The Afro Chronicles: Natural Hair Journey

Showing posts with label Natural Hair Journey. Show all posts

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Styling A Old Twist Out

Hey Curlies, So Ive had this twist out style for like two weeks now and I was getting pretty bored of it. So I decided to try something new for a change and started experimenting with different styles. after 20 minutes of figuring out what to do I ended up with this look. (The large pompadour style) it took awhile to get my hair like this but

To my surprise it came out pretty good i'm quiet pleased
What do you guys think?

we love gifs!

What I used:
1. head band
2. tons of bobby pins

4 Things You Should Consider Before You Color Your Natural Hair

source
http://myfashionslashlife.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/shot9.jpg

Color Smart: 4 Things You Should Consider Before You Color Your Natural Hair

by Audrey Sivasothy of The Science of Black Hair

Taking your hair to the next level with color can be a really exciting experience. Color can jazz up a boring puff, add dimension to locs and twistouts or really turn heads as a simple statement piece on TWAs. While going darker, adding lowlights or coloring within your natural color range won’t cause you too many problems—the drastic color leaps upward (more than 3 shades beyond your natural color) can really take a toll on your hair. Before you engage in any hair altering experience, first understand and weigh the risks. Never ever color your hair on a whim or without a gameplan for aftercare. Finally, decide if you trust yourself enough to do it yourself. Be honest with yourself and say, Self— do you really know what you are doing? What if this color is unsuccessful? Am I prepared for breakage? Am I prepared for a weird color result? Before you take the color plunge, here are some things to consider.
To read more Check out Curlynikki
http://www.curlynikki.com/2011/10/things-to-consider-before-you-color.html

Product Review : Curls With Care

Hey Curlies! I promised to post this review about a New Natural hair line ''Curls with Care" and so here it is!

First of all let me give you a little background of the products in general.

"Curls With Care is a all natural hair and body care company. based in Toronto, Ontario.

All of our products are:

Made in Canada
Made with natural and certified organic ingredients
Vegan and Gluten-free where possible
Biodegradable
Cruelty-free
Petroleum, Silicone, Sulphate, Alcohol, Paraben, & SLS Free
Safe and non-toxic
Packaged in recyclable material

What more could you ask for in a all Natural product! I was so excited to be able to meet with the creator of this Company as well as the privilege to work with her and to try out her products.

The products I got were Holy Grail Premium Conditioner, Fresh Start which is a Invigorating hair Mud wash (My Fav) , Coco Bliss , and Sealed which are both hair and body serums.
I wet my hair and used the Fresh Start Mud wash on my scalp only to desolve any build up I had. I then wrapped my hair for about 20 mins then rinsed with my regualr shampoo, and my hair and scalp came out pretty clean without feeling stripped.

I Used the Holy Grail Conditioner to detangle. Now! one thing with my hair is that it loves thick conditioners and lots of slip (silicone) to really detangle my Kinks, But this conditioner has no Silicone yet I was able to comb through my hair easily and I love the thick consistency of it ,plus it has all these natural ingredients that my hair needs like : coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, tea tree oil and the list goes on.. so I must say it is a HOLY GrAiL Conditioner!

I then decided to flat twist my hair damp using my shea butter mixture and the CoCo Bliss serum which has coconut oil and Jojoba oil in it to seal in the moisture . and of course I love anything with Coconut oil so I loved this serum. (used some on my legs too).

flat twist with CoCo Bliss

It came out a little too fluffy for my liking but I still love the waves and definition.

so in conclusion I'll definitely use these products again and will easily become staples in my wash routine!

*some information came from www.curlswithcare.com

Mini Twists with Beeswax

Hey Curlies, Happy Saturday!!

Ok... so I decided to do minis twist this week after I did my Olive Oil Treatment I was pretty excited about my Ultimate length check I wanted to see how long my hair would look in twists. It took me about three days to do this but as we all know it takes a while to do our hair depending on the style. in the end it was worth it I loved the results and this will last me for weeks.

I simply blow dried my hair with heat protect-ant , serum and leave in con-dish. and started twisting it with Murray's beeswax ( this may not work for everyone's hair) but i love beeswax and it doesn't cake up in my hair. it gives me the hold i need and adds enough sheen for me.

Blow dried hair in twists

Love this stuff!!

End result of mini twists

Featured: Natural Sista

Hey Curlies Meet Courtney Claire

1) How long have you been natural and what make you do so? Also, How do family and friends react to your hair?

I've been natural my whole life, but damaged my hair 1.5 years ago by bleaching my hair to a honey blonde colour. So I did a big chop on August 2, 2012 and been in transition to healthy hair ever since.
Most people love my hair (before the big chop and after). For awhile I got some negative comments about why I didn't just process my hair but too many positive comments about my curls kept me from doing that.

2) What do you like about being natural?

I love my curls and hair texture. And all the funky hairstyles I get to try out that processed or straightened hair cannot do.

3) How would you describe your hair? (loose/tight curls, waves, 3b-3c 4a-4b, if you know,etc...)

I have type 3c hair with tight curls.

4) What products do you use to maintain your hair? (please be specific, thank you!)

I use a variety of products as I am still searching for the right ones for my hair. The main ones are:

- Mixed chicks Leave-In Conditioner & sulfate free shampoo (recently trying)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (80-100% organic)
- African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Moisture Intense leave-in conditioner
- Organics Hair Mayonnaise and Olive Oil Deep Treatments by Africa's Best.
- A variety of natural oils (argon, jojoba, olive and grapeseed oil)

5) What is your hair care routine? do you co-wash? (conditioner only) how often do you co-wash? do you blow dry or air dry? etc...

My hair care routine involves a 3 day wash/cleanse cycle.
Starting on Wednesday with an apple cider vinegar root cleanse and co-wash with my mixed chicks leave-in conditioner. After the wash I apply a mixture of my organics hair mayonnaise with my
Moisture intense leave in conditioner and rinse. Before styling or anything else I apply the organics olive oil deep treatment.
On saturdays I rinse my hair with a bit of the mixed chicks leave in and reapply only the organics products mixed together.

I detangle once every 2 weeks (counting from saturdays) with a wide tooth comb

I haven't applied heat to my hair since I cut it in august, so no blow driers :D

6) What are your favourite styling products?

My favourite products would be the natural oils and the organics products, they leave my hair smelling all kinds of scrumptious. LOL. People even tell me they could eat my hair.

7) What is your best kept hair secret?

Best kept hair secret would have to be that I've found a way to pineapple my hair to keep my curls. I look all kinds of crazy but my curls last forever when I do it.

8) (Please finish the sentence) My natural hair is beautiful because....?

My natural hair is beautiful because I stick to my regime. If I'm trying a new product and my hair doesn't feel good I immediately stop using the product until I think its safe.

9) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Natural hair seems like a task to people who don't have it. Don't let them discourage you from going back to your proverbial roots. Take it from someone who has had it their whole life. Yes, It takes some time getting used to but once you do it an easy road from there. Just be willing to put in the work to learn and you'll enjoy it. :)

Ultimate length Check

Hey Curlies..this is a big one. So I haven't done a length check since.. i don't know. until today 5 years post big chop, I know its been a long time coming but i'm uber excited y'all

So I washed my hair out from the Hot Oil Treatment which was in my previous post, and I decided to blow out my hair to see how long it has gotten.. and here it is!!! BSL (bra strap length)

its probably a little pass bsl but you can see for yourself

I'm enjoying my journey so far, i admitted there was some times when i felt like to cut the darn thing of cause it was easier short. but I like long hair and always have so why not just let it grow.

people have told me "oh you should relax it again now" or "just loc it" and I have thought about my options but I'm happy how my hair is now and its soooo VERSTILE!! the options are endless when it comes to natural hair.

I'll continue to keep you guys posted and I hope your enjoying your Journey as well.

Khedesha, Natural Hair Style Icon

Hey! Please go check out Khedesha's awesome mane over on Black Girl with Long Hair! Did we mention that she is Jamaican? Go support!

Feature Friday!

We haven't done a Feature Friday post in fo eva!so without further ado, we present Monique! a newly natural who was tired of breakage and damage. Here's her story:

1) How long have you been natural and what make you do so? Also, How do family and friends react to your hair?

- I have been natural now for about 7-8 months.

2) What do you like about being natural?

- It gives me a sense of freedom and appreciation for the history behind my hair texture.
- Also, it's fun to do creative things with my natural hair that express my feelings (without worrying about chemical damage).

3) How would you describe your hair? (loose/tight curls, waves, 3b-3c 4a-4b, if you know,etc...)

- My hair has tight curls in the front and loose curls in the back. The top, front part of my head is straight but more curls are starting to appear.

4) What products do you use to maintain your hair?

- Currently I am Using:
--Burt's Bees Very Volumizing Shampoo With Pomegranate

--Burt's Bees Very Volumizing Conditioner With Pomegranate

--Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil

--Sometimes I use Black Castor Oil And Shea Butter

5) What is your hair care routine? do you co-wash? (conditioner only) how often do you co-wash? do you blow dry or air dry? etc...

- I don't use heat on my hair. I like to co-wash, but not often. I also like to limit the amount of shampoo I use in my hair because it makes it dry.
- I try to co-wash once a week but I'm not sure how often I should wash. (Any Suggestions?)

6) What are your favourite styling products?

-Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil

7) What is your best kept hair secret?
-I don't really have one.
8) My natural hair is beautiful because....?

-it's a part of me.

9) Is there anything else you would like to add?

-Thank you so much for choosing me. I look forward to learning from you. :-)

We suggest that you take a look at your shampoo to see if it is too harsh for your hair, try sulphate-free or moisturizing shampoos like KeraCare Natural Textures Cleansing Creme or Jane Carter Hydrating shampoo check out these reviews here and here.

You should try pre-pooing as well. JoJo's go too product for dry hair is KimmayTube's Leave-In Condish! FABULOUS! Co-wash when you feel your hair needs a little moisture or needs a little cleaning and you dont want to use shampoo too often.

Find what works for you, keep a hair diary, track how your hair responds when ever you wash your hair, and what you use to wash it with. Your hair will tell you exactly what it needs!

Find Monique!

FB: http://www.facebook.com/monique.daley1
Instagram: Momo2422
Twitter- @_ConfuseMe

.Thanks Monique for sharing your story with us!

My Routine (Present)

OK, so I've been meaning to do this post for a long time so here it is!

My routine has been constantly changing ever since I became natural. I used to use several products and many styles until I finally settled on one steady routine I've been using for about a year now.

The Twist Out.

I am completely handicap when it comes to styling, but the twist out is the only style I can get right. Ive tried many products (gel,conditioner etc..) to get the perfect, shiny ,frizz-free twist. For a while I used the Eco-Styler gel, it was great but it made my hair stiff, the olive oil gel made it softer but I was never really happy with using gel all the time so I went product searching. Right now I'm using Kera Care Twist and Define Cream which is really good. Here's what I do:

I start with an old twist-out

I then section my hair into four parts

Then I take down one section and detangle with a mix of different conditioners

This time I used Tresemme Thermal Recovery, Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk conditioners and mix them, but they vary each time.

After I detangle I braid my hair into small twists and leave the conditioner in for a while.

I wash out the conditioner, shampoo, condition putting my hair back into the small twists then lightly rinse. I shake out the excess water and put on my hair towel( amazing! no more frizzy hair after towel drying!!!!)

As you can see I am very happy about my purchase!

Then I apply my leave-in condish ( I recently got this Tresemme Detanglier and it is the bomb dot com! leaves my hair soft, very soft. I also use it to freshen up my twists.)

I use Kera Care Twist and Define Cream for my twists. I start by taking down the small twists and sectioning my hair into four parts again and start twisting. I usually start from the back.

I realized that I hadn't done a length check in foreva so here it is.

WOOOT! before it stopped JUST below my lips

This is the end result

One side dried faster than the other that's why one side looks shorter.

I usually wear my hair in the twist for a week then pull them out and wear the twist out for like 4-6 days, then I start the process all over again. Unfortunately I don't have a pic of my twist out but next time!

So that's my present hair routine guys!