“Washington Heights”

My thoughts about Dominicans con Rizos

Posted on January 24, 2014

I have been asked quite a bit why I decided to do the segment “Dominicans con Rizos” and here are my reasons.  When I was younger I remember walking by a Dominican hair salon on my block and hearing the loud sounds of the blow dryers and seeing women sitting in a row under huge hairdryers with pink covers protecting their ears. I would watch through the window and see all these women getting they’re hair straightened and wondering “why”?  I meanRead More→

Dominicans Con RIZOS – (Part 6) Meet Karen

Posted on January 16, 2014

What does being Dominican mean to you and why? This seems like a simple enough question, right? Wrong. Born and raised in New York City, on paper at least, I’m American, first-generation to be exact. When I asked my father what I should consider myself he said, “You were born with a blue passport, so you’re as gringa as they come.” Ugh…that reply just didn’t sit well with me. You see, I was raised in the northernmost part of Manhattan, otherwise knownRead More→

Dominicans con RIZOS – (Part 5) Meet Stephanie!

Posted on January 11, 2014

Tell me about your hair journey. I decided to go natural two years ago.  Up until then I was the “typical” Dominican girl going to the salon every week.  One day I decided I was tired of straight hair and wanted to try something new.  A friend encouraged me to go natural after seeing my natural hair while on vacation. In the beginning it was really hard as I navigated through diffident products and various styling methods. When I visitedRead More→

Dominicians con RIZOS (Part 4) Meet Ixchel

Posted on January 7, 2014

Tell us about Ixchel! (As told by her mommy Ishtar) Ixchel Inanna Rojas (Ixchel is the mayan Moon Goddess, hence her nickname Luna Inanna is the Summerian goddess of love). She is 3 1/2 years old and in Pre-k. She is of Dominican, Venezuelan, and Colombian descent – Quite the mix, huh?  She has 3 older brothers, one of which is 10 years old and rocks an awesome afro as well. As a mommy of a little girl with natural hair, can you explainRead More→

Dominicans con RIZOS (Part 3) Meet Bruja

Posted on December 29, 2013

So you go by Bruja. Is that your real name?  And that hair!  Tell me about your journey. bruja is my real name.  yes it means witch and no, it is not what is on my birth certificate. i believe everyone has the right to call themselves what they wish. for example, Malcolm Little became Malcolm X – the letter X for the unknown African family he came from. later El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, signifying a new phase, a new journeyRead More→

Dominicans Con RIZOS – (Part 2) Meet Jackie and Addison

Posted on December 24, 2013

You are a first time mommy! Congrats! How has your routine including your hair routine changed?  My routine as a first time mommy has changed and sadly, not for the better.  Before returning to work full-time, I used to deep condition my hair on a weekly basis. I also used to wear the curls out all the time. Since becoming a mom, I’ve found that time is a precious and rare commodity when it comes to beauty/hair care. I noRead More→

Dominicans Con RIZOS – (Part 1) Meet Belissa

Posted on December 18, 2013

A couple of months ago I had a conversation with my good friend Karen about hair- well our conversations usually lead to a hair discussion because what else is there really to talk about? Right? Haha just playing (not really). We discussed our hair routines, go to products, and her recent haircut experience at Devachan with my well, shoooot, OUR hair angel Nevila.  Our conversation got a little deeper and I started asking her questions about how she felt since going natural andRead More→