Quick Question: Do You Ever Use 'Ethnic' Beauty Products?`
You guys, I can't stand the term "ethnic" when it's used as a synonym for "marketed to African-American people." It's just wrong on so many levels. I mean, first of all, everyone has an ethnicity (or...
View ArticleThe $7 Stupid-Good Hair Treatment You Can Buy Anytime, Anywhere
I was walking with my mom to her hotel last night and couldn't get over how crunchy my ends were feeling. (I'm staying there with her because it has a television. And clean bedding and a predictably...
View ArticleHeat Styling: I Quit Cold Turkey
About five months ago, I got the brilliant idea to bleach my own hair. And for some sick, pathological reason, after I started inching over to the blonde side, I kept bleaching more of my hair myself...
View ArticlePlatinum Blonde: Do It Right Or Don't Do It At All
I've been a blonde for most of my life, save a few accidents where I decided to go dark/strawberry/auburn. I actually went dark red solely to be Jessica Rabbit for last Halloween. It was a smashing...
View ArticleBleach Shampooing: Is It As Gentle And Effective As The Internet Claims?
I put a lot of effort into the stuff I write for xoVain. I LOVE IT. I get to be the writer, hair and makeup department, art director, model, sometimes photographer and do all the post-production...
View ArticleQuick Question: What Do You Do While Deep-Conditioning?
I totally suck at remembering to deep-condition my hair. I typically keep a deep conditioner or hair mask in my shower, but I neglect it; either that or I expect its mere presence on the shower caddy...
View ArticleYou Guys Asked, So Here Are My 6 Secrets For Amazing Hair
I haven’t made a scientific study of it, but I think that my shiny hair has replaced my long nails as the number-one thing people are most likely to compliment me on or ask about in the...
View ArticleThe Hair Mask That Changed How I Feel About My Natural Texture
When there’s nothing on TV, I tend to go to the home-shopping stations and veg out. The Joan Rivers collection? Jewelry? Old Lady Clothes? Wait, I already said the Joan Rivers collection. (I love Joan...
View ArticleGameplan For Fine Hair: A Great Haircut, Daily Washing And Styling, And...
I have ultra-fine, thin hair. My ponytail is less than an inch in diameter--that is, before the hair tie starts slowly sliding out of my slippery hair. My hair is also fragile and prone to sun damage....
View ArticleCholesterol: It Almost Killed My Dad, But It Makes My Hair So Pretty
The week before my 12th birthday, my then-49-year-old father had a heart attack. This shook up my family in all sorts of ways. Dad was in the hospital for two weeks, which scared the crap out of me...
View ArticleWhen To Use Moisture Or Protein (Or Both!) To Deep Condition Your Hair
Hair is a lot more morbid than we give it credit for. It's already dead, and then it offs itself out of your scalp at a genetically predetermined time. Sometimes it really seems like fighting an uphill...
View ArticleA Black Hair Glossary, From A Woman Who's Tired Of People Trying To Pet Her
Growing up, I was the only black girl in school. Actually, all my siblings and I were the only persons of color in our respective grades, for the most part. That all changed in high school, though. I...
View ArticleThe Most Canadian Beauty Experiment Ever: I’m Putting Maple Syrup In My Hair!
It is Canadian legend that if you bathe your hair in the luscious elixir that is maple syrup, it will shine like a sun beam. Well, not exactly. But I remember I was told once that maple syrup can work...
View ArticleI’m On A Heat-Styling Break, So Here’s How I’m Dealing With My Hair
A couple weeks ago, Marci asked how often we skip heat-styling our hair. My answer? “ZERO PERCENT OF THE TIME.”I mean, I don’t heat-style every day, but I do it multiple times a week--curling or...
View ArticleI Wish I'd Used This Deep Conditioner Sooner, But I Thought It Was Mousse
Mousse packaging has a very specific look that's pretty consistent from brand to brand: it's usually in a tall, metal, aerosol container, topped off with a tall nozzle and a little ledge to press down...
View ArticleThe Head-To-Toe Regimen I Look Forward To Every Weekend
Remember how all these beautifully complected hotties were sharing their detailed skincare routines a while back? There’s nothing I love more than a step-by-step “this is how I maintain my sexy” beauty...
View ArticleThe Beauty Products We Bought In 2013 That We're Definitely Buying Again In 2014
I love this time of year. I mean, who doesn't? Whether you've had a dreadful 2013 or the kind that makes you look back fondly over the past 12 months, the excitement for what another new year brings...
View ArticleI've Been 'Triple Conditioning' My Hair And People Are Noticing
I'm forever on the quest for healthier hair, especially since I sort of beat my hair up with the occasional color treatment and incessant use of styling tools; not to mention I live in an area of the...
View ArticleThis Hair Mask Smells Good Enough To Eat, But You Should Probably Just Put It...
I'm not the biggest sweets person. I mean, I'm a fan of dessert, but when it comes down to cravings, I usually want something salty. In the middle of the night, I'll wake up and long for tuna ceviche...
View ArticleHow I Wash My Hair While Wearing A Weave
I sometimes get asked by the bold and the curious if I wash my hair while wearing extensions.The answer: Of course I wash my hair! What do I look like, a stray cat?Just because you have been hooked up...
View ArticleConditioning Your Eyebrows: Crazy or Crazy-Brilliant?
If you’ve been on any social media long enough, you’ve probably seen this image:Weel, dear readers, I have a confession to make: I have fallen prey to Bad Brows. Or at least Accidentally Overplucked...
View ArticleMy Curl Regimen: What I Use Since I've Embraced My Natural Texture
Girls with curls have a tough life to live. They may look nice and cool once they’re styled and ready to go, but the process of making them fluffy and swirly is a task within itself. Most think it’s...
View ArticleRoad Testing Target's New Hair Food Line
If you're looking for a silicone-free shampoo, Clairol's new Hair Food line for Target might be for you. All of the products are free of parabens and mineral oil, and the shampoos are silicone-free....
View ArticleThese Hair Products Claim to Have 21 Benefits, But Is That Even Enough for...
There's enough pressure in the world to have it all and be it all — EGOT, triple threats, all-around super moms. So I will be the first underachiever to say "Ha!" and also "NOW IT'S YOUR TURN! FEEL THE...
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