Giveaway! Win an Autographed Copy of Thank God I’m Natural

The Giveaway is here!  And the lucky curly wins a copy of Thank God I'm a Natural, personally autographed by the author, Chris-Tia Donaldson.

For a chance to win, submit your idea for a natural hair workshop you want to attend. You know the one. You've been jonesing for a chance to learn new things and resources, meet other curlies and exchange tips with them, and come away refreshed with new information and feeling even more wonderful about that beautiful head of hair. And you are not alone!

Guidelines - Send in your brief answers to these questions:

- What idea or topic would you like to see at a natural hair workshop?
- Why is this topic important to you and to other curlies/naturals?
- What does the audience look like?  (Professionals, college students? Age,
   hair type, etc.)
- What format is best -  teleconference, in-person workshop, or
   other format?
- How much should it cost?
- Where should it be held (school meeting room, church, bookstore
   meeting room, hotel conference room, local coffee shop, other?)
- Which matters most - Being able to attend from the comfort of your desk?
   Free parking? Public transportation?

End date: The deadline to e-mail your entry is 11:59 p.m. Friday March 19, 2010. 

The Winner - I'll announce the winner the week of March 22nd right here on my blog. The winner will receive an e-mail before the blog announcement.

Send entries to:  suburbanbushbabe@gmail.com  And please be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Good Luck, and let those creative juices flow!


Thank God I'm Natural is a must-read for any black woman who has suffered hair loss or breakage caused by relaxers — or has grown tired of spending thousands of dollars and their entire Saturday afternoons frying their kinky tresses into submission.  Featuring the advice of celebrity stylists for Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu (among others), readers will get ALL the information they’ve always needed — to look good on the outside and most importantly, feel good on the inside.  Full of personal tales — of hair disasters and ultimate successes, THANK GOD I’M NATURAL offers thorough and extremely modern and up to date information — and a plethora of tips to help women go natural the right way. You won’t want to do your hair again until you’ve read this lifesaving, reference book and heartfelt narrative from cover to cover!

Giveaway coming!

Hello, beautiful curlies. I've amassed some goodies -- so it's giveaway time! Stay tuned for the first, coming later this week. Tune in this Friday and try your luck!

Curly Archetypes: The Women of Power Who Made a Difference

Check out my latest article at Naturallycurly.com  in celebration of International Women's Month. Each year around the world, International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed on March 8. Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but also throughout March to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women. The first IWD was held 1911 in the USA.

Random Thoughts

I used to worry about things so much more than I do now. I guess the therapy is working.

My car was due for inspection in December and I'm driving around with an expired sticker because it burns oil and needs a new catalytic converter which it is not going to get. I don't care.

My engine light has been on for 9 months (that burning oil) - I don't care! Car's driving fine, 60 miles a day.

Toyota did a mega recall? I don't care. I'm buying another Toyota, just not in the recalled years/models. Gotta be some great bargains out there. My respect goes out to the CEO who has apologized profusely and taken personal responsibility for the mess. Just don't go and commit seppuku, Toyoda-san. Fix the problem.

Q&A - Natural and long, but too thin!

 Dora writes:


Q.  I am completely natural and have been for about 7 years now. I have bra length, fine soft hair. My hair does not like to be twisted. When I did wear twists, I did not like them because you could see my scalp. When I wear a ponytail I have to make sure I brush my hair a certain way, so that my scalp won't show. Is there anything that I can use or do to thicken my hair up. I henna once a month or every 3 weeks and sometimes it depends on how fast the grays decide to show up. I thought by being natural my hair would become thicker on its own.

A.  As a natural for 7 years, your hair has gone through all the phases of growth, probably several times. Let's just review:

Anagen - active growth - new hair is pushing out the old fiber and the follicle is growing deep for nourishment
Catagen - the transitional phase. Hair detaches from the blood supply and the hair follicle shrinks
Telogen - Resting. Hair fibre easily pulls out
And there is one more phase, mesanagen -- a returning to growth.

A full cycle can last anywhere from 2 to 5 years per follicle. And sometimes hair or patches of hair can get stuck in the resting, or telogen phase.

Everything you put into your body eventually comes out in your hair, usually within three to six months. . Hair grows from living follicles in the skin of the scalp. At the shaft, or root of the hair, all of your major systems are at work, including your circulatory, endocrine and central nervous system.

Other factors for thin hair and ways to improve hair health: