Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
Soooo… I am ALL THE WAY here for this!! If you subscribe to Essence you should’ve already gotten yours. For those who don’t and were unaware, naturalistas Erykah Badu, Ledisi and SolangeKnowles take turns on the cover of ESSENCE’s May Beauty Issue and share with readers what beauty means to them. We know all three women to be completely original with impeccable, unique senses of style and of course, we love that they’re rockin’ that natural! It is so beautiful to see all three natural beauties grace the popular Black women’s magazine individually. This tells me that natural hair is slowly but surely becoming less and less taboo, being more accepted as a norm which, in effect, encourages women who have taken that step to keep on and says to those who have yet to do so that it’s okay. I’ve already read bits and pieces of each interview and, while they…
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
You may often read comments under an Instagram pic of someone with curls-a-poppin where someone asks something like, “what can I use to make my hair curl like that?” or… “I use that product and my curls never come out like that!” Or maybe YOU were the person making these very comments. Well, the the fact is, your curl patterns and textures may just be different. The point is… Curl defining products will only define the type of curl you already have. They will not create a new one! Outside of something containing chemicals, there is no product you can put on your hair that will turn it from tight kinky coils to flowy, bouncy, loose curls in one easy application. BUT… If you DO want achieve that type of look, you aren’t without options! You can easily set your hair using various methods — twisting, braiding, bantu knots — to temporarily alter…
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that #embraceyourkinks and #embracethefrizz are among my favorite hashtags when posting fabulous fros. Some of us tend to get so wrapped up in having the “perfect curl” or achieving a “perfectly defined” twist-out, braid-out or bantu knot-out that we can lose sight of what this natural hair “thing” is all about in the first place- loving your hair just the way it is. Before you come for me LOL… I’m not saying you don’t love your hair if you wear a twist-out nor am I saying anything is wrong with rocking these styles at all! Braid-outs are my thing, definitely one of my go-to styles. And when it’s all fresh and the waves are poppin, you can’t tell me NOTHING! But after a day or two, (shoot, sometimes even on that first day!) having that perfect definition just isn’t that…
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
I’ve come across many a natural who is scared to death of coming anywhere near a heat styling tool for fear of heat damage. Then there are those who don’t particularly care too much and say heat styling is just fine. Who’s “right”? Well, you can do with it whatever you like, really. It is, after all, YOUR hair! But there is a need for caution. Check out the short video clip below to see why… The misconception about naturally curly/coily/kinky hair is that it can take a beating and still somehow maintain its health. Excessive heat, however, can cause dryness which leads to breakage and can also permanently straighten your hair. Some actually don’t mind this alteration as they may be trying to “heat train” their tresses (that’s a topic for another post, girls!). However, if you actually want to wear your curls again and you’re heat styling too…
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
February was a crazy busy month with event after exciting event! Between New York Fashion Week, launch parties and soirées, I was definitely a girl on the move and wanted to look good doing it! Take a look at my eclectic style as I made my way around the city… This whirlwind of a month started with the Optimum Amla Legend Media Launch event with special guest Tracee Ellis Ross. I opted for a retro look complete with an almost completely shrunken ‘fro and vintage secretary blouse. To kick off NYFW, I stopped by the Required Flare Trunk Show for which I donned a rather preppy ensemble and a stretched-out fro. Get outfit deets and see how you can get the look here! That Saturday was the Know Your Roots event at Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. Here’s an example of perking up your basics! I kept it vanilla with the outfit but…
