Future Hair Plans...

So, I have been re-thinking my regimen (especially for the summer) and I have decided that I will start rocking more protective styles such as twists, braids, etc. The reason for this is that my hair is just getting too long and tangles are occuring more frequently. I mean they occur like crazy. And though I do have patience with my hair, I just don't want to have 2-3 day styling sessions with my hair. I have realized that I have a significant decrease in tangles whenever I rock styles such as twists. So, that is what I will be doing.

I'm not saying I won't ever wear my hair out but, I really do think that I will just rock my hair in "out" styles on very special occasions.

I am excited about rocking my protective styles. I plan on putting in some medium sized twists this weekend after I detangle, wash, co-wash, etc. I will continue to keep you posted and post pics of the hairstyles that I try with my medium sized twists. Maybe I should call them "midi twists"...

Hairstyle: Roll and Tuck leading to a Side Pony Tail

Hello, ladies. I just wanted to share with you all this fast and simple hairstyle I achieved with my mini twists.

Playing Around with My Mini Twists

So, even though I haven't had these mini twists in that long I have tried a few hairstyles. I will try to keep posting video tutorials of the many hairstyles I plan on doing with these twists. Below are a few pics of styles I have tried so far...

 This is the hair completely pinned up.

 This is the hair all swept to the side.

 This is the back view of the hair all swept to the side.

This was the hair with the side rolled and pinned to the side.

I'm really enjoying playing around with my mini twists and I have a few more ideas floating around this head of mine. 

The Best Style To Stretch Hair and Keep it Detangled is...

Cornrows.

As you all know, I just recently put in some mini twists. The style took FOREVER--16 hours to be exact. And the reason I feel it took so long is because I still had a lot of detangling to do.

The last time I tackled mini twists the process went by so much faster. Of course my hair was a little shorter then and the twists were a little larger. However, I did not have to detangle any parts of my hair when I did that set. And the reason is because I had just taken my hair out of some cornrows.

Cornrows really do eliminate tangles. The reason for this is...in order to properly cornrow the hair you must take it strand by strand and smooth each section before connecting it to the next. This really ensures that you catch any tangles that may be in your hair.

In addition to the elimination of tangles, cornrows also provide a great stretch for the hair. I like to stretch my hair before putting it in mini twists. Of course, some people use other methods such as blowing out the hair, banding, etc. But, I feel that cornrows (or braids) are the safest way to go. It helps to eliminate stress to the hair and decreases your chance of breakage or damage.

So, now that I have compared the two. I feel 110 % sure that cornrows are a much better method of keeping the hair stretch and detangled rather than the individual braids.

Hairstyle: Mini Twists

This was my hair on Day 1.

I was headed to church as was too tired to try a style so, I just wore them down.

So, my plans didn't go as I had intended them. I wanted to put the mini twists in on Thursday night. However, I ended up starting on Friday night, worked for 3 hours, then got tired. Then, I tried to continue on Saturday morning but, I ended up going shopping and to the movies with Auset. *I rocked a turban that day since I had some hair out and some twists in*

So, by the time we got home at around 6:00 pm I was DETERMINED to finish my hair. My determination was so strong that I ended up pulling an all nighter. I finished my hair at 7:30 am. Talk about dedication.

So the total time for these mini twists was about 16 hours!! For this reason, I'm thinking that mini twists will now become a once a year routine.

Why so long? Simply put, I ended up putting them in much smaller than my last set, my hair is a little longer, and I still had some detangling to do.

But, I finished them and I am SO pleased with the results...

This is my hair today. I don't know how I came up with this pin-up. It just sorta happened.

Hair Today: Prepping My Hair for Mini Twists

 This is my hair after I put the individual braids in (Wednesday).

This is my hair today (Thursday). I plan on taking the braids out tonight and put in the mini twists.

So, I have decided to put some mini-twists in my hair tonight. I plan on doing an all nighter immediately after I get off work. I am hoping to be finished with my hair no later that 2:00 AM. I have been feening for some mini twists for about 3 weeks now. But, life has been getting in the way of those plans. So, I decided that no matter what I was going to put this set of mini twists in my hair this week.

I prepped my hair on Tuesday by doing the following:
1. I shampooed with one of my sister's sulfate free shampoo bars. *review coming soon*
2. I then oil rinsed using a 50:50 mixture of castor oil and EVOO
3. I then deep conditioned with Suave Naturals in Coconut for 30 minutes.
4. I rinsed the conditioner out and generously applied Extra Virgin Coconut oil to my entire head.
5. I then put some individual braids all over my head (I applied EVCO to each section) so that my hair could have a little stretch with the mini twists.
6. I wore the individual braids in an updo yesterday and today.

Mistakes of my Wash N' Go

This is Day 1 of the Wash N' Go.

So, you all know I really liked my Wash N' Go (WNG) and wanted to wear the style for  a second week. I had plans to wear the Wash N' Go to my sister's graduation. So how did it go?

I got lazy. I did not detangle my hair at all. I just pulled free a few shed pieces. I then proceeded to wash my hair.

I did the exact same process of my last WNG. I co-washed my hair, oil rinsed, deep conditioned, applied the leave-in (but not as much) and let it air dry. The wash and go dried fast and looked fab!!

So, where did I mess up? Remember, I said I did not detangle. That turned out to be a major problem. On about Day 3 of my hair I started to just randomly start feeling my hair. I started noticing numerous knots in the hair. I thought maybe it was just a few and I would patiently finger detangle those. But, then I stared noticing more and more major tangles and knots. So, I finally gave in and decided to finger detangle my entire head and then braid it up. This took forever!! I had matted parts of hair, I had strands of hair clumped together with 2-3 knots along the length of hair. But, I was patient and got all the tangles out (a 2 day process), braided the hair up, and thought I was done. Not.

I proceeded to take the braids down after a day of having them in so, that I may do my hair for my sister's graduation. While trying to style my hair into a braid-out I kept encountering more strands of hair clumped together and more knots. So yet again I patiently finger detangled the hair. And after about 4 hours I was finally finished!

So, this is a lesson learned for me. It is a MUST that I detangle my hair before a wash n' go.

**I ended up wearing a braid-out to the graduation activities the entire weekend.**

This is Day 3 of the Braid Out I wore for the actual graduation day.

ABCs of Miss CeeC

One of those days where I have nothing to blog about. So, here's the ABCs of me. Hope you enjoy ;-)

Age: 27

Bed size: Twin 

Chore you hate: Washing dishes but, I suck it up and do them.

Dogs: Champagne (my shih-tzu), she passed away this past Summer 2010 :-(

Essential start of your day: Prayer. 1 Mug of Black Coffee

Favorite color:  Pink, even though I own more green clothes and wear green eyeshadow a lot.

Gold or silver: silver

Height: 5'2".

Instruments I play (or have played): Piano as a child, Clarinet in middle school and high school, Oboe in high school

Job title: Secretary

Kids: One day...

Live: Tuskegee, AL---a place full of rich history :-)

Mom’s name: Margaret

Nickname: I have none but, I call myself Miss CeeC. Just don't call me Connie/Conny---I hate it

Overnight hospital stays: Never.

Pet peeve: Smacking/Talking with a mouth full of food. Seriously.

Quote from a movie: "Get in there and make yourself a dang quesa-dill-lah!" -grandmother from Napolean Dynamite

Right or left handed: Left.

Siblings: Alison, Auset, Joy

Time you wake up: 6:40am. Later than my usual time but, this is the time I have been getting up for the last few weeks.

Underwear: Yes

Vegetables you dislike:  This is hard. I love most vegetables. Are jalapeno peppers considered a vegetable? If so, then I definitely dislike those. Yuck.

What makes you run late: Doing OOTD videos

X-rays you’ve had done: Whenever I go to the dentist they X-ray my teeth. Other than that, none. 

Yummy food you make: "I make a mean guacamole!" *just playing* *quoting Riley from the Boondocks* Seriously...split pea soup, 3 bean vegan chili, vegan pasta, apple banana vegan muffins. 

Zoo animal: Tiger

My Thoughts on my Wash N' Go

My how the times have changed! I always assumed that I would not be a Wash N' Go (WNG) kinda girl. (They tell you what happens when you assume). Simply put, I always loved trying out new hairstyles and doing new hairstyles. I always thought WNGs would lead to a crazy amount of tangles and matted hair. I always thought that WNG = Lazy Hair Day. How my thought process has changed these past days!!

Here's what I love about WNGs:

1. I can achieve the Day 3 or Day 4 (of a twist out or braid out) hair look--which I was always partial to--on Day 1 of a WNG.

2. I actually have much less and I mean much less fairy knots and tangles. I don't know if this was because of the oil rinse but, I always do oil rinses whenever I wash my hair. So, I think this is due to my hair not being constricted into a twist or a braid--meaning the strands are not formed together in this set spiral or wave.

3. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my hair texture. (This kinda goes back to number 1). See, I like braid-outs and twist-outs every now and then but, like I said I never really liked that set look. But, with a WNG my hair does what it does. I simply adore those random pieces and curls that would just pop out.

4. With a WNG I can simply wake up n' go after Day 1. I did this anyway with my twist-outs and braid-outs but, I can also do this with my WNGs.

5. I no longer equate WNG with Lazy Hair Day. I equate WNG with Easy Hair Day.
6. Did I mention how fierce a WNG looks? I noticed from looking at my sister, Auset, and other pics on the internet how on-point WNGs look. You really can just be rocking some sweats and  a t-shirt and still look like the bizness

I do plan on doing more hairstyles. And since I am going to be on vacation next week I even debated putting in some mini twists. But, I decided that I am going to rock another WNG next week (just cause I want to) and I also want to wear a WNG to my sister's graduation. So, I think that I am going to put the mini twists in on Monday, May 16th after my sister's graduation. I am pretty excited about trying out some new hairstyles and updos with the mini twists. I have so many floating around my head! However, I am just more excited about WNGs :-)

Hair Today: Semi Fro-Hawk (Day 5 of Wash N' Go)

So, I pinned back the sides of my hair today and I am rocking a semi fro-hawk. I like this style because it is oh-so simple and its a great way to show off my side profile and my earrings.

All I did for this style was:
1. Shape the hair by gently pulling it out.
2. Sealed my hair ends with shea butter/coconut oil mixture
3. Pinned the sides using 2 long bobby pins for each side.

And that's it!

Beautiful Natural Men: Gary Dourdan

I remember when watching "A Different World" back in the day, I thought "Shaza" was so cute. His locs were gorgeous--even though I didn't always like the role of the actor. And when he was in that Janet Jackson video--out of this world.

Now, Gary Dourdan is most known for his role on CSI. And even though he no longer has the locs his textured afro is just as beautiful.

It's obvious he is a beautiful man and the confidence is exudes is just out of this world.

So, Gary Dourdan you are definitely a Beautiful Natural Man in my book.

Naturals in Advertisement: Target

Target is a company that always featured natural models. Just walk into any Target and look at the images/advertisements throughout their store and you will find a number of natural models. And one thing I love about their natural models is their diversity. Their hair will range from loose curls to tighter curls like mine. I can appreciate all natural hair.

I found this pic on the internet and thought it was so adorable. Her hair in motion with the dogs is too cute! Target keep the great ads coming :-)

Hairstyle: Wash N' Go

         

                        Day 1                             

                           Day 2

Day 3

I have tried my first Wash N' Go and I am in love!!!

It turned out great. I followed the instructions from my sister, Auset, and I had great results. The only step I did not follow was shampooing my hair because I just shampooed it 5 days before.

So, here's what I did:
1. I co-washed with Suave Naturals in Coconut
2. I did an oil rinse using 50:50 EVOO and Castor Oil. -----> I left in the hair about 3 minutes and then rinsed out.
3. I then deep conditioned my hair with the Suave Naturals in Coconut for about 30 minutes.
4. I then rinsed it out with cold water.
5. I gently shook my head to get rid of excess water. And I also gently blotted the hair using a beach towel.
6. I applied a mixture of Giovanni Leave-In and Garnier Fructise Leave-In to my hair. **NOTE: A little goes a long way when using this leave-in. I think I may have used too much because it took forever to dry.**
7. I let the hair fall the way it naturally fell and that was it!

To maintain:
1. I simply slept with a satin scarf and bonnet.
2. The next morning I gently shaped the hair by pulling out those smooshed sections.
3. And that was it!