Fetes honoring the faces of “young hollywood” used to be just a sea of blonde starlets with stick straight strands and their cookie cutter boy band counterparts. But slowly but surely the red carpets in tinseltown have been making room for the melanin and textured manes that teens everywhere are starting to embrace. Enter stunning child star Skai Jackson.

After spending a fair amount of time consistently sporting her now iconic and meme-inspiring high ponytail the Disney Channel star has stepped out of her comfort zone towards another age appropriate slay. The young actress arrives at Variety's "Power of Young Hollywood" party this year wearing a charming and simple style that was perfect for the occasion.

She finished the look off by lining her bright eyes with an electric blue liner and adding a pure pink lip. 

We’ve got the details on how to recreate her look for the next red carpet moment in your life in just a few easy steps.

1. Part front of hair horizontally
2. Braid the back of hair so it can easily attach to our kinky bulk hair
3. Separate the front of hair into three sections using our tortoise shell rat tail comb,  make sure that the middle section is significantly larger than the two side sections and don’t worry about parts being super straight a little curve looks great here 
4. Pull each of the three separate sections into an individual ponytail using rubber braid binders that match your hair color
5. Twist each of the ponytails loosely
6. Manipulate the twists into loose individual buns
7. Add our kinky bulk hair to the back of your hair using crochet or diy clip-ins  

8. Add gold or silver charms to the front of each of your buns

9. Using a toothbrush or another thin soft bristled tool emphasize your baby hairs with your favorite edge control

10.Complete the look with your favorite finishing spray!

Jackson and her classic self-satisfied expression might have already taken over social media but her modest yet modern dress selections and smart beauty choices are bound to land her on more than a few best dressed lists.  We can’t wait to see what this rising star does next!

Wigs are a busy girl’s best friend. Whether you’re a carpool driving and couples game night hosting wife and mother or a single college student trying to cram four years of study groups and coffee runs into three one thing is for certain-a wig can save you valuable time. But while this low maintenance styling option can relieve some serious styling pressure it still requires a little TLC. We tapped celebrity hair stylist and Lucid Bliss founder Tiffany Lamb to give some tips on how she prepares her clients including “Power” actress Naturi Naughton, “Refill” songstress Elle Varner, and "Girls Trip" star Tiffany Haddish for getting the hollywood treatment on their (often removable) hair.

1. Keep it Clean

Tiffany doesn’t allow her clients to neglect undercare. She stated “the first thing is definitely keeping your hair clean. You need to be washing your hair. You want to make sure that your hair is clean before putting the wig on. A lot of time people put wigs on and think because it’s an easy go-to style they can do whatever but keeping your hair healthy up under the wig is the most important thing. What I have my clients do is come in and get their hair washed at least once a week.”

2. Lay Then Play

She believes that a strong start will ensure a flawless style saying “Braiding the hair under the wig is important as well. The foundation is important. You want it to be natural and look as flat as possible. So having your hair braided in the proper size braids is very important. And if you’re wearing lace wigs parting it right is important as well. If you’re wearing a middle part it’s important to part your hair down the middle when braiding it down, because you want that part to match up with your natural part to make your hair look as realistic as possible. That goes for side parts as well and hair length doesn’t matter. I have clients whose hair is short and they still part it where the wig’s part is perfectly.”

3. Don’t Forget The Details

While some stylists advocate for physically sewing together the braids in preparation for wig application Lamb says paying attention to hair texture prevents those extra measures from being necessary saying “No matter what I pay attention to hair texture. For someone who has fine hair it’s okay to for them to get a regular cornrow. But for someone who has thick hair they should be getting their hair under braided. It makes your hair very flat so you don’t need all that. I don’t braid all of the braids together. I don’t want the hair to be so tight. That’s the whole point of wearing a wig. You want to feel free and loose.”

4. Choose Custom

One size fits all wigs may be more affordable but they’re certainly not the most comfortable Lamb says  “You shouldn’t be getting a headache. We all know if our hair is too tight. If you have to keep popping an Advil or something like that, the wig is too tight. What makes a custom wig special is it fits your exact head shape. If fits perfectly.  If I was to give you my wig it wouldn’t fit. A Lot of time people aren’t properly measuring. If you measure properly you don’t need anything else. Also the number one mistake I see with lace front wigs is the lace color and the hair line! They drive me crazy! With any style weave or wig it’s supposed to look as natural as possible. Some people they I don’t know what they be doing! Anything custom is going to fit you nice. It’s going to fit you to a tee! It’s just like buying a custom suit. It fits you better than a suit out of the store! That's what makes it so special. It fits you and it fits you properly.”

Check out some of our custom creations in our crown collection and considering keep them fresh with some of Lamb’s Lucid Bliss OOOH and AAAH refreshers!

 

Photo Credits: Hype Hair, SashaNycole.com 

Now that the natural hair movement has picked up some serious steam it’s easy to be fooled into thinking that kinks and curls are now considered the norm across the nation. But not all women of color feel comfortable embracing their natural texture or even experimenting with textured protective styles. For some the hesitation is related to fear of judgement by their families. Others cringe at the thought of uncomfortable exchanges with their co-workers and supervisors. Many flinch at the thought of learning a new routine and the accompanying lingo (TWA, ACV, EVOO it’s enough to make your head spin.) But a select few hesitate out of concern for their significant others.

Now that social media has given everyone a platform people are able to express every idea that pops into their heads. And some of those ideas are a strong “preference” for women with relaxed hair.  

On the surface going natural is purely an aesthetic choice but the unpleasant history associated with hair can make it a deeply personal one-with the potential for personal consequences.

In response to an inquiry by someone writing her advice column author and relationship expert  Demetria Lucas D’oley advocated for communication between partners sharing the opinion that she  unequivocally did not think women had to ask permission before doing the big chop but that it would be thoughtful of them to inform their significant others so they weren’t shocked by the sudden change to their appearance.

We asked Girl & Hair Founder Camille Vevoric if she consulted with her husband and eventual business partner before making the big chop that sparked the idea that birthed her line of undercare products. “No. Not at all!” she said “I literally got home and was like ‘I’m tired of this. I’m going up the street.’ I went up there and I cut my hair and I came home. My husband is not that involved. He’s never been vocal about my style. He says as long as you love it I love it.”

Clearly her husband’s approach represents the ideal but sadly not all men feel this way. It seems every few weeks there’s an article on Clutch or Madame Noire asking whether women's styling choices are required to stay within men's comfort zones (who could forget the outrageous debate over Keyshia Kaoir’s trend setting lipstick?)

What do you think? When it comes to your hair should bae get a say?

Photo Credits: Black Enterprise, Good Housekeeping, The Source

When a hair stylist attempted to slander her client on social media she was met with a collective “oh no baby what is you doing” from the natural hair community. The “internets” did what they do and rallied the troops in defense of her unsatisfied customer attacking everything from the woman’s character to her closure. Comments ranged from the slightly dissapointed to the full on infuriated. Women couldn’t believe that a stylist would turn on her client in such a public fashion.

A staple in every community, a visit to the hair salon is sacrosanct.  As a result the stylist/client relationship is a trusted one, built on a mutual investment of time and trust, but when it goes south the situation can be difficult to salvage. And once the drama is made public the same can be said for the stylist’s reputation.  We’ve prepared a list of hard and fast rules to ensure you lose a client in sixty seconds that any stylist can benefit from NOT following.

Be A Chatty Patty

Clients see their stylists as part service professionals and part therapists. While they may indulge in petty gossip about their friends, family, and even fellow patrons don’t join in. Keep it cute and they’ll always trust you enough to keep coming back. This cone of silence extends to dissatisfied customers as well. No matter what was done or said make it a policy to keep news of client drama limited to relevant staff and for God’s sake DO NOT share it on the internet.

Throw Some Shade

Hair salons are generally pretty informal environments. Because of this it may feel like your client is your friend and sting when they hurt your feelings by criticizing your work or offending you in some other way. Still that’s no excuse to get snippy or sling insults. Call up your man, mom, sister, or a girlfriend if you need to vent and remember that a clean reputation is the best revenge.  

Cuss Up a Storm

Save the potty mouth for off hours. No matter how well my edges are flourishing I’m not recommending you to my boyfriend’s mom if you're going to be handing out four letter words like they’re penny candy. She doesn’t want to hear that and frankly no one else does either. Having trouble following this one? Challenge yourself with a swear jar. You can give the proceeds to charity in the salon’s name.

Apply Peer Pressure

We know you think Trina would look great as red head. Trina knows you think she would look great as a redhead. All the shampoo girls and the Portuguese barbecue delivery guys know you think Trina would look great as a redhead. But Trina asked you for highlights, so give her highlights. Suggest, don’t oversell or soon Trina might be gone.

Be Tardy for the Party

Time is valuable for everyone not just those in the service industry. We all know accidents happen but if you know you’re not a morning person don’t book a 7:15 appointment and show up an hour later with coffee. Your client won’t be amused.

Embrace False Advertisement

The temptation to fake it until you make it has never been stronger than in 2017. Fear of missing out has everyone claiming to do everything. Here's a valuable secret --lying about something won't improve your skills. If you’re unable to accommodate the latest trend let your client know that you care too much to set her up for failure. Use the clean reputation you’ve maintained by not being messy to refer her to another stylist you’ve connected with and use your free time to brush up on some new techniques! Hair isn't a situation where it's cool to fake it until you make it. 

 

 

Photo Credits: Healthy Black Woman, Pop Sugar, Uptown Magazine, Hello Beautiful, Bravo 

4 Times Rihanna was Protective Style Goals

When she’s not bringing home random puppies and helping her niece make executive decisions Rihanna is a massive pop star who rocks whatever she wants. She incorporates protective options without sacrificing style by including curly hair and bantu knots. Want to know how you can get the look? We’ve rounded up four times she was protective style goals below. 

When She Turned the Red Carpet into a Bodega Run 

While media outlets clueless about black culture tried to dub it a “bejeweled faux bob” brown girls immediately recognized Rihanna’s look at the 2013 American Music Awards for what it was- a doobie.  We know this protective wrap style is nothing new and Essence’s Julee Wilson set the record straight for the Huffington Post when she broke this bold beauty choice down and forever ingrained the “doobie” into the lexicon of mainstream culture. 

When She Was a Goth Barbie in Givenchy 

The Barbadian pop princess arrived at the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Awards in a black lace number from the ‘it” designer of the moment and jet black bantu knots. She finished the look by draping herself in long cross bearing necklaces. 

When She Was Unbothered Courtside 

We all know Miss Fenty is unapologetic about her vices and she showed no signs of shame as she sipped a beer courtside at an NBA game. Her ombre curly weave was the perfect complement for her carefree attitude. Get the look by snagging our 20" Large Curl from McKenzie Collection in colors Brown Suga and Sunburst and seperate the curls using a gel oil hair; we love the one from Bumble and Bumble.

When She Was a Lady in Red 

Many have tried on the faux lock trend for size but no one has been able to pull it off quite like Rihanna (other than Dr. Kari who came up with the infamous goddess faux loc method). A master of the effortless slay she counterbalanced a simple red silk slip dress with oversized faux locs as she stepped out in the New York streets. She kept the accessories to a minimum because-- a great hair style speaks for itself. 

We can’t wait to see how Rihanna brings the heat to the 59th Annual Grammy Awards where “Anti” is nominated in eight separate categories!

 

Since starting Latched and Hooked beauty, we've been on a crusade to spread the word about our intentions on creating a brand that's geared to designing chemically free, synthetic hair extensions for black women (and note we do not make any apologies for creating hair extensionas for a particular group of women). 

Our CEO Tiffini Gatlin, reached out to lifestyle blogger and mom of 2, Mimi of Unlikely Martha after noticing her occassional mentions of wanting to create a different hairstyle for herself, but was undecided and defiantely wasn't considering protective styling. 

Tiffini set out to not only change her mind about protective styling using the crochet method, but wanted to educate Mimi on how this low manipulation hair style would free up so much of her time in the mornings as well as reimagine her entire sleep routine. 

Six weeks later, Mimi is not only still rocking her Zoe Bohemian crochet twists, but she's sharing her personal experience with our product and several ways she's been rocking her twists. 

To read Unlikey Martha's full review check our her review here.

So, I love playing with color in my hair Well, I love playing with hair period. And while I keep my hair in protective styles, I look for new ways to have fun, while keeping my hair all nicely tucked away. Add to that, I LOVE supporting fellow female entrepreneurs who are pursuing their dreams! So when my boo and fellow blogger, Tiffini shared that she started her new hair company, I soooo wanted to give crochet braids a whirl! Latched and Hooked launches in a few weeks and I wanted to support and take a dip in crochet braids!

Read more about Marie's new look on The Curvy Fashionista