Retro Hair Flashback

I often surf YouTube for hairstyles. It's fun, but extremely time consuming. Anyway, I just wanted to jump on and give a quick view of my throwback hair for the week. Thanks to whoissugar for the inspiration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m6qbz_4ssY&sns=em. I changed it a little bit, but the inspiration was there anyway. I only had intentions of wearing this for one day, but ended up carrying the hair style in different variations throughout the week.

Current Hair Routine (as of February 2012)

So I have been missing in action. A lot has been going on in life, but hopefully I am back on track with updating the various media sources.


Day 1, immediately after plopping,
 hair is actually buttocks length



Okay, so lets get started. My current hair routine is fairly simple now, I like to work easier not harder. I will co-wash my hair with Pantene Curly Hair Series Moisture Renewal Conditioner, it cost about $6-7 at Walmart. I will co-wash and detangle in the shower in 4 sections with a Denman Classic Styling brush, it cost about $3-4 at my local beauty supply store. Out of the shower, I take each section and drench with TRESemme Naturals Conditioner. I add oil directly into the conditioner bottle, I use Carol's Daughter Tui Oil (I love the smell), but any oil will do. Once my entire head is drenched, I plop (check out latina4u55 youtube video on plopping or plunking your hair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iEUvUzO0q0,) for about 30mins-1hr, depending on how much time I have before leaving the house. After plopping, I let my hair down and figure out what I want to do with the front of my hair since it is much straighter. I will add a headband, gel front and pin or smooth the top and put a small clip on the top. My hair is usually long, wavy, shiny and gorgeous, I leave the house.  

My Night-Time Routine: I mist my hair with a water bottle that has a little oil in it (only a light mist). I cover my hair with a plastic shower cap and cover that with a satin bonnet or scarf of any material, we are only trying to keep the shower cap on and trap the natural heat from your scalp. When I awake in morning, my hair is usually damp. Interestingly enough my hair now has a different pattern it is no longer long and wavy, it is now half  the length with a tight curl pattern (shrinkage). I still have the issue of straighter hair in the front so, I style the front however I feel for the day.

Day 2 and on, I can go almost 7 days with this routine. 

Product Review: Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner



Twits Styled



I have been on the hunt for natural hairstyles and in the process become a youtube junkie. I spend hours scouring for ideas and products to try, but what I won’t do is go broke trying everything. I pick and choose items that sound promising and give a real value for my buck and if it doesn’t work I wish I wasn’t so lazy, but I usually end up losing money because I won’t take it back. I digress, anyway, I have heard some good things about Cantu Shea Butter, and so I decided to try it out. Can be found at Walmart or most beauty supply stores. I co-washed, detangled in shower, left hair drenched, parted hair in no particular way, oiled sections, saturated each section with Cantu product as I parted and made large two strand twist. I styled it and headed out, I wore twist for 5 days.

   

Close up of styled twist

Day 2 of twist out

On day 6 I did a twist-out, I gelled and brushed one side up out of my face and held it in place with 2 combs. I wore this style for another 7 days. I was so impressed by the definition, the moisture and shine was great. The definition did not go flat while I slept, or lost its depth no matter how much I rubbed my hands over it. I wrapped a scarf around my edges and put on a satin bonnet and slept. I probably could have gone another week if I used my scalp mix of peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and African pride oil on day 1 as oppose to day 6.

  I will definitely repeat this style process throughout winter. I will try different styles with the twist and now since I know how the twist out maintains, I will try different styles with the twist out. The next time, I will attempt to actually pull ringlets apart and hope that it will get big but not fuzzy. We will see, until next time.

Day 6 of twist out



Day 6 definition



Protective Styling



From thirstyroots.com



So, I have been away for awhile, I apologize, hopefully I can contribute something to those just looking for a little advice or inspiration. Okay, well first things first, it is winter and we will be wearing hats, probably washing our hair a little less often and just plain looking for easy hair styles. Let’s talk protective hairstyling. Protective styling is important to keep your hair healthy during the harsh winter months. Cold weather soaks up your hair’s moisture, so lather on the oils and moisturizers (avoid mineral oil and petroleum ingredients). Breakage is more prevalent because of the hair drying, manipulation on fragile strands and the rubbing of hats and scarves that we tend to layer to stay warm. Most protective styling consist of braids, twist, maybe buns, any style that can be worn for longer periods and doesn’t cause you to manipulate your hair often. I would stay away from tightly pulled ponytails of any sort and any style that may cause stress to your hairline.



From curlynikki.com



 Be mindful when choosing your protective style so that you get the most for your trouble. So, if you usually style your hair every 2-4 days, try a style that allows you to get 7+ days wear. Choose styles that allow for moisture retaining, for example your hair will keep its moisture better with a french braid than a wash and go. A wash and go leaves all of your hair follicles and hair shafts exposed to the elements. The best protective styles allow for the ends of your hair to be tucked away, from the extreme temperature changes and from rubbing constantly on clothing, i.e. sweaters. If possible try to avoid wool hats, wool has a tendency to latch on to hair and pull it out. If your coat is wool and there is the possibility of your hair rubbing against it, try putting a non wool scarf around the collar and/or shoulders.

Here is a shameless plugJ Non wool hats and scarves now available at www.raedianncedezigns.com

My next post will be a product review and show one of my chosen protective styles for the winter.  

Guest Blog: Hair Growth

Hello Ladies,

                         I'm new to the natural world and at 9 months of trial and error I'm starting to get the hang of this thing.  First, I want to say the natural hair isn't a phase or some experiment. I decided to go natural because the perms were breaking my hair off. It seemed like every 6 to 8 weeks my stylist was hacking my hair off due to split ends or breakage. There were times when she wouldn't cut my hair and people would say to me, " Stop cutting your hair". I was so frustrated because it was thin and not growing. So, here I am after 1.5 years of transitioning. I didn't have the guts to cut off all my hair. I truly admire you sisters who are able to take that step. Nevertheless, I still didn't have the length I wanted and so I began my journey of being a product junky and tricks to add length. But, I have narrowed down my regimen and I'm happy to share what I have found that really works. Now, I started using this product in April 2011 and it's now September 2011 so I have given it a fairly long time. I've used it consistently and I am very, very happy with the results. My hair has grown and is growing much thicker as the product has promised. So, what is it? I'm glad you asked it's EMU OIL.  Now, many of you have or may not have heard of this oil.  If you refuse to use any animal by-products than this isn't for you because it does come from a bird native to Australia.  Emu Oil contains the essential acids Omega 3, 6, 9 and nutrients that your skin, scalp and hair need to reproduce healthy cells over and over, so using Emu Oil for Hair will keep your Hair growing healthy. Emu Oil gives your  scalp essential fatty acids that the cells must have to keep from becoming fragile and resulting in a variety of scalp problems. Now, it is expensive and it's only sold on-line, but shop around and find the best deal. I get mine from www.emuoilnaturally.com.  I use the conditioner and oil but they also have shampoo, yes Sulfate free.  Please by all means shop around you don't have to buy it from my contact. I only suggest that you give it a try for at least 4 to 6 months, you will not be disappointed. 

 

I'm getting so many comments now on the growth and thickness of my hair. I will never go anywhere without my Emu Oil, this is my staple.  Thanks ladies,  and remember " Live By Faith, Walk In Love and Forgive Always".   I just want to acknowledge our friend and sister in Christ Rae for going after her dreams, and allowing God to use her to bless others. We love you Rae always.

Peace,   Shanequa

Two Strand Twists: I've Come a Long Way Baby

I have come a long way from my first natural two strand twist. I have always had issues with the top of my head looking thinner than the rest, so it appears I have large spaces at the top of my head. I have since tried to gather large amounts of hair at the beginning of my twisting and started twisting from there (instead of starting at the bottom or front of my head). I usually use pure aloe vera gel, found at any drugstore or I use root stimulator’s loc and twist gel. They both are fairly inexpensive and don’t leave buildup. It usually takes me several hours to do two strand twists in my hair; I take my time parting, oiling, and twisting small amounts of hair. I am exhausted by the end. It takes me so long to twist my hair I never do twist outs, because I want to get good wear out of my twist (about 3 weeks), then I co-wash. Here are photos of then and now.



Year One





1.5 years

  

Summer 2011



So I have been trying to take a more active role in styling my hair. I have been so lazy since my hair has surpassed my shoulders. I looked up natural hair styles on youtube and this is the style I decided to rock Labor Day weekend. Courtesy of Beautiful Brwn Baby Dol, natural side french braid style tutorial. It is so cute on this young lady, my hair did not come out quite the same, but I was pleased. The young lady appears to have maybe 7-8 inches of hair; I have close to 18 inches if not more, which may account for the varied outcome. Here is the link to her video http://youtu.be/850-RN4YxPM and here is my finished product.



Inspiration



It took only 2.5 hours to do, I did not care about parts, and I did large twist and large cornrows on the side. I was a little disappointed in my cornrowing abilities; I guess if you don’t use it you will lose it.  I could get used to these less than perfect fat twists, especially if I will just be styling them anyway. Tutorial does suggest using Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In Condition and Curling Custard for the two strand twists. I have never used these products in this manner. I am very interested in how the product will react once I unravel the twists. If there is no flaking I will style my twist out and try some different styles with that, otherwise, I will co-wash immediately. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for the idea Beautiful Brwn Baby Dol, check out her videos on youtube.

Earrings available at www.raedianncedezigns.com

Concoction Review: Shea Moisture Curl Enhancer & Eco Styler Gel



Day 1



Curl Definition Side View

After the roots of nature feather whipped cream debacle (see prior post); I attempted to make my own curling cream. I was very impressed with the results. I mixed 2 parts Shea Moisture Curl Enhancer Smoothie ($9.99 Target) and 1 part Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel ($3.99 Sally’s beauty supply).  I co-washed my hair as usual and made sure my hair was completely saturated when I added my concoction. I also added a little Hot Six oil, as I normally do to all my products. My hair looked absolutely gorgeous. I had coils from the roots to the end; I never had such definition with any other products. Usually, I have a fairly flat or wavy front and more definition in the back. I attached a side definition view to show the tight coils. I also attached a day 4 hair picture, which is a ponytail of soft loose coils.   I never have day 4 hair; my hair was so soft the entire time. As different sections became flat during the week, I would just wrap that hair around the ponytail. No one was any the wiser. I usually just use Lets Jam regular hold gel on my edges, on my ponytail days. I think I kept my hair for an entire week before my next wash. Love, Love, Love my curl cream.

Note: Necklace available at http://www.raedianncedezigns.com/



Day 4 Hair