The Bantu knot out that was knot

I have tried Bantu knots in the past and been disappointed but after my best friend had such cute results I decided to give it another try.

All I can say about my results is whomp whomp..... 😒

Well to elaborate the curls did not stay defined once separated, my hair looks two inches long, and it did not lay the way I would want it to.  I did this prior to Thanksgiving  and left it up for two full days. So lesson relearned Bantu knots are knot for me. 

The knots: 

                          

         

My "really face":

                            

How I styled my hair:

                            

                           

Professional twisted updo

Once again bored with the norm....

 

A few weeks back I decided to do a good old youtube search for something new to do. I happened upon a style similar to what is pictured below. I started on freshly washed hair. I added some leave in conditioner and styled with my Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie. I then sectioned my hair so that there would be a right side part. I did medium sized two strand twists all over my head. I then wrapped my twists around my head from their location to the furthest point and secured with a Bobby pin. I sat under the dryer until they were all dry. This was done to stretch my hair and keep me from leaving with a damp head in the cold weather.

In the morning I removed my scarf and rolled the hair in the front toward the back. On the right side there were two rolls and on the left there were three. In the back I rolled and tucked the twists up and secured with bobby pins. The result is that the hair is basically coming to meet itself in the middle.

 

I really enjoyed this style and repeated it through the week. I then enjoyed a nice twist out which remains my fave style. Try this out, hope you like it.

Left Side view

                           

 

Right side view

                  

A twist to the left

While shopping this weekend I saw another naturalista with a cute side swept twist look. I decided to emulate her this week.

I started by washing my hair with shampoo, wash out conditioner, then I added my oil mixture rinsed again, and finished it off with a cold aloe Vera juice rinse. 

While my hair was still damp I sectioned off the front quarter, the two sides, and a bit in the back. I then left the section in the middle for single  two strand twists. The outside sections were flat twisted with the exception of the left side to add to the volume. Bobby pins were used to keep the twists to the side.

See my results

 Tools used styling creme, rat tail comb, tangle fix, gel, scarf, and bobby pins. 

My two week blow out

I have recently been upset with the amount of shrinkage I experience. I am well aware of how long my stretched out hair is but often forget how much shrinkage changes that. I will search for a style video and attempt it and be upset and idea-less after it fails. Obviously as my hair grows so does that of the regular hair vloggers I watch so I can never catch up.

I have been really wanting to do a cute top knot and my attempts with stretched out hair failed. This was insult to injury after finding someone who's hair actually is my length. So I made the decision to blow out my hair and rocked this for two weeks. I really enjoyed this results.

See my pictures and video below. 

I welcome your comments and YouTube subscriptions!

Faux hawkish, updo

Below are some pictures of a style I thought up to go out dancing at a salsa club. 

I scale hair style success based on the following:

1. Do I feel pretty?
2. Does it hurt?
3. Did it change during the day?
4. Did I receive any compliments on it?
5. How long does it take me to do?

=This style rated very high and I will likely replicate it. 

It came to me because I had undefined, semi stretched hair. This would usually keep me in the house but instead I decided to take control of it. 

 

So how did I accomplish this style you ask? 

I started by two strand twisting a section in the front for the bang. *I added styling product and detangled first.* I did this part before getting in the shower and getting dressed.  

Once the hair had time to take shape I separated the hair in the back into 3 sections. I made the first pony tail and then twisted that section of hair, I then pulled that hair into the next section and twisted all of that hair as well, I repeated this one final time without twisting as the bottom section is the bun. I secured the hair with a hair band with the hair doubled over into and easy bun. To get hold with this style I used my lovely aloe Vera gel ( tons of it) and gently brushed. 

At this point I removed the twists in front, I then arranged the hair to the side and twisted the very ends tucking them under and securing with a Bobbie pin or two.  Voila, simply, easy, and classy. 

*If you like subscribe to my blog!*****

October Birchbox review

Happy fall! And happy new Birchbox!

Click below to see what came in this month's Birchbox. Also see what I thought of some of the things in last month's box. Spoiler alert! I finally got Ms. Jessie's but haven't tried it yet :)

Have you subscribed yet? And why not?

September 2013 Birchbox review

Hey guys see the video below for my unboxing of my September BirchBox. 

I found the Beauty Protector shampoo to be drying, I enjoyed the leave in conditioner. I also love the Ruffian color and have it on my toes as we speak (so to speak).

See you next time

My trial with hair leaves

Have you ever heard of leaves?

For your hair I mean?

 

During a routine search of Youtube several months ago, I stumbled upon a style named a leaf. In this method you take a twist or loc fold it upon itself ( the hair length determines the amount of times this is done), you then secure it with a rubber band a repeat to your heart's desire.

I attempted this shortly after discovering it and decided to finally share my thoughts and the experience with others.

Basically I like the idea of the style, I found it rather easy to get the hang of, and I have decided that it would be a better option when my hair is longer. Check out my video covering the subject and random other musings regarding twists/ flat twists.

 

 

 

 

 

August Birchbox unboxing

My August Birchbox failed to disappoint, I received some new hair oil, facial moisturizer (2), blue eye liner, deodorant swipes, and did not get to try all of them out. I did enjoy the facial moisturizers but found that neither was strong enough to calm my dry flaky skin. The eye liner was a great pop of color on an otherwise blank canvas, since I used it in place of an eye shadow/eyeliner combo. I was excited about the deodorant swipes but then failed to use them so far, luckily there will be other sweaty days ahead.
Its been 13 months since I started receiving a monthly Birchbox subscription, so apparently I like it as I continue to pay month to month to receive samples of products.
Since I know I forgot to mention every thing that was in my box this month check out my video below. Also note I do not receive any compensation for sharing my thoughts or what products I receive.

Product review: Davines- Love/Lovely shampoo and Lovely smoothing conditioner

In this month's (June) Birchbox I received a trial size Lovely smoothing shampoo and a sample of Lovely smoothing conditioner. I no longer use products with sulfates but I paid for these products through my monthly subscription. Though I believe in researching products before trying them, I have done this extensively and found that you have to try things to know how they work for you.

About the products

The Lovely Smoothing Shampoo contains Indian fig extract and states it is for dry frizzy hair, I have that on occasion. The Lovely Smoothing Conditioner contains Borage oil and indicates its use for harsh and frizzy hair. The instructions suggest that you apply evenly the right amount of product on towel dried hair, leave in hair for a few minutes, rinse well. 

I mixed the shampoo with my last Tresemme Luxurious moisture conditioner, I wanted to add as much conditioning potential to this shampoo as possible. I only had a little left, see below. 

My research on the ingredients:
I decided to look up the benefits of Borage oil for my own knowledge. I found it is found helpful for inflamed hair follicles, dry scalp, and thinning hair because of the fatty acids found in the oil. I could not find any other information on why Indian Fig extract is good for hair other than that Davines uses it as well as a few other hair product producers.

The verdict:
I found the products to be good smelling, reminding me of citrus and some of the better smelling relaxers I used a few years ago. ( I know that sounds odd most perms do not smell good, but I had a few that did). I found that after using the products my hair felt moisturized for a day or so after dry. In my eyes this is a success, I don't know that this will be a product I use regularly. Actually I know it is not simply because it contains sulfates. Overall though I will use the remainder of the product until it is gone.

July 2013 Birchbox unboxing

Why I haven't thought of this before I'm not sure. Check on the video for what I found in my July Birchbox! Also excuse my hair, this was a low maintenance style week :) I'm sure we've all had them.

Amika Nourishing Mask and Oil Treatment review

In my May BIRCHBOX I received the Amika: Nourishing Mask and Oil treatment which can be used together. I was a little skeptical since I have extremely dry hair, which is often the case with curly girls. So I tried this with my normal shampoo and was amazed I think I finally experienced "slip" while washing my hair. I also noticed that my hair remained moisturized for the majority of the week. I wash my hair typically once a week and leave it styled until the next wash day. I enjoyed the smell of this product and the consistency. I have not yet researched how much it costs but if it is economical I will likely purchase it soon. So I thought I would share it with you.

I pay for my monthly subscription to Birchbox and receive no compensation for a review of this product.

HOTD, OOTD

I make no claims that I will do this daily or weekly, but I wanted to share my Hair of the Day and my Outfit of the Day. I also got this nail lacquer in my June Birchbox and thought I would share it with you. The light green/sea foam color is the color that came in the box.

My hair is twisted, I'm so predictable, and the front section is twisted back to the right side and pinned.

 

I felt really cute in this outfit since it was a weekend and I usually have two fashion speeds On or Off. So this was I feel a casual but put together look and I was proud. I almost felt like I had to dress up to go shopping at Express .

By the way if you want to purchase the Color Club shade seen above you can do so in by going to Folica.com. I only suggest products if they work well for me and receive no compensation from the makers.

Shop my AVON store!

Shop my AVON store!: Here's a sneak peak at some of the latest products available at Avon. Be sure to click

Top knot/bun

I've been wanting to do this style for a while, but rarely have my hair "out". So this week after my move to a new city I was in no mood for a few hours of twists. So I washed my hair twisted a front section, in two strand twists for bangs, and used a big banding technique for the rest of my hair. This resulted in my hair being somewhat stretched out. The pictures here are the result of me finally trying a top knot sort of bun. I like it and if I find myself too lazy for a more time intensive protective style, this will be my go to.

 

What do you think? Ever worn a high bun?

Graduation hair

So I graduated May 18th with my Master's degree in Social Work. Super excited! Anyway I wondered what to do with my hair....I mean I have to wear a cap, but I have to take tons of pictures as well. So for my convocation (an in school ceremony where we get pinned and receive our master's degree hoods) I didn't have to wear my cap. I was able to rock my signature twist out and take pretty hair pics :). Then it was humid and I got somewhat sweaty from moving and my pretty twist out fluffed up. I also think this was due to the fact that my twists were only allowed to sit two or three days before take down. I also tried a new product which really moisturized my hair and its all related. Anyway.
To prepare for my gradation style I re-twisted my hair ( I initially planned to wear my hair out again), then I pineappled it and tied it up to secure it. Then in the morning I decided a cute ponytail, I wouldn't have to worry about was a better idea.

 The pineapple

 See my robe, stole and hood in the background? :)

 My cute twist/twist out pony

Twists on dry hair| Natural hair

I am usually a proponent for doing twists on wet/damp hair. I just think that it looks more sleek and results in a better twist out. I have done twists on dry hair in the past and it just didn't look too great. Yesterday though I simply could not wait to wash my hair- enter eczema- so I did an ACV (Apple cider vinegar) wash and used conditioner I had put some tea tree oil in. My hair felt better but I was not about doing hours of work on a Saturday. So I tried a faux hawk style and rocked it for the weekend.
So this week I have two big professional moments, my final grad school presentation and a job interview (wish me luck). So I decided twists could be more easily converted to a professional style. So tell me what you think. I may post the cute professional styles later.

Pictures, pictures and more pictures

So over the past several weeks I have done several things with my hair. I did twists with a few leafs in the front, I curled my twists and I did a few twist outs and twisted styles. I plan to post videos but why deprive you of the pictures ? :)

 The curled twists

 tired of trying to get my face right

 After the Phi Alpha Honor Society ceremony

The twists with the leafs in front

 

 

So on to what has been bothering me of late, continued comments that my twists look like dreads/locks. Really folks is it the twisting pattern that looks like a lock or the curl at the end of my twists? Ugh lol

The second gripe I have is my stupid itchy/eczema, sebhorric dermatitis. I have tried so many methods, the prescription, the over the counter, the natural, and the result is that all of them work for a while. The really solution seems to simply be washing my hair much more often than I am comfortable with if I want any sort of cute, set style. Oh well que sera, sera. 

Semi permanent hair dye update| UPDATE!

 

So I tried semi-permanent hair dye with mixed results. See the video about my results as well as the styles I wore this week. Also subscribe to my page on YouTube. I want to know if I should keep making videos. :)

Faux hawk with twists

A friend requested that I post a tutorial for this hairstyle. So check it out below. I decided to add twists to make it a little more interesting. I used moisturizer, aloe Vera gel, Bobbie pins, hair clips, hair ties, and a brush for the style.

Milestone achieved! 3/13/13

So for a while now I have been planning to keep up my protective styling for an extended amount of time. A few weeks ago I was able to do this. I kept the twists pictured here up for 2 weeks. I used a dry shampoo instead of washing, this was my first experience with this. It was okay I guess and an option for later. My main problem though was my eczema, I was so itchy scalped. :) I now have a new regimen to care for my scalp and maybe this will help in the future when I do an extended style. True I could simply wash my hair with twists in it. I choose not to do this because of the shrinkage and the possibility of frizz.
I am also glad my hair is getting long enough that even with shrinkage I can still pull it up in a ponytail. I have been feeling the itch to show my length, though I know I need to get over that. I'm a work in progress what can I say?

My curlformer results -1st attempt

See the video for how my hair turned out from my first curlformer set. I used Shea moisture Hold and Moisture mist and Elasta QP design foam. This style was done on freshly washed and detangled hair.



Love it

 

Update

So last week I took down my braids, it was almost exactly a month that I kept them in. I was very surprised I was able to last that long and had no hair loss as a result. After I took the braids down I left the hair untouched for a day and then the night before I washed it I did a coconut oil pre-poo. I then washed with my Kinky Curly clarifying shampoo to get all the product and dirt out of my hair. I did my normal in shower conditioner and then a deep condition after trimming my ends. My first attempt back at twisting was not all that successful, it takes a while to get back into the swing of things, but the resulting twist out was beautiful. So this week, yesterday to be exact, I did much smaller controlled twists using Aloe Vera gel and stretched them out with several banded sections.

As for that new hair resolution, I have not done too well. I needed new products to care for my braids, then my existing shampoo is running low so I decided to shop for a new shampoo now, then I wanted to see what the fuss was about with Aloe Vera gel. To wrap it up I am a failure at not buying new hair products :). Oh well Aloe Vera gel was worth it and I will tell you if bar shampoo is worth it after a few more washes.

Twistingly yours.....

How I'm caring for my box braids

So I did it, I got box braids on the 19th of January. I was pleasantly surprised that the person who braided my hair really did listen to my hair needs and braided very gently especially around my edges. I had to go back to her and get them trimmed down and burned at the ends because they were just too heavy. I also had to keep working with the loose ends to keep them crimpy.
But I have been able to keep them in my hair with minimal discomfort. I did work to take some of the hair out of some of the braids along the back of my head because she caught EVERY hair and I forgot to tell her to leave them out. I am going to try to keep the braids in for a month in total.
I had to wash my hair last week because of the extreme itching caused by my eczema aka seborrheic dermatitis. I researched some good ways to clean the scalp without leaving too much product behind and decided to go with the ACV ( apple cider vinegar) method. I mixed ACV with tea tree oil and spooned it on my hair, yes I literally used a spoon. I then massaged my scalp very well, placed on a treatment/shower cap to keep it from getting all over the place. I left it on for about 20 minutes. I then rinsed out my hair in the shower and then sealed with a cold water rinse. The drying was the hardest part, but to my shock my scalp now feels great.
Every other day I will apply the braid spray, every 2 to 3 days I apply the treatment for stressed hair, and I apply the oil sheen about every 3 to 4 days. I will also use my regular moisturizer on the hairs that are not in the braids.

Products I'm using: African Pride hair and scalp spray, Profectiv Strength Recovery Temple Moisturant, Black Magic African Coconut oil sheen, and my Shea butter/coconut oil moisturizer.