Two years free of a relaxer, my natural hair has been hidden under sew-ins, straightened by flat irons or tucked neatly under a trendy scarf. It’s not that I don’t want to wear my hair curly (or kinky). It’s simply because I have no idea how to manage it on my own. With the variety of natural hair sites, I know you’re thinking this is no excuse. The access to natural hair sites and products is as prevalent as ever before. Still there is one thing I didn’t know before going natural: that although liberating, it can be difficult to maintain and quite costly.

Today I ran across an article on Essence, by Demetria Lucas. The article highlighted the expensive maintenance that can be associated with natural hair. Between finding the right products for your hair texture (which consists of trial and error) then actually investing in those products (that can get quite costly), your pockets can definitely feel the effects of going natural.

Check out the article on Essence HERE.

How much has going natural affected your pockets? Has it been worth the investment?

Some people have a smile that represents their inner beauty. Kelly Rowland has just that. As a member of Destiny’s Child, I will admit that I overlooked Kelly at times; but since she’s branched out into her solo career, you can’t help but take notice of her beauty, both inside and out. As she spoke recently with ESSENCE, she emphasized the importance of self-love and inner beauty.

Here’s a snippet of what Kelly had to say:

On Inner Beauty…

It took a long while for me to know that I’m beautiful. I remember going through this phase when I was younger of wanting to pass by mirrors and not look at them. That was so ridiculous. I’ve learned now that beauty starts from within. If you don’t know your worth, if you don’t know your value, if you don’t know how fantabulous you are — it’s going to be hard for other people to see it. Being appreciative of self, is beauty to me.

READ MORE OF WHAT KELLY HAD TO SAY

On Her Beauty Icons…

One of my beauty icons is Oprah Winfrey. I love that fact that she’s so comfortable with herself. One of my favorite episodes of her show was when she showed millions of people how she woke up in the morning with no makeup on. That was so selfless and revealing. She’s very real and genuine and I love that. Halle Berry is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Same thing with Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson — especially as a kid, because they have brown skin like me. I remember looking at magazines and television and seeing someone that looked like me and seeing a piece of myself in them.

As women, bombarded with constant images and expectations in the media of what beauty is, we may forget that beauty comes in all sizes, shapes, colors, and backgrounds; and as long as you are beautiful in the inside, everything else is secondary. The most important thing is to love and embrace who you are, and even who you aren’t, from the inside out.

Constantly remind yourself how beautiful you are! You deserve to sing your own praises!