Celebrity Hair Style: Solange Knowles

Solange Knowles went through many hair stages, like many black women.

Before 2009, she was wearing long black a hair, either straight or curly. This hair style made her a clone of her sister Beyonce and she seemed to lack of a true personality.

Relaxed hair before the Big Chop

She decided to go natural and shaved her head in July 2009 (also know as the Big Chop in the natural afro hair jargon) to cut down on her astronomic haircare spending ($40-50,000 per year!) and free herself from weaves and extensions.

This became one of the most popular Big Chops of all times. She's been compared to Amber Rose, Cassie and Britney Spears, made the cover of several magazines and was even invited to Oprah's TV show to discuss her decision.

2009 after her Big Chop

She said in Honey Magazine: "As a society we equate beauty with the images that have been placed in front of us since we were little kids. Every Disney movie, every fairy tale, every pop star typically has a certain aesthetic and look. I think that anytime we see something different, it freaks us out.

"The more people warmed up to it, and they saw more images of me with it and dressed up with my earrings and a little something, something on my face, I think then people were more willing to conform and accept it.

"Now, it’s interesting how the first day I had it, I had nothing but negative, evil, cruel things in my inbox and then yesterday [after Oprah aired] I had 300,000 people saying ‘Oh my God, you looked amazing, so beautiful, and you made us proud.’ People were able to hear my reasoning, which is good and bad because we should be able to just express ourselves."

Eleven months later, Solange had an amazing hair growth. She was spotted on 24 June in a New York club with a free style afro.

June 2010

Chris Brown's tribute to Michael Jackson

Singer Chris Brown made an emotional tribute to Michael Jackson at the BET awards on 27 June and broke down in tears after he impersonated the King of Pop. Many viewers and journalists claim that his breakdown was staged for camera to win back the public's sympathy after the scandal over his assault on former girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

Career advice from Kelly Cutrone

Kelly who? You may not be familiar with Kelly Cutrone if you don't watch reality television. Kelly is the founder of People's Revolution, fashion PR agency based in New York and Los Angeles. She became famous as the mentor of Whitney Port in The City, MTV's reality show focused on career.

Whenever she appears on the show, Kelly reminds viewers that women do not have to do office politics, drama and be sensitive at work as it is expected from them. She now has her own reality show Kell on Earth on US network Bravo and recently published a career advice book entitled: "If you want to cry, go outside".

On her company culture, she said: " [...] the office atmosphere I cultivate is nothing like the cultural stereotype of striving women clawing each other to death to get the queen bee’s job. Women have been taught that, in order to get ahead, we have to be secretive and plotting and manipulative, because a straightforward route to the top hasn’t always existed for us, and in many industries it still doesn’t. But I don’t believe in playing into these stereotypes. We don’t have to stab each other in the back, we don’t have to take things personally and break down when we’re criticized, and we don’t have to advance at each others’ expense."

Here's her top three career advice:

1. "If you have to cry, go outside"

2. "You'll find as you set out to follow your dreams that most people don't really want you to transcend into what you were born to do. Perhaps they are scared for you, perhaps they don't believe in you, or perhaps they're just nasty, negative naysayers. Whichever it is, I advise you to stop sharing your dreams with people who try to hold you back."

3. "You need to appoint yourself manager of your own personal brand. Don't blend in. People who are out making a difference in the world, are not like everyone else. Good brands are authentic, focused and consistent."

Read more career advice from Kelly on AOL Jobs.

http://www.peoplesrevolution.com/

When African-Americans meet Latinos

Our Family Wedding is out on Friday 18 June in UK cinemas. The comedy relates the dramatic week leading to the wedding of an African-American man and his Latino girlfriend played by Ugly Betty's America Ferrera.

The clashes between two communities, the poster and the whole plot are very similar to Guess Who, a romantic comedy from 2005 starring Ashton Kutcher, Zoe Saldana and Bernie Mac.

Our Family Wedding only received a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes due to the fact that it is too predictable. So, will it be a mere copycat or a success?

How to straighten without heat

So you've been natural for a while and you love the versatility your texture offers. With a great selection of hair accessories out there, you can switch up your look on a daily basis. At some point, however, you may want a different hairstyle, if only for a day or a week. You want to straighten it, maybe to see your hair's true length (as shrinkage can really hide it) or just to show a different side.

Do you need a blow dryer and lots of heat via a flat or curling iron to straighten your hair? What if you want to avoid all that heat and the potential damage it can cause?

Answer:

Yes, you can straighten your natural hair without heat, but be advised that final results will differ depending on the texture you begin with, the products you use and your technique. Plus, you have to keep in mind what time of year it is and your climate when considering how long your straightened style will last.

One of the best methods for straightening natural hair without using heat is by roller setting. Sound old-fashioned? Well, there's a reason many of us see pictures of our mothers and grandmothers with headfuls of long, thick hair. Back in the day, before relaxers hit store shelves in a big way, chemicals weren't as prevalent. Yes, a lot of heat was used, but hot-combing was often reserved for special occasions or done about two to three times per month. For maintenance, women rolled their hair at night. Less heat meant more hair retention.

Roller setting with magnetic rollers and a setting agent can yield good results, but you may have to practice to get the best outcome. You'll need:

• Magnetic rollers
• Clips or pins to hold rollers in place
• Spray bottle filled with water
• Setting product such as Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam, KeraCare Foam Wrap-Set Lotion, Mizani Foam Wrap Lotion or Mizani Setting Lotion
• Silk or satin scarf

Set your hair after a shampoo and conditioning session, working with wet hair. Spray your hair with water if it begins to dry as you set it. Apply the setting product of your choice to each section of hair before rolling. Remember to keep even tension as you roll as this ensures straighter results.

Air drying is the gentlest drying method, but it can take a long time for your hair to completely dry this way. A hood bonnet set on low heat can speed things up, so while that may not be a 100% heat-free method, it's still indirect heat versus the direct heat of an iron.

Once the hair is dry, remove the rollers. You can wear the style as is or dry wrap for additional straightening. Once the hair is wrapped around the head, tie a scarf around it; this will smooth the hair down further, so once it's released, you'll have a bouncy bob instead of a curlier style.

Tips and Advice:

• Your results won't last nearly as long in high humidity, so you may have to save roller setting for fall and winter, when there's less moisture in the air.
• The bigger the roller, the straighter the hair.
• Extremely coily hair may not straighten to your satisfaction with this method. It may require low heat with a blow dryer for better results, so carefully consider your natural texture when thinking about roller setting, as it may not work as well for very tight curls.
• Do not remove rollers until the hair is completely dry. Taking them out too early will result in hair that curls back up.

By Del Sandeen, About.com

Interview with Wendi Levy, co-founder of Mixed Chicks

kolkolkolblog met Wendi Levy(left), co-founder of Mixed Chicks, the curl-defining system for multi-cultural people. Wendi is a key player in the rise of natural hair care with her associate Kim Etheredge. She attended the Afro Hair and Beauty Live Show in London on 30 May 2010 to prepare the arrival of her range in the UK. She tells us her tips to maintain curly hair.

http://www.mixedchicks.net/

Bad hair story

A London woman is taking legal action against a hair salon after suffering severe burns which put her in hospital days before her wedding.

Stephanie Davies-Crowley, 37, of Tottenham, says she suffered toxic shock after an inexperienced assistant put a mixture of chemicals on her hair that burned her scalp.

The office manager told how she was so severely injured she had to go from the salon in Hertfordshire to Homerton Hospital — and from there to her wedding. She had to wear a wig to cover up patches where her hair fell out. Figures show that lawyers have dealt with 34 salon-related injury cases in the capital over the past 12 months. The total across the country is 338 in a year.

The findings are based on a survey by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers which is launching a campaign to get hairdressers regulated.

Ms Davies-Crowley, who married husband Luke last August, is bringing a civil action against the salon which treated her, La Belle Hair Studio in Hitchin.

She claims it failed to carry out a patch test that would have revealed she was allergic to toxins in the dye. She also alleges the hairdresser put the dye on soon after using chemicals to straighten her hair, which made the injuries worse.

Ms Davies-Crowley said: “At one point I went blind and that's when Luke took me to hospital. They had to drain the fluid from my head and put me on morphine to kill the pain. Women should make a lot more effort to check out the salons they use. There should be regulation.”

Denise Kitchener, the lawyers' association's chief executive, said: “We are very concerned about the number of people being injured.”
The salon denied Ms Davies-Crowley's allegations and said the case was in the hands of its solicitor.

Source: This is London

Hit or Miss: Rihanna's red hair

Saturday 5 June, Rock in Rio Madrid festival

Best styling creme: Aveda Brilliant

If you had to go on a desert island and could only take one product, pick the Aveda Brilliant Universal styling creme. No, we haven't been paid to make this review and yes, Aveda Brilliant is often recommended on natural hair care websites. It even won the Company Hair Awards 2009 so there must be a reason... We've tried it and here's why you should definitely try it too:

1. It moisturizes without frizzing
Many moisturizing cremes contain too much water and make your frizz when you only want to twist out and define curls. Other styling cremes are so heavy that your hair becomes greasy after you've applied them. We found that the Aveda moisturizing crème contains just enough water to moisturize your hair and define curls without making it damp.

2. It's ideal for an express twist out
If you want to make a twist out in a rush, you don't want a styling crème that will soak your hair wet and take an hour to dry. You can litterally apply Aveda Brilliant to dry hair, make four or five huge flat twsits, leave for 30 minutes and bring out the curls.

3. It leaves your hair soft
A twist out with Aveda Brilliant can last two days and the curls are still very well defined. It also leaves your hair shiny and soft unlike other moisturizing cremes make your hair crunchy.

4. It smells like heaven
We don't know which of the ingredients gives that particular smell to the creme it but we love it.
Ingredients: Black tea, Certified organic aloe, Certified organic camomile, Certified organic jojoba

Avril Lavigne Hairstyles - GPPAXM36B4RU

Avril Lavigne hairstyles are duplicated by thousands of teenage girl fans of this young singer, who is known for her trendy sense of fashion. In addition to her music, her hairstyle has inspired many as the perfect example of the beauty of healthy, long hair. As a natural blond Avril Lavigne hairstyles show the full impact of this hair color and belong to the long straight hairstyles.

Avril Lavigne With Blonde Pink Hairstyle Color

Although she makes it clear that she adores her hair color, she has also used highlights on several occasions, and has experimented with different looks. For instance in 2007, one of the most popularAvril Lavigne hairstyles was where her long hair was parted a bit off-center with wild pink streaks in the front. This hairstyle drew a lot of attention, causing a stir wherever she appeared. Sporting this long, straight layered hairstyle that ended at her bust line turned quite a few heads.

Avril Lavigne With Wavy Hairstyles

At one of her recent CD release parties, the pick of the Avril Lavigne hairstyle was a bit shorter. In this long straight hairstyle, her hair was accented with pink color at the ends of her hair that framed her face. The layers increased the volume in the crown of the head, but were about 2 inches shorter than before. Styled without a part, the focus was on here beautiful facial features with the front hair combed upward instead of being allowed to fall as fringe bangs. For women with long hair who dare to be a little different, Avril Lavigne hairstyles are a good starting point for revving up your style.

Avril Lavigne With Long Straight Hairstyles

VIDEO: Afro Hair Beauty Live London

Check out a video of this year's Afro Hair and Beauty Live show. The event took place in North London last weekend and afro designers including Nkwo presented their latest creations.

PPQ of Mayfair, Spring Summer 2010

PPQ is a UK-based designer brand created in 1992 by Amy Molyneaux and Percy Parker. Their Spring Summer 2010 collection has an obvious afro inspiration. We love their geometrical shapes, the fabric reminiscent of African wax but also the braided tower hair style and the extravagant black and white eyelashes!



http://www.ppqclothing.com/