Nappturosity 50% off - ends 9/30/10 midnight

Hello family: I just wanted to drop in quickly to alert you to a book deal. Anyone interested in purchasing the book Nappturosity should head over to the site (http://www.naturalhairbook.com/). It is going out of print and they are offing the last copies at 50% off. If you are like me and did not want to pay the $27 smackeroos for this natural hair book, jump on this quick. This offer ends on September 30, 2010 at midnight and there is a limited amount of books left. You must enter the coupon code "thankyou" upon checkout. Hope someone finds this helpful.

Next week I will be posting about the books I recently read from Lisa Akbari: "The Black Woman's Guide to Beautiful Hair" and "Every Woman's Guide to Beautiful Hair At Any Age". Both were available to my local library. Until next week Lovlies, take care!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Working with what God gave me

I believe the saying goes “Sometimes the helping hand you need is at the end of your own arms” - don’t quote me on the wording :-). Anyway, that has been my approach to detangling my hair over the last few weeks. I haven’t enlisted the assistance of a detangling comb or brush on wash day and I can’t really say I miss it. My God-given “human comb” seems to be working out just fine. I don’t find that it takes any more time than my wide-tooth comb since I would always finger detangle my hair as a first anyway.

I make sure I have a pair of hair shears for stubborn knots and tangles. Another must is making sure my fingernails are tended to before this task (read this). I’m pleased this discovery has gotten me a step closer to rely less on tools/products for maintenance and become more in touch with my hair (no pun intended).

Have any of you tried this method? How did it work out?

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Time waits for no one. . .

Days gone by . . . . weeks gone by. . . . a WHOLE MONTH and no word from CallaLily!!! Please forgive my long absence. I apologize for the huge gap since my last post; life has been. . . . life!

To be quite honest, I am weening away from the blogosphere; sad news! There are still some posts that I want to present to you but I will not be moving forward with my original focus for this blog. Look for a Lisa Akbari post in the coming days; I purchased some products and read some books by her.

I'm sorry if this comes as a dissapointment but right now I have to put my energy and focus on more than my hair and blog. Things have been going well with my hair and I hope to give you some periodic updates.

I've enjoyed this hobby and I'll still be lurking around reading and commenting on some of my favorite blogs. I just won't be researching and posting here on a regular basis. I wish all my readers the best on their hair journey!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Introduction to "Core Concepts" (new mission)

In my “teaser” post (here), I hint that I have an understanding on how to care for my hair. I am now focused on proper hair care. In the beginning, experimenting with hair styles and products (both commercial and homemade) was exciting but my primary interest is hair maintenance and preservation these days. As my hair focus has shifted, so has my objective for this blog. I’ve changed the subtitle description of BreaKINK New Ground from “My journey to appreciating my God-given hair and sharing the experience” to “Hair education, not just information!”.

While I still intend to share with you my personal, natural hair journey; I’m more insistent on sharing knowledge here. The key to unlocking a successful hair journey is education. My plans and goals are clear and I’m ready to get down to business.

I must put out this disclaimer: I am not an expert in the field of hair care. The information I share here should be used in addition to your own research. I am simply striving to equip you with accurate information but if you are looking for perfection, you’ve come to the WRONG place!

Since there is so much I want to share with you, I need to reveal the pieces layer by layer; starting at the foundation. I don’t have any hidden agendas or secret missions. When it’s applicable, I will state the source(s) of information I use. It is my hope that you will enjoy and benefit from my new approach. As always, your questions and comments are welcome!

Upcoming – Hair composition/structure. . .

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Winner of the “Dough for Dialogue” Giveaway

The lucky winner of the “Dough for Dialogue” Giveaway is Alana! You have won (1) $10 gift card to your choice of Curlmart or Luv Naturals. I will send your prize via the email you designate. Please send your info to me at callalily40@gmail.com asap.

Thanks to all you Lovelies who participated in my "Christmas in July" giveaways. I’ll be getting back to my regular posting next week. . . with a new focus. . . stay tuned!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Giveaway reminder

There’s still time to enter the “Dough for Dialogue” Giveaway (click here for details). This contest will end at Midnight tonight (EST).

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

BONUS: "Dough for Dialogue" Giveaway

Here is the surprise that I said I had up my sleeve :-)

I had a wonderful idea to do a bonus giveaway. I get absolutely ecstatic when I receive and read everyone’s comments to my posts. It lets me know that people are interested in what I have to say; that my time and efforts aren’t in vain! I love to dialogue about hair and I’ve really met some wonderful ladies since starting this blog.

Well, I just want to let you know that it really means something to me when I get to converse with my readers and your comments truly make my day. I am giving a ten ($10) dollar gift card to 2 lucky subscribers. The winners can choose between Curlmart (geared toward hair products) or Luv Naturals (geared toward hair accessories).

*Disclaimer: all items haven been purchased with my own money. No company is sponsoring any giveaways*

Details for “Dough for Dialogue” Giveaway

The first winner has already been selected. I went back through all my posts since I started blogging and wanted to extend a nice gesture to my top commenter. From June 28, 2009 to June 28, 2010, that individual was. . . (drum roll please). . . ChocolateOrchid!!! :-) Just for letting me know that you were reading my blog during my first year, you earned yourself ten smackers (and I'm sure you'll give someone else a change to win the other prize, lol).

The second winner will be entered into a drawing.

What’s up for grabs?
(1) $10 gift card to Curlmart OR (1) $10 gift card to Luv Naturals

How can I enter?
You must be a BNG subscriber/follower. Your entry in this giveaway is two-fold:

Step 1: Find a post that has NOT been commented on and submit a comment on that post.

Step 2: Locate the post with the most comments. Then come back here and enter the name of that post as well as the name of the post of commented on for step 1.

Two parts for you; one entry for the drawing

When does the giveaway end?
You have from now until Wednesday, August 4th at Midnight (EST) to enter the “Dough for Dialogue” Giveaway. Your name will be entered in a drawing and my lovely daughter will select the winner on Thursday, August 5th.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Winner of the "Sleek and Shiny" Giveaway

Random.org selected #6 so congratulations goes to Kingsmomma! You have won (1) 4oz Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade and (1) 2oz Carol’s Daughter Kizzi “Stay-Put” Hair Pomade (both slightly used). Please send your info to me at callalily40@gmail.com by August 2nd so I can mail your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered the “Sleek and Shiny” Giveaway.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Giveaway reminder

There’s still time to enter the “Sleek and Shiny” Giveaway (click here for details). This contest will end at Midnight tonight (EST).

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

"Sleek and Shiny" Giveaway

You’ve all been great this month so this week’s giveaway is super easy :-) I’ve tried using pomades for shine and hold but discovered that it’s not really my thing. The two products in this giveaway have been slightly used but they are not doing anything for me but taking up room in my stash so if you feel you could benefit from the products, please participate.

*Disclaimer: all items haven been purchased with my own money. No company is sponsoring any giveaways*

Details for “Sleek & Shiny” Giveaway

What’s up for grabs?
(1) 4oz Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade (used once) and (1) 2oz Carol’s Daughter Kizzi “Stay-Put” Hair Pomade (used twice)

How can I enter?
If you are a BNG subscriber/follower, leave a comment below in this post “I want it”. That’s it!

When does the giveaway end?
You have from now until Wednesday, July 28th at Midnight (EST) to enter the “Sleek & Shiny” Giveaway. I will be using Random.org to select the winner. On Thursday, July 29th I will announce the winner.

Although the month of July is coming to an end and this would be my last weekly giveaway, I’ve got something else up my sleeve for you so keep checking back. . . .

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Winner of the "Eco-Friendly" Giveaway

Random.org selected #3 so congratulations goes to Tiffany! You have won (1) 2oz Curl Euphoria Elixir (full size, discontinued product), (1) Curl Ecstasy Hair Tea (2oz sample size) and (2) Curls Milkshake (sample size). Please send your info to me at callalily40@gmail.com by July 26th so I can mail your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered the “Eco-Friendly” Giveaway.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Giveaway reminder

There’s still time to enter the "Eco-Friendly" Giveaway (click here for details). This contest will end at Midnight tonight (EST) and details for the new giveaway will be posted tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

AM-8: Hardware for Hair

The Sprite Pure-Spray 8 Deluxe Filtered Shower Head; Model# AM-8 is now in my possession! I feel like I’m in the elite club of ladies whose tresses have been reaping the benefits of this prize, lol. I believe this investment will make a contribution towards improving my hair. I have read how many fabulous naturals feel this device was well worth acquiring since your hair is just one thing that will profit from its use.

A recent NaturallyCurly article explains how damaging water can be to our hair (read here)

If you have a filter, what advantages have you seen from utilizing one?

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

It FINALLY makes sense!

WHO: CallaLily :-)

WHAT: Knowing how to care for her hair

WHEN: Beginning July 17, 2010

WHY: For hair preservation

HOW: More to come so stay tuned. . . .

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

"Eco-Friendly" Giveaway

Curls was one of the first company’s that I learned about when I made the decision to go natural. I have had so many positive experiences with Curls. This week’s giveaway was inspired by a fellow blogger; where I learned that Curls started “The 4 Step Sustainable CURLS™ Campaign”. The campaign is geared toward making the environment cleaner and greener. Therefore, I wanted to spread the word and base my giveaway with that concept.

*Disclaimer: all items haven been purchased with my own money. No company is sponsoring any giveaways*

Details for “Eco-Friendly” Giveaway

What’s up for grabs?
(1) 2oz Curl Euphoria Elixir (full size, discontinued product), (1) Curl Ecstasy Hair Tea (2oz sample size) and (2) Curls Milkshake (sample size).

How can I enter?
If you are a BNG subscriber/follower, click on the link below to read up on “The 4 Step Sustainable CURLS™ Campaign”. Then leave a comment below in this post on how you have reduced or plan to reduce your carbon footprint where haircare is concerned. It can be anything from walking to the salon instead of driving to recycling your product containers.

http://www.curls.biz/environista.html

When does the giveaway end?
You have from now until Wednesday, July 21st at Midnight (EST) to enter the “Eco-Friendly” Giveaway. I will be using Random.org to select the winner. On Thursday, July 22nd I will announce the winner and post details for the next giveaway.

Think Green! :-)

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Winner of the "From the Earth" Giveaway

Random.org selected #4 so congratulations goes to queta! You have won (1) 100g of Shikakai powder (Hesh) and (1) 100g of Cassia Obovata (Mehendi.com). Please send your info to me at callalily40@gmail.com by July 19th so I can mail your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered the “From the Earth” Giveaway.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Giveaway reminder

There’s still time to enter the "From the Earth" Giveaway (click here for details). This contest will end at Midnight tonight (EST) and details for the new giveaway will be posted tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

"From the Earth" Giveaway

This week’s giveaway is dealing with hair care products we get from plant life. I’ve experimented with several (henna (read here and here), amla, cassia, and common herbs) since going natural. If using the Earth’s natural resources for hair care is up your alley, this giveaway is for you.

*Disclaimer: all items haven been purchased with my own money. No company is sponsoring any giveaways*

Details for “From the Earth” Giveaway

What’s up for grabs?
(1) 100g of Shikakai powder (Hesh) and (1) 100g of Cassia Obovata (Mehandi.com). You can read the following articles on Shikakai and Cassia Obovata, however, I also advise you to do your own research.

How to wash hair with shikakai

Shikakai – The Natural Shampoo

How to cassia your hair

Using cassia to condition hair

How can I enter?
If you are a BNG subscriber/follower, leave a comment below in this post on which plant material(s) you have used, currently use or would consider using in your regimen.

When does the giveaway end?
You have from now until Wednesday, July 14th at Midnight (EST) to enter the “From the Earth” Giveaway. I will be using Random.org to select the winner. On Thursday, July 15th I will announce the winner and post details for the next giveaway.

Good luck! I’ll be doing my 3rd henna treatment at the end of this month and will provide updates then.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Winner of the "Buttered Up" Giveaway

Random.org selected #4 so congratulations goes to Shaharazad! You have won (1) 8oz tub of unrefined shea butter (Butters-N-Bars) and (1) 14.5 oz bottle of Almond & Shea Butter conditioner (Suave Professionals).

Please send your info to me at callalily40@gmail.com by July 12th so I can mail your prize.

Thanks to everyone who entered the “Buttered Up” Giveaway.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Giveaway reminder

There’s still time to enter the "Buttered Up" Giveaway (click here for details). This contest will end at Midnight tonight (EST) and details for the new giveaway will be posted tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

"Buttered Up" Giveaway

With my blogiversary officially in June, I’m late with the festivities :-) Anyway, get ready for a month of giveaways; YAY! I will be doing a weekly giveaway during the month of July for subscribers of BNG!

*Disclaimer: all items haven been purchased with my own money. No company is sponsoring any giveaways*

Details for “Buttered Up” Giveaway

What’s up for grabs?
I would like to butter you up with (1) 8oz tub of unrefined shea butter (Butters-N-Bars) and (1) 14.5 oz bottle of Almond & Shea Butter conditioner (Suave Professionals).

How can I enter?
You gotta butter me up first :-) If you are a BNG subscriber/follower, leave a comment below in this post on which of my posts was the most helpful/memorable to you and why (please include the title).

When does the giveaway end?
You have from now until Wednesday, July 7th at Midnight (EST) to enter the “Buttered Up” Giveaway. I will be using Random.org to select the winner. On Thursday, July 8th I will announce the winner and post details for the next giveaway.

That’s all folks. Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

BNG turns 1 today!

I can’t believe it’s been one year since I started BreaKINK New Ground. I hope my blog content has been applicable to you. As I learn, I share my discoveries with you and I also gain from you. So “thank you” to everyone that reads, comments and subscribes. Your involvement means so much to me!

I appreciate you staying with me through this blog and hair journey I’m on (even in moments of drought, lol). You all are so wonderful :-)

By the way, I've got some upcoming giveaways planned for my subscribers. I’ll put up a separate post later with week with details.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Our daughters: Are we fighting a losing battle?

Food for Thought Friday

It is my hope that my young daughter will continue to remain natural through her adolescent and adult years. I strive to instill a sense of value and beauty in how God made her. Controversly, I’ve read about this countless times;

Natural hair and your well-being

I thought this would be an interesting topic to launch. Please chime in!

At times, I wonder if a decision to “go natural” transforms other areas of our lives. Everyone wants to look and feel their very best, inside and outside. So when one chooses to stop chemically straightening their hair, what other

An interview with Thirsty Roots

When I reached out to Sharina Hill of Thirsty Roots, asking for an interview, I was SUPER excited when she accepted my request. I did this brief piece on them last week. Sharina is such a sweet woman with a luxurious head of natural hair. Please enjoy the interview!

When do you DC: before, after or both???

I’ve talked about deep conditioning before and mentioned that I do this weekly. I’ve asked for your dc products/formulations/recipes in this post (please follow the link and share your comments). Now, I’d like to discuss

Fabulous site

Earlier this week I stumbled upon a wonderful site founded by Sharina Hill. Thirsty Roots is all about “Bringing Out The Beauty in Black Hair”! The site showcases our crowns in many fabulous styles. This is a very resourceful place to go to view galleries, get celebrity scoop and hair tips. A wealth information can be discovered there and they are all about community; there is a forum you can join and they can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Head over and check out Thirsty Roots – you won’t regret it!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Smooth hairline

When wearing certain hairstyles (such as buns), I desire a smooth hairline. However, I don’t always want to use a gel to achieve this so I’m looking for an alternative. I have seen/heard some naturals use Slick Stick, plain shea butter or a pomade before setting with a scarf.

If you have found a solution to smooth your hairline without gel, please share your tips/tricks!

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Scalp care

Like our uniqueness with hair, no two individual scalps are the same either (I’ve learned that my daughter has different scalp needs than me). In all truthfulness, I ignored my scalp prior to returning to natural hair. Growing up, my mother

Rockin' Locs

I am excited to feature my young man in today’s post. My son has been wanting to wear locs for months now. This weekend marks the beginning of his journey with the assistance of. . . yours truly. I was hesitant to take on this project since I have

Curl definition: Are you gellin’

Once naturals learn to embrace the coily, kinky hair we were given, one of our first missions is to “define our curl pattern”. We want to enhance what our hair does naturally; desiring a uniform, springy, frizz-free appearance. When using product to get

Healthy hair comes from within (series coming soon!)

We’ve all heard the above statement before – but is it true? Will the things we do for our bodies (positive or negative) impact our hair? I would like to open up this question

Giving henna another try. . .

I haven’t hennaed since this post. That was my 4th application and I had not noticed any significant benefits. Lately, I’m feeling compelled to give it another try. I don’t think I have the patience to do this on a regular basis so I may only

You asked for it. . . .

New life! I want to thank those who participated in my “layout changes” poll. You asked for more change and I hope you like what is being delivered. It turned out to be a fun project and forced me

Hair Pampering: Trimming

I just had to do it! I noticed that my hair needed a trim – BAD! I don’t usually liken to cutting my own hair but I haven’t been back to the salon since last July and don’t plan on going any time soon (read about it here). For all intents and purposes, I’ve become

Weekend hair pics

I promised that I would take a few pics this weekend when I took out my protective style so I just wanted to put them up.

Take take down process was pretty quick and easy. Following that, I pre-pooed with

African Black Soap - Shampoo Review

A warm "welcome" to my new subscribers and a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who follows, reads and leaves comments on my blog.

I wanted to update you on my experience with the shampoo I made. On this post I mentioned I would break down my black soap bar into liquid form to use as a shampoo. I did not

Ingredient inspector

Many of us are conscious about what we are putting on our hair. We scan the ingredient labels looking for items we want included and excluded from the products we consider buying. But what about when the complete

Nourishment - What does “deep conditioning” mean to you?

Rinse-through conditioners usually instruct you to leave product on your hair for a few minutes. While conditioners described as “deep” or “mask” instruct you to leave on longer and may suggest the use of heat. I’m curious to know what your formula is when you give your hair a “deep conditioning treatment”. Please let me know what this means to you.

* Rinse-through conditioner + a form of heat (heat therapy wrap, steamer, dryer, conditioning cap, etc)

* Rinse-through conditioner + additional ingredients (oil, honey, etc)

*Rinse-through conditioner + additional ingredients + a form of heat

*Conditioner mask only

*Conditioner mask + a form of heat

*Conditioner mask + additional ingredients

*Conditioner mask + additional ingredients + a form of heat

* Mixture of 2 or more conditioners

*Do you concoct your own deep conditioner recipe from scratch (please include)

Please share whatever it is you do to deep condition your hair.

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

I’m in the beginning stages of changing this site a bit. Over the next couple weeks, please take the time to visit and give your feedback on what you see. Give me your

Crochet Braids: The Take Down :-)

Yes, my hair is going to feel like it’s been SET FREE (insert the sounds of broken chains hitting the floor followed by harp music), lol. It’s been 5 weeks and I am taking out these crochet braids tonight! I really miss my hair and weekly washings. I’ve only been

African Black Soap

Many sing the praises of this natural cleanser. It can be used for face, body and hair care. When I initially found out about black soap, I was interested in using it for skin care (facial cleanser). After about a month, I discovered this was not a keeper for me. However, I’ve used this for hair and have had nice results.

Creating curls

I’ve got about a week left on these crochet braids so I’m considering styling options for when I take them down. I miss my hair! I’d like to experiment with various curly sets. However, there are so many ways to create them it boggles my mind!

Extra Extra

I don’t usually peruse the newsstand section in the stores I frequent but the beautiful Jill Scott on the cover of May’s Essence magazine definitely peaked my interest. Mad props – this diva is doing her thing! However, upon closer look, I also noticed they were doing a hair feature. Well, that was enough for me to snatch a copy of my own. Their beauty section includes

Parting is such sweet sorrow

PROBLEM: A passion for perfect parts! Am I alone in that it takes me twice as long to finish a style where parts are exposed? Sometimes it’s so frustrating; you know the style doesn’t require an enormous amount of time but because you want the parts to be “perfect” you end up spending an eternity styling hair.

The need to buy: I'm losing control

So far I’m on track with my hair product line up. I’m getting to know what I like and what I don’t so I see a full PJ recovery in view (YAY). In most of the product categories, I’m finding out what my staples are and what I’m not truly committed to. There are a few protein conditioners that I will be trying

I've been featured

Yesterday I was featured on True Naturalista (thanks True)

Check me out (here).

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily

Does season change = hair change?

I guess because of the bad winter storm we experienced last month, I’m especially looking forward to the warm spring and summer days

Many focus on protecting their hair from

Shower or Sink?

Which is best for your wash day routine? Is one really better than the other? I can see this debate go several ways. Maybe one is more convenient/easier for you. Maybe one “plays nicer” due to

Look at what I did!!! (see pics)

Ok, I’ve LONG past the potty training stage but I was so proud of myself on Saturday! Why you ask? Because I did crochet braids all by myself. I think they turned out nice for my first try. I watched some tutorials on Youtube (of course) and figured I would give this protective style a whirl.

I washed and deep conditioned my hair on Friday. Then I put it in big plaits and air dried overnight. In the morning I put my hair in 12 cornrows straight back and began the process. I used Freetress Water Wave in 1B (a little less then 2 bags). It took me roughly 5 hours to install. I hope to maintain this style for at least a month.

So let me know what you think. . . .

Thanks for reading. Be blessed!

CallaLily