Styling Advice for Transitioners, Newly Naturals and Naturals

Hey everyone

I decided to record a short video today about styling.  This is because I was speaking with a friend of mine last night about feeling feminine whilst going natural.  This is a number one fear that a lot of women face when making that bold decision to go natural as I know that I certainly feared looking like a boy if I were to do the big chop!  In order for me to change my perception of beauty I started to save lots of pictures of beautiful women with short hair like Amber Rose and Solange who both looked absolutely stunning without hair and these images totally boosted my condfidence about doing my big chop and being confident with it. 

 Something else that I did was look at beautiful women with long hair to inspire and encourage me about my hair goals and where I wanted to go in my hair journey!  I looked at images of Goapele, Alicia Keys and even Beyonce when she had afro hair.  These pictures helped to reprogramme my minds perception of beauty and I’d encourage you to do the same. 

Going natural is your time to be creative and have fun with your new looks.  The transition and TWA (tiny winy afro) period will be over before you know it so just enjoy it, take loads of pictures so that you can look back and see just how far you’ve come in a short space of time because believe me, time flies by!!!

Be Inspired!!!

Much Love

Levina

xxx

Goapele Inspired Hair (10 months natural)

Hey everyone!

Well today I’m super excited as I got the chance to wear one of my hair inspirations hairstyles. 

I absolutely love singer Goapele’s natural hair styles.  She is a really naturally beautiful woman and she rocks her natural hair with pride!!  I will be 10 months natural tomorrow on the 19^th September and this is a fantastic protective style that should last me a while (I hope).  I will definitely be trying out more of Goapele’s hairstyles as I think that they are so original, earthy and quite frankly, are what my hair is designed to do.  I wish that there were more women in the public eye representing like this!!

Walking down the street with this hair I got soo many looks, some people stopped to compliment me and some people just stared at me in a daze LOL.  I don’t care though, I love this style on me and I’m proud to rock it!!

With that said, I hope that you enjoy this hairstyle as much as I am and maybe even give it a try yourself!

Much love as always

Levina

xxx

I love the Giovanni Shampoo and Conditioner Brand!!!

I have been using the Giovanni brand for the last two weeks and I have to say that I absolutely LOVE it!!! I couldn’t wait to do the review to show you how soft and lovely it makes my hair!  Now obviously you feel how soft and lovely it is so you’ll just have to take my word for it! HA!  The ingredients to these products are all natural so they can be used care free!  They also work very effectively for our hair!

The 50:50 Balanced Shampoo for normal to dry hair (was £7.99 now on sale for £6.39) is a sulphate free shampoo so it does not strip our hair of all of it’s moisture causing dryness and inevitably breakage!  Therefore, this product could be used every day with no guilt trip! 

Ingredients:

Aqueous (water) extracts of rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) oil, nettle (uritica dioica) oil, thyme (thymus vulgaris) oil, birch leaf (butula alba) oil, chamomile (anthemis nobilus flower) oil, clary (salvia sclarea), lavender (lavandula angustifolia), coltsfoot leaf (tussilago farfara), yarrow (achillea millefolium) oil, mallow (malva sylvestris), horsetail (equistertum arvense) oil, soybean protein (glycine Soja), c12-14 olefin sulfonate (coconut derived), cocamidopropyl betaine, tocopherol (vitamin E), trace minerals, citric acid (corn), sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, sodium chloride (sea salt), grapefruit seed (citrus derived)

There are several different shampoo’s by Giovanni.  I purchased the shampoo for normal to dry hair and I was very happy with it. 

The Direct Leave-In Conditioner (was £7.99 now on sale for £6.39) likewise has all natural ingredients and it works as a detangler to our hair.  It also kept my hair feeling soft for days!  It smells lovely and I will definitely be purchasing this product again!

Ingredients

Aqua (purified water) with **Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, *rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) oil, *nettle (Uritica dioica) oil, *thyme (Thymus vulagris) oil, birch leaf (Butela alba) oil, *chamomile (Anthemis nobilus flower) oil, *clary (Salvia sclarea), *lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), *coltsfoot leaf (Tussilago farfara), *yarrow (Achillea millefolium) oil, *mallow (Malva sylvestris), *horsetail (Equistetum arvense) oil, *soybean protein (Glycine soja), cetyl alcohol (plant derived), tocopherol (vitamin E), panthenol (pro vitamin B5), trace minerals, citric acid (corn), sodium hydroxymethyglycinate, grapefruit seed (citrus derived), fragrance from essential oils.

I purchased both products from: http://www.skinnutrition.co.uk/p/288/Giovanni_Leave_in_Conditioner.html

I am so happy that I have found a leave in that actually works!  The ingredients are all natural so that I don’t have to worry about them!  I recommend these products to you all J xx

Much Love

Levina

 xxx

Congratulations!!

Just a quick video to give some credit where it's due!  I was so happy when I got a message from a new friend of mine telling me that she is taking the bold step today, to go to work for the first time with her natural hair (TWA = tiny winy afro!) on display for the first time in 24 years!  This takes a lot of courage in a society where naturally kinky, curly, afro hair is not the socially accepted norm!  I know exactly how scary this can feel but also how liberating and powerful it can feel too! So congratulations to my new friend, I am so honored to be sharing your natural hair journey with you, and also to anyone else who has taken the bold step to become newly natural!

Much love and God Bless

Levina xxx

If you had to cook dinner for someone tonight, what would you make?

Pasta :)

Ask me anything

What one thing are you exceptionally bad at?

I like to focus on the positive thanks :)

Ask me anything

If you had the opportunity to live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose?

The year I got a relaxer (teenage years), I would not have got it!!

Ask me anything

Would you rather get up early or sleep late?

No brainer! Sleep late!

Ask me anything

Product Review For Chinese Miracle Professional Formula Organic Olive Oil Products

Product One: Organic Olive Oil Intensive Protein Caviar Hair Treatment For Weak Damaged Processed Hair

Ingredients: Aqua, Parafinum Liquidum, Cetery Alcohol, Olea Europaea, Glycerine, Dimethicone, Lanolin, Urtica Dioica, Equisetum Arvense, Glycine Soja, Parfum, Imidazolidnyl Urea, Methyl Paraben, Propylparaben, Chloraphyll, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellel

The first ingredient in this product is water which is good. It is advertised as being an organic olive oil product and olive oil is forth ingredient. This product has paraben’s in it. I thought that I would give the product a try regardless of ingredients to give the product a fair go.


Ok when I wash my hair and deep condition it, as it’s thick I do this in sections. Therefore I had only applied this conditioner to one section of my hair when I realised quite quickly that this product doesn’t work for my hair at all. When I applied it to my hair, it did not absorb into my hair, I noticed that it coated it. I used this product directly after washing my hair with shampoo. I did not use a conditioner as I wanted to see if this product would detangle my hair which is the most important factor for me in any conditioning product. I realised very quickly that this product did not detangle my hair and realised that using this product alone was a mistake so I took out my Mazuri deep condition to help me to detangle the rest of my hair. When I tried to wash the conditioner out, it was very hard. My hair felt as though it was covered in Vaseline. I even found it difficult to wash my hands after as they also felt as though they had been covered in Vaseline so I had to use additional soap and hot water to get the product off which I would never expect when using a deep conditioner. My sink was also covered with thick fuzzy blobs of green residue which didn’t look too attractive.


Therefore in conclusion, I would not purchase, neither would I buy a product like this again as it just did not work for me at all.

Product two: Chinese Miracle Professional Formula, Organic Olive Oil, Protein Styling Gel with Panthenol

Ingredients:  Aqua, PVP/VA Copolymer, Olea Europa, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Panthenol, Triethanolomine, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Isobutyl Paraben, Limonene, Hexyl, Cinnamal, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellel,

 

Ok the things that I like about this product, it has a fresh smell, I like the packaging. The first ingredient is water which is great. The third ingredient is Olive Oil which is great as on the packaging it is advertised as an olive oil gel. Panthenol is the sixth ingredient and it is also advertised as having panthenol in it. Panthenol acts as a lubricant on the skin surface, which gives the skin a soft and smooth appearance. Panthenol and Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5) have the same biological activity.

PVP/VA Copolymer is the second ingredient.


What is PVP/VA Copolymer?

PVP/VA Copolymer is a water-soluble fixative used in hairsprays.


Is PVP/VA Copolymer any good for our hair?

A petroleum-derived chemical used in hairsprays, wavesets and other cosmetics. It can be considered toxic, since particles may contribute to foreign bodies in the lungs of sensitive persons.


Both products also contain Parabens (I will discuss this in my next blog).


Does the product mix?

I applied this gel to my wet hair and it did not make my curls pop. The gel does not claim to be a curl activator however. I used this gel on my dry hair and when used alone it made my hair feel crunchy. It is a product that you would have to mix with an oil, however it did not give my hair enough hold. It is quite a light gel and not heavy enough for my hair texture. Maybe it will work better for a thinner hair type. I could not use this product for a braid out.


Unfortunately these products did not work for me.

I definately have some more positive things to say about products that I am about to review in the very near future so this is not the end!! :)

Much Love

Levina :) xx

Natural Hair Cartoon

Hey everyone!

Someone really special sent me this cartoon of a natural hair character as they thought that I would like it!! :)

I love this picture and it touched my heart to know that someone was actually thinking of me and decided to google a cartoon picture to make me happy!!  It put the biggest smile on my face :D

These are the kind of people that you need in your life, the ones who cheer lead you on when you make bold decisions in your life!  It's the smallest things that make all the difference to your natural hair journey and your life journey in general.

To the person who sent me this, much love and God bless you!!!

To everybody else, have a great day and be blessed too!!!

Levina :) xx

My Dream Nude Lip Combination!!

Hey everyone!



So since I became natural I have been paying more attention to detail. I have started to invest in things like makeup and accessories just to help me feel a bit more feminine when my hair was short. It’s kinda stayed with me and recently I went shopping to buy some new products.

I brought Sleek Makeup’s Face Contour Kit. It come’s in three shades and I brought the Medium one.

I felt in need of a contour kit after watching Pixiwoo’s channel on YouTube where they advised that a lot of people make the mistake of using their bronzer as their contour colour (which I do!) and that this ruins the effect due to the orange undertone of bronzers. So I was thinking “humm...what colours gonna work for me then?” As the pixiwoo ladies are lighter then I am. When I went into Superdrug I was happy to see this contour kit for £8 (I think??) and the brown looked like a true brown that would make a good contour colour for me. Sleek Makeup and a relatively new makeup brand that cater to tanned to darker skin tones for quite a reasonable price so I was happy with that. The colours look good on my hand but now we just have to see if they look as good on my face...? I hope so!

I also brought 3 new nail varnishes from Superdrug from Collection 2000. Now I don’t usually buy makeup from collection 2000 as I think that their makeup looks quite cheap but the colours looked really cool. The colours that I brought were from the new Hot collection and they are: Fruit Salad, Pama Violet and Mint Mojo. They cost £1.79 each so I thought to myself you can’t really go wrong if you don’t like them but I’m sure I will.

I completely ran out of my Loreal Double Extend Tube Mascara. How I loved that Mascara, it made my eye lashes look amazing!! I thought that I’d give another mascara a try though so I brought Maybelline New York XXL PRO Extensions Micro-Fibre Mascara. Result = disappointment! I wish that I just stuck to my original Mascara!! I mean, it separates your lashes just fine but it doesn’t give you the false lash effect like Loreal does. I do not wear makeup every day, so when I do wear it, I want it to make a significant difference! Needless to say I won’t be buying that mascara again.

Finally I brought Rimmel London Lipstick in Birthday Suit. This colour is a bit darker then the Nude delight that i wear most days but I thought that I would give it a try any way as it looks quite pretty. It’s different for me so we’ll see how I go...

While I’m here, let me tell you about my new favourite lip gloss, it’s Rimmel Vinyl Gloss and I can’t see a colour on it, I think that the number is 290. It is the BEST! I already have pouty lips, but this gloss makes them extra extra pouty and I’d recommend it to anyone. This gloss along with Nude Delight is my dream lip combination!! I was wearing this combination in my Lioness Mane video, click here to see:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpDJWNHHap4

So that’s my mimi shopping spree for the day. I promise you that there will be millions more to come!!

Much love!!

Levina

xxx

What was the last book you read?

Rich Dad Poor Dad and Straight Talk by Joyce Meyer and the Bible at the same time. Yes I'm smart!

Ask me anything

Proverbs 31 Woman - Dwayne Tryumf

I heard this song for the first time yesterday and I thought that it was so beautiful!! Listen to the lyrics!  Ladies don't settle for less!!!

Much Love and God Bless

Levina :) xxx

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Me Then VS Me Now!

Hey everyone!

OK so I’m sitting here thinking about the past and what my hair used to be like then vs right now and how my hair looks to date. A memory came back to me from a couple of years ago when I was sitting on top of a double decker bus (before I used to drive)

                                          [What do you know about the big red bus? lol]

and I was wearing one of those bomber jackets with the fury hood up (remember those?). I was just on my way home from the hair dressers and I had my hair all straightened and layered. I liked the way that it looked but I had a bit of an issue with the length as I’d always hated when I went to the hair dressers and they took off more hair then I would like! Anyways, this guy sat in the seat in front of me and asked me to take my hood off so that he could see my face. I took my hood off and he was like “Wow, you’re so beautiful. Look at your hair, does your man realise what he’s got?!” and all of that talk, ladies you know how the story goes lol. I never swapped numbers with this guy and I never saw him again but in all honesty, he put a smile on my face for the rest of the day! I mean I didn’t spend money on my hair to look ugly now did I? I was happy to be noticed!!

Each time I got my hair done (straight) I could expect to be complimented. It’s a feeling that I got used to! Getting my hair relaxed and straight made me pretty and everybody told me so, so I kept on doing it.

I would say that about a year later I got my hair cane rowed. My hair was still texturized mind you but I really felt the need to get my hair done this way (must’ve been a sign!). I was really pleased with the results, it was the first time that I’d had my hair done like this since school and I just felt like myself. However the reception from other people wasn’t fun! My boyfriend at the time was like “It doesn’t suit you, it does nothing for you” (he really would benefit from some tips from the guy on the bus!! lol). I went to the gym for a workout and as I was getting off the cross trainer, I heard this teenage boy say to his class mate “Err, is that a man or a woman?”. Needless to say I wasn’t happy with the feedback that I was getting and I never got my hair done in cane row again! Well until I went natural a few years later of course!!

It’s right now that I’m thinking how extremely low must my self esteem have been to allow other people (some I didn’t even know!) to dictate to me how I should look! I mean seriously! I was so upset that a school boy and an undeserving boyfriend didn’t like my hair that I stopped being myself through fear of what others thought about me! Well let me tell you that’s changed!!

When I did my big chop, I made the decision to walk with my head up and to be truthful sometimes I had to remind myself to do just that! Every day I get better at it though and I have attracted some AMAZING people into my life since I made the right decision to be myself. People who do not like the decision I have made to go natural take one look at me and know not to even waste their time saying anything negative about my appearance because they can see that I’m happy with myself now.

If your gonna smile, make sure it's a BIG one!!!

The image that you give out of your self is the attention that you’re going to attract. If you walk around feeling ugly and depressed with your head down, then you are going to attract crappy people into your life that tell you horrible things about yourself like I did! Now however, I’ve changed MY whole perception of myself and even with no hair and very short hair, I’ve attracted the most lovely people into my life both male and female alike who compliment me all the time in my most natural state! I never would have believed that this could ever happen to me as I had NO confidence with relaxed hair! That was not me! Now I’m myself and I love it!!


Know that you're beautiful with and without hair!! Be encouraged!!


Much Love and God Bless

 Levina xxx


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Happy In Spite Of...! :)

Ok so it's like 9.11am and I haven't been to sleep yet!  It's now the next day and whats the point of sleeping right!? I mean I don't wanna sleep all day! 

              Well actually, this would be nice! lol


"So what kept you awake Levina?"

I'm glad you asked!!  Partly as I'm taking time out because I haven't been feeling the greatest (read previous blog about blood pressure!), I am out of a routine!  Then there's the pure excitement that I'm experiencing right now about life!  I've got so much things that I really want to show you.  I'm feeling really creative right about now and during the summer holidays is the perfect time nurture this!  I love to write (not academically but freely!), I love to draw and I love to design and make things!

"So why are you feeling so creative all of the sudden?"

Well, everyday I listen to what I call "positive pod casts".  One from Joyce Meyer which helps me to reflect and keep things in check.  The other from Joel Osteen which makes me think BIG!!! 

If your lacking in inspiration or feeling like your dreams are just dreams in your head, or that you could never really achieve what you envision in your mind, I think that it's time that you re-programme your mind with words and images that encourage you to think BIG.

I would encourage you to go to Itunes, its free to download and it's also free to download the pod casts that I mentioned.  They will help to give you a new perspective on life.  Well they do for me and I'm feeling really happy right now in spite of everything.

So that's all I wanted to share with you for now, I hope that life's treating you great!!

Much love and God Bless

Levina

Keep in touch :)

www.youtube.com/leilei08
www.twitter.com/lionessmane
www.facebook/LionessMane  :)

Diets, Blood Pressure and Your Health

Hey guys


I know that you are usually expecting me to talk about hair, however sometimes I feel as though it’s important for me to talk about other life issues as “I am not my hair!” and neither are you!! Our hair has a lot to do with our self confidence as women I feel. As part of our quest to develop our self confidence and acquire a better self image, many women are not a stranger to embarking on a diet, or two or three! I personally have been on several diets over the years in an attempt to get that perfect figure! However, as I have been maturing, I have realised that these diets usually have the adverse effect and usually backfire on us! They only work out as a short term solution!

About 4 years ago, I made the decisions that I no longer wanted to eat meat. I had extensively studied health and fitness both academically (I am a qualified Holistic and Sports Massage Therapist and I can Personal Train) and personally (through research over the internet and reading books etc). I made the conscious decision to cut out meat with the exception of fish as I do understand that you need some protein. However, I do not eat shell fish such as prawns or crab (due to the high levels of mercury they consume but that’s another blog!). I am also lactose intolerant meaning that I do not eat dairy products. I never eat in fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC; I cut that out when I was 15 years old when I found out that McDonalds fry their chips in lard! I don’t know if they still do that? Either way I don’t eat it! As you can see, my diet is quite restricted.


In all of my attempts to stay fit and healthy, one thing that I have never considered was my salt intake and certainly not my blood pressure! As a qualified fitness professional, I am fully aware of the dangers of high blood pressure and if an individual’s blood pressure was too high (hypertension), then immediately I would refer them to a doctor and refuse to train them. This is because a blood pressure of 140/90mmHg is considered to be high and could result in a heart attack or stroke as there is too much strain on your arteries and your heart to circulate your blood around your body.

A normal blood pressure would be around 120/80mmHg. The first or top number is known as your systolic blood pressure (The highest pressure when your heart beats and pushes the blood round your body). The bottom number is your diastolic blood pressure (The lowest pressure when your heart relaxes between beats).


Now the other side to this is having low blood pressure (hypotension). Usually a blood pressure of 90/60mmHg or lower is regarded as low. A person can have a naturally low blood pressure (as I do) or it could be a symptom of another illness such as diabetes. Symptoms of low blood pressure are:


• light-headedness / dizziness


• nausea


• blurred vision


• general feeling of weakness


• feeling confused


• a temporary loss of consciousness (fainting)


Ignoring these symptoms can be very dangerous as I fainted when I attempted to walk out of a room. Can you imagine what would have happened if I was driving my car! There is treatment in the form of drugs/medication for blood pressure conditions. However, it is generally known that once you begin to take this medication, you do not come off it! This is not something that I would want to happen to me and I am at a point whereby I can change my diet to make sure that I get the right nutrition that I need!






Please do not that this for granted no matter what your age is as I am only in my 20’s and this can affect anyone at any age!


For more information regarding blood pressure and it’s symptoms and effects please click on this link for the blood pressure association: http://www.bpassoc.org.uk/BloodPressureandyou/Yourbody/Lowbloodpressure


Please learn from my mistakes and do not ignore the warning signs if you ever feel faint, weak or dizzy!


Until next time guys!

Be blessed

 Levina


XxX

Keep in touch :) :


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How to Wrap a Head Scarf and Why I Wear Them!

Hey everyone


Whilst I'm on a role I thought that I'd write something about the head scarves that I've been wearing for the past couple of months.

 

I made the decision to wear head scarf’s when I decided that I could not style my new twa (tiny winy afro)! This was almost like hibernation for me, hiding my hair away until it was long enough to do something with it. Although my hair isn't as long as I would like at this point, it most definitely is getting there I notice every time I wash it! My hair is growing back so fast and whilst I am still in the process of learning how to style my hair, wearing head scarf’s are great!

I am often mistaken for a Muslim. I am not I am a Christian. However I do appreciate the beauty of Muslim women and I like the way they look when wearing a hijab. Some Christians also wear head coverings/veils as well that resemble the hijab. I was actually inspired by a picture I found of black women who embrace black Islam. At the time I did not realise that I was looking at Muslim Women but I thought that these women were very stunning and I made an inspired look video that you can view here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XqVzXalRUs

If you manage to view the link in the video and see the actual picture that I was inspired by, then feel free to comment below as to how to do it properly!!! :)

As we are experiencing more hot days in London, it is becoming more and more uncomfortable to wear my scarf as it's so hot! I definitely recommend wearing one though when it's cold (protecting your hair from the elements!) and when you’re having a bad hair day, or simply because you like wearing them (I enjoyed wearing them for the most part).

As winter approaches, I'll definitely be wearing more and more head scarves as I prefer them to hats!

I hope that you find these tutorials useful



Much love and God Bless



Levina xxx

Keep in touch!


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6 Months Natural Hair Introduction, My First Spoken Youtube Video!

This is a video I made to show everyone my natural hair. I went out in public and showed my natural hair for the first time when I got the BC in November and I remember feeling so liberated. However, when my hair started to grow I began to think to myself "Oh no! What am I gonna do now?" I had absolutely no idea what to do with my hair at all! No clue how to style it or anything. I knew that I wanted to be natural and I never wanted a relaxer again but I also knew that I didn't want to step outside looking like a hot mess!!


I mean just because you have natural hair, it doesn't mean that it has to look all scruffy and horrible I still wanted to look nice. I had this crazy fear within me so one day I thought to myself you know what, instead of having this dumb ass fear I'm gonna record myself and put it on youtube. I thought to myself this way the whole world will be able to see me, I can't decide who clicks on my video or not and I really didn't care. I had to shake of my stupid fear and just deal with it, kill it DEAD!


There is a saying that I like to use and it's "Feel the fear and do it anyway!" (by Joyce Meyer). When I uploaded the video I felt so liberated and free that I felt that I could actually step outside my house with my afro hair on display and not care what anyone would have to say about it as potentially, anyone in the world could see my hair now!


It's actually funny to think that I got the order backwards. My brother makes fun of me saying that "you didn't want to go to the corner shop without your headscarf on but you put your natural hair on the world wide web!" lol Well "do what you've got to do!" Thats what I say!


So this is exactly what I did. If your deciding that you want to go natural or you are natural and are still feeling emotional or unsure about showing your hair to the world. Be encouraged, you'll feel amazing and powerful when you take this first step. If all else fails, feel the fear and do it anyway!! You'll be glad that you did!!

Love and God Bless xxxx


P.s. if you need to contact me you can add me on facebook "Lioness Mane" or send me a private message on youtube www.youtube.com/leilei08 :)

Welcome to Lioness Mane

Hey everyone it’s Levina (Lei) otherwise known as LeiLei08 on YouTube 


I decided to begin a blog in addition to my channel as it will be easier for me to make a note of where I buy products, how my hair journey is going and any additional things that I cannot show you on my YouTube channel.

I started my YouTube channel years ago with the intention to watch other YouTubers videos ONLY! Up until very recently, there was absolutely NO WAY that you would ever catch me recording myself let alone putting videos of myself on the internet!

“So what changed Levina?” I’m Glad you asked!! For years and years growing up I felt completely isolated and uncomfortable with my identity. I did not feel like a black female as I was not accepted into their group as I had white in me. I did not feel like a mixed race/biracial female as I was told that mixed race/biracial girls were pretty and had nice hair. I was not made to feel pretty and was made fun of because of my black features and thick hair. Feeling embarrassed and insecure about myself became the norm after years of accepting these negative interactions as a part of my life!

It was only years later in my adult life that I began to feel angry about the way that I felt about myself and the way that I allowed other people to treat me. I began to question why I felt that it was normal for people to speak negatively about my hair or features. I questioned why I felt that I deserved it every time a hairdresser made a negative comment about how un manageable my hair was. I began to question why people felt that it was ok to tell me that I needed to relax my hair.

“Why must I be made to feel so ashamed about myself that I have to pay to get my scalp burned each month and then when my scalp burns, I am told that it is my fault for scratching my hair or for washing it!” I questioned myself.

I mean can you believe that! Not being allowed to scratch or keep your own hair clean so that you can go and get some chemical poison placed on your hair so that it straightens out and you will become more socially acceptable.

I truly felt like harsh chemical relaxers and texturizers were stamping out all of my hair’s life and character. Something just changed within me and I just knew that this process wasn’t right. I was sick and tired of spending money on burning myself every couple of months leaving puss and blood on my scalp making my hair clump and stick together on my head. I was also sick and tired of feeling embarrassed and degraded by comments made when my roots began to grow back.

I knew nothing about black history or my roots or identity as a black woman but all of the sudden I was desperate to learn about it. I began to research on the internet and I watched roots and other videos concerning black history and tried my best to re-educate my mind set. It was here that I stumbled across hundreds of videos made by other women who had similar experiences to myself and that’s when I decided that there would be no more relaxers for me. I feel so much better about myself since I made the decision to love and accept myself the natural way that God made me without feeling ashamed or embarrassed.

Therefore It is my aim with Lioness Mane to promote awareness about the beauty of natural hair. Lioness Mane aims to encourage and inspire women with naturally kinky, curly, coily and/or afro hair to be proud of the mane that they were blessed with! Lioness Mane aims to provide insight to those who wish to learn.
I hope that you can gain some insight and inspiration through joining me on this blog.





If you are not already, feel free to join me on my YouTube channel Lion Who Unites at www.youtube.com/leilei08
You can also join me on Twitter on www.twitter.com/lionessmane


Thank you for joining me, I truly appreciate it!!


One of my first youtube videos: My Mixed Race/Bi-racial Hair Experience