#hairbeautybuzz

#hairbeautybuzz Season 2 Coming This Summer

Posted on May 2, 2016 by A Plus Recommends

ATLANTA — #hairbeautybuzz, the natural hair and lifestyle show, is returning this summer featured on a new medium and network. The series premiered on Dallas radio and completed a successful season highlighting many of the great voices, products, and tools used by naturalistas to perfect their coifs.

The new season will be broadcast to a global audience on the Universe Atlanta channel of the Universe Network, a streaming service headquartered in Miami. The network boasts more than 10M views in 2014 and 2105. This year is expected to show significant growth with the addition of a dedicated channel on Roku, which currently is in 10M households nationwide. Viewers don’t need a subscription service to get UNTV content. All they have to do is log on to: www.universenetwork.tv and search for their city’s channel or specific content.

Season 1 flyer featuring Naturally Tash of Houston, Texas.

While Season 2 remains under development, the season premiere will feature the live coverage of the New Orleans Natural Hair Expo plus new segments that are sure to add value and quality to those living their best natural hair lifestyles.

The New Orleans Natural Hair Expo that will be featured in the season opener, is presented by EDEN BodyWorks, is back for its third year. At this year’s expo attendees will be able to enjoy an exclusive CurlMix party sponsored by the up and coming “DIY Subscription Box for Curly Hair!” The expo will also feature a pop-up dry styling salon sponsored by Design Essentials. Attendees will be able to have their hair dry styled and receive a consultation regarding their natural hair, the founder Monique Herbert said.

“I wanted to reach a broader audience with our show’s content,” says show creator and host, Ailene Torres, Chief Strategist at Upmarket Media Group. “We have found that home in Atlanta and are excited to expose more people to the personalities and products that call the Peach City home.”

#hairbeautybuzz will kick off its second season at the NONHE on July 2.

#hairbeautybuzz was invited to return to the New Orleans Natural Hair Expo, after a successful broadcast during the 2015 event. This year, the show is bringing a full production crew to connect those who cannot attend visually to some of what they are missing.

“We are excited to have #hairbeautybuzz return as the official broadcast media partner! The on-air presence presented by #hairbeautybuzz provided others across the United States the opportunity to be a part of the #NONHE 2015! We are extremely excited to have them return, and we hope others will join us via the broadcast to see exactly what takes place during the #NONHE,” Herbert said.

Season 2 is scheduled to air live on July 2 from the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans and is presented by EDEN Bodyworks with additional support from CURLS, Uncle Funky’s Daughter, Tropic Isle Living and many more.

Something New

Posted on April 30, 2016 by A Plus Recommends

You ever have one of those wash days where everything just goes better than if planned? As a naturalista, I’m sure you know what I mean. The kind of wash day where there are no single-strand knots to cut out? Then there’s kind where very little hair sheds. And, the best one being the kind where everything goes so perfectly that it results in a best-ever style that will last through the week. That kind of wash day. Yes, I’m having one right now and I would like as many as I can stand.

Recently, so much changed in my process due to uncontrollable circumstances, and I felt it was resulting in a less than perfect style. My roots have been fuller but frizzy and the level-eight control gel didn’t hold like in the past. In many cases it’s not about lack of definition or hold, though. Frizzier hair converts better to an afro puff, so a subpar wash-n-go will result in a bombed out puff. When that happen though, the countdown is on for the next wash day.

Wash-n-gos that don’t turn out perfectly, convert into a high afro puff sooner than Day 7 or 8, which is the normal rate of conversion on a two-week wash cycle. The sooner the hair converts to an afro puff, the shorter the life cycle for the overall style.

I wasn’t looking forward to another long cycle with a lackluster outcome, so I delayed my wash a week and decided to try something new. And today, much of my displeasure changed! My hair has nice plump curls from root to tip and the frizz factor isn’t factoring in at all. I co-washed with EDEN Bodyworks Coconut Co-Wash, deep conditioned overnight with SheaMoisture’s Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque as per my usual routine. Then, I followed with an additional deep conditioner, Aussie’s 3-Minute Miracle Moist.

Not only have I never double, deep condished like that, but this was also my first time using this oft-praised product. After I combed it through and rinsed it out, I used the rinse-out counterpart from Aussie’s line, Moist for my final condition. My hair didn’t feel any softer to the touch than usual, but when I started to apply gel and curl cream I saw the difference. My strands stretched and smoothed with very little effort.

Lately, I’ve had to do my hair immediately before having to be somewhere, so I have employed the aid of a diffuser on a low setting. I think what happened is I sacrified frizz-free curls for a dried set. As I sit here writing, I’m letting my hair air dry. The curls are neatly defined and, so far, frizz free.

My curls are better defined from root to tip. Lately, my hair has stayed frizzy for the first inch or so then it would begin to clump to the tip.

Moral of the story? A change in routine and process doesn’t necessarily add up to hair success. It’s still cool to get out there and try something new with your hair every once in a while and, who knows? You might just discover something that works better.

As development for Season 2 of #hairbeautybuzz gets underway, the amount of blog posts will pick up to keep you up-to-date with all things natural hair and beauty-related plus the line-up for Season 2 .

ISLAND LIFE: USVI with VIDEO

Posted on August 2, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

ST. THOMAS, USVI — #hairbeautybuzz has been on the move as of late and has great things planned for all of our friends, fans and followers. We are currently on location on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. This week has been a great time reacclimating myself to driving on the left, eating the familiar food and seeing old friends.

Initially, I was concerned about the humidity making my hair unpredictable, so I has the lovely Isis Brantley of Dallas, fix me us in some Marley Twists, which look fantastic and are easy to maintain as I go from the boardroom to the beach. But, after being here a week, I am excited to take my hair down and see how the tropical air, rainwater and moisture impact my curl. I am really excited to see this!

Marley Twists done by Isis Brantley, www.naturallyisis.com

Marley Twists done by Isis Brantley, http://www.naturallyisis.com

I will have another chance to see how my natural hair reacts to the Virgin Islands’ climate when I return to work on some projects involving island tourism. Stay tuned because I have meetings scheduled with the organizer of the VI Natural Hair Expo, so I will deliver content involving that destination event.

Yesterday, we taped our first USVI on location broadcast from the top of Paradise Point, a venue at the highest point on the side of the island where it is located above the cruise ship dock, Havensight, and accessible via tram. It was our first on-location video, so there is that, but you can see the beautiful backdrop over the Caribbean Sea. We interviewed some great local entrepreneurs including Ed LaBorde and Marcus Browne, and plan to bring you their events in the coming weeks and months.

#hairbeautybuzz still broadcasts on THA Afterparty Radio on Saturdays from Noon CT until 2 p.m. However, now we have another portal for you to enjoy our show, especially if you want to see what interesting location we will go to next! Make sure you follow us on Google+ and/or our YouTube channel. You can see the live broadcasts and or replay from either platform.

Another plus we are now offering is exclusive and additional broadcast content on Periscope, the new platform that let’s you broadcast from anywhere! Follow us by searching for this handle: hairbeautybuzz.

In the months ahead, we plan to not only bring you great content from the USVI, but after an interval explore other Caribbean nations and expose you to some great culture. It is my hope that you stay with us as we chart this new and interesting course and embark on a great adventure. No matter where we go, we will always have hair and beauty information for you!

Look at this great swag haul compliment of the USVI Dept. of Tourism!

In the meantime, we hope that you like our extended content from the USVI once we return later this month! Next week, we are back in Dallas for a great color show featuring the Big Hair Girls! More to come on that later this week. Stay tuned!

VI Massive salute. Til your next lime!

The Big (Hair) Easy + NONHE

Posted on July 8, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

The last week was an exercise in adaptability. On Wednesday, I traveled to The Big Easy mainly to broadcast the New Orleans Natural Hair Expo. I arrived with first-day hair in the dark of a humid night to cooler temperatures than had existed in Dallas that week. As many of you know, the Essence Festival, a four-day music event with parties and concerts stretching day and night, was happening concurrently, which I believe was a strategic ace on the part of NONHE creator, Monique Herbert, but more on that in a bit.

By my first morning there, my schedule began to fill up. First up a press conference at the Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria about the two queens of fierce rivals Grambling and Southern universities being first-cousins for the first time in history. Then the Mayor’s Ball.

Me with Nola Mayor Landrieu and City Councilman from Bogalusa

Me with Nola Mayor Landrieu and City Councilwoman Gloria Kates from Bogalusa

There was so much on the slate. Congressman’s party. NONHE. Erykah. Missy. Usher. Trombone Shorty. Mary J. Kendrick Lamar. And the dampness of the air threw me a serious curve ball, but with a schedule like that it’s not like I could stay inside and fret over my hair. My first time traveling as a natural was to Houston a few weeks ago. With similar humidity levels there, my hair held up well with no issues, so I didn’t even bother to bring anything other than oil and a creme moisturizer.

New Orleans was a different story. I don’t know if I was outside more and for longer stretches of time compared to Houston, but by the time I woke up on Saturday to broadcast live from the NONHE my hair went from full to big then full-on frizzy.

My second-day hair never looks this big and full. And, this is before cruising around in a convertible that night.

I didn’t lose all definition, but enough to lament my decision to travel without at least gel and my trusty curl enhancer of the week. I didn’t even have bobby pins.

In a panic because I knew the ladies hosting and attending the NONHE would have flawless natural hair, I was desperate for a solution. I always travel with two barrettes in case of emergencies and pulled those babies out. I wet my hair on the sides to loosen the gel and clipped them up. Viola!

My hair looks as fly as my lashes I copped at Hair and Beauty Mart for just $1.

I had achieved frohawk realness in about five seconds. With this style, the frizzy aspect of my hair worked to achieve the style. It also created an edgier look that worked well for the NONHE and the events that followed.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. I would switch it up a bit, “Desperation is the mother of inspiration.” In my case, both are true, but I’m glad it all happened. I can now add the frohawk to my budding arsenal of hairstyles, especially when my hair is on its last legs and I want to get some more life from it before the big wash day.

The NONHE was a productive and valuable event. I was too busy broadcasting live, taking archival photos and retrieving interviewees to take an official headcount, but I could see it was well attended and as I spoke to brands like CURLS, I discovered many were running out of product due to the high-volume response. I got to know Kinky, Curly, Yaki and swear I will make my top knot dreams come true with some of their extensions before the summer is out. The celebrity bloggers were all knowledgeable about their topics and friendly to boot. I will have lots of fun following them now that I’ve gotten to know them a little more.

Me and StrawberriCurls after our interview.

I cannot wait for next year’s NONHE. This event is definitely a destination trip that I will travel for in the years to come. If you missed our broadcast you can check out the re-air on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT, here. Or play it back at your leisure via the #hairbeautybuzz Soundcloud.

My Little Pony

Posted on June 30, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

Yep! You read that right. I am happy to announce that just before my 8-month big chop anniversary that I am able to comb my hair back into a tiny little ponytail. Take a look:

My little pony.

Not a glamorous shot, I know, but it was important enough for me to take the picture in that moment. This is the first time my hair has been long enough to snatch back for a style other than my trusty wash-and-go. Now, recognizing milestones are one thing. Wearing a new style is, indeed, another.

My hair isn’t quite long enough to rock my little pony in public and look presentable, which brings me to another challenge. I would love to wear a topknot, which is my favorite lazy hair day style to rock. That means I need to find some extra hair. But where to go? What to do?

I’m kinda lost in the extension world because it’s not something I was really into when my hair was straightened. Even if I had been though, strides have been made in providing kinky curly options with clip-in attachments for added length and volume. I learned this the hard way when I was convinced this past weekend to spend a few dollars on some marley hair, some clip-ins and a needle and thread to make my own. I asked the proprietor if the needle would fit through the clip-in hole, to which I was assured it would. To my dismay, once I got home and attempted this ill-fated project, it did not. I should have known better than to go anywhere other than Hair and Beauty Mart in Cityplace for my in-store hair care needs. Lesson learned.

This extension hair issue has me really psyched for this week’s New Orleans Natural Hair Expo on July 4th and 5th. They will have no less than three natural hair extension companies vending at the expo including Kinky, Curly, Yaki, a brand based in Toronto. I first discovered this brand when I attended the awesome Living No Lye Tour stop in Dallas in late May. (Click here for their NYC tour stop, Curls and the City on July 25th). The look and feel of the Kinky, Curly, Yaki hair is just amazing. I hope that I can find a match and pick up some to make my topknot fantasy a reality!

The NONHE starts Saturday, July 4th at 10 a.m.

Do you make your own extension pieces? What hair do you use and how to you attached it to your hair; clip-in or bobby pins? I need your advice.

It’s the Shingling Baby

Posted on June 22, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

Over the last seven months since I big chopped, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my process. I wear a simple wash-and-go that I style with Ecostyler gel after I LOC.

After the oft-asked “What do you use?” query, the next most asked question is, “How do I use it?” My answer is succinct: I shingle. I am more surprised by the ‘What’s that?” that follows than by any other question I’m asked about my styling process. Shingling is the styling and application method to achieve defined curls and coils for a perfect wash-and-go. It is used in just about every wash-and-go YouTube video and it is really easy to emulate and add to your styling routine.

Here’s a quick primer: Section small portions of your freshly cleaned, conditioned and thoroughly wet hair. Apply a copious amount of gel to the section from root to tip. For thicker or coarser hair, comb through with a Denman brush. Otherwise, finger comb. MissKenK uses the shingle, rake and shake method that I find useful as well. I periodically shake my styled hair, so the gel from the shingled curls dries individually instead of together. Shaking your hair vigorously assists your clumps to dry as well.

Below you can catch a glimpse of me shingling my hair. If you have never tried this method, try it on your next wash-and-go and report back on how you liked it.

Queen of Temp Color Joins #hairbeautybuzz for Live Houston Show

Posted on June 16, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

HOUSTON — The Queen of Temporary Color, Naturally Tash, will sit down with #hairbeautybuzz on Saturday, June 20th beginning at Noon CT. Tash is the founder of IRockMyNatural and is the go-to YouTube authority on temporary, no-risk color for your hair. She knows it all from spray-ons to hair shadows and the tricks in-between.

Naturally Tash will join #hairbeautybuzz at Tendrils and Curls in Houston on June 20th starting at 12 p.m. CT.

Naturally Tash will join #hairbeautybuzz at Tendrils and Curls for its first live remote broadcast. Store owner, Dr. Paula Chrison will allow us to gatecrash her party and will host us for the two-hour show. She will also sit down with us and talk about growing a small business as a woman of color. While we are there, we will find out what her bestsellers are and her favorite product picks.

#hairbeautybuzz will broadcast from Tendrils and Curls and talk to owner, Dr. Paula Chrison on June 20th.

That’s not all. #hairbeautybuzz will introduce you to Kevinn Robinson, a 20-year Texas educator who is running for Justice of the Peace in Precinct 1, Position 1 of Harris County.

Kevinn Robinson is a JOP candidate in Precinct 1, Position 1 of Harris County.

As you can see we have a great show planned for you, so make sure you tune in using this link starting at noon central on Saturday. If you missed our show with TrialsNTresses, here’s another chance to catch up with the buzz.

Orange Will Never Be the New Black

Posted on June 14, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

Author’s Note: This topic was discussed live during #hairbeautybuzz radio show on Saturday, June 13th. It will re-air Wednesday, June 17th at 8 p.m. To tune in, click here.

Rachel, Rachel, Rachel.

All I can do is shake my head. Rachel Dolezal is fodder personified for social media, Black Twitter and Instagram in particular. If you have been out camping for the last four days, Rachel is a white woman who has been masquerading as a black woman while leading her local NAACP chapter and championing black causes including wearing natural hair. Then on Thursday, this happened:

Here’s my problem with Rachel. It’s not her lies. We have all told lies whether they were big or small, and if you are denying that fact after reading that passage, then you are now lying to yourself. My problem with her is that blackness is not something that you can spray on like the tan she perfected. Blackness is not something you can choose to be or wear because it suits your personal proclivities.

She is a woman who didn’t just spout rhetoric, she lived it. She wore faux locs that were a good portion of the length of her body. She wore headwraps and posed with Angela Davis, one of the pro-black sheros of contemporary times. Yes, y’all, she DID that. We cannot take that away from her. Rachel was instrumental in revitalizing the NAACP chapter she headed in Spokane, Washington, which I’m sure was no easy feat. I admire the fact that Rachel caped for black causes and even gave a stirring and empowering speech about the history of black hair and why we as African American women should wear our natural hair.

She owns these things, and as much as the lies are a part of her story, so are the victories. Herein lies the rub. Rachel doesn’t realize she could have done these same things in her own skin. She could have led the NAACP. She could have championed the embrace of natural hair in our culture. She could have continued to educate. Perhaps, not from a place of personal experience, but definitely from the sound foundation of education she received as a full-scholarship recipient at Howard University, the HBCU community’s Harvard. At some point I will have to deal with the complication that she received that full-ride based on her assumed identity, therefore, taking an actual person of color’s spot…but I digress.

Besides the lie, here’s what Rachel did that is the most egregious: she normalized cultural appropriation. At first, when it was just her secret, she normalized it as her way of life. Now, that she’s outed, she’s ushered in talk of “transracial” people, which is a unoffensive label for the disgusting normalization of cultural appropriation and I cannot stand for that.

Blackness is an existence you are born into. It is the knowledge that your people have a complicated history of enslavement, oppression, segregation, discrimination and inequality that perseveres today. That we know we come from the cradle of civilation, but don’t know which tribe and cannot trace our roots back the Motherland. It is the collective knowledge that we are judged as a monolith not by our personal merits and only when the subject is negative. That mainstream standards don’t include our experience, our beauty, our culture as a measure of perfection, or even a benchmark standard at all. Not to mention, that in a purely scientific manner, although I can take hormones to change my sex, I cannot ever take a pill to change my molecular makeup to read anything other than what it is, and neither can Rachel.

No, I must reject this idea that one can become black. Yes, you can personally adopt and relate to social experiences or the products of our culture like music, food and language. But, unless you are born black, you do not, cannot and will not ever have the intrinsic understanding that it is both a blessing and a curse to be born African American in the land of the free, the home of the brave because those words and laws weren’t meant for blacks. You can academically study our culture until you have an alphabet soup after your name, but you cannot put on black as if it were a jumpsuit uniform.

Rachel will speak out on Monday (tomorrow) for the first time since this scandal broke, and I’m unsure if what she says will help or hurt. She has done a lot of positive things to advance the causes of blacks, but for the decade-long, cultural appropriation that was her sham of a life, she owes several apologies and in return for her mea culpa, she can have several seats.

Eminem comes to mind as an example of a white person who understands black people in a personally relatable way but is careful not to cross that line into appropriation. Don’t believe me? Just #AskRachel.

Yes, it’s funny, but Rachel Dolezal has opened up a can of worms that seeks to normalize cultural appropriation.

Product Review: As I Am Coconut CoWash Cleansing Conditioner

Posted on June 10, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

I’m not even going to try and front. This product is my holy grail cleanser. Hands down. I’m not saying there aren’t equally wonderful cowashes out there. Not at all. What I am saying is: this is the second cowash I tried, and I stopped there. In the seven months I have been natural, I have found no need to continue to shop for a cowash because this product has everything I need.

As I Am Coconut CoWash Cleansing Conditioner

Full disclosure: I have never been comped this product, nor have I an endorsement by As I Am, or their parent company, Avlon. For those of us who used to relax, Avlon may be a familiar brand because it owns Affirm and KeraCare, which were my holy grail lines in terms of relaxer and relaxer maintenance. So it’s no surprise to me, that Avlon jumped into the natural hair fray and established a brand that caters to our curly, coily and kinky hair needs and it’s a choice product to boot.

From its website: “The As I Am® brand is a separate and distinct enterprise, which markets unique and exclusively-formulated products. “We want to give our customers, who primarily care for and style their own hair at home, the time and specialized attention they deserve. At the same time, our mission is to provide the very best products, education and customer service to each and every person who buys from us.”

When I was transitioning, so many brands were bandied about and talked about as holy grails. Let me help the uninitiated: holy grail is a product that you can’t live without in your routine.

I tried the main brand that is still everyone’s go-to, but despite their expensive price tag, they don’t do anything for my hair. I wasn’t impressed with their cowash or their curl enhancer and one of their sulfate-free shampoos that I tried stripped my hair so badly that it felt like straw.

I had to abandon the idea that what works for everyone will work for me too. I set out on my own natural hair path to find something that was cleansing but moisturizing. In my search, I wandered into a Sally’s and met a lovely customer service representative named, Jeanette. Her bleached natural looked soft and fluffy despite the color. When I told her what I was looking for she told me that As I Am is the only cowash she will ever use.

It’s been over six months since that day and thanks to Sally’s BOGO sales and customer rewards coupons, I am stocked jars deep on my Coconut CoWash Cleansing Conditioner. Here’s the good:

Smell: It has a light coconut and overall tropical scent without being too overpowering.
Consistency: It’s thick but not stiff. Its creamy texture spreads easily throughout your hair.
Slip: It has great slip, again allowing easy distribution in your thick tresses.
Price: I bought mine at a sale price, but even without a sale it’s less than $8 a jar.
Results: My hair always feels clean, but not weighed down, greasy, or worse, dry.

Here’s the bad:

That. Blasted. Jar.: The jar it comes in is not ideal for in-shower use for obvious reasons like spillage, water and unscrewing the jar in the shower with wet hands. Uh, yeah… that’s a NO. I would prefer a bottle like the one I transfer mine into, but if they must use a jar, please, please, by all means, provide a pump!

My one con is not enough for me to stop using it. As you see, I have a workaround for that to make my life easier, and if you purchase it, you will either accept it or find one too. Honestly, the value of the line is worth dealing with a packaging faux pas. I have recently tried their companion leave-in, but I am not ready to talk about it in terms of a review. Overall, the As I Am line is a high-quality, high-value line, and I expect nothing but good things because a company that has been providing quality products for black hair care since 1984 is expected to hit this one out of the park.

What’s your holy grail cowash? Do you cowash or still use shampoo? Tell us in the comments.

Melissa JB to Talk TrialsNTresses on #hairbeautybuzz + Get Our Newsletter

Posted on June 9, 2015 by A Plus Recommends

DALLAS, TEXAS — After a successful first air of #hairbeautybuzz featuring Chime Edwards, Joy Harrington and Nyambi Royster of Nyambi Naturals, the natural hair radio show will follow up with TrialsNTresses. This dynamic hair duo prides themselves on challenging the real issues that naturalistas face during their hair journeys. They tackle subjects beyond products reviews and techniques, but the social and personal politics that come into play when women decide to abandon the creamy crack. See for yourself. NOTE: Mature language.

Seriously though, these ladies use levity to deal with problems that everyday natural hair sisters are forced to confront. Their YouTube channel offers a lot of alternative and protective styling options for the natural that can’t be bothered with the laborious wash-and-go routine. We are curious what they will offer up during this Saturday’s interview on #hairbeautybuzz beginning at noon CT, but whatever it is, we know it will be entertaining.

Also joining will be artist Adu, who due to a scheduling conflict, had to move his interview to this week. Check out his exhibit African Amedia that is currently showing at the African American Museum of Dallas.

“Don’t touch me. I am a work of art.”

We will have another special in-studio guest who will shed light on the distribution side and wholesale side of the natural hair care economy.

We are preparing a great show for you and hope that you tune in by clicking here on Saturday. If you never want to miss an update and get our link delivered directly to you, sign up for our #hairbeautybuzz Newsletter published by our parent company, Upmarket Communications. By doing that, we will deliver our #hairbeautybuzz news, guests and giveaways to you. Sign up by filling out the form below:

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