Guest feature: Meet fellow natural Imani!!

1. Please introduce yourself!

My name  is Imani and I am a student  of life! I love learning new things and I love learning about natural health (mental, physical and emotional causes of health) and about the pregnancy process. I am a Doula, a birth assistant for women during and after pregnancy.  I am also a Natural Health Consultant and I make beautiful earrings by the name of Eyecatchers Designs.  

I love being buried in a book, writing in my journal, making funny faces,hanging with friends and family and thoroughly enjoying myself at concerts . 

2. Why did you decide to go natural/ become chemical free?

I was always a fan of afros and locs! They are so beautiful to me. I had a friend ask me was I natural and my response was "huh?" lol.  She explained and encouraged me to go natural. I went home and watched youtube and I had the thought "This makes a lot of sense!  No more creamy crack for me!" :)

Going natural was not difficult for me at all, once my mind is set I go with the flow. I was only getting perms 2-3 times a year anyways. My perm was not my identity or an ego booster for me.

3. How would you describe your natural hair texture?

My hair is curly and just like any other natural, my hair does what she wants and the texture changes from time to time and depending on the weather.

4. Describe your most recent style regimen within the last month.

Style regimen.....lol

I don't have one of those, I tie my fro up at night in a pineapple and in the morning, I tease it with oil and take advantage of the shower steam.  My latest concoction was given to me by my little sister. It consists of almond oil, castor oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and drops of lemon and lavender oil for scent. 

5. What are your go to hairstyle(s)?

I am pretty simple with my hairstyles, I like fros, braidouts, twists and mohawks.  Whenever my hair is being uncooperative I just wear a puff until wash day :)

6. Do you have a specific wash regimen?

I do not have a regimen. When I was my hair I use Shea Moisture shampoo and conditioner. When I condition I put on a plastic cap for a couple of hours and then I rinse with cold water.

7. What are some of your favorite hair products?

I love shea moisture products, that is the only hair product I use. I might need to explore other options if I get bored but I loooove their line.  I always use olive oil and lemongrass oil.

8. Do you have any natural hair goals?

My natural hair goal is to keep is to keep it healthy and let it grow on its own without any interference of special tricks or products.

Imani's beauty jewelry can be viewed and purchased at eyecatchers.bigcartel.com . You can also find her on IG @wheatgrass_scorp :-)

Thank you so much Imani for being and inspiration to women (young and old)!!! 

Don't forget to comment and subscribe guys! 

What those "hair supplement" companies DON'T tell you!

Hairfinity. The Mane Choice. Both of these companies are very well known companies in the natural hair community. Both offer hair products and tools to many women who have natural hair. What they are both very well known for are natural hair supplements that they offer to all ethnicities of women. You see their ads all over Instagram and Facebook, and based on the stories and "testimonies" listed on social media , you are then lured into the buying trap that these companies want you to be in.


A little background about my hair: I have very THICK, type 4 hair. With low porosity and its extremely dense. When I say my hair is thick, its extremely thick and shrinks like no ones business when water hits it. When trying these hair supplements, I was hoping that they would boost my already fast growing hair, and help me to retain some length that I "thought" I wasn't keeping.

Now I'll admit, I was one of those people who fell into the "trap". I had studied and researched Hairfinity and The Mane choice both for a quite a long time before I decided to make a purchase from both of them. I decided to give hairfinity a go first, and bought one bottle to start, just to see how I liked it...
I started taking hairfinity late fall, early winter of 2013. As indicated on the bottle, the directions are to take 2 capsules by mouth daily.( preferably with meals). As I did so, I immediately noticed two side effects from Hairfnity that I did not like. 1. Increase in Migraines (I already had a problem with migraines before starting this supplement) and 2. Acne/break-outs. My skin went crazy when I started taking these pills! I'm talking 1-2 new pimples a day. Now I'd say that my skin was is usually pretty clear and smooth and I don't have a hard time keeping it that way. As far as the migraines, I usually get those 1-2 times a month, because they are controlled with a prescription medication I am currently taking. When I started the hairfinity, I had a migraine every other night! I thought to myself, this is crazy! Nevertheless, my hair was growing slightly faster than it was without the supplements. I decided that I would not repurchase Hairfnity after finishing the first bottle.

A few months went buy, and I was still seeing posts from The Mane Choice on Instagram. I was pondering the thought of possibly trying this supplement, because maybe it was a little bit different from hairfinity. I decided to give it a go on a whim, because I felt like I had nothing else to loose. Boy was I WRONG. I will say that I didn't have the same horrible side effects with The Mane Choice vitamins as I did with Hairfinity. No breakouts and no added migraine headaches. But something just wasn't right with my hair over the course of a couple weeks, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I kept complaining to my mother at the time, that something just was NOT right with my hair. It wasn't responding to product like it used to, and it wasn't as thick and full as it usually was. At the time, I contemplated the big chop again, because I was so frustrated. We went over a few things that we thought could be causing the problem and left it at that. Never did we think to question the supplement I was taking. During this time, my hair was growing. I did notice the length, but the thickness just was not what it used to be. By now, I had finished  the first bottle and was on my second bottle (the last bottle). Then, one morning it HIT ME. The hair supplements were causing my hair to thin!!!! It had to be the hair supplements. I can honestly say over the course of the months I was taking the pills that this is when I saw the biggest difference in my hair. The thickness was there but the length had drastically been affected by these supplements.
Now I don't know about anyone else, But Id rather have thick, full healthy hair than long, thin, brittle hair. I'm not sure what chemical in this supplements caused the body and thickness of my hair to be affected, but let me tell you I am not liking it. 

I stopped taking the supplements the beginning of this week. I will come back to you guys in one month to show the difference in my hair as far and thickness and body. Let me just say that I am in no way trying to bash or discredit any of these companies, but I thought it was important to let the natural hair community and my followers know about this. Most of us are so consumed by getting fast, quick results, and getting long, luxurious hair fast that we will take anything and try anything to get it. What's most important is letting your hair do its own thing naturally. Drink water, eat right, take daily vitamins not aimed at hair growth, but aimed to aid the body. I fault myself from gearing away from what's important in my natural hair journey and what I want you all to take away from my posts. Healthy hair, is the best hair, no matter the length. Length will come if you do what you need to do for your hair.

Check back with me in a month guys, and I will do a follow up on how may hair is doing since I have completely stopped the hair supplements. Thanks for reading, feel free to ask questions and comment!

-Dani