Up-do Pompadour Style

I absolutely love this style! Similar to my previously shared up-do involving one braid, I inversely braided two french braids from the nape of my neck to the top of my head. Before attempting this style, the braids were braided all the way to the ends for a couple of days and pinned down. (this made my hair curly when I was ready to unravel.)

To create this style:

• I unbraided the two braid ends just to the middle of the top of my head.... looking at the pictures, I unbraided just before my ears. This was done the night before I wanted to wear the style.
• I put hair pins at the new ends of each braid.
• With the hair that is now free, I made 4 small french braids like I was making a bang. The hair was already curly, but I made sure to moisturize and add Olive Oil Eco Styler gel to insure curl definition.
• I rolled pipe cleaners to the end of each braid to encourage more curl and to keep the braids from shrinking and matting down when wrapped.
• I wrapped my hair for the night with a satin scarf.
• In the morning, I removed the pipe cleaners and unbraided the 4 braids in the front of my head, ensuring to manipulate the curls as little as possible.
• I added hair pins where ever necessary to help the hair keep the desired shape.

Pipe Cleaner Curls

I used pipe cleaners to tightly curl my mini twists. I got this idea from YouTube . This is an ingenious idea and I love the tight curls that the pipe cleaners created.

1 week old mini twists
Before pipe cleaners
Picture taken: Oct. 29, 2011

I rolled in the pipe cleaners after spraying my hair with my oil and water mix. I left the pipe cleaners in for 3 hours the first time and overnight every other day.



Pictures taken Oct. 29, 2011



Twists right after
pipe cleaners were removed
Picture taken Nov. 1, 2011





Finger combed twists after
pipe cleaners were removed
Picture taken Oct 29, 2011



Close up of curls

Close up of curls

Mini Twists

This is my second time doing mini twists. I'm not sure if they are as small as typical mini twists, but they're certainly small enough for me... especially because it took me 4 hours to complete. I kept these twists in for 4 weeks. These are pictures from day one.

Pictures taken Oct. 22, 2011

I don't think that my hair is as volumous as I originially thought because my twists tend to look flat. Twists aren't my favorite protective style, but this time was different because it looked fuller than usual. That lasted until I slept on them that night...
I also need to find a way to keep my twists stretched.

Learn more from this Mini twist video

Protective Style

This is a protective style that I came up with when I was desperate to get my hair together.
I did an inverted french braid from the nape of my next to my forehead. Then I tucked the end of the braid under so that it wasn't hanging in my face. Some places in the middle had to be hair pinned down because my hair wasn't long enough to stay in place.

 Pictures taken Oct. 18, 2011

Afro Lovin'

Just another fro check... I still haven't worn my fro out and about. Sometimes I think it's too out there and that's just not the statement I'm trying to make. Maybe some day.

 

Pictures taken Oct. 15, 2011

Shifting Styles

I started with one style and experienced a total of 4 styles over a 2 week period.

This is the style that I started with: Roll and Tuck Fro Hawk

Back View
Picture Taken Oct. 1, 2011

The Roll and Tuck evovled into this style with braids on both sides.

This allowed the style to last longer because my edges started to get frizzy.

Right Side View
Picture Taken Oct. 4, 2011

Left Side View
Picture Taken Oct. 4, 2011

The next evolution involved leaving in the braids on the sides, removing the fro hawk, and adding two strand twists.

Back View
Picture Taken Oct. 10, 2011

 

Back/Side View
Picture Taken Oct. 10, 2011 

Side View
Picture Taken Oct. 10, 2011

Next was a twist out. I left the braids on the sides and untwisted the two strand twists. 



Side View
Picture Taken Oct. 14, 2011

 

Back View
Close up of twist out definition
Picture Taken Oct. 14, 2011

Top View
I wasn't a fan of the way that
the top untwisted, but I
made it work.
Picture Taken Oct. 14, 2011

Homecoming: Roll and Tuck Fro Hawk

I wore this style insead of the Cinna-bun for my semi formal event. I was running for Homecoming Queen and had to represent the natural look right! I loved this up-do and it was quick to create and maintain. I was excited to try this style and that my hair was long enough to create it. If people only knew how versatile natural hair is!!

Back View

Side View

Front View

Pre-Crowning

I won!

Pictures taken October 1, 2011

For detailed styling instructions, visit either of these YouTube links:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izwn_mBXFOg&list=PL5D5EA774EB22371F&index=13&feature=plpp_video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4keH7WnfnYg&feature=related

Cinna-bun

I never actually wore this hairstyle because I don't think my hair was long enough for it to have the effect that I wanted. It's called a cinna-bun because of the individual rolling method used to create it. I was looking for a nice updo for a semi-formal event, and was inspired to try this on YouTube. For specific style instructions, follow the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP8FdTTsSk4&list=PL5D5EA774EB22371F&index=23&feature=plpp_video

 

 Pictures taken October 1, 2011

Length Check

It's been a little over 2 years since my psuedo big chop and I'm excited about my hair growth! I didn't have a hair goal before, but now I'm aiming for shoulder length... getting there!

Taken September 14, 2011

Natural Hair Documentary

I borrowed this video link from my friend's blog found at: http://itsarianasworld.tumblr.com/

This is a documentary about Natural hair journeys and perspectives.
Enjoy!

Are you a Mixtress?

Interested in making your own hair products?
I just found this awesome list of recipes on NaturallyCurly.com

Enjoy!

7/11: 1 week Minitwists+ daily conditioning routine

For the last week I have been wearing mini twists as a protective style. I was hesitant about this style in the beginning, but it has definitely grown on me. For my hair type, they are starting to look like locs even though there are no signs of locking. I love the versatility and the ability to continue to style my hair even with the twists in. Before, I didn't like wearing twists because they were just there...not much flair or pizazz. But now, I am able to pin them to the side, throw on a head band, do flat twists, etc. The possibilities are endless, just like with natural hair.As of now, I plan on keeping the twists in for 3-4 weeks.

For the first few nights I experimented with ways to keep my hair stretched and moisturized overnight.

Night One: I tried Naptural95's (YouTube) hair wrapping method... I had a feeling that it wouldn't work because my twists are not nearly as long as her's are, but I figured it was worth a shot. I ended up using a leave-in conditioner mix to mist my hair and make the twists hang.

Night Two: I did four flat twists going all the way back. This also left my hair poking in random directions leaving me no choice but to spritz and reshape my hair.

Night Three: I followed Keythema's (YouTube) Moisturizing routine which involves making hair damp (not dripping) with a leave-in conditioning spray, followed by Shea butter or a Shea butter mix on the hair, focusing on the ends. I then chose to put the twists into 3 ponytails, banding the ends. The hair is then covered with a clear shower cap, and then reinforced with a hair wrap. This is also referred to as the "Bagging method."

This has become my ritual and I love the way that my hair feels every morning and throughout the day. My hair has remained moisturized and healthy. In the morning I just take out the bands, shake my hair and finger form the hair to fall the way that I desire. Because the hair is still moist, it is easy to rearrange and will dry in that form.

I don't have pictures yet, but plan to take some for the remainder of my mini twist term.

Until next time, stay nappily happy!

Banding

For those who don't know, banding is a non-heat method used to stretch your hair. This has been particularly useful for me because I have classified 4b/4c hair which tends to be fragile so I try to stay away from as much added heat as possible. Banding consists of sectioning off the hair (the number of sections depends of the length and thickness of your hair) and apply little cloth bands (no metal clasps) down each ponytail shaft. This keeps the hair in a semi-straight position as it dries leaving stretched hair. I have read that banding can be done on wet or dry hair, but I prefer to band on wet hair and have received better results this way. Due to may hair structure, I also tend to part my hair into 8 sometimes 9 sections and allow my hair to dry overnight while covered with a bonnet.

It looks crazy, I know, but works wonders for a no heat regimen.

From 6/15/2011 + a quick style

This morning, I took out all of the bands and the results were mediocre. I have gotten better results and a longer stretch from banding wet hair. But, this is a moment that it is great to be natural...there is always a solution. I kind of like the afro look, but since I work with kids, I did not want a bunch of little hands in my clean hair, but I remembered a quick style that I saw online and decided that there is no time like the present. I parted the front section of my hair and did a flat twist with that hair. I then just pulled the rest of my hair up into a puff. Thank goodness for hair growth!

At night, I left the flat twist in, and did large twists in the back to discourage shrinkage; then I covered it all with a bonnet. I would also moisturize my ends with shea butter daily.

I was able to wear this style for about a week.

From 6/14/2011

Today I did a twist out after co-washing out my shingle style. I did not really like the twist out. I think that because my hair is getting longer, twist outs are starting to look a little unruly. But, it may also be due to a lack of moisture, so I need to get my hair back to a happy moisturized state.

To attempt to redeem my hair, I banded my hair on dry hair. This was my first time banding on dry hair, but I read that it is possible. I first detangled my twist out by saturating my hair with shea butter. I proceeded to band my hair in 8 sections. I tend to section my hair by parting one section on each side of my head and then dividing the middle section into four. We'll see how this banding session works in the morning.

Shingling Review

Overall, I was not impressed with this style. It lasted for 3 days, a lot shorter than a regular twist out usually lasts for me. By the end of the third day, I also had a lot of residue in different parts of my hair. This may have been due to product over use, but it was gross and I ended up co-washing out all of the products. For that co-wash, although it is pointless (in my opinion) to deep condition after conditioning the hair, I used a cheap conditioner (VO5) to get rid of all of the product and followed up with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner to revive my hair.

Shingling may work better for longer hair or looser curl patterns, but it didn't really do the trick for me. I'll stick to my twist outs!

Shingling

Shingling is when you take the time to rake product through your hair, in sections, to be sure that every stand is covered. This is also a method used to encourage curl definition or make your curl pattern pop. After watching multiple YouTube videos, I decided to attempt shingling for myself. Here are the steps that I took, including pictures.

First, I co-washed my hair with Palmer's Coconut Oil Instant Conditioner. Next, I parted my hair into 8 sections. One section at a time, I raked in IC Fantasia Hair Polisher Styling Gel. As I went from section to section, if one of my sections began to dry, I just misted some water on that section before applying the gel. I also applied raw shea butter to each section after applying the gel to seal in the moisture from the gel. I learned the hard way not to apply too much shea butter or you will be left with a white residue because it doesn't mix well with the gel. The morning that I shingled my hair, I had plans to go out so I just left my hair to air dry. I have also read that some people use a diffuser to help speed up the drying process without manipulating the curls.

At night, I just put on a Satin Bonnet. In the morning I sprayed Carol's Daughter Tui Leave- In Conditioner to liven up the curls and finger fluffed any flat areas. If some spots became frizzy, I would apply a little more gel to that area and it would spring back to life.

This was shortly after I finished applying all of the products. You can see that there is a little bit of white in my hair from the shea butter because my hair is still wet.

This picture was taken on the first night. The hair is completely dry here with curl clumping...

 This is a side view of the dried curls. I put a satin scarf around my edges with a little more of the gel to make my edges lay down like this, and then applied a stretchy headband.

This is my hair on the third day of wearing this style. It has shrunken since the first day and is even more of a curly fro.

Why natural?

Let's start with when/why I chose to go natural...

It's February 2009 and I just got another relaxer (what would become my last relaxer ever) in preparation for a school formal. As usual, the first week or so were smooth sailing. No breakage, no problems. Then it started to happen again... I would comb my hair and it would fall out; once I washed it, it became frizzy and barely manageable. I remember calling my mom on a bad hair day and telling her that I was so done with my hair; I was going natural. In my mind, I was ready to chop off all of my hair and start over because this was obviously not working. My mom told me to calm down and that she would not let me cut my hair until I had a plan...products, styles, etc. I took her advise and instantly started to Google natural hairstyles, products, shops, everything. I was introduced to the wonderful world of natural haircare blogs, forums, and YouTube channels. I was excited and couldn't wait to get home for the summer for my work to begin.

I started transitioning instantly because my new growth was out of control. I continued to use the products that I had and to flat iron my roots to keep them manageable. In retrospect, probably not the best plan, but it worked for the moment. When I got home, I got micro-braids, a common transitioning style, from May to July. When I took my braids out I was nervous. I didn't know what my hair would look like, but I was ready to use my newly ordered Carol's Daughter products. To my surprise, after my first wash my hair was incredibly soft. And then, the cutting began. I wasn't as ready for a big chop as I thought, but I started with some of the split ends first. When my two strand twists wouldn't hold because of the straight and now blunt ends, I cut off more. Little by little, wash by wash, over the next month I cut off my straight ends until it was time for me to head back to school. I was getting kinky twists so that I did not have to worry about my hair during the first months of school and so that I could give my hair time to grow. I washed my hair, stood in the mirror and cut off the last bit of straight ends. In the mirror, everything looked straight so I had to stop myself from getting too scissor happy. It got to a point where my mom walked by and told me to leave enough hair for the hair stylists to grab for the kinky twist.

The whole time that I had my kinky twist I was anxious to work with my hair, so I took them out earlier than necessary. At the end of October, I was excited to show off my natural look. I was proud of my decision and the way that it looked as well as the fact that I could do it all on my own.

In the beginning I questioned my decision a little because all of my friends at the time had relaxed hair or straight sewn-in weaves. I often felt like the odd girl out, but then I kept reminding myself that I made the decision to be natural for me and it was for the better. My hair was healthy and I was happy knowing that no more deadly chemicals were going to be polluting my head... and I would not have to go to a beauty shop regularly again.

The rest is pretty much history.

For more on my natural experience on a college campus, see my blog post It's so not a phase...

Be natural. Be you.

Welcome!

Hello Naturalites!!
I am approaching my 2 year nappiversary and what a journey it has been! Being reflective, I have decided to track my journey here in a blog. I am going to try and backtrack through the last 2 years through pictures and products and continuing into the future. If I feel up to it, there may even be some videos as I learn how do to different styles and techniques.

I hope that you all enjoy it and feel free to share your own experiences, questions, and comments!


Be natural. Be you.