Um Viola, Wendy Thinks Your Dress Is Formal, But Not Your Hair

It wasn't even two months ago that I was basically praising Wendy Williams on my blog for a comment she made on her show about being natural.  (If you missed it, that blog post is here).  Now today, I'm singing a bit of a different tune.

On the 1/27/12 show, Wendy, along with 'style expert' Mary Alice Stephenson, talked about the Red Carpet hits and misses of the Oscars.  Mary said, "I have a feeling you're not going to like this, but I am going to say Viola Davis.   You know why?  No wig, no weave!  I like that she went au natural, I know, I know, I know..."  Wendy made a face and then proceeded to say, "All respect to naturals but I don't want to see Room 222 flashbacks on the red carpet."  They both laughed about it.  The good part of this; however, was when Mary said, "I just still think it's kind of great.  She wore wigs all season then she just went natural."

While I love the fact that Mary commended Viola's choice, I frown upon Wendy's statement that Viola's natural hair wasn't 'formal' enough for the Oscars.  Really Wendy?!?  I guess it should have been pressed or relaxed huh?  I guess it's better to be an 'in the closet' natural!  (rolling eyes)

Here are a few pictures of the show Room 222.

Viola looking beautiful while adorning a wig...

  Pictures that debuted a few days ago, prompting interest in the (hair) style Viola would wear at the Oscars.

 Viola's AWESOME look at the Oscars.

Of note, Mary also said that J. Lo and Viola did too much 'nipple slippage' and said that they need to cover it up.  Well, although I didn't watch the Oscars, I have seen both of their dresses.  Viola's dress was so fierce!  I can't understand the continuous negativity Wendy threw at Viola.

Here is Viola and her husband on the red carpet at the Oscars.  He encourages her to rock her natural hair!  He told her "If you want to wear it for your career, that's fine, but in your life, wear your hair.  Step into who you are." 

During the show, Wendy also said, "It ain't easy sitting here and then having to face people you guys."  Well, what do you expect when you go in all the time Wendy?!?  Yes, we may giggle at what you say at times and that's your career choice; however, you DO need to understand (and expect) the possibilities of what may result based on what you discuss in your Hot Topics.  A lot of people have been offended by this... unfortunately.

When asked about her hair, Viola reportedly said:

"You know, my husband encouraged me. And I think it was time to step into who I was. And to be bold about it. I don’t think that when you tell people that you need to do it with a whimper.

Husband: She’s not making a statement. She’s who she is.

Reporter: Was it hard, though? Was it hard? Because we see you and you always look so glamorous. We know you wear wigs. But was it hard to just take it off?

Viola: Yeah, it was. But, I have to tell you. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. So, therefore, I think it was time. That’s why. It was just time.

Yay for Viola!  I wonder how many other celebrities will follow suit.  I'm looking forward to it!

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik and on Twitter, Tweet Kinky.

 ~Keep it Kinky~

Product Review - Ma Mocha Naturals (DB Coconut & Cupuacu Butter/Zenzele Sangria Hair Oil)

Ma Mocha, a natural beauty consultancy and online boutique, sent me out a few of their natural products that they sell for review.  I was sent the Darcy's Botanicals Coconut & Cupuacu Butter and the Zenzele Sangria Hair Oil.

What's in the products from Ma Mocha Naturals?

DB Coconut & Cupuacu Butter: Organic castor oil, cupuacu butter, organic virgin coconut oil, organic shea butter, ucuuba fruit butter, beeswax, and fragrance.

Zenzele Sangria Hair Oil: Safflower oil, olive oil, castor seed oil, jojoba oil, vitamin E, and fragrance.

What's your first impression of these products Kinky?  As for the Zenzele Sangria Hair Oil, it is a light oil with a very sweet and pleasing smell.  I used this as a hot oil for me and my daughter's hair (prepoo) as well as for scalp massaging and sealing in the moisture.  I do like this product for our hair and love the scent.  It can be used on the body; however, I have not yet tried it as a body oil.  You know how some oils smell like oil?  Well this one doesn't!

With regards to the DB Coconut & Cupuacu Butter, I must say, a little may go a long way.  I can be 'heavy handed' when using products and may use more than necessary some times.  This product does add shine to your hair; however, don't over use this product as it you will be left with 'grease' on your fingers.  I am not sure if I used too much of it or if it's just naturally like that.  Nonetheless, it doesn't take away from the product.  I actually liked it; however, I don't think it did much for laying down edges (at least when I tried it on dry hair).  I used it on my daughter, to do flat, two strand twists, and on my hair for a combo of two strand twists and flat, two strand twists.  Our hair was twisted wet.

After leaving the twist in for three days, I took mine down using a bit of the DB butter on my hands.  I didn't need much for the reasons noted above.  I left my daughter's twists in for seven days and then took them down with the Zenzele oil.  During the week, I used the oil on our scalps and a few times on my twist out.

I think both products work well together, as well as independently, as I didn't always use them together.  Below are some pictures of our hair.

 And now for my favorite part of twists... the twist-out!

After a few days, I decided that I wanted big hair and so here's day one and two of big hair!

 

And the princess had totally cute hair too.  See for yourself...


The twist and the hair on the right has both products applied.  The hair on the top right has absolutely no product on it.  The bottom pictures are of her styled hair.

So, after a few days, even with covering her hair at night, my daughter's hair starts to get a bit crazy and does not appear as neat as it originally was.  However, her twist-outs seems to come out darn near perfect!

See... told you!

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik and on Twitter, Tweet Kinky.

Where to buy: Ma Mocha Naturals

PS - Ma Mocha Naturals is having a grand opening as of 3/1/12 and I will also be hosting a giveaway for one of their items so please stay tuned for that giveaway!

 ~Keep it Kinky~ 

Disclaimer: I was sent this product for the purpose of a review and I was NOT paid to do this review. The above review/opinions expressed was based on MY experience using the product. Kinky Kinetik is not affiliated with Ma Mocha Naturals, Zenzele and/or Darcy's Botanicals and is thereby not responsible for your experience with these products.

Um, Hello! Is Willow 'Getting The Party Started' Too Soon?

You read the title and so you already have a perception in your mind of what this post will be about, right?  You are probably thinking that I am about to go 'in' on Willow.  Or, you are probably wanting to tell me, "leave that child alone, she's cute!"  Possibly, you may be one of the people that will agree with what I am about to say. 

As a mother of an eight year old, trendy, beautiful, intelligent and talented girl, I'm exposed to the tween and teen shows, music, fashion trends and such.  I'm also exposed, of course, to Willow Smith as my daughter Janae loves her!  Being exposed to the things that she is exposed to allows me to know what I don't want her to watch/listen to, while also getting a feel of what media today is filtering to our 'impressionable' children.

Now, before I proceed further, I want to preface the remaining part of this blog by saying that I like love Willow Smith.  She is cute, trendy and making a name for herself.  In fact, the enter Smith household is talented.  However, is she doing too much, with regards to her style, for her age?  (psst, she's 11 years old)

I won't sit here and bash her, Will or Jada; however, as a parent of a child that watches and may look up to her, I'm just curious as to what the conversations are like among Willow and her parents.  Some people get defensive when you talk about kids and/or parenting techniques/skills.  However, that doesn't and won't stop me from having my thoughts about Willow.  Do they (her parents and maybe others) feel as though she's a 'celebrity,' and can do (or wear) whatever she wants?  Are boundaries set on how far she can go?  Have they considered the perception she is giving everyone?  Is she turning into a mini-Nicki Minaj as far as style and over-the-top-ness goes? <---I made that word up.

Let's take a look at Willow's trendy journey...

First, she had some long braids...

and then she shaved the hair on each side of her head.  

She's worn color in her hair and wore an array of styles (both hair and fashion).  

 

 

 

After that, she went and rocked out with a TWA (naturals were cheering her on, meanwhile, my daughter said: Now, how will she whip her hair back and forth?!?).  #giggling

 

Present day, she's rocking a low cut... dyed blonde!

Although again, I love this little 'Fireball' and I buy her music and videos for my daughter to listen and watch on her iPod Touch, I wonder if what she is doing is too much.  Yes, my daughter is intelligent and cognizant of what is and is not acceptable in our household; however, I as a parent will have to continue to reinforce and reiterate certain things to her.  She's already asked about dying her hair in the future and seeing Willow's hair dyed may not help with her desire to get it.  

I am all for children expressing themselves, within reasonable limits, and showing their personality.  However, certain things, in my humble opinion, may not necessarily be for a child at Willow's age.

This by far is no boycott or ban of the Smith's, this is more of a 'Yes, she's cute and all, but still monitor your child(ren)s intake of it all."  As impressionable as kids can be, we still need to ensure that we are letting them know that what one parent or household allows, may not be what you and your household will allow.  There's like a catch 22 when it comes to being a celebrity.  They want to be themselves and show their personality; however, they risk losing fans by showing too much.  You want them to be who they are; however, you also want them to know who's watching and looks up to them (cough, CB)...  As a parent, I urge you to continue to watch who your child watches and have that open dialogue with them.  Let them know that everything they see and hear will not always be what they can say and do!

As for Willow's style, I admit, I love it, for someone older though... I just feel that kids should be kids... I don't want any of them growing up 'too fast.'

Bonus pic: this is said to be Willow's "real hair" (as per a website I was reading).

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik and on Twitter, Tweet Kinky.

~Keep it Kinky~

Mailman + Packages = Me Being Excited!! (Thank YOU Sponsors)

Getting a package in the mail for something that you ordered is one thing but getting packages in the mail for product reviews is GREAT!!  Why is it so great Kinky?  I feel that it is absolutely great as there are owners of fashion, jewelry, natural hair product, and bath/body companies that not only like the reviews that I have posted thus far but also trust ME to do their reviews for them!  (aww, they believe in me!)

I pride myself on giving honest feedback of products and using pictures to 'back up' what I say.  I am a 'say it like you mean it' kind of kinky!  Do I just write a great review because it smelled good, was nicely packaged, has a cute name, and/or was free?!?  Nope!  Have I turned down reviews of some products, especially if they weren't mostly, if not 100% natural?  Yup!  

For me to review a (hair, bath/body) product, I have to have an interest in some, if not all, of the ingredients and feel that it will be a great product to review.  I love the fact that I get to share something with my kinkies that are seeking a great product to use, want to try something new, and/or is just a PJ.  (LoL).  The same goes for the jewelry, fashion, literature and bath/body reviews that I have done and will be doing in the future. 

I like to shed light on great companies with great products.  Not only is it exciting to get packages in the mail for review, it's also a compliment!!  Thank you (to my sponsors) for the goodies that you send me and thank you for trusting me with doing a review for your company!

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik and on Twitter, Tweet Kinky.

~Keep it Kinky~

Love Month Giveaway #4 - Natural Beautiful Me

Yay it's February AKA Kinky's Love Month!!

And so here we are... our fourth week in to Kinky's Love Month Giveaways and we have a naturally beautiful tee for you Kinkies!  As you know, for the entire month of February, I'm sharing some of my favorite earrings, products and apparel with all of my Kinkies.  This time, I am sharing with you a t-shirt from one of my personal friend's lines... Natural Beautiful Me!  In addition to celebrating Kinky's Love Month, we're celebrating the birthday of the owner of Natural Beautiful Me!

The giveaway will run from 2/23 - 2/29/12, until 12 midnight. The winner will be notified via email and once confirmed, will be announced on Kinky's Facebook page.  The winner will have 24 hours to reply with their mailing address and size, so that it can forwarded directly to Natural Beautiful Me.  Failure to do so means that you forfeit your winnings and another winner will be chosen.     

In order to be eligible, you MUST like Kinky Kinetik on Facebook, follow Kinky's blog (via the follow option at the top of the page or GFC on the right side of the page) and like Natural Beautiful Me on Facebook.  Optional entries are to also follow Kinky on Twitter and tweet the giveaway.  The entry information is below.

CARA B Naturally $25 Target Gift Card Giveaway

Many of you know that I love the CARA B Naturally line for my daughter.  If you haven't had the chance to, make sure you check out my review Kinky's Product Review of CARA B Naturally.  

Finally there is a line of all natural, affordable skin and hair care products for ethnic babies and kids that will be available at Target!  

CARA B Naturally has just launched in Target stores across the country.  To help with the celebration, Kinky Kinetik and CARA B Naturally have put together a fun "I-spy" styled contest for Kinky's blog readers!  Go to the CARA B Naturally Target store locator here and then come back and post on this note whether or not the CARA B Naturally products are in the store nearest you to be eligible to win a $25 gift card to Target to purchase the CARA B Naturally product line.  Post pictures to Kinky Kinetik's Facebook page (Kinky Kinetik) for added entries!  This contest will run from 2/23/12 - 2/29/12.  A winner will be randomly selected and has 24 hours to respond.  The entry information is below.

Product Review - Naturél Lyfe Essentials

Hey Kinkies.  So far, you have seen a lot of product reviews on hair products and even a book.  Now, I shift focus, just for a bit, to natural body products.

I had the opportunity to get some Honey Ginger body butter from the Sugas Honey Body Butter line, which is made by Naturél Lyfe Essentials.

What's In Naturél Lyfe Essentials Products?

Honey Ginger: 100% natural raw unrefined African shea butter, organic cocoa butter, jojoba oil, honey ginger fragrance oil, and safflower oil.


What's your first impression of  Naturél Lyfe Essentials Kinky?  I like the consistency of the butter.  It is whipped and very light.  It easily melts into your hands, which I love.  You can really smell the honey; however, it is not overbearing and doesn't last long.

The butter helps to seal in moisture and provides a bit of shine to your skin.  I suggest using it right after bathing, when your skin is still moist, for optimal results.  See my results below...

The left has no butter butter, the right does.  

 The top picture is my lower leg before applying the body butter. 

The bottom picture is the same leg after applying the body butter.

As you can see, the results were pretty good.  My already smooth skin felt even smoother after use.  Given the smell of it, I'm interested in trying some of the other scents for this line.  Although made for the body, I definitely would try this on my hair as it has some great ingredients in it.

Naturél Lyfe Essentials also sells whipped unrefined shea butter.  I had the liberty to also get a few samples of this line.  I was sent the following scents (named in order of my scent preference): Coconut Lime Verbana, Coconut Mango, and Brown Sugar.  These are a thicker consistency, than the product reviewed above, and provide similar results.  

Stay tuned as I will be having a giveaway of a few items from Naturél Lyfe Essentials in March.  I will also have a one-time use coupon code available for blog followers that will be effective as of March 1st.

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik and Twitter, Tweet Kinky Kinetik.

Where to buy: Naturél Lyfe Essentials.  See something you like over at Naturél Lyfe Essentials?  Use coupon code KINETIK10 for 10% off, not applicable to bulk products or sale products, one time use per person.

~Keep it Kinky~ 

Disclaimer: I was sent this product for the purpose of a review and I was NOT paid to do this review. The above review/opinions expressed was based on MY experience using the product. Kinky Kinetik is not affiliated with Naturél Lyfe Essentials and is thereby not responsible for your experience with the product.

Kinky (And Her Princess') Weekly Regimen And Some Kinky Tips

I have been asked whether or not I have a hair regimen.  My answer, yes and no.  Yes, because I do almost the same thing each week.  No, because the products vary.

Every Sunday, I shampoo our hair.  Lately I have been using the shampoo bars that I previously reviewed.  Why do I shampoo instead of just cowash?  Simply put, I have been doing product reviews.  I honestly feel that once you are starting to use and/or review a new product, your hair (and scalp) should be free of any other products that you previously have used.  I think that is the fairest way to determine if a products works well for your hair and you are allowing it to do what it is supposed to do, without having left over products on your scalp (and hair).

My daughter and I mostly wear twists and twist-out styles so I would twist our hair, sometimes in a cute style, while using some form of a moisturizer (water and/or product) and styling/sealing that in with some other product (butter, oil and/or natural gel that contains the aforementioned).

Similar to the reason why I shampoo, I don't do a deep conditioning treatment each time I shampoo.  Why?  If a product claims that it will moisturize your hair or claim to do whatever else, I like to use the product itself to see if it really performs as it is supposed to.  If I am reviewing an entire line of products (or most of their products), I will use those products based on the directions provided.  I try to avoid mixing some products as not all products work well with others and again, I want to see if the product can perform without extra 'help.'

At least once a day, we spritz our hair with either water or a moisturizing mist/spray that we have.  When showering, sometimes we won't use a shower cap, this allows some moisture (and steam) to get into our hair. Often times when it rains, I won't use an umbrella... unless of course it is a heavy downpour.

When I take down our twists, I use an oil, butter, or other product that I am doing a review on.  I don't really retwist our hair.  For me, it never seems to have that same definition.  I may pineapple our hair but instead of doing it at top, I may do it going to the back.  That method seems to work better for me.

Nightly, we use our satin caps and/or silk satin scarf to tie our hair up.  I don't like to unveil our hair until we finish getting dressed as putting shirts, sweaters, dresses, etc., over our head can mess up your style.

When I am not working on a product review, I do like to do a deep conditioning treatment at least twice per month.  I do scalp massages at times and trim split/frayed ends whenever I notice them.  Oh, and when I am applying a product to my hair, I smooth it in from root to ends.

I hope that I didn't miss anything and I hope that this helps you with determining a regimen, if you don't already have one.

Do you have a regimen?  If so, what's yours?

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik and Twitter, Tweet Kinky Kinetik

~Keep it Kinky~

Product Review - Njoi CreationS

Hey Kinkies.  I'm back with yet another product review.  This time, I'm reviewing a few products from Njoi CreationS.


What's In Njoi ' Products?

ACV Shampoo Bar: Vegetable glycerin soap infused with organic ACV, aloe vera, olive oil, honey, and vitamin E.

Conditioning Herbal Hair Rinse Tea Bag: Organic nettles, colts foot, horsetail, cassia henna, sage, organic lavender, organic calendula, chamomile flowers, hibiscus, blue malva, spearmint, peppermint, ground organic burdock root and marshmallow root powder.
Coconut Chai Hair Nectar: Organic coconut oil and avocado oil solar infused with chai spices (fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, star anise) along with organic bourbon vanilla beans and agave nectar.
Ayurvedic Hair Oil: A blend of coconut, jojoba, and vitamin E oil infused with neem, amla, brahmi, lavender, tea tree and pepperment essential oils.

What's your first impression of Njoi CreationS Kinky?  I loved the ACV shampoo bar.  I used that on both me and my daughter's hair.  Our hair was not squeaky clean or overly dry.  The tea rinse felt good, although it was a bit messy doing it on my head by myself.  Half of it went on the floor and the other half went in the bowl.  I wanted to use the remaining part to spritz my hair during the week; however, it did not quite work out that way.  I twisted my wet hair but applying the oil and then sealing it with the nectar.  The smell of the oil reminded me of a spruce tree and the nectar smells exactly like the ingredients.  It was a spicy, gingery smell.

The two pictures below are of my hair while using the ACV shampoo bar.  

The following picture is my scalp after rinsing the shampoo out.

On the left is the tea.... it looked and smelled yummy!  The right is my hair after the tea rinse.

My chunky twists, using the Ayurvedic oil and sealing the the Coconut Chai Hair Nectar...

Lastly, my twist out... 

 

 

Generally, I do my product reviews after about a week or so of using a product.  Unfortunately, after twisting that one time, there was not any Coconut Chai Hair Nectar left for me to use more than once and give a more detailed and accurate review of it.  With regards to the remaining oil that I had, I used the rest of the oil to take the twists down for my twist out.  I also applied it to me and my daughter's scalp for a scalp massage.  I do like the ACV shampoo bar and have a bit of it left so I will definitely be using it to shampoo my hair and prepare for my next review.

Feel free to also check me out on Facebook, Kinky Kinetik

Where to buy: Njoi CreationS

 ~Keep it Kinky~ 

Disclaimer: I was sent this product for the purpose of a review and I was NOT paid to do this review. The above review/opinions expressed was based on MY experience using the product. Kinky Kinetik is not affiliated with Nappturalistic Beauty and is thereby not responsible for your experience with the product.