In Our Heads About Our Hair

In Our Heads About Our Hair – Trailer from Hemamset Angaza on Vimeo.

Milz Style -Golden and sassy!  Full head weave with hair line softly blended in creating the ultimate natural look.

Milz Style

Sweet Pea – Single braids with curly texture hair exposed, leaving you with an easy low maintenance winter look.

Sweet Pea

Two Strand Twist-wet – This style is created using your own hair.  Easy and low maintenance fits into any lifestyle.  Can stand up to aerobic workouts.

Two Strand Twist

Gypsy Twist Too- A spin-off  of our famous Gypsy Twist; Gypsy Too- brings kinky curly twist back in style.  Two stand twisted softly twist creating extreme volume.

Gypsy Twist – Too

Transitional Set – It’s not always necessary to go to extremes.   Light & Airy and set on large netted rollers and then finger styled into ideal shape, styles like this allow you to transition to natural at a pace that is comfortable for you.

Transitional Set

For more info on these natural styles and many others, visit us at KhamitKinks.com

This past summer while in Northern California I traveled with a friend to visit a specialist in hair replacement.  My friend, as a treat to herself, has decided to address an issue that has been a longstanding source of unease and unhappiness.  She feels her forehead is too large.  And it is her intention to change the overall look of her hairline and face by bringing her hairline further down on her head.

This is not as unusual a request as you might think. Over the years many clients have told me at Khamit Kinks during consultations that their foreheads are too large.  To address this, they resort to any number of methods to camouflage their foreheads.  Some wear bangs, others have hairstyles that come towards the face, while others wear head scarves and hats  —  all in an effort to minimize or hide their foreheads.

I am told however that a prominent forehead is a common African trait.  The Fulani women in  Africa, recognized for their beauty, shave their hairlines to make their faces more prominent.  Instead of hiding or feeling ashamed of their foreheads, they accentuate them. Others take
it in stride and are proud of their prominent foreheads.  Take Susan Taylor for instance.

Back to my friend!  I drove with her out to see a “Dr. Diep of Medical Hair Transplant and Aesthetics“.  And I must say,  I was quite impressed.  Dr. Diep is a fairly young Asian-American doctor. I tell you this simply to share.  Not only is he a specialist in the hair of people of African descent, he is one of only three doctors in the entire United States with that distinction.  He is friendly and caring, speaks the lingo and has exceptional qualifications.

In conversation he used terms like Sister Locks, Twists, extensions, Locs and of course he knows the complete language that goes along with chemically processed hair.  I found him to be very well informed and sensitive to the specific problems that cause balding in African American men and women.  I mention men because Dr. Diep stated he has quite a few black male celebrity clients.  I will not name names here, but his roster of clients is very impressive!  Oh did I say, he has a lovely demeanor or what is often referred to as a great ‘bedside manner’.

If you need this service or know someone who is interested in securing a consultation or treatment, use the affiliate code ‘Anu’ for a special discount.  If you do not live in the California area, you can send Dr. Diep pictures and/or arrange a Skype consultation.   Dr. Diep has assured me that he is able to help 80% of those who come to him for services depending of course on any number of variables.  Naturally, it is on a case by case basis.  And please let me know how it goes.

My friend has done her due diligence to identify one of the best doctors in the country to address her concern.  She is planning to follow through with her treatment this upcoming Spring.  She believes this will change the overall look of her face and the way she feels about her forehead. And while I believe she is quite beautiful the way she is, I respect her decision to change what she is unhappy about as it relates to her looks.  What are your thoughts?

Chubby Twist Weave

For the autumn season I decided to give myself a break and  wear a weave.  I am loving the freedom from daily grooming as well as all the compliments I receive.  The compliments inevitably lead to a conversation because those giving the compliments can never believe that what they think is my hair, is actually a weave.  But I can explain why they find this hard to believe.

You see my hair is naturally kinky and so the weave I wear is a kinky textured weave.  These days we all feel that we can spot a weave a mile away, because often times it’s a sister with a long, straight weave.  And while black people from all over the diaspora have all different types of textures of hair, most of us have naturally kinky a.k.a. tightly coiled hair.  So when we straighten our hair to match a straight weave, while the weave may look great, observers take for granted that it’s not your real hair.

I decided to address this matter yet again, because recently here at Khamit Kinks in consultation after consultation, I’ve noticed so many sisters who come in with torn up hairlines (thinning, balding, spotty, raggedy).  This is because they choose to straighten the finest, most fragile part of their hair (the hairline), in order to have that baby fine hair blend in with a straight weave.

Excuse my French, but straightening your hairline to match a straight weave is just ass backwards, in terms of doing what is best for your hair and your hairline.  Instead of damaging your hair to match some texture that 99% of the time could never be yours naturally, why not take the smart route and have the weave match your hair?

That’s what I do and that’s why I’ve got to tell people that all this beautiful kinky hair on my head is actually a weave.  It matches my naturally, kinky hair and hairline in a seamless fashion and is therefore undetectable and believable.  And I love it like that!

I was recently at a party and a young sister humbly asked me if I would be willing to tell her how I got my hair to look like it did, in this Chubby Twist style.  When I told her it wasn’t my hair but a weave, she nearly fell of her chair.  She sat there with her mouth wide open in disbelief.  It was a  priceless moment.

I don’t stress my hairline under any circumstances (hairstyle),  Therefore, it continues to grow in healthy and to frame my face, in its full, healthy state.  So for all those sisters out there wanting to wear a weave, take my complimentary tip and have the extension hair match your own hair instead of the other way around.  Your hairline will be happy you did.

I don’t know who the lucky parents are of these two darlings, but there is something about their energy, their spirit that touched quite a number of people and I think I know what it is…

We are all born with the innate knowledge that we are special, that we come from the Ultimate Source and that as such, we are whole, spiritual beings with the power to create our own world.  We are made in the likeness of the Creator, spiritual beings having a human experience.  We also know that we are beautiful as we are and need not envy or emulate anyone else.  We have our own light, we are the bomb!  That’s what we know from day one, but slowly we unlearn all of this knowledge and grow up to be in many cases, insecure, unsure people living desperate little lives, instead of the big life we are meant to create for ourselves.

I first came across this picture on The Coil Review.  They had it up as their Look Of The Week.  I then posted on our Khamit Kinks FaceBook wall.  Well I’m here to tell you that this image garnered more hits on my facebook page than any other image I have ever posted.  At last count, 287 people ‘Liked’ it and 106 folks left comments.  It was phenomenal and people are still, more than three weeks later, leaving comments.

I think what these two little darling exemplify is that knowingness that we are all born with, especially when it is nurtured and fostered in a loving and supportive family and environment.   What if you walked out of your home everyday with this level of confidence, of knowing that you are All Of That!  They don’t have to ask for permission to be beautiful, confident without a doubt and totally self expressed; they just are!  Imagine how different life would be for you, for me, for all of us if we tapped into that Source on a regular basis.

This is one thing that I love about natural hair in general.  Usually when a person decides to wear their hair natural, there is a certain level of consciousness that speaks to acceptance of ones own brand of beauty.  This isn’t always the case, but more often than not the woman wearing natural hair is attempting to accept herself as who she naturally is, on some level, which can lead to other unfoldings and expansions of consciousness on other matters in life.

These Two Darlings tickle me so, because every time I look at them I am reminded our how we all have the ability to tap into that knowingness of who we truly are; and that is why I think this image touched to many hearts and minds.  Oh and the other reason, did I forget to say the obvious, the other reason is that they’re so very cute!

I am known as an official beach bunny!  I was born in a beach town, Norfolk, Virginia which today is often called Virginia Beach.  There were many beaches in that part of Virginia.  As a child I delighted at the fact that  my family went to the beach many weekends of the summer.  In those days, large plaits and cornrows were our everyday hairstyles (with ribbons and barrettes of course) and these were the styles we were likely to wear to the beach.  So as a kid, never did I think about my hair as an issue when playing in the water, pretending to be a fish.  Of course we had our regulation bathing cap, which never did keep my hair from getting wet…

For special occasions like Easter, Christmas, birthdays, parties we were allowed to have our hair pressed and curled.  The press and curl days did not coincide with beach days.  All that press and curl work going down the tube, no way!

This was the late 50′s and into the 60′s.  And in my mother’s days of being a young girl you just didn’t get your hair wet at the beach unless you had what was considered ‘good hair’, because your press and curl would revert back to its natural state of being what was called, ‘nappy hair’.  And it was unheard of to be seen with nappy hair in public unless you were a young child.   So my mom and many women from her era never learned to swim because of the fear of seeing their hair in its natural state.  So sad, but thankfully things have changed dramatically since then!

As an adult I have worn my hair in any number of natural styles that could be worn in the water without any worry of what it would look like after expose to the elements.  But here lately I’ve been wearing my hair out, no Locs and without the use of extensions for braids, or twists.  I’ve just been wearing it loose.   So when I thought I would just die this past Sunday if I didn’t get to the beach, I wondered what my hair would look like after going in the water.  I really had such an urge to be at the beach, trying to figure out what to do with my hair, was not a concern.  It had been 100 degrees and I just needed to be near the water and feel the greatness of the ocean.

The style in which my hair is cut, has the top  much longer (about 5 inches long) than the sides and the back, so I considered putting two big plaits or cornrows in the top so I wouldn’t look too crazy when I emerged from the water.  I ended up not doing anything to my hair just plunging in with a ‘devil may care’ attitude and I thoroughly enjoyed myself jumping the waves, floating on my back  and acting like a kid.

As I laid back on my chaise and felt the swirl in my head, that lovely dizzying effect that comes from being in the ocean, I forgot to think about my hair.  When I remembered, I took out my iphone and tried to use it as a mirror.  I thought, shucks I should invent a mirror app for this phone.  I digress.  So anyway, I took a look at my reflection in my cell phone and saw that my hair, because it’s cut in a definitive shape, looked almost the same as it did before I went in the water.  I was pleasantly surprised and thought, ‘Wow we were always told that our nappy hair wouldn’t look good right out of the water’.  We’ve been sold such a load of untruths about our hair that it’s simply amazing.  And as we continue our journey on this natural hair road, we’ll be able to uncover more truths about our hair, one fallacy after the next will be shot down, one by one, until the deed of learning about about and totally loving our hair is done.

Khamit Kinks is moving!

For those needing parking info, see below!

Our new location is at

400 Atlantic Avenue near the corner of Bond Street

In the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn

Walking distance from our present location

A or G train to Hoyt & Schermerhorn

Hopefully this guy will be parking your car for you!

Parking near our new location includes 2 hour Muni-meters and these parking garages and lots.

Imperial Parking Systems Inc – 200 Schmerhorn Street 718-797-4086

Central Parking System – 15 Hoyt Street – 718-855 -5544

Edison Park East – 71 Smith Street,  718-246-0367

Livingston St Parking LLC – 110 Livingston Street 718-855-1180

Teddy’s Parking Systems - 71 Bond Street 718-254-0588

Im Park – 335 Schermerhorn Street – 718-875-1017

53 Boerum Place LLC  – 53 Boerum Place

My red Locs 1992

I’m going through that phase again where I find myself thinking about what I’m going to do with my hair next?  And I seriously considering locking again.  As some of you already know, I’ve had Locs three times before.  My first set of Locs were started in 1988.  I loved them, but I abused them with way too much coloring.  At the time, I was really into having that ‘just so right’, auburn hair color.  And I was like a fiend.  I wanted my hair to grow out of my head that color!   Not to mention, in addition to coloring the roots, I would also color the Locs themselves, over and over again.  That’s a big no, no!  Or shall we say, it’s a great way get your Locs to be dry and brittle.  So they began snapping off (2-4 inches at the tips) making the length very uneven.  So I cut them off around 1992.  The reaction was tremendous, some people acted as if I had cut off  their  Locs, instead of cutting my own.  They said things to me like, ‘I loved your Locs, how could do that’?    It was pretty funny!

Second set of Locs 1997

I started my second set of Locs around 1995.  I knew better than to ruin them with color this go around.  It is my belief that color (particularly permanent color) is not good for your hair or your body organs.  But that’s another story.  I digress!  I colored those Locs sparingly and they were a beautiful set.   But alas, after four years, I was bored again.   I also began to notice that once my Locs reach passed my shoulders, they just felt heavy and I started having neck aches.  They literally became a pain in the neck.  So at first I cut them short, but I wasn’t really feeling that.  So a few weeks later, I just cut them off.

2nd set cut shorter 1998

For my third set of Locs I decided to go with Sister Locks and I began them in 2003.  The only down side about Sister Locks is having to braid them when you shampoo for the first year or so until they actually lock.  Other than that, I really liked them.  I found them to be versatile and easy to style.

Sister Locks w/ blue tips 2005

When I got bored, I colored the tips, just the tips with the semi-permanent color line known as Manic Panic, in one of my favorite colors, turquoise.   That was fun!  This was before EVERYBODY was wearing fun colors.  So having that color turned heads everywhere I went.  Four years into my Sister Locks  I cut them shorter to a Bobb style and wore it that way for a few months before cutting them all off.  I was really ready for something new.

Chubby Twists 2009

It was 2008 when I cut my Sister Locks off.  I felt I needed a change after five years.   I wanted to try a few choice styles like Khamit Kink’s Chubby Twists.

The A-Nu’Fro 2009

After I had the Chubby Twists (a kinky weave) I decided I really wanted to wear my own hair, and I started wearing a style we coined the A-Nu ‘Fro.  I love that style.  It doesn’t take too long to have it done (2-3 hours) it lasts up to three weeks, and it’s easy to maintain.  The only maintenance required was to lift up the roots in the morning using an Afro pick to even it out, after sleeping on it all night.  You then finger comb it into shape, oil the scalp with Anu Essentials hair oil and go.

New cut & style 2011

My hair started getting pretty long so this spring I decided to it short and wear it without having to get a wet-set, which is what the A-Nu ‘Fro is.  Instead, I  just use products that hydrated, moisten my hair and defined its natural curl.  What did I use you asked?  Well, I’ve been testing products for my soon to be launched product line for Anu Essentials.  But I have also used Jane Carter Solutions, Curls and Hair Rules.  They all worked well and I had varying degrees of results with each of them.  It’s been fun playing with my own texture and seeing how many different ways it can look from day to day , product to product.  With this new look though, I’m wetting my hair nearly everyday to achieve my style and I don’t mind that since it’s warm outside.  But you know I’m not going to be wetting my hair everyday once the summer is over.  So what to do next?

In my garden I grow plants the way I grow hair, with love

Honestly, I’ve been thinking about the Sister Locks again.  My only issue is that I want to have Locs when I want them and I want to be able to wear my hair loose when that mood hits me too.  I’ve been thinking there should be a way to do both, but I haven’t figured that one out yet.   In the meantime, I am trying to get myself ready for the fact that I’m probably going to be locking my hair AGAIN!  Life goes in cycles right???  In any event, I know once I lock my hair I’m going to have many days when I wish it was loose again.  That’s why it’s taken me so long to get back to the Sister Locks.  I thought I’d wear my hair loose for about a year, but it’s going on three years and I haven’t made it back to Sister Locks yet!  But lately I find myself thinking about it more and more.  I see sisters with Locs, Sister Locks at the salon and all  around in New York and I start pining for them again.

We’ll see.  I’ll check back in with you in the fall.  Oh yeah, and let me not forget the matter of wearing a hat with loose Afro hair.  That’s a pain!  In the meantime, what would you do?  Would you continue to wear you hair out or would consider locking for a fourth time?

We have a history in this country that is often over looked, under played, and ignored.  But  the effects of slavery is still evident in many ways these hundreds of years later.  The random tearing apart of families was something only done in American slavery.  And that is why our experience is so very different from those of our brothers and sisters in the diaspora. Husbands and wives sold to different plantations, children taken from their mothers, siblings separated and we’re simply told, ‘that happened a long time ago, so get over it’!

There are those black families who were able to heal form the devastation and who have generations of nuclear families intact, with dedicated fathers present and accounted for.  There have been black fathers who were not just in the home physically,  but who were totally engaged with their families, emotionally, physically and spiritually available, a bedrock for their wives, children and extended family, loving, providing and sustaining in every way.  These men contribute to society in many ways, not only to their immediate families.  Yet you rarely see images of them, of these loving, supportive black fathers.  They live across the street and next door to you and me.  They are family members and members of many organizations that we admire.  But if you’re looking for signs of their images in America, keep looking.  They are rarely seen, but they are there.

So this is my small tribute to Black Fathers.  I was without my own father from age 8 and it was around my 28th year, that my father came back into my life.  I’m glad he’s back now.  But his absence during those formative years still has its impact, an itch that I can’t seem to scratch despite our relationship today.
Still I swoon at seeing other black men with their children.  It’s like a healing balm for that itchy place in my heart.

Since this is a blog site about hair, you’re probably wondering, ‘What does all this have to do with hair’?  Well, I’d have to go all the way back to slavery and it’s kind of a long and complicated  story to explain that one…  I do remember as a small child my father not wanting my mother to hot-comb (straighten) our hair.  He thought it was best, just the way it was.

Anu Prestonia in ‘The Trove’

Fashion Stylist, Sharon Pendana now pens a popular blog called ‘The Trove’.  I have admired Sharon’s unique and compelling writing style and have been mesmerized by the fabulous people she has featured in her Trove.  So imagine my delight when Sharon asked if she could interview me and have others take a look at my journey to now!

Thank you Sharon!