Black Celebrity Hairstyles - The Good and the Bad!

I just saw Pauletta Washington on the tv program "Good Works" on yesterday. She is Denzel Washington's wife. I was very impressed with her credentials and her interview, but her hair screamed "cheap wig!"

I noticed Michelle Obama on the cover of "Good Housekeeping" magazine. Her hair screamed "I am getting shorter and shorter!"

If I had to gamble, I am willing to bet that both of these ladies have Type 4/tightly coiled hair. There has not been enough research and development on maintaining the health of this type of hair. This type of hair is not considered the "model hair" type.

I even tried researching African websites for answers to tightly coiled hair. They have been dealing with their tightly coiled hair longer than Black American women, but they are still trying to figure it out too!

The challenge is that the tighter the hair is naturally coiled, then the bandwidth between the natural texture and a completely straight texture is very wide. Just like hair color -- jumping from Black/Brunette to Blonde in one step is not a long-term healthy move. It can be done safely, but hair has to be constantly nurtured to avoid breakage in the long run.

So if you have tightly coiled hair and you use a chemical relaxer, then it will weaken the coils if completed too often, which will cause breakage. However, celebrities need styling control.

Black female celebrities that seem to have the greatest control of their hair include comedienne Monique and entertainer Janet Jackson.

The best tips for tightly coiled/kinky hair:

1) use sulfate-free shampoos such as Pureology,
2) use conditioners tailored to the weather you are going to be in,
3) consider investing in synthetic lace front wigs that do not require adhesive to hold it such as the brand "It's a Wig" which has a very natural look. You can get up to two weeks use out of it and then get another one. This brand costs around $40 to $80 a piece, but for camera and spotlights -- it can be worth it to avoid so many chemicals and heat to the natural hair. Please see my other articles for how to cut the lace front wigs.

A Woman's Hair style is power!

Women: Your hair style can determine

1) the quality of customer care that you receive in retail stores,
2) whether or not, you get a discounted transaction in retail stores,
3) free samples with purchase in retail stores,
4) if you get the job at the interview even if you do not have a strong interview
5) if you are approached by a romantic interest.
6) if you can keep your husband if he is obsessed with hair

Yes, try it if you do not believe me.

Experiment: Pick a restaurant or cafeteria. Go one day, very casual, hair can be in a ponytail or pinned back or whatever quick style you can put together. Basic makeup. Comfortable clothes. Observe how your food is handed to you. Observe how your cashier or waiter treats you.

Then on the next day or two, Go back to the same eating establishment dressed to impress from hairstyled to at least dressy casual look with some sort of collar blouse. Observe how your food is handed to you. Observe your cashier or waiter's response to you. Observe the customer care.

Same resturant but different customer care experience right? . . . Let me know if you try the experiment!

Hair completes your total image inside the building . . . cars complete your total image outside the building.

Brazilian Blowout brand of BKT

The "Brazilian Blowout" brand is the only keratin treatment on the market so far that does not have any formaldehyde, aldehyde, or derivatives of these chemicals. It consists of silicone, collagen, and keratin. They have an Acai Aftercare line. Their after care line has the same SuperNutrient Complex as the treatment itself. It will help prolong the styling.
Client had received a permanent wave at a New York salon two weeks prior to seeking a Brazilian Blowout service to control frizz.
After receiving the Brazilian Blowout service and fringe cut by Hairstylist Benita Blocker, Client has beautiful, more manageable hair even on high humidity days.

I have been studying Brazilian Keratin Treatments for a year before finding the best one yet!!!! Brazilian Blowout is the brand. There is no four day wait after receiving the application. There is no formaldehyde nor aldehyde.

Who are the best candidates for the Brazilian Blowout brand?
1) Tenderheaded, overly curly little girls who are pigtail age.
2) Those who have high-lift color and need to control frizz during humid weather.
3) Those who have straight hair either naturally straight or relaxed straight and need to control frizz and the effects of humidity.

Who is not a good candidate for any BKT?1)Those who want to wear their natural curly or wavy hair. The Brazilian Blowout will smooth out the frizz, but depending on the stylist's number of passes, quality of flat iron, etc - your curl pattern MAY get altered from the flat ironing process. It is a gamble especially with the brands that have formaldehyde and formaldehyde derivatives in them.
2)Those that are tightly coiled who are looking for bone straight hair. Brazilian Blowout will only make your coils more manageable. Texturing with Paul Mitchell mild relaxer two weeks before the treatment will deliver even better results for over curly hair types.
3)Those who are price conscious. Brazilian Blowout starts around $250. AfterCare products run around $35+ a piece. Color and/or relaxer services are separate pricing and should be performed two weeks prior to Brazilian Blowout for the healthiest results.

Brazilian Blowout has a website, but their salon locator may not be updated. Ask to see a stylist's Brazilian Blowout certificate if in question or call the company to see if the stylist is registered. My Brazilian Blowout certificate is posted in my salon and is displayed on my fan page on FaceBook. Visit Applebaum Hair fan page.

How to cut lace fronts, frontals and lace front wigs

If you are buying a lace front wig, lace frontal unit, etc, then as you know, there is extra "lace" material that should be cut away to custom fit your own face. Please do NOT use regular straight scissors/shears to cut this extra material off. I want to scream whenever I see a perfectly straight cut around the hairline!!!

Instead buy some "pinking shears." They have zigzag teeth. They can be found in the sewing areas of the department stores or in fabric shops. Do not be afraid to cut into the wig's lacefront hairline some with the pinking shears. A slightly "messy" cut will deliver the most realistic hairline!


Typically, you would have to pay for a lace front class like I did in order to learn the proper technique, but I felt the need to let my followers know as a gift. So please keep our secret to yourself unless become a follower of this blog site. Smile. Regardless, please show your support by clicking on "Follow" and get connected to me! No extra emails will be coming your way. Visit as often as you would like at your own convenience! Thanks!

Secrets to Smooth Edges

IF you have any curl in your hair, then you probably fight with controlling your front hairline. i.e. your edges! Well, here are a few tips!

If you have over-curly hair, instead of relaxing . . . . try blow-drying with a round brush that has an aluminum/metal cylinder after you have gotten most of the water out of the hair. I just mentioned three key points. "Aluminum/metal cylinder" will finish ironing out your almost dry hair as it absorbs the heat from the blow dryer. If your hair is too wet, then the brush may cause too much tension and pop. So after you get the edges dry and straight, then use dabs of Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding and a soft boar brush to remoisturize and add shine.

If you have slightly curly hair, then while the hair is wet, you can use a little Paul Mitchell Sculpting Lotion and Paul Mitchell Foam around the hairline then use the Blowdryer to finger massage the hair straight until it is dry!

Less healthy options will include heavy gels, but if you just need a quick fix then some noteworty gels are Hicks Total Transformations "Smooth Edges" as well as NuExpressions styling gel.