in beautiful curly little ringlets unless it is always wet. Also, in the Sudanese Culture all the kids get their hair braided. I dont know any kids that dont get it done at all. You are kind of frowned upon if you just let your kids hair run wild and never do anything to it. I know some of the other African Cultures couldn't care less about braids and all that though.

That is so interesting. So, all Sudanese children get hair extensions?They all get fake hair because their hair never grows past three inches. I have never seen a Sudanese Woman with hair past their shoulders.

Thank you, Keryn, for sharing your story, photo's and information on hair extensions!

Here are some more of Apondak's styles:








And here are the controversial hot pink and black extensions:



So, what do ya'll think? How does everyone feel about extensions on kids?




To see how you or your child(ren) can be stars on our stage click on Center Stage above! (We need more stars so send in your features)

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Saturday's "Shappin" Hairstyle: Triangle Flat Twists and 2 Strand Hanging Twists

This Saturday's style was the only style from our recent SheaMoisture products reveiw that hadn't been shown on our "Shappin" Style section, so I wanted to get it up.





This one was a first for me, as I had never parted triangle sections for flat rolling twists before. I started out parting the triangle in the center, then twisted the hair and made 2 more triangle twists, one on each side of the first.  With the hair that was remaining on the sides I did 2 strand hanging twists. As I always do, I had soaked the rubber bands used to secure the twists in olive oil prior to styling. I also added some of the cute butterfly clips I received from Once Upon a Curl. For the hanging twists I added some jumbo beads on the ends, those were also from Once Upon a Curl.







(Sometimes when it comes to photos and kiddos...you take what you can get, lol)



That wraps up this week's shappin' style, hope you all enjoyed it and found it inspirational.

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Coppertone Waterbabies Suncreen Stick Review

The other day I had to purchase some sunscreen for D and Baby Boy for D's trackmeet. Ideally, I would have already ordered some good sunscreen online, but I hadn't. I went to Wal-Mart and looked at everything they had. I ended up purchasing Coppertone Waterbabies Sunscreen Stick SPF 55, it was the only sunscreen I came across that did not have parabens. When I got home and had the chance, I looked it up on EWG's Cosmetics Database. It has a rating of 4 (moderate hazard).



Active Ingredients:  Avobenzone (3%), Homosalate (15%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (10%), Oxybenzone (6%)

Inactive Ingredients:  Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Lauryl Laurate, Ozokerite, Cetearyl Behenate, Polybutene, Cetearyl Alcohol, Styrene Acrylates Copolymer, Myristyl Myristate, Tocophero(Natural Vitamin E), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Reinyl Palmitate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C) Phenoxyethanol, Reinyl Palmitate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate Phenoxyethanol, Reinyl Palmitate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate(Vitamin C)

While it has some unfavorable ingredients, it did protect my babies from burning. It also did not bother Baby Boy's sensitive skin. Being a stick it was easy to apply, not messy. I'm still on the search for a good sunscreen with better ingredients but I will be using this until I decide which one to get.

Here are a few photo's from D's trackmeet:









BTW, today (May 27th) is "Don't Fry Day" to encourage sun safety awareness. The UCSF Skin Cancer page has in depth descriptions of types of sunscreen as well as what sun protection factor (SPF) to use. And of course EWG has put out their list of safe sunscreens. Also, check out their article on why we should avoid sunscreens that contain Vitamin A.

Everyone have a safe and happy summer :)

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Winner of Diva Do's Headband

Many thanks to Tiffany at Diva Do's for making this giveaway possible and also to all who participated!

And the winner of the lovely handmade headband is the person who left comment number....

And that was:


34. Michelle said..
Voted for you today on PicketFences
May 22, 2011 1:58 AM


Congrats Michelle!

Please email me by May 29th!

Remember to visit Diva Do's for these handmade headbands, bows, hair style ideas and more!

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Hair Time Art

I wanted to share this with all of my readers...one of my followers, and her husband are currently in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia.  Katie is committed to learning how to style and care for African hair and teaching her daughter to love her natural hair. She is a children's illustrator and has created these adorable pictures:



Do you have a special someone in your life who has beautiful, natural curls? Is "Hair Time" a special time for you both? This little set of illustrations was created in celebration of natural African hair.

You will receive 3 prints in the 5"x7" size, 1 each of the 3 "Hair Time" ACEOs I painted. The images are professionally printed with highest quality inks on Kodak Endura Professional papers. The paper has a linen texture

This set is also available in the 2.5"x3.5" ACEO image size.

All the proceeds go into our adoption fund - by purchasing this set you are helping us bring our daughter home from Ethiopia.

Visit her Etsy shop MossyRockDesigns for order information.

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SheaMoisture Review

  I, of course, got these products from Walgreen's during their ‘buy one get one’ sale in March. I purchased one of the Moisture Retention Shampoo, one Hold & Shine Moisture Mist, one Curl & Style Milk, one Curl Enhancing Smoothie, and two of the Deep Treatment Masques. 
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Center Stage: Ameerah and Dejah

This week on our Center Stage is Ameerah, 4 and Dejah, 8. Two adorable sisters, one of which happens to be the first place winner of our recent photo contest, congratulations Ameerah! Their mother, Cynthia, is going to tell us about their hair care routine.

Ameerah

Dejah

I typically wash my daughters hair about twice a week. I have found that to help hold their hair and keep frizz down, there are two products that are very useful. One is Olive Oil Moisture Lotion and the other is Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner. When I braid or put their hair in ponies, I use a dab of Olive Oil in my palms and rub into their hair, starting from scalp down to the ends. This way it keeps away frizz and helps maintain moisture throughout the day. I enjoy using these products because they are not heavy or thick and are gentle to use on kids as well as adults.

Some tips I would offer parents for biracial hair care would be:

*Wash hair at least twice per week (other days just rinse well and recondition)

*Detangle everyday (in the tub/shower, while conditioning, is the best)

*Put in a leave in conditioner (Mixed Chicks Leave In Conditioner is my favorite) Apply throughly in hair, starting at the ends and working your way up to the top of their head. If you need to add a little shine, Olive Oil Root Stimulator Spray or Sheen can be used and does a great job. I usually do not do this on my daughters hair, unless I am retouching their hair and just want to add some extra shine without redoing their hair completely.

*I also reccomend using a wide tooth comb or pick, it works best for me.

*A good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that is also great for detangling is Mixed Chicks products, but I have also found that Loreal and Neutrogena make a good Deep Conditioners that work well and can be purchased at most retail stores. I usually mix my favorite detangling conditioner with water and use that.

*Deep Conditioning treatments or hot oil treaments once a month is a must especially during summer or if your child swims.

Hairstyling Tips: For braids and ponytails, I prefer to use olive oil since it is water soluable and does not weigh down the hair. I also use a wide-tooth comb while the hair is wet as this seperates the hair easier without pulling or tearing on the hair. Also when I braid my daughters hair I don't use bands that are rubberized or the ones that have a metal clip. When using those, they tend to grab the hair and break it. If at all possible try to use covered bands. Another thing to remember is never pull the hair to tight, it can cause hair loss around their headline and scalp. I also reccomend trimming the ends of their hair reguarly. I do this at least every 60 days, possibly more during the summer.

Here are some of Ameerah's hairstyles:

And here are several of Dejah's styles:

I would like to thank Cynthia, Dejah, and Ameerah for sharing with us! If you would like to be featured on our site click the Center Stage tab above for details!

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Photo Contest Winners!

Thanks to everyone who particpated in our photo contest! It was so much fun and I look forward to more in the future! All the kids were so adorable and I wish we had goodies for them all! Also a big thanks to the sponsors who donated the prizes! Here are the winners:

-1st place goes to Ameerah, who had 114 votes. She will receive 15 items of her choice from the Curly Hair Princess Boutique.

-2nd place is Key, with 93 votes, she wins a variety of 10 items from Boobear Boutique and Ni's Ebony Curls Spot.

-3rd place is Briana Doll, with 72 votes, she will get her choice of 5 items from Once Upon a Curl and 50% off any additional items.

Congratulations!

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Fall Hair Color and Style

A recent discussion on our facebook page inspired me to post some momma styles. In the past I have had some crazy hair! I’m talking pink, purple, blue, etc. I was rockin’ the crazy colors before they became so mainstream. Now, everywhere you look you see pink streaks or blue clip in extensions. And I will still occasionally wear a clip-in colored extension, but in the past I was hardcore with it, I bleached my hair and used semi-permanent die. I would wear a color until it faded and either redo the same color or try something different!

Here is the first momma style I would like to share with you all. This was red/orange/copper colored highlights with dark brown all over, making it a great style for the Fall

And I always had the nails to match:

Hope you enjoyed this momma style! There will be many more to come!

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Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer

When I first began researching information and products for my daughters' hair there was one name that kept coming up, Bee Mine. Bee Mine is a natural hair care product line...and they seemed to be all the rage in the natural hair world. So, back in October of 2010 I decided to try their products. I placed my first order and soon received their Curly Butter and Deja's Hair Milk.
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Saturday's "Shappin" Hairstyle: Poofy Side Pony + Tangle Teezer

This weeks "Shappin" Style is one of D's all-time favorites (probably because it is so quick and easy), and I love it too! The poofy side pony! The way we get this look:





Once her hair has been washed, moisturized and detangled, we either braid or band her hair in 3 or more sections. She will either just sleep in the braids/bands or wear it as a style for a day or two, either way once her hair is dry we take it down and brush it using the Tangle Teezer. The Tangle Teezer creates a nice poof and we are then able to smooth into a cute side ponytail.












*Update- I would like to note that we no longer use the Tangle Teezer to detangle. I had notice a lot of breakage going on about a month or so ago (after we began using the Tangle Teezer). When we first started using the TT, I thought it was amazing! With some Kinky-Curly Knot Today and the Tangle Teezer the tangles just slid right out. There was always hair in the TT after each use, I just thought it was shed hair. After becoming aware of the breakage D was having and upon examining the "shed hair" it was apparent that it was actually breakage from the TT :(  I was using it correctly and even finger detangling prior to each TT use and nothing else in our routine had changed, what a bummer, I had been so excited and wowed by this brush. D had loved it too, it was quick and it didn't hurt. I haven't used the Tangle Teezer in about a month but if I were to use it again, it would be soley to create fluff and poof, and I would completely detangle her hair beforehand.

Has anyone else experienced breakage with the Tangle Teezer?



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Center Stage: Mariah and Renee

The very first hair mom taking over our stage is Kerry from Cornrows & Braids

She is the mother of Mariah, 6, and Renee, 8, and she is going to tell us all about their hair journey!

My hair story began in 2002 with my daughter Renee and again in 2004 with my daughter Mariah. I am of English backround and their father is Guyanese.

Renee was born almost bald and only grew about another inch for the next 2 years. It started to get thick , course and frizzy around age 2.. but she also had beautiful ringlets that I could never seem to maintain. Through the ages of 3 and 5 I usually just put her hair in an afro puff pony or puff piggy tails, because I didn’t know what else to do with it. It did look really cute, but I loved her hair and wanted her to be able to wear it down.

Mariah was also born almost bald, and again only grew about an inch longer till age 2. At age 2 it was a bit thick at the scalp but had softer curls near the ends, but once she reached age 3, it got very course and kinky, and she now has thicker kinkier hair than Renee. This is Mariah at age 2:

So I started inquiring about hair products, I have spent a lot of time trying to find the right product for their hair, and have never really found the right one…they have either been too heavy or too oily…but I think I have finally found the perfect ingredient to my search for healthy natural looking hair. My sister in law (who is also mixed) came over to my house one day, and her hair was soft, shiny, curly and bouncy, and I HAD to ask her what she put in her hair to make it look like that. She told me she did an at home Olive Oil Treatment, and she told me what to do and how healthy it was for your hair, and for those who would also like to know how to do it these are the instructions I followed:

1. Pour 1-2 cups of Olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil) into a large bowl

2. Heat up the bowl of Olive oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds

3. Once heated, apply oil into hair until all hair is covered (I suggest you wear old clothes, I got oil on my good pair of jeans)

4. Put a shower cap on and let it sit for ½ hour

5. Then put your child (or yourself) into the shower, continue to let it sit while you bathe..the heat and humidity will help the olive oil do its work

6. take the shower cap off and rinse oil out of your hair

7. I then shampooed and conditioned and voila

This is a picture of the results I got after the first treatment. Mariah’s hair went from being dry looking and frizzy to shiny healthy looking with soft curly hair..I absolutely love it. I have continued to do this olive oil treatment to the girls hair about once a month.

But seeing as I don't always have time to maintain their hair, and wear it down, I taught myself how to braid, twist and cornrow and am always looking for new hairstyles to give them. I enjoy cornrowing the best, rend my girls love getting them done too! I usully give them a shower or bath before braiding their hair, because their hair is going to be unwashed for a week so I want it to be clean. Sometimes I will use a braid spray if their hair is knotting up while braiding, but dnt really like using it because there are so many horrible braid sprays out there that leave a filmy coating over the braids. Here are some braiding styles I have done on my girls. I am learning new styles and new techniques on how to maintain my girls hair everyday and enjoying the process of doing so. Hopefully by the time my girls are older, I will have found all the little secrets on how to keep their hair healthy and maintained, and they will learn how to maintain it themselves.

Freestyle Cornrows:

Mariah's braid up with a little bit of burgandy extensions:

Triangle drop braids:

Renee's faux hawk with twists

Amazing styles! Kerry has some serious talent! I would like to thank her for sharing their hair story and photos with us! To see more of her styles check out Cornrows & Braids!

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Diva Do's Hair Accessory Giveaway! *closed*

This giveaway is closed as of May 26th, 2011, but please take a look at our review of the crocheted headbands from Diva Do's


The wonderful Tiffany at Diva Do’s & Everything in Between has so graciously agreed to team up with us for a giveaway! If, by chance, you missed our review on the lovely headbands by Diva Do’s & Everything in Between, you can see it in its entirety, with pictures and all, here.

Diva Do’s not only creates amazing headbands, she does a variety of adorable hair accessories including, korker sets, butterfly clips and customized bows. Here is one of my favorites, these ballet slipper bows:



How cute are they!!


Here is the item that is up from grabs:





It ties in the back:








Here is a close-up of the butterfly:







One lucky follower will receive this beautiful, hand-crocheted, pink and teal butterfly headband! This giveaway will end at 11:59pm (central time) on May 26th, I will choose a winner using the Random Number Generator.

How to enter: Follow the steps below and leave a separate comment for each step, this increases you chances of winning!

Mandatory Entries
*These must be done for any additional entries to count*
· Follow this blog (click follow in the upper right hand corner) (1 entry)
· Follow Diva Do’s & Everything in Between and check out her handmade hair accessories then tell us which item is your favorite! (1 entry)

Additional Entries
*You must leave a comment for each entry to count*
· “Decorate” our walls (1 entry per photo, no limit)
-My wall
-Diva Do’s wall
· Leave me a Happy Birthday comment on May 17th
(1 comment, on this date only)
· Vote for me! (This can be done daily)

Good Luck everyone!

If I find that I don’t have time to micro manage entries, once a winner is chosen I will verify each of their entries, if any entries from that person cannot be verified, are found to be incomplete or untrue another winner will be chosen. Please enter honestly and provide your name and screen names needed to verify entries.


Disclaimer: I am simply the host of this giveaway and in no way responsible for shipping of the mentioned item(s).


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Vote for this blog!

Greetings my awesome supporters and followers! I want to let everyone know that our blog has been added to Picket Fences, a site that features blogs! We need your support and votes to featured on their front page! Please click the button below to vote for us! That is all you have to do...one click of the button = 1 vote! And you can come back and vote once every day! Please and thank you dears, you are all very much appreciated!

Thanks again!
Brooke

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Saturdays "Shappin" Hairstyle: Rolling Twists/Braid Out+Kinky-Curly Review

This “shappin” style was created using Kinky-Curly Curling Custard along with Kinky Curly Come Clean shampoo and Knot Today detangler. After I washed, detangled and moisturized I parted a square on top of her head where I created 5 rolling twists. The twists were a little stiff due to the Curling Custard, but they held for days! I braided the remaining sections of hair on each side into one braid a piece and I made four braids in the back, putting Curling Custard on each section before braiding. The next day before school I took the braids out for a really nice braid out,  we loved it!

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Curlformers Winners!

Thanks to Curlformers and thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway!

The winner of the styling kit of their choice is:

Comment #66 which is Shay! Congratulations! Please email me with your choice and info!

The winner of the extra long and wide styling kit is Michelle! Yay! Michelle, please contact KandyLandKurls

To purchase Curlformers visit their website

Thanks again everyone! And congrats to the winners!

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