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.