Say hello to my new friend...

My last post was on my recent purchase of kinky curly hair.

Meet my newest item to the 'Illusions Collection,' Mademoiselle Erica.

iLOVE when my hair turns out just how I wanted it to. I'm working on the pictorial of how I constructed this unit, but wanted to post a picture of the final product. 

Happy growing loves, and stay tuned. 

Winter Break

Meet Olivia , my brazilian body wave layered bob and closure.

She's my lover for the winter.

My original plan was to use some old Brazilian hair I had to make a wig for these cold winter months, but when my sister and I decided to head to South Florida for Thanksgiving, I made an appointment with my stylist extraordinaire  Christina  at Studiotress to have her lay some hands on this head.

And as usual, she delivered.

If you've been a faithful reader, Christina also laid Sheeba out back in March when I had my Brazilian Kinky-Curly install. This girl is talented, so I wanted to use this post as a two-for-one: share my new do' and highlight a small business since today is Small Business Saturday.

As a working/professional natural, I cannot stress how much I appreciate good service. Especially as my hair grows. I've previously recounted several occasions when I've walked out of appointments or had a few choice words with hair dressers who have complained about the length and thickness of my hair. Christina's one of a handful of my stylists who love my hair, in fact, each appointment some how turns into a professional development session for both client and service provider.

This time was no different. I initially requested a short Mimi G - type coif, but when she began blowing out Sheeba for my coif, there was some discussion as to how we would achieve a flat foundation braid pattern for such a short do. I then stumbled upon a picture of Rashida Jones' natural bang, and my vision changed. I told her that I wanted an angled bob a la First Lady with some Rashida bangs, that could also be worn as a variation of Olivia Pope's do' from Scandal (Season 1). I love when my stylist gets my quirky visions. I also love sharing good service, I'm not one to hold onto a gem and not share with others because I don't want others knowing my secret. I prefer to tell the world because I discovered many of my stylists via word of mouth, so I like to pay it forward whenever possible.

Sorry for the blurriness :/

So it's time to pay it forward, below you'll find a list of my favorite stylists. I share this information freely with many of my friends quiet often, and if you've been a faithful follower (subscribe to the right), we are basically family anyways, so I don't mind sharing who keeps Sheeba looking good when I don't have the strength or time to do so myself. 

I get my hair done mainly in DC, but travel to Miami for my sew-ins.

DC -

• Press - Tizeta @ Kedus Salon (301) 495-0114
• Twists (w/ my own hair) - Yaella @ Twist it Sistah (202) 832-3157
• Cut & color - Camille @ Salon Noire (301) 495-5873
• Braids, Senegalese/ Kinky Twists (with synthetic or human hair) - Julie*

Miami - 

• Sew-ins - Christina @ Salontress
• Braids - Marie*
• Kinky Twists - Nadia*

* My braiders usually work from home, so if interested inbox me for their contact information.

I love supporting small businesses, especially since many of the products that I (previously) used were created by small local vendors who had a genuine interest in providing quality products for natural consumers. If you have a favorite product or stylist feel free to share, I'll be posting small business features monthly in an effort to share some of Sheeba's faves.

If you're a small business interested in being interviewed for a future post, please email me at sosheeba@gmail.com.

Happy growing.

Weavie Wonder

Every two months or so, I find a new protective style to hide my hair under. And every time I tell my family or my lovebug that I'm getting my hair 'did,' I always receive a similar reply: "Why?" or "You have all this beautiful hair, why do you cover it up with this fake stuff?"

I'd love to switch places with them for a few days, just so they understand the struggle I encounter when I wash and style my hair. 

I usually reply that I want to give my hair a rest from being constantly manipulated or because I'm getting tired of doing my hair regularly, but it's really because I want my hair to grow undisturbed. I have found that my hair sprouts when I've hidden it for 2-3 months at a time.

Over the past four years, I have worn braids, kinky twists, Senegalese twists, and sew-ins. As my hair

got longer I found it difficult to find someone in the DMV area to style my hair the way I liked at a reasonable price, so whenever I would go home to visit my mother, I also get my hair done by a close friend for the lowski-woahski.

But times have changed, and sometimes our schedules do not align as they once did, so I've taken to the mean streets of YouTube to teach myself the art of wig-making... I praise baby Jesus for wig tutorials, because they've revolutionized my protective style game. I have since revamped my Brazilian Kinky Curly (Sophia) and am in the process of wigging my Mongolian Kinky Curly to debut over the weekend using this tutorial. I'll update this post once I've installed my new hair.

Here are a few links and steps to get you started:

1. Purchase good quality hair, I use vendors from the UK/ France and LOVE not only the customer service but the price and quality. Desir Hair and EHM Hair Company have done me well. They have sales frequently so stalk their page before you buy. I also have Halley Curls in my stash for when I want a straight look. I have heard of people purchasing hair from Ali Express, and my only comment on that is you get what you pay for, so proceed with caution. Princess Hair Shop, Sheena's Emporium, Wagman's and etc. are also a few other places to look for hair. I now prefer purchasing curly hair since Sheeba's long and I don't want to worry about my braid pattern being ultra flat, but at the end of the day, I recommend buying what you can afford and will make you feel/look good.

2. Wash and SEAL SEAL SEAL your wefts prior to installing. Seal both sides, I made the mistake of only sealing one side of my Braz and had hair shedding daily. I use a combination of Dritz Fray Check and Aleene's Fabric Fusion. I seal one side with the Dritz, and the other with Aleene's. There's no real reason for my method, I just like having one side shiny and the other matte, ESPECIALLY when I'm working in the front of my wig.

3. Customize your wig head. The ones at the beauty supply store run for about $2.99, but since I have a big head I use packing tape to increase the circumference and nape size. Creating a wig head to the specs of your head make it easier to lay your tracks and ensure a proper fit.

4. Purchase a dome cap and wig clips. My first few attempts at wig making were with the netted wig cap, but it didn't really feel 'secure' when I wore it. I was in fear that my hair would fall off in the wind or if I had to sprint for the bus. Dome caps are tighter and make me feel like it's sewn in.

My next project (after the Mongolian KC wig) shall be fantastical, I've stalked the Internets and haven't seen one like it. Stay tuned loves, but until then... happy growing.

EDIT: 07/07/13 - As promised, here is my newest install 'Coco'. I followed the YouTube tut posted
above, but sewed it in a side part pattern instead of a side-swoop. My hair is braided underneath so I actually have no leave-out. I love her, she's soft, she's beautiful, she's Sheeba's twin if I was ever brave enough to rock a wash-n-go.