Chatting With Candace Kelley About Life, Acceptance, and Supernatural: The Play

Hey Kinkies!!  

So most of you may recall that I went to an event last summer called Supernatural:The Event.  I had an amazing time there and was able to see Supernatural: The Play at it's debut (and was able to meet Kim Coles - yayness).  Well, the play is coming back to the East Coast and I had the awesome opportunity of chatting with one of the playwrights, Candace Kelley.

So just to tell you all a little about the play, Supernatural: The Play, which now features Kim Coles, is funny and insightful while exploring the lives of seven women who are forced to confront their definition of beauty in an image obsessed world, leading them on a natural hair journey and finding themselves.  Some are describing it as the Vagina Monologues - but about hair.  Since it's debut in 2012, Supernatural: The Play, has resonated with theater-goers through tears and standing ovations for its universal themes of self-acceptance, triumph over tragedy, and redefining BEAUTY!

2012 NNHMD

Hey Kinkies... so, National Natural Hair Meetup Day was yesterday, May 19, 2012.  You all know that I just HAD to attend a meetup.  They didn't have any here in Jersey.  They did have one in Brooklyn as well as in Manhattan; however, I drove from New Jersey to Long Island (over an hour drive) to support my sis, Daphné, AKA Une Autre Naturelle.  I previously featured her in an interview.  You can check that out here.   I must say that overall, I did enjoy myself.  With the exception of a few things, I think overall the meetup was successful.  The price of this event was $30.

The event had 50 attendees, mainly from Long Island or other parts of New York.  Besides Joy of Curls of Joy, I was the only one from NJ.  I was one of the first 25 attendees so I got the REAL swag bag that contained a few full sized products, some samples, and a magazine.  There was also a few fliers and cards placed on a table with coupon codes.  

Okay, so we like our dessert before dinner right?  Ok... let's talk about the good.  I liked the intimacy of the event.  There wasn't an extremely big, chaotic crowd.  The swag bag, for me at least, was great, and the giveaways (over 30) were awesome.  While I am a little bitter (LoL) that I did not win from brands that I have been wanting to try (Little Penguins, Pura Body Naturals, and HairVeda, just to name a few), I did win from a brand that I already know and trust, Sister's Keeper.  I think the giveaways (hair products, t-shirts, and accessories) were AWESOME!!  It was all thanks to Daphné!!

Unlike some events, this one had FOOD as it was hosted at a restaurant called Mirelle's.  The Caribbean style lunch was great... the fruit wasn't all that sweet but the plantains made up for that!  Yummy in my tummy was the appetizers and the meal that followed!   

There was an awesome Q & A session with Marlene of Doris New York Hair Care Products, as well as a hair styling session with Darcel of Natural Roots Hair Care Inc.  Both of these ladies rocked it.  (Of note, I will be doing a review of some products from Doris New York Hair Care Products.  Stay tuned for that.)  Marlene was there selling hair products and there were also two accessories vendors.

The event ran from 1pm to 5pm, which wasn't bad... I think we all had enough time to enjoy ourselves.

Oh, I brought my daughter.  I had previously promised her that I would take her to the next meetup that I went to.  She had the opportunity to help out Daphné and listen to hair talk.  I think it was a great mommy/daughter day!

The bad... Besides this one rude waiter that worked at the restaurant, and got on quite a few people's nerve, there was nothing bad I could really think of.  Hmmm... wait, there is... the product swap!

Now, I saw some decent brands on the table... and I bought two of three products valued $15 - $20 and were almost full (that I paid for, just no longer wanted/needed).  I also bought a huge container of gel.  You were allowed to bring/swap up to three items.  You were given a ticket and you were supposed to come to the table when your name was called.  Well, I don't know what happened with that as people were just taking what they wanted, appearing to leave with more products than they were supposed to (if you brought only one, you should have taken only one), and there was no fairness to it.  I'm not fully sorry to say this but uh, if you are coming to swap products, how are you taking something expensive, yet leaving some cheap Dollar Tree gel and $0.97 Suave shampoo for others?  Although I understand why you would not want those products, why would you even bring that?!?  I just don't feel as though it was considerate of others.  Products were supposed to be at least half full, yet one jar clearly had about 15-20% in it and some of the jars/containers were dirty, had hair in/on them, and totally NOT presentable.  I assume the guilty parties didn't care about all of that, DESPITE the email that clearly said to ensure that products are clean and half full.  They were just happy to have hit the jackpot.  There was definitely talk about it immediately following  the swap and a few ladies were not pleased with this part of the event.

Anywho, this has nothing to do with the host or the event itself; however, I am going to be 100% honest with how I feel about everything as a whole...  It took me a little over an hour to get there and a little over an hour to get back.  I wasn't feeling that; however, I guess that was on me because I chose to go show support.  I didn't expect my return time to double that of my arrival time.  I kinda wished that I bought tickets to another event so that I could have spent the whole day in NY and took part and another NNHMD event.  Maybe then I would have had the opportunity to meet more Kinkies, network more, and possibly miss all of that traffic!  O_o

All in all, the event was a success and I am very glad that I came.  I would definitely attend another event hosted by Daphné, as she did a FANTASTIC job.  She's so sweet and lovable!  Who knows, we may be able to partner on it together!  ;-)

Well Kinkies, that's my thoughts on it.  Thanks for reading and please check out my quick slide show of some of the pictures that I captured...

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

 ~Keep it Kinky~ 

Guess Who's Now On YouTube...

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

~Keep it Kinky~

NJ National Hair Care Expo

Hey Kinkies!!!  I have been anticipating the NJ NHCE for months.  Although I wasn't feeling 100% like myself, I made myself go out to this event.  After all, I had workshops to attend, networking to do, Kinkies to meet, and perhaps a few things to buy!

I had mixed feelings about the event in general.  Overall, I enjoyed myself as I felt that it was my duty to ensure that I do so.  The weather sucked outside; however, it was amazing energy inside!!  I talked to a bunch of people and built, what I hope will be, lasting relationships!

Okay, so we like our dessert before dinner right?  Ok... let's talk about the good.  There were soooooo many accessory vendors there that you could have racked UP!!  If anyone knows me, they should know that I LOVE me some accessories!  I did not shop too much though, some prices were totally not worth it.  In addition to the vendors, there were a few classes that you could also attend.  Based on the schedules provided, I attended the classes that seemed more beneficial and of interest.  Not only did I takeaway knowledge for myself, but I have some takeaways to also share with my Kinkies!  

The first session that I attended was No More Eczema.  As people of African American descent, some of us may suffer from allergies as well as eczema.  Although the intended speaker was not present, Malaika-Tamu Cooper stepped in and gave an abundant amount of information to us.  She talked about what we can do to prevent certain blood disorders, how we can treat and possibly cure ourselves from eczema, and how one can tell of the medical issues that another may have, just by looking at them.  She and I also had a personal interaction and I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will never forget it!!

The next session I attended was Caring For Your Natural Hair.  Oraje was the speaker (pictures of him are below).  Oraje's spirit and personality blew me away.  Not only is this chemist (and stylist) VERY informative, but he's very personable!  He talked about his own product line as well as pH, caring for color treated hair, the need for a filter when shampooing hair, and much, much more.  It was the place to be!!  If  I didn't take anything else away, I took away this: stay away from those dollar store shampoos!!  #message!

The final session I attended was called Happy Healthy New You.  A gentleman by the name of Consir led this session and talked about when, how, what we eat affects our body and well-being.  Although I knew some of what he talked about, I did gain further knowledge and his message allowed me to put more things into perspective.  I definitely have to look more into what he teaches.

Due to socializing, I was not able to attend the Chemical Suicide session as intended.  In addition, due to my need to leave the event earlier than planned, I was not able to attend the session called Jewelry Making. 

The in between...  There appeared to be more vendors of clothing and accessories than hair products.    While I do love accessories, I think it would have been more appropriate and beneficial to have more vendors of hair products.  I'm not sure if the sellers of 'natural' hair products were either busy, didn't want to pay the vending fee, or what, but they should have come.  I was happy to see Pooka Pure and Simple there, who I previously did a review for, as well as ShidaNaturals, and Design Essentials (I so want to try products from the latter two).  On the flip side, it was accessories galore there!  Jewel Afrika Designs, Toni Daley, Sarenzo Beads and Loc Soc were there.  I'm so mad at myself as I wanted to get something from Toni Daley (remember I did a giveaway for her) and I didn't get a chance to.  I have my daughter to blame for that one!  ;-)  

The bad... This is something personal and I guess I need to get over it but uh, I paid $25 plus, web processing fees, to attend this event.  A few weeks before the event, the price dropped to $15.  Now, I was told that since I paid $25, I would get a VIP bag.  That, unfortunately, was not the case.  I met a lady there, who paid nothing, and attended all of the classes.  I saw some people checked for wrist bands, while others weren't.  Talk about getting over on the 'system.'  So, I've decided to never again purchase a ticket for an event until the week of, or before, the event.  I feel as though I lost out on my $10 (which I could have used to buy something).  I was thankful that parking was only $5 and not the $40 the sign noted to be.  I know I put it above, but I will mention it again: there should have been more hair products there.  Other than that, I can't think of anything 'bad.'  Oh wait, yes I can: PRICES!!  Usually when you come to events such as these, prices are lower than noted in the store or website.  Unfortunately, some prices weren't all that low.  I think it goes back to the vending price (as discussed with a vendor who came from out of state).  She was upset that she only made $50 when she had to pay to vend as well as pay for a hotel, gas, and food.  I can definitely understand her frustration.

But again, I had a blast and interacted with a bunch of people.  I swapped contact information and was actually able to meet other fan page owners, business owners and my very own Kinkies!!  All in all, it was worthwhile!

See my pictures of some of the event below.  I should have done more snapping and less talking.... NOT!

Me with Sara of Sarenzo Beads

 I thought she was just too fly!

 Dope shirts!

 The beautiful Tameka of Jewel Afrika Designs.

 Oraje and The Golden Child (too cute).

 Monique of Cotton Kinks & Coils.

 I loved her hair (the stylist).

 The beautiful Cara (a friend of Tracey's).

 The also beautiful Tracey.

  The talented Toni Daley.

 Some dudes doing spoken word.

 The beautifully-spirited Joi of Loc Soc.

 The adorable Teneele of Wires 'n' Thangs by TeneeleMichelle.

 Oraje working his magic on a natural sista.

 Oraje styling The Golden Child.  Totally loved them!

 The awesome beauty  Jocelyn behind Purposeful Beauty.

 Shida of Shida Naturals (I could have sworn we took a picture together).

 Vendors...

 and more vendors...

 and some MORE vendors...

 ...yeah, those are vendors too...

 ...accessories... and a vendor...

 Here's some totally cute earring holders.

 Pooka Pure and Simple.

 Vendors again...

 Hahaha.  I got a picture!!  (insider with Candace).

 He and his cousin were selling jewelry as low as $2.

 Here's some of the $2 jewelry.

 There were A LOT of accessory vendors.

 From shea butter to knock off bags... it was THERE!

 Dopeness!

 The totally cute Golden Child.

 Yeah, I LOVE this shirt and had gotten SOOOOO many compliments.

 The stuff I came home with... I was good (and on a budget).  

Shout out to the people who I talked to that distracted me from making a bunch of purchases.

 And now... it's time to go to bed.  I'm beat!

I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing my pictures, almost as much as I enjoyed the event myself.  I kind of regret not taking more pictures.  It's o-tay as I will always have my memories!

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

~Keep it Kinky~

Curl Prep's Mommy & Me Mixer

Hey Kinkies!  So, I was totally excited when I heard of the Mommy & Me Mixer that was going to be here in NJ.  I'm constantly thinking of ways to spend quality time with my daughter and do extraordinary things.  I'm also continually teaching her about natural hair care.  I just knew that the March 2012 Mommy & Me Mixer would be perfect for us... especially when it was decided that she would be a model for the event!

During the event, the beautiful owner of Curl Prep, Candace Kelley, gave ideas for Mommies and their natural princesses to do together (some of which I already so) and also did a demonstration of using her Sweet Buttah, which I previously reviewed.  Janae and I had an awesome time and I was more than happy to also help in the Q & A session that occurred.  It was a awesome event and I can't wait for the next one.

Here's a few pictures of my princess as well as the beautiful Candace Kelley!  

 Now my princess is getting a braid demonstration from the owner of the shop...

 

 Natural beauties...

This young lady made the cute bow that's in Janae's hair.

 

My real-life Niknam... in NJ...

 

 Suzanne (Douglas) and Candace... both are so beautiful.... and have amazing spirits!

 Suzanne and I...

We truly enjoyed ourselves at the Mommy & Me Mixer.  I had the chance to finally meet Candace in person.  I was really excited about meeting her after having the opportunity to read her book as well as do a review of one of her Curl Prep products (Kinky's review of Sweet Buttah).  I'm totally looking forward to seeing her again this summer!  Stay tuned for more photos!

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

~Keep it Kinky~

Interview With Ashlea, It's Brave That She's Shaved!

So, I love interacting with Kinkies.  Whether they are loc'd, rocking a TWA or just started on their natural journey.  Next up is Ashlea, she rocks a low cut only and I couldn't wait to talk to her about it.  Let's get started...

For those that don't know you, please introduce yourself and tell us how long you have been natural.  Hello.  My name is Ashlea Perkins and I've been natural for exactly one year.

Who, if anyone, influenced you to go/stay natural?  It's something that I've always wanted to do, but was too afraid...  After seeing how cute Chrisette  Michelle looked with her natural hair, I knew I had to do it.

If you were not previously natural, did you transition to natural or did you do a big chop? Yes, I did the Big Chop.

So you love to wear your hair shaved, why?  Why not allow your hair to grow longer?  It's super sexy and it exudes confidence and dealing with long, natural hair can be a task and I'm not ready for that.  Well, I can understand that Ashlea.  It definitely is work!  I love your color by the way... it fits you nicely.

So, have you gotten any negative feedback as a result of wearing your hair shaved off?  My mom hated it in the beginning (LoL) but other than that, no.

What's your regimen?  Don't have one...

In thinking of a celebrity, who is your hair inspiration idol?  Like I said before, Chrisette Michelle gave me that extra push.

Although you love to rock your fade, would you ever consider growing your hair out? Mmmmmm no!

What's your favorite accessory that you feel compliments your low cut fade?  I'm addicted to bold earrings, they're my signature!  :)

Thank you very much Ashlea.  It was great getting to know you.  I secretly want a low cut; however, not sure how I would like it so for now, it's still a contemplation.  As for Chrisette Michelle, her cut definitely encouraged me to think about it too.  Unlike you, I'm still living with a short cut in my fantasy world whereas you are rocking it... and doing it fiercely!

Below is a picture Ashlea sent me in February 2012.

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

 ~Keep it Kinky~

Interview With Jai, She Prefers a TWA And Won't Have It Any Other Way!

I have interviewed a big chopper, a loc'er and a sister locker and now it's time to show love to those that faithfully rock their TWA (teenie, weenie afro).  Jai, thanks so much for taking the time out to do this interview.  I want to hear all about how and why you ONLY rock a TWA.  Let's get started...

For those those that don't know you, please introduce yourself and tell us how long you have been natural.   Hi.  My name is Janine but I like to be called Jai (pronounce Jeye).  I am a single mother of three young adults, grandmother of one and 1/2 grandchildren - due in July. :-)  (aww, congrats)  I have worked in Radiology Imaging for 21 years and currently employed as a MRI Technologist in St. Louis, MO.  I was originally natural for eight years, but it was a black or platinum blonde fade.

What is your hair type?  I have a mixture of Type 4B/C.

Who, if anyone, influence you to go (and/or stay) natural?  I decided to go natural due to the information I researched after having to take a steroid for a kidney problem.  From prior history of skin sensitivity when on a steroid, I decided to forgo a scheduled perm.  Well, I ended up staying on the medicine longer than I expected and experienced very weak permed ends.  I decided to BC it myself.  I did follow up at a barber shop for shaping.  

Was that the first time ever that you BC'ed?  I have done many BC's because I used to rock a fade for nine years.  However, I did the last BC August 27, 2010.

So you love to wear your hair in a TWA, why?  Why not allow your hair to grow longer?  I love my TWA because I feel my facial features are accentuated more with less hair.  I also feel that I can maintain a TWA better at this length.  I have to agree Jai, you are a beautiful woman!!

What is your favorite way to rock your TWA?  My favorite style and staple style is my bantu knot twist-outs.  I use my fingers and section off my hair with fingers only and using KCCC.  I two strand twist and bantu knot my entire head.  The smaller the sections, the tighter the finished look.  

I spray with an oil mixture concoction of castor oil, EVOO, peppermint, distilled water and KC LIC.  I tie down the bantu knots with a a silk scarf and place a bonnet over that to help absorb any excess oils from getting on my pillow.

Besides what you already mentioned, what's another part of your regimen?  My hair doesn't like to be washed more than once a week so I cowash when my hair has oil buildup.  For prepoo, I mix one egg yolk, 3 tbs of EVOO, one tbs of honey and turmeric (supposed to stimulate growth) and apply it to my hair and cover with a plastic cap.  I usually cover the cap with a head wrap and keep it in for an hour.  I love Garnier Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner.  I deep condition with Blue Magic Cholesterol Condition and Blue Magic Argan Herbal and I do a hydrating LIC once a month.  

At night, I do a three minute scalp massage using castor oil and spritz my hair with the oil and water concoction I previously mentioned.  My protective styling is usually wigs so that I can do this nightly treat.  Wow Jai, I think I may have to try that daily three minute massage.  I do it sporadically but since I am doing some form of maintenance and tying up my hair every night anyways, I might as well incorporate that massage with it.

Do you have to deal with an abundance of fairy knots and/or tangles while wearing your TWA?  If so, how do you manage them?  My fairy knots were more present before I starting trimming my ends to keep my desired length - accidental solution!   LoL.  I do not use heat or combs in my hair. I think keeping my hair moisturized helps with the remaining fairly knots.  

Understood.  So in thinking of a celebrity, who is your hair inspiration idol?  I didn't really have one until people started saying that I look like Wanda Sykes.  After looking up to her, I began to love her hair - the thickness and how she keeps it out of her face.  I can see how people see Wanda Sykes when they look at you... especially rocking the same type of style.

Although you love to rock your TWA, would you ever consider growing your hair out?  I think I would like to see my hair longer eventually, but I feel so comfortable with my TWA maintenance time.  Longer hair would be more time.  I have to agree with you on that one Jai!!

We all love accessories, at least I think we all do, what's your favorite accessory that you feel compliments your TWA?  I love earrings (all sizes and styles) and feel they are the "icing" to my TWA.

Well thank you so much Jai.  I really enjoyed getting to know you!  Thank you for taking the time out to get to know a little.  I hope my story helps someone accept their TWA stage or choice.  I'm sure that someone will Jai.

Here are some pictures of Jai as throwbacks (the first two), when she BC'ed, and more current ones...

 

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 ~Keep it Kinky~