All About Hair: Tutorial For A Braided Mohawk

Give your Mohawk Some Style

My daughter allowed me use her head of hair for this tutorial.  She's normally a very shy girl, so I lucked out!  This hair style took us about 20 minutes to complete and the finished look came out really nicely!

To start, make sure that you hair is detangled.  It can be slightly damp if you choose.  Leave the middle section of the hair out and  french braid the sides of the hair toward the middle.  Gather adjacent braids and secure them with pony tail holders or rubber bands.  We used rubber bands.  To prevent any breakage from the rubber bands, don't twist  them too tight and when it's time to remove them, cut them out instead of pulling or trying to unravel them.

Last, just pin the hair up in a way that suits you best.  I added a bit of moisturizer to her hair to get her curls defined and very tiny bit of get on the ends.  This style can last for about 3 days if you wrap your hair up at night.  For extra curl definition, you can braid your hair into 6 or 8 single braids at night.  This will also help to keep your hair protected while sleeping. Just them take them out in the morning and you're ready to go!

If this is a little hard to follow, not to worry!!!  We made a tutorial for you!  

Hairstyles: Giving The Braid Out A Try

   

I rarely wear my hair down because I'm in the process of growing it out, and so I am very protective of my ends.  So, just for fun, I decided to let my hair out to play with a braid-out.  If you don't know what a braid-out is, it's where you braid your hair, leaving it in for a day or longer and then you take the braids down.  You end up with waves and curls or whatever your hair type gives yuh!  You can do this on wet or dry hair.  I did it on dry hair.

How I Did It:

After washing and deep conditioning my hair, I blow dried it into 8 sections with a leave-in conditioner (Kinky Curly-Knot Today) and a bit of shea butter.  I then braided the sections and added a little more shea butter to my ends.  I kept my hair braided for 2 days and then I un-braided it.  I styled it with my fingers by separating some of the curls.  I was careful not to disturb the curls much because I didn't want my hair to frizz.  

Overall, I think it came out pretty good!  When I start wearing my hair down more often, this will definitely be one of my go to styles!

My Makeup:

Lips:  Mac - Brave Red

Cheeks:  Mac- Ambering Rose

Eyes: Maybeline Eyestudio creme liner - Blackest Black and Maybeline Falsies Mascara - Blackest Black

Be Fearless!: My Kinky Hair Is Not Understood By Most, But So What!

(source)

Kink·ʿite

(coined by yours truly!)

 

kink-ahyt 

–noun 

a person who's hair is kinky and/or nappy in its natural state.

Recently I took my hair out of my twists.  Normally I rock twist outs or some other kinky style.  This time, I decided to flat iron it.  My hair hadn't been flat ironed for nearly a year, so it was a nice change for me.  What was interesting was the response I got from those that do not have curly kinky hair.  

Everyone complimented me on my straight hair.  Even went so far as to say things like " I like you hair like this better", or "nice to see you with your hair done".  Excuse me, but was my hair not nice in its natural state?  Was my hair not done when it was in its natural state?  I straightened my hair by choice and for myself, not to appease others that can't understand or appreciate my hair as it grows out of my head.

My boss, a non-kinkite, once asked, "bad hair day", on a day that I came in with an afro.  I took this moment to educate him. I explained to him that this is the way my hair grows out of my scalp. I further explained to him about chemical relaxers and the reason why lots of kinkites won't go natural is because of people that make statements like his and hold negative views on kinky hair.  He apologized and said that he wouldn't make comments like that again.  His ignorance didn't upset me.  I was glad that I had the opportunity to provide him with insight into my hair type.

All this is to say, be fearless!  Make choices that you want to make for you and not ones that are for the benefit of easing someone else.  I don't care if your hair is super kinky, loosely curled, or straight, do you!!  Because you can me damn sure that I'm gunna do me! 

Easy Hairstlyles: How To Style Your Hair Without Heat

(I love this picture of her)

 My one concern about taking my hair out of my twists was maintenance.  I am a low-maintenance girl when it comes to doing hair.  I don't like to spend longer than 10 minutes or so on my hair in the morning.  Along with being low-maintenance,  I'm also against using excessive heat on my tresses, so typically my rule for myself is that once I take my hair out of a protective style, I get to apply heat to it once.  That means no flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers after my initial styling session.  It works for me because I never have my hair out of braids or twists for longer than a month.

Due to my choices, I've had to find ways to maximize the amount of time my flatirons last and find ways to style my hair that don't take up too much time in my busy mornings.

WHAT I DO BEFORE BED:                                                                                                                   

• Brush my hair using a pattle brush to rid it of any tangles and/or shed hair
• Rub 3 or 4 drops of  IC Hair Polisher(you can use your favorite product) into my hands and apply it to my ends only.
• I apply a very small amount of hair wax to my edges and brush them to lay them down
• This next step depends on the style I want to achieve for the next day.  If I want straight hair all over, which is rare, I will wrap my hair.  I like a little wave pattern to my hair, so I bring it all to the back like I'm going to make a low ponytail, but I just twist it into a bun, and secure it with a bobby pin. 
• I wrap my hair with silk scarf and I sleep on a satin pillow to help scarf from slipping off ( I hate when that happens!)

That is it!  It sounds like a lot but it takes me about 5 or 10 minutes at night.  In the morning I just take my scarf off and my roots are pretty straight and the hair is wavy.  It give me the option of wearing my hair down with a little finger coming or up in a messy bun or ponytail of some sort. Best of all, no trip to the salon and I can keep that money in my pocket!  Here are a few other styles that are cute and very easy to do using the method I use.

 

MY VERSION OF THESE STYLES:                                                                                                      

Hairstyles: Easy No Fuss Hairstyles To Change Up Your Look

Because my hair is still in braids, I have been looking for different hairstyles I can put it in to change up my look. These are a few simple hairstyles that I really enjoy.  They don't take too much time and are really easy and cute! Eva (above) is always so cute to me.  This Grecian styled hairstyle is really pretty.

(curly and free)

(pin curls)

(messy fishtail braid)

(another Grecian inspired look)

All About Hair: Big Chop Or Not To Big Chop?

Many of you who are thinking about going natural or are currently transitioning have wondered if  a "big chop" is necessary to began your natural journey. It is not.

If you are concerned about length retention and are not yet ready to do a big chop, don't.  There are plenty of transitioning and protective styles that you can keep your hair in until it grows to an acceptable length for you.  One of the important things to keep in mind if you are transitioning is to be mindful of the two different textures you are supporting. I would shy away from styles such as "wash and goes" or "afro puffs".  It's best to keep your textured hair fairly straight.  I don't mean flat ironing and blow drying, but try twist or braid outs, or styles where your textured hair isn't allowed to coil back onto itself and cause breakage at the point where the natural hair and the textured hair meet.  I've seen people successfully transition to shoulder length before they decided to cut off the chemically treated hair, so it definitely can be done.  You can also do an inch trim every 2 to 3 months.  This will slowly get rid of chemically treated hair while your hair stays at its current length.

This is all to say that the big chop is not necessary but it is definitely your choice. Either way, the ending result will be a head full of beautiful curly locks! 

Things You Should Know Before Dying Your Hair

I have been thinking of dying my hair lately just to change up my look a little.  I've had some really bad hair dye experiences in the past and also some very good ones.  Here are a few things your may want to consider if you are thinking about dying your tresses.

Is your hair healthy?

Before considering any type of chemical processing to your hair, make sure that you hair is in decent enough condition to receive chemical treatment. If you are unable to assess the health of your own hair, check with your own stylist or the salons in your area, because some will do a hair evaluation for free or for minimal cost.

Is dying my own hair advisable?

Depending on what you're trying to achieve, there are dying processes that are relatively safe to try at home. There are different types of hair coloring processes, which I will explain below.  The general rule is, if you are only going for a lift (lightening) no more than 2 shades, you should be okay. Additionally, if you are depositing (darkening) color to your hair, this process isn't as harsh as lifting and can be done at home too.  If you choose to try dying your hair at home, follow the instructions on the box. You may want to conduct a patch test to make sure that you have no allergies to the dye.

If you are lifting more than 2 shades, I suggest that you have it done professionally.  This doesn't guarantee that you will get the results that you want, but at least you have a better chance with a pro colorist. 

How do I choose the right shade for me?

I suggest that you try on a few wigs. If you don't have a wig shop in your area, some beauty supply stores carry them and will allow you try them on.  Don't just try on the color that you're thinking of dying your hair, but try on a few other colors.  You might be surprised by which color you end up selecting!

Types of hair coloring processes

• Color rinse - most gentle, for depositing color only, contains no ammonia or peroxide, adds shine and deepens colors, washes out within a few weeks. (generally DIY safe)
• Temporary  - no ammonia or peroxide, for depositing color only, washes out after with one shampoo (generally DIY safe)
• Semi-Permanent - last a bit longer than a rinse, deposits color, doesn't lighten dark colored hair well (generally DIY safe)
• Permanent - color is permanent (has to grow out or dyed another color), uses ammonia and peroxide to lift color (consult with a professional)

• Bleaching - achieves high lifts from very dark to very light, I suggest avoiding this process all together because it is extremely damaging to the hair, but if you must (consult with a professional)

As you can see, there are some processes that you can try at home, however, keep in mind that you if you have dark hair and want to go a lot lighter, many of the more gentle processes will not give you the lift that you are looking for because they are not designed to this.  Hair color can be a fun way to change up your look, but it's important that you do your research and do what's best for your hair type. If you are preggers,  check with your doctor to get information about some of the risks associating with dying your hair while pregnant. 

Happy hair dying ladies!

Fashion Fun: Handmade Bows By Intwinedbow.com

I won this handmade headband through artnhustle.com.  The bow was made by intwinedbows.com.

Usually when I wear a headband, it's more of a head wrap or a cloth headband.  I never really thought that this type of headband would look okay on me.  When I checked out the Intwinedbows website, I fell in love with all of their fun and flirty headbands and bows.  Their use of bold colors, patterns and hardware is what caught my eye.  If you're looking for that special, unique bow to set you apart from the rest, Intwinedbows should be your first stop!

*sidenote: my daughter says the hair bow makes me look like a dolly :)

All About Hair: Meet Felicia Leatherwood;Natural Hair Stylist Extraordinaire!

Loving Your Hair With Natural Care

This young lady is none other than Felicia Leatherwood, hair stylist to celebrity clients Jill Scott, Sanaa Lathan, Will Smith, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson and Arsenio Hall, to name a few.  Her work can be found in People magazine, Essence, and Instyle and a host of other film and television appearances.  Although these accomplishments are truly impressive, what's even more impressive is Felicia's genuine care and dedication to her craft and her clients.

I found Felicia through one of her "Loving Your Hair With Natural Haircare" workshops.  I stumbled upon her information while scouring the web to find help for my super dry tresses.  Upon finding her, I did a little googling to get some background information.  As I read her background info and learned of her celebrity clientele and of her press publishings,  I have to admit that I hesitantly signed up for her online workshop. If you're wondering why I say "hesitantly", it's because although I knew the workshop would be informative, I felt as though someone of her notability probably wouldn't be concerned with my insignificant "dry hair" problem.  Boy was I wrong!  Not only did Felicia show a real concern for my hair issues, she was very kind and informative.  I felt like I was talking to one of my longtime girlfriends.  As if that wasn't enough, the information and product recommendations I left her workshop with, has literally saved me hundreds of dollars.  

Some people are fortunate enough to find work doing something they truly enjoy which is Felicia's case.  Her stated mission in her own words is to "empower women around the world to love their hair naturally."  This statement is so powerful, because loving your hair naturally is so much more than just loving your hair.  It's loving yourself, inside and out, and for who you are.  Thank you Ms. Leatherwood!

If you'd like to learn more about the works of Ms. Felicia Leatherwood and about upcoming events and workshops that you can attend, check her out on her website www.lovingyourhairwithnaturalcare.com   I recommend that you sign up for her next workshop ASAP!

All About Hair: 20's Inspired Hairstyles Are My Latest Obsession

deep waves

pin curls and side parts

  

oversized hair accessories

  

finger waves swooped to the side

glamorous deep wave

 

pinned waves with headband

I am fascinated and inspired by fashion and style of the 1920's.  I am especially inspired some of hairstyles, such as pin-curls, deep waves and oversized hair accessories.  There's something extremely flirty and feminine about these styles paired with red lips.  I will definitely be rocking one or two of these styles!  What do you think?

Hair Envy: Hairstyles That Really Tickle My Fancy

Super Curly Cropped Hair Cut

Colored Textured Fro

Crazy Big Wild Curls

Side Fro With Clip

Huge Afro Puff

  

Thick Chunky Highlighted Curls

Wild Straightened Tresses