Life After a Breakup

As many of you know, I recently ended a love-hate relationship with my Tangle Teezer. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make in my life...tear. It was so tempting at first that I had to hide it from myself so that I wouldn't use it to detangle. So for the past couple of weeks I have been using my "handleless" comb and my Goody Jojoba Infused Brush. Out of the two, I TOTALLY prefer the Goody Jojoba Infused Brush because it's kinda like the Tangle Teezer in the sense that it can define my curls while I'm detangling. I don't really like the "handleless" comb because it basically picks my hair out...which is why my hair was looking a hot mess when I got back from Vegas. But now I can proudly say that my hair is BAACCCKK !! Lately, I've been trying to get back into doing twistouts...sidenote: I really loved the way my hair looked with twistouts when it was shorter. Hopefully, I can stick with these twistouts and stop doing so many wash n gos and ponytails. 

Click Here to see the " Twistout on Wash n Go Hair" video

The Regimens...

I transitioned for nine months...

I Big CHOPPED on Dec. 13,2008

From 08-Feb. 09
My regimen from this time was pretty much not structured and because of that my hair stayed dry and I wasn't using the right products (even though I thought I was). I was in love with using products like Sunsilk Captivating Curls and Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship because of the way they smelled.


---I co-washed everyday...morning and right before bed.
---I was kinda against shampooing so I shampooed maybe once or twice a month....but I was constantly co-washing so that kinda cleaned my hair
---Whenever I did shampoo I made sure to deep condition and detangle
---I had a bald spot in the front of my head from transitioning so I made a mixture of rosemary oil, shea butter, castor oil, and jojoba oil and every night I massaged that oil mixture onto my scalp and mainly that bald spot. Within a couple of months I saw growth and now THERE'S NO BALD SPOT!!!

====Main products used====

 Sunsilk conditioner and leave in, my shea butter mixture, my hair growth mixture, and that's all I remember

From the end of Feb 09- May 09
By this point I started to see growth and with more growth came more tangles. I noticed that I needed to start detangling more and I needed to do something so that I didn't have to walk in the freeze'n cold in the morning with wet hair.So I started twistin.


---I co-washed no more than twice a week.
---Shampooed once or every other week.
---Deep conditioned everytime I shampooed
---I TWISTED MY HAIR UP EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT AND WORE A TWISTOUT UNTIL FRIDAY....Sat. and Sun. were my off days.
---I started back taking my vitamins and biotin supplements. 
====Main products used====
Cantu Shea butter used for twistouts, and my shea butter mixture

From May 09-Aug 09
During this time I was on summer vacation and didn't feel like twisting my hair up every Sunday night so I pretty much wore a puff or a wash and go.


---Co-washed a lot 
---Shampooed, DC, and detangled once a week or every other week
---Every now and then I wore a twist out.

====Main products used====

Cantu Shea Butter, shea butter mixture, Aussie Moist conditioner, Clean Eco styler Gel, and Giovanni Direct Leave in

From Aug 09-Dec 09

By the time I went back to school my hair grew a lot and I could finally say I had some type of regimen. Because of the amount of growth I had I was able to start doing way more styles. And in Oct I was finally able to get a PONYTAIL...YAY click here to watch the video. 

---Co-washing became more of a style so I didn't do it a lot only for certain styles 

---Shampooed, DC, and detangled once a week

---Every other night I would either castor oil or my Wild Growth oil from Sally's and massaged my scalp

---By Nov. I started wearing medium sized twist as a protective style

====Main products used====

Eco styler Gel, Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist gel, castor oil, Wild Growth oil, Giovanni Direct Leave in, and Bed Head Moisture Maniac

From Jan.10

I finally started to find my staple products and finished putting the final stages on my current regimen. There's nothing really major to talk about. 

My current regimen:

---Again I don't co-wash a lot only if my hair is dry, I am about to switch styles, or I just feel like it.

---Shampoo and detangle once a week

---I don't deep condition any more only if it is a protein deep conditioner

---I have trimmed my hair multiple times since I've been natural.... so I guess I trim maybe every 4-6 months

====Current products being used====

Sheamoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and Moisture Retention Shampoo, Eco Styler Argan and Olive oil gel, Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding, Pantene Curly Conditioner, and Tresemme Conditioners

Braidout

Soorryy for the late post but here are the results of the braidout. I wasn't too happy with the results so I ended up wearing my hair pulled back into a ponytail for the week. As I look at these pictures I kinda like the results.

Lesson learned: I think next time I do a braidout I'm going to roll the ends with perm rods or flexi rods/rollers. 

Will it Work?

Every time I have good hair days with twistouts or wash n gos (defined curls) I always tell myself that I'm gonna start wearing my hair like that more often...of course that usually doesn't last long. But in the last few months I have to say have been rockin' some successful twist n curls and wash n gos (defined curls) and I've wondered if I could really keep my hair healthy and in those styles. I have found that those styles are kinda like my protective style because I'll wear them for like a week. In addition there's less manipulation involved,it's versatile because I can always pull it back into a ponytail or something, and it's good for my edges because I don't have to brush them a lot.

Old Twist n Curl

Old Wash n Go

So what do you all think??? Will it work...I'm going to see and keep you all updated. 

Stylin'

Here's another hairstyle for styling your mini twist and also the EZ Combs.

Also check out my latest video....

Itty Bitty Twistssss

Finally after two and a half days my mini twists are done. It was hard in the beginning but I got through it (had a little accident with the wii...lol) 

Products used:


*Yes to Cucumbers Leave-In (revisting and it seems to be great for these twists)
*Sweet Almond oil


Done on dry stretched out hair. I also didn't wash my hair before I did these because I had just shampooed my hair like 4 days before but I co-wash the day before twisting)

Look I what I got!!!

As I type this post I am extremely excited and overjoyed. I bought the Ez Combs today...and they actually work. At least the little style that I did worked. I finally decided to get them because 1. they are really cheap at Ross and Marshall's and 2. they seem like you can do a lot of styles with them in a few minutes. Since it has only been like 30 minutes since I got in the house and popped one of them in my hair I can't do a full review (plus I didn't want to mess up my hair) but please believe once I get some time with these bad boys I will definitely let ya'll know how they work. Oh and the price was $ 2.99 at Ross and $ 3.99 at Marshall's.

 
Right now I can tell you all that it felt very comfortable and secure on my hair and removing it wasn't bad at all. Stay tuned =)

Twistout with Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

I decided to use my Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding for a twistout (which I haven't done in a million years it seems).


Products used: 
Giovanni Direct Leave-in
Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding


I used my Denman D41 brush for some curl definition 

I'm truly falling in love with my Curly Pudding. It's great for wash and gos, twistouts, and probably much more =)

Disclaimer: I hate how these pictures don't capture how AMAZING this twistout came out. I promise it looks better in person and it's not as frizzy as it looks on here  :(

Givin my hair the best....

For those of you who are subscribe to my youtube channel, you probably know that I have buying a bunch natural hair products. So you can imagine how excited and anxious I was to try a couple of  them out. The other day I tried the Giovanni 50:50 conditioner, Giovanni hair reconstructor, and the Yes to Cucumbers leave-in, all of which I am EXTREMELY happy I bought. So here's a quick review of each:

Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Hydrating Calming Conditioner (they always have the longest names for their products.lol):
       I have to say that I absolutely love this product!!! The consistency is thick and creamy. The scent is light and kinda fresh. The price is descent for a natural product. If I had to compare it to another conditioner it would have to be the Yes to Carrots conditioner that I RAVED about in this video. It's moisturizing and I love it!!!

Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor:
       This was my first time using a protein treatment product, so I was very nervous and careful when I was applying the product to my hair (totally not necessary, it's just like applying conditioner).  The consistency is very thick and creamy. A quick tip for applying it to your hair, kinda warm it up in your hands a little, it spreads a lot better in your hair. The scent is light. The price is very good for a deep conditioner. Don't be scared of the amount in the container, I found that if you section you hair off properly you won't go through so much product.

Yes to Cucumbers Leave-In Conditioner:
        I've been dying to try this product out ever since I tried the Yes to Carrots conditioner months ago but the only problem was the availability. I never could find it in stores and I didn't want to pay for shipping online. Now that it's in my possession I can finally sleep.jk. The consistency is like your typical conditioner. The scent is light, not as fragrant as Yes to Carrots conditioner. The price is pricey. 12 whole bucks! I used this product  to braid my hair for a twistout, there was no hold what so ever.NONE (not there's supposed to be). This product would probably work great on mini twists or just moisturizing a protective style. 


Oh and by the way if you're wondering I used the regimen mentioned in the previous post with Bed Head Self Absorbed conditioner to detangle and Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo. I'll update ya'll if I see a change in these products.

Quick Tips for Achieving the Perfect Twists or Twistouts....

These are some tips I've found to help improve the look of my twists or twistouts.

Always keep these 3 tips in mind:

• DON'T GO TO BED WITH WET/DAMP HAIR!!! Very important because your hair will dry the WAY YOU set it
• Wear a satin bonnet for both twists and twistout styles
• Remember: wet=shrinkage dry=stretched out

Twists:

• If you're trying to keep the twists in as a protective style try using some type of twisting gel, ie. Organic Root Stimulator Lock and Twist Gel....loves it =)
• Moisturize your twists in the morning or when you are about to go so that your hair isn't damp when you go to bed
• Twirling you finger around the ends of your twists can help lock them in place so there's no loose hair

Twistouts:

• When taking twists out, apply a little oil to your hands before taking them out. This will cut down on the amount of frizz
• Don't apply a lot of water when trying to style your twistout. This too can cause more FRIZZ
• Once you have found a style that you like KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR HAIR. Again this can cause your twistout to frizz UP
• If you want to stretch your twistout a little more, at night try pulling it back into a loose ponytail

I did it again...They were getting on my nerves!

Okay so the title is a lil EXTREME!!! I know I said I would try to keep the twists in longer but I just couldn't do it. Today at work I saw a girl with some big ol' hair, which made me miss my loose hair. The good news is that I have been doing more protective styles summer which is more than I did last year =)


I don't really stretch my hair out often to do length checks but when I took the twist out I was AMAZED and EXCITED about the amount of growth I had from the last time I documented my length on my channel. Check it out =)

This video is from February.

Almost bra strap length=)

Cruise Hair

 

I'm back from my cruise (okay I've actually been back for a week now) and I must say I had a wonderful time with the fam =) As you can see from the pictures I didn't wear my twists. I took them out before the trip but don't worry I put them right back in when I got back home. I'm going to try to keep these in for at least 3 weeks to a month. 

While vacationing I learned a lot about how I should maintain my hair while vacationing.

1. Moisturize. A LOT!!!
2. Wear some type of protective style.
3. Don't shampoo your hair too often. Of course.
4. Don't co-wash too often. (My hair was tangled up soo much when I got back)

What I took with me:

- Giovanni Shampoo

-Tresemme Flawless Curls Conditioner

-Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel

-Shea Butter Mixture

-A Comb

-Satin Scarf

But overall, my hair didn't get too dry. Because I was on chill mode, I didn't want to be in mirror too often doing my hair, so I wore wash n gos, puffs, and buns. I think applying a lot of shea butter and sometimes leaving the conditioner in helped to keep moisturized. 

First Set of Mini Twists

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After 6-7 hours of twisting my hair, I am EXTREMELY overjoyed!!!!! Lately I have been tired of going through the process of co-washing and then trying to style to my hair, all for it not turn out how I wanted it. So I started watching a lot of videos on Youtube and became really inspired to do my own. I started Sunday night and watched The Wiz and Boomerang and listened to some music then I went to bed at 4 am and woke up early Monday morning to finish the rest. Excuse the first picture, I had just taken out all the big twists and some were still a little wet...but it was okay=)

Products used:

Giovanni Smooth as Silk Shampoo

Tresemme Flawless Curls Conditioner

Chi Silk Infusion

Shea Butter Mixture (shea butter, vegetable glycerin, sweet almond oil, coconut oil)

What I did:

Shampooed

Co-Washed

Detangled with a little bit of conditioner still in the hair/ Twisted hair into big sections

Washed out all the conditioner

Put Silk Infusion on each section

Blow dried all sections on medium/hi heat then twisted each section back up (hair was still a little wet)

Took out all twists and sectioned the hair off into three sections

Started from the back and twisted all night long =)

And I was done!!!

I'm sooo Proud....(tear)

I just finished my first FULL set of flat twist....hand clap!!! Earlier this week I wore a flat twist headband, which gave me the courage to flat twist my whole head. Plus I loved the gorgeous wavy look it gave me =) I think this would be the perfect hair setting thingy for days when you're just bumming around the house not going anywhere. These pictures were taken right after I finished them, so you can still see the product and water.

Products used:

Cantu shea butter

And here are some pictures of that twisted headband =)

Products used:

Afroveda Curl define 

Cantu Shea Butter
Hair was done on twist out