High Bun on Blown Out Natural SL Hair

Hey All, I know this video is of a very simple bun, but I wanted to show you all how how to get a cute messy donut bun... minus the donut! My hair is only about shoulder length when blown out so this would work for anybody I imagine, who is at least shoulder length or longer.

Enjoy and stay tuned for one more video from me to come this week!

How to Remove Your Twists for a Defined, Frizz Free Twist Out

I made a video for you all last week of how I twist out my hair. These twists were done on freshly washed damp hair, and left over night to dry.
 A lot of people always go goo goo over my twist outs and I'm not sure why, except for the fact that I know my curls are usually super defined... so much so that people think I have a straw or flexi rod set usually. I tried to make it short and sweet so I hope you all enjoy.. and stay tuned for another video of a couple of styles I did on my twist out!

Have you been loving your twist out results lately?

Reader Question: Transitioner Learning how to Style

Sietta (Not Pictured Above) said...

I'm looking to transition from wearing sew-ins to wearing my own natural hair again, but I'm lost about how to go about styling it :( I haven't worn my own hair for more than a week in almost 5 years and I don't have a perm so as you could imagine it is very difficult to work with at this point and I am concerned about styles because of this. Also, my coils are SUPER tight and idk what to do with them at this point because my hair has never been this untrained so I know I have a job ahead of me lol. Do you have any suggestions for styles until I can get my coils to loosen a little?

Hi Sietta, 
Thanks for asking and we're glad to help =)
For starts, I would say it'll be a little hard without a few extra details (Hair length? What look you would like to achieve? What do you mean by trained hair and coil loosening?)but I will give you the best advice possible for anyone in your situation or anyone who needs help learning their new texture and how to care for it.

Part 1 - Moisturize, Detangle & Stretch!!!
As a professional hair stylist, time and time again I've seen women trying to go natural after wearing weaves for quite some time, but feeling discouraged about their "rough, dry, hard" manes. They think they have this horrible texture of hair because it is usually dry and malnourished, and because of this, their hair may also be a lot more shriveled and shrunked up.

Start with a spritzer bottle with water, get some of your favorite slippery conditioner, take your hair in one section at a time, moisturize, detangle from the ends up, and either braid, twist, bun or band the little section to keep the moisture in and your hair from shrinking up again (You can also do this in the shower if it's easier/faster for you). 

Part 2 - Washing
Don't be afraid, moisture and water are your best friends :)
After detangling and moisturizing it should be much easier to deal with your hair now, and if you have a lot of hair you may want to leave it in those sections during your wash. If/when I wash in sections, I will bring a few hair clips in the shower with me so as I wash one section at a time, I can twist and pin it back up so it stays stretched and detangled and I won't need to comb through my hair again....or at least bring a scrunchie to throw it all in a ponytail.

Part 3 - Styling
When it comes to styling natural hair, it's all about knowing the look you're going for, and understanding what your hair will and won't do. Henna and other natural products like coconut milk have been known to cause a little curl loosening, but usually on looser textures. The way we usually go about loosening our curls usually is by way of chemicals or heat damage, as a lot of hairstylists will call burning your curls out "heat training." Know that this is not an accurate method (not a method at all) ladies.

I love the curly look and my hair is curly but shrinks A LOT so I live in twist outs as it lets me have the look of my own curls, minus all the shrinkage. Doing twist-outs, braid-outs, banding, or any other kind of Set that will stretch the hair, should help with your feeling of wanting to loosen your curls. When I want a curlier, froey-er twist out I will do it on wet hair or re-twist an old twist out, and if I'd like my hair to be a little silkier, I'll first rollerset my hair and do my twist out on that. 

Here are some links to help you along your journey:
Tips For Naturals
Creating Textures
Creating a Regimen

I hope this helped, and please, don't ever feel like your options are limited, And Haircare above all else!!!

My New Go To Styles: Buns and Side-Braids

These days, I've been trying to find hair styles that are easy to throw together in the mornings before work and to easily travel with while out of town (I just came back from Tampa and New England, and it looks like 2012 will be travel-heavy as well). I've been testing a couple of looks out and so far my favorites are Buns and Side-Braids.

I know you're thinking a bun isn't a really big deal. But it is for me. I was never really into buns, but now I love them and have already made a case as to why they are awesome. I really loved this bun I did yesterday when going uptown to Harlem to see my Nana - it was full, shiny and secured. I simply used Jane Carter Wrap and Roll to create this bun with a side-part, and secured it with a pin.

I think the "side bun" is officially becoming my signature by the way...

Next up we have the Side-Braid. It's also a style that is very simple and easy to do on wet or dry hair. It's actually great on wet hair because it will stretch your hair out really well. You need a lot of bobby-pins while gathering your hair to the side of your choosing, and then a pin to hold the place of where you want the braid. Start braiding as smoothly as you possibly can, and secure with a hair-tie of some sort.

This style takes me about 5 minutes. I also realized that I prefer a textured look with this style, so I tend to do it right after I wash my hair, or after an old braid out.

I've worn both these styles to work and I think they are very acceptable for those of us who may work in conservative environments. To keep them from being boring rock accessories such as earrings or headbands, which can be as "quiet" or as "loud" as you want. Hope you all like!

Tips For the Naturals With Lots O'Hair

My co-blogger SP has really been reppin' the ladies with TWA with all her tips. I, Curly Film Chick, the one who has massive amounts of hair hasn't really tapped into what it's like to have all this hair and how to care for it. When I first started reading up on natural hair, I was desperate to find folks who had what I considered an "issue" at the time. Having a lot of hair, whether it's long or dense (or long AND dense) is another level of care. I want to share some tips that I hope are helpful to those of us who are at this level.

Washing...
- in sections is best. I typically divide my hair into four sections and using the pads of my fingers I am able to effectively get to my scalp. Same applies to co-washing.
- with shampoo that has slip. If you're a natural like me who has a need for shampoo, then getting one that has some detangling power is helpful because your hair won't "mat" up. This is my reasoning for using Jessicurl Cleansing Cream and Curlicious Curls which helps me run my hands through my hair vs Giovanni Tea Tree that cleanses my scalp very well but is not moisturizing and tangles my hair a bit, which adds more time to detangling.
- with a non-moisturizing/slipless shampoo, I find that adding a detangling conditioner to your hair before rinsing out all the shampoo is very helpful in the detangling process.

Speaking of detangling....
- Fingers first! I always do this in sections before I even think of using a detangling tool.
- Use detangling tools that won't rip out your hair. I personally use a wide tooth comb, a denman brush and yes--a fine tooth comb but only for my ends when I'm braiding/twisting/rollersetting. It helps to keep my ends from tangling.
- detangle from the bottom to the top, or "tip" to "root" so that hair isn't ripped out, again in sections.

Styling...
- put your hair in workable sections
- anticipate using more product then recommended - even with products that "using a little goes a long way." I have found the best way to deal with using products where the quantity matters greatly with the results is by using the recommended amount on even smaller sections.
- anticipate using more rollers then expected. I still get left hanging with curlformers because I know I do not have enough. Usually whenever I'm doing a style I end up having to use two different types of rollers to get desired results.
- use a styling tool (comb, brush, etc) to make sure there is even distribution of product

Miscellaneous
- DON'T forget about your scalp! I know sometimes it's buried underneath all the hair but that's no excuse not to tend to it.
- Search and Destroy method is helpful for getting rid or single-strand knots and random splits. The name is self-explanatory--look through your strands and snip out with hair trimming scissors/shears as you see them. Again, best done in sections.
-I can't stress it enough about how sectioning your hair is helpful. So I'm mentioning it again. Workable sections for you. I realize for me "halves" isn't enough, I need my hair in "fours."

I really only deal with my hair once a week. That's when I style/wash/deep treat and what not. It used to take me about 30 min to wash my hair, but now I've got it to 15 minutes so I'm happy. Other things to consider when you have a lot of hair: shedding like a cat and finding a good method to put your hair in a ponytail/bun. Hope these tips are helpful!

Results From Teri's Method

So, my camera was mia for a bit so unfortunately I could not post pictures with as much details that I wanted to show. But here's what my hair looked like while my hair was still a little damp....

Up close and personal...look at how those defined curls!

I co-washed my hair with Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut, then used Herbal Essence and coconut oil to seal. My hair dried just like this. I had tons of movement and my hair and it felt super light. You see how my curls are clumped? Loved it. It was really hot yesterday so I pulled my hair into a banana clip and my curls stayed. If you haven't tried this yet and you have some sort of curl pattern, I highly recommend giving this a go. I would like to try this method with another conditioner, because Hello Hydration was a tad too greasy for my liking, but it could be because I'm terribly generous when adding conditioner to my hair.

Crazy Weather! Hair Switch Up

Is it just me, or is the weather in NYC bonkers? My skin and scalp definitely respond to temperature changes before the weatherman declares anything. Today it's supposed to go up to 80-something degrees which explains why my scalp was on fire yesterday. So when I got home I had to take out my twists =( I put about 8 braids in my hair and washed my scalp with Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Threat shampoo and conditioned with Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut. It feels a lot better now, but I'm still annoyed that I had to take out my twists.

Then on a whim, I decided to try the Tightly Curly Method by Teri. Basically it's a way to define your curls with conditioner only. So I used my Herbal Essence Hello Hydration and worked it into each section of my hair and used my Denman Brush to go over each section. Then I smoothed my strands to lock in the curl. You can see Teri's directions along with a video. She also has a book out where she explains her process in more detail called Curly Like Me. I'm amazed in how well this method worked for my curls. I completely FORGOT to take pictures so I'm going to have to do it again either tonight or tomorrow just so I can show everyone how it worked for me.

On Detangling

One of the most useful things I have learned about caring for naturally curly hair is detangling. I always cringed at getting my hair detangled because it hurt like hell. Grant it, my mother used a wide-tooth comb but she combed my hair dry and pulled it out from root to tip! One day when taking out my box braids I took the red wide-tooth comb and started doing it myself. Unconsciously, I started detangling from the bottom and worked my way up and realized it worked better. Grant it, I was still dry combing but I felt like I discovered something amazing and refused to let my mother comb my hair after that.
Knowing what I do now, detangling is much more of an intricate process for me than just using a comb. Here is what I do, usually in the shower:

1. My hair is usually separated into four braided sections. I saturate my hair with water and then unbraid the section I want to work on.
2. Once the section is unbraided, I use my fingers to detangle my hair under the shower stream.
3. After finger detangling, I load up on conditioner that I deem to have a lot slip to the section. I take my wide tooth comb and start combing from the tip to the roots. If the conditioner is really good, my comb usually glides right through my hair. Using my fingers first also helps the use of the comb.

4. I then use my denman brush to smooth out the rest of the tangles. I know a lot of naturals are meh to the denman because they feel it pulls out their hair, but this really works for me.

5. I then either braid the section I was working on or clip it up, and then work on the remaining sections.

This process does take me a while, because I try to be gentle and not whiz through it. I estimate about half and hour! But detangled hair is soo crucial for however you are going to style it, I learned that recently. I actually adopted this routine from my favorite youtube natural, Kim Love from kimmaytube. You can view the specific video here. I'm going to try and do my own "pictorial" of how I detangle for all to see.