Dark and Lovely: Now at Your Local Monoprix

Dark and Lovely

Ahhh Dark and Lovely! WOW. I remember when I first moved to Paris over 13 years ago. You were hard pressed to find ANY African-American hair products in ANY of the stores here (unless you went to Chateau  d’eau of course). Now, I walk into my neighborhood Monoprix, and voila: Dark and Lovely relaxers.

Now, this is both awesome and scary at the same time. I have only tried to give myself a relaxer once or twice throughout my entire life. Needless to say: I failed. Giving yourself a relaxer is no easy task-- no matter how hard you try. If you are not a trained professional, I'd say don't do it. So, for this product to be readily available to any and every one, it's a little unsettling. Why? Because taking care of black hair is not even taught in hair schools here, so who's teaching whom and when and where and how?

Dark and Lovely + Garnier 

Does this mean there is a lot of home perming going on in Paris? I suppose it does...hmmmm....I'll try to get some info from Monoprix about this. Is it a best seller? Who's buying this product? I'll get back to you as soon as I have more info.

On another note, my niece back in the US swears by the Garnier Ultra Doux product that you can barely see in the picture. I once bought it for myself, but it didn't quite work for me. I gave it to her the last time I was home and she loves it!

Back to D and L: Maybe Monoprix is revving up their hair product game? Nah, probably not. Until I see some Shea Mositure, Curls, Knot Today, Olive Oil Conditioner, Palmers or Jane Carter in the aisles, I won't be convinced…but hey, seeing this on the shelves could be considered a good thing overall, right? In any case, it reminds me of home a little.

Iman's Waves

IMAN

I really like Iman's long amber waves. Thoughts? And NO I am not going to change my mind about going natural, lol. I'm just sayin'.....

Salon Review: Salon Mark Clement

Salon Mark Clement

I was on vacation in the Dominican Republic when I met another Parisian who recommended this salon to me. Mark is an African-American who hails from Los Angeles. The manager, Bruno, is French but speaks English fluently, so don't hesitate to call and make an appointment even if you don't speak French.

The products are fantastic in this salon also- most of the same used to in the U.S., like Revlon, Affirm,etc. Mark does perms really well, and is heavily into hair care. He actually takes the time to explain what he's doing to your hair, and why. 

The location is easy to find, and the salon is brand new. You feel good here. It's like going back home in away.


Address:
Mark Clement Salon
58 rue Volta 
Paris, 3rd arrondissement
Tel: (33).1.40.27.03.27

Find him on Facebook!

Natural Hair Academy in Paris a Huge Success!

Me with the amazing Felicia Leatherwood

On Sunday April 1 LA native Felicia Leatherwood of Loving Your Hair with Natural Care was in Paris to give the Natural Hair Academy. Hosted by Clarisse Libene of bellebene and ak-a, this was a rare opportunity for naturalistas in Paris. I can truly say that I had the loveliest of times cruising around the River Seine with some of the world's premier natural hair experts and natural hair lovers. 

Ms. Leatherwood's workshops are an invaluable resource to women who want to learn how to maintain and take care of natural hair. She has been doing hair since she was nine years old. Her experience is solid, having worked on stars such as Jill Scott, Kim Coles, Will Smith, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, and Hill Harper. Her work that has appeared in People magazine, Essence, and InStyle, as well as in film and television. 

I had been looking forward to attending this event for weeks and I wasn't disappointed. Ms. Leatherwood was so kind and patient! She took in a lot of questions and made sure attendees fully understood her answers before moving on to other topics. Some of the questions included: What type of curl pattern do I have? Can I condition my hair before bed? Can I blow dry? 

Needless to say it was extremely informative and women walked away feeling more confident and knowledgeable than they were when they arrived. Several of the ladies I spoke to afterwards told me they were so happy to have an expert on hand right here in Paris to guide them in their natural hair journey. Here, here.

Jane Carter (Jane Carter Solution) was there as well and demonstrated some of her products on models. The results were amazing. I definitely have to try her products for myself. AND on top of that and she was truly wonderful. I had the best time chatting with her. Cassidy Blackwell (The Natural Selection Blog) was on hand and it was great meeting her too. Chimole Williams of SheaMoisture  (who also co-sponsored the event) was there but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to speak to her. A real pity since SheaMoisture is my favorite product. Hopefully I'll see her again in the future. 

Chimole Williams of SheaMoisture and Actress Aissa Maiga

There was even a surprise appearance by French actress Aissa Maiga, who is currently starring in Sur La Piste du Marsupilami with Jamel Debbouze and Alain Chabat.  She was both gorgeous and humble.

I think there will be another event of this kind very soon.
I'll definitely keep you guys posted!

Go to the Black Hair in Paris Facebook page to see the rest of our photos!