Apologies and Hairstyles

First off, I must apologize for my lack of consistent posting. I have been uber busy around here. Let me give you the deets. I am a crocheter and a knitter. So, every year around this time I find myself procastinating on projects until about the end of November. By this time, its crunch time. So, I find myself knitting and crocheting whenever I have any free time. And I haven't been having much free time. You know how it goes in December. Christmas parties, Christmas activities, Christmas programs, etcetera, etcetera. Therefore, I haven't been doing much to my hair...

I wore the previous cornrow style for about 1 1/2 weeks. Then, I started hating how old and dirty it was getting. So, I made plans to take down my hair and do it on Saturday. Needless, to say Saturday was busy also! Shopping, Dinner outing, shopping. So, when I got home it was about time for me to hit the sack. But, I took the time out to take down my style, finger detangle, and put in some chunky braids. The next day I wore my hair in a high bun with a swoop. Again, I made plans to wash my hair but, that night was busy, and so was the next, and so was the next...

Because I hated wearing my hair out for those 3 days--especially in that style because it was tangle city--I decided to do a quick protective style until I actually had time to dedicate a full day to my hair.

Below are the pics of my high bun style (inspired by the oh-so-lovely MeechyMonroe) and my cornrow/twist protective styles:

The High Bun

Cornrow/Twist Style

Hair Today: Side Swept Cornrows

I haven't been doing anything major to my hair. I've been keeping up with the protective hairstyles. I put this style in after washing my hair with Shea Moisture (review coming), co-washing, oil rinsing, and deep conditioning. I like this style and I have had it for about a week now.

Note: I did re-do the front braids after about 4 days.

Hair Today: Cornrows with Center Part

So, I have been wanting to try this style for awhile but, I was a bit hesitant. Usually, center parts don't compliment my face. However, I really like how this style came out. I feel the parts could've been straighter but, it is what it is.

Here's what I did:
1. Co-washed my hair with V05 Moisturizing Milk in Peach
2. Oil rinsed using 50:50 mixture of EVOO and EVCO
3. Deep conditioned for 30 minutes with V05 Moisturizing Milk conditioner
4. Rinsed out and began to style
5. I applied Suave Naturals in Coconut as my leave-in
6. I then created a center part in the middle of my comb using the rat tail end of a comb
7. I put 5 cornrows on each side of my hair.
8. Once finished, I spritzed my hair with EVOO/water mixture, applied EVOO, and covered my hair for the night
9. The next morning I two-strand flat twisted the hanging pieces and led them to the back of my hair. I then bobby-pinned it in place.

Hair Today: Cornrows

As you know from my Fall/Winter Regimen I plan on keeping it simple this year and alternating between two-strand twists and cornrows. This is the week for cornrows. So, I plan on keeping this style in for 1 week. I will then take it out and two-strand twist it.

Yesterday I did the following:
1. Finger detangled
2. Individually braided hair in big sections (about 8) to wash
3. Shampooed hair with Giovanni Direct Moisture shampoo (I used their new Eco Chic line and I don't like it.)
4. Followed up with an oil rinse of 50:50 Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
5. Co-washed with a Dollar General cheapie conditioner. I deep conditioned with the same conditioner for 30 mintues.
6. Took braids down, applied Suave Naturals in Coconut as a leave-in, and cornrowed.

This morning I:
1. Took off my satin scarf/bonnet
2. Pinned the ends under

Hair Today: Cornrows leading to low Bun

Yes. I pulled my hair back using an ouchless band. I put it on loosely so, there is no pressure on my head. Yesterday, I wore the hair pinned up but, I didn't feel like bobby pinning the hair today.

Moving on to the hairstyle...I washed my hair and then I put 5 large cornrows in my hair as you can see. Instead of braiding the hair to the end, I twisted it. Just another quick, easy, and simple protective style ;-)

Hairstyle: Cornrow/Twist Low Pin-Up

So, yesterday I decided to do my hair. I actually had plans to do a twist updo and I started on Monday. However, I started at 4:30 pm and by 10:30 pm I wasn't even done with half of my head. So, I just pinned my hair up for work.

The next day after work, I decided to do a cornrow/twist pin-up. I like how it turned out.

Here's what I did:
1. I parted the hair in sections first--7 rows in the front.
2. I then parted a section in the back to two-strand twist later.
3. I finger detanged each section before braiding or twist it up. I also spritzed each section with my Water/EVOO mixture.
4. Then, I cornrowed the front and twisted the ends so it could blend with the back section.
5. I then two-strand twisted the back section.
6. Finally, I pinned it up!

I recorded a video tutorial of the hairstyle which can be found {HERE} .

Hair Today: Large Cornrows in front and Large Twists in back

So, yesterday I decided to wash my hair and treat it to some tender, love, and care since that was my first free night of the week. So, I co-washed my hair with V05 Tea Therapy conditioner. I then oil rinsed my hair--leaving the oil in for 3 minutes. I then deep conditioned my hair with Suave Shea Almond conditioner for 30 minutes. I was then ready to style my hair. Whenever I style my hair wet, I like to use Suave Naturals in Coconut as my styler.

The style I did was simple but, for some reason took about an hour to finish. I put four large cornrows in the front and slanted them to the side. I then put large twists in the back.

My hair is thanking me for the moisture. Even though, I spritz my hair every other day with a water based mixture, oil my hair, and seal my ends my hair still needs that special treatment that can only be obtained through a good wash, oil rinse, and deep condition.

Hair Today: Took the Large Twists Out

So, this morning I took the large twists out of my head. I kept the side cornrows in. I pretty much did this because the twists weren't looking so hot and I wanted to let my hair out for about a day or two. So, this is how I am rocking my hair today. I'm enjoying having it out. Will be re-twisting soon...

Hairstyle: Side Cornrows and Large Twists

So, I am officially over my "lazy hair" so, last night I took down my french braids and low pin-up and proceeded to do my hair. I had no idea what I was going to do but, I just went with the flow and came up with this style. I really like this style. And it didn't even take long.

The video tutorial can be found {HERE}.


Here's what I did:
1. I cornrowed the side front section of my hair and twisted the end of the cornrow.
2. I then proceeded to put in large twists in the remaining hair. I used no product.
3. I pinned to front section and back side section.
4. And voila you're done!

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: Side Cornrows and Half Pinned-Up

This the hairstyle I discussing in a previous post.

I achieved it by doing the following:
1. I cornrowed the side of the hair before washing. I had the cornrows lead upward and to the side.
2. I then shampooed with Giovanni Deep Moisture shampoo, I co-washed with the Giovanni Deep moiture conditoner, I deep conditioned with the Giovanni Deep Moisture conditioner (which I am completely out of now), and finally I applied Suave Naturals in Coconut as my leave in.
3. I two strand twisted the remaining hair--making sure they all swept to the left side.
4. The next morning I applied EVOO over my entire head.
5. The hair was not dry but, I still took th twists out.
6. I did not seperate the twists.
7. I pinned back the front section using 3 bobby pins.
8. And I was done!

The video tutorial can be checked out {HERE}

Hair Today: Still Rocking the Braids

I must admit that I am anxious to put a new hairstyle in my hair. I have seen a lot of naturals rocking some gorgeous twist updos at my job and I want to put some twists in my hair. However, I have been resisting because my braids aren't that old yet (Sunday will be 2 weeks).

So, here's my hair today. I'm still rocking the braid updo and it is a great protective style.

I only work 1/2 a day today so, I am going to shampoo my hair with the braids still in. After shampooing, I will see if I feel like doing a new style.

Hairstyle: Cornrow & Individual Braid Updo

So, I must admit that I am really feeling this hairstyle. I have always been a fan of cornrows and I just think they fit my face. Since my hair has grown back in the problem area, I have been able to start rocking them again:-)

Here's what I did:
1. I took down the past set of cornrows/individual braids.
2. I then detangled my hair and proceeded to re-braid my hair.
3. I first did the back section in individual braids.
4. Then, I cornrowed the front section into 10 braids.
5. The next day, I pinned the hair up into the desired direction.

To maintain this style:
1. I oil my scalp with my essential oils.
2. I oil the hair with EVOO
3. I usually keep the hair pinned up but, I have taken it down to fully oil my hair. Then, I would pin it back up.
4. I cover the front (cornrowed section) with a scarf.
5. I then put a satin bonnet over the entire hairstyle for the night.

I did record of video of braiding the hair but, it does not show how I pinned it up. You can check it out HERE.

Yeah...I can be silly:-)

Hair Today: Cornrow Updo

So, this past Saturday and Sunday I cornrowed my hair and put individual braids in the back. Once all the braids were in I shampooed, deep conditioned, and applied a leave-in to my hair (using Giovanni's line).

I actually had plans for a different hairstyle but, it failed. Last night, I pin curled the hair while it was still wet and let it dry. I took the pin curls out this morning but, I wasn't feeling the curled look at all (For this reason, I will not be uploading the video of the pin curled braids). So, I just ended up pinning my hair up into an updo. I will play some with some other styles tonight...

Hair Today: Braided Twists

So, yesterday, I found my charger to my camera. Talk about happy:-)

This is the style I was discussing yesterday. This is a great protective style and a very low maintenance style. Once the twists are in and the hair is braided up then, that is all you have to do. I just sleep with my satin scarf or bonnet each night and take it off the next morning. Also, I do run EVOO over the hair.

So, here's what I did:
1. The small twists were already in my hair.
2. I divided the hair in an off-center part in the middle.
3. I then cornrowed the smaller section towards the back.
4. For the larger section, I divided it into 2 parts--braiding the front part to the side and the back part to the back.

***I know a video would show this process so much better. So, when this style needs freshening up, I will make sure to record it.

Hair Today: Still Braided Up

So, I decided to do a "Hair Today" post to give you an idea of how my hair has been holding up. I put these 4 braids in on Saturday so, they have been in for about a week. I think they held up pretty well even though they are not as fresh as Day 1. Also, the braids in the back are slightly frizzy because I forgot to sleep with my satin bonnet yesterday. (And I sleep on my back).

I will wear this style for one more day and then I will be trying something new with my hair. Right now I am not sure what I will be trying.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This style is a really easy style. It doesn't take long to put in and all I have to do is cover it for the night then wake up and go. I do enjoy simple hairstyles. They make life easier.

I've gotten a few compliments on my hair this week at work. The most memorable one came from a guest and she said "Your hair is just ADORABLE like that!"