Bantu Knot Out

Thursday night I decided to wash my hair and do a bantu knot out. I used to be really good at doing them last winter, then I gave them a break and tried again and for some reason they didn't turn out the way I liked =/ Here are some pics I took last winter. I think at the time I was using Devacare One Conditioner as a leave in/styler (and yes my hair was hi-lighted)

And then present attempts. I used Hello Hydration and EVO to seal

I think some of them came out nice but the back was a little undefined and frizzed up. Tonight, I am going to co-wash and try this again but two strand twisting and knoting to see which one I like better.

*Don't forget about the mini giveaway!

When does your TWA graduate to just an A?

Since deciding to go through the process of chopping and re-growing again, i now have some more experience and some different ways to approach growing out my hair this time around.
I've sort of been reminscing about the hair that i could have had this year, if i had only left my hair alone and not colored it, as i just passed my one year anniversary since i had my last relaxer a week ago.
Looking back at photos of my hair over the months led me to a question, when is a TWA no longer a
TWA?

I'd say when my hair was between 3.5 - 4 inches it started to feel a whole lot less like a TWA and more like an A. I started to realize that i had to style my hair, where as with my TWA i could wash & go and really just wash, and go! My curls started to hang as opposed to always sticking up and i could start to feel movement in my curls and in my hair. I noticed that it was starting to take more product to do my hair and i would sometimes miss spots, not realizing how much hair i had and how long it had really gotten. I started to see how much work it was going to be going through the in between stage of TWA to a length that is at least ponytail-able (meaning = easier), something around NL or SL.
I mean... When does your TWA graduate to just an A?

I do have a little confession to make.... so honestly... my plan was to grow my hair out some more and cut off the colored ends after new years, but i was also getting lazy with how much work longer hair was starting to become... so i chopped early. I am glad i did because i love my haircut this time and I'm glad i  got a second chance to learn to appreciate it, as i don't plan to wear short hair again for a very long time, if not ever again, lol. I'm dreading the in between stage again and can't wait until i can make it into at least a banana clip but i am prepared and ready to start this journey over... no turning back this time.

PRODUCT product REVIEW review!!! : Herbal Essences None of Your Frizzness Smoothing Leave-in cream

Product Description: leave it in and forget frizzing out.

with anti-frizz potion and a fusion of mandarin balm & pearls

i'm not a last resort; i'm like a smooth spa.

your cute, fuzzy head is in for a really rich treat. watch me lay frizz down with my formula, with a high dose of conditioning anti-frizz potion fused with extracts of mandarin balm & pearls. i help smooth every strand with my nourishing moisturizers so your frizzy halo becomes a smooth line all day long.

Directions: smooth my creaminess through wet or dry hair. leave me in. love it. help lose the frizz.

Ingredients: water, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) peel oil, pearl powder, fragrance/parfum, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, cetyl alcohol, quaternium-18, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, stearyl alcohol, dmdm hydantoin, peg-2m, cetearyl alcohol, polysorbate-60, hydroxyethylcellulose, glyceryl stearate, oleyl alcohol, edta, citric acid.

I've been looking for this stuff forever and haven't been able to find it anywhere!!! I've seen rave reviews about it on just about every blog i could find, but never the product. Luckily, i found some this weekend in the BSS while taking my little cousin shopping and of course, being the product junkie that i am, i couldnt hesitate to try it out!!!

So what do i think?.......

Price? $5 That works for me

Consistency: Like a light/watery conditioner

As Far as taming frizz goes, yes, it does take the frizz down immensely. I used it on my little wash-n-go TWA alone to see how i would like it and how it would feel. I applied it to micro-fiber towel dryed hair and lifted with my pic at the roots. It gave me curl definition, tamed the frizz, smelled good, and even moisturized my hair. I do wish it added a little shine...

I will say that it would not be moisturizing enough for this New York winter weather so i will be trying it in conjunction with something else later or maybe just save it for when the weather gets warm again. I definitely want to try it to do twist-outs and braid-outs when my hair gets a little longer again too.

Quick, Cute, and Easy little TWA style

So these photos are obviously old, considering i just chopped again, but i was going through some old photos and thought this would be a cute and easy little TWA style that anyone can do!

• First i co-washed with my HEHH while finger detangling and smoothing in the shower to help my curls clump.
• Next I rinsed, shook out any excess water, and proceeded to add a little Organix Coconut Milk conditioner as a leave-in.
• I then smoothed KCCC all over my hair, defining my curls and adding great shine and hold.
• I took my medium toothed comb, parted my hair, and started to stretch the curls in the front to the side i wanted them to go to, following that up by a soft Boars head bristle brush to smooth it down completely. 
• I pinned the sides behind my ears, and tied a scarf only around the front to keep it flat and frizz free for about 15-30 mins while i continued to get ready.
• I then unwrapped the scarf and Voila!

And guess what... i even landed a job with this hair! lol

Hope this was quick and easy enough =D
Enjoy your TWA!

Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream Organic Shampoo

Product Description: This creamy, sulfate free cleanser is gentle enough to use daily and moisturizing enough to use alone! Ideal cleanser for curly hair. Great for chemically altered and color treated hair. Perfect for active women on the go! This rich and creamy sulfate free cleanser gently cleanses your curls, hydrates, and conditions the hair all in one step. Produces a mild, gentle lather, as it is sulfate (detergent) free. Infused with Carrot Seed oil, Horse Chestnut, Sage Leaf and Arnica Montana Flower Extract. Perfect cleanser for relaxed, chemically altered, and/or color treated hair.
My Experience: I've been interested in trying this shampoo for a long while but the price is steep and I'm always hesitant about shampoos. But I've done four washes with this so far (every 5-7 days) and it's pretty good! I noticed it has my favorite cleansing agent, cocamidopropyl betaine. It doesn't strip away anything and it actually has some detangling power, so it cuts down on my use of the comb actually. It also has a very nice smell and it has a consistancy like cake icing (hmm, cake omnonom). I think this will be my weekly shampoo, especially since I MUST wash my hair no less than once week and I need to up my moisture during these cold days -____-  Like I said, the price is pretty steep but the ingredients are organic and work really well together so I think it was worth the splurge!


Ingredients: Water, Sodium Cocyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Steric Acid, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-7, Fragrance, Silk Amino Acids, Panthenol, Certified Organic Daucus Carota Sativa (carrot) seed oil, Certified Organic Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Certified Organic Aesculus Hipocastanum (Horse Chestnut) extract, Certified Organic Salvia Officinalis (sage) leaf extract, , Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Caramel.

The Second Time Around...

I'm really loving this haircut!
When i first chopped off all of my relaxed ends back in March, i wasn't in love with the little TWA I had. I had cut my hair very low before and was no stranger to short haircuts so i wasn't going to be the girl crying or running out for a new wig, but i was definitely ready to get pass the little TWA stage. QUICK.

This time around i am really loving it! My hair is soooooo much thicker than when i chopped it in May and I see major improvement in my edges. I suffered from Traction Alopecia around my front hairline (hair loss caused from tension, pulling, and stress on the hair; most often seen in women who wear constant tight weaves and braids), and although my edges are still thin, i see the progress and have faith that they will grow in more as I continue to take care of it.     

And i must say.... as a color Junkie, someone who always had their hair dyed from 2000 until now, that i'm actually liking having my natural color! It's actually a little darker than what i think  it's going to look like as it grows out, because i had rinsed my hair dark for the Curly weave install I did about a month ago.

 This time around, i almost wanna keep my hair short... lol

Really Enjoying My Hair

 Everyone including my 4th graders have been complimenting this style.  I've been styling my hair in updos mostly because it kept people from wanting to pet me (haha).I think that I am going to redo this style but with smaller twists because I want it to last a bit longer and I have a few functions to attend and think the style would work. I want to continue to focus on protective styling for the month because by Turkey Day I plan to wear my hair straight for a bit to do an *official* length check.