Tonya Mosley: A transitioning TV news reporter tells her story

Natural hair in the workplace has always been a hot topic on BGLH (see here and here). I've written previously that, in my opinion, TV news reporting is one of the few fields where natural women are actively encouraged to straighten their hair, but I only knew this anecdotally. So I was glad when I got an email from Tonya Mosley, an actual TV news reporter, speaking of her decision to go natural.

Looks we Love: Beyonce

It's been a minute since we featured the beloved Sunny's Girl Beyonce....

She looks effortless and stunning in her tousled Indian Hair Extensions.

To Achieve this look we'd recommend:

• 8 ounces of Natural Wave Indian Hair in Sunlifted Tones

This product is only available in Sunny's Retail Locations


Images courtesy of bossip.com

Who is the next Chanel Iman? Fashion Week Speculation

NY Mag posted a speculative slide show on the Top Ten Models to Watch during Fashion Week.

Our money is on Tao Okamato or Kendra Spears.

Monday Style Icon: Sherrin

"Natural hair is very rock and roll. Rock it how you want and roll with wherever you go!" ~SherrinWhere are you from?R: I'm from Houston,Texas- born and raised. But I just moved to Los Angeles, California. I'm currently a college student, actress, model, stylist, make-up artist and blogger! I'm sort of a jack of all trades!I love your pictures! Do you model as work or just for fun? And who is

Awesome e-mail/I follow BGLH because

Date: Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 8:47 PMSubject: my daughter's natural hairAs a white mom of an Ethiopian daughter, I'm often asked when I will get her hair straightened. People ask as if it's a foregone conclusion that we would/should prefer that. I love her curly hair, and while it takes time to style it, she looks like her beautiful self and not like everybody else. She sometimes says that she

We see Adrienne Bailon: Love the Hair Extensions

Whether singing our fave get ready for the club song Neva get Enough with 3LW or representing in Disney's The Cheetah Girls or front and center on our fave hair extensions reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians...Adrienne has always been on the Sunny'radar screen.

So we are loving her new waist length hair extensions she rocked in her Honey Magazine layout.

To achieve her long luscious curly hair extensions we'd use Indian Hair Natural Curl in 26" and allow the curls to dry with a little bit of Agadir Argan Oil and Curl Defining Product and allowing to dry with a diffuser.

Across the pond post: British Looks We Love

Girl's Aloud star Cheryl Cole is a color swapping diva and we love her long tousled hair any color she chooses.

Want to achieve her look...we'd recommend:

• Lord & Cliff Clip In Extensions 18" in Color 4/27/30/33 for her bold red tones
  
• Smooth & Straight Clip In Extensions in color 479 for her Caramel highlights

Images courtesy of glamour.co.uk

Sunny's Girls Out and About: Atlanta

Last night the Sunny's Girls attended a really great event hosted at Glambar. But was noteworthy was the celebrity manicurist Terrance Terry who was offering complimentary minx nails.

It was great to see so many of our Sunny's Clients out and about.

No need to reveal who they were....as we are all about discretion!!

We...however were representing Indian Hair to the fullest.

From left to right. Natural Wave Indian Hair in 18" and 20", Natural Curl Indian Hair in 22" and 26" Virgin Straight Double Drawn Indian Hair in 14" all styled by Metowi Willingham.

Product Spotlight: Aphogee Protein Treatment

Whether you are looking for a product to maintain or to repair your hair, Aphogee will deliver superior results to balance strength elasticity and smoothness.The product is exceptional in the treatment of severe hair damage, and the correction of dryness, dullness, brittleness, limpness, splitting, and frizz. Be on your way to changing your hair by trying out this spectacular product.

Rachel's First Product Review: Top 15 Drugstore Conditioners

In celebration of hitting 1,000 followers I announced this past weekend that Rachel (of Little Golden Lamb) would be doing regular product reviews. Expect to see Rachel on BGLH every Friday. ---Beloved readers, this is part one of a series of "Top 15" posts to be appearing in the future. In this post, I will be kicking off the count down of my Top 15 Drugstore conditioners, to date. BAAs, all

NY Times article on natural hair...

Let me preface this by saying that I really hate it when mainstream media tries to handle the "issue" of natural hair... only because they rarely do it well and they NEVER talk about the joys/relief of going natural. But the NY Times does an okay job of delving into race/culture issues, so I figure'd I'd give their Aug. 26 article on natural hair a read.I'm not sure if it's supposed to coincide

acting natural: interview with actress adepero oduye

"At first I didn’t think there was a place for me in acting. Now I know there is, because I say so. I’ve marked my place. I know a lot of times people say, I don’t think they’re going to let me in. It’s not about waiting for someone to let you in. You just have to show up. I just showed up."You may have seen her in the recent McDonald’s snack wrap commercial; playing “a lady of the evening”

are curls the new straight? [article on racialicious.com]

BGLH reader Myss Kay notified me of an article on Racialicious.com about the 'mainstreaming' of curly hair even though kinky/coily hair remains firmly OUTSIDE the mainstream.ARE CURLS THE NEW STRAIGHT HAIR? [THE GERMANY FILES]by Carolina Asuquo-BrownJust a few weeks ago I was flipping through the pages of a fashion mag with a friend.An editorial featuring an obviously biracial black/white model

Looks we Love: Vogue Evolution

We love Vogue Evolution on America's Best Dance Crew. And we loved how Leiomy Maldonado was representing the lace wig to the fullest on the ABDC episode. Even though we are a little late in posting it... better late than never.

Vogue Evolution is definitely a look we love. To recreate Leiomy Maldonado's recreation of Beyonce we'd recommend our Custom Lace Wig Briana in color 4/27/30 in 18"

question for J: how do you know whether a regimen is working for you?

Question for J from Nay Shay:BGLH,I need help!! I recently did my big chop 2 weeks ago. I have read many blogs and YouTube videos, I understand the regimen differs for each natural, and that it takes a while until you find the right one for you. But you know how it is, we're in a day in age where we want things fast... I'm not saying I'm expecting significant growth in 2 weeks, I just want to

Congratulations Ms. Universe

Venezuela once again represented for the Ms. Universe Pageant. We all know that no pageant would complete with out pounds of clip in hair extensions and baby oil gel!

Felicidades!

Rock Solid Regimen: Brianna!

I'm pro natural hair because it's natural, it's ours, it's mine and no one, no standard or beauty or ugliness, no stereotype should dictate what I do with something as defining and as personal as my hair. ~BriannaBGLH: Where are you from? Are you a native of that country? Brianna: I'm from Trinidad and Tobago, in the West Indies. Born and raised here. BGLH: How did your family end up there?

1,000 follower festivities: Regular Product Reviews from Rachel!

You may know Rachel from the amazing (and Black Weblog Award nominated) blog Little Golden Lamb. It's one of the most comprehensive and well-written hair product review blogs on the web. Added bonus? Rachel is natural and recently did her big chop! She's been mentioned on BGLH before; J, our resident hair expert, mentioned her in a March 2009 post. Rachel will be providing BGLH with regular

Style Icon... Sunshine

We typically profile style icons on Monday but we're switching things up a bit in anticipation of our '1,000 follower festivities' this weekend and early next week. Sunshine debuted on BGLH as a guest blogger on July 2, 2009."My getting the big chop had the least to do with my hair and more to do with letting go of a person who was a creation of the media and pop culture and a need to follow the

workout plan!

Question for J from Rochelle:Wo! Talk about a wealth of information. Thank you. I work out 5 days a week. 3 of them are in bikram yoga with only 30 min to get dressed before returning to work. How does natural hair care / conditioning fit into that? I generally throw some kind of hydrating something in my hair and put it in a bun. I am really good with hair sticks. But I would loooooove

Buzz Worthy:Bronner Brothers International Hair Show

The world famous Bronner Brothers took place at the Georgia World Congress Centre this weekend.The Bronner Brothers Enterprise is one of the largest African American hair and skincare producers in the United States. Thousands of hairstylists, exhibitors and cosmetologists attended the show this year and put on an amazing display of their art. The Bohyme booth was amazing, it had life size mannequins displaying their hair,there was a whole row of lacefront wigs-it seemed to be a beauty supply.The stages were entertaining and came to life with mini hair shows. The show definately will kept me on my feet as I found myself wanting to see every exibitor and to buy all the good products that I have either run out of or just needed to stock up on. The show is definately an extravaganza and there is something for everybody to see.If you missed it this year be sure to visit next year.

Monday Style Icon: Karrie

"i grew up in a family where i was told i was "lucky" to have the hair i do. i was told in grade school that i thought i was "all that" because i had "good hair". i don't think i'm anything. in fact, i've been trying to get comfortable in my skin since childhood. now i feel like i can be myself at 22. i don't have to have 18 inches of jet black european silky weave to feel beautiful." ~KarrieBGLH

First BGLH meetup in the West Loop, Chicago

All photos compliments of our talented photographer, Norman Baldwin Jr.

preview of monday style icon.. Karrie

Pin curls on curly hairSo our style icon, Karrie, contacted BGLH on the suggestion of her friend Gem, who was featured here on June 1. Isn't that awesome?! It would seem that a.) BGLH is becoming a family/friend affair and b.) dope naturals are traveling in packs. Okay, I'm going to hypothesize that there's like one dope natural for every 1000 people. But it would seem that we are starting to

Shari wants to know: Where do you get a 'big chop' done?

So it's official; After debating for several weeks our in house designer, Shari, has decided to do a big chop. That's a foot of relaxed ends gone. She's been blogging about her transition experience (here and here), and now she needs our help to figure out where to get her chop done. Read on...My big chop countdown has started...and it got me thinking. Where did you get your big chop done? Did

natural hair only for pretty black women?

Some thought-provoking comments have been left on some recent posts. They suggest that natural hair is only for the beautiful.Comment #1some of these same women who cannot let go of their hair have been called monkeys and too black and have seen their sisters and mothers run from the sun.like i said before, i just feel that these women who have not yet freed themselves should be criticized

Product Spotlight: Nioxin Scalp Renew

Ladies... we all know how addictive hair extensions can be. It seems like the longer you have them in the more you really believe that it is your hair. But guess what...it's not.

Underneath your hair extensions lie a scalp deeply in need of stimulation and cleansing. So we have discovered a product that we can't live without. Nioxin's Scalp Renew is a micro-dermabrasion treatment for your scalp. The use of enzymatic exfoliants lift sebum and dirt that clog your pores on your scalp and allow it to properly product collagen.

In simple terms it makes your scalp tingle and is the ultimate facial for your scalp allowing you to have healthy hair.

By taking care of your scalp you can ensure that you will be able to wear your hair extensions and still have healthy hair.

rachel: NC artist... dope natural hair

Hey guys, I originally posted this on April 30, 2009... but since we've been talking about big chops/versatility/'it's just hair' I thought this would be an appropriate interview to re-post. Rachel is, by far, been the most diverse chick I've profiled on BGLH. She's done everything from back length locks to a big chop to wigs.A second set of her photos (originally posted on May 2) has also been

rachel: NC artist... dope natural hair, pt 2

Originally posted on May 2, 2009.___________________________________________________________More looks from Rachel. Thanks so much for sharing, girl! Here are all the places you can find her:http://www.flickr.com/photos/okpauset/http://targetqueen.blogspot.com/http://www.rachelstewart.net/Her art is amazing, so DEFNITELY check her out!Rachel's Art

headband swag

Mendy from France. Previously featured here.

Meet-up clarification

My bad, folks!I (Shari) forgot to specify what city this meet-up is in for those of you who don't know.It's in Chicago!!!!!So here's the info again...Saturday, August 15th, 200911AM - 1PMMarket Restaurant1113 W. Randolph St.Chicago, IL 60607

Okay, so NOW i kinda care that solange is bald...

So when it came to light a couple weeks back that Solange had cut all her hair off, I didn't really care and said so in a post. And let me be clear; I wasn't HATING on what she had done. I just chose not to pay too much attention to it. My site has never been celeb-centric i.e. I'm not going to piss my pants any time a celebrity goes natural. And judging from Solange's Twitter messages the day

Looks we Love: Britney at Teen Choice Awards

We love Britney's pared down look on the red carpet for the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Her hair was simple not too much hair but simple layers.

To recreate her look we'd suggest Bohyme Pre-Tipped Extensions in Silky Straight 14" in color 613 to recreate her golden blonde locks.

Images courtesy of tvguide.com

Get her look: Teyana Taylor

It's a well kept industry secret...but Brazilian Wave is often the answer for those who seek large textured full hair.

Teyana Taylor is rocking hers like no other so we thought we'd reveal the secret on how to recreate her look.

We'd recommend two bags of Brazilian Wave in Color 1B. We would do one package of 18" and one of 14" to naturally recreate the layers worn by Teyana. Then we would do a full head of sewn-in extensions that leave a little of the hairline out.

To maintain this look become friends with affordable moisturizing products such as Cantu Shea Butter, Curls Milkshake or a oldie but goodie Hawaiian Silky 14 n 1. We'd twist out the hair in two strand twist to define and give the curl a uniform look. Then after it air dries lightly separate the curls with your fingers coated in a product such as Morrocan Oil or Argan Oil and then have fun!

Is it a look we love?

Wow!

We Kim K is living our mantra... Change your Hair... Change your Life.

We love Kim K at Sunny's but we always loved how she stayed true to her dark hair and owned the look.

Now we are left to ponder who's gonna represent the brunette bombshell vixen spot now that Kim has gone sun-kissed blonde.

We are guessing that her recent breakup left her wanting a change and while she does look stunning we are quite sure yet if this is a look we love.... So we will leave it up to you...



Well if you love Kim K's look and want to recreate it here are some recommendations

Short Term Look:
Smooth and Straight Clip Ins in Color 479. One of our top selling colors delivers that perfect multi-tonal blonde that we all pine for.

Long Term Look:
Strand by Strand Extensions by 909 in 20" Silky Straight. We would purchase one pack of 613 for platinum highlights, Two Packs 909 of 14/22 for Golden Rich Blonde and Two packs of 479 for rich luscious dimension.

Images courtesy of bossip.com

Monday Style Icon: Zara

"I think most people still don't understand that it's truly just hair. They still project their fears and insecurities onto others- that it's not possible to look good with short hair, that having long hair is so crucial to beauty, that one shouldn't rock the boat when blessed with 'good hair'. We need to move past this, seriously, hair is only hair... Short or long hair doesn't change who you

naturals from around the world: nicole in berlin, germany

"I recently see more African girls my age (I'm 25) with coarser hair like mine rocking fros. A lot of biracial women and men wear their hair natural, some older women in their 40s older (like my mum) are tired of perms and become natural, but still they're not comfortable wearing their hair out." ~NicoleThe Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, GermanyBrandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a

We see you Khloe and Kourtney: Love the Hair Extensions!!!!

We love love love the Kardashian sisters. They are spunky, entrepreneurial and most of all hair extension junkies. So of course we are so excited for the premiere of their new show Kourtney and Khloe take Miami!

We love the hair extensions they are rocking. They embrace their natural hair color and texture and just enhance it with extremely long hair. To recreate their look we'd recommend Indian Hair Natural Wave in 22".

Kourtney and Khloe most likely use individual pretipped hair extensions towards the nape of the neck to enhance their length and have versatility.

For those who can't quite commit to the drama of long hair, we'd recommend the Make it Sunny's Custom Clip in option to allow for experimenting with long hair.

saturday retrospective: how come our butts — but not our hair — passed the beauty standard test?

Serena Williams — big butt... and a weaveBeyonce — big butt... and a weaveMichelle Obama — big butt (Barack knows it!)... and a pressI'm no anthropologist but I think it's fair to say that big, round butts are most common to black women — women of African descent.My boyfriend went to the African country of Ghana a few years back, and some Ghanian men sat him down and explained to him that a

preview of monday style icon... this one's for the 'big choppers'

From the emails and comments I've been getting lately many of you (including our very own Shari) are either considering or have just completed the big chop. Well Zara is our style icon for Monday and the last time I profiled her on BGLH she had hair... lots of it. It's all gone now and I can't tell which look is hotter! Stay tuned for the full interview on Monday! There's also a retrospective

Congrats Dania! New Face Of Cover Girl

A quintessential American Brand beloved around the world has welcomed one of our fave up and coming celebrities as their new spokesmodel... Dania Ramirez

She's a lovely actress who hair never fails to make us jealous.

To achieve Dania's sultry look we'd recommend Indian Hair in Natural Wave in 18". We'd use approximately one and half bundles to create a full but not too intense recreation of her lovely locks. With subtle face framing layers we'd set the hair on rollers and let the hair embrace it's natural wave pattern with a light product to set curls such as Aveda's Air Control.

Humidity Insurance: Curly Hair Care Suggestions for Summer Heat

For many Sunny's Girls it's been a long hot summer (excluding our NYC Sunny's Girls) but for most of us I think we realize that instead of fighting humidity maybe it's time to embrace it.

Summer climates can be brutal on straight hair styles. The moisture in the air swells the hair shaft reverting our original textures.

This summer many of us have resigned our straight sleek hair fantasies and embraced curly hair extensions. Constantly using heat to straighten your hair can wreak havoc on your strands.

We recommend the following products to embrace Summer Humidity:

Curly and Fine Hair: Bohyme French Refined

Curly and Textured Hair: Indian Hair Natural Curl
Curly and Natural (Not Relaxed): Bohyme Brazilian Wave

question for j: help for fine hair?!

From Monisola...Hello!I adore your blog! I just discovered it three days ago. I recently made the decision to grow my mini fro (like 3 inches 4b) into a joyously full Afro! I have a question: how can i tell whether my hair is fine or not? Last, should i moisturize my hair more or less because it is fine, should i deep condition more/less? What general accommodations should be made because i may

BGLH is a Black Weblog Awards Finalist!!!... and a natural high school classmate runs for Miss Jamaica World

So we made it to the Black Weblog Award finals! We lost out in the 'Best Writing in a Blog' category, but we made it as one of the five finalists for 'Best Style and Fashion Blog' and 'Best Culture Blog'. Voting for the finalists is open until Sept. 1. So please vote for us!!! We're up against some pretty formidable opponents so every vote helps ;) j says: yay! congrats to us for making the

Rock Solid Regimen: Tanisha

"For me, rocking my natural hair is what distinguishes me and my people. No other race has hair like ours, and it's absolutely beautiful! It defies gravity, and it's a representation of who we are..." ~TanishaBGLH: Where are you from? Tanisha: I am from New York City, Queens to be specific... And I ended up here because my mother came from Jamaica 20+ years ago to the States and she chose to live

sunday retrospective: accepting natural hair begins with us

A lot of times, I'll hear statements like; "White people appreciate my natural hair more than black people.""I get more compliments from non black people on my natural hair."Followed by some variation of "It's so sad. Why are black people like this?"I'm not going to disagree with those statements. They've been true in my own life at various points. But I am INSANELY uncomfortable with what they

preview of monday's rock solid regimen chick... and a few housekeeping items.

Tanisha, our Rock Solid Regimen chick for Monday, has some really great twist-out fros (as you can see), so stay tuned for that.NIGERIAN NATURALS: Miss Fizz of http://leaveinthekinks.blogspot.com is holding a get together in Lagos. Here are the details:Date: August 15th 2009Location: News Café or the Icecream Factory, Lagos, Nigeria (will pick one closer to the time)Time: 2pmRSVP: missfizz87@