Naturally Obsessed

Natural hair is the Bomb.com...Go tell a friend lol!!

Yesss the twists are back again and I couldn't be happier. I seriously needed this break from my hair! Having thick/tightly coiled hair and a lot of it can have it's ups and downs...especially when it comes to detangling it. I absolutely love my hair, but sometimes the detangling process has me staring at the scissors a bit too long lol! Then I told myself "Hunni you have options", and decided to twist my hair. Here's a brief look at the process.....

Before getting the twists started, I wanted to make sure my hair was properly pampered and in good condition to endure this month long protective styling. So I began with a good wash using Hair Rules Aloe Grapefruit Purifying Shampoo (video review coming soon). Then I applied Curl Harmony's Repair Mask and let it sit overnight. In the morning I steamed for 20 minutes with the Huetiful Hair Steamer, detangled and rinsed. While the hair was still dripping wet I applied Grapeseed Oil throughout and set it in 6 big braids. I got the idea of using Grapeseed Oil as a heat protectant from an older video of Natural Chica's. In her video she points out that GO has a very high tolerance for heat (up to 475○F), making it a great oil to use for thermal protection. I was a bit skeptical at first, thinking it would make my hair very oily and weighed, but it did the exact opposite. After allowing my hair to parially dry I blow dried my hair on low heat. My felt sooo soft and fluffy after blow drying it, not oily at all. From now on when I use heat on my hair I will definitely be using Grapeseed Oil for protection. It's better than all the other heat protectants I've tried in the past...Thx Natural Chica :-)

After that was done I parted a section in the back and began twisting. Now usually I use and prefer Unrefined Shea Butter to do my tiny twists, but was all out of it. So I decided to use Avocado Shea Butter from Safi Hair Care instead. Its a a very light weight butter blend and since it contains oils like coconut oil it made the hair slippery while twisting . I prefer the stickiness of Unrefined Shea Butter when doing tiny twists because it helps bind the hair together and keeps the twists smooth. But the Avocado Shea Butter did a good job in the end. Peep the pics below....

I already ya'll gonna ask how long these twist took to put in...and I'm a bit ashamed of myself lol! I started my hair on Monday night and I didn't finish until Saturday night :-o Yes! I was completely lazy while putting these in, even my hubby was looking like "You ain't done yet...What's taking so long??"

So ladies, what's your hair been up to??

This past week or week and a half it's been all about the 2 strand twist.  These twists were set on wet hair using Bee Mine Curly Butter in the Island Mango Scent (yum yum!) with Safi Avocado Butter on the ends.  I've had them up then down, pinned to one side then to the other side, unraveled for a twist out then re-twisted (with Bee Mine Hair Milk) for a fresh look and I've even worn them even under a hat.  At this very moment that I type they are slightly damp, from rinsing, with rods on the ends for a cute curly look tomorrow.  It's been very hot and humid lately and this weather is showing no signs of letting up.  I'm not complaining though, my hair has stayed FLY regardless!!  Pics Below...

A twist out....

What has your hair been up to??

Instead of running back to my teeny weeny twists, I decided to try something new.  I've seen 3 strand twists before, but only the finished product, never could find a good tutorial on YouTube until I came across a demo by Chiselle Couture.  She made it seem sooo easy that I quickly pulled out a section of hair and began practicing.  After 1 or 2 ...ok maybe 10 tries I had it locked down, and couldn't wait to do my whole head. 

I co-washed my hair and sectioned my hair into 4 parts.  Applied Vatika Oil and Bee Mine Curly Butter, then began twisting one section at a time.  With one out of 4 sections done I was ready to call it quits.  I had to start over so many times, because my hands kept getting confused by the 3 strands and braiding instead of twisting.   But I was not about to let this style defeat me, so I continued on my journey to 3 stranded bliss.  Hours later ( I lost count) I was finished.  Since I don't like to wear my wet twist down, I grabbed some bobby pins and pulled it up.  Here's some pics....

Likes: Great alternative to regular twists and since I used 3 strands instead of 2 it kept my hair frizz-less longer.

No Likey: The twist-out was a disaster.  Next time I'll use a little bit more product for extra hold.  Not sure when that time will be, but I'll keep you guys posted.

After many requests here are some of the pics from my recent YouTube vid "Rod Set With Tiny Twists".

For more details and information about products used and technique, please click here for the video link.

Hair Update:Twists are 4 weeks old and I'm itching to take them out..lol.  I miss my curls!!

Updated: Here's the video!

LOL...I know the title is corny, but I was feeling very "model like" in my bathroom one early morning.  The sun was shining through and was hitting my twists in all the right spots.  Shooting without flash let's you see my frizzies and flyaways in all their glory.  Gotta love natural hair!! 

**Note: My twists are 13 days old.

Got some cool hair shots send them in along with a brief story explaining your pics. Pictures can be sent to kkq1984@yahoo.com with "Show Off" in the subject box.

As most of you already know, the teeny twists are back!!!  I didn't plan on wearing twists for the entire winter, but I'm loving my twists and I don't see myself getting tired of them anytime soon.  They're sooo convenient and easy to maintain.  Before doing my current set I did give my hair a few days rest, to wash and deep condition, but by Dec. 5th I wanted my twist back....lol.  I plan on wearing the current set until early or mid January and twisting my hair again for February.  To moisturize my ends I alternate between Raw Unrefined Shea Butter and Bee Mine Curly Butter.  Every other day I massage my scalp with Bee Mine Growth Serum.  Since the serum tends to be a little drying, I follow up with Wild Growth Oil.

To watch a video of me talking about my twists click here.

To read about my last set of twists click here.

Last week was my final week with my twists. I moisturized my ends and massaged my scalp as usual.  Styling was kept to a minimum, I wore them down or in a loose pony for the most part.  Now I already know some people are going to say that I could have left them in longer or that they still look good.  Which is true but, I know my hair and I know how far to go with my hair.  I plan on twisting my hair up again sometime next week and keeping those in until the end of December.   I was a little busy last week so I didn't have time to take a lot of pictures but, here are a few fun pics I took a day or so prior to taking them down....Enjoy :-)

Not much has changed since Week #2, but I did do a little more maintenance than previous weeks.  At the start of the week I moisturized my ends with Shea Butter as usual.  I even went on a mini search and destroy mission on some pesky single strand knots that were starting to bug me.  I hope to get them all out by the end of this week.  Then I gave myself a much needed scalp massage with Wild Growth Hair Oil.  Now I'm not big on growth aides and I don't believe using this product will end in an abundance of hair growth, but it does make my roots feel super soft....So I like it.  It has a funny smell though, so be sure to only use a few squirts.  Not much styling happen this week, but I did manage to do a really cute bun.  As you'll see in one of the pictures below the fuzz is beginning to creep in.  Its not a big deal though, the fuzz  just adds character....Right?!?

Here's a picture without flash...

 And here some pictures with flash... 

And here's a glimpse inside the bun..lol

Let's just say the roots look way better in picture than in reality..lol.  Sometime this week I'll upload these pictures and more to my Fotki page.  Today marks the start of week #4 and after this week these bad boys are coming out.  I'll give myself a few days rest and then I'm putting then right back in...I love my twists :-)

Although Monday October 26th started week #3, I thought I'd show you guys a few pictures of my hair from last week (week #2).  The first two pictures were taken after I moisturized my ends with some Shea Butter.  I don't put too much on because it can start to feel greasy.  I apply just enough Shea Butter to keep my ends soft and frizz free.  Any residue left on my hands I just run it through the length of my hair.  Shea Butter gives my hair great shine and keep my hair moisturized for days.

Next is just a few flicks of how I wore my hair throughout week.  Nothing special...

Note:I have not wash my twists, and I don't plan on washing them, which is why they have they have been able to last this long.  I already know the minute I submerge my twists in water I might as well be prepared to take them out...lol.  And I not ready for all that yet.  I sure I'll be able to get 2 more weeks out of these bad boys.

Pictures from this week (week #3) will be posted next week ;-)

I never thought I'd say this, but I like these twists more than my braids. They're alot easier to put in and I'm sure they'll be a breeze to take down (compared to taking down my braids).  To protect my twists at night I cover the top of my head with one of my hubby's old wave caps.  The wave cap or do-rag, as some like to call it, keeps and short strands laid down and fuzzies at bay.  Then I protect the ends my satin bonnet and to sleep I go.

As far as styling goes, I haven't had a chance to play around with it too much.  After putting all these twists in I really don't feel like being bothered with my hair at all.  Most of the time I just let them hang loose or if I'm in the house I just keep my scarf/bonnet on.  When I did put a little effort into it here's what I came up with....

Messy Updo

An easy style to do that requires no bobby pins and didn't create stress for my edges.

After weeks of feeling a little overwhelmed by my hair and out of just pure laziness, I decided to throw my hair in a protective style.  I didn't want to braid it because it seems like I always have my hair in braids and that can be quite boring.  Buns are a waste of time for me, my hair is so thick that they always leave me with a throbbing headache.  Large twists are cool but, I usually end up messing them up by touching them so much.  So after much debate, I blew out my hair, using Frizz Ease Straight Answer and BB Oil Moisturizer on the ends, and just started twisting with no real thought of the outcome. 

The more and more I twisted the better it started to look , so I kept going.  Very small amounts of Raw Shea Butter was used on each twist to keep the hair smooth and here's the final result...

Smooth and shiny twists.  Everyone keeps asking me how long will I keep them in?  I honestly don't know.  I don't think they'll hold up as long as my braids do, which is about 4+ weeks.  But if I can get at least 3 weeks I'll be fine with that.