5 chic natural hair styles for Afro hair... Summer ready hair

Ever had those moments where you just don’t know what to do with your natural hair? Most times the only thing you can think of doing is giving it a relaxed treatment and heading for a good old High Bun. Well that snot all you can do with your hair, braids or even your weave.

There are so many hairstyles littered on YouTube that can help your style your natural hair making it look innovative fresh and uniquely yours. With this in mind are you willing to try seem of these amazing hair do’s with me? Here are 5 hairstyles from bloggers on YouTube to keep you looking good even when you don’t have a weave on.

1. The French Braid Fringe

When I found this hairdo on Youtube I immediately knew what I was going t have on next week. It’s fun, new and different for the regular girl who is used to doing the same hairstyles. Here Beauty & Style blogger Shirley Eniang of Meek-n-Mild is displaying a great way to do a French Braid Fringe. The hairdo is simple enough that it doesn’t look too stressful to achieve and so unique that it looks like you had it done at a salon.

Check out her tutorial below on YouTube: Shirely B Eniang

2. Milk Maid Braid - We may not have them here… but we can definitely imitate their hairstyles. The milk braid is perfect for a day at the beach, an intimate dinner or just a relaxed day at home. With this hair do you might need a bit more materials compared to the French braid fringe, , but the end result makes it worth the hassle. Here Shirley is back with a great version where she has incorporated Xpressions artificial hair extensions to make the braid.

3- Bantu knots (with straightened or relaxed hair)
Confession? I tried this last week and I absolutely loved it. It was different from my usual side or centre part weave and a fresh look. The hairstyle takes little or nothing to do, all you need is a mirror, some bobby pins and maybe a curling pudding (optional). The tutorial below is from www.luvnaturals.com where they show you just how easy it is to do.

4. Hypnotic Roll- I especially loved this hairstyle because if you feel like you still want to do a high bun, it doesn’t mean you cant have fun with it. This Hypnotic Roll hairstyle looks really vintage and we all know vintage never goes out of style. Here natural hair blogger Brittany from Kysmyhair.com will show us how we can style this up do.
5- Twisted braid up-do - For those gals who want a mix between braids, twists and the up do…here you go. This retro hairstyle is great when you’re protecting your hair from harsh weather or otherwise. Here Brittany is showing us this hairstyle and just a quick tip; still keep your Xpressions extensions because you will definitely need it here. Its really quick and little or no product was used.

So there you go!! 5 easy but chic hairstyles to try when you're bored. I think they look fabulous... Just in time for summer :)

The Eye of Twitter....

Twitter is the most remarkable invention, for never before has there been a more efficient thought catalogue. Journal and diary pages, are so long and empty that they appear daunting, and your Facebook friends would unfriend you if you shared every thought you had as it occurred to you. But Twitter is just right. On Twitter you can be anything and anyone. You can be depressed, angry or hilarious. And you can be certain that whatever kind of tweeter you are, you will find your tweetfam.

While all of that is certainly delightful, it seems to me that the bulk of us have failed to adapt principles that are widely thought to be common sense in the modern day and age to our online proclivities. Both good sense and society speak out most fervently against turning our mouths into miniature caricatures of Usain Bolt. We have failed to transfer this logic to our fingers.

Several times a day, we flock to Twitter to share details of our lives and discuss trending topics like Beyonce’s alleged second pregnancy. E! Online say that their sources have confirmed that the King and Queen of all bees is pregnant, but last weekend she shared a sharp message on her Instagram that spoke out against all rumour millers and bee haters.

We strive for the RTs, and the followers with as much verve as a social media specialist who does the same thing for a living. We tweet certain things for laughs, and we whet our wits thinking up barbs to throw at celebrities and other complete strangers. It has been said that the walls have ears, and that we ought to be careful what we say for we never know who is listening. On Twitter, I’ll tell you who’s listening, the whole world.

A week and a bit ago, ms_kasharna1 commented on one of Rihanna’s instagram pictures. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be remotely worthy of a mention anywhere, except that she wrote that Rihanna’s family looked retarded because of drug and alcohol consumption and this led Rihanna to stitch a picture od ms_kasharna1 to that of a goat, and post it on Instagram, and Twitter. The poor girl was so overwhelmed by the electronic assault of Rihanna’s navy that she had no choice but to protect her Twitter account and delete every picture from her Instagram. While I think that Rihanna should have refrained from displaying such a remarkable level of immaturity and cattiness, I also believe that ms_kasharna1 should not have commented if she did not consider the slight possibility that there might be retaliation.

Furthermore, the inclusion of unprotected tweets is now standard, journalistic practice. This means that racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, and hateful tweets that demonstrate a generous portion of bigotry are fair game to everyone and anyone. What’s worse, you cannot deny them, or state that they are mere allegations or unproven accusations. They are written confessions, immediately accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

As long as @OdumotaHasABigHead and @ShineShineBoboForTheLadies can be attributed to you, you can and may very well be held accountable for every tweet or picture that comes out of them. As such, it is infinitely better for you to air the worst of your opinions at home than it is for you to tweet them. If you would not be proud of anything you write online if it were to be exposed on a public platform, then you must refrain from posting it, for chances are that it might.

The Strength of a Woman

The strength and uniqueness of a woman can be compared to no other. Women have to constantly deal with a lot of issues emotionally, physically and spiritually yet we handle them with ease. From watching my mother  I can tell you that the things women deal with on a daily basis are things that require divine wisdom and strength.

From period pains to in-laws to friendship and childbirth to taking care of your home/kids, to nappy changes to sleepless nights after childbirth to breastfeeding to post natal blues to early morning school runs to cooking to cleaning to shopping for the kids clothes and provisions to your partner telling you you’re nagging when you’re only trying to explain your situation. Only a woman can handle all these and more.
A woman is very diplomatic by nature. Her heart is pure and she has a sense of purpose. She understands that she is a woman and she takes advantage of it to better her family and the society in general. She can multi-task by nature, she can do five different things at the same time and she’ll still be sane enough to handle her responsibility as a wife, mother, sister, daughter and career woman. She always has the answer to every question, she has the solution to every problem and if she’s at a cross roads, she’ll go on her knees and ask God for guidance. Her seemingly outward calm nature even when she has the world on her head is commendable.

As a young woman, I would be willing to make sacrifices for my family even if it means resigning from a high paying job just to satisfy my family and make sure everyone is happy. It is possible for us to have been at work all day, after work you have to go to the supermarket to buy food, cook and then you still have to satisfy your man sexually and emotionally… so I’ve heard of course

Sometimes, you’re too tired to talk or listen but you’ll use your last strength to talk to him and listen to him because you want to make him happy. When a child is badly behaved, the blame goes to the mother and hardly ever the husband. He could just come home one day and tell his wife of 20 years that he has a 17 year old love child with another woman and you as the wife are expected to hold it together, accepts the child and stay in the marriage, all while continuing to be nice to the man. But if the case was to be reversed, we all know what would have happened.

Women are sensitive and emotional. Sometimes we burst into tears and we don’t even know why we’re crying. We are said to be the weaker sex yet we are stronger than men in a whole lot of ways. Any man that has ever witnessed a woman giving birth would agree with me. We have an inner strength in being feminine. A feminine woman is a strong woman. A woman that loses her husband can still strive to be better, struggle and work hard to cater for her children by giving them the much needed support emotionally, spiritually and financially.

The best observers in the world are women. A woman is also the best detective because if a woman wants to detect something, trust me, she’ll succeed and if she sets her heart to achieve anything, she would definitely make it. A woman is a confidant, she knows how to keep secrets and give the best advice. Her heart is truly deeper that the ocean because she stores so much in there. Women make the best lawyers because if a woman decides to defend you, she’ll do so all the way. She’s always ready to defend her husband when she knows he’s wrong just to save his face when it comes to outsiders even if she’s going to fight him when they get back home.

A woman’s heart can connect with certain people and things on different levels. We can quickly detect things. Growing up, if your mother ever told you her spirit didn’t go too well with some of your friends or potential boyfriends, most times, those friends or potential boyfriends would always prove your mother right.

Women are very soft and should be shown all the love and care in the world. A woman’s love is unconditional, if she loves you genuinely, she would remain loving whether you treat her right or not, whether you have money or not. A woman is as delicate as an egg, and once broken you can never put the pieces together perfectly. It’s always better to handle women with care because of our fragile nature. Your woman can be the best friend you could ever have if only you give her the opportunity.

Honesty

Honesty....

I can honestly say I don't know the true meaning of your character

Honestly, have I ever even felt the true presence of your genuine nature in my life?

Honestly, all you do is lie and deceive, so do you honestly expect me to trust when you profess love and truthfulness?

Honesty... The one thing I asked you to provide even when a lie tastes much sweeter in your mouth...
Despite the bitterness it causes to my heart, I honestly prefer the freedom truth will bring

In all honesty, I knew you never loved me from the start, but the same truth I seek is the same one I fled from

Lets be honest, we all know my heart was never your home...
Your kiss is so cold, as vacant as the three little words you utter so half heartily coated in lies

True to myself, is what I choose to be
honesty knows no place in your nature....
It is not your friend, nor is it your neighbor

Honestly, the truth has set me free
What a lonely word
to a lonely girl in a lonely word....
But she is all I have...
And that's what I call honesty...

honesty begets an honest heart, so truthfully are you honest to you?

My Best Friend's Wedding

Ever heard the phrase "Always the brides maid, never the bride"?
Well I honestly think this is a statement that has become true to my life.
My best Friend recently got married in an extravagant African wedding and I was so happy when she asked me to be Maid of Honor.
I have never been so happy to see my friend getting married that it actually made me think about my own wedding day.
I knew that it was possible to feel broody when you see babies, but I honestly never thought such could be said about weddings/marriage until I experience it myself. I found myself panicking all of a sudden with a feeling of pressure to settle down and find a husband.

I am the youngest in my group of friends, at 22 I honestly don't think I am ready for marriage, heck I was not even thinking about it until all my friends started getting engaged, pregnant and married. Yes, my friend are older than me, in fact most of them are 27/28 years old which I guess is the standard age to think about marriage and settling down.

The wedding took part in Nigeria, a country I had heard a lot about but never had the pleasure of visiting until now. Initially, I was rather skeptical about going because I'd heard about people getting kidnapped and all sorts of stories.
Upon arriving, I realized that it was EXTREMELY hot and humid!! Unbelievably so for someone who lives in a cold country like the UK.

Another thing that struck me and took me by surprise was the difference in culture. People in Nigeria are so friendly and welcoming, everyone is happy and polite and you are treated like royalty by those around you.
Life is different over there, from how women are expected to behave, to the pressure there is for young girls to settle down, get married and be good wives to their husbands. In other words, European culture and African culture are WORLD apart, which is rather refreshing and eye opening.

The wedding itself was split into two segments, the traditional wedding first, to be then followed by the white wedding one week after.
I got to wear a traditional African dress which I designed myself and it turned out beautifully. I was so nervous about it because I did not get to see it until the day before the wedding,but everything went well.

The Bride had bride-Zilla tendencies (Bless her) and it was my job to ensure she didn't have a nervous break down or in fact, kill somebody as most of us feared she would on a few heated occasions with family members. Moments like this made me realize that I wasn't ready for a wedding, let alone a marriage because that's for life... A VERY VERY long time indeed.

Below are a few pictures I wanted to share that captured the moments and shows how beautiful the wedding was.
It was filled with love and blessing and I was over the moon to be a part of it.

unfortunately, I did not find my groom. Despite the pressure and insisting of nearly every "Aunty" that wanted me to marry her son or Nephew.

Lots of Love
Bree

Breathe... Until it all stops

Disappointment and sorrow have always dominated her life...

Distraught and confused, wondering when luck will strike...

A girl so lost, a girl so wounded...
yet she's strong enough to smile and laugh out loud.

Engulfed in misery, surrounded by failure from the world's perspective

When will she win? When will she rest from the pain that knocks on every corner of a damaged heart?

Like a deserted island, she possesses a beauty that nobody can see.

Her eyes as blue as the ocean and clear seas
But what she has seen, nobody can know what it means....

A girl who's soul is so much in fire, she screams out for The Lord to save her

She lays at night, praying to escape from the hell she calls life.
All she wants is the heaven she used to know...

The heaven that was ripped away from her when he went laying in her arms....

When kissed her red lips of dishonesty
When he ripped off her garments of disloyalty...

She was the devil in a black dress, the perfect representation of the soul that lived in a body filled with deceit

Her two pieces of heaven came together, to perfectly create a world of hell for her...

She can not escape, she can not breathe...
For the devil in the black dress.... birthed her 24 years ago

She can not escape...
Breathe... Focus... Breathe.....

Until it all stops.

Tough Times

We all go through tough times and struggles in life.

We go through dark phases that lead us not to believe in light and happiness
We fall and do not feel like getting back up
We blame ourselves for every wrong which we feel could have been made right

We feel like nobody else understands the pain we go through, the sorrows we feel at night when

You lay awake wondering 'Why'

Why do I have to struggle just to feel at peace?
Why do I have to struggle just to feel worthy?

So you go searching....

searching for that piece of something to fill the void dark hole you possess inside.
It is an emptiness so loud and cold, it feels like you're in a war zone with your inner soul.



You call out but your voice remains unheard,

 It's frozen amongst the evil air that holds your soul prisoner.

Your days are now colder than a winter's night 

Your heart is now harder than a rock

It's heavy, It's lonely... filled with a yearning desire for love 

But do not worry

You are not alone

You are heard

You are loved

You are valued

You are special

I understand

I am with you

All the time

Because I am You.