Wearing your Natural Hair in the Workplace: Why is there a Debate?

Happy Monday lovelies; I hope your workweek is off to a great start!

Today’s blog topic is something that’s been on my mind for a while so I decided to share my stance on it.

Over the past few years there’s been debates and articles about whether natural hair is professional enough to wear at work and the answer is “YES!”, but some people disagree.

Just last year a black, female journalist and television reporter got fired for fighting back against her company because her boss considered her hair “unprofessional” for the news station’s viewers. This year, she is still fighting that battle against the company’s discrimation towards her.

Now that is just one situation, but I know that it’s not the only one out there. Natural hair is professional hair. Nobody should have to hide the hair that grows from their head to appear professional to someone else.

I have thick, type 4 hair and I’ve been natural for a little over 5 years. Luckily, I’ve been in the retail business for majority of that time so the company policies are heavily focused on freedom of expression and style.

I wear my fro majority of the time, but when my fro isn’t out I usually have my hair in braids, twists, or under a headwrap. I’m happy that some companies see natural hair as professional and is welcomed in the workplace, we just have to continue to work towards it becoming a norm everywhere.

My advice: wear your natural hair to work and don’t be ashamed to do so. Style it how you like and be proud of your unique look. If someone doesn’t understand it or considers it unnattractive or unprofessional, speak up about it, defend yourself and your hair. You have the right to wear your beautiful natural hair just like women of other races wear theirs as well. Stay strong sis!

And for Day 18 of Motivational March: Be proud of your differences, it’s what makes you unique. ❣

I hope this post inspired you today. Leave a comment below if it did and share with me your natural hair in the workplace experience.

Removing Marley Twists

Happy Monday! Start your week off with a smile and stay positive. You can make it!

Today I wanted to share my Marley Twist takedown process. What you need: scissors, your braids/twists, and an hour or less!

It’s a super easy process, check it out below:

1) Cut your twists about halfway down making sure to not cut too high in order to avoid cutting your real hair

2) Take out twists by pulling two strands apart which in turn untwists them. They unravel naturally!

3) You then are back to your natural hair!

Stay tuned, I will soon be posting a braid/twist install process with more pictures and maybe even a video. 🙂

Have a great week!

Floral Maxi Dress and Marley Twists

Hey hey! Today I wanted to showcase a new dress and a new hairstyle. As I mentioned in my last post here, I love dresses!

Maxi dresses, like the floral one I am wearing above, are so stylish along with being super comfortable. You can wear maxi dresses and flats for a casual, errand day or pair it with heels for a chic, brunch outfit.

I decided to pair mine with flats for a more casual look. This floral maxi was a great deal at Nordstrom Rack for only $12!

I love shopping at the Rack because the deals are so great and it helps that I get an employee discount too. My flats are from Nordstrom, my only issue with them are that they get dirty so quick because they are white. During the summer time, I definitely plan on wearing this dress with cute sandals.

On this past Monday, I decided to do my hair. I love red hair on me. I’ve even considered dying my natural hair red because I love it so much, but that will happen later in life.

I’ve done red braids before, but this was my first time doing red twists. Besides how they look, the main difference between braids and twists are how many pieces of hair you use. To form a braid, you use three strands of hair and to form a twist you use two strands of hair.

Once I get a video camera, I will showcase how I do my protective styles (braids and twists). Be warned, it is time-consuming. These twists took me 8 hours to do, but once you get the hang of it its fun and definitely worth while.

My twists allow me to give my natural hair a break and it’s a cute, new hairstyle. What’s your go to dress style? What hairstyle are you currently rocking? Let me know in the comments below!

And I will leave you with this quote my boyfriend and I came up with today as inspiration to help you get through your week:

Flowers bloom even in darkness. So even if you feel like there is no light in your life right now, you can still bloom in your dark place. You are a flower 💐

Secret Swing at Elysian Park

Happy Monday beautiful people. I hope your September is off to a great start!

Today I want to take you to a land far far away…well not really far away but moreso up in the air. I recently visited a hiking trail in Elysian Park in LA to try to find a secret swing and to my surprise I found it!

It’s called the Secret Swing because it is up a secluded hill and not many people know about it unless you did some research like I did. I really wanted to visit the swing because the view is amazing.

To visit the swing I wore a simple black maxi dress paired with floral vans. Shawn and I rode a Lyft to the bottom of the hiking trail and from there its just about a 5-7 min hike up to the swing.

I wouldn’t reccomend swinging too hard on the swing because it is very high up and there is no fence to protect you from falling. Gently sitting on it like I did will still make for a great shot.

If you are in LA and want to do an easy hike I definitely reccomend visitng Elysian Park and the Secret Swing.

Do you like the view? Would yoy be scared to sit on the swing? What do you think of my outfit? Let me know in the comments below and have a great week!

The Mondrian Wall

Los Angeles is full of art! Every few blocks there’s either a wall painting, a stylish modern building, or an awesome tourist spot where you can take gorgeous photos.

Recently, I found a photo spot called the “Mondrian Wall” here in LA.The wall is on the side of an art store called, Artist & Craftsman Supply LA.

It’s super colorful and makes for a perfect photo op.

At the wall, I wore a black, ruched, bodycon dress. I decided to go with a black dress to make the colors behind me on the wall pop.

I paired my black dress with yellow Vans and Quay, cateye shades. This is a look that definitely can be dress up for a nighttime dinner or kept casual like how I wore it.

I challenge you this week to find a new photo spot in your city. You may have to walk a few blocks or drive a different route, but it will be worth it!

First time doing my own box braids!

Happy Friday!

Hope that you had a great week and are ready for your weekend! For the past few months I’ve been thinking about braiding my own hair, but never took any steps towards actually doing it.

Earlier this week I decided to turn my words into actions. I brought 6 packs of Kanekalon jumbo braid hair, a hand mirror, and I was ready to go.

It took 6.5 hours, but was so worth it and I know that I will get faster and better with practice. How does it look?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and enjoy your weekend lovelies!

My 2017 Hairstyles

2017 was definitely the year of change in numerous aspects of my life. One aspect in particular was my hair!

I tried sooo many unique and fun hairstyles this year. Below is a timeline of all of my 2017 hairstyles.

February – Bantu Knots

This look made me feel powerful, bold, and more in tune with my african american culture.

March – 2 braids

I tried out a simple look that required little upkeep.

May – Shoulder length bob with bangs

My first wig ever!! I wanted a look I never had before and so I went for it and loved it. Everybody thought I straightened my real hair which meant the wig looked super realistic.

June – Side frohawk

Using bobby pins on my natural hair I pinned part of my hair down and let the other side go free!

July – 4 cornrows

I loved this look because it gave me a 90s Alicia Keys vibe.

September – Lemonade braids
Beyonce inspired braids slicked to one side. This look too a while to do but was definitely stunning.

October – Braided buns

This was the month I moved to LA so I wantrd something modern, trendy, and fun so I went with this Minnie Mouse-esque looked.

November – Flat twist out

For my birthday, I wore my natural hair and rocked my twist outs, which surprisingly turned out a lot better than I thought.

January 2018
….who knows what look will be next

I hope you all have a Happy New Year celebration. 2018 will be great!

It’s Finally Fall!…Kind Of

It’s the 6th day of fall, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

In Baltimore, the weather has been teetering between 70 and 80 degrees!

Since the weather isn’t chilly just yet I am still embracing the beautiful weather and wearing my spring/summer clothes.

I paired a blue bodycon dress with an african-print skirt. I tucked my dress into my skirt to make it look like a shirt and it turned out great!

I adore this skirt because of the numerous colors on it. I can pair almost anything with it because of the varying shades of blue, white, green, purple and gold in it.

To complete this look, I wore my navy blue sandals and, of course,  my signature pearl bracelets.

I got a lot of compliments on this look and people were surprised when I told them my shirt was actually a dress tucked in. I love using my clothing in different ways.

A great fashion tip is investing in staple article of clothing that is versatile. For example, my blue bodycon dress that can be worn as a shirt tucked in, a skirt folded over, and as a dress.

The more ways you can reuse your clothing, the more outfits you can make and the more money you will save on buying clothes!

Have a good weekend lovelies ❤

Hair Spotlight: Lemonade Braids

Happy Hump Day lovelies!!!

Today, I am showcasing a new protective style perfect for when your natural hair needs a break!

Side braids, also know as lemonade braids (thanks to Queen Bey), are a simple, but fierce style. Lemonade braids add a touch of sophistication and edge to any look.

Depending on whichever side is your “good side” or how you are use to wearing your hair, let that determine which side is slicked back and which side the braids will fall on. I am right handed and consider my right side my “good side,” so that’s the way I wanted my braids to fall.

Upkeep for the braids are simple; wrap them up in a scarf or bonnet at night and unwrap in the morning. Piece of cake!..Which I kind of want a piece of now after mentioning it 🙂

I unfortunately felt stuck with my natural hair so to get out of my hair funk, I tried this look and loved it!

It is okay to not be in love with your hair every moment, just make sure you take care of it and it will flourish. Sometimes all you need is a new look to make you appreciate the hair God blessed you with.

Having natural hair requires a lot of trial and error. Some products may work for your mom and best friend, but does absolutely nothing for your hair and that’s okay because you will find something that definitely works for you.

My “hair funks” or feeling stuck and powerless because I am not sure what to do with my hair usually goes away pretty quickly. I’ve been natural for going on 4 years and it is still a learning process.

But do I regret going natural or want to go back to the creamy crack, never!! Being natural is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. So love your short fro, long curly hair, kinky bush, or long lemonade braids. Embrace it baby ❤

P.S. This is my favorite picture out of the group…super dramatic super edgy

Talk to you all again soon!!!

Love,

Tati

New Look, Most Complimented Item, and a Word of Advice

Is there one item in your closet that seems to get an outstanding amount of compliments? I know there has to be at least one piece that does every time you wear it!

For me, that’s this blouse that I purchased in South Korea over 3 years ago. Its lightweight, sleeveless, sheer and the collar is accented with gold triangles to give it an
elegant touch.

I paired this blouse, with pink joggers, and black lace TOMS. Overall, I would consider this more of a dress down look for me, simple and chic, with a dash of sportiness. Also, in case you haven’t noticed from the pictures, I have another new hairstyle!

This style is called feed-in braids, because the hairstylist “feeds-in” or blends my natural hair with the fake hair to create this gorgeous look. What do you think about it and would you try this look out?

Now, this post isn’t to brag about my shirt or hairstyle, it simply came to fruition based on a thought I had yesterday when I wore this shirt to work and everyone seemed to ask where I got it from, how much it cost, etc. It is one of my favorite pieces because it is one of the few items I have in my closet that I purchased overseas.

The important information I would love for you to grasp from this post is don’t let your clothes be the only definition of what makes you you. Don’t hide behind fancy clothes or an outlandish style in order to hide your true self.

Having an unique sense of style isn’t a problem, I love my eclectic style. But I also know that when I dress down in a t shirt and leggings, I am still beautiful, strong, and I should still feel like myself.

Don’t let your clothing mask your true self; let your clothing speak volumes and add to the beauty and great personality that is already there. Hope that this encouraged you on this lovely Hump Day. Enjoy the rest of your week lovelies!