As The Wind Blows

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I try to really reflect on my life and the choices I make to help reduce my chances of facing breast cancer in my future.  My mother, maternal aunt and mother-n-law are survivors and I use their strength to not fear it but work to find answers and minimize any risk that I can control.  Every year I try and support  research for a cure by purchasing items and making donations and I will share some of them with you but this year Im also trying to step up preventing within myself. This year one of my favorite beauty stores, Ulta ,  offered a variety of items to purchase with proceeds being donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation . They call their promotion "Donate with a Kiss" and I love it.  I purchased a reusable cup for $5 and an EOS lip balm & lotion pod set for $5.99 . I plan to return and get a beautiful kiss pink umbrella before the month is over for $10.  I also  wondered into ...

Earlier this week I introduced you guys to the new blogger/vlogger (well new to me) that I have been enjoying Francheska of HeyFranHey on Youtube.  I promised to share some of her tips that I have been using so here's a couple.... Posted on her instagram page..she displayed a photograph of her nails and a note that she had done an coconut oil message to achieve the length and strength.  I shared the photo with my daughter and we decided to give it a try. Weekly I massaged my nails with Organic unrefined Coconut Oil and then I polished them with a nail color.  The first week I began to see growth and I was amazed but not completely sold... It has been 3 weeks and I have seen a big difference . Day 1 Week 3 I was so surprised that without using any form of growth enhancing polish or treatment that simply applying coconut oil to my nail beds once a week had produced such a difference.  It makes me think that if I eat healthy I will see even more. Tia also had ...

It is very easy to dismiss information or advice from someone younger and I am guilty of doing just that.  I normally lean towards wisdom coming with age and experience but I have recently confronted myself with the notion that my age discrimination needed to be a thing of the past. I had overcame it in the area of natural hair but that was about it. However my eyes opened to the children not only being our future but our present when I stumbled on the YouTube channel called  "HeyFranHey" . I was browsing the tube for videos to inspire me with maybe a new hairstyle, technique or maybe even make me laugh and i stumbled upon her channel.  I normally look for videos that have people who have the same hair texture as my daughter or myself, she didn't but something drew me to watch.  The first video introduced herself and what she planned for the channel and I was intrigued.  She was vegetarian (vegan ...

Its that time again ...Time to see  the must haves for the Fall hair and wardrobe season.  Atlanta is the place to be the last week in September and this season Tarin is bringing the "Glitz, Glam & Glitter" Events are planned throughout the week beginning September 24-30  Check out the info below and get ready for a great time! Check out the videos & get excited! Get your tickets, check out the schedule events & reserve your hotel room by visiting the official website  www.frofashionweek.com

I know its been a while since I made a post and I am truly sorry! So to try and make up for it I have decided to do a contest.  This should be a fun one that can get everyone's creative juices flowing. The contest is currently going on now until Monday August 27th . You need to submit a photo of yourself re-creating a hair look of a celebrity that inspires you to my facebook page , Instagram (with me tagged @mslawanda ) or via email and I will post to both sites and the picture that gets the most likes will win...... A $25 Target Gift Card ... Ms Diana Ross Now you don't need to look like the celebrity ( as you will see in my submissions ) but you need to be inspired by the star. Photos need to be submitted with a split screen so that we can see the inspired look. You can use  free apps like PicFrame if you like. I cant wait to see your photos so please submit and share with your friends! Ms Elle Varner  What do you think of my celebrity inspired looks? Leave a...

I was browsing my YouTube subscriptions and I came across videos upon videos responding to a rant from one of my favorite Vloggers ..Taren916. My first thought was why is someone messing with my girl (even though we have never met)...So I went to her channel and saw the controversy starting video.. The video began with my full support of "my girl" but then she lost me..I have always seen YouTube as a great platform for people to showcase themselves and, if wanted, get opportunities to capitalize on their success BUT..its built on being a grass root forum.  Her snubbing the small business owner and classifying herself as top tier was out of bounds for me.  I understand that you need to give yourself value but YouTube is about the small business, the unknown and giving the normally unappreciated areas of society a voice.  I watch YouTube vids to see people who look like me, care about what matters to me and not make me feel as if they are using me. Small business ...

The summer has official began and my hair is feeling the burn.  The temperature is 90 degrees or more daily  but this week we are feeling the heat with chart topping 109 degrees! The moisture is being strangled out of my strands having them desperate for water like I reside in the Sahara desert. I knew I needed to take action so I put on my mixtress apron and set out to answer the S.O.S. from my desperate kinks. I decided to give my hair a much needed deep conditioning (DC) and sit under my heat cap to help penetrate the curls. I gathered a few ingredients and went to mixing.  Here's what I grabbed and why:  Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Masque ~ I truly like this product, its gives me results immediately and its a staple  TRESemme' Split End Remedy Conditioner ~ I had a free sample that I received from Walmart and although I have no idea if it will send my split ends a packing I know it will provide great slip for detangling on my tender head ...

Still on a journey to improve the health of my hair, I made a trip to the local Indian import store after reading a  post from one of my favorite mixtress Lola Zabeth.  The post described an Ayurvedic Cream ( here ) that intrigued me with ingredients that would improve the health of my hair by strengthening it, reducing hair loss and most importantly keeping away the gray! It was a journey in itself to find an Indian market but when I found one they shared the location of another. Cool! Entering the market I was overwhelmed by the smells, the lack of English labels and the stares from the clerk who was trying to figure out why I was there. I asked the gentleman where the hair care items were and he directed me to an area that contained 5 shelves with a variety of items for health & beauty. I wasn't familiar with many of the products ( of course) but I did see some that made me feel a bit more confident.  Mahabhringraj Oil was the fir...

Sponsors were a huge part of the success of The Queen in Me meetup. I have attended a few natural hair events in the past and one of  my favorite things is discovering what will be in the "Swag Bags".  I was determined to get the kinky, coily & curly ladies of Huntsville a variety of amazing products to discover or re-discover for their hair.  I offered the attendees three forms of Swag Bags; The first was the NNHMD Swag Bag....this bag was filled with items provided by the National Natural Hair Meet-up Day  committee, it had items from Hair Rules, Blue Magic, Black Queen, Shea Moisture, Eden Bodyworks, Beautiful Texture, Jane Carter & Nothing But...(I also included local sponsors JessiCurl, Mozeke, Curl Max, Goody & a hair wrap from Classy Beauty Supply)... ATWB Swag Bag             The 2nd choice was an As The Wind Blows (ATWB) local sponsored Swag Bag that contained amazing products from Naptural Roots Magazine,...

Dublin Park (meeting rooms) was the venue for my first natural hair event and it was great.  It was large enough to accommodate everyone but small enough to make the atmosphere feel cozy.  There were a few hiccups with the venue, chairs and tables not being set up and the space not being cool enough, but overall I am glad I chose it.  My panel of Q & A guests was another decision I am truly happy that I made.  The first person I added to my panel was Orlando to represent a stylist perspective but next I wanted someone with a Facebook presence and someone that had documented their own natural hair journey in a public way.  The first person that came to mind was Tarika from the Pursuit of Nappiness .  I had seen photos of her at many events and had the opportunity to meet her in Atlanta at Fro Fashion Week .  I learned she had a Huntsville past so I reached out and without hesitation she accepted.  Tarik...

Finding sponsors wasn't the only concern I had for making The Queen in Me a success, I needed a venue, a photographer, caterer, a stylist, a make-up artist , a panel and someone to teach the attendees to create African Hair wraps.  I have lived in Madison for only 5 years so I didn't have many connections but I did have friends on Facebook that did.  I sent out a rescue me call and life vests were thrown from everywhere. The best referral was Kimberly Michaels. Kimberly and I had never met but she was a friend of a friend. I spoke with her originally about doing photography but she provided a lot more than pictures. I am a strong supporter of small business and Kimberly had two that would work perfectly for this event, Kimberly Michaels Photography & Alma's Grace . Over the course of three months, Kimberly would allow me to bounce planning ideas, rants of frustration and fear of failure with her.  She survived my numerous emails, changes of menus...

There is one word to describe The Queen in Me Natural Hair Meet-up Day event and its WOW! I was so amazed and touched by all the beautiful kinky, coily and curly ladies that came out to support my first meet-up.  I had an amazing time and the love I felt from everyone that attended was even more astounding!  There were aspects of the event I wished I did better but overall I enjoyed every minute.  I am going to try and share the experience, thank a lot of people and showcase some companies & people that make networking within the natural hair community a pleasure. The Queen in Me Natural Hair Event was part of the 1st Annual National Natural Hair Meet-up Day (NNHMD)...Huntsville was one of the 50 cities that participated and one of the 25 sponsored cities.  I contributed to NNHMD as a volunteer committee member and although it was a lot of work it brought a beautiful concept to my adopted home of Huntsville.  I had the pleasure of meeting and working w...

Healthy me, healthy hair... well my goal to have a healthy body has had many twists and turns, ups and downs and some complete epic failures.  I've started workout programs, diets and cleansers with each falling short of my ultimate goal of losing a lot of weight and improving the strength and health of my hair. However, I have learned some valuable lessons from each unsuccessful plan...I get back up when I'm knocked down! I have lost a total of 10 pounds so far and although its not where I expected to be at this point in the journey, I am proud of this accomplishment.  I recently tried the Master Cleanse, a cleanse with the  purpose of ridding the body of toxins and waste buildup. My goal was to cleanse for 14 days but 5 would be the outcome.  I surprised myself with the level of willpower I obtained during this process of fasting. I realize that the mind is truly a powerful tool and that if you separate and meditate you can push yourself further...

Saturday May 19, 2012 is the date to remember! It's marks the first annual National Natural Hair Meet-up Day across the United States. I have the pleasure of being on the committee and I must say that working with these women has been a pleasure. I am blessed to be amongst women with so much passion, love and creativity especially about natural hair. If you are natural, transitioning or curious about natural hair then come mingle, learn and have just a great time with your local event. To find your local event, go to www.nnhmd.com  The National Natural Hair Meetup Day is an annual one-day event which will be held this year on May 19, 2012. Its purpose is to allow the opportunity for women across the United States and Canada to meet in their own communities while networking, sharing and meeting (virtually) other women across the country participating in meetups on the same day. Natural hair meetups are events designed to share information, techniques, inspiration and products to a...

As many of you know, I have a love/hate relationship with stylists working on my natural hair because of my previous experiences.  I avoided getting my ends trimmed for over 18 months and now my hair is paying the price.  I decided to try Salon Prestige in Huntsville and I made a  video to share... I can't wait to play in my hair and not have strands everywhere! Have you found a stylist that you trust? Share your experiences! Leave a comment..I enjoy reading them!

Small business is the core of America and I love to support them! I look for businesses that offer true passion for their product or craft, a great reputation and a creative edge. Today I would like to showcase 3 women. The first is Samantha Hill-Bartley. Samantha and I crossed paths when I saw a beautiful logo design for NNHMD . I had been looking for a graphic designer for a year with little success. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted the look to be but everyone wanted to change it.  Samantha was different, she listened, she sketched & she produce exactly what I wanted & more. Located in South Carolina, we did all of our work together via corresponding messages & one phone call.  If I wanted to change a small detail she was open to every opinion and worked hard to make sure I was happy.   Samantha created my banner logo for this blog as well as my logo to the left! As a new designer, her passion is strong, her work ethic is superb and she has a grea...

National Natural Hair Meet-up Day is a great event debuting this year around the country on May 19, 2012 . The concept is simple but so profound, events all across the U.S. will be held on the same date by natural hair coordinators that have registered with the NNHMD . It's a great way to spread education, products and fun with natural hair ladies, transitioners and curious lookers! I will be hosting an event here in Madison, Alabama(Huntsville area) with others in cities like Detroit, Nashville, LA, Dallas just to name a few. The website www.nnhmd.com offers a search tool to locate meet-ups in your area, a place to add your local event to participate & for sponsors looking to be a part of history to join in. Check out my video for the NNHMD... For those planning to attend my event, tickets will be on sale beginning March 17, 2012 on Eventbrite. Check out the website for more details! www.queeninme.evenbrite.com I will also give more details soon about the great sponsors ...

Caring for your natural hair may include your favorite products, treatments, vitamins and trimming but you must not forget your nighttime routine. Placing your beautiful tresses in a silk scarf or satin bonnet is a ritual for most of us but for many especially children this can be challenging. Waking up to your scarf on the floor and your hair in an unplanned mohawk is never cute.  The company Silky Wraps hopes to be your solution.  I had the opportunity to chose a product from their beautiful line to try and review, so I selected a Girls sleep bonnet.  My daughter is too old for this particular bonnet so I solicited my friend Precious and her beautiful six year old daughter  Autumn to give it a try. After a week of trying the bonnet, I asked Precious a few questions about their experience.... Mslawanda...  Do you normally have your daughter sleep in a bonnet?     Precious... I normally do not put bonnets on my daughters' hair, I use scarve...

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner/creator of CoCo Curls , Jeannell at the Spring Fro Fashion week and I truly felt her passion for her product.  I was excited to try her Moisturizing styling cream but hoped I wouldn't be disappointed.  My hair really loves butters & creams so I was looking for something to set this product apart from the others. Jeannell recommended the product be applied to wet hair, so that's what I did. I decided to co-wash my hair and use a leave-in conditioner before applying the CoCo Curls cream.  Using about a dime size amount of the product, on each section, I  put my wet hair in three strand twists . I let my hair dry overnight with a silk scarf wrapped around it and a satin bonnet on top.  In the morning i put the cream on my finger tips and un-twisted them. My hair was shiny, the curls were well defined & wow the smell was just plain - YUMMY!  I loved the way my curls looked & felt.  These results weren...