Brownstone Women's Spotlight: A Profile of G.S. Wolff

G.S. Wolff is the author of a refreshing new novel, The Girlz of Galstanberry. Wolff got her inspiration to write by listening to the girls of her mentorship program and focusing on their unheard voices. They were tired of reading books that just did not relate to them. In addition to writing, Wolff holds a bachelors degree in Neuroscience and a Master of Science. She is a Mathematics professor and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Martine Rouzan (MR): Can you tell our readers about your book, The Girlz of Galstanberry, and what inspired you to write it?

G.S. Wolff (GW): I have a mentoring program for girls and the girls I work with expressed that current books did not accurately reflect them. Books like Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars, only focus on one type of girl from one geographic area of the United States. I was inspired by the unique voices of girls and the differences among girls that were not being addressed. Expressing different cultural & socio-economic backgrounds was important to me.

MR: I noticed while reading excerpts from the book that all the girls are from difference cities across the U.S. and they all wear different shoes to reflect their various personalities. How did you decide on the different cities and traits for each character?

GW: If you take a look, the book it has a horizontal cover. You have to turn the cover to look at each girl. An example of the cover is on the website. The poses, facial expressions, shoes and skin color among each girl are all different. They all wear the same uniform which enforces that they follow the same rules and traditions but never lose sight of their individuality and unique personalities. For example, the fan favorite, Brandi is wearing ballerina slippers to spotlight her interest.

For the cities, I wanted each part of the US to be represented in some capacity. I have characters from the South, Southwest, Midwest, East Coast and West Coast. I love Atlanta because it has one of the largest populations of Black professionals. The Midwest was important to me because I am from the Midwest and I wanted the auto industry to be represented. As for the East Coast, in books we usually see wealthy, Caucasian girls representing this area, however the East Coast is very diverse and deserved to be represented in a different way. My East Coast character is Puerto Rican and from the Bronx. The West Coast character is funky and free-spirited, so San Francisco was the perfect choice for her. This is opposite of the “typical” way Asian girls are represented. Readers usually never see a red head girl represented in books, most likely you will see a blonde or a brunette. The red head character is from Texas which has their own culture and own accent that has been incorporated into the book.

MR: What were you like as a teenager? Are any of these characters modeled after you and your experiences growing up?

All my readers tell me I look like Brandy. I don’t necessarily agree, but the one thing we do share is our hair. I have really big hair and I wanted Brandy to also have big hair. Each girl is an aspect of my personality. Some reflect friends and some are even named after girls I know. Lillian is spunky and Fei is very independent which are both reflective of my personality. I was bullied growing up and it was important to me to incorporate that into the book as well. People often stand by, watch and don’t do anything while others are being bullied. I wanted to address this issue because it was something that was so close to home for me.

MR: I love the Galstanberry Motto: "May all Galstanberry Girls pursue their dreams, stand their ground, persevere though obstacles, and live without regret." How do you incorporate this motto into your life?

GW: The motto comes from 1926 chapter. It is a reflection of my own life. I really want girls to persevere through their obstacles and approach life with a zest. Don’t let anything stop you because you are scared. It may be pretty heavy from a middle school girl to think about but it’s important to know this early so you live life to the fullest. The stand your ground comes from bullying which reflect my own experiences growing up. I wanted something deeper for middle school girls to ponder so they wouldn’t only consumed by gossip and materialism.

MR: What obstacles did you overcome in publishing your book?

GW: I started writing in May 2010 and it just poured out of me. Writing a book for girls was natural because I have a program for middle school girl. Everything I do I think of them in the background. I didn’t know of literary agents, which are like sports agents for authors. I submitted about 20 query letters about my book and received rejections from all of them. This was really disappointing because this is a book about real girls rather than sci-fi vampires or really rich Caucasian girls from the East Coast. There is no ethnic diversity in the books currently available for my market. All the books in Borders are the same. The rejection was difficult, but I realized f I really wanted this to happen, I had to do it myself. I’ve had my mentoring program for 10 years and I knew how to register a name and the other paperwork involved in starting up a company. I took the money I made from my fellowship, hired a team to draw the girls, found an editor and someone to manufacture the book.

I then pitched the the book to Detroit Public Library, who pre- ordered 100 copies due by October 13th. That along with two scheduled book signings meant I had to work on a fast timeline. I now have my own publishing house and my book is the only one. I sacrificed my summer for my book; I would work in the lab from 9-5, come home and write all night. I wrote everyday at every moment where I had free time and it was well worth the pressure.

MR: Can we expect more books from you soon?

GW: Yes!!! Definitely the series will continue. I want to hear what girls want. I will probably start writing the next one soon to come out next year.

MR: Thank you for your time, I look forward to checking out your book and I hope our readers do to!

-- Martine Rouzan
Brownstone Team

Brownstone Holiday Gift Guide: Idea #1

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with your family and friends! Today is the craziest shopping day of the year: Black Friday! How many of you were dragged out of bed by your mom to stand in a store line at 3 AM? Well if you did brave the long lines this morning, then I'd have to say that you're one of the dedicated ones. Me?...not so much. I've never been one to wake up early unless I have to do something really important like catch a flight. My new philosophy is, "If they don't have it when I get there, then it wasn't meant for me to have!"

But now that the holiday season is in full motion, it means that you will eventually have to hit the malls to get those perfect holiday gifts. No worries! Brownstone is here to help you along the way with our Holiday Gift Guide. Every Friday leading up to Christmas, we will offer a gift option or two to assist you with your shopping. Hey, you might even find something you like to put on your own Christmas list!

Idea #1: The Kodak Pulse Digital Picture Frame

The Kodak Pulse is a very cool gift for a friend (or yourself...lol). Everyone loves taking cute pixs of your friends doing crazy things or family members at special events. With the Kodak Pulse, you can easily receive pictures from others right onto your digital frame, as well as upload pictures to Facebook. Here's more information:

Cool Ways to Upload Pixs

• Create your own e-mail address for the frame to easily receive new pictures
  Send pictures from a computer


• E-mail pictures from mobile phones as soon as they’re taken—perfect for sharing on-the-go


• Adding your own pictures to the frame from your computer is incredibly simple
  The PULSE automatically links to friends and photo albums on FACEBOOK and KODAK Gallery sites, so you can see new pictures on your frame when they’re posted
  

Easy to Use

• Hassle-free pictures—there’s no software to install, making setup easier than ever


• The PULSE automatically alerts you as soon as you get new pictures from friends and family


• Wirelessly add or replace pictures with built-in Wi-Fi


• You can also insert a memory card or USB drive to start viewing your pictures right away
  

Displays pictures beautifully

• Pictures look amazing on the 7 in. high-quality digital photo display (800 × 600 pixels)


• featuring KODAK Color Science and LED backlighting.

Visit experience.kodakpulse.com to see it in action.

The Kodak Pulse is the gift that keeps on giving. Who doesn't like looking at pixs of their friends and themselves over and over again? The Kodak Pulse is an awesome reminder of all the good times shared in life. Your friend will love you for this thoughtful gift! I know I would ;)

-- Tymika Morrison
Brownstone Team

Baby Got Back

Well everyone knows this song by Sir Mixalot. It’s a classic and as soon as the words “Oh..my..God Becky” come on everyone is sure to know the words that come next. Even though this song is catchy and gets your attention, it’s very derogatory and makes you wonder about your expectations as a young black woman in the black community. I struggled this month to figure out what to write about and just thought to ask my female peers about what they think their role is supposed to be as young black women, as well as what have they been judged on. One of my best friends came up with the idea of the black body image in black society. Her exact words were, “I feel stereotyped the most physically as a black woman. I feel like I have to conform into the views of black women or else I’ll be an outcast within my own race. (i.e.: big butt, hour glass frame).” Her words really spoke to me and made me realize that even though I may not be paying attention to how others view me, I am always being judge by my own community. Pop culture and songs like this make our community believe that Black women as a whole all have a role in our society to be “thick.” The lyrics to this song “I like big butts and I cannot lie. You other brothers can't deny. That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face. You get sprung, want to pull up tough. Cause you notice that butt was stuffed,” seem to encourage the idea of being thick and having a coke bottle shape. I feel so uncomfortable within my own body sometimes, because I am not “thick” and don’t have the “coke bottle shape” that our society seems to pressure our women into being like.

I talked to more young women and they all agreed that as black women, we have to look a certain way to please both our black women and our black community. It’s seen as shameful now when a black girl doesn’t have any curves and no butt. So many teenage girls feel less black or less of a woman without having curves. Black guys don’t make it any better by preferring girls with curves over those who aren’t as curvaceous as others. It seems to me that black girls in our communities don’t make it any easier in accepting our bodies. So many of my peers at school talk down to black thinner girls and it seems that within our black community if you are thin than you are looked down upon and are seen as less of being black just because you aren’t curvy. I’ve been called skinny and my friends make me feel as if my body is not normal and I feel like I need to gain wait and put on a few more pounds. I get so consumed in my looks sometimes because I try to fit into this “black barbie doll” type of body image. I am here to say that ladies we are just as beautiful with our without our natural curves. We should just accept our bodies for what they already naturally are like. You don’t need “back” to be beautiful.



-- Jamiah LaShay (Berkeley High School, Age 16)
Jr Correspondent

Dream...But Don't Sleep

Langston Hughes asked it best:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--
And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

--Dreams Deferred by Langston Hughes

What do you think happens when your dreams are put on hold? It happens to all of us. Whether it is for school, a job, or even family, we all sacrifice our dreams in some way just to make it through the daily grind. But given that life sometimes forces us to put our dreams aside, does this mean we should let them die?

I must admit, it’s hard to stay passionate about something that’s always pushed onto the back burner. For me, I struggle with becoming an entrepreneur. Should I resign from my day job and put 100% of my time into running my own business? Or should I get my head out of the clouds and continue on the road I’ve started? I fight with these questions all the time.

For anyone, I think that if the dream is worth dreaming, it’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN. This goes for myself too. Who cares if I have to wait a few years to actively pursue my dream? If I'm really on fire about it, I won’t let it rot or sag. It will eventually explode into greatness and success. And just think, if you're not passionate enough about your dreams to the point that they"ll explode if ever placed on hold, how could we expect people to believe in us?

This is why I really like the quote, “dream but don’t sleep.” For me it means, if your dreams have been deferred, keep dreaming. Work towards them little by little until reality allows them to manifest, or like Langston Hughes writes, explode. Don’t simply have a dream and sleep on it because by the time you wake up life will have passed us all by.

What do you think happens to a dream deferred?

--Kyle Holland
Brownstone Team

Fabulosity for Less!

I opened my wallet. Thirty dollars. Just enough for a mani/pedi! That leaves me with exactly 0 dollars for the rest of the week. But what do I really need to buy this week? Well my gas tank is on empty. But an empty tank really means that I have 40 additional miles. And there’s absolutely no way I can show my face in public with chipped nails. Mani/pedi it is!

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why are we so hasty to spend the entirety of our money on things that don’t last? Everyone wants to look good and keeping up with the trends is something that many of us pride ourselves on, but how we can we keep our look fresh and updated without going completely broke? The solution is simple. Learn how to do basic aesthetic maintenance yourself and become a smart shopper!

Remember when you were little and your mom would buy you a cheap set of nail polishes from the 99 cent store? You were perfectly content doing your own nails, but for some reason as you got older you decided that you needed to go to the nail salon to have nice looking nails. That isn’t true! For difficult maintenance such as cuticle removal I do recommend going to a nail salon every couple of months, but basic filing, clipping and polish changes can all be done at home. All you need is quality nail polish (my favorites are “Lincoln Park After Dark” by OPI and “Neon Pink Voltage” by China Glaze), a nail file, nail clippers, q tips and polish remover. I used to have a difficult time painting my nails because it would get so messy and I would get nail polish all over my skin. But, after observing nail techs at salons, I realized that I was applying too much polish to each nail. When you dip the brush in the polish, make sure you wipe off the excess polish on the edge of the bottle before you apply to your nail. To remove the polish that does manage to get on your skin, dip a q tip in polish remover and lightly coat the edge of your nail bed. Make sure to coat your nails with clear nail polish to minimize chipping. To make your polish last even longer, apply clear nail polish once a day.

As black girls, hair is always a big concern. We will steadily make our bi monthly hair appointments and remain loyal to our hair stylists even though the price of a press n curl seems to rise by 5 dollars every time we go! Thankfully, I have found that it is possible to create full shiny locks on my own. Because my hair tends to be really dry, I always give myself an oil treatment before I wash my hair. I prefer to part my hair in sections and saturate it with Ojon Restorative Treatment. After forty minutes I rinse out my hair and then proceed to wash it with TRESemme Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. I pat my hair dry and apply Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla leave in conditioner. I then use a blow dryer with a comb attached to detangle my hair and get it as straight as possible, and coat my hair with Carol’s Daughter Lisa’s Hair Elixir which gives it an extra shine and acts as a heat protector. Lastly, I divide my hair into small sections and use a Gold N Hot pressing comb and flat iron to straighten. Everyone has a different hair type and hair preference so it’s important to experiment with products and find a regimen that works for you. Remember, though, that the key to healthy hair is to use plenty of conditioner and the least amount of heat as possible. When you do use heat, make sure that you always use a heat protector.

Shopping is another area where a lot of us get into trouble. Take a minute and think of all the fashion trends that have occurred over the past five years. Think of how many of those trends you wore. Now think of how many of those trends you still wear. My point exactly. I don’t recommend depriving yourself of shopping because, just like dieting, if you consistently deprive yourself of this joy you will only end up binge shopping. Instead, when you receive money pick one item of clothing you really want and buy that and only that. This way you satisfy your shopping appetite without spending everything you have. If you can’t manage to limit yourself to just one article of clothing, then try to stick to less expensive stores such as Forever 21 and Wet Seal for trendy items and only shop at more upscale places for fashion staples, articles that will never go out of style.

There are so many great things you can do with all the money you’ll start saving!
Savings Account –If you put 10% of any amount of money you receive into a savings account, you could actually build up a substantial amount of money within a few years. Imagine how rewarding it would feel to be able to put down a down payment for a car or pay the deposit for your first college apartment all on your own!

Charity – Every penny makes a difference. You may feel that even though you only receive a twenty dollar allowance or only work part time after school that you can’t make a real difference but that’s not true. Non profits and charities utilize any contribution they receive and depend on all donations, big or small, to function.

Safety– Life is unpredictable and you never know what unexpected situations will arise. It’s always smart to have extra padding in your wallet.

Looking good and maintaining fabulosity is important to all of us but you don’t need to spend beyond your means to look flawless. Strive to become more resourceful. Trust me, it’s worth it :)

-- Karissa Allen
Guest Blogger

Brownstone Holiday Giveaway

Attention all Brownstone readers! We are hosting our first holiday giveaway (YAY!) As December approachs we look forward to our favorite parts of the holiday season. Mine happens to be waking up Christmas morning and seeing my family all together. Well, Brownstone wants to hear about your favorite holiday story or what the holidays mean to you. So get those creative juices flowing and get ready to write. One lucky winner will receive a $20 gift certificate to the store of her choice.

Rules: In order to win a lovely giftcard from the store of your choice, you must write about:

a.) Your favorite holiday memory OR
b.) What the holidays mean to you

Submissions can be in the form of a poem, story, pictures, blog entry, video....get creative! The entry must be from 300-500 words. If you submit a video it must be under 5 minutes. Picture entries must have 3-5 pictures with a short explanation. Please e-mail your entrees to BrownstoneMag@gmail.com and include your name, age, and phone number so that we can contact you.

Regulations: The Brownstone Holiday Giveaway begins November 15th (12 am PST) and ends December 10th (11:59 pm PST). All participants must be between 13 and 18 years old. All participants will be entered into a drawing and one winner will be chosen December 12th and announced December 13th on the blog. In addition, all entrees will be featured on the blog. The winning entree will have a special feature on Christmas Eve.

We look forward to receiving your entrees. If you have any questions, please don't hestitate me at BrownstoneMag@gmail.com. HAVE FUN!

-- Rebecca Matey

Brownstone Intern

The Silent Code of the Streets

Last weekend, Bobby Maurice Tillman (age 18) was stomped to death outside a house party in Atlanta. Allegedly, a fight had taken place between two girls, when one of the girls hit a guy. Instead of hitting the girl back, the guy said that he would hit the next person who walked outside. Unfortunately that was Bobby. It upsets me that this young man had to die over such a senseless act.

Immediately, I thought about my July post, "Simmer Down: Learning to Control Your Anger." We have to learn to control our anger. It is never okay to allow your frustration to cause you to lay hands (or feet in this case) on another person. We have to learn to walk away. Just because you decide to look the other way doesn't make you a punk or weak like others may think. Be smart about the decisions you make. Remember all it takes is one bad decision to ruin your future.

But aside from the anger issue, I have a huge issue with (1) teens watching someone getting beat up and (2) not saying anything about it. I don't understand what's cool about watching a fight. It seems very barbaric to watch two people try to hurt each other. Have you ever watched a fight before? If so, what kept you from walking away? I'm not going to lie...when I was in high school I watched a fight or two from afar. Sadly, there was something exciting about watching a herd of people ran from one end of the quad to another. But now, I see nothing fun or exciting about watching people fight especially when it's ending in death. Another question I have is why aren't people calling for help? Or trying to break up the fight? I wonder how the teens who watched Bobby Tillman die feel? It's sickening on all parts. I'm upset at the 4 young men who beat him to death and the teens who watched in amusement or even shock.

If you take away anything from this post, I hope that you will think twice about watching the next fight that takes place around you. Don't be a spectator at such a barbaric event. Also, don't be afraid to leave and call for help and if you do see something don't be afraid to speak up about it. There seems to be a really stupid code of the streets known as "Stop Snitching." You're supposed to protect your friends when they get caught doing something wrong. I understand wanting to be loyal BUT don't let your friend's bad actions get you caught up as well. There have been many stories where I've heard people, especially girls taking the fall for their boyfriends (we'll cover that in a future post). Don't be stupid, speak up. Help save a life! If you were like Bobby...minding your own business and suddenly found yourself the victim of a fight would you want people to stand by and watch...say nothing? Think about that...

-- Tymika Morrison
Brownstone Team

How Do You Rock?

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about Black Girls Rock, Inc. They recently aired an awards show which motivated me to delve a little deeper to find out about this movement. I’m glad I did because their mission is inspiring, necessary and very close to home. BGR was started by Beverly Bond as a company that focuses on music and empowerment. Like Brownstone, Beverly was inspired to begin BGR as a reaction to limited images of women of color in the media. Check out the recent interview she did on the Today Show.



Beverly promotes mentorship and uses music, self expression and creativity as tools of development which made me wonder, what are other ways that Black girls rock? Well, there are so many I don’t know where to start!

Fabulously Fierce – Fierce, strong, tough… Whatever adjective you choose, Black girls are as tough as they come. We stand on the shoulders of our grandmothers, mothers and aunts to create a powerful force to be reckoned with. Black women from earlier generations have paved our way and we should look forward to embracing the inner strength to fill those shoes for generations to come. Being a girl is not always easy with the stresses of school, relationships and family, but knowing who you are and the strength you possess will ensure that you ROCK!

Gorgeous Gals – Black girls rock because Black is beautiful! We are all a stunning variety of features. From a wide range of mahogany kissed complexions to our many hair types, a Black girl’s beauty is incomparable. It’s amazing to realize how different we are yet we share one beautifully common bond. Remember to proudly show it off and make it a priority to celebrate your unique beauty everyday because you never know who will be inspired by you!

Constant Creativity – Beverly does an amazing job at getting girls to realize their creativity through music, but a Black girls talent manifests in so many ways. Whether its music, poetry, sports, art or fashion, Black girls are always pushing the envelope when it comes to getting creative. No matter what level you are at in your journey, never forget that your gift is still powerful and worth sharing. Sure, the Black Girls Rock movement is amazing and now known around the nation, but remember, it started out just as a t-shirt logo and grew from there, so don’t be afraid to start from scratch in order to make your rock star shine!



-- Martine Rouzan
Brownstone Team

Tips for Overcoming Personal Statement Writer's Block

It's that time of the year for seniors: College Applications! Dun, dun, DUN... For those applying to UCs and CSUs the November 30th deadline is fastly approaching. One critical element of the college application process (and in my opinion the hardest part) is writing your personal statement. A personal statement allows a school to get a glimpse of who you are as a person outside of the academics. Your personal statement gives you a chance to tell your story.

So, you may be thinking "What exactly am I supposed to write about?" Well the answer is simple...YOU. Your life experiences, amibitions, inspirations, etc. I heard many cases where people wrote about obstacles they overcame (like deaths in the family, pregnancy, drugs, etc) or situations that challenged them (i.e. growing up poor, single parent household, raising siblings). If this doesn't ring a bell for you, don't worry! Just because you didn't live a hard knock life doesn't mean that you don't have a story to tell. Talk about an experience that makes you unique, your hopes and dreams, why college is important to you. Everyone has a story that needs to be heard.

Personal statements for UCs and CSUs were open-ended when I was applying to college. (I think they ask you a specific question now) I didn't have a tough childhood (not to discredit anyone else's story) so I chose to write about my involvement in an organization called Young Black Scholars (YBS) and how it prepared me for college. I was honest about my experience, stating that I hated getting up early on my Saturday mornings to attend these college prep workshops. But I also explained the value in these programs and how they helped me develop discipline and an appreciation for higher learning. Yes, this was a simple story, but I was able to show my desire to excel and growth as a student. Writing my personal story was hard and required many, many drafts. Remember it can be done! Here are some personal tips to writing a great personal statement:

• Keep it Real/Stay True to Yourself. Don't make up things to make yourself to make your story sound juicer than it is. Be honest about your experiences.
  
• Get Creative. Don't just tell your story! Paint a picture and leave the school feeling like they know you. I started my personal statement with a funny anecdote to draw the reader in.


• Don't be Afraid to Expose your Faults. If you received bad grades don't be afraid to explain why. Or maybe you have a parent on drugs. Don't be afraid to show your weaknesses or talk about disadvantages that may have held you back. The key is to expose your faults and explain how you overcame them.


• Show Growth. It's important to show what you've learned from a situation.
  
• Don't Restate What's on your Application. Your application is like your resume. When writing your personal statement try to talk about a situation that isn't easily seen on your application. Allow the reader to learn something new about you.
  
• Answer the Question. Read the prompt carefully and answer only what they ask you. Try not to go off topic and definitely stick to the word count you're given.


• Peer Review: Ask your teachers, counselors, parents, etc review your personal statement before you submit it. It's important to get different perspectives during the editing process.
  

Good luck writing your personal statement! If you would like help, please feel free to contact me at BrownstoneMag@gmail.com

-- Tymika Morrison
Brownstone Team

What to Save and Spend on this Winter Season

Hey girls! Winter is quickly approaching and it's time to start taking better care of our hair! I know that sounds like a lot of work, but with the right tools, it’s actually really simple. All you have to is know what to splurge on and what to save on.

Shampoo: SAVE

Whenever I wash my hair, I just grab whatever is in the closest. You can buy shampoo from the dollar store or your local beauty supply store. As long as you make sure to scrub your scalp, your hair will be strong and grow healthily.

Conditioner: SPLURGE
Conditioner is the one thing that I will spend major money on. Conditioner helps tame my hair and makes detangling it so much easier. I don’t know where I would be without it and it’s the one part of my hair routine that I follow religiously. The conditioner I use is one by Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Daily Treatment, it’s kind of pricey but it leaves my hair silky, soft, and shiny. I have to actually go to a salon to get it, but if you go online to they have a salon locator that carries the line.

Flat Iron: SPLURGE
From all of my experience with flat irons, I’ve found that if I pay for enough for one, it will last me forever! With less expensive flat irons, they work well for a while, but around the fifth or sixth time I use it, it starts to fizzle out or start to develop problems. Only after I finally bit the bullet and bought a more expensive Solia flat iron, did I notice how much longer it has lasted me. You can buy one on Amazon, for a little over $70. I know it sounds like a lot but trust me, it’s worth it.

Hair Dryer: SAVE

I know this sounds weird, spend money on a flat iron but save on a hair dryer. You would think these things go hand in hand right? Wrong. Because of all the heat you use on your hair, you should try to keep it all at a minimum. If you plan on flat ironing your hair, you should air dry your hair in a braid or up in a bun so you don’t damage your hair with unnecessary heat. If you can avoid using a hair dryer, then you should. However, I know that sometimes school or extracurriculars get in the way and you have to get your hair done quickly, so I think that you should look for less expensive hair dryers for those kinds of days. If you keep your hair drying to a minimum, a small inexpensive hair dryer will last you years! The last time I got a hair dryer I was around eight (and I still share it with my mom) so I can’t say that I have any solid suggestions, however all of my friends have said that they have gotten their hair dryers from Target and I found one that was under twenty dollars and is super cute! I’ve researched the reviews and talked to a bunch of my friends and I think that this is a great buy! They come in a bunch of different colors and I think I might pick one up from my local Target.

Hair Treatments: IT DEPENDS
I understand that taming your hair as a young African-American female can be a pain. Sometimes you just want to chemically treat it when it gets tough. Though I discourage you from doing so and embrace your natural hair texture, if you decide to do so, it does depend on what kind of results you want. If you want just a better way to tame your hair and keep the curls down, I recommend just buying a less expensive boxed treatment. But if you do decide to go that route, make sure to go online and research which boxed kits would work best with your hair type and what kinds of results you expect. Another option that would fall on the pricey side is if you want to completely get rid of your curl -something I strongly discourage! You would want to go into the salon and pay a stylist for a relaxer treatment. One thing you have to keep in mind with both of these treatment routes is that both require a lot of upkeep and you would have to touch up your roots every four to six months as your hair continues to grow, so that would eventually rack up the bill. When I was younger and I relaxed my hair, I used an olive oil based one. I found that it kept my hair straight and soft. You can buy it on Amazon for around eight dollars and it’s the best at home relaxer I’ve ever used.

There you go ladies! Everything you should save and spend on this winter season! I hope you all have fabulous holidays and winter fun!

-- Alexandra Scott (Berkeley High School, Age 16)

Jr Correspondent

Editor's Pick: Convertible Mittens

Okay ladies, this month I'm raving about my favorite winter find this season: convertible mittens. Sounds a little high tech, right? But, if you're like me and you have long finger nails, then you're probably used (and highly annoyed) to getting holes at the tips of your gloves. Not cool! Who wants to walk around with a finger poking out?

I recently was in American Eagle Outfitters and saw the cutest pair of mittens. It's kinda hard to describe, but basically convertible mittens are kinda like hobo gloves (gloves with the fingertips cut off), but the cool part is there is an attachable flap to cover your fingertips. So, if you're outside you can keep your fingers covered from the cold and if you're inside you can take off the flap so that your fingers are free and can still stay warm. Simply genius! I did some research to find out that these gloves are EVERYWHERE and come in so many cute styles (plain, strips, animal print, etc). This weekend, I bought a pair of dark gray convertible gloves from Target for only $10.99. I can't wait to get another pair! Check out these cute convertible mittens:

Forever 21 ($4.80)

Forever 21 ($5.80)

BDG Convertible Gloves ($16)

Mixed Stripe Convertible Gloves ($16)

AE Luxe Convertible Gloves (19.99)

-- Tymika Morrison
Brownstone Team