Accented Glory (AG) has built an amazing network within the natural hair community! We have many curlfriends that manage brands, businesses, and organizations that are members of our Facebook Group Accented Glory Naturals. Liz Girolamo (LG) of Tee-Owels and Ethnic Hair Forum is a part of our natural hair brand support system. We collaborated with her on a recent Instagram Giveaway she hosted. Check out our Naturals In Business feature on Liz below. **This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.**

​AG: Please introduce yourself and tell Accented Glory readers who you are.

LG: Hi! My name is Liz Girolamo, I’m an entrepreneur, marketer, content creator, esthetician and natural hair care enthusiast from New York. I’m of afro-latina descent with type 4C hair, and the owner of Tee-Owels – The Ideal T-shirt Hair Towel for Curlies.


AG: For many naturals, their hair journey has been a catalyst for so many things! Tell us about your natural hair journey.ll
us about your natural hair journey.
LG: I began my healthy hair journey at 22 years old. It was 2011, I was in college, and I had just started exploring and applying my knowledge of SKIN care to my hair care routine. But first, a little background -- Growing up I was adopted, and I never knew a thing about how to take care of my hair. My parents had straight hair, and although they tried relentlessly to help me & take me to people who could help me, I really struggled with my hair and spent a lot of time crying over the damage. It didn’t help that back then ethnic hair options were extremely limited and the internet was virtually non-existent. Everything I did to my hair seemed to ruin it: Brushing it, washing it, drying it, dying it - and I just couldn’t figure out how to manage it! So, like many curly & afro women I turned to relaxers, extensions, wigs, hoods, anything to cover it up for years. Thankfully, in 2010, the early years of the natural hair movement, I started to explore and apply my schooling and knowledge of skin care (esthetics) to my hair care routine. Only then I realized the link between skin and hair health. One big thing about skin is that it needs moisture to stay JUICY. It sounds funny, but moisture is really a KEY component to having healthy and lively skin and hair, and this little piece of knowledge was a game-changer for me. So, I started experimenting with essential oils and water based moisturizing products. This coupled with taking protective measures were key for my natural hair journey and helped me grow my hair down my back. As a skin specialist, being able to characterize my hair as a dry hair type (like a dry skin type) made me realize the science of texture and find solutions to breakage and dryness. My hair wasn’t “bad” it was misunderstood! I wished someone had explained to me that my hair was breaking because the nature of its texture makes it difficult for natural oils to slide down the strand to the tips.

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AG: You have a unique natural hair product! Tell us more about your brand Tee-Owels and how it came to be.

LG: Tee-Owels, like so many products, came to be out of necessity and need for innovation. I was using t-shirts to dry my hair until I had a lightbulb moment and realized that I shouldn’t have to. There should be a nice hair towel product designed just for women of color’s unique hair needs. Now there is an awesome hair towel for them – the Tee-Owel. It falls under the category of protective hair care. The soft t-shirt material reduces breakage and frizz, and is 100% curl-conscious so we can achieve our hair goals with ease. I see future generations of curly and kinky haired women having this accommodation. To me, if everyone understood the need for a Tee-Owel than that means they understand their own hair type and what works and what doesn’t. I’d be thrilled knowing that less young women felt lost as I did growing up about their hair, so a huge part of our company and what we do is dedicated to education. Our logo is an adorable curly haired owl wearing her own hair t-shirt hair towel. I thought of this when I was combining the words t-shirt and towel into “Tee-Owel”. Each towel is called an “Owel” in our world. And each Owel helps protect your hair!

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AG:  We're a huge fan of sharing knowledge among the natural hair community. Tell me more about Ethnic Hair Forum. 

LG:  Ethnic Hair Forum (EHF) was my first social media experiment. I was in college studying women and gender studies, and I was full of relief to learn that others thought and felt the way I did & I was empowered and very passionate about building a community centered around information – again helping those who like myself felt lost with their hair. What really set us apart at first was how information, and education oriented it was – not another “hair inspo” page. There’s so much to share on the topic, and the response to it was great.

​​AG: We see a connection between Tee-Owels and Ethnic Hair Forum. Why is it important for you to provide a product that educates and resolve a natural hair concerns?

LG: There is absolutely a connection. EHF, at first, was to morph into EHCO (Ethnic Hair Care Options), where I wanted to have a full line of protective hair care products/ publications. Tee-Owels was created to be the first product in the line, but it had a such a great response from the start that I decided to keep my products under the name Tee-Owels for now. Since opening, we added Satin Hair Scrunchie Sets, and there are more really cool and unique protective accommodations to come! It’s so important to me to do this because it’s what I wish I had when I was younger. Options and information. They say be the person you wish you had growing up & I certainly aim for that.

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AG: Is there anything else you would like to share with Accented Glory's audience?

LG: Yes, I’d like to share that Tee-Owels at the core is about bringing people together through fun hair care products. It’s what the ethnic hair industry has always lacked in – fun, innovative, diverse hair care solutions. Thanks for tuning in today!


AG: Where can our audience find out more about your business and services?

LG: You can learn more about Tee-Owels at our website www.teeowels.com, on Instagram @teeowels, and Tee-Owels on Facebook. Our products are available on Amazon, Etsy and www.teeowels.com.

Cierra - AKA Accessory Diva

What have your natural hair journey been a catalyst for?

Click "Shop Now" below to purchase Tee-Owels on Amazon.
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This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.
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I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. A natural newbie who had "big chopped" and now had a TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro) reached out to me via direct message. She was very proud of herself for taking the plunge and embracing her natural hair, but struggled with the confidence of rocking short hair. She reached out to me looking for ways to style her small afro; she wanted to add some "pop" to her hair. Accented Glory's Afro Puff Holder was the design that I recommended to solve her natural hair woes!

One of the most common styles worn by new naturals and those who keep their hair short is the Afro Puff. The puff is a very quick and easy style. Many naturals use an elastic band, ribbon, and even pantyhose to create this style. Because of this fact, one of Accented Glory's first hair accessory designs was our Afro Puff Holder. This design is versatile and provide an all in one option; it holds the puff in place and accent the hairstyle. This natural hair friendly design is created with a round ouchless band; the round shape minimize cutting into hair and causing damage. There are also no metal connectors to worry about getting hair tangled in. 

Accented Glory's two most popular Afro Puff Holder designs is the pearl and cowrie shell. The pearl design is created with sixteen pearls. Pearls exemplify wisdom and the number sixteen represents intuition. Our cowrie shell design has seven cowrie shells. Cowrie shells have African roots and portrays a message of respect, honor, and inspiration. The shell is the first symbol of money and wealth known to mankind. The number seven represents spiritual perfection and completion.

Whether you're a natural hair newbie or simply enjoy wearing a short afro, We Got You! Add some glam to the classic Afro Puff natural hairstyle with Accented Glory's Afro Puff Holders. Shop for our design on Amazon or Etsy.

Tonya - Visionary of Accented Glory

How do you style your Afro Puff?

Do you accent your Afro Puff with a hair accessory?
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Click on "Shop Now" below to purchase Accented Glory's Afro Puff Holders!
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This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.
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Burrr… It’s that time of year again! Winter weather is upon us. Wearing hats is a choice for many naturals to keep their heads warm. Also, a part of winterizing our natural tresses includes protecting and covering our hair from cooler weather while outside. For those of us who are hat wearers, we often find ourselves in a dilemma during this season. Most hats aren’t natural hair friendly. Naturals struggle with keeping their heads warm without causing damage to their hair.  

Most hats are created with materials and fabrics that are designed for warmth. This usually means the fabric is coarse with a closed knit weave to keep the cold out and the warm in. Many hats are created with fabrics like wool or tweed. Unfortunately, these coarse fabrics can cause friction with textured natural hair which can lead to hair breakage.

If you’re not so lucky to have a lined hat with a softer fabric, no worries! I Got You. I have created a YouTube Tutorial to solve your natural hair hat woes. In the tutorial, I share how to line your hats with a satin bonnet. Keep in mind, this is not a pass on properly moisturizing your hair. For team “Throw A Hat On It”, I still recommend that you moisturize your hair before wearing a hat and/or styling with any type of hair accessory. Check out my YouTube Tutorial on how to line a hat below! 
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​​You can also shop for Accented Glory’s natural hair friendly accessory and Afrocentric jewelry designs on Etsy and Amazon.
 
Tonya Cross 
Hair Accessory Expert | Accessory Designer | Natural Hair Enthusiast

What other tips would you offer to guard your natural hair from winter weather?

Do you need a bonnet for your hat? Click on picture to check out bonnets on Amazon.

This blog post contains affiliate links. Click here for Accented Glory's Affiliate's Disclosure.

​When I was first introduced to shea butter by a friend, it was presented to me as the "and all be all" hair care product right up there with coconut oil. I've been using it on my hair lately and it has inspired me to  write about it. A few questions came to mind: What is shea butter? Where does it come from? How can it be used?

After some extensive research, I found that shea butter is defined as a fatty substance obtained from the nuts of the shea tree, used chiefly in cosmetic skin preparations. Shea trees are found in East and West tropical Africa. The shea butter comes from two oily kernels within the shea tree seed. After the kernel is removed from the seed, it is ground into a powder and boiled in water. The butter then rises to the top of the water and becomes solid.

According to WebMD, shea butter can be used for just about anything skin related from eczema to acne. So, how did shea butter become a go to hair care product? Our scalp is skin that needs to be nourished too. A healthy scalp can produce beautiful kinky, coily, and curly hair.

Before I began using shea butter, I looked for content on how I could best use it for my own hair. To remedy my dry hair woes, I use shea butter as my cream in my L.O.C. (liquid, oil, cream) method. I personally like to cut out extra steps when doing my hair, so I mix my oils with the butter. The butter act as a carrier for the oils. Shea butter helps to lock the oils deeper into my hair and roots. I've really been loving the results; my hair stays moisturized longer, feels soft and looks healthy.

Have you used shea butter in your hair care regimen? What were/are your results? ​
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​​Ria's Beauty Collection is a local brand of whipped shea butter here in my hometown! Check them out on Amazon Handmade for their handcrafted products. 

Cierra - AKA Accessory Diva

​Being different means acknowledging the uniquely wonderful person that you are.  Not apologizing for seeing the world unlike others and living in your true skin and loving your true skin and hair no matter what the trends of the day are. - Zahra

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As a black woman with kinky coily type 4b hair, society makes me feel different every day. I embrace being different by wearing my hair out in its naturally curly glory whenever I have the chance. In being different and accepting it, I'm practicing self love and showing others that they can do it too. - Korynthia
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