Hair Today: Half Pinned Up Chunky Braid-Out

I have recently been trying something new for my night routine. I have started back braiding it each night. When I first went natural I used to cornrow my hair each night using Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme. For the past 2 weeks I have been re-braiding my hair in loose chunky individual braids using Oyin Handmade Juices and Berries (review coming) and Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk (review coming). This has really helped me decrease the amount of tangles and single strand knots I experience.

Usually, I will pin all the hair up in some type of protective style like a Roll and Tuck. But, today, I decided to pin up half of my hair and leave the rest down. It was a simple process and I like how it turned out.

A Staple Product: Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo

So, its official. I have changed my shampoo. I previously used Giovanni Deeper Moisture for my hair but, I found it too harsh. My sister, Auset, bought me some Shea Moisture and I absolutely love this shampoo. I have now been using it for a little over 2 months and the verdict is in. Check out the pros below.

PROS:
1. Great ingredients (look below for ingredients listing)
2. Does not strip the hair
3. Really cleanses the hair and scalp without drying it out
4. Does not have an overbearing smell
5. Easily available (Local Target, Walgreens, etc.)
6. Sulfate free

CONS:
1. None

Ingredients:
Contains de-ionized water, Decyl Glucoside (sugar beets), African black soap, Salicylic Acid, Salix Alba (willow) bark extract, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) seed oil, charcoal powder, Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil, Simmondsia chinensis seed (Jojoba) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) oil (denotes certified organic ingredients), aloe vera leaf juice, vitamin E, rosemary extract, plantain extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower and Lonicera Japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) flower extract.

I could go on and on about the greatness of this product but, I won't. Simply put, I love it and I don't see myself changing it any time soon...

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 Inspiration: Rhonda Ross Kendrick

I first remember seeing Rhonda Ross on Another World when I was a child. Back then, she was rocking her gorgeous locs. Now, she is wearing her natural hair out and it is just as beautiful.

Of course, most people know Rhonda's sister (Tracie Ellis Ross) and mother (Diana Ross). And even though, Tracie has a gorgeous head of hair, I didn't want to overlook the gorgeous mane her sister has also.

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 Shots: From this Past Weekend

This past weekend while in Florida, I rocked a braid-out done on dry hair. I simply took down my cornrows, finger detangled, and re-braided using Jamaican Mango Lime. I didn't keep my hair out for long and re-braided it on Sunday night.

Oh protective style, how I love thee...

Life has been going on. Forgive me for my lack of consistent posting. I'm trying to get better.

However, nothing much has been going on with my hair. I have been sticking to my Fall/Winter hair regimen to a tee. And I've gotten so spoiled by protective styling.

See, this past weekend we went to Destin, Florida (Absolutely gorgeous place BTW!!!). I wanted to wear my hair out. Now that I think about it, I don't think that was the best style for the being next to the water. So, I took down my cornrows from the style in the previous post, finger detangled, and re-braided using Jamaican Mango Lime, Water, and EVOO. The braid out came out pretty cute. My hair has grown so, I wasn't used to it being that big...or maybe I just wasn't used to seeing my hair out. I wore the hair out for 2 days and couldn't take it anymore. I braided it right back up.

You all know how my hair does. Once its out, I have tangles galore!

I must admit that I was so happy to go back to my protective style. Once you put the style in--especially braids--all you have to do is moisturize, oil, and go. I just love the ease of protective styling :-)

OAN: I will post pics of my "out" hair from this past weekend. And I will post pics of the cornrow style I have been rocking this week later on. I haven't been having my camera with me :-/