TheCombChronicles

Book Name: Dreads

Author(s): Francesco Mastalia and Alfonse Pagano

CombChronicle Review: …not just yet!

I was doing research on dreadlocks recently because my brother is very interested in them and I think he wants to get them done. Knowing how he can abruptly find a new rave for his hair, I told him to let me do some research before he commits. I never thought I would a book that would capture my interest as well. I found this book on amazon and I read over 50 reviews for it all over the internet. I haven’t actually received the book in the mail just yet, but I definitely will give you guys my personal review when it does arrive. I’m soooo excited for it to come! In the meantime, I decided to put up the book and the link to see if any of you have ever read it. I also included some reviews from other people just to show you the reason I bought it. Please please please feel free to email me with a personal review if you have read this book! And if you haven’t read it yet…join me, and we can share our personal reviews on this post Here are some of the reviews:

“My husband bought this book for me for Christmas due to my resolution to begin locs in January 2008. The stories are so beautiful and I love the commentary about people always wanting to touch your hair…it’s so true. I just wish people could understand the true meaning and history of this lifestyle. Peace!“ – Verbal Frenzy, North Carolina

“Inspiration, undestanding, honesty, beautiful, diversity, different, roots, culture…
That and more is what this book can show you. Beautiful photographs, amazing information… U will never see people with dreadlocks in the same way…“ -Nicolle Ramos, Puerto Rico

“The authors are family. Alfonse is my father. I witnessed what was actually put into the making of this remarkable book and journey involved to achieve such beauty and romance on each and every page. Five years of their soul you will view in every photo. In the eyes of the people you see their hearts. In the detail and page you will witness their devotion and dedication to perfection. In the written words you will feel the love of culture and the differences between them.” - CPagano

“Captures the spirit & diversity of dread locks in our modern world-a mirror to the past“ -’A customer’

“People sometimes try to tell me that I am only growing dreads to become like Bob Marley, and that its ‘just a phase.’ They fail to understand what dreads are really about, natural beauty and individualism. My dreads will never look like anyone elses in the world, and each lock is like a finger print upon my head.“ – Joshua Canaris, Australia

And those are just a few. Here’s the link to the amazon page, where you will find plenty more reviews and the actual book: Dreads. Maybe you’ll take this bookventure (my word for an adventure through a book) along with me:)

*If you have read/plan to read this book, email us at combchronicles@gmail.com and let us know your review, or your inspiration for wanting to indulge in this read.

Product Name: Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding

Product Price: 16oz $38.00

CombChronicle Rating: 3 out of 5

I bought my first jar of Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding at the recommendation of multiple natural hair blogs and reviews. I wanted a product that would define my spiral curls and give my hair some weight. I hesitated because of the price. However, after hearing even more good reviews, I went ahead and purchased it online. The first thing I noticed about it is that it smells HEAVENLY! It’s so fruity and light, made me wanna slap it into my mouth before I slapped it into my hair! Thankfully I didn’t try to taste it, instead I used it for a bantu-knot out and the results were amazing. For about 4 days, the knot out looked absolutely stunning. I was shocked that I only had to do the bantu-knot out once for it to look fresh for so many days. 

But the trouble with the Curly Pudding came when I tried it on my favorite style, the wash-n-go. The Curly pudding is lacking in terms of curl-definition for this important style. It goes on white and kind of flaky, so I have to add water to my hair on top of it to get the look I want. Because a wash-n-go is what I primarily wanted the Curly Pudding for, I was disappointed with it’s performance and would only give it 3 out of 5 CombChronicle stars.

So in short, Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding  provides a good hold for styles such as a bantu  knot-out or twists and is great smelling for  everyday use. However, for a wash-n-go or any ‘quick’ style, you may want to try a different product with less gel-like properties.

Check out our first featured hairstory! Learn about her journey…

The other day I found myself googling “what’s a guys favorite style of hair?” Every link I clicked on led me to a forum where guys were writing things such as “girls are so much hotter with straight long hair” and “if a girls’ hair is long, I automatically want her.” It made me think, what the hell is it with long hair, why do guys like it so gotdamn much!? Thankfully, some guys were writing things such as “different people look good with different hairstyles.” But for the most part, they were all talking about how ‘attractive’ long hair is. So I decided to sit down some of my closest male friends and asked them one direct question: what do you look for in a females hairstyle? Lord the answers I got are hilarious. Here they are:

Interview #1:

RebelliousRoots: What do you look for in a females hairstyle?

Anonymus1: Nee, you know what I like!

RebelliouRoots: I really don’t…tell me!

Anonymus1: Yo a girl with  long hair is baddddd. I love a girl who’s hair touches her ass, or like her back or something. I don’t know what it is but every time I see a girl with long hair I just think how beautiful she looks.

RebelliousRoots: So short hair doesn’t make you beautiufl?

Anonymus1: Naw I’m not saying that. Every…almost every…girl is beautiful. But I’m just saying that if you’re real pretty with long hair, you’re that much prettier. But if you have a shortcut and you’re pretty..you’re still pretty. I don’t know man. I just know I like long hair.

RebelliousRoots: Does it matter if it’s natural or not?

Anonymus1: I mean I don’t mind weave…but I like natural better. I don’t know man, you tryna get me in trouble.

RebelliousRoots: Hahaha, it’s fine, thanks for your input.

Anonymus1: No problem Nee

Interview #2:

RebelliousRoots: What do you look for in a females hairstyle?

Anonymus2: I mean, it’s really up to the girl. I prefer longer hair though

RebelliousRoots: Any reason as to why you have that preference?

Anonymus2: I just think when a girl has long hair, it shows that she can take care of herself..

RebelliousRoots: Huh? Take care of herself how?

Anonymus2: Like I know it takes more for work and time for a girl to get long hair to look perfect the way they do. I think a female who has long hair just really cares about her appearance.

RebelliousRoots: Wow, very strong statement. So any other cut or look doesn’t really take work, is that what you’re saying?

Anonymus2: No! I just think it takes more work for long hair.

RebelliousRoots: Interesting, Thanks for your input.

Anonymus2: Anytime

Interview #3:

RebelliousRoots: What do you look for in a female’s hairstyle?

Anonymus3: Yo any girl with fly ass hair is attractive to me. I love a girl who can rock a low cut and some straight backs. Haha, not no straight backs but you get what im sayin.

RebelliousRoots: Haha, so the length of the hair doesn’t matter?

Anonymus3: I mean some girls hair be looking nice as shit but they got a short cut. It don’t really matter to me though, if you rock it with confidence I’m gonna like it. That’s how it works with us guys, all you gotta do is know you look good and we all believe it.

RebelliousRoots: Ah, that’s nice to know. I’ve had two other interviews so far, and they both said that they preferred long hair. Why do you think that is?

Anonymus3: Man that’s cuz they watch too much t.v. Society really tries to tell us  that the only way beautiful can be defined is a skinny model chick with long ass hair. That’s not what it is at all. I like long hair, I admit it. But I’m attracted to dope hair on a female, so they prolly just need to turn off the t.v or something.

RebelliousRoots: Ah I see I see, thanks for your input!

Anonymus3: For sure.

The first two of my interviewee’s were on one side of the Long Hair Debate: long hair is more attractive to males. Then, my third interviewee says something that I found very, very interesting: “all you gotta do is know you look good and we all believe it.” That statement put himself in the middle category, which appreciates every female regardless of what her hair looks like. The Long Hair Debate is one that no side will ever win, because overall, everyone prefers something different.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  That is not just an old cliche, but rather it’s the ultimate truth. With close to 7 billion people in the world, beauty cannot be limited to one or two “kinds” of looks. With that being said, I want to share my daily affirmation with you guys. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a daily pep talk that I have with myself. Anyway here’s how it goes: “Nihal, you are beautiful. You are worthy, you are amazing. You’re goals are reachable, your determination will take to your goals. Nihal, you are everything you want to be, your future is now.” I believe that my definition of beauty is based off of my daily affirmation. I see beauty in determination, in goals and in anyone who believes that they are beautiful. I’m just writing this because I’ve seen so many unfortunate things happen to people just because they forgot to love themselves first. Comment and share your daily affirmation! I’m dying to hear it

African Shea Butter in the "tub."

Product Name: African Shea Butter

Product Price Range: 16oz: $7.95 32oz: $15.00

CombChronicle Rating: 5 out of 5

One random day, my mom brought home a tub of Shea butter. Yes, a tub.Naturally, I looked at it and told my mom that I’m not putting that on my face, hair, or anywhere near my body. After all, it looked like a bunch of crushed chickpeas smoothed out into a plastic tub. My mom rolled her eyes and told me that I underestimate the wonders of natural products. She spent five minutes telling me how people in Sudan use it and how beautiful their skin is and how healthy their hair is. I said “okay mom,” and life went on. I put the tub of Shea butter on my dresser and knew for a fact that I would never even look at it again. Ironically, the tub of Shea butter made it’s way into my life after a long bath I had one night. I usually used baby lotion, but that night my bottle of baby lotion was empty. I can’t go for very long after a bath without putting lotion on because the way my skin feels when it’s ashy kills me. I thought about going to my sister’s room, but she’d kill me faster than ashy skin for using her stuff. So I had no choice but to look around in my own room. All I could find was that damn tub of Shea butter. I definitely preferred it over ashy skin, so I hurriedly opened up the container and began to smooth it all over my body. It was love at first use. Not only did it keep my body moisturized, but I also loved the way it made my skin glow. After that use, I began to use it regularly. (My mom had a blast telling me she told me so.) Then, I decided to put it in my hair. So a couple weeks later, I washed my hair, and I parted my hair in 4 sections and applied a nice amount of shea butter on every section thoroughly. Boyyyyy did it make my hair soft! I absolutely fell in love with Shea butter for every part of my body. It also helped even out my skin tone on my legs and face. I’m not usually into recommending products without specifying kinds of skin or hair that it works for, but Shea butter is definitely for everyone! If you’ve been looking for a product to soften your hair and skin….Shea butter is definitely the product to use.

*To purchase this product, we found the best price here: Shea Butter

Product Name: Aveeno Active Naturals Conditioner

Product Price:

CombChronicle Rating: 2 out of 5

I bought this conditioner because I needed a daily-use moisturizing conditioner for after my workouts in the gym. The bottle promised that this conditioner would “quench the driest hair with a fusion of gentle conditioners and moisturizers”, so I thought it would be perfect. However, on the first use, I noticed that my hair was actually drier than before I used it. I used it for an entire week before I realized that my hair was not getting conditioned but actually drying out.

I never finished the bottle because of this conditioner’s drying effects.

Kanye's Hairstyles

Since Kanye came out as a recording artist in 2004, his voice has always been heard. Whether he was rapping about how it all falls down, or expressing his opinion about how George Bush doesn’t like black people, he always made sure that everyone knew what Kanye was thinking. Along with his lyrics and public outbreaks, Kanye has sent messages and made statements through his unique style of clothing. A lot of trends have come from his style. For example, the checkered scarves that EVERYONE (including me) had on at one point, or the hoodies that we zipped up to the top of the hood. (A style I have yet to understand the point of LOL) But what interests me the most about Kanye’s style isn’t what he wears, but rather how he wears his hair. In 2004, when he was fresh on the scene, his hair reflected exactly how “fresh” he was. He rocked a classic low cut that stayed neatly cut. Then, as he slowly blew up (like the world trade *biggie voice*), Kanye’s personal life was reflected with his choice of hair. When the media began to recognize him as someone with talent, and more importantly a very unique individual, his hair began to change to indeed show the media exactly how unique he actually is. Anytime Kanye did an appearance, his hair was definitely talked about. From the precise designs to the simple cuts that show a whole lot of pizazz, Kanye had become a hair icon to guys all over the world. But when his mother passed away in November of 2007, not only did Kanye make an album with his innermost feelings, but he also began to wear his hair in a messy hairdo. His hair no longer screamed “look at me” but rather “look away from me.” He let it grow out into a fro that wasn’t tamed at all. At the time, he and his former fiance Alexis Sphifer had parted ways. All together, Kanye’s image had sunken, he had become a sad puppy rather than the showcase golden retriever. But in 2010, Kanye surprised us all by bringing back an old school hairdo. It was the perfect way to say “I’m back b*tches!” Kanye sported a shag, and he sported it proudly. All I could think after seeing his shag was “that’s the Kanye we know.” Today, Kanye wears a classic low cut (well, from his last appearance). But I definitely don’t expect it to last like this for long, it’s only a matter of time until he makes the low cut hairstory.

Product Name: Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Shampoo/Conditioner

Product Price: $6.15(for one)-$13.99(for the duo)

CombChronicle Rating: 4 out of 5

The Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Shampoo and Conditioner does wonders for people with mid-length to very long hair. I personally fell in love with the set after my second or third use. I would say with my first use, but at that time I didn’t notice any change. It seemed like just another shampoo to me. But after the second and third uses, I realized how soft my hair felt afterwards. The shampoo and conditioner is strengthening, leaving your hair less likely to be damaged by any heat. Even though the actual shampoo left my hair dry, the conditioner helped moisturize e my scalp, resulting in healthy looking hair. I have been using Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner for about 2.5 months now, and it’s been very consistent. My hair reacts the same way after every use. When I’m looking for my “natural” look,  use a wide-tooth comb in the shower to detangle my hair (while the conditioner was in there), and after I rinsed and towel dried my hair, it looked phenonmenal. Also something I like about the shampoo/conditioner is the refreshing scent! My hair smells good every time I use this product. The only down side of this product is that it doesn’t help at all with frizz control, the conditioner would keep my hair moist, but it surely didn’t help keep the frizz away. All in all, this product was definitely a good buy. It wasn’t too pricey, and it also didn’t disappoint me. I recommend this product for anyone who has mid-length to long hair and is looking for a shampoo/conditioner to strengthen, soften and leave your hair smelling wonderful.

*To purchase this product, we found the best price here (the duo pack): Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Duo Pack

Product Name: Cantu Shea Butter Daily Oil Moisturizer

Product Price: $14.00

CombChronicle Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Anyone who is looking for a daily moisturizer for their hair, I kind of recommend the Cantu Shea Butter Daily Oil Moisturizer. The only reason I said ‘kind of’ is because I’m not really a fan of oily products, and this is an oil moisturizer. Although it isn’t only for damaged hair, that’s where you would see the biggest results. If your hair is damaged or breaking off, this product will definitely help in the journey to repaired, replenished hair. I tried this product for about 2-3 months and I stopped using it once my hair began to depend on it. It was like my hair wouldn’t feel the least bit moisturized until I put the Cantu in it. I hate when my hair is dependent on anything, so I automatically stopped. While I was using this product I did feel a difference. It made my ends (which were horrible at the time) feel smoother, and it wasn’t as hard to manage my hair as it was without the product. I decided to stop using it simply because I knew there had to be another product out there that could help my hair feel the same way, but isn’t as oily. This product sure isn’t for everyone! So make sure you read the ingredients and what exactly it will do to your hair before purchasing it. I guess you can say this is a kind of product all around because it’s kind of pricey. But I only recommend this for people with damaged hair looking to repair their hair, so it’s worthy of the price if that’s what you’re looking to do.

*To purchase this item, we found the best price here: Cantu Shea Butter Daily Oil Moisturizer