Erykah Badu: "Window Seat"

Erykah Badu's first music video from her new album "Window Seat" was shot guerrilla-style on March 17th in Dallas at Dealey Plaza where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The cast of the video being people unaware what was happening as she undressed while walking were clearly caught off guard (I love the scene of the guy running behind her picking up her clothes).

Currently, the Dallas police are investigating whether to charge Ms. Badu with indecent exposure...wow Erykah.

New Amerykah Part II: Return Of The Ankh is available for purchase today, March 30th. Visit Erykah Badu here, I love Erykah so I'm not surprised at all, what do all of think about the hoopla surrounding this video?

********UP DATE*********

Erykah has been charged with indecent exposure. Lawd, let's wait and see what outfits she'll be wearing to court!

You Tube: Chescalocs'

I checked out this fun new vlog Loc'd Up Video Collab by chescalocs about locs and the strange things people do and say, love it! Visit chescalocs channel here.

Toronto Natural Bellas Gathering: Thank You!

From left to right: Faith, Natalie (me), Mona, & Tiffany

Faith - She won!!!

Sandra - She brought some great products for all of us to look at like Trader Joes which isn't in Canada as yet.

Mona - Always stylish, go girl!

Tiffany - I loved Tiffany's flat ironed hair, it looked so healthy and thick!

We need to definitely do this again and get the word out to all natural Bellas in Toronto that there is support out there to keep you motivated especially if you are a newbie. A few people didn't show up which was disappointing, I think it is important for all of to think of gatherings as important. It's a time for us to have fun, share stories, get motivated and get free products! Change starts with you and all of us that attended are more than happy to give you feedback on our experience through this journey.

A Story About Red Palm Oil

A few years ago right after by BC I was still searching for shea butter. I stopped by my local African beauty supply store to see what kind of shea butter they had. I saw some shea butter that looked okay and started talking to the sales lady about shea butter and how I'm going to use it in my hair. I continued to tell her I was going to try to whip the shea butter to make it soft and easier to apply to my hair and scalp.

Somehow during our exchange red palm oil came up, she told me that they use it in pine soup and to cook other dishes at which point I told her I tried it in my hair a few months ago and didn't like it because it was staining my pillow case. Her eyes became so wide and she looked at me shocked, she even called over the other sales ladies in the store so that they could hear me repeat what I said. I told them again that I used it in my hair as a light moisturizer and scalp lubricant but it stained my pillow case so I stopped using it.

At this point they looked mystified and wanted to know who had told me to use it in my hair and I said I saw some ladies online using it and bought some to try it out. Some of the women began to laugh and some just stood there looking at me with the expression of "really?" plastered on their faces. These women were from Ghana and had never heard of such a thing. Oh well, I guess I schooled them on another use of red palm oil...

Model Moment: Sedene

Sedene Blake started modeling November of 2009 in New York and previously modeled in Jamaica for two years and already has solidified herself as a rising star and one to watch. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, the nineteen year old has proclaimed that she wants to be the "biggest model." She has already done shows for Jason Wu, Catherine Malendrino, Carolina Herrera, and Philip Lim to name a few.

Look out for her in Vogue Italia, Russian Vogue, W, Pop Magazine, Interview Magazine and Teen Vogue. To see more of Sedene please visit her at New York Model Management here and you can view her interview with Bethann Hardison at Vogue Black here.

Alek Wek Covers Elle South Africa

Alek Wek covers Elle South Africa for April 2010. She looks absolutely gorgeous!

Nightly Combing and Brushing / Plus The Silicone Debate

Over the past two weeks I've been combing or brushing my hair in sections before bed. I use a wide tooth comb or my Jilbere brush. I've noticed a difference in the fewer amounts of knots I get. Why do I think this is working for me?

My hair is very coily and curly. When my hair is left to its own devices it seems to coil in on it self and than knot. By combing or brushing my hair my ends stay elongated which prevents my ends from coiling in on themselves. I simply, lightly wet my hair each night with water using my spray bottle which reactivates the leave-in conditioner and moisturizer in my hair and use my wide tooth comb to detangle my hair, twist and than place in a bantu knot (chini-bump) for bed. This has worked very well and I will post a follow up. Every other night I use shea butter or my pomade on my ends to keep them moist while twisting.

The no-comb method seems to have caused more knots in my hair since I just 'leave my hair'. I probably detangle or comb/brush my hair four to five times a week. As long as my hair is well conditioned and moisturized my hair is fine. Also, the use of water or steam enables my hair to maintain a high moisture level. During my baths I allow the steam to do 'its thing' with my hair, sometimes I add avocado oil or I spray my hair while setting it for bed.

I have also stopped using products that have silicones and petro-chemicals since I think the silicones in products coat my hair than leads to dry ends which allows my ends to knot more easily. My ends knots excessively only when I use silicone based conditioners, so I stay away from them.

Conditioners That Are Silicone Free

EO
Aubrey Organics
Kiss My Face
Lustrasilk
Druide
Giovanni
Nature's Gate
Dr. Bronners (Conditioner Rinse)

These are just a few brands that make exceptional conditioners for our hair needs that have no silicones added. Please read the Lustrasilk conditioners before purchasing, the best ones to use is the Shea Butter Cholesterol Plus and the Organic Cholesterol with Argan Oil (will review soon).

I will definitely go more in depth discussing silicones and our hair and the benefits of not using them if you are experiencing the same trauma after using silicone based conditioners.

Product Review: Dr. Bronner's Shikakai Soap and Hair Creme

I am so bad, I am always looking for amazing natural/organic products and am shameless about my addiction to finding them, hoarding them and declaring them to friends and family. This past Sunday I was driving around and thought to stop by the Big Carrot to check out some Dr. Bronner's products. I had a bad experience with the Pure Castile Soap so I was a little apprehensive about trying their other products. I pick up the Dr. Bronner's Magic ALL-ONE Organic Fair Trade Skikakai Soap in Lavender (mouth full) and the Dr. Bronner's Magic ALL-ONE Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme For Leave-In Conditioning & Light Styling in Lavender Coconut (another mouth full). I went straight home and got to work.

I washed my hair with the Shikakai Soap and fell in love, sorry Aubrey Organics, it was so sweet, literally. The soap taste like a sweet syrup which is good if it gets in your mouth. The sweetness is because of the high amount of white grape juice and organic sucrose in it and the scent is minimal so its good if you are sensitive to scents. My curls were popping, my hair stayed moist even after three washes and it thoroughly cleaned my hair. I don't think I've been this excited about a hair cleanser before. I truly love this product and I'm hooked.

Another good feature is that it comes as a pump bottle which allows you to use it in the bath/shower without worrying about spilling product. This soap can also be used as a face wash, body wash and I will be trying it out when I shave.

The Hair Creme which is a leave in conditioner and light styling product is another surprise! I love the subtle lavender coconut scent and absolutely adore the texture of this creme. This creme has major slip and makes detangling a breeze, it also adds a light amount of moisture to the hair, and aides in styling by giving a very light hold, I was able to slick down my edges with this creme along with some pomade and got a natural hold that I absolutely love. When I styled my hair it stayed in place without feeling stiff but very soft and moist. This product has been under the radar for a while, I haven't heard any naturals mention it and I'm happy I decided to try it out, this is another staple and will be my leave-in conditioner and styling aide, another amazing product!


Dr. Bronner's Magic ALL-ONE Organic Fair Trade Skikakai Soap

Performance: This product thoroughly cleaned my hair and scalp, please keep in mind I don't use silicone or petro-chemical based products so your results may vary. My curls were popping and my hair stayed moist even after three washes, it's a keeper! 2/2

Price: 12 ounces for 12.49 CAD, if you love this product its better to buy it online at vitacost.com 2/2

Ingredients: Organic Shikakai Extract (Organic White Grape Juice, Organic Sucrose*, Organic Shikakai Powder), Saponified Organic Coconut* and Olive* Oils, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Lavandin Oil, Organic Lavender Oil, Citric Acid, Vitamin E. *Certified fair trade by IMO. 1/1

Dr. Bronner's Magic ALL-ONE Organic Fair Trade Skikakai Soap 5/5

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Dr. Bronner's Magic ALL-ONE Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme For Leave-In Conditioning & Light Styling

Performance: This creme acts as a leave-in conditioner and light styling product, I love it! A little dab goes a long way. The scent is subtle and I am able to get amazing manageability with my hair when I use this creme. It adds a high shine to my hair most likely because of the coconut oil and it doesn't make my hair feel sticky or crunchy, instead I get very soft hair that is easy to style. 2/2

Price: 6 ounces for 10.99 CAD, it's better to buy it online if this is a favourite of yours, visit vitacost.com 2/2

Ingredients: Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Organic Ethanol (denatured with Organic Lavender Oil), Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Quillaja Extract, Tocopherols
* CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENT 1/1

Dr. Bronner's Magic ALL-ONE Organic Fair Trade Hair Creme For Leave-In Conditioning & Light Styling 5/5

Naturally Loved: Part Seventeen

Meeting up with other naturals to exchange stories about our journey and tips and tricks is so important to me. It helps us to encourage each other especially when we need to get over our 'humps'. In our daily lives we encounter people who have questions or wonder why we choose to not chemically alter the texture of our hair.

I have gotten a lot of compliments concerning my hair these past couple of weeks and I like to use these times to tell them how easy it is to care for natural hair. I was able to share with a few people the benefits of shea butter and showed them a sample of raw unrefined shea butter and they were in awe! Can you believe that? Sometimes I take these things for granted and yet their are people who have no clue as to how shea butter actually looks. Also, I met a few people who looked confused when I told them I use natural conditioners and cleansers in my hair like apple cider vinegar to help clarify my scalp. Alot of people still have misconceptions about natural hair care and are in the dark as to how to care for naturally curly, kinky, coily hair, this includes other women of colour that I spoke with recently.

The knowledge we posses about our hair is so precious, we need to share it with the younger generation and instill in them the importance of knowing how to care for their hair in its natural state. We need to support companies that use natural ingredients to make their products and do so with love because they experience what we experience about caring for naturally kinky hair. We need to support salons and hair dressers that know how to care for naturally kinky hair because they truly love the texture of their hair as much as we do. And we need to support businesses that embrace our hair texture because the person selling you the hair product has the same texture of hair like yourself. When we are able to incorporate these standards in to how we spend our money and time concerning our hair than we have created a foundation of support that will encourage us to know we made the right decision.

Happy Growing,



Natalie

Vintage 'Fros: Nina Simone

Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933–April 21, 2003) also known by her stage name Nina Simone is a legend, her voice is in a category by itself and so is her music. Her style and embracing of her natural hair was forward thinking and ahead of many of her contemporaries. She truly represented our beauty.

You Tube: Stylin' Natural Hair

Glamazini does a great braid out tutorial. I love her vlogs and urge all of you to check out her You Tube channel here and her blog at glamazini.com

Chisellecouture is so creative with her hair! She really plays in it and comes up with some retro-chic styles. Check out her You Tube channel here.

Splinta24 is another one of my faves on You Tube. She always has great vlogs to help us with product options and styling our hair. I love this vlog because when you need to go to work and have 5 minutes to do a corporate-do she shows us it is possible! Check out her You Tube channel here.

Toronto Natural Bellas Gathering

When: Saturday March 13th beginning at 7.30 PM, official meet up begins at 9 PM
Where: Playtime Bowl @ 33 Samor Rd. (south of Orfus Rd.)

The Meet Up begins at 7.30 PM to eat and mingle and the start time for bowling @ Playtime Bowl is at 9 PM. Please e mail Mona to confirm if you are coming for the bowling portion or both eats and bowling. We will be divided into team(s) of six so please confirm with Mona if you are coming for the bowling portion so that the reservations can be confirmed.

The Details:

- 33 Samor Rd. Toronto, Ontario, M6A 1J2 (south of Orfus Rd.)
- $70 (includes tax) for two hours (divided by 6)
- $4 for shoe rental
- E mail Mona @ mona27lisa@hotmail.com

Mona's Details:

Please advise me 48 hours prior if you are not able to make it as this will give me a better sense of how many lanes we need. Also, lanes are only held for 10 minutes after which point we loose our lane/s plus my deposit, so lets be on time. Hope to see you all there, and be sure to bring products that you'd like to swap or sell.

On a somewhat related note, I cleaned out my hair stash the other day and thought how ridiculous it was that I had accumulated so many hair products. Ridick! Before cleaning out my cupboards, I could totally have stocked a small beauty supply shop, lol. I'm sure most of you can relate, so lets make it into a contest of sorts. Yup, we want to see your product stash. Just bring a picture of your budding product catalog to our next meet-up and we'll collectively decide on who the biggest hair junkie is. In addition to having an intervention for the winner, we will also send you to rehab with a $10 iTunes gift card. Be sure to invite your friends and fam as all are welcomed.

See you all soon,

Mo

"Single Black Female" The Play

These educated career women have it all... except that someone special to share life with! 'Single Black Female' is a two woman show with rapid fire comic vignettes that explores the lives of these hip ladies as they search for love, clothes, and dignity.

Come join them in their world, celebrate and laugh out loud as these phenomenal females explain what it really means to be single in modern day America. From the highs and the lows, the ups and the downs, and everything... and we mean “everything” in between.

Everyone can learn a thing or two from these “tell it like it is” ladies... especially men! (source)

Lisa B. Thompson is a playwright and the brainchild behind this play which explores the life of single women from the black woman's perspective. Martin Damien Wilkins directs the play, visit SingleBlackFemaleThePlay.com for more info.

CAST
Candice Mckoy as SBF1
Janel C. Scarborough as SBF2

SHOWTIMES
George Weston Recital Hall
5040 Yonge Street at Sheppard
www.tocentre.com

Sat. March 13 - 8 PM
Sun. March 14 - 5 PM
Fri. March 19 - 8 PM
Sat. March 20 - 5 PM
Sun. March 21 - 5 PM

BOX OFFICE INFO

Phone - 416-872-1111 (service charges apply).
Online - www.ticketmaster.ca (service charges apply).
Ticketmaster Outlets - patrons visit any Ticketmaster Outlet in Southern Ontario (service charges apply).

The Toronto Centre Box Office Hours
Mon. - Sat. 11:00 - 6:00P.M
Sun. - 12 noon - 4:00P.M.