Oasis Video: Food, Emotions, & Life

Our friend Miss Piggy

This is such an important subject!

Video of the Day: Taren916 Addresses the Balance Between Vlogging/Blogging & Bussiness

image source 

Many implications...

There are faults on both sides.  By sides I mean the company side and the vlogger side.

I am this close to making a video about it.

hm....

Why Do You Want To Lose Weight?

Many times we set out to accomplish something believing we desire the outcome. Sometimes we don't take the time we need to examine our motivation(s). When it comes to weight loss it is sooo easy because of main stream culture to simply fall into the large demographic of people that want to change there bodies. We hear about a newer crazier diet every week! So, what are some good reasons to lose weight?

1.   Heath

This is undoubtedly a very good reason to loss weight. Just remember that being at a healthy weight doesn't mean looking like a model or 12 year old (which, sadly is sort of interchangeable).   In reality a healthy weight doesn't mean a perfectly sculpted body. It means avoiding excessive body fat and maintaining a good amount of muscle tone. These are both things that can be done without pitching a tent and living in your local gym. (More about how to approach weight loss in another article). "Weight loss for health" is not a blanket statement that one can make to justify harming ones body.  If weight loss is what you need to become healthy-er make sure to lose weight the right way.

    2.  Body image

Where did you get your ideas about your body? Notice how many times I said the word "you" in that last sentence? That's because we're talking about your body. But, almost always when we think about our bodies we are not thinking introspectively, we are thinking comparatively.  After seeing mainstream media manufactured people for so long on some level we start to assume that these images personify beauty. Than when we look in the mirror it is easier and easier to find things to "change."
What exactly about your body is the problem? Is your body size really too big?  what IS too big to you? These are some questions you need to answer or at least began to consider. Hint: these answers shouldn't be found in anything that has the term "weight loss" in the title or description. You are a valuable person with unique and beautiful features. By unique I mean everybody doesn't look like you. That's a good thing.
 There is no "magic weight" that will automatically make every person attractive. There are many variables the determine what body shape flatters a person. These include height, bone structure, body type, athletic builds, non athletic builds, & how easily a person gains weight.
There are periods of life that can be more stressful or demanding than others. If your weight has changed because of life circumstances don't freak out! Develop a realistic -yet challenging- plan so you can loss the weight not the health. 
The subject of becoming at peace with ones body will be addressed in greater detail later.


Well, those are the only good reasons I could come up with right now. If some others come to me I will post them later.  I wanted to get this article about before I get into the nitty gritty of weight loss.

And remember!

Video: The Braiding "Trend???"

Wonderful Articles: Do Black Women’s Features Look Better On White Women?

An AMAZING article from nachalooman.wordpress.com that I HAD share. So true!

I remember back in the 1970s when the movie “10″ with Bo Derek first came out. She had her hair braided in cornrows which was the first time I had seen the style on a white women. I didn’t actually see the film, but saw the ads and Bo’s pictures everywhere. I remember that she was celebrated for being a beautiful woman, but when she came out with her black girl cornrows and beads, she became a goddess to untold millions of white men. Back in those days, posters were all the rage, and women like Bo Derek became millionaires just by having creative control over the posters that they did. Bo Derek had that exotic thing going on with her braids and no doubt sold millions of her posters. BTW, it was her husband who encouraged her to get the style he saw on the sisters in LA.

Ironically, during that same time period, I also remember reading in Essence Magazine I think, about black women who started showing up at work in the beautiful cornrow styles. Not surprisingly, the same style that was so beautiful and exotic on Bo Derek, was considered unkempt and unprofessional on black women in corporate America, no matter how conservatively the braids were done. Sisters who were stewardesses, or who had broken in to corporate America were now being harassed or even being fired for daring to show up at work wearing the cornrow hairstyle.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. These days, we see a change in things only in that white women are more aggressive in going for what they desire. 

Click HERE to read the rest...

What’s This Whole “Natural Hair Thing” about anyway? By Belinda Bullard

If we are honest, rocking our natural hair is not exactly new.  In my lifetime, I can remember 70’s images of Pam Grier as Cleopatra Jones and Teresa Graves of “Get Christy Love” fame.   I can also recall Cicily Tyson’s gorgeous cornrows, which are about as much the “Bo Derek” look as big bottoms can be attributed to J-Lo.    So, why the focus on natural hair?   I will share my own perspective, and some of the reasons that I embarked upon this journey, and perhaps in doing so I will touch upon something that resonates with you.

Health.  Rarely have I seen a more graphic image of the damage that sodium hydroxide, the primary component in chemical perms, can do than in the movie “Good Hair.”   Producer/ narrator Chris Rock engages in light dialogue with a scientist, who simultaneously conducts an experiment of soaking a soda can in sodium hydroxide.    Within minutes the soda is irreparably damaged; in hours there is no can.    Of course, hopefully none of us allow chemicals to remain on our heads for that long—few of us could stand it!   Yet, the image, and the images of scalp burns following this experiment are all too real for me.   I can remember my first experiment with a “bad” perm in middle school, and how I felt and looked as multiple burns began to leak pus, gluing my hair together over the next couple of days.   My mother was not one to allow to us to miss school for any reason, so I had to face my classmates on what redefined for me the meaning of a ‘bad hair day.’   It might be a function of age, but burns, especially around my scalp line, were becoming more and more of a regular occurrence, and it did not seem to matter how much water I drank prior to my retouch.   Moreover, it could not have been a coincidence that my normally full hair line was thinning in these same areas.

There is another, more simplistic, health-related reason that I decided to transition.    A naturally curly friend stated it plainly when she advised me, “I don’t put anything in my hair that I can’t eat.”   It sounded strange at the time, but it makes perfect sense.   Skin, regardless of where it is located, is porous.  We use certain soaps and lotions to give our skin moisture; we use hair serums and oils for the same reason.   Why introduce chemicals into our bodies through our hair, and for what reason?    So that we can be deemed acceptable by someone else’s standard of beauty?    Over the years, I have changed many facets of my lifestyle in order to preserve this vessel just a little longer.   I have cut pork from my diet.   I eat red meat at most once per month.   I eat more raw foods and drink far more water.   I read labels extensively—on food, on cleansers, and on body care products.   Dare I overlook the hazards I place on my skin every six weeks when I straighten my hair?     Sorry, I have lost too many close friends and relatives to various cancers to let that continue to slip by me.

  

Product knowledge. Treasured Locks. Naturally Curly.  Nappturality.  The Mane Source. Natural Sunshine.   And let us not forget about the 100 or so ladies on YouTube who have approached natural hair education with missionary-like zeal.   These are just a few of the resources available to help women who are either caring for children with natural hair, women who want to take better care of their own hair, or those like me, who are making different decisions about their hair.   I began my own natural hair journey through my two girls, and taking an honest look at their long, full, yet dry and tangled hair.   It was two years ago when I realized that their hair could not thrive on the same products that I used for my own permed hair.    I did not know how much information was on the web at that time, but I did get the slightest peek into the natural hair care product industry, and what a huge business it has become.    When I grew up, petrolatum-based products like Ultra Sheen were the oils, or, as we called it, “grease” of choice; a newcomer like TCB was considered a walk on the wild side.    Now, there are multiple product lines for the woman who chooses to embrace her God-given tresses, and those figures do not account for a growing population of women who scrap the manufactured versions altogether and head for the kitchen pantry shelves.   Anyone who even thinks they might toy with transitioning to their natural hair can easily find the support, the expertise, and the how-to’s to grow and maintain a head full of healthy hair.  

Embracing our heritage.   I often see women refer to their natural hair as “God’s plan A.”  Simply put, whatever you have is what He meant for you to have.   For too long, we have been sold a bag of goods that says we should have something else—the hair on our heads is not sufficient, not acceptable, and not worthy of the crowning glory that is spoken of in Proverbs 16:31 and 1 Corinthians 11:15.    That kinky-curly texture is the most villainized texture on the planet; we even refer to hair that is straighter or curlier as “good” hair.    In the midst of an era where we laugh about the wig or weave that is ours because we paid for it, there exists a critical mass of women who have said, “Enough is enough.   I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and God’s work in me is marvelous (Psalm 137:6).”    Mind you, embracing what is ours is not about hating what others have.   Nor is self-love of our kinky-curliness meant to divide us from our sisters who are equally resolved to chemically straighten their coifs.    But, after years of thinking otherwise, God’s original plan is good enough for me.   If you think so, too, I pray that you will seek after knowledge and wise counsel, and then join me.

Being Authentic to Your Own Beauty

 

 

      

      

The world we live in projects a "one type of beauty" ideal on us all. Millions of images tell us that to look good at we HAVE to buy, deprive, and work ourselves to death to be beautiful.  Everybody (regardless of race) is subjected to this in different ways. To a certain degree we all try to look like something we're not. Instead of appreciating what makes us unique and using it to our advantage we imitate something that in reality doesn't even exist. Not only is the beauty ideal to time consuming but for the majority of people it is the opposite of what nature gave them genetically. The way  women of European descent in America are told they should look exemplifies this:

• For white women who have straight hair, but having straight isn't enough. Hair must be straight yet have "volume".  Curly hair must be worn straight. 
• Having full lips is not a common feature, yet everything possibal must be doe to make it look as though ones lips are fuller. 
•  The body must be model thin yet "curvy" in the right places (Only specific body parts are allowed to be curvy.), and don't be to thine because it is unhealthy to have a "bad" body image.  
• Your completion can't be to white ( even though you have a light completion). If you are too pale you must tan in effort to get color which could result in premature aging. 
• Insert five other crazy unrealistic dictates from the beauty industry...  

Women of European decent are told that they should and can be the beauty ideal because they are White.  However because you are white does not mean you will look just like the beauty ideal, it means that you are close enough to believe it is within your reach. There are varying degrees of separation depending what race a person is and how close they come to these standards. When it comes to judging how black people look The more European ones looks the better.

• Lighter complexions are favored even though many of african decent have rich skin coloring.
• Black women are expected to spend enumerable hours altering their hair to that is will appear straight.
• Ether your can be stick thin or be curvy and have your body objectified and fetishized by the outside world. 
• Basically try to look like anything BUT of african decent.

The same goes for other races also. I used to think that colorisim was only a problem in the African American community. I was very surprised when I learned that this is a serious problem in Indian and Latin communities also. Interestingly enough these same standards don't apply to men. "Tall, dark, and handsome" anyone?

So why are pale people trying to be dark and dark people trying the be pale? Why do people with large lips want small lips, and people with small lips want big lips?  Today instead of appreciating our own features and celebrating them we hate and avode what makes us unique. Beauty to a large extent has become about changing ourselves instead of improving  our own looks (contrary to what companies say). How come I hardly ever see Black, Indian, or Latin actresses with a rich skin complexion? Why do you think the beauty industry promotes this to every women no matter how close she is to standard of beauty? Because a person trying the change them self will spend more money than a person who is not. Thats only one of the more simple answers to this complex issue which will be discussed more at length on this blog.
Many are already aware of the horrible beauty standard which is unattainable, unrealistic, harmful, sexist, and racist among other things. Still people to not stop to think about the images we see very day that do have an impact on us. However, there is something more important than figuring out why the beauty standards are so ridiculous. You need to ask yourself if you are going to to some else tell you whats beautiful and whats not. Will you let the beauty industry dictate what you spend your money on? Because they say we should all look the same way are you going to spend your time fighting the inevitable, your genetics? Everyday Photoshopped starved women share back at us, their eyes saying, "you are not good enough because you do not look like me, if you buy               you will be just as beautiful as I am." Let me give you my translation! "you are not good enough because you do not look like me, if you buy               you will only be told to buy something else to make you even MORE incontent with your looks than I'll try to sell you something else!" When these adds cross your path will you be fooled by the clever wording and dream come true promises? Are you going to let them exploit what you perceive are your own flaws? Beauty starts from the inside literary, figuratively, and spiritually. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. People look their best when they look their best. Not like a carbon copy. 


There will be more articles on beauty on my blog, I wanted to share my personal philosophy on beauty first.

What are your thoughts on the beauty industry today? Tell me in a comment below. 

From Where I Strand: Hair Revelations

My hair journey has been an eventful one to say the least. Ridden with hair loss and dandruff in cycles for years. Throughout all this I developed a strong desire for long hair which only became greater when I was introduced to the natural hair community. Before then I had thought my hair was pretty long for a natural. It was always  teetering between  shoulder  and  mid neck length. So when I started seeing all these beautiful women with really long natural hair I was elated. Black hair really did grow. I redoubled my hair efforts by wearing protective styles. My diet was also very good.
Hair (although it would be nice) is not a separate entity from the body and mind. I have noticed with myself that if  I do not deal with small stresses and try and put them on the back burner they will come back in three ways:

• Hair loss
• Dandruff
• Emotional Eating 

For the past year and a half  I have been working on dealing with stress and not internalizing and over thinking things.  During that time I changed my eating habits, started working out, and lost weight.  Still this hair drama persists despite the fact that all my life my hair has been finger combed, protectively styled, and moisturized. What I am realizing is that my whole way of thinking about my hair is flawed. I have subconsciously seen my hair a reflection of  "black hair." In my goal of inspiring other people I meet on their natural journey I have placed high expectations on my own head. A big part of this is that I need to stop thinking of my hair as a representation of black hair as a whole. I am one person, with one life, and one head.  Another part of this is pride. I don't want to be that natural who is always "stuck" in natural purgatory ( mid length hair) "I take care of  my hair". Without realizing it I have set out to make my hair proof  that black hair does grow. And that is not a healthy way of viewing ones hair. 

The last time I had my hair pressed  I felt mortified. My hair dresser told me I mite have a thyroid issue. I was almost happy, maybe this was what was behind all my struggles. Blood tests came back, and not only I was as healthy as ever, but I was back to square one.  I had no clue what my hair was doing or why.  When people gave me complements about my hair straighted I would say thank you, but what I was really thinking was my hair looks horrible.
 This is what I call the natural syndrome.  I became so use to being the only natural where I go ( in many places I still am)  which meant how my hair looked was very important so as not give off a bad impression of "natural hair."  

It is not our job as naturals to give people a good impression of natural hair. If thats what your aim is you are setting your self up for more frustration than any one head should cause.  My hair is reflection of who I am, not my hair length. Not anymore or any less. 

"Straight" Talk: Hair Reflections

I'm not going to sit here a write all the things people said to me about my hair this time when I pressed it. What I am going to say is that it is always amazing. People who have seen my hair in amazing bantu knot outs, twists, twist outs, and any nummber of other amazing hair styles tell me that my hair looks amazing when I have it pressed. This is the norm. What I really wanted to shout from roof tops was " my hair should be soo much longer than this." the most backwards part of this is that people tell my hair alway looks cute. My hair has thinned out to new growth like fuzz is about three patches gradually over the last month. Sadly, being used to this because in the past things like this have happened to me because of dandruff; I endeavored to style my hair in a way that would make it unnoticeable. The two patches of hair loss at the my temples have not gotten as big as they are now in a long time. This time pressing my hair only made we realize how bad my hair is. My hair stylist told me to get some blood work done and see if it was thyroid a issue. Nothing came up in the blood test, I am no closer to finding out what the cause of this chronic dandruff and hair loss is. I have been in a cycle of about 5 months normal hair growth than 3 slight to severe months of hair loss and dandruff for the past 7 years. The fact this is has happened to me over and over again only makes me dislike my hair even more. The way I feel about my hair can be summed up like this:

With my hair in its natural state I am a person can do wonderful amazing styles that help me not to notice if my hair has been thinning. However, when my hair is straight I am a person with medium/short hair who wishes it was longer trying to hid some hair thinning while being painfully reminded of it every time I look in the mirror. 

  

     biggest patch

there are three patches like this throughout  the back

I know hair is not the biggest thing in life but when you have tried to have something for seven years that seems so simple it is very frustrating.  One of the things that bothers me is that I am trying to help other girls starting their natural hair journey and look at my own hair.I have little to show for being natural all my life, wearing protective styles all the time, finger detangling, moisturizing, etc. But I will continue on, I am going to start doing pilates again and get more sleep and just distress and not over think things in general.

  

I am debating as to whether I should wear my hair another week like it is or wash it and do it Saturday. A couple of things bother to so much that I want wash my hair even though I usually like to wear my press as long as possible to give myself a brake from doing my hair. This Saturday the wind was blowing and exposing my hair loss to the world. If I wash my hair Saturday I will get the joy of figuring out how to flat twist it in such a way that will hid the hair loss. Taking these pictures of my hair did help me to see that it doesn't look bad and if I wore a head band while I walked to school the hair in the front would not move. It will all depend on how I feel I guess. 

Straight Out of NOWHERE....

Long Story ( that will be coming soon) short, its not ok to look Black at the NAACP. Last year at the ACT-SO competition sponcerd by the NAACP I went to national level in the category of oratory and health and  medicine science fair ( I won g-o-l-d on the national level in the health and medicine science fair category !!!). Here (bellow) I was trying to give my oratory  and one of the major comments (that are given in paper after the competition is over) I got from the female judge was that natural hair is not appropriate especially curled and to the side. Yep, happened in the real life. I have that papers to prove it. She said these things like I  came in with a three foot afro! but in reality (which she -being brain washed- could not see) this is what I looked like:

So this year I straightened my hair........... Its a competition that is really amazing and I don't want my hair to effect all those black judges. The saddest part about this is that I REALLY, REALLY  like competing in ACT-SO and to do that I guess I have to look as white as possible..  This year when I go the Nationals I will get my hair pressed AGAIN. I will go the ACT-SO competition nationals like the feminine verson of the Morehouse man and leave like the Black Panther. As soon as I get to the hotel room after I compete I am wetting my hair and going back to my Au Natural afro. But alas these are some of the pictures of my hair straight. The hair stylist at N&N Hair Designs is very good and gave me a great shape up and trim( *tear, 1 1/2 inch ) that I badly needed. My ends were bad.  I have nothing against wearing my hair straight if I just feel like getting it pressed. However to HAVE to it another thing entirely. My ends are a little puffy and it has only been six days. Nothing like east coast weather. This is why I not like having my hair pressed in the summer or spring. It does not last long at all.

Procedure:

Sleep in hard Rollers ( I know there hard, but the curl is much better. I can sleep on bantu knots so  6-8 medium hard rollers is so not bad) every other night with hair net and satin scarf. 

Word to the Wise:

DON'T I repeat DON'T go over your hair with a flat iron again!!!! (been there done that.) If your hair is going back.LET.IT.

Heat damage is no fun.

Over all:

I like my hair, it looks nice and all, but the reason I got it pressed is still crazy. 

Weathering Your Natural Climate

We all face our own unique natural hair climate, and even though some areas seem similar they each posses a one of a kind character.

What kinds of reactions do you get when you walk into the room with your hair? Do you get the "whats on her head" look or the "ohhh I wish my hair did that" reaction? Living in a euro-centric society afro hair textures and the variety they come in are grossly misunderstood. I have been in groups where I felt my hair didn't stand out at all and others where I was the "natural" in the room. The number of things that effect the reactions you will get from other people are enumerable! What I have found is that the diversity of your area can be as much of an asset as a setback when developing a strong confidence with your hair. Although things are much better than they were (trust me!) the response you get from Black people may be more negative than from White people. People who have not been taught that relaxers are the only way are sometimes more open minded and also don't have the same hair traumas to deal with. 

If you are natural or going natural for the first time remember most of the time people are more curious about your hair than you are. So little is known about natural hair today even though the natural hair revolution is here. These are some methods for dealing with your Climate. 

•  Play it off, even if you don't feel the best about your hair that day sometimes a little confidence makes all the difference.
• Don't feel the need to respond to negative comments, if a person doesn't have an open mind they can't be convinced of anything. 
• Do not confine yourself to "acceptable" styles, at the end of day all that matters what YOU think about your hair and makes YOU happy with YOUR hair. 

 Once you know what the weather will be you can work around it and soon you will master your hair and your climate.  

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