It
was a chilly and gloomy start to what turned out to be a hot, smokin’ day.
Just
when you think the world of books is being taken over by computer technology,
the Brooklyn Book Festival takes place where you find the largest free
book festival in New York City featuring thousands of authors, publishers,
books, readings and more.
Downtown
Brooklyn swarmed with book lovers interested in finding the next greatest read.
And so from 10AM to 6PM on Sunday, September 20, 2015, all
genres of writers took over Borough Hall and shared in the excitement of their
admiration for reading, writing and searching for writing opportunities.
Amongst
the many writers were successful authors of color; brothers and sisters with
voices and might I mention, beautiful grades of natural hair that seemed to
resonate with me, and who were more than happy to not only shed light on their book,
but also share their secrets of maintaining healthy natural hair.
Sistahs in
Writing
NANDI
Nandi is the author
of the True Nanny Diaries, a book about the true experiences of being a nanny.
She
was born in England, spent most of her childhood in Trinidad and
then came to the United States of America to gain her college education at Medgar Evers where
she studied English as a major and gained her Bachelor's degree.
She
likes to keep her hair short and natural using shea butter and coconut oil
for
moisturizing, as well as other products that her daughter uses, who is also a naturalista.
She
washes her hair once a week and loves the short look because it fits her face
and her time schedule which she juggles between being a successful
author, business woman and good mother of a 16 year old daughter who is part of
the .06% of black students studying at Bronx School
of Science.
Healthy
and natural hair seems to help keep her life under control and her face with a
beautiful smile on it. What a great reason for a person to have to
make them heart their hair!
Sylvia Laurence
Sylvia Laurence,
the author of Surviving This Thing Called Life wore locks for 30 years
until she cut her
hair when she was 50 years old and has been wearing her natural curls ever
since.
Now
at 65, she rarely combs out her hair and instead uses a pick to keep the curls
defined and to avoid
breakage.
She
twists her hair at night or when wet.
Not
only does she wear the hats as writer and author of a novel that shows her expertise in the art of life, love, marriage and divorce, but she also holds
a PHD in organizational leadership.
When
you hear the phrase Natural girls rock, Laurence proves to the world that
it is not an understatement.
Selma Jackson
There is no
better way to share your life story and to talk about your experiences with
your children, grandchildren and the
world, then to put it in writing and into a book.
That
is exactly what Selma Jackson did when she wrote the book, Granny’s Helper;
a book that children of all ages will be
able
to enjoy.
And
it is no question that a person with the respectability of being a grandmother
with wit and stories to tell, will definitely be
someone to turn to with questions about hair and keeping it healthy.
Jackson
permed her hair for a short period of time, only for her hair to fall out and
become extremely damaged.
She
stopped perming her hair in 1985 and ever since, has worn locks. Today, her locks flow long, strong and
healthy.
She
uses oils in hair hair and doesn’t re-twist often which can result in breakage from
the roots.
She
also does not dye her hair, letting the world see that the righteousness God describes
gray hair as being, is not a mistake.
We
always seem to naturally remember and hardly ever forget what Mama used to say.
Tika Burnadette
When I think of
the words baby and love, it seems like these words actually go hand and hand
like bread and butter or hair and
nails.
Tika
Burnadette used these coinciding words as the title of her children’s book, Baby
Love.
Burnadette
is rocking that hat and letting her natural ends breathe beautifully.
She
started perming her hair in her early twenties but unfortunately found it to be
not so pleasing as she would have thought.
She
hated the smell of the chemicals and also how it made her hair break.
After
the short six months of permed, straight hair and doobies, she went back to
natural and has been a part of team no lye ever since.
She
keeps her hair healthy by washing it twice a week and using pure vitamin E oil
(petroleum free).
She
does egg washes which involves breaking an egg in her hair, letting it linger
for a few minutes and then washing out the protein which results in stronger
strands and less breakage.
She
also uses mineral oils which strengthens her ends and stops hair from breaking.
When
you think of baby and love, you can consider her learning what makes her hair
beautiful a part of loving the process of being happy to be nappy and most definitely,
a fashionista.
Disclaimer: I am not a vendor, publisher or someone who will be financially compensated for speaking about these women and talking about their hair or their products. This blog has been created to display the beauty of black natural hair and to help others as well as myself in maintaining and growing their own natural locks of healthy hair.
