New color new curls

I found a new favorite style.....CURLS CURLS AND MORE CURLS!!! Can't wait to try new styles incorporating curls :) Enjoy!!

September Curls

Now these are the curls I've been trying to achieve since I started locking my hair. I watched a Youtube video that illustrated how to use pipe cleaners (fuzzy sticks) bought at Walmart $1.97 for a pack of 100 in the craft section and some mousse...let the mousse dry completely and taadaa!!! Beautiful spiral curls :) 

The Curly Loc Hawk 

Stay tuned...I'll post more styles soon :)

Peace and Blessings!

The History of Dreadlocks by Andrew Power

The roots of dreadlocks can be trailed to the Rastafarians of Jamaica, and further, to Indian sages and yogis, but they have never been more popular or widespread than they are today. It is said that dreadlocks originated with these eastern holy men. Possessing nothing, renouncing the world and possessions (not even a comb) they eschewed even personal grooming, hence the inevitable dreadlocks. Dreadlocks get their name from Jamaican tradition. Those with 'natty' locks in their hair were to be dreaded, or feared. When slavery was abolished in the US, it was no longer legal to enslave African Americans. But good ol' America found a loop hole, no one said anything about not enslaving native peoples of India.

So, over they went and began capturing and enslaving people from India and the surrounding areas. (Find that in a history text book!) Hindu yogis and holy men, along with their dreadlocks, escaped to the Caribbean Islands, and began appearing in places like Jamaica, where their knotty hairstyle and religious piety were noted and followed by the burgeoning Rastafarians and holy men of the islands. Dreadlocks have their roots (again, no pun intended) in spiritual circles. The Hindu holy men of the east, Rastafarians, which are essentially Judeo-Christians of the Caribbean Islands wore dreads as part of their religious lifestyle. Dreads themselves for the eastern yogis were nothing special, but the Rastas almost deified their locks, considering the hair to be holy and powerful. Dreadlocks became a religious priority. Fast forward a couple decades, and things have changed, but dreadlocks remain prevalent. You have people like Mike Borden, drummer for killer awesome rawk band Faith No More, with phat knotty dreads all the way down to his drum stool. Bands like Korn, Bad Brains, Incubus (Brandon used to have locks), Finger Eleven, POD and many more do, or used to, sport dreadlocks, which come in very handy while rocking out. Nowadays, it is about as standard to have a dreadlocked member of the band as it is to have a DJ in the group.

Of course, nearly everyone is aware that dreadlocks were brought into the pop culture spotlight by a Mista Bob Marley. There hasn't been a human like him ever before, and there will likely not be 'til the close of time. Bob Marley radiated love, peace, passion, and wisdom. He also have the best dreadlocks ever! Bob dedicated his life to praising God in music, and spreading the message of reform and spiritual growth in the world. Unfortunately, his songs have become frat-boy drinking anthems for many. And his dreads became a fashion choice. But when I heard his music, when I started to really listen - and grow dreadlocks, by the way - I started to hear something deeper, something so much more important. God.

Bob Marley sang almost endlessly about Jah. I began reading the Bible, and was amazed how much of Bob's lyrics are taken right out of Scripture. "The stone that the builder refused shall be the head cornerstone." "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" And so many more. If there is one thing I long to do in my life, it is to be part of something that makes the world a better place. Filled with the knowledge and love of God, encouraging others with the truth. Jah, short for Jehovah, is the Hebrew name for God. In the Old Testament, you will see the term LORD in all caps. This is where God's name appears in the text. Hebrew is written without vowels, and the name written in Scripture is YHVH. God's name means "I AM", meaning "Was, Is, and Ever will Be". God's name was considered so sacred and holy that ancient Israel would not even speak it, but when reading Scripture aloud they would say Lord where YHVH appeared. When the Bible began being translated into Greek and Latin, and eventually English, they decided to use LORD in the places where God's name appears, though the name Jehovah does appear in the Old Testament about 3 times, I think. Jah means the Eternal God. Many of God's people had dreadlocks through the ages. (Bear in mind ALL people are God's people. Israel was a people set aside, to be the carriers of God's word, and a commonwealth that were to emulate God's ways to the world. Ooops!)

Anyway, God's name indicates His character. Eternal, everlasting. The book of Malachi says "For I am the LORD, I do not change" 3:6. Jah wants a relationship with each individual person. Every living soul is a son and daughter of God, and Jah wants to assure each person that He is trustworthy, that He is kind and loving, that He is more than worthy to be our God and Lord. That is why Jesus was nailed to the cross - He took our place in death, when WE were the ones that should have been put to death for our own screw-ups. Sin wasn't a part of the original plan for this world. Humans were given a choice, and they chose a path of destruction rather than life. The consequences were automatically supposed to be death because evil cannot exist in the presence of God. But His Son stepped in, and because God loves us so much - His creations, His children - He allowed Jesus to pay the price for our bad choices. All we have to do is say 'Thank you, I acnowledge and accept this gift from Jah!" and our slate is wiped clean. 

Jesus' original Hebrew name was Yeshua, which translates directly as "Jah Saves" or "Jah is Salvation". And the word salvation comes down through Latin roots, meaning unbroken, undamaged. Jesus died on the cross to show God's character, that God is giving, pure in self-sacrificing love. Jah wants to prove His trustworthiness. Yes, God could open the sky and pronounce "I am God, serve me", but what would people's motivation be for serving Him? Fear? Requirement? Jah is a God of freedom, and He doesn't change. He wants to prove His character, and He did on the cross, and He wants people to enter into a relationship, a saving, or salvation relationship with Him based on the truth of His character. 

So how do dreadlocks fit in to that? Well, it is recorded in history that many people of Nazareth would grow dreads as part of a vow, or covenant of purity they would enter into with God. Jesus was from Nazareth. I wonder if He had dreads? Would you take Him more seriously is He did?

Bob Marley said "give thanks and praise to the Lord and we will feel alright." And this is truth. Bob Marley grew his dreadlocks as part of his Rastafarian belief. These days, few people grow dreadlocks to show their allegiance to the Lion of Zion, or because they wish to be in accordance with Old Testament decrees about not cutting your hair. Dreadlocks are now fashion, and like everything else in this material world, they are almost devoid of spiritual value. Ah, but the irony is that God is still God. The Eternal is still the Eternal. As this world comes to a close (rapidly), fashions will pass away, but God shall stand. "The stone that the builder refused shall be the head cornerstone." God is the head cornerstone, and all spiritual people, and all faiths through history that truly developed a relationship with God, that came to know God, from the aesthetic holy men of the east to modern day Christians (like me, Praise the LORD) to the kid riding a downtown subway with knotty dreadlocks on his head and Bob Marely in his discmon Ö I mean, discman, feeling the beat and praising the Eternal Creator shall draw close to God, and God shall draw close to them, and they shall gain His wisdom, which surpasses the things of this world. 

Do dreadlocks make you a more holy person? No. Israel of old had direct contact with God, they were benefited with the Word of God since time began, yet look at their state today. They nailed Jesus to a cross for teaching that God His Father was kind, forgiving, ever merciful, and not something to be appeased by ritual and forms of worship. Jesus was rejected because He taught that God was to be a friend, a loving parent and comforting redeemer. Israel clung to their rituals, and expected their adherence to them to be sufficient to show their holiness, just as the aesthetics gave up any forms of pleasure and social norm in order to suffer to the point of enlightenment. They too would have nailed Christ to the cross for teaching that God has given us every good and blessed gift to enjoy. From nature, the ocean and the trees, fruits and vegetables, relationships with one another. And love. God is love, and God instilled love in each and every one of us. Love is the cornerstone of life. Love is the only rule by which a living being needs to adhere to develop a relationship with God. Will God love you more if you have dreadlocks? Will God consider a person more holy because they grow dreads, and speak in a Rastafarian accent?

Face it, the truth is there is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. God is love, and God cares for the heart, the soul. You cannot make God not love you, it is only you yourself that turns from, or to, God. God is ever reaching out to the hearts and souls of His children, speaking to us from the beauty of nature, from His Holy Word, which teaches that God is Eternal and always will be the embodiment of love and kindness. Where do you stand on this? Do you believe in God? If yes, do you know Him? Do you share with Him your heart, do you really draw close in assurance of His boundless love, and in desire to really know God? If not, why not? I want to challenge you.

Dreadlocks or no dreadlocks, the soul of the living being is what counts, everything else is decoration.

God bless.
Andrew

Natural Hair Stylist License requirements

Here are the license requirements for Natural Hair Stylist: 

Natural Hair Stylist

Description

A person who uses techniques which result in tension on hair strands such as twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking or braiding of the hair by hand or mechanical appliances, which work does not include the application of dyes, reactive chemicals or other preparations to alter the color or straighten, curl or alter the structure of the hair. The techniques include providing or offering to the general public for compensation any of the following services solely for development or improvement of physical qualities of the natural hair structure: intertwining in a systematic motion to create patterns in a three-dimensional form; inversion or outversion flat against the scalp along the part of a straight or curved row; or extension with natural or synthetic fibers.

Licensing Requirements

Be at least sixteen years of age and satisfy education and examination requirements.

Education Requirements

Satisfactory completion of a course of instruction of not less than 300 hours in the practice and theory of natural hair styling at a school of cosmetology.

Examination Requirements

A written and practical examination is required.

Renewal Requirements

Renewal notices mailed approximately one month prior to renewal date. Licensee required to submit renewal notice with required fee, if applicable, due by expiration date on license.

Application and Fees

Contact Licensing Board for information on application, registration, examination, renewal, or fees.

My Favorite YouTube channels

Here is a small portion of the inspirational channels that I watch on YouTube. I hope this list could be as helpful to you as it has been for me. There are many more but these are the ones I go to the most...

BronzeGoddess01

Shaggylocs7

SweetMobileDreads09

PrettyDimples01

Qochemist

BlackOnyx77

NikkiMae2003

NikkiMo75

MsGatlin357

VnllaWytChkltBlndie

NappyChronicles

NappyHeadedBlackGirl

NaturalCrownofGlory

KokoFemme

CoilyHairedBeauty

ApplesandMustard

AfroQueenShae

Taren916

MsTrying2BeNatural

I love being an Afro-Latina

Me @ 4 yrs old

Growing up in a Dominican household was not easy, especially being a first generation Dominican American (Afro Latina). At the tender age of 6, my mother decided to start relaxing my hair to reduce all of the screaming and hollering that went on while she tried to comb it.

I believe this was after my first relaxer

So I ended up going from screaming because she was yanking my hair from the roots to crying every single time I saw a perm box knowing that my scalp was about to be ON FIRE! (scabs included).

My mother's favorite saying was..."El que quiere mono bueno aguanta halones" which means if you want good hair you have to stand the pain. Her definition of "good hair" would be long, flowing RELAXED hair and if your perm didn't take i.e. bone straight, then they would blow dry it straight to make sure you had no curl pattern whatsoever in your hair. I've been traumatized and was brainwashed to believe that if you don't have long pretty hair, you were considered ugly.

I grew up on an all Puerto Rican block in the Bronx (NY) and all of the kids (including my own cousins) would tease me and tell me that I was too dark skinned and that my mother left me in the oven too long. The girls on my block even had a female Menudo group (famous hispanic boy band from the 80's who I was in love with) and they had the nerve to tell me, you can't be a part of the group because you're too dark. My nickname became Crispy on my block (my cousins still call me that to this day). Imagine the hurt I experienced between the ages of 6-18...doesn't hurt as much as it used to but I still have a sore spot in my heart about it. 

Girl Scouts performance 5th grade my hair was pulled back into a ponytail (relaxed)

In Junior High School I.S. 167 a friend of mine by the name of Renee introduced me to braids with extensions. I was finally able to let my hair rest from the relaxers from time to time...until I got to High School Jane Addams Vocational (which taught Business, Cosmetology and Nursing). I told my mother that I wanted to take the cosmetology course but she refused and told me I HAD to take the Business classes because I wouldn't make any money doing hair.....ARE YOU SERIOUS????

I was so intrigued by the cosmetology department that I spent most of my free time there and was letting some of my friends practice applying relaxers and my favorite high school style...finger waves and curls. 

Freshman year in High School before I was introduced to the finger waves and curls

My 16th b'day finger waves and curls

As I went off to college, I decided to cut my hair really short...I mean...really short

I asked a friend to shave the back for me but he didn't have any guards so I was bald in the back and Halle Berry short in the front. 

I loved how my hair looked short but I was still using relaxers to help it "lay down" when my natural curls grew back. It wasn't until after I had my two beautiful children that I decided to go natural and loc my hair. 

July 2001

But then my mother would tell me that my hair looked like Mojones (sh*t balls) and that I needed to cut them out. I loved my hair but unfortunately I was also suffering from massive migraines to the point where I couldn't close my eyes. As my mother cut the last loc out of my hair...my headaches were gone (TRUE STORY). 

So 6 years went by before I decided to leave the creamy crack alone for good this time and I decided to start my own locs. I made them much smaller and more uniformed this time around so that my short cut would be "accepted" in Corporate America.

January 2008 with 1 month into my loc journey

My hair is thanking me for not applying that creamy crack (relaxers) to my hair anymore and it started to grow longer and healthier than I've seen it in years...but yet again...my mom would say to me...Porque no te cortas el pelo y te lo deriza para que se te vea bonito (why don't you cut your hair and get a relaxer so that you're hair would look pretty)...so I told mom...Sorry mom, not this time! I LOVE MY LOCS and they're here to stay!! :) My aunties and cousins (male and female) tried to convince me to relax my hair because it looks more natural...SMH natural TO WHO??? NOT ME!!! 

I'm proud of my hair and all of the styles that I have been able to achieve with my locs with a lot more to come. I've been documenting my journey with photos and treatment recipes that I've come across...even used a deep conditioner that my mom taught me when I was younger (cholesterol, mayo, egg and spiritu de canela [essence of cinnamon] with a plastic cap and a scarf over it to help contain the heat so I didn't have to sit under a hot dryer). 

I would love to convince my mom to go natural but I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future...she's still attached to her relaxers and attachable ponytails (I wish I had the picture of my mom back in the 70's rocking an afro...it looked so beautiful on her).

 

So as I continue to document my wonderful loc journey via blogs and pics I welcome any comments or suggestions as well as your stories about dealing with family and your natural hair. Us Afro-Latinas need to stick together and give each other encouragement when you feel you have no where or anyone to turn to.

Here are some of the sites that have helped me through my journey:

Nappturality.com

Lock University

Afroniquely You

Black Girl with Long Hair

Mahogany Butterfly

Curly Nikki

iRockLocs

Fuchsia-Soul

Mahogany Magazine

There are so many sites that I have researched that I may have to do a blog on just sites and YouTube channels :) Stay tuned...more information to come. 

2 years and counting....

Almost 2 years to date, my hair has grown so much :)

I love my hair now more than ever :) Can't wait to see how long it is in December (my 3 years anniversary) Stay tuned...

The Evolution of the Basket Weave Curly Pony style

I found a style that actually turns out to be 4 in 1 :) Let me show you what I mean:

Friday

Sunday

Monday 

Tuesday

Mohawk with no rubberbands :) 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 2010

I wanted to say a few words to my Dad on Father's day that I decided to share with the world.
He wasn't always there for me when I needed him, but he was ALWAYS on time! Thank you for being the best dad you could be. I love you with all of my heart. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY Antonio Jose aka Chiquito

Basket Weave Curly Pony Part 2

The Curly pony was cute and I wanted to see how my locs would look if I took the pony down...beautiful flowing curls...so in fact I was able to get a 2 for 1 hair style out of the curly pony :)

Went from this:

To this :) 

Looks like an asymmetrical cut from back in the 90s lol  

LOVE IT! Cute enough for a day to day style or an evening out 

Basket Weave Curly Pony

To achieve this look: 

Separate your ponytail first with a hair tie

Basket weave the back going upwards(use 1 or 2 pins to secure the basket weave in place)

Once your basket weave is done....collect the rest of your hair and add it to the ponytail.

I sprayed the locs with Amazon Natural Essentials Flaxy Curl Leave in Moisturizing conditioner w/flax seed oil. 

Add curlers to your pony (whichever curlers you decided to use..I used flexi rods and the small blue sponge rollers) 

Tie down overnight and taa daaa!!!! 

Comments welcomed...feel free to tell a friend :) 

Peace and Blessings

Basket Weave Double Pony

As much as I love the basket weave...I had to combine it with another one of my favorites...the ponytails :) 

Summer Loc Updo previews

Here are a few styles I've been playing with...feel free to comment! Don't forget to tell a friend!

Braided Crown

Ponytail

Stay tuned....More to come....

Giving credit to all Kitchenticians!!

2001 Braiding hair in Colorado

2004 loc maintenance in The Bronx, NY

2010 Loc Maintenance in NYC

2010 Loc Maintenance Chicago, IL

I started braiding hair seriously 17yrs ago in college trying to make some extra money, but I've been braiding hair since I was 6 yrs old living in Allentown, PA...braiding my neighbor/friend's hair.  Now I do natural hair designs for the LOVE of it :) So far, I've done hair in the following states and I still have clientèle in these states: NYC, COLORADO, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, ILLINOIS and more to come...my goal is to have clients in every state I travel to.

What people fail to understand is that braiding and locking are an art form that is not taught at a cosmetology school. We pick it up from playing with Barbie dolls/Cabbage Patch dolls and family members.
For the life of me I can not understand why a person would rather pay a stylist more money just because they're in an establishment for the same services you get at a home location. It shouldn't matter where you get your hair done, as long as you're satisfied with the service and it's done professionally. (I am referring to natural styles. Nothing that has to do with any chemicals being applied to the hair follicle).


Another thing....what is it with the infamous "hook-up"?? Everyone is always looking for a hook-up but when they go to an establishment, they pay full price! Why is that? I understand that times are hard but don't you think times are hard for all of us and we're just trying to make ends meet like you are...so why would you try to con us out of the full price we ask for to get a deal?


To all my kitchenticians I applaud you!!! We put up with way more in the home than at a shop and we're overworked and under appreciated. So this is my way of saying...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! 

RED HOT BRAID OUT

A few days after interlocking my roots, I decided to braid my locs for the crinkle look...

I love my RED HOT BRAID OUT!! :) 

Bantu LocHeart

I finished interlocking my mannequin's entire head so that I can style her up into some loc styles or when I don't feel like trying something on myself...I can use her :) Here's her first locked style...comments welcomed :)

Amazon Natural Essentials - product review

Flaxy Curl Leave in moisturizing conditioner w/flax seed oil
Organic Styling Gel


I absolutely LOVE these products.
They're made by the salon where I went to take my Loc class Amazon Salon 5548 State St. Chicago, IL
773-256-0500


Flaxy Curl is great as a moisturizer and for braid out styles as well as curls. It leaves your hair feeling spongy and healthy...my hair loves it!!!
 Organic Styling gel is great for retwist or maintenance and it doesn't leave your hair greasy or feeling heavy.

Try it for yourself...I know you'll love the results :)

Peace and Blessings!!

Basket Weave LocTie 5/22/10

Here is a style I just decided to try out.

Basket Weave

LocTie