Steady Climb

Hey guys!!!!!! Forgive my absence...the hair game has had me amazingly busy. I wanted to share my thoughts on something that catches my attention every morning on the way to the salon. EVERY MORNING I see a man walking briskly, with weights in his hands, and with several layers of clothes on, my assumption is that he's attempting to lose weight. Seeing him everyday encourages me and makes me work hard. I'll tell you why...I know he's not where he wants to be physically, but I know with consistency and the continued dedication that he displays everyday he'll reach his desired goal. From what I've seen success is never an instant thing. When that "moment" happens it seems instant to everyone else because they haven't seen the hard work that takes place behind closed doors, but it's typically a slow yet steady climb and even though the climb isn't speedy it's a climb nonetheless. And to add to that, when he's walking he's walking alone. In those moments in life where the desire to reach a certain point means the world to you having someone "walk" beside you for encouragement is not necessary. While I do believe having help along the way is necessary at certain times and vital to the climb, bottom line is when it's time to "walk" no one can do that for you, but you. Perhaps when he arrives home his wife is there encouraging him with a job well done or maybe after he's gotten on the scale and doesn't see his desired weight lose she's there to encourage him, but again I say she cannot "walk" the walk for him or take the climb for him. Have faith folks and keep walking and when the climb is slow remember it's a climb no matter how slow or fast and when it's time for the walk to turn into a run BE READY.

Passion

When you have passion burning within it keeps you moving no matter the opposition. Passion makes the currents of life become more bearable and it allows you to persevere through those times. The truth is sometimes money will be low, friends won't be there, and it is at that time that passion will push you forward to the goal you are trying to reach.

Connect with kindred spirits. Connect with others that are just as passionate as you are and I assure you that being around those individuals will give you strength to keep pressing. Even if the connection is through social media, do so. I do it. I'll let you in on a secret of mine; when ever I go to the movies or I watch a movie that I thought had great hairstyles, customs, and make up in the movie I watch the credits and write down the name of the head stylist, custom designer, and make up artist and then I go and google them :-) I do this to learn how they got to such a position. They had to be passion driven people to get to that point and reading their stories gives me strength. Passion, passion, passion...let it burn deep.

Spread the Love 2012!!!!

Hey everybody! I am back stateside and it feels great. While overseas I applied for an opportunity of a lifetime with Matrix. The name of this opportunity is "Spread the Love 2012". If I were to be chosen for this I would have the chance to tour the country going to an array of salons, meeting new people, and becoming a better stylist!!! As of now I am a semi finalist, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I want to share with Matrix as well as you all some things about me.

Why do I want to be a part of Spread the Love?

Spread the Love is the perfect opportunity for an individual like me. Anything that involves travel, hair, learning, growing, and meeting people was made for me to participate in! Education means a lot to me and I never want to stop learning. I realize the value of learning from people who are where you want to be and how helpful that is. 

What does it mean to be a hairdresser?

Being a hairdresser is so much more than hair. Honestly, most of the time it's not about the hair, but of course you have to make people look good. Through experiences I've learned that it's more about how you make a person feel. Hairdressers are therapist, friends, confidants, and more. We provide a place of peace and comfort...we really become whatever it is our client is in need of that day. Hairdressers change and enhances lives!!!!

What would your best friend say about you?

My best friend would say that I am compassionate, full of life, vibrant, loving, purpose driven, I have a wonderful sense of humor and I "pour into others". He would say that I want everyone to be their best and to feel loved, supported, and cared about. (his exact words...lol)

When do you feel most creative?

My creativity comes from a lot of things so I'm not sure that there's one thing that ignites it, but I love colors. I like art so when I see a nice piece of artwork I start to come alive creatively. Nature also inspires me. Moments that my mind is drawing a blank, listening to the right song seems to clear that up.

What is your favorite classic hair style and why?

My favorite classic hairstyle would have to be finger waves because it doesn't matter what year it is THEY WILL NEVER GET OLD! You can modernize them and make them current or keep the look in the 40's and still look hot. Love it.

No matter the outcome of this round of the Spread the Love Tour I am exceedingly happy to be a semi-finalist and I'll never stop living by the motto that you will never know unless you try!!!! God bless.

It's Imperative.

U.R.DANGEROUS

I have reason to believe that we are so much more than what we really know. I think if we were to dig into all that we are and give it our all we would more than likely just short of scare ourselves because of our insurmountable awesomeness. Lately, I've been behaving like a kid, but let me explain...not like eating a bunch of candy and crying when I can't have my way, but in the "no limit" sense. Have you ever talked to a kid about something that they're really passionate about?! It's amazing. I love how they believe that anything is possible and nothing makes them waiver from their believe; even when we intervene the twinkle in their eye with our adult logic, they don't care or listen...they keep right along telling you how they can save the world tomorrow and cure world hunger and be back at home in time enough to watch Sponge Bob and eat Cherrios! So here lately I've decided to be a complete kid. To believe the way I did when I was kid. Well honestly, I never stopped but when your an adult life happens and it sometimes discourages you, but no worries I am back to being 8 years old.

It's a scary thing when your in a foreign country and no one around you knows your talent and you have to kind of "prove yourself" to others. Today in my 8 year old state of mind a client was talking about an event here in Amsterdam that's going to consist of a fashion show and live music, which is so me right. So I did more inquiring about the event and simply asked if they needed a hair stylist and/or make up artist? Now I was sure that all of that was handled but as "a kid" I thought why not give it a go? To my surprise they could use a few extra hands and I'll be helping out. I'm so thrilled about it!!!!

Go back to the days when you believed anything was possible. Go back to the days when you didn't factor in and compute the obstacles before embarking on a journey that you knew your heart was calling you to. U R DANGEROUS with that mind set. (In a good way of course) You can accomplish so much that way. God bless and if I'm not your stylist I should be :-)

FALL WILL HAVE EM FALLIN FOR U!!!!

Last post (weather change=hair change) I gave a few tips on hair care during the fall and winter seasons, but also keep in mind that it is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS a cool idea to change your look. In a perfect world you should change your look four times a year, going with the seasons. For those of you that are more resistant to change DO NOT FRET, there are subtle things you can do to add an entire new look to the your already oh so amazing hair! Bangs are great for a subtle but very noticeable change, but of course you can go more drastic with bangs if you want. Side swoop bangs are great, a full front bang, a full front bang that frames the face so you can wear them both ways works as well...you can even keep bangs longer so you can pin them back or tuck them away to create other looks. Another simple thing you can do for change is add a few foil highlights in your hair. Pick a spot in your hair any spot and go for it, I mean who cares it's only a couple of foils! (But be sure to purchase color care shampoo and conditioner, healthy hair is a must) Fall colors include but are not limited to auburns, caramels, warm golds, gold goldens, and although most believe that blonde is more of a summer color I love to see blonde all year round, but adding warm hues to blonde is such a pretty combination. (Again the color world is your oyster and find your color pearl...if you need a skilled colorist to help with that I know someone by the name of Ambra Robinson, google her #Ha)

For those of you who are seeking big change my suggestion is COLOR. The colors I just mentioned are falltabulous! (I totally just made that up) You can also try an all over color change with high lights and low lights! I'll give you an example. What if your all over color was a cinnamon brown highlighted with warm blonde and chocolate low lights? I know not everyone will picture the same exact thing, but I do believe we will visual the somewhere near the same thing or at least within two shades of each other. A new cut would work as well and by cut I don't mean you have to go short, but that is an option as well. Classic bobs will forever and always be just that...classic. Voluminous layers, long layers, short layers, pixie cut, beach waves, sleek straight, kinky twist out, etc. I just wanted to throw some ideas out there to get you thinking and pondering on your next hair move and make sure it's a good one. I hope this was simplistic enough for you guys to understand and perhaps you will be brave enough to make a Fall change be it subtle or not...either way make em fall for you!!!!!! God bless.

Perspective

Today's post is not about hair, but then again it is. I wanted to share something that would be encouraging. So...I can't remember a time in life that I wasn't facing some sort of difficulty or wasn't faced with the opportunity to quit and give up on things that meant a lot to me. I can go as far back as elementary school and recall things that happened that if I had allowed it to it could have totally changed my future. Through my mother's open and honest teachings and my own perseverance I learned that nothing in life would be handed to you and that you would have to work for what you wanted. I learned that in order to achieve something it would take diligence and patience. A lot of people pray for change to take place in their lives, but the change only happens when you take action; prayer alone will not cut it.

While in cosmetology school, I faced what seemed like some of my toughest days. Prior to making the decision to go to cosmetology school I was in graduate school working on my master's degree, but I quit. The passion to be a part of the beauty industry burned entirely too deep. Of course, people think your absolutely insane when you make such a move, but that's what dreams are about, taking chances! I knew it would be an extreme  sacrifice, but I didn't realize how extreme until I got into it. But again, aren't dreams about taking the risk? Just to give you a glimpse into my reality at that time; I was a single mom of an almost one year old and I lived in a town with no family, I attended school 42 hours per week and I worked over nights at the hospital 3 nights per week. School for me was 8 hours most days and 12 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays!!!!! Talk about a sister being tired!!!!!! But no one knew or at least I rarely let it show in my expression. My perspective was in the right place. I knew that I was "going somewhere". I knew that my situation was temporary and that that time in my journey was necessary and vital to my success. In order for me to one day become a platform artist I would first need a cosmetology license and in order for me to receive that license I needed my 1500 hours. Bottom line. I can't recall any person of influence or who has accomplished great things that has not experienced something similar to my story as it relates to the challenges. Along the way I had to quit my job because I could no longer find a baby sitter or let alone get off work at 4am and go to school at 8:30am! It was just crazy! I lost my car, rent got behind, and my body was weary, but again I can't stress enough the importance of perspective!!!!!! Anything worth having is worth fighting for and worth putting the time in, but your mind has to be in the right place and you have to have the understanding that their would be no peak without the valley. Needless to say I graduated with honors and I'm working in the industries I love.

Be encouraged and remember that perspective is everything. God bless.

Weather change=Hair change

So today I ran my fingers through my hair...ok pause, I can't run my fingers through my hair because it's an afro as you can see in the pic below, but I think you get what I'm saying. Ok resume :-) So I noticed it was a tad dry and not as shiny and it dawned on me that it's officially FALL! I know it's silly that my hair versus the leaves on the ground reminded me, but at least I know right? So with weather changes comes a few changes to your hair. During the cooler months our hair usually lacks moisture, which means our tresses should get a little more of our attention. For those of you who have a stylist (if not you can contact me, lol) be sure that you are getting deep conditioning treatments at minimum every 2 weeks and if your hair is really dry you can do it once a week for the first 4 weeks then follow the every 2 week plan. Redken offers the Chemistry shot which is amazing for all hair types. It is a conditioning treatment that can be customized to your hair's condition. For example, if your hair is dry and color treated there is a conditioning formula for that as well. Or if it's color treated and porous, dry and fine and frizzy...bottom line is, you'll be covered. Anasazi is a great line of hair products as well. They offer a professional hair mask that has always served me great hair justice! But keep in mind folks that these are professional products so your local drug store and/or beauty supply will not carry them; you will need to go see a professional stylist.

For those of you who like to try natural things and your lacking shine I have a little recipe for you. If you mix 1/2 cup of honey and 1/4 a cup of olive oil, leave it on for 15 mins with a plastic shower cap and preferably under a dryer or you can blow dry it yourself (leave it on for 30 mins if you do not have a dryer), then rinse. You will be left with a nice head of shiny hair! If your hair is fine and/or limp I wouldn't suggest that you try this formula because it will cause your hair to be weighed down. A dime size amount of shine serum would work great.

Loving you

I don't claim to know everything or to have all the answers. I don't claim to be the most confident or to be without insecurities, but one thing I do know is that I have come to love and appreciate the person that I am. To appreciate how God made me. I have curly hair, I'm small busted with a round butt :-) For me that is ok...take it or leave. Now with that said, I would like to discuss something I've noticed in the hair world.

In the U.S I noticed a huge change in the way black women were wearing their hair. In times past the majority of black women you saw had a relaxer; wearing your hair in its natural state was not the thing to do. For whatever reason and surely I could list plenty, we as a whole were not raised to love and appreciate our hair. We weren't taught how to take care of it or how to manage it. Hearing names like nappy head, kinky (with the side eye expression) etc etc. Now keep in mind I'm generalizing because I WAS NOT RAISED THAT WAY AND I'VE NEVER HAD A RELAXER. When we were younger and all my friends started getting relaxers she chose to allow me to make that decision, when I was old enough that is and when that time came I noticed that I had the advantage, I could go swimming, climb a tree, run outside, and play all the sports in the world without the weight of "messing up my perm" being on my shoulders. So needless to say I chose the nappy look! Ha!

Now being here in Europe I've noticed almost every black woman has a weave/extensions. Let me be clear that I'm NOT against it! I have moments that I wake up with a "weave itch" and feel like having 16 inches of hair draping my shoulders as well although it's not that often :-) and I'm NOT against relaxers if your reason for wanting either or is in the "right place". But where does the need to have someone else hair sewn into your hair come from? Why is that kinky curly can't be pretty? What about hair that's spongy, or looks like carpet for that matter? It's all about what you make of it. It's as if self hate has been injected into our very bones by a very long time of being shown images of what beauty really is and those images ARE NOT reality. The reality of it is my hair is only straight when I use a flat iron. Most days my hair is curly, how God made it and that my friends is perfect. Whether your hair draws up when it's wet or lays on your back you are beautiful just the way God made you. Again I say, I like extensions and hair additions, but know that you don't need them in order to be pretty. Some of the most beautiful people in the world are bald! Heck my mom has one inch of hair on her head and I promise I've never seen a prettier face! (and no, I'm not just saying that because she's my mom) Learn to love you. Learn to value you. Learn to appreciate you. Here's a challenge for some of us. Stand in the mirror, fully disrobed with no make up...and simply look at yourself. If you see something you don't like (a baby pooch for example) start doing crunches...every day. Embrace your olive, red, yellow, and brown under tones. Tell yourself "I love you". Whether I know you or not, I wish you the healthiest most fulfilled life ever! God bless.

2day will be great!

As I prepare to make my way to the salon I chose to make today great. I will learn something new or simply lend a hand. Today will be a hairstatstic day!

WE ALL WANNA LOOK GOOD

So I'm here in Amsterdam visiting family! Seeing that I'm a hair stylist being away from my chair for 2 months has been driving me crazy, so nervously I decided to go to a local salon here and see if they would allow me to assist in any way. Honestly I didn't care if all they needed me to do was sweep, I just needed to be around HAIR! Thankfully they agreed! Now it's only been a couple of days and already I have had quite the experience...first of all I don't speak the native language (lol), secondly although I'm familiar with the products being used I have become so use to the products at the salon I'm employed in back home, and thirdly it took me 20 mins to explain the hair coloring process today...something that would normally take 3 mins if I were in the states. Needless to say, this is making me quite the well rounded person :-)

Today as I was watching a fellow hair stylist do his "magic", I noticed at the end of the service a look of discontent on the clients face. I couldn't understand much of anything that was being said but I sure could read the body language and in-fluctuations in their voices. I knew that she was displeased with the front portion of her hair. By the end of her visit she was happy. At the end of my observation I concluded that no matter where you are on this earth, no matter what language you speak, or what color skin you have...WE ALL WANNA LOOK GOOD :-)