Kinky Twist Removal

My kinky twists are out and they were a huge pain in the butt.  As nice as it was to wake up late for a few weeks the removal process drove me nuts.  All the hair that shed naturally is wrapped around the end of my hair and it's been hell to detangle.  I think I'm staying away from those for a while.  If I decide to go into a protective style, I think I'm gonna try the crochet braids again.  I think it's the perfect spring style, if only spring would finally arrive here in NY

Guest Post on Protective Styles

My buddy Arnizz (she's gonna hate that I used my nickname for her)  was nice enough to write up a post for me about another alternative to protective styles besides sew-in weaves or braids/extensions... the cap.  So if you're contemplating what to do as a PS this winter, add this to your consideration.

She writes:

I have been natural since 2003 and I can honestly say that I am never going back to a perm, but I’m not going to lie and say that I enjoy every moment being natural. I have no desire to submit into the power of the "creamy crack." Sometimes I just don’t feel like dealing with my natural hair. The hours of deep conditioning, finding a new product for your hair every other week, staying up late and waking up early to tame your mane is not my idea of a good time. In 2008, I got introduced to the idea of putting on caps and I've been hooked ever since. There are times where I see a style that I want to try that might require a perm or to have straight hair. I am not a fan of straightening my hair because I used to do it so much my hair never kinked back to its original state when it got wet. I think caps are safer than getting a sew in weave. Certain sew in styles require that some of your hair to cover the track forcing you to flat iron constantly to ensure that your hair blend in with the weave. Putting on a cap doesn’t require you to expose any of your hair.

My beautician braids my hair down and places two sheets of paper towel over the braids.  Afterwards she places the stocking over the paper towel. The paper towel is placed so that it prevents the glue from making contact with the braids. I choose to have the stocking sewn onto the braid so that I don't have to take the cap off at night. Some people choose to take it off at night. I have put a variety of stocking caps with different styles on my head. I like having the option of putting on a cap and going back to my natural hair. I find that my hair grows faster when my hair is underneath a cap because I am not messing around with it. I usually keep my cap for about 3-4 weeks depending on the style. And then... I throw it away. Some people take it off and wear it at different times. I’m more comfortable wearing a cap than wigs because it’s made on my head so the style fits and frame my face. I feel like it lays flatter than regular wig. I’m all for natural hair but sometimes I need a break. Caps are definitely a stress reliever. Remember you can’t do every style with a cap pick so choose wisely.

Here are a couple of her looks with the cap:

And here's me when I tried it out for NYE 2010:

If you do decide to try it out let me know how it goes for you.

Crochet Braid Photo Gallery

Here's a photo gallery of everything I used to do my crochet braids.

Cornrow your hair

I did mine straight back but you can braid in whatever pattern you want.  Next time I'll probably go at an angle so I can have a side part

Back view

Halfway thru

"Aerial" view

As I got to the top I started hooking the hair in closer together.  As I learned from the tutorial the hair in the back will get covered so they don't need to be very close together

Side view

All Done!

and proud of myself :)

I used 2 different types of hair because I liked the look that it gave, some looser curls and other tighter coils.  Because many of us naturals know that we have a few different textures to our hair

The 1st kind of hair I used

This is how the hair comes I separated each piece into 2 (sometimes 3)

This was the 2nd type of hair that I used.  Much closer to my actual hair type

Latch Hook

And this is key for doing crochet braids.  Slide it through your braid, attach the hair and pull it through then double knot and you're done

I Did It... And I Love Them

Just wanted to show the crochet braids I did on Thursday.  Gotta admit, I'm feeling myself a lil bit, lol.  Lately I'm all about big hair but this is a lot!  It's a little intimidating and I don't quite know how to tame it for an interview I have this week but there's time to work on that.  I dunno about this look during the colder months something about it screams "summer hair."  Hopefully it will last me until Labor Day weekend if not that's okay.  It only cost about $20 and a couple hours to do so I can't complain.

All Done! The end result!!

A night out in the city with my buddy Pop!

Hair Rant!

Sunday was supposed to have been crochet braid day. I was super excited and ready to get started EXCEPT I couldn't find the hair I wanted to use anywhere.  For some reason all the BSS that I go to only have straight bulk hair which is NOT what I'm looking for.  I'm gonna hit up a few more today and if I can't find it, I guess my only choice is to order it online.  Ugh stupid shipping fees.  Hopefully I'll be able to get it done sometime this week because I'm going to Charlotte to see my favorite <3 next week and didn't wanna be bothered with my hair.

Stay tuned, the crochet braids will be coming... I just don't know when :\

Use Protection

Not only when it comes to your sexual heath but with your hair as well.  As you may have read I'm about to go into protective style mode.

Protective styles can be a variety of things.  Keeping your hair in twists or braids (with or without extensions); wigs, weaves or caps, even something as simple as pulling your hair back into a bun.  It keeps your hair, particularly your ends, away from the harsh weather and even fabrics that it can come into contact with.  I'm a huge scarf lover and I know my ends constantly rubbing against them will lead to nothing but dryness and split ends.

Now sometimes a protective style can be more harmful then helpful.  Don't forget to moisturize as well as you can and make sure if your hair's braided, it's not too tight.  Now if you have a cap sewn onto your head it's a little harder to access your scalp.  Trust me, I know.  It was the longest, most miserable 3 weeks but I loved the style.

If you have limited access to your scalp, I wouldn't leave the style in for more than 3-5 weeks but that's just me.  Some styles give you the chance to clean your scalp like twists; in that case you can use a braid spray (which never worked for me,) cotton ball soaked in witch hazel or an applicator bottle filled with diluted shampoo.

I'm a little tired of the heat and humidity and what it's doing to my poor Fro so I'm trying my hand at crochet braids.  I found a pretty simple tutorial from VirtuousLadyAmber.

I could've done kinky twists again but I wanted something new.  I'm sure they'll be back though since I plan to protective style 3, maybe 4 times a year.

Wish me luck, I'll make sure I put some pics up when I get it done.

Weekend Plans

It's the weekend!!! And it's also time for me to do my hair.  Just recently I found an Indian store in my area and bought some henna because I am determined to get rid of my gray hairs.  Plus it's supposed to be a pretty good strengthening treatment so it can't hurt to try.  My biggest problem is that I heard it's can be very drying so I'm gonna be in need of a really good DC afterwards.  So late, last night after an amazing John Legend concert out in Brooklyn I decided to whip up a henna gloss instead of a straight treatment and have it ready for today.

What's a henna gloss and henna treatment, you ask?

Henna gloss is a mix of henna and conditioner which is supposedly not as drying as a regular henna treatment.  A henna treatment from what I've seen usually contains come sort of acidic base like lemon juice or green tea (which is usually the culprit for the dryness)  There are so many variations for henna mixtures; some people use coconut milk, orange juice, chamomile tea, or simply water.  The color deposit is supposed to be stronger with henna treatment but I've seen videos where a henna gloss has yielded some pretty good color.  I don't expect my hair color to change because my nautral hair color is pretty dark.

I decided to follow the Moptop Maven's YouTube video with some slight variation in conditioner and oil. I mixed a box of Jamila henna (100g), hot water, approx a tablespoon of honey and as much conditioner (Trader Joe's Nourish) as needed til it was mixed into a yogurt consistency.  I've read that henna doesn't react well with metal so I used a plastic bowl and plastic spoon to combine everything.  When you start the mixture is a green color with a smell that reminds me of dried out ,cut grass.  I then covered the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside so the dye could release.  This morning I checked on the mix and it went from green to brown. Dye released, yes!  Now that the dye has released I'm gonna add some grapeseed oil to the mix.

Now the plan was to try it out this weekend but I'm going into protective style mode (my next post will be all about that) on Sunday. My grays will be hidden for at least 3 weeks.

I'll just wash this weekend with a new conditioner and work on a review instead.  This means my henna mix is going into the freezer and I will try again another time. Oh well.

First 2 Strand Flat Twist Set

Rain has been in the forecast out here in New York and I don't wanna bother doing my hair for it to look a hot mess before I even make it into my car. After I washed my hair Monday, I tried my hand at a two strand flat twist in the front, loose twists in the back.  Now keep in mind it was my first time doing them so they're not super presentable but they work.  I'm sure they'll come in real handy as a protective style during the winter.  I throw on a beanie and scarf under to prevent friction against my hair from the hat.  We're going on day 2 and I'm sure I could get a week out of them, but I have an event in the city later on so I'm gonna untwist them for it.