Black Hair Media Articles

If you didn't notice, I am a staff writer for Black Hair Media. For your convenience, I have included links in the menu bar and in the left column. Please feel free to check out my "Natural Corner" and comment.  Here are some of my most recent articles:

Product Review of Qhemet Biologics
Hair Products for Less than $5
Scalp Soothing Remedies
Clay as a Shampoo Alternative
Washing and Detanglng Natural Hair
Making the Most of a Hair Show
Twistout Tips
Hair Product Recipes

Hair Typing Series

Andre Walker Typing System
Hair Texture

Please check out the articles and let me know what you think!

How to Cut Down Your Detangling Time

 

Today, I have a guest post on Natural Hair Rules!

In September, I set a record. It took a whopping three days to detangle my hair. A styling assistant washed my hair in a circular motion, which caused numerous tangles. Then, he proceeded to brush my hair from the root and in a rough manner. ( And continued to do so after I expressed concern.) To top it off, the stylist put my dry, matted hair into flat twists. It took three days to remove deadlocks and shed hairs wrapped around my strands. Some of it was detangled. Some of it was cut.  For the last few months, I  have continued to cut shredded ends.

This is a tale of caution. Extreme example? Maybe. But does it provide some valuable lessons? Yes. If it is taking you hours to detangle your hair, it is likely because your techniques are causing excessive tangling. So if you are wondering why it is taking you so long to detangle your hair, here's why:

You do wash and gos...

When I was pregnant, I was too exhausted to twist my hair. Instead, I opted to do wash and gos. It got me out the door, but I paid for it dearly when it was time to detangle. When you stretch your hair in twists and braids, it prevents your curls from coiling around eachother. Once I returned to my regular twist/twistout regimen, my detangling time was cut down significantly.

You don't trim your ends...

It is a major debate over how often you should trim your hair. But a tell-tale sign that its time for a trim is detangling issues. If you find your comb continuously getting caught at ends of your hair -- and breakage-- then it's time for a trim. 

You don't wash your hair in sections...

I used to hate washing my hair in sections because it was an added step. That was until I learned that it cut the length of my I overall wash session. You can braid (or clip) your hair in four or more sections and attack each section one at a time. Remember to focus on your scalp and then run the shampoo down your hair shaft. (Don't scrub like the styling assistant did. It causes tangles.) You can even try detangling prior to your wash since washing your hair causes some shrinkage (and tangling).

You don't add slip...

Slip is the key to detangling with ease. When my hair was uber tangled after my nightmare styling session, I used an entire bottle of cheapie conditioner and detangled my hair in sections under running water. To add slip, you can use water, conditioner, and/or oil.

So there you have it! The reasons why it is taking you so long detangle your hair. Hopefully, incorporating these methods will cut down on your detangling time.

Do you have any other detangling tricks up your sleeve?

Vintage Post: A Braid Out Story

Stories normally start at the beginning.  They introduce the characters, build the plot, anti-climax, and bring the story home.  But in this story, the middle is the most satiating part of the story.  So let's start "in medias res".  (And yes, I looked up the term.)

My hair for my first date night out with the hubby (after baby).

And here's how we got here...

I adjusted my twist out method for a braid out.  For my braid out, I braided my hair and two stranded twisted the ends. I used Shea Moisture on wet hair and sealed the ends with shea butter.

I put coconut oil on my braids and took them down. What the french toast?!  FAIL! Thumbs WAY down. 

Whenever my curls look funny, I pull them close together. It creates a great illusion. So I separated my braids into smaller curls and pulled them into a puff using a headband.  (Check out this video tutorial by bronzeqt.)  I then put Carol Daughter's Some of Marguerite's Magic on the front and laid it down with a head wrap.

And voila!  I got dressed and then dressed up my puff with a headband.  [Refer to "In medias res"]

Day 2

Day 3 (not pictured)  It shrunk and got a little frizzy so I randomly twisted large sections of my hair and sealed the ends with shea butter. The next day I moisturized with CD's Marguerite's Magic, Mimosa Hair Honey, and jojoba oil. (There was no method to my madness. I just put product on until it felt and looked right)

Day 4 - The results of my big random twists. Love!

 Day 5- My hair is the frizzness. Time to redo.  That night I dampened my hair, and rebraided using the original method. 

Does anyone else have any braid out tips? Please feel free to share!

Welcome

Welcome to "Busy Life. Fab Hair.", a blog dedicated to helping natural women fit their hair routine into their busy lifestyles. Here, you will not only learn how to cut your styling time, but how to embark on your natural hair journey in a more formalized manner. And, of course, you will find tidbits on how to manage various aspects of a busy life.

How to Navigate...

The official launch date for the blog is January 1, 2013.  You will notice that there are various posts in December  -- including posts entitled "Vintage Posts".  These are posts imported from my old blog, "The Quarter Life Chronicles".  This is used to indicate that the particular post is from an earlier point in my hair and life journey.

In the top menu bar, you will find links to all "life" posts in the "Busy Life" section and all "hair" posts in the "Fab Hair" section.  You will also find links for my "Black Hair Media" articles and "Tumblr".  You can also find posts by using the "Search" feature" in the top right hand corner. Another great trick is to utilize the "labels" links at the bottom of each post. I am working on fine tuning the organization of the blog so that topics are easy to find. If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail me at busylifefabhair(at)gmail.com.

In the left column, you will find my features on popular blogs and websites. It is a great place to start if you would like to learn more about me and my hair regimen.

How to Follow...

There are many ways to follow me and the blog.  (Check out my social media links in the top right hand corner.)

Follow me on Facebook.

Follow me on Instagram. (I am VERY active there.)

Follow me on Twitter.

Follow me via Feedburner.

Follow me on Tumblr.

How to Contact Me...

E-mail me at busylifefabhair(at)gmail.com with any business inquiries or general questions.

Submit photos and questions to my Tumblr.

Re-Authoring Your Story

Last spring, in my "Theories of Counseling" course,  I was introduced to Adlerian Theory. In his theory, progress in  therapy was marked by changes in early childhood recollections.  I understood the theory-- enough to do well on the test.  But it wasn't until my "Student Affairs" course --which borrows from psychology and sociology -- this fall that I truly got it.  In one of my readings, we learned about "re-authoring your story".  According to this, a student reached maturity when they learned how to "re-author their story". It was then that I truly got it.  Here is my interpretation...

What does it mean to "re-author your story"?  Does the plot change?  Does the outcome of the villain change? Are chapters of the story wiped out? If only it were that easy...

When you re-author your story, you change the one aspect of the story that you can control. YOU.  When you read a novel, the author's voice sets the tone of the story.  The inflections of voice and reflections on occurrences, change how the story is told and how it is perceived to readers.  In life, the same holds true. Although you may not be able to rewrite your story, you do have the ability to re-author it.

I have learned that in life it is easy to play the role of the victim.  It is easy to focus on how life isn't fair and dwell on the hand you've been dealt.  But sadly, playing the victim doesn't get you anywhere in life. Why?  Because when you perceive yourself as being the victim of your circumstances, you relinquish all of your power.  Think about it. In every story you have read, when has the victim overcome their circumstances?  When they stopped wallowing in self-pity, and decided to do something.  They did what was hard.  They stopped being the victim.

It's easier said than done. I know.  Some have been dealt the hand of broken homes, great betrayal, abuse, and other horror stories.  But what are your choices?  Play the victim and subject yourself to further abuse.  (You've seen such stories on TV on shows like Intervention and in real life --your neighbors, your families, and in the reflection in  your mirror.) Or you can move forward with your life...

Too many times we seek healing in an apology that many times may never come.  The closure you seek is within yourself.  When I understood this, I finally got the saying, "You have to forgive others, not for them, but for yourself."  When you forgive, you take back that power that they once held over you.  When you forgive, you allow yourelf to move forward in life. Otherwise, you remain stuck. Because while you've been fixated on the pain that person inflicted, they moved on a long time ago. Probably the second after the occurrence.  While you remained stuck, their life went on.  Thus, you've given them power, far beyond the hurt they inflicted upon you.  When you forgive them, you take back that power. 

Re-authoring your story doesn't happen overnight.  It may take weeks, months, and in some cases ... years.  You will never forget the pain. But you can choose to stop inflicting pain upon yourself. You can stop using it as your excuse for your poor choices.  You can move on.  Otherwise, you will remain stuck.  I learned that lesson many years ago.  And I haven't looked back since.... (Maybe, every once in a while I'll take a glance. But, I've learned to not let it hold me back.)

Let's Discuss.

Straight vs. Curly

No  it's not a straight vs. curly debate. I'm so beyond tired of those debates.

I decided to develop a reference chart for what my hair likes in its straight and curly states.  I figured it may be a helpful resource.

Does anyone else have any other straight vs. curly tips?

Guest Post: Resume Writing Tips

I am pleased to present today's guest post by Zakia Johnson. We attended high school and college together. So when she announced that she will be offering resume writing consultations (resumedivaz@gmail.com ), I asked her to do a guest post. Here she shares her own experience and provides great resume writing tips!

Zakia Johnson is a counselor and adjunct faculty member at Howard Community College. Prior to joining the Howard Community College staff, she was employed at the University of Maryland Baltimore County as an academic advisor and program coordinator for the Erickson School where she assisted students in their academic, internship, and career development. She discovered her passion in student advocacy through her experiences as a student and staff member at the University of Delaware where she received her B.A in Criminal Justice/Sociology and her M.Ed. in College Counseling. Currently, she is actively pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. She also is an active member of the Maryland and Delaware communities through her work as a mentor for My Sister’s Circle (in Baltimore, MD), Chair of the Board of Directors for Teens In Perspective, Inc. (serving the entire state of Delaware), and an active alum serving on the University of Delaware Black Alumni Organization's Homecoming Committee. Zakia lives in Randallstown, MD with her husband and daughter. She is ecstatic to encourage, empower, and educate students, colleagues, and peers to be active and contributing citizens!

As we all know, the job market is suffering and the people of the United States are struggling even more. The unemployment rate is at an all time low (as of June 2011, 9.2% Ref.http://www.bls.gov/cps/ ). I personally experienced the devastating impact of being laid off. In May of 2009, I was laid off from my former employer due to budget cuts from the company funding our department. Many of us in education often assume that we will ALWAYS have a job. As an active and successful higher education administrator, I never thought in a million years that I would be without a job. Boy was I up for a rude awakening! I took the 9 months I was laid off to reflect on my personal and career goals, became an active volunteer for two non-profit organizations, and revamped my resume. I literally sent out over 100 resumes and cover letters to different higher education institutions for varying positions. I was perplexed as to why I only received a few phone interviews, a handful of on-campus interviews, and several rejection letters. Clearly I was well qualified and capable of being a successful employee for most if not all the positions I applied for. So, I decided to review my resume again and identify what I needed to allow my resume to stand out from the hundreds of resumes recruiters see on a daily basis.

Below are some of the tips/tricks I used to make myself marketable and I believe they can be useful for anyone currently job searching:

1. Use design that grabs attention

The design of your resume must highlight the most important information about your work experience, skills and education. At first glance this information forms the image that employers have of your skills and abilities.

2. Create content that sells

Resume design should get attention but it's really the content of your resume, the descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate--as well as the level of salary offers you receive.

3. Tweak & target your resumes & cover letters

You will generate many more interviews by tweaking your resume and cover letter so that they address the specific skills each employer requests.

4. Spell Check & Proofread Grammar

I have been told by many recruiters and employers that they've passed on resumes that have grammar and spelling errors throughout the resume/cover letter. I strongly encourage you not only to use the spell check program in Word, but also go through your cover letters/resumes with a fine tooth comb to ensure there are no errors in either document--it could be the determining factor of whether you get an interview or not!

5. Consider a bulleted style to make your resume reader-friendly.

6. Don't stress yourself out by adhering to the one-page resume rule.

It's good to keep your resume to one page, if possible. But if you have a lot of experience, two pages may be more appropriate. If your resume spills beyond one page, but you have less than a half a page of material for the second page, it may be best to condense to one page.

7. Do NOT lie on your resume--the truth shall set you free!

8. Make sure that each page of your resume has your name on it.

Sometimes recruiters/employers/search committees can lose pages. I would recommend making your first and last name the header of each page after the first (since the first page should already have your name and contact info on it).

9. Do consider a section such as "Summary of Qualifications," or "Profile," which can also help sharpen your focus. Here is an example from my own resume:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Professional Profile

· Resourceful, creative problem-solver with proven aptitude to analyze and translate student development theories into practice.

· Proficient educator who has designed and implemented innovative approaches to student learning in traditional and non-traditional educational settings.

· Organized administrator with effective oral and written communication skills.

· Dynamic leader with the ability to articulate the varying approaches/models for multicultural education.

· Visionary professional with proven aptitude to develop and implement departmental short and long range goals.

· Collaborative team player with demonstrated ability to interact well with a diverse group of people at a local, national, or global level

· Efficient in Microsoft Program Use: PowerPoint, Word, and Excel

10. Be mindful of how you display professionalism in your resume--your first impression is often your last! 

Using your email address from college or high school (e.g. cutiepie19@hotmail.com or the mandingo92@yahoo.com ) is not displaying the best first impression. 

Remember, your resume is not the only tool to get you the job, but it will definitely assist in getting your foot in the door for the first interview...the rest is up to you and how you market yourself! 

If you are interested in having your resume and/or cover letter created/reviewed/revamped by Zakia Johnson, please send an email to resumedivaz@gmail.com.

Zakia Johnson, M.Ed.