Fashioning Manipulation

 I am engaging in what Jess calls Monogomous Dressing, which I do frequently.  I am once again wearing The Most Versatile Dress I've Ever Owned because I wore it last week when I visited my mom in Kansas City and promised myself that that would be the last time I wore it before I got it dry cleaned.  Well, what's one more time? Especially since I'll just be spending my afternoon in the library writing and students aren't exactly known for smelling great.  But that's what the Chanel No. Five is for.

dress - Corey Lynn Calter/Anthro (remixed)

cardi - GAP (giftcarded  & remixed)

tights - Assets/Target

boots - Plenty by Tracy Reese via Piperlime (remixed)

necklace - Urban Outfitters (remixed)

earrings - Anthro (remixed)

scarf and sunglasses - H&M (remixed)

 I'm at least a month overdue for a trim and because I have an important interview and a conference coming up I'm freaking out about the length of my hair again.  In the fall, I contemplated cutting a lot of it off because longer hair makes me look younger and generally connotes youth.  I tend to place a lot of anxiety on my hair because its changeable and I can't change my height, which has the biggest impact about the perception of my age and academic authority upon seeing me (as opposed to conversing with me).  For a few days last week I was convinced that I needed to cut off at least five inches otherwise my paper will not be well received and I will bomb the interview.  Then, Sara linked to a hair-do-how-to and since I saw that I've calmed down a bit and decided that I will continue to keep it long but start experimenting more with ways of putting it up that aren't a haphazard ponytail tuck thingie, i.e. Gym Hair.

Had I not been visiting my mom last Friday I would also have participated in Modly Chic's Friend Friday on Feminism. Many thanks to Katy for her questions and to the participating bloggers who took them on (and also, a congrats to Katy on the DIY publication of her YA novel, Aurora Undefined.) As it's Tuesday, I'm not going to respond to this now, but I was especially delighted to see questions 1 and 4, which were "Do you think there is an incompatibility between feminism and a love for fashion?" and "How is your self-image and the way you carry yourself informed by your beliefs?" All I will say is that there must be some critical navigation and self-introspection when it comes to feminism and fashion, even fashion is a verb and has a DIY quality to it. 

And I liked the other question even better because it cast a wide net about the intersection of fashion and our beliefs, convictions, politics, and ethics and about the place of visible public subjectivit(ies)y.  It's something I think a lot about as an academic and as an instructor, both in terms of research and self-fashioning.  My research into spectatorship and visual culture can also make me hyper aware of how things are "read" by others and how little control we have over reception and perception, hence my apprehension about my height, hair, and age in academic settings.  I think our knowledge of the wide variety of ways in which our appearances can be received actually causes more manipulation and dissembling through fashion than it does "authentic self-expression."  Not that that's necessarily a negative thing.  I wear pearls in the university classroom but have never worn them to teach  ESL (English as as Second Language).  Alternatively, I often forgo wearing a Miraculous Medal, which I wear on a nearly daily basis, in high stakes situations when I am initially meeting others (interviews, conferences, first day of class), but I've never taken it off for ESL.  I would be incredibly naive and self-deceiving if I said that the difference is simply accessorizing preferences from one day and time to the next.

What sartorial or accessorizing choices do you find yourself manipulating?  Do you have a "neutral" outfit that you wear when you want the focus off of yourself? Academics, is there anything you took off or put on for job talks or interviews?

How to Look After Your Hair Whilst Travelling

How to Look After Your Hair Whilst Travelling

By James Fitch

The last thing you should have to worry about whilst travelling is your hair. While you want to look great on the road, carting around extra weight in your luggage from beauty products is not ideal. Blow driers, curling irons, hair straighteners, and your full line of daily hair products can be too inconvenient to travel with. For short business trips, where packing light is required, and for longer trips where carrying many beauty products is not feasible, you will need to know how to care for and style your hair without your full supply of tools.

Luckily, relaxed hairstyles are in vogue now. While the perfectly blow-dried and flat-ironed look is still stylish, a looser look is also quite popular at this time. This can be ideal for travelling. Skip the heavy styling products and heat treatment, and allow your hair to air dry naturally while you are away from home. Consider using a silicone-based styling cream to tame frizzy hair, or a light gel to keep curls in place. Simply towel dry your hair, apply the product, and wait for your hair to dry into natural waves or curls.

Depending on where you are travelling, you may not have the time or ability to shower and wash your hair each day. If you are in this situation, consider bringing along a few headbands for your trip. A simple headband can spruce up any hairstyle and fix nearly any bad hair day. Another quick fix for unwashed hair is a "dry shampoo." This is a product you spray into your hair that absorbs oil and restores a fresh appearance to your hair.

If your hair does not dry well naturally, or if you prefer to go with a more polished hairstyle, you still have many options for styling your hair while on-the-go. One thing to keep in mind is that many hotel and B&B rooms now have hair dryers available for guests. You can use a blow dryer and flat brush on small sections of your hair at a time, pulling it straight while drying. Some lodging facilities also have complimentary shampoo and conditioner for you to enjoy as well. Finally, if you are going to be in one location for an extended period of time, you might consider purchasing inexpensive appliances to use during your stay and then discard them before you return home. Ultimately, having great hair while travelling does not have to be difficult.

James Fitch writes about everything haircare and beauty related and works with Hair Beauty & Things who sell cheap shampoo online as well as everything from Moroccan Oil to GHD Hair Straighteners.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Fitch


http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Look-After-Your-Hair-Whilst-Travelling&id=6074760

Image source: Google

Ten Commandments of Blow Drying

Ten Commandments of Blow Drying

By Catherine Alibanban

The following are the necessary tools that are needed in blow drying: a moisturizing shampoo, towel, hair moisturizing cream, brush, and of course, the star of the show, blow dryer.

Blow drying your hair may be nothing but a regular task for you. If you think it's that easy, well then, think again. You might want to know that there are numerous secrets to this. Are you itching to discover them? Listed below are the Ten Commandments every girl should dutifully obey to keep the faith in super sleek tresses.

1. Thou shall not use regular shampoo

When you wash your hair, be sure to use moisturizing shampoo. This serves as your hair's protection from the harsh damage that blow drying can do.

2. Thou shall not rub thy hair with a towel

This is a very common slip-up with most women. When they are drying their locks off, especially when in a hurry, they tend to vigorously rub their hair with their towels. The wrong notion could be that if the rubbing is fast and hard, it will dry the dripping hair easily. On the contrary, when you rub your hair with a towel, it produces friction which results to frizzy hair. The proper way to do it is to just cover all the hair with a dry towel, twist the towel, and turn it over your head. Leave it for some minutes until it's ready for blowing.

3. Thou shall not pass using blow drying products

Before exposing your hair to another torment, please have mercy. You might want to apply products that can save your hair from much more damage that it normally gets from the heat. See, a good product that can help protect your hair can really be of great aid. Mousse or gel mousse is best for fine and thin hair. For medium texture, your strands can be tamed with lighter products such as mousse or gel mousse, regular gels or creams. Now, if you have thick hair, you need heavier products. You can try gel, wax, creams or a stronger mousse.

4. Thou shall not forget to part thy hair into sections

One technique in achieving a well-blown hair is to make several tiny partitions in your hair. For those with long hair, it is advised that you make many small sections of your hair that are 2-4 inches thick. Then clip away the rest of the hair. For short hair, you can divide your hair into two to four sections. Doing these division will help you be more focused on each portion making the hair easier to manage. This technique also allows you to deal better with your blow dryer and brush because not so much hair is in the way.

5. Thou shall not keep the blow dryer close to the scalp

Keep a safe distance of around six inches away from the hair. Do not blow dry near your scalp. This dries out your scalp hence, it will not be able to provide enough moisture for your hair. Another clever reason for this is to keep any of your strands from burning.

6. Thou shall not keep it blowing in one direction

If you want to have a super straight look, position your blow dryer such that the air is blowing downwards. Slide the dryer from the strands in the roots until the end of your hair. Do not direct it in one spot for too long. Always remember that the longer you expose your hair to heat, the more damage you are more likely to do with it.

7. Thou shall not over-dry thy hair

Leave your hair a little damp. Do not dry it completely. It should be just enough for you not to have dripping hair. Anyway, your hair will eventually dry off in just a few minutes. This will help leave some moisture in your hair.

8. Thou shall not fail forget to finish off with cool air

What happens when you blow dry your hair is that it opens the hair cuticles, this helps in forming the style that you desire. Blowing cold air in each section that you are tackling will keep the straight look or new texture of the hair locked in.

9. Thou shall not forget the key

The key to a perfect blowing is to master the art of coordinating your brush and blow dryer. What best way to do it is no other than-practicing! Ever wonder why hair stylists are so good in doing this thing? The answer is simple. It's because they do this everyday to a relatively good number of people.

10. Thou shall not use the wrong brush

It would be very favorable for you if you know that some brushes are actually helpful in creating specific styles. For example, you are blow drying to have that straight look, you need a paddle brush. Experts recommend that you use a paddle brush with boar's bristles because they can cover a bigger section of the hair all at the same time. In turn, your hair is spared from longer blow drying time.

If you will keep your faith and just obey these rules, you are absolutely on your way to a perfectly-styled, healthy, and manageable hair. Don't forget to spread the word.

Catherine Alibanban is currently a writer for Blow Dryer, a website showing a wide collection of blow dryers and its prices, along with its detailed reviews. She is also a committed advocate of women empowerment in the society.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Alibanban


http://EzineArticles.com/?Ten-Commandments-of-Blow-Drying&id=6048247

Image source: Google

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Or, photos of me in clothes I can no longer find. Where are they? I don't throw anything away and remember what I give away, so there must be some red-loving clothes gremlin out there.
Just a short post here on long vs. short hair. Above is exhibit a: my hair at just about the shortest it has ever been. Lots of people told me not to do it (oddly enough, mostly men), but I think it turned out OK.

And here I am with my niece, long hair, and long gone red top. I've been growing my hair out again, but am suddenly unsure about whether it's quite the right move--or maybe it should be even longer than it is in the photo? I know Katie has mentioned that curly hair has been raised as an issue, but do you have any advice on long vs. short?
Clothing: It's all a mystery

Valentine's Day Hair Makeover – Top 3 Reasons to Get One

Author: Michael Lazar

The romantic lover's holiday of Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Every year the arrival of the month of February heralds this holiday, where couples around the country celebrate their togetherness and their relationships, most often getting dressing in their finest clothing and embarking upon romantic outings to very fine, and typically gourmet, restaurants where they share a meal and usually a few gifts. Most often the gifts consist of chocolates, flowers, and even lavish jewelry or lingerie.

Many people will also be making trips to the day spa to catch up on their skincare regiments, and others will also be stopping by the hair salon to get a hair makeover or even a new hair style, prior to heading out to that special dinner with their significant other. If you ever wondered what the top three reasons to get a Valentine's Day hair makeover were, the following should easily apprise you.

1. What better a time of the year to get a hair makeover and really make a new hair style resolution than Valentine's Day? You can easily find a new style that suits you better and that truly makes you look and feel extravagant.
2. Many hair salons offer Valentine's Day "date hair packages." Typically these are discounted hair treatments that otherwise would cost you more money on other days of the year.
3. There are ample natural nutritional supplements that contain organic ingredients that you can start taking prior to Valentine's Day that can really add some lust, shine and sexiness to your hair in as little as just a few short weeks of using them daily.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-articles/valentines-day-hair-makeover-top-3-reasons-to-get-one-4142833.html

About the Author

Organic ingredients can be used for improving hair, nail and skin health, tonality, youthfulness, suppleness and texture. Learn about this and other beneficial beauty tips by harnessing the power of organic supplements for beauty. Learn more about Folligenix today, a revolutionary new beauty supplement created by celebrity Soho hair stylist and salon owner, Mario Diab.

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Natural Color

On Monday I celebrated wrapping up my semester and grading final exams by going to get my hair cut and colored.  I've been growing out my short pixie, but I needed a transitional cut to make me feel put-together and confident rather than shaggy and unkempt for the holidays and an upcoming conference.

(Dress - Target, Shirt - H&M, Tights - Target, Knee Highs - We Love Colors, Boots - Ugg)

I asked my new stylist to get rid of the dark auburn red (which I realize hasn't always photographed very true) and to return me to my natural hair color, which is a very dark brown.  I also had her cut the back of my hair, give me bangs, and shape the sides so that my hair will grow into a graduated bob over the next few months.  After the incredible busyness of this past semester and trying to do a bit of research and writing and to eat dinner with M. most nights on top of a full teaching load and doing committee work, I realized that I needed and will need a hairstyle that requires less maintenance.  I can't be dealing with roots and the need for a hair cut every four to six weeks.  I'm even considering moving away from coloring my hair at all over the next year.  Currently I'm torn between the fact that I enjoy changing my hair color a couple of times a year and the idea that letting my greys come in might be rather liberating.

Do you color your hair?  Have you transitioned away from coloring your hair?  Why?  And what are your tricks for getting through awkward transitional hairstyles?

Last (Day) Look

For my last day with my students I fought back the urge to go more casual and, instead, wore my favorite jacket. Besides the fact that I love the polka dots, the asymmetrical yellow buttons, the 3/4 sleeves, I love the fit of this jacket. If you are petite, as I am, jackets and blazers must come in a petite size. Don't even think about trying out a regular sized jacket unless, maybe (and this fails 50% of the time also), it's either from a more youthful oriented line/store (Urban Outfitters/Delias) or from European/UK brand (Top Shop, Oasis, and Monsoon tend to be cut narrower in the shoulders).

jacket - Ett Twa/Anthro * cami - Banana Republic
trousers - Talbots (remixed) * socks - GAP * maryjanes - New York & Co. (remixed)
scarf - Santiago, Spain (remixed) * earrings - gifted

You may also notice my awesomely glossy hair. I saw my stylist again last week. Back in September when I first started blogging at FA I discussed my hair and my anxiety that my long and wavy hair was not appropriate for the classroom given my youthful appearance. Commentators urged me not to cut for the classroom. I went to my stylist and told her I wanted to keep in long (I had contemplated cutting off 4-6 inches) but tidy. I'm grateful I did this, especially because I'm happy with the length right now and will continue to grow it longer. On days when I felt that my hair was too carefree for the classroom I simply put it up or dressed more professionally. What I learned: If anything didn't go the way it should in my classroom, it was not because of my hair. My hair is awesome.

"Shining, Gleaming,Streaming, Flaxen Waxen"

That's right, this post is about HAIR! I've discussed turning the smokey eye into something classroom appropriate and what counts as too casusal/formal in conference and other settings, but one thing I haven't talked about is hair. To be honest, I let it do its own thing. No matter how much attention I pay to matching outfits/mascara, my curls are left to dry on their own. They are sometimes rebellious, with tendrils twisting tauntingly (say it three times fast) and making it look like I've weathered storms to get to campus. I finally bought the above barrett to keep them (stylishly) in check on days when that happens.

And here they are, enjoying the wind on the lake at a Point Before Graduate School. How much time do you spend styling your hair? Do you find yourself evaluating how hair is styled in relation to outfits? Would you, like me, walk into a conference session with damp hair?

Barrett: Etsy, via Big Pink Store

Top: H&M

Skirt: H&M (remixed)

Lake: Somewhere in Italy

Hairography

The Fall term has not yet begun for me and I've been scrambling to finish my syllabus. Here's how I've been doing my hair most days:
I really like my hair--it's dark and wavy and generally looks good even when I don't do much to it. It tends to photograph either darker or lighter than it actually is and in the sun it looks a bit auburn. It suits me. But it also can convey the sort of en deshabille look that Yeats pathetically obsessed over in Maud Gonne for years. Which is not exactly tantamount to academic authority:
There is a lot of talk about how we dress/accessorize differently for teaching or conference-ing than we do for parties, dates, dinner, etc. But I also tend to treat my hair differently. When I'm in the classroom I want it to look tidy, organized, and professional. For that reason I tend to straighten my hair or pull it back/up. Outside of the classroom it can often be found in the messy knot (refer to Figure 1) or down with a scarf wrapped around it. And the other night it looked fantastic when I fastened a massive hair pin to it on a warm and rainy evening when Shakespeare's Masculine Ending and I went to a bar for a friend's birthday.
1. Hair Pin - Anthro/gifted
2. Earrings - Anthro/gifted







Obviously, the hair pin is not appropriate for teaching, but it made me really happy to attach it to my humidified hair and wear out for drinks.

I have an appointment to get my hair cut on Wednesday and I'm thinking about what I want to do. It's below my shoulders now and I'd like to grow it even longer. I am currently a childless, dissertating woman in her late-20s, but I also realize that those days are numbered and I might not have the opportunity to have long, Mad-Woman-In-The-Attic-cum-granola-girl hair in the relatively near future. But I also know that I do look older and more professional when it's at my shoulders. If I cut it, not only will I spend less time styling it this fall, but it also means I could wear it down on those first few weeks of the term, you know those weeks when we don our spectacles, blacks, and blazers.

I am not just concerned about the discourse of long, wavy hair--that it conveys youth and carefree-ness--but that in the classroom long, wavy hair makes me look more like one of my students and I really do think that my students desire that their instructors set themselves apart from them. I think difference is one of the major ways that authority gets conveyed (LHdM: Do any of your female students have hair as short as yours?). Last week, Prof E-Jo at In Professorial Fashion wondered about projecting authority to graduate students. In my experience, the performance of authority is much more important to undergraduate students than it is to graduate students--in fact, they seem to desire it more.

By the way, here's the rest of the non-academic outfit that I wore on rainy, humid night:
1. Top - Bordeaux/Anthro
2. Skirt - H & M
3. Scarf - Street vendor in Santiago, Spain
4. Umbrella - FishsEddy, New York

* Note on the blazon-like photos: I'm a little camera shy and am still trying to figure out how comfortable I feel with presenting the entirety of me to the interwebs. For now I'm going to be a bad Early Modern feminist and continue to photographically catalog my parts instead of the whole.

Pixie Party

So, while I loved the sling bob that I got a month ago, I think I picked the precise worst time of year to get that kind of hair cut.  The heat and humidity conspired to make me feel constantly irritable with hair on my neck or in my face.  So when I went to my stylist this afternoon I told her to pixify me.   I feel like the vintage dress I'm wearing today goes pretty well with my Mia Farrowish hairstyle.¹

1. Dress - Vintage (thrifted and remixed)

Shoes - Dollhouse

Belt- From another dress (remixed)
Necklace - Gift (remixed)

Earrings - Target (remixed)

I'm thinking that this style will be very easy to deal with over the summer and all that it's bringing: a move across the Midwest, an Italian honeymoon (yes, it's true - M. and I are spending ten days in Italy), writing an article, and training for a half-marathon at the end of August.  Plus, my hair is going to help mop up the BP oil spill....

What's your summer hair situation? Do you find that you tend to change your hairstyle seasonally?

Guest Lecture: Turban Fashion

Today we have a special guest lecture from a Fashionable Dutch Academic.  The "Dissertating Yogini" (as she has asked to be called for this guest post) happens to have a very particular sense of style, which is centered around her choice to wear a turban.  The Dissertating Yogini not only researches, writes, and teaches history, she also teaches yoga and has spent a fair amount of time in India and Indonesia.  At my request, she put together a wonderful post on turban style.

What do you do with your sense of fashion and style when you used to be a regular party girl, danced tango, and taught at university, and you discover yourself as a yogi, convert to Sikh Dharma (the spiritual path of the Seekers) and feel compelled to wear clothes that express this spiritual lifestyle? Yet you also still teach at university, and dance tango sometimes… Maybe this is not a question that many of you have asked yourself, because I certainly never expected that I would start asking this question. But here I am, after 30-odd years of sporting blond curly hair, I have been proudly and happily wearing my dastaar (turban) for almost a year.

 References:

Turban, 5 mtrs white cotton, 10$, India

White scarf with little pearls, 5$, India

Blouse, from a French Supermarché, 18$

Trousers, tailored in Amritsar, 5$

Bag, bough in Rishkesh, 2$

Some of us have been confronted with other reasons to wear a head cover. Several of my friends have had cancer and started wearing hats, scarves or turbans to protect or decorate their hairless head. Other women commit to wearing a headscarf for religious or cultural purposes. Since for some of us wearing a head cover is a permanent commitment - and we do not want to take it off because it does not fit with our desired outfit - we have to match our outfit with our turban or scarf. And how to do this? Can you combine a turban with a sassy skirt? Does it look weird with a suit? My own sense of style has certainly changed a lot over the past year. This is not only because of how I look with my dear turban, but also of the inner changes it has brought me.

 References:

Dress, ? , 50$ on sale

grey leggings

Black suede tango shoes with a peep toe, Comme Il Faut, 160$

The turban is a beautiful and centuries old technology, with both a symbolic and energetic effect. There are many explanations about what it means or does to wear a turban. What I have noticed myself is that I like the sort of pressure it puts on my skull – opening the intuitive quality called the ‘third eye’. I feel stronger and taller and more connected to Guru/God/Universe/Divine, other people, and my own inner wisdom when I wear it. One of my favourite symbols is the idea of wrapping my head as gift to the Guru, and luckily my gift-wrapping comes in many colours! Another interpretation is that you crown your Self by wearing a turban, and thus become a royal warrior for truth, equality and love. Sikhs have been warriors for equality and freedom for all religions and for all genders for centuries and it is an important part of Sikh Dharma. I feel that wearing my turban makes me much more aware of my behaviour and my impact on other people and the world. Do I uplift and inspire, or do I spread negativity?

 References:

Typical Indian Salwar and Kameez, tailored in Amritsar, and with trouser leg tied for the bike ride, about 15$

Shoes, Birckenstock, 40$

Turban, 5 mtrs white cotton, 10$

A recent trip to India gave me a lot of great ideas about how to combine my turban with my outfits. I saw Sikh men wearing a turban that matched with the stripes on their dress-shirts for example. And a friend in London likes to wear a turban that matches the colour of his shoes. In India I bought about 20 different turban colours, for all occasions and moods. I use about 5 meters per turban, so you can imagine what my house looks like after a turban-laundry-day… very colourful and messy for sure!
I have discovered by now that it is possible to dance tango in a turban, combine it with jeans, to wear a dress, to look stylish and formal in a skirt and cardigan, and to dress for yoga or look like a Sikh warrior if I want to. The times that I was standing desperate in front of my wardrobe because I did not know what to wear are over. I guess identity and lifestyle changes invite with wardrobe crises…Yes, my sense of style has changed, because wearing a turban with a very low-cut shirt does just not feel right to me. I mean a Queen just doesn’t show her boobs to the world, does she ☺? At the same time I have become much more creative with clothes and colours, wearing things I would have never worn before my turban. In the end I just feel freer than I did before. I still enjoy beautiful clothes, and shopping, and looking good, but at the same time the feeling I have inside has become so much stronger and more important, that the clothes I wear just matter less.

 References:

Cardigan, black wool with white beading, brand is called midnight, 100$

White tshirt, Livera, 20$

Skirt, ?, 120$

Tights ? (I was not too happy with how those tights turned out, I think I will go for black ones the next time!)

Shiny black shoes, H&M, 30$

But back to you now: have you ever felt like you had to radically adjust your outfits for one reason or another (internal or external changes)? And how did this influence you and your sense of style? Would you wear clothing or a head cover for religious or spiritual reasons? And would you wear a turban for fashion sense? Because this has become quite the runway style it seems! Check this out!

 Source

I am curious to hear from you!

Thanks so much to the Dissertating Yogini for guest lecturing here for us at Fashionable Academics!  We would all love to hear your anwers to her questions for discussion.

Hair Cut Thoughts

So, I know one of my goals at the beginning of the year had been to let my hair grow until June, but with my dissertation defense, the summer heat, and my new job pending, I'm considering getting my hair cut sometime over the next month.  I'm leaning toward keeping my current reddish brown color until the fall, but I'm still not entirely certain about the cut.  I love my hair in a chic graduated bob, but I also have come to really appreciate the versatility of longer hair now that I have it again for the first time in several years.  However, I also feel a bit like the longer hair just isn't really me.

I spent most of the past few years in various stages of a bob or a pixie or somewhere in between them.  It's only in the past year or so that I've really tried to grow my hair long again.  And it was a bit of a quest because I foolishly got a Japanese thermal straightening perm about two years ago, and it damaged my hair pretty badly.  (If you have ever had highlights or colored your hair, I would not recommend one of these perms.)  I had to spend the next year just getting damage cut out of my hair bit by bit.  

What do you think?  I'm using a poll for the first time ever, so please vote your opinion, but also feel free to leave comments.

Guest Lecture: I Love My Hair

Today we have a special guest lecture on the topic of hair from Nicole of Don't Oppress My Ovaries, a woman of color's blog guide for navigating through travel, pop culture, and oppression in its modern forms.  Usually Nicole blogs about intersections of pop culture, media, and race, but I when I asked her to guest lecture, she asked to write about her hair.  As I am a great admirer of Nicole's hair, I insisted that she do so. Without further ado, here is her post!

I love my hair.

But not in that creepy America’s Next Top Model “don’t cut my hair! it’s the only thing that makes me beautiful” kinda way.

Moreso because every now and then I just like to play with hair. 

Sue me!

But even more than I like to play in hair, I really just like to do my hair and not have to think about it for days/weeks at a time.

About 7 years ago I went natural (stopped chemically straightening my hair for those NOT in the know).

When I told people what I was thinking about doing everyone gasped “Ahhhh” and shot me pained looks. “Are you serious!?”

Yes. I was serious. And it was the best hair-decision I ever made!

Granted, the transition was rough.

Some people decide to cut off all of the processed hair and let it grow back.

I am not that brave. (I’m certain that I have an awkward shaped head!)

Instead I let it grow and cut off the straight hair just a few inches at a time.

It took about a year to complete.

And now I’m learning what my hair likes (LOTS of conditioner and moisturizer) and what it doesn’t like (HEAT).

And slowly but surely it’s doing what I want (LOOKING GOOD AND HEALTHY).

As a woman in the classroom I am of the type who plays with my hair. Not in the airhead “lemme twirl my hair around my finger while I talk ‘cause I’m just a lil’ bit dim” sorta way. No I like to think I’m more of a fidgeter and my hands must move when 30 undergrads are staring at met trying to compel me to overlook the fact that they obviously haven’t done the reading.

So, if I’m going to draw so much attention to my hair I might as well make sure that it’s looking right.

For me, the most important decision I make for my hair is products. If I’m not very careful I will end up using a product that dries out my hair and then it will all break off, which is tragic since most Black women have dry hair to begin with. So I, and other Black women I know, usually shop around for a few products that get the job done. At the moment I’m using two lines at two price points.*


At the higher end of my budget, I use handmade, organic products made specifically for Black women’s hair types from Oyin Handmade.

My absolute favorite product by Oyin is their Honey Hemp Conditioner. This conditioner is a little piece of heaven on my head!

The sign of good natural hair products is versatility and the Honey Hemp Conditioner can be used as a traditional conditioner or a leave-in.  It also smells like citrus-y candy!

I would recommend this to anyone with dry or curly hair.

On the lower end of the spectrum I’ve just started using Pantene Pro-V’s new Relaxed and Natural line for women of color. While their Intensive Moisture conditioner was amazing (and my hair was ridiculously soft afterwards) their Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer stole the show.

I use a lot of moisturizer when I style my hair (to prevent breakage) and usually within a day or two my hair has dried out (almost) completely. But I used the Oil Cream Moisturizer about a week ago to twist my hair and it is STILL (STILL!) soft and hydrated. For $3.99 at Target you CANNOT beat that.

Spring is on the way (or here, whatever) and these twists have become my warm weather mainstay.

This hairstyle is cute, versatile and, after the 6-hour session to style, requires almost no maintenance whatsoever. (When it gets dry I spray in some leave-in conditioner and/or throw in some moisturizer and that’s it.)

What’s your spring hair-situation?

Thanks so much to Nicole for guest lecturing today about hair styling and products!

*Fashionable Academics was not compensated in any way for reviewing these products.  Guest Lecturer Nicole uses and recommends them independently.

DO THE WANG

Hooked on the Wang-look?My hair is not long enough for a long braid, but with some fake hair I got one long braid easily. This is from a shoot taken for topp magazine on friday. Isabella/makeupmekka did my hair and makeup. Im wearing my Acne pop classic and my old golden heart necklace...
photo: Curt Gjertstedt