Hi all :-)

There seems to be a bit of confusion and frustration going on, so
I'm posting so that some things are cleared up.

Firstly, this group is being run by Black people. This is not a
Hair Police or Knottyboy clone or offshoot.

Even more relevent than our ancestry, this group focusses on
*natural* hairstyling for people of *all* hair textures, from the
curliest to the straightest. We are just as happy when people of
Asian and northern European ancestry opt out of perming and other
damaging behaviors as we are when people of Mediterranean and
African ancestry embrace their natural hair textures.

So this is probably not going to be the most informative or friendly
place for people who are not into natural hairstyling.

We accept that our vanity will sometimes lead us to tweak things
here and there, but the idea is to choose whatever options are the
most sane and least damaging.

About advertising:

People who sell braiding and natural hairstyling products and tools
may advertise here, but in an appropriate way. An ad for a business
should not be posted more than once every couple of weeks. It must
be relevant to our readers or it will not be approved.

...and another thing, even if you have products that are relevant to
us, if you advertise in a way that attempts to exploit ethnic
insecurity, your ad will not be approved. All of us regardless of
heritage, get enough of that kind of advertisement elsewhere. We
don't need it in here.

If your prices are ridiculous, that will get a laugh and a
disapproval too. Ads for eBay items will be scrutinized for
outrageous "handling" fees.

Some direct clues...Stuff people here are usually looking for, but
are hard to find at a reasonable price and quality are:

* Styling practice dolls with afro kinky hair

* Afro kinky or corkscrew curled synthetic hair

* Hand crochetted synthetic, human, yarn fiber or mixed dreadlocks,
looped single ended, double ended, and single ended repair
and "tipping" locs (we expect these to be somewhat expensive, but
they're worth it to people who prefer whatever's in their hair to be
a work of art if it's not self grown)

* Kanekalon synthetic hair in wild colors

* Dead Sea mineral salts and related cosmetics

* Shea butter products that are made with the unrefined shea butter,
which is better for healing properties than the refined

* Makeup for people with darker complexions (singles and bulk lots
of 10-100) whose merchants will ship outside of the U.S.

* Good hair waxes (aqua waxes and "gel wax") so people with straight
or slick hair can hold their braids

* Head wraps, tams, bonnets, and scarves (Gelees, Kanga, and
hijab/shayla, and tams big enough to actually fit over mature back
length locs)

* Modest and cultural clothing in a variety of styles, caftans,
salwar kameez, old American, jilbab, jalabeya, dishdash, long
culottes, Bahia Brazillian white clothes, etc.

Look, if you have access to some of these things, you could be
sitting on a goldmine. Send me your links, and post an announcement
once every couple of weeks, will you?

Also, braiders...You've got to let folks know you exist. I've even
had people in Malaysia asking me if I knew of any stylists there.
You men especially need to speak up since folks from some cultures
prefer their stylist be of the same gender.

We need to work together, folks. The economies all over the world
are getting tighter, and natural hairstyling and sane cosmetics use
is becoming more important. We know from past experience that
governments will try to push us down if we don't stand up. Many
people have too big an interest in keeping people from embracing
their natural beauty. It scares them to see the real expression
of "power to the people" in the form of people being okay with and
celebrating real life.

"Let's get this party jumpin'..."


~Nicole