Tracee's Got Something for the 3B - 4C Curls

As a fellow member of the natural hair movement I was elated when I received the news that actress Tracee Ellis Ross has thrown her natural hair care hat in the ring and is launching her very own line. Titled Patten, according to Ross this vision has been a 20 year dream and 10 years in the making. Writing her first brand pitch in 2008, Ross took her time and worked with a team of chemists for 2 years to formulate what she finds as the perfect combination of safe ingredients to cater to the 3B - 4C audience. After testing over 74 samples on herself along with her panel of different hair types, Ms Ross finally landed 7 products as an introduction to the Pattern collection.

What is also exciting about this brand is the sizes available for purchase. One of my main issues personally with natural hair products is the small sizes. Usually after two washes I need a whole new bottle of shampoo conditioner. Ross provides the option of large, refillable travel sizes and reasonable pricing to make Pattern affordable and accessible. Now the question is will all melanated hair types love it? We shall find out when Pattern makes it’s debut on September 9th. I for one will be following up with a review and photos of my results.

For more information and to get updates on the launch, visit https://patternbeauty.com

-Love & Light my Rising Roses!

Calling It What It Is: Cultural Appropriation Problems

Photo/Graphic Design Cred: QREV Production

"Love your wild hair look", "It's messy but it looks so cute on you", "You need to tame those tresses"... Reactions to my hair in it's natural state. The comments did not bother me much until the other day scrolling through my timeline I see a video titled, Beautiful Texture. The video is showing a tutorial of how to get the natural hair look for people with straight hair, specifically, white people.

I sat and watched as a white stylist dampen, spray, and wind the model's hair tightly around pins, added more spray, pressed each pin down with a flat iron, and set to dry. The end result was what was described as a "Zig Zag Twist". My side eye intensified as I thought to myself, that's a braid out. You know, when black women braid or twist their hair and pick it out. No chemical manipulations needed.

This lead to me thinking more about cultural appropriation. How many instances in my life I've witnessed or have been subject to white society creating a negative perception of black culture until they adopt it as their own and present is as something trendy. Something they supposedly thought up all on their own (see my It's Not A French Braid post). From our full lips, curvy figure, hairstyles, music and fashion, they all have been re-presented in some way to appease white society.

Some of you may say, "well black society appropriates white culture as well. Take relaxers and straight weaves for example". My answer to that is for generations, it has been beaten into black people (literally in some cases), that their natural beauty, their culture, their sense of identity is not accepted and in order to be viewed as somewhat acceptable, they must conform to the ways of their oppressors. This reality is so deeply rooted that it still affects us as a whole today.

Now we are in a time where slowly our eyes are being opened to the beauty of our culture. Black women are relaxing less and allowing their hair to grow in it's natural state. We are tapping into our roots and exploring head wraps. We are taking over social media with hashtags like #BlackGirlMagic #BlackGirlsRock #MyBlackIsBeautiful. We are researching our history and learning to love ourselves. It seems the more pride we attain and convey, the more our culture is appropriated.

To be clear, I have no issue with white society admiring and participating in black culture. Something so beautiful should be shared. My issue is when our culture is taken and disguised with a white stamp of approval. Just give us our recognition and call it what it is. No reinvention is needed.

Kind Regards

French Braid? Dutch Braid? No It's Actually an African Braid

Photo Cred: QREV Production
Earrings: Kadokele

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." A bible reference my mother has reminded me of many times growing up. And so far this saying has been proven true time and time again. From fashion trends to hairdo's, society finds new ways to reinvent what's already been done and call it something different to intrigue the masses.

Recently I've noticed, braids have become popular. Not by the Africans that have worn them forever, but more so by the Caucasian population, particularly, white women have fallen in love with the braid. What's interesting is it's celebrities of European decent that have brought attention to the not so new trend. I read a a statement from a white hairstylist stating "The French Braid is all the Rage". I thought to myself, "French braid? Why do they even call it that?" The title of the French, Dutch or any Euro heading for the three strand hairstyle is perplexing to me considering there is nothing European about it at all.

Braids emerged quite some time ago in the northern part of Africa. The earliest evidence of the style is found in the Tassili n'Ajjer mountain range in Algeria. There, rock art depicting women wearing rowed braids dates back almost 6000 years, For those of you who need a visual of exactly where that is:

The reality is braids were made popular by black people. I remember as a child being bombarded with questions from the inquisitive minds of my white classmates as to why my hair was quote, "twisted up like that all the time" because the intricate styling of braids were foreign to their lifestyle during that period. So even at that age, I recognized that braids were a thing of afro-culture. With that being pretty obvious, why is any style of braid given a title anything other than African? 

My take, many things of African culture have been stolen or downplayed to take the light off of the fact that we have contributed a majority of innovations to this world as far as we can document. Concepts, principles, inventions, religion, fashion, style etc have been brought to fruition and pioneered by Africans. Due to a world where we were once of as thought of less than human, any positive contribution that we made was hidden. To title something as French, Dutch, or Euro was easier to accept by white society. 

I know some of you may say the name is not a big deal but the smallest change in our history alters the perception for future generations. It is crucial for our black boys and girls to be fully educated on who they are and the importance of their people's existence and contribution in every aspect.  

Now I have no issue with white people wearing braids. Beautiful things are meant to share. Just make sure next time you hear someone say, "I love your French braid", smile and politely say "Thank you it's actually an African braid. French braids don't exist." A small mental seed can go a long way.