Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Virtue Knits







BLACK WHITE KNITTED
 FLOWER HAIR CLIP




What the Website has to say:


This black and white knitted hair clip is a wonderful addition to any hairstyle. It would even work beautifully for a bride's maid gift or on a little girl. It is handmade with a black button in the center.

Measurements: 3.25" (8.5cm) in width X 3" (7.75cm)

Care: Machine wash and dry warm on the gentle cycle in a garment bag. Handwashing is not recommended as it may stretch out the material.

Here is better pic of the flower from the ETSY shop:
 

Our Experience:

This is a cute flower, a very funky addition to a natural hairstyle. We braided J's hair back on one side and twisted the rest, clipping the flower on the braided back side. I think it looks really cute on her!!









(J and all her Modeling poses lol)
What the website has to say:




This cuff was inspired by the styles of the 1970's. I blended brown beads into the knitted design in this piece. I love how this cream color blends with the model's brown skin. The cuff is a wonderful addition to any outfit.
Measurements: one size fits most women
Care: Machine wash and dry warm on the gentle cycle if needed.


Our experience:

This cuff fit both J and I and my wrist is so much bigger!!
I love this cuff, J and I are going to have to battle it out to see who keeps it lol.
What can I say? It's exactly what the website describes and it pretty much speaks for itself! At $8.00 it's a steal, very unique and funky! LOVE IT!!! 5/5!!

CHECK OUT: Virtue Knits on FACEBOOK HERE

Share here!

Ok for lack of a better title I labeled this blog sharing...


The other day we got and awesome shout-out from WeThee Queens for giving shout-outs to other blogs :)
Thanks WeThree Queens!


Let me share a little story... When I first started blogging I had no idea about blogging etiquette so when I found a blog I really liked I went on and shared a link to my first giveaway. I was so excited and wanted as many people to enter as possible. I wasn't thinking about stealing traffic away from another blog but I soon realized that's how some bloggers see it. I was soon e-mailed and told how rude my actions were and that many other bloggers felt that way. I felt really bad. I mean, my intention is and has been to share information, my information, your information, any natural living information. So I apologized and decided that my blog would be a safe place for anyone to share their natural hair experience. No offense to the other blog, we all have our own way of blogging and our own boundaries.

Here at Hair with Purpose we welcome you to SHARE your blog links, pics, contests here!! We encourage you to check out the blogs we have listed on the side!

If you ever want to share ANYTHING about your natural hair journey just e-mail us at hairwithpurpose@gmail.com

Monday, July 26, 2010

Site we Love: Keep me Curly!

I have been looking at videos from Katie at Keep Me Curly for some time now. 
I learned how to criss cross braid from her videos as a matter of fact! 
They now have an awesome blog called "Keep Me Curly" 

Lots of little girl's styles and natural hair info! Check it out!



badge

Heads Ta-getha by WeThree Queens

I was on twitter a week ago and won this awesome headband for J from Heads Ta-getha by Wethree Queens

We picked:
AquaChocolateCream

It's soft and silky and glides easily across her natural hair

WE LOVE IT!!!

I love that they are machine washable and dry-able...we use a lot of creamy/oily products on J's Hair!!!


What the website has to say:
Our New Sping/Summer Collection of Extra Wide Stretch Headbands are here in a variety of delicious colors!These headbands are made from durable, high quality, stretchable, polyester, cotton, and or lycra/spandex blends. Like their counterparts, they are  great to keep those locks, braids, curls, fros, or whatever style you have up off your face! You can also use them to pull your tresses back into a ponytail. They are approximately 5 1/2 inches wide, so you can fold them in half, &  get a regular sized headband. Due to the rising cost of quality fabric, we will be forced to raise our prices soon, so collect them all at this price while you can!!!! Machine washable & dryable

DECORATE THAT BEAUTIFUL NATURAL HAIR!!!!


Do you want one???

Ok! WeThree Queens has graciously offered one extra wide headband of your choice to one lucky reader!!



To ENTER:

Take a look at their beautiful designs and leave a comment below stating which one you would like to win!!


Optional additional entries:
You can earn one additional entry for each item below. 
Please leave a seperate comment for each task you complete.




  • "Like" HeadsTa-getha! by wethree queens on facebook



  • Follow wethreequeens on Twitter



  • Follow hwpnaturalhair on Twitter


    Winner will be chosen at random on AUGUST 9th!!!


    please direct any questions to hairwithpurpose@gmail.com

    Peace and Blessings ~ Jennifer





Sunday, July 25, 2010

Pigtail Pals Giveaway!!! Curly Cutie T-shirts!!

Last Christmas I entered a contest and won the coolest t-shirt from http://www.pigtailpals.com/ through my  friend, Kat Robertson's, blog http://www.senilemomentia.com/ . My daughter LOVED her t-shirt and I was thrilled that the Pigtial Pals offered to give away a t-shirt on our site!!! We are LOVING the new designs featuring Natural Hair Cuties!!!



From the website:

    Our empowering shirts for girls will "Redefine Girly" and show the world just how


smart, daring and adventurous girls can be.


It is time we change the way we think about our girls.


 
 
 
The company had remained pretty much neutral on race, creating black/white images until recently when they created three natural haired girl shirts!
 
 
Here is a little about the shirts from Pigtailspals Blog
 
 
It was a lot of fun coming up with these, and all three received very positive feedback during our conference last weekend. We’ll be adding yoga pants, shorts, ball caps, and little treats like stickers and pencils very soon! Our three new designs will be available for order April 1st!
 

I love this sailing design because in the “When I Dream” video (our Pigtail Pals theme song by Jill Dawson) there is a picture of me as a child of seven years old sailing on one of my dad’s sailboats. I grew up sailing, it was our family past time. In high school I joined Sea Scouts and raced competitively around the Great Lakes. One of the best accomplishments I’ve ever had was sailing a 30 foot boat by myself on San Diego Bay with a crew of six.




This design is in honor of my daughter, the Original Pigtail Pal, whose complete obsession with dinosaurs has her thinking she is a dinosaur. She has gone so far as to tell her preschool teachers and swimming lesson instructors to call her “Amelia Dinosaur”. I think this is fantastic, except for one thing. There is not a stitch of clothing for girls that has a dinosaur on it. So we have had to shop in the boy’s department. Until now!





I am really proud of this design for two reasons. First, it is the only Breast Cancer Awareness tee that shows a girl finding the cure. For young girls who have a family member going through Breast Cancer treatments, this has become a coat of armor for them. Also, for really little girls who cannot yet read, the words “Find the Cure” on a t-shirt don’t mean anything to them. This design speaks to them in a language they understand – pictures.



This design is also in honor of a mentor of mine. When I first launched Pigtail Pals, I was very cautious to make sure my designs were diverse, kind of representing all races and no races all at the same time. Dr. Venus Evans-Winters taught me why that didn’t work. It was an important lesson for me, and I am thankful she took the time to make our conversation a teachable moment. When bridges for communication and understanding are built, barriers can be knocked down.
From: Melissa Wardy; Pigtails Pals
 
 
This is J's Shirt:
 


It says "Don't Fight with Girls"




What I love about these t-shirts is that they show girls/women in roles not typical for the box society puts us into. Most t-shirts I see (for little girls especially) are Barbie dolls and princesses but nothing that really tells them, "I can be ANYTHING!"
I'm even more excited with the new designs featuring natural hair cuties!!


Please take a minute to read Pigtail Pals Mission
They explain it so much better than me!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE GIVEAWAY

Winner will receive their choice of ANY of the PigTail Pals Designs, in any size they carry!!

(yes, they do have adult sizes up to 3x)

 
 
 

 
MANDATORY to enter:

You must visit the PigTail Pals website, come back and leave a comment telling us which design is your favorite
 (not all designs are featured here)



Optional Additional entries:
PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH!!
 
 
  • Follow Pigtail Pals On twitter and leave a comment below(1 entry)
  • Follow Hair With Purpose on twitter and leave a comment below (1entry)
  • "Like" Hair with Purpose on Facebook and leave a comment below (1 entry)
  • "Like" Pigtail Pals on Facebook and leave a comment below (1 entry)
  • Blog about this giveaway Linking to this blog leave 2 comments below ( 2 entries)
  • Subscribe to Pigtail Pals and leave a comment below (1 entry)
  • Tweet about this giveaway and leave tweet link below (click on the time under the tweet to get the tweet link) (1 entry PER DAY, can be done daily)
Winner will be drawn at Random On August 6, 2010











Pigtail Pals is committed to being a socially responsible company. Every decision we make takes into account what message our actions send to young girls, what impact our actions have on our customers, and what size footprint our actions will leave on our environment. The following are examples of Pigtail Pals Social Responsibility with Product Production:

•Our tees are made sweatshop, child-labor free.

•We use local vendors whenever possible.

•Our marketing materials are always recyclable.

•Our shipping and packaging materials are post-consumer content and always recyclable.

•We use USPS for shipping which cuts down on extra fossil fuel use because they are coming to your home 6 days a week.


Equally important to Social Responsibility is how Pigtail Pals supports our local community, our nation, our world. Pigtail Pals endeavors to teach girls that with success comes the ability and responsibility to help others. Every month Pigtail Pals will show girls that they can change the world through good works.

EVERY SHIRT SOLD ONLINE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO OUR CHARITY OF THE MONTH!

We will partner with charitable organizations whose projects focus on children's education, health care, and access to clean water and food. Check back frequently to see who Pigtail Pals partners with next!

Please Direct Any Questions to: Hairwithpurpose@gmail.com

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Nayla

This is what happens when you send your child to my house....lol

They get their hair done!

This is our friend NAYLA

Snaps by Snapaholics

























Products Used:







And



Ultra Firm
 






TruKid Giveaway!!!!








I am excited to announce that TruKid has offered a giveaway for our readers!!





One lucky reader will win



AND




A $19.99 Value






TO ENTER:

Visit the TruKid Website then come back here and tell us what product you would like to try !! That Comment is your Entry!!


Optional Additional Entries: (only can enter these AFTER original entry) perform the following THEN come back and leave a Separate Comment for each entry!!! Each comment counts as an entry so remember to leave a separate comment below!

  • Follow TruKid on Twitter
  • Follow Hair With Purpose On twitter
  • Follow the TruKid Blog
  • Follow this blog
  • Tweet about this giveaway with blog link, leave tweet link below (can be done once per day)
  • Read TruKid Review below and leave a comment!


One winner will be selected at random on August 5th!









Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Reviews: What about the products we didn't like?

I bet it seems that we like every product we try? Well, Yes and No. First of all we only select companies to review that we are comfortable with. They must not use ingredients and chemicals that are harmful to the skin, body or environment. They also must have a similar basic philosophy, that being, that the human being is best in their natural state. Natural Hair is Beautiful, we are trying to enhance it and NOT change it.

If there is a product that we receive that has multiple issues then we do not review it. We just don't do the review. If there are a few small details, such as scent not being pleasant but it's great for the hair, of course we will print the review and mention the small detail. Rather than bad mouth any company we would prefer to just not do the review.

So when we bring products to you, we give you our word that we have tried the product, it worked for us and we are giving our HONEST opinion. You just can't pay us to lie...(not that any one's offering money lol)


Peace and Blessings ~ Jennifer

TruKid Review

My kids could not wait to try TruKid, as soon as we opened the package everyone was trying to take a bath. Even our neighbor who was visiting wanted in on the review. They loved the bright colors and the fact that the products are all natural.



TruKid products are BPA and Phthalate free!
They make safe products that families can feel good about; 
their certified organic and natural ingredients are always SLS, paraben, 1-4 Dioxane and Gluten-free!





What the website has to say:
After a busy day of school or play, give your body a bubbly wash at the end of the day! Our Bubbly Body Wash has an uplifting aroma in a mild coconut derived cleanser. This is a mild, safe cleanser for skin that effectively removes surface oil, and dirt without stripping or drying sensitive skin. Bubble your way through the end of the day! 8oz. bottle. Directions
One to two squirts of our Bubbly Body Wash in a washcloth or loofah will have you bubbling up some fun in the bath or shower! Use Bubbly Body Wash daily to get ready for play or to wash away the dirt of the day! Bubbly Body Wash offers safe, gentle and sudsy fun for all ages!


Our Experience:

All three kids loved the light scent of Bubbly Body Wash!
I like the fact that it is gentle and did aggravate my children's sensitive skin or eczema. My children have problems finding products that do not make them itch. As soon as they get out of the tub they run for the moisture to make the itching stop.... With Bubbly Body Wash my daughter came to me and said "Mom feel my Skin!" I asked her what she used and she said she had not even moisturized yet! The Bubbly Body wash left their skin feeling soft and clean! 


 



What the Website has to say:

TruKid’s Silly Shampoo is a mild, safe cleanser for kids' sensitive skin and hair that effectively removes surface oil, and dirt without stripping natural oils. Lightly scented with TruKid’s essential oil blend, there are no parabens, SLS, artificial colors or fragrances in this biodegradable formula. 8oz. bottle. Follow with TruKid Cool Conditioner and Dancing Detangler

Our Experience:

Tru to their word, Tru Kid Silly Shampoo effectively removes surface oil, and dirt without stripping natural oils!! Cleans but does not over dry hair. Leaves hair feeling soft and smelling fresh. Oh yes, we really liked the light natural scent.








What the Website has to say:

Keeps hair healthy and cool! TruKid’s Cool Conditioner is made with chamomile extract that offers an anti-inflammatory, regenerating effect and adds shine to hair. Great for sensitive skin and lightly scented with TruKid’s citrus essential oil blend, this all-natural formula is the perfect follow up to TruKid’s Silly Shampoo. This biodegradable formula does NOT contain parabens, SLS, Phthalates, artificial colors or fragrances. 8oz. bottle. Directions;After shampooing with Silly Shampoo, rinse hair thoroughly. Put a dime-sized amount of Cool Conditioner into your palm. Rub into hair gently. Leave it in your hair while you sing a short song. Rinse!


Our Experience:
MMM, Like the other two products the Kids loved the light scent (and so did I)
Nice light conditioner, no ingredients that I do not like, kids like it! SWEET!
This worked great on Z and M's Hair, if I was using on J's hair I would use a separate leave in conditioner because her type 4b hair requires the extra conditioning.






Trukid FANS

J, Z and our neighbor, M






What the Website has to say:

No more fuss or hurties when you brush your hair! Our Dancing Detangler has a special non-sticky formula that takes the pain out of combing and brushing your hair. Works great on hair of all ethnicities. Please get parents help when using this product.


Our Experience:

I like this detangler, it detangled well. My daughter's one complain is that it did not smell like the Bubbly Bath and other products. If you're looking for great detangling with very little, natural scent then this one is for YOU!!





What the website has to say: 

Highly Rated for safety on SkinDeep/EWG/Cosmetic Database. For those on the go days. TruKid's Sunny Days SPF 30+ water resistant is a great way to enjoy the outdoors safely. Easy to apply and non-greasy, your kids will actually have fun using this sunscreen! Truly all natural, this mineral-based sunscreen protects from both UVA/UVB rays. Please reapply every 80 minutes for best protection. TruKid Sunny Days Face & Body Stick SPF 30 – Water Resistant

Our Experience:

I saw this stick and though, ICK....white chalk mess! (picturing the white line across the nose) I was so wrong! This rubbed in so nicely, smelled great, did not irritate their skin and comes in a portable little container I can throw in my purse! What more can a mom ask for in a sunscreen??




What the website has to say:

Highly Rated on EWG for Safety. This new formula does NOT contain Vit. A For best results, reapply every 80 minutes

Our Experience:
OK so all that I wrote above also applies here, Great Sunscreen but the lotion is better for covering large areas of the body and can be thrown easily into your beach or day bag!!





Last but not least....
OUR FAVORITE TRUKID PRODUCT!!!!




What the website has to say:

For great skin that's clean and bright, wash your face every night!™ This gentle face wash is made with natural botanical ingredients that cleanse and soothe the skin. Our face wash is a special formulation of both cream and gel cleansers which combine to form a moisturizing yet light product. It's also enhanced with herbs such as rosemary, chamomile and calendula, all of which are known for their healing and antiseptic properties. 8oz. pump bottle. Directions:Make sure to wash your hands before washing your face. Rub a nickel sized amount of Friendly Face Wash™ into bubbles with your hands. Apply it to your face and rub it in with little circle motions. Rinse it off thoroughly with warm water.



Our Experience:

My children have ALWAYS washed their faces with plain water because we had never found anything gentle enough (and made for) their faces. My son is 10 and recently got his first pimple and I decided it was time to start using something besides plain water on his face.
Trukid Friendly Face Wash left both my children's skin INCREDIBLY soft! Like, AMAZINGLY soft! I immediately had to try some on my own skin! I LOVE this face wash! I will continue to use it on my face and their! AWESOME product! 5/5 !!




Check out the TruKid Website to learn more about their products and Philosophy!
Check out their blogs for adults and children!!



(we loved this little natural Curly Cutie on the website!!)

Race & Hair




LANGUAGE WARNING: This video does contain inappropriate language for children!!!


So let's talk a minute about race relations and hair.

I may have shared this story before but when J was a couple of years old I picked out her hair into this beautiful HALO. I put in a pretty head band and headed off to a local store. Now we lived in Maine at the time, in a small town and it was pretty much white. After paying for our items we stood by the front to wait for my mother to finish paying for her items. J and I played as we were approached by an older white woman. She was laughing and came up to us saying, "that can't be real!!" Confused we just looked at her when suddenly this woman reached out and grabbed a hold (with both hands) of my daughters hair and began to pull.

I just stood there, dazed and confused and was too shocked to say anything but "THAT IS HER HAIR!' Or something to that effect. I'd be happy to tell you I had words with this woman or even turned it into a teaching moment but, no, unfortunately I was too in shock to do much of anything.

The Audacity of this woman to put her hands on my little princess's hair!!! I can't even explain how mad I was. Had she never seen a black/biracial person before? Surely that couldn't be the truth!! So what in the world made her think she had the right to pull on my daughter's hair whether it was real OR fake hair??

I am sure we all have curiosity about other people and their hair. I have friends and my daughter has friends who want to touch my hair and style it. There is a level of intimacy between us where that is OK... but, you really have to know someone well to know when it's OK to be touching their hair (or body lol).


Have any of your run into similar situations? Odd questions about your hair? Inappropriate hair touching incidents?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Banding With Original Sprout


BEFORE: Hair with Shrinkage

We washed J's hair with Original Sprout Shampoo
 and towel dried a bit before applying Original Sprout Leave In conditioner.

I Finger-Combed her hair and applied Original Sprout Gel



I finger combed the Original Sprout Gel through her hair

•Anti-Frizz


•Biodegradable

•For Soft, Strong Healthy Hair

•Gluten, Soy & Nanoparticle Free

•E.U. & Prop 65 Certified Ingredients

•Helps Repel & Protect with Organic Rosemary

•Clean, Light Hold for Flyaways, Frizzies, Curls & Waves


I braided the top and banded the back....
Banding is a way to straighten or loosen the curl without heat or chemicals
Basically you just apply some tangle-free pony holders one after another down the hair length.
For some videos on how to please type in Hair Banding on Youtube.

In the morning I took out the banding and lightly applied
Ultra Firm™

•PH Balanced

•Fragrance Free

•For Wet or Dry Hair

•Anti Frizz in Humidity

•Spikey-Do's Last All Day

•Free of Hormone Disrupters

•For All Hair Types & Textures

•Free of Fruit Extracts & Honey

•No Citrus Oils (Photosensitizers)

•With Natural & Organic Ingredients

•Holds Barretts, Ponytails & Updo's in Place

•With Organic Rosemary to Help Repel Lice & Insects
 



This is a very thick cream that would be good for holding any style, braids, twists, up-do's.
 I ran it along the length of her hair and combed it through






There is an amazing difference in the length of her hair before and after banding her hair.