Naturals making statements at the Oscars 2015 *Updated post*

Although I didn't watch the award show (due to lack of diversity amongst the nominees), here are some of the pictures of my favorite naturalistas on the red carpet.

Lupita Nyong'o 

Viola Davis

Ava Duvernay

Solange Knowles 

And last but not least, the young, talented and beautiful Zendaya Coleman.

Giuliana Rancic made a remake on the tv-show Fashion Police, saying, "I feel like she smells like patchouli oil or maybe weed." An ignorant statement that sparked outrage on social media, especially in the natural hair community.

Although I've been a fan of Rancic, I was completely disgusted by her remake. Questions like, Why must our hair constantly be stereotyped? Why can't our hair be just hair? Why must black women be questioned when we embrace the diversity and beauty of our locs, kinks and curls?

I was very impressed by the way Zendaya handled the situation and responded eloquently. Check out her response below. 

Loved seeing these strong, talented black women on the red carpet.

Love Always,

Yaya

Hair Art- Play in Color

(Facebook: Afropunk)

(Instagram: @tikicaldwell)

(Instagram: @raychillster)

(Instagram: @africancreature)

(Instagram: @africancreature)

These ladies are killing it!! I'm loving it! 

I've never colored or dyed my own hair before but this year I've decided to step outside the box more and do more daring things. Maybe a dark blue or purple color....

Love always,

Yaya

100 Years of Beauty

I really liked this video and can see myself rocking all the hairstyles but my favorites are:

1940s- It's a super cute updo. Would work great for formal events like weddings,
1960s- I love that retro look! that hairstyle and cateye sunglasses. Yes girl!
1970s- Who doesn't love big hair?!
1990s- Boxbraids are timeless.
2000s- Braids in the front and afro in the back gives me a neosoul vibe. Love! Might have to re-create that for the summer.


Love always,

Yaya

Hair Goals- 2015

1. Moisturize hair daily. 

I have to confess that I'm a lazy natural, I kinda just do it when needed and it's worked out fine. But I'm gonna try something different this time and maybe I'll have better results. My goal is to have a daily routine of keeping my hair soft and moist. (Hate that word btw... Sounds so wrong... Moist? Ugh!)

2. Retain length.

So I've put my hair through something terrible for quite some time now. I've been cutting my hair with regular scissors! *hides under the covers* 

I know, I know it's the worst thing you can do to your hair but I couldn't help it! Every time I felt those single strand knots it made my skin crawl. Regular scissors can cause split ends and breakage.

My commitment for this year will be to only use hair shears and limit myself to two or three trims.

3. Edges, edges, edges *sigh*.

Guuurl-honey-boo boo-chileee-buhbay... My edges have been through a lot. Relaxer, micro braids gone bad, hand-in-hair syndrome. All types of bad... As a result, my hair line is a lot thinner than my crown. I've been seeing some progress lately and I will definitely document my pursuit for fleek'd edges here.

4. Deep conditioning.

I know that this is natural hair 101 but I don't deep condition every week. I do it about every third week or so. I am really spontaneous with my hair but I really want to establish a routine and stick to it.

5. Protective styles. 

I prefer my hair in protective styles. All the time. Not only because I'm lazy but my hair thrives when it's not constantly manipulated. However, it's important to have in between styles, so I plan to keep my hair out for about two to three weeks at a time.

Overall, my goal is to obtain healthy hair, just need tweak my regiment a lil bit! 

                                   

                                                 Source: @thecreamycrackrehab on IG

What are your hair goals for 2015?

Stay tuned to see my progress.

Love Always,

Yaya

2014 was a year of revelations...

I'm a perfectionist to a fault. It's something I've been aware of for quite some time. There's nothing wrong with having a specific vision, however in my case wanting perfection left me with no room for error. That's why I haven't blogged in a while. I was being really hard on myself whenever I would try to write a post and eventually the post would end up as draft. (Believe me when I say I have at least 10 post that are saved as draft... Le sigh). 

                                   

I've come to realize that I need to step outside of my comfort zone, allow myself to be vulnerable and just let my creativity flow. With that said, I will be posting non hair related topics on my blog in future, topics that I am passionate about and can relate to. NeoRoots the blog needs some CPR and be revived with new content because I have a short attention span and get easily bored.......
In 2015, I want to challenge myself more, learn new things, have new experiences, realize my dreams smd so much more. I'm scared but definitely ready.

Let the creative juices flow!

Stay tuned.

Love always,

Yaya

(Image found on Instagram)

P.S. Can I just say that it's been amazing seeing the increase of black awareness, bloggers, forums and documentaries in Scandinavia. It's so dope that more of us are creating our own space and displaying our versatility. I'm truly inspired by my surroundings and can't wait to see more in 2015.

Well look who decided to blog again... *sideeyes myself*

I know, I know.. You're probably thinking, "Guuurl where the hell you been?" and I wish I had something deep to y'all. Like a life lesson or something so dope that people are gonna start quoting.. (I've always wanted to be quoted...)

No girl (or boy.....) I hate to disappoint but I've just been uninspired (and lazy) to write. However, I needed that hiatus to work out some other things in my personal life. Cuz 'ish' happens but that's life ..
I do however want to THANK YOU for still checking in on me and the blog, I truly appreciate the L.O.V.E. 

Good news tho!! 

I was honored to be in my first panel discussion about beauty standards and how it pertains to black people. The event is coordinated by Afrosvenska Akademin, which is a newly established project for young people of the African diaspora in hopes of promoting knowledge and self-awareness. 

I was excited and super duper nervous because it was a great challenge since I've never done anything like it before.
(I seriously hate public speaking. I used fake being sick in school just so I wouldn't have to hold a presentation lmao). 
Despite the fact that my nerves were all over the place and that I kinda forgot what I wanted to say (lol), I put my game face on and went up on that stage. 

I'm proud of myself for that.

Another post on the topic we discussed as well as my own thoughts will be up soon.

Love Always,
Yaya

When your hair just does what it wants...

You know that feeling when you're trying a new hairstyle for the first time. Crossing your fingers and hoping that it'll turn out just as cute as the picture you saw... And it turns out looking like "who did what and why?" Hahaha it feels like your hair is telling "Girl bye, that ain't gonna happen"  That's how I feel about wash'n'gos, it just doesn't work for my hair and it put everything in perspective because everything isn't for everyone.

I came across this hilarious video by Glamfun about wash'n'gos that I just had to share with you guys.

Love Always,
Yaya