Michelle Williams Is That You?

Here lately I have been missing the girl groups that I grew up on as a kid. For instance, Cheetah Girls (don't judge me!!), Danity Kane, and Destiny's Child. However, Recently Danity Kane came back together and that is so exciting! I can't wait to here more of their songs, I love them so much!!


Enough of fan girl-ling lol , Destin'ys Child will not be getting together, however all of the past members (Beyonce, Michelle, and Kelly) have recently put out a song together!?

Watch the Video Here:

The song is one of the Singles put out by Michelle Williams in her new (well not really new) career as a gospel vocalist. The name of the song is "Say Yes" featuring a gospel theme merged with a catchy African downbeat. The girls come together to sing about Jesus, I love it!

 Nonetheless, it's exciting to see that one of the members who didn't really get a lot of the attention in the Destiny's Child days is getting all the shine, or at least I feel like she is. Does that mean that we should expect  more songs of them together? Possibly a comeback tour? Or am I getting my hopes up to high? hmmmmmm let me know in the comments!!


XOXO,
Urban Prestige

Maintaining Your Heat Damage

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I Have An Addiction
I will admit it, My name is Bryanna and I'm addicted to hair length. If there is ever a such thing as Long Hair Anonymous I would be the president. Ever since I was a child, I would dream of having super long hair like Rapunzel, except I would be the chocolate-girl with afro hair version LOL. Now, as a disclaimer I have always had "long" hair, my hair has always been past my shoulders touching the middle of my back. However in 2010-2011 I decided to experiment with heat styling and flat ironing, and as a result my hair experienced MAJOR breakage. Then to top it off, I have an obsession with hair color, especially red hair dye (I guess my inspiration change to princess-mermaid Ariel?). So imagine hair that is already damaged and then plopping hair color on it. Nonetheless, I was still able to maintain length while changing my hair color a couple of times my hair reached a max of 16 inches before I had a hair dye disaster that turned my hair green and involved the use of too much hair bleach. Sigh, I know, this is what happens when your young and reckless with your hair, but I learned from my mistakes though.

Earlier this year, my hair decided to give up on me, it gave its last attempt in the month of January to stay alive, and I have been trying to revive it ever since! Breakage, breakage, and more breakage! Not to mention the feeling of roughness like my hair had the Brillo pad as it's distant cousin. Therefore, as a result, I chopped of 4 inches of hair *tear*. Was I sad? Heck yeah! Although my trail and error with straight hair and hair dye was a lesson to be learned, and I was trying everything to hold on to those SUPER damaged ends, it had to be done. So as my new found best friend (Yeah I'm talking to you!) I will give you advice in maintaining length while you have heat damage.  Let my experience be a lesson for you! <3

CURLS 'AINT POPPIN!
When you think of heat damage, think of a relaxer except without the chemicals your curls have been altered by heat. Therefore, some of your curls may come back, some may not, and you may result into cutting them off because the two textures become difficult to maintain. I was lucky enough to have a slight alteration in my curl pattern, your experience may be different.
With heat damage, the cuticle of the hair is damaged and won't hold onto moisture as well as you regular hair. Don't panic, make sure to do weekly deep conditioning's as well as weekly protein treatments (until your heat damaged hair feels healthier). You will need to use a sealant (click here for a great homemade recipe for a hair butter) to help lock in the moisture that you put in the hair. Another great tip is to stay away from anything that will cause damage, i.e. using heat, hair color, and even allowing your hair to rub against harsh fabrics.

PROTECTIVE STYLING
Damaged hair needs love and care, and protective styling like braid outs and twist outs allow you to give your hair a break while trying to regain some strength. The style of braid outs and twist outs also allow you to blend the damaged hair with the healthier hair, making it easier to maintain. Below are some of my favorite styles. P.s. notice the change in hair colors!

CLIP, CLIP, CLIP!!
Yes it is possible to maintain the heat damage so that you won't have to go around looking crazy or cutting your hair really short, but eventually you will have to trim those ends. One of my problems was that i was trying to hold on to what needed to be let go of in the first place. You will find that there will be some strands that won't revive. These dead, straggly, and straight ends tend to tangle in to your curly hair and pose a threat when it comes to detangling.

GIVE YOURSELF A TIME LIMIT
Promote healthy hair growth by eating right, drinking lots of water (everyday!!) and styling your hair in a way that uses less heat. However, just like mentioned before, you will have to pick up the trimming sheers. You just don't have to do it all at once. Start with a regime like "every 2 months I'm going to trim off 1/2 an inch" , this way you will still be gaining length (depending on how fast your hair grows) while making your hair healthier by removing damaged ends.

Hopes this helps! Did I leave anything out? Comment Below so I can make sure I mention it in my next post.

THIS BLOG POST IS SPONSERED BY URBAN PRESTIGE, COME CHECK US OUT

Why Is My Natural Hair So Dry?

this blog post was brought to you by www.urbanprestige.bigcartel.com

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!!????
You've just big chopped, hoping to place your hands on some soft, beautifully, curly, puffy hair. But, then notice that it is harsh and very dry. Is this normal? Did the Natural Hair gods somehow curse your scalp into growing hair that seems to be related to a Brillo pad? Or maybe, just possibly, did you make a mistake, and should just go back to the cream crack?

The answer is: Heck naw girl!!! I was just messing with ya! (haha did I get you?)

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN, WHY IS MY HAIR SO DRY?
Hair that is of afro texture, or very curly, is naturally dry; therefore when left alone and not given any TLC, it can be left feeling like your hair has experienced many droughts, i mean so dry that the tiny spritz of water alone will get dissolved into your strands.

When this happens, your hair is telling you that you  need moisture. Moisture = Water. So all of the Black Girl myths about water not being your hair's best friend is not true! Water is your hair's best friends and is one of the main ingredients that will give your hair moisture.

Nonetheless, as we all know, one of the properties of  water is that it evaporates. Therefore to trap its moisturizing properties into your hair strands it's recommended to use a sealant like an oil (olive, coconut, jojoba, almond) or butter (coco, shea) to help seal in the moisture. Likewise deep conditioning and use of less heat (i.e. air drying or blowing your hair dry every two months instead of every week) will also help to combat the dryness. Dry some of the recipes provide below to help in your journey to moisture balanced hair!! <3

DON'T MESS UP THE BALANCE
To much of a good thing can be dangerous, as all our parents used to say. And is a very true principle that can be applied to every situation including the of the topic of moisture! Along with being conditioned and only applying heat to the hair sparingly, it is also a good idea to incorporate protein into your hair. Before you start yelling into the screen that "My hair already feels like it has loads of protein!" , know that if the hair is not balanced you will experience major breakage, and who wants that? Especially those of us who's hair is thinner, but dense giving off the appearance of thicker hair when in all actuality it is the most fragile of all hair types. With that being said, every other week or once a month, treat your hair to a protein treatment to ensure that your hair is balanced, keeps its elasticity, and won't break off!

RECIPES FOR MOISTURE ENHANCING HAIR PRODUCTS

Moisture Rich Hair Spray/Detangler

What you'll need:

- Spray Bottle (enough to atleast hold 16-32 ounces)

- Olive oil (1/4 cup)

- Honey (2 teaspoons)

- Lemon Juice (1 teaspoon)

- Water (1 1/2 cups)

(Of course the recipe can be upgraded to your liking)

Put all of the ingredients into the spray bottle and shake until the honey becomes dissolved. The oil will not dissolve (oil and water don't mix).

SOOOOOOOooo Soft Deep Conditioner

What you'll need:

- deep/regular conditioner of your choice(try to use on catered to dry hair) (1 cup)

- Coconut oil (1 tablespoon)

- Olive oil (1 tablespoon)

- Shea Butter (1 tablespoon)

- Coconut Milk ( 1/2 cup)

Prepare the coconut milk by heating on the stove in a pan on medium (about 10 mins) heat until it becomes thick , let cool some before adding the other ingredients. Mix oils and shea butter together to form a paste the mix in warm coconut milk slowly until well blended, then add conditioner. Apply to hair and sit under dry for 30 mins (with shower cap/plastic bag on).

Trap Me In Hair Butter

What you'll need:

- Container to put mixture

- Shea butter ( 1/2 cup)

- Coconut oil (1/2 cup)

- Olive oil (1 tablespoon)

-Fragrance oil (a couple of drops, shea butter has a strong smell)

Put all ingredients into a bowl and use a hand mixture to blend the oils and the shea butter together until smooth, then put in container for later use!

I hope that you enjoyed this blog post! What do you do to help you hair maintain moisture?

XOXO,

See you next time!