Video: Simple but amazing ways to style natural hair

There's never been a better time to rock your natural coils, kinks and curls!

Whether you're racing against the clock or are just a lazy natural, these natural hair styles will leave you looking your best in just 10 minutes or less!

Video by: Black men who support black women going natural

CONFESSIONS: The day I found gay porn in my brother’s closet

My brother does not know that I know he is gay. For a very long time, I have felt utterly certain that my elder brother is gay. That uneasy, jittery feeling called a woman’s intuition.

But in a complex issue such as sexuality, you can’t possibly walk up to your elder brother armed with just an intuition. He could just brush me off as suffering from a temporary hormonal imbalance.

He is old enough to scheme for girls. But he doesn’t. My very Christian parents found this a sigh of relief and a sign of belief that this boy will be God’s own toy.

My elder brother is young enough to be a football fanatic and find the sports engrossing, but he doesn’t. Even if he liked an obscure sport like badminton, I would drop all these CSI hunch inside of me.

But he is very sensitive – an occasional cause of concern for my parents. But for my parents who are church leaders, seeing my brother attend church even reluctantly and join in family devotion is enough to dispel any theory that such an ‘abomination’ happens at home.

Caught between parents who wouldn’t give my suspicion any serious preliminary hearing and a brother I dare not ‘accuse’ falsely, I felt compelled to find evidence for all three of us – my parents, myself and my brother.

Rummaging through my older brother’s stuff filled me with awful shame. Shame because it’s not right, it’s a little freakish stalking and somewhat sinister because if I was justified I would not be satisfied. I would be crushed.

He was out to visit a friend. Being a very tidy person, my search was difficult yet easy. Easy to know what it is. But difficult to arrange everything as it’s not been touched.

My first stop was his closet. After looking through his collection of designer shirts – thanks to my dad – I decided to look inside the drawer and there they were. Loads and loads of magazines with guys in them (shirtless men with six packs), they were handsome too. Some of these guys were in very uncomplimentary positions with other guys, the others were totally naked. What was he doing with these things, I asked myself, silently.

My heart started racing, but I didn’t stop. I pulled open the last drawer and in there were CDs, with pictures of naked guys printed on them. It was porn. No it was gay porn. I felt shot. My jaw dropped, I could see myself falling hard on the floor if I didn’t get closer to his bed.

For minutes I just stood there. Bodily present, mentally absent, processing the awful hurt for my relatively emotionally innocent life.

When my boyfriend broke up with me after a year of dating, I went out with my friends, had drink and only pretended to be sad when he called the next day to apologise for hurting me. Truth is, I’d wanted to leave him anyway.

Much as death is painful, we are aware it can happen. But how many people walk about prepared to accept or consider the possibility that your brother is gay? You can advise someone to stop chasing girls. But can you advise someone to stop being gay?

I didn’t know what or how to feel. Didn’t know if I should be mad at myself or at my brother for what I’d seen. I was dumbfounded and overwhelmed with fear.

That Friday night was one of the worst nights for me. To wake up one day and find out that your brother, one you love deeply and are proud of is involved with something society does not accept is difficult to accept.

I’ve got to say that I do not intend in any way to judge my brother but I cannot accept that he is gay. 

My parents will be devastated if and when they find out what I now know. I remember the grave warnings, pleas, threats mixed with promises which I received when my parents talked to me about teenage pregnancy.

Don’t know how this is going to go down. But somebody is going to be very, very down and very, very sad. External social ridicule awaits and an internal family meltdown lurks.

Right now, I’m worried because we are blacks, we live in Ghana and things like these are not countenanced. What will happen when people find out?

Nobody goes to my brother’s bedroom. But just like I found out, my parents could one day go there or barge in and find out.

I do not want to imagine how he feels about all these. Not being able to, at his age, bring a woman home or have a meaningful relationship. He might never – unless of course God intervenes – be like his friends, he’ll always be different but I’m the wrong person to save him. Right now, I kind of sympathise with him but I certainly can’t pretend everything is okay.

I love my brother. How do I support my gay brother? Should I accept it and move on? Tell him to be himself? Or tell him to try deliverance? How do I in practical terms show respect to him? If I hear him say I love you on the phone to some guy, should I beam with gladness or throw up?

The one thing women look for in a partner

What is the number one thing that women are looking for in a man? Six-pack abs? Six-figure bank account? A tall, handsome man riding a white horse? No, no, and no. The number one thing women look for is simply this: trustworthiness. That’s right, trustworthiness.

Now before you go patting yourself on the back and putting this book down because you know that she knows that you are trustworthy, think again. Trustworthiness isn’t just about whether or not you are a player or, if you’re in a long-term relationship, whether or not you’ve ever been unfaithful. Although those things are fundamental and important to trust-worthiness, they are not enough.

What trustworthiness looks like in dating and mating is this: You are who you say you are and you do what you say you are going to do. It’s about reliability, accountability, and showing up just as you are (but with good hygiene). Why is trustworthiness so important? Why is this the quality that makes a woman’s heart soar? Think about it. Throughout history, a woman’s safety and well-being, as well as that of her children, have been dependent on her parents' trustworthiness.

This is not just some antiquated issue from yesteryear, either. Fathers turn out to be the most critical factor in the health and success of children across a wide range of influences. When fathers are not involved with their kids, there’s a five times greater likelihood that the kids will live in poverty, a three times greater likelihood that they’ll fail in school, and a two times greater likelihood that they will have emotional and behavioural problems, use drugs, get involved in crime, or commit suicide. 

Men make a difference. And men matter immensely to women and to their children, so there’s a reason women are looking for men who are trustworthy.

Now you may be saying, “Hold on a minute, we’ve just met” or “I’m just looking for a date.” Well, knowing what her deep, evolutionary needs are will help you know how to win her heart for a night or for a lifetime. Just remember that she’s asking herself, even if she’s not consciously thinking about it, “Is he safe? Will he be there for me? Is he dependable? Is he trustworthy?” 

There is a reason that women think that firefighters are hot. (And it’s not the moustaches.) They are a symbol of all these qualities. Firefighters are Heroes. You can be, too.

This is why all of those symbolic actions of concern and protectiveness that your grandmother told you to do are actually so important. 

Opening a door for her, pulling out her chair, and walking on the traffic side of the street (yeah, really) all signal that you care about her and are willing to protect her. By showing up on time and doing what you say you’ll do, you tell her, 

“Hey, you can trust me.” People admire it or dismiss it as being chivalrous, but the truth is, you’re signaling that you are trustworthy.

But being trustworthy is not just about safeguarding a woman’s body or her children. It’s about safeguarding her heart, as well.

Credit: Independent.co.uk

Watch Adele twerk at London Concert

Being the entertainer she is, Adele has pulled out all the stops for the crowds at her recent concerts. Last week, she invited a couple onstage who had just got engaged in the audience.

And at her string of performances at London’s O2 arena, Adele not only announced that she would be headlining the Glastonbury Festival in 2016, but also attempted to twerk for the audience.

“I think I just twerked!” she exclaimed. “I can’t do it that well. My whole body has to move,” she joked. “My bum could break my back it’s so enormous.”

How of get rid of dark armpit

The main reason for excessive dark armpits and under arms are as under: Improper/excessive spray perfumes and deodorants directly on the armpits to get rid of bad odour then the armpit area become darker. Deodorants contains metallic salts that cause in darkening the skin tone.  Improper washing of underarms.

Excessive shaving in armpits  Excessive use of hair removing creams, chemicals in them can cause discoloration.  Constant irritation on skin due to friction caused by wearing tight clothes.  Buildup of dead skin.

Orange Peel:

Do not throw away orange peel, keep them safe as it can be used to lighten the skin tone of your dark underarms. 
Keep the orange peels under the sun for a few days. Now, grind the dried peels of the orange with the help of a grinder to make it in powder form. Mix the powdered orange peels with rose water and milk to make a thick paste. Use it to scrub the dark underarms gently for around ten to fifteen minutes. And wash the area with cold water to remove dead skin cells.

Milk With Curd:

I can not count number, how much benefits milk can do. Milk is a good for lightening underarm. The vitamins and fatty acids present in milk are good for the skin as they can help in minimizing the dark skin tone. 2 tablespoon of milk and curd each with 1 tablespoon of flour to it. Mix it and make a thick paste and apply it on dark underarms. Wash it after 15 minutes.

Yogurt, Gram flour, Lemon:

Make a paste by mixing yogurt, gram flour, lime or lemon juice and a little turmeric powder and apply under the arms. Wash it off after half an hour. Repeat every second day.

Cucumber And Lemon:

Apply a mixture of cucumber juice and lemon (equal amount) with 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Leave for 20 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water. Make a paste by mixing 1 teaspoon of 1 teaspoon of cucumber juice, lemon juice and some turmeric powder and apply on your armpits. Wash it off after half an hour.

Lemon, Cucumber And Potato:

Lemon, cucumber and potato are bleaching agents so they offer good solutions for dark underarms and armpits. Rub a piece of lemon or cucumber or potato on the armpit and keep it for sometime. You can also apply juice of lemon or cucumber or potato to cure dark armpits.

Baking Soda:

Baking soda also acts positively in curing the darkness of the underarms. Use it after bath, apply some baking soda onto the armpits. Check if this suits your skin or if you are allergic to baking soda.

Sandalwood With Rose Water:

You can also try a paste by mixing some sandalwood powder and a few drops of rose water to and apply to your underarms.

Credit: IFacts

The real reason we close our eyes when we kiss

Ever wonder why you close your eyes whenever you lean in for a kiss? Or why it's considered such bad form to sneakily open your eyes mid-make out? 

A study featured on The Debrief sets the record straight. According to psychologists Polly Dalton and Sandra Murphy, whose research was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, it's really, really hard for our brain to focus on our other senses if we've got any visual stimuli to distract us.

As a result, we need to close our eyes when we kiss so we can actually enjoy how it feels physically. 

Dalton and Murphy discovered this by asking a group of participants to do different letter-searching tasks. While they did this, a small vibration was applied to their hands. 

The researchers found that when the participants were doing trickier letter-searching tasks, they didn't feel the vibrations as strongly because their eyes were busier, and their brains were focused on that. 

So when we kiss, it's the same deal. It just won't feel as good with your eyes roaming about and getting distracted from the other sensations. (Plus, it's a little creepy to stare at someone the entire time you're making out, anyway.)

Credit: Cosmopolitan

The 1 thing happy couples do every day

My entire life, I've been surrounded by successful relationships. My parents are just as in love with one another as the day they met. My grandparents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this month. My best friend has lived with her boyfriend in Sweden for years. So what do all of these very different unions have in common?

To get to the bottom of it, I asked many couples why they think their relationships work. Everyone listed off a few different reasons, but they all stated one fact that was the same: they talk to their significant others. I mean really talk to each other and hear what their partners have to say. So what do all content couples do every day? It's very simple.

Happy couples communicate with each other.

Constant communication seems so obvious, but it can easily slip through the cracks. In order to keep your relationship healthy and happy, there's three things you need to do to communicate successfully.

1. Express your needs and feelings.

There's no way for your partner to know what you want out of your relationship if you don't say so. Make sure to clearly express how you are feeling — whether that be happy or upset — so that you and your partner are on the same page. Your significant other is not a mind reader, so it's up to you. You may learn something new about each other.

2. Be totally honest.

The moment you start lying is the moment things go wrong. If you can't be honest with the person you love, who can you be honest with? Go beyond being open about the dynamic of your relationship; talk about a bad day at work or a friend who hurt your feelings. The more experiences you share, the closer you will become.

3. Don't just speak — make sure to listen.

There are two people in a relationship. Your partner should be communicating with you too. Be a good listener and make sure to take in everything your SO is saying. You are not perfect, so if you have to make some adjustments for your relationship work, be open-minded.

If you practice communication every day, you will see that your relationship will be stronger than ever. Sometimes it's hard to do, but the greatest challenges are always worth the end result. Here's to many more happy anniversaries with your significant other!