I totally missed Mane and Chic’s 5th anniversary (or birthday… not sure what I want to call it) and you didn’t remind me. Mane and Chic has been live since April 2007 and it’s been quite a journey.

The site really has been my sidekick for the past 5 years. The support that I get from my loyal readers has been amazing as I transitioned and have grown out my hair. I started this site with relaxed hair and here I am 5 years later with nearly waist length ombre highlighted/dip-dyed natural hair. In that time I have evolved as a person. So much has happened in my life and if you’ve been reading the whole time, you really have been a part of that journey. I share little personal tidbits like when I got my puppy and right now counting down to my 30th birthday.

I have watched this go from being just a figment of my imagination to an actual business. This site gave me one of the first glimpses into knowing that I could make a living doing what I love and helping people. So much energy lives at maneandchic.com.

Often, I think about the hundreds of e-mails, Facebook messages and Twitter messages from all the women who decided to transition to natural or take better care of their hair because of Mane and Chic . I just think it’s so dope that sharing this part of my life has touched other people. I am so happy to share the things that I am learning in the hopes that you learn something too or maybe something I write here reminds you of something you forgot or if you miss the lesson at least a seed was planted. That’s a flowery way of saying thank you for reading. I am looking forward to many more transitions, growing and evolving with you.

All the best,

Kai

You’ve found a pair of shoes that you love. They are practical and you begin to visualize how it can spice up your wardrobe. They are a bit pricey, but that’s subjective. What is the most you’ve ever spent on shoes?

Please participate in the poll.

When you’re browsing around for wardrobe inspiration, what do you look for in fashion and style sites? Do you care what celebrities are wearing? Do you prefer street style blogs featuring women who have a similar style to you? Do you just want to see the latest trends and new arrivals from your favorite brands and stores? Is it important for you to see how many different ways you can rock an item before you buy it?

Please participate in the poll.

I recently saw Tamar Braxton rocking her Vince bracelet, as seen below and I’ve been seeing this same type of thing a lot lately. I think it’s cool and with some updated tweaks: adding a little Mane & Chic upgrade on this bracelet but I want to know your thoughts. Please participate in the poll.

I am working on something new and wanted to know your thoughts. The thing that I am working on is a fashion item: some sort of bracelet or tee or something. If you’re in college or have a casual lifestyle, this is a piece that you can rock everyday and if you’re a professional and work in a traditional work environment, this piece is something you can wear out to dinner/drinks with the homegirls or just living your life on the weekends. This piece will have words on it and I wanted to know your thoughts.

Which of the following terms do you feel more passionate about… so passionate that you’d rock it in your fashion: Natural, Curly, Type 3, Type 4, Kinky, other? If you saw something cute with this one phrase… you’d have to get it. Please participate in the poll below, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, feel free to share your own term that you think would work.

There’s only 1 day left to vote to get The Scomb manufactured. Thousands of people have gone to the voting page, but not very many people have voted for it. I appreciate all of you that have voted for it and left feedback. Thank you!

If The Scomb is not chosen by Quirky, it WILL NOT be made… at least not by me. It would be cool to have something like this on the market. I would most definitely use it, but if the market doesn’t want it… the market doesn’t want it. That’s business. I created it, I put it out there and submitting it to Quirky was my way of releasing it to see if people would embrace it.

If you like The Scomb idea and want to see it in stores, please go vote and tell all of your friends. Click here to vote for The Scomb. Again, there is only 1 day left to vote and all you need is a Facebook account. 

It is February 13th, my 29th birthday. The beginning of the last year of my 20s. It’s very exciting and I plan to take huge risks leaps towards my goals this year. I have a few wishes and two of them you can help grant. First, if you haven’t already, I would appreciate your vote for my Scomb invention on Quirky. All you need to do is login with your Facebook account. It’s super easy and painless. It would be also be cool of you to leave comments on Quirky and tell them why the idea is needed and why they should pick it. Did I mention that if the Scomb is chosen, you can give feedback to make the idea better, create taglines for the invention and you can earn a percentage of the sales if the Scomb is developed/manufactured? It’s really dope and if you have an invention just sitting on the shelf of your mind, get it out there and make it happen either on Quirky or on your own. Next, I know that thousands of you have been reading Mane and Chic over the past almost 5 years and thousands of you downloaded my transitioning e-book. Please leave your positive reviews on Amazon for the e-book. That’s all.

I plan on having a magical amazing day and if you’re reading this, I wish the same for you!

Do you remember I told you about one of my hair inventions: The Scomb? Well, I have been getting tons of e-mails about it. People were asking if was following through with getting it made. I wasn’t. It has been on the back burner while I pursue other interests.

Today, I was inspired to do something with it rather than just let it sit. I decide to submit it to Quirky.com. It’s a cool site that helps inventors get their products in stores like Target, Toys R Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, OfficeMax, The Container Store, ACE Hardware and on Amazon.com. So now that I have submitted my idea, people leave feedback and vote for it to be manufactured. Products with the most votes and most potential are chosen and get designed, manufactured and marketed by Quirky. The process can happen in as little as a couple of months. It’s also cool because you can leave feedback and ideas for improvement. If the product is selected, there are even opportunities for you to suggest a retail price.

If you liked The Scomb idea and want to see it in stores, please go vote and tell all of your friends. Click here to vote for The Scomb. There is only 30 days to vote. It’s really easy to vote if you have a Facebook account. I love this whole process. I think everything should be done like this. I also want to encourage any of you with an idea to submit it to Quirky or work to get it made. I’m interested in seeing how this goes and excited to submit more of my other ideas. There is a $10 fee for submission, but I didn’t pay because I googled “Quirky.com coupon codes” and found one that allowed me submit my idea for FREE!

Secrets of a Long-Term Transitioner (E-Book) is now available on Amazon for Kindle. If you have read the book or were following my transition from 2007 and want to earn some karma points, I would really appreciate if you would leave a positive review on Amazon. Click here to check out Secrets of a Long-Term Transitioner on Amazon.

The 35 page e-book that documents my 17 month transition from relaxed to naturally curly. The book includes tips, tricks, tools and products that I used to successful get through it.

It keeps coming into my consciousness that I should do a post about self-defense. What really propelled me was an episode from Oprah’s Lifeclass and more recently a few stories from the news and America’s Most Wanted. Now, I hardly ever watch the news or crime shows because I am a sensitive soul so hearing all that stuff is emotionally draining for me. There is no need to go into statistics, this is a place for positivity, but I will say that we all should strive to remove fear from our lives on every level and being prepared to protect ourselves is something we all should be able to do. Just as we learn to cross streets as to not be hit by cars, we should have this same approach when it comes to protecting our personal space, our families and our possessions. If this post just helps one person then it will be well worth it.

Here are some self-defense tips that you should act on right away!

• Get pepper spray, mace, personal alarm or whistle and carry it with you at all times. Every woman should have these items.
• If tasers and stun guns are legal in your state, get one or some. Find out the legalities for your state by clicking here.
• Take a self-defense class (like Krav Maga).
• Watch YouTube videos on basic self-defense techniques and learn to master the moves.
• Try not to go anywhere alone at night especially not an ATM and if you’re alone, be sure to carry your mace, stun gun or taser.
• If you’re running/jogging alone in a remote area or when no one is around, always have protection in hand and don’t wear headphones!
• If you’re not opposed to firearms and you’re prepared to use one if needed, go to the shooting range and take a class.
• Don’t be nice or cute if you ever feel uncomfortable in any situation, get out or away as fast as you can. If you feel threatened, it is your right and your duty to defend yourself to the best of your abilities.
• Trust your instincts.
• Always be conscious of your surroundings.

Do it today! There are some really cute products on Amazon including the pink mace gun in the post. Here’s a link to some of the chichest self-defense products on Amazon. All the stuff is really affordable considering the peace of mind that you will have once you are fully prepared to protect yourself under any circumstance.