Protective Styling Challenge styles so far :)

Hey ya'll ,
Its been a minute and I must admit this year blogging has been hard for me :( I hope I can pick it up and get more posts out !! So I started my PS challenge in Feb and so far I have had Marley Twists and some cornrows and two strand twists which I will remove this week and take a break for a week and PS style again.

Marley Braids by Freetress in no 1 and 30 (I used 3 packets)

Cornrows and two strand twists added some Xpression braids in no 33

Be blessed!

Straight Hair Styles ???

Hey y'll,
I'm sorry I've been lazy to put up posts :(..So I wore my hair in its pressed state for about a week as I  had to start my Protective  style hair challenge at the beginning of this month
On day 3 after straightening the hair was flat and hard to style  so I bunned it..and added  an extension. Later that night  I decided to do Bantu knots to get some waves and curls..I used Shea Moisture Curl enhancing smoothie and some Grapeseed oil to do the knots and secured them with pins..The next day I had some really nice curls..I redid the knots at night with just the Grape seed oil..

Braided extension  pinned to pony tail

Ist day Bantu Knot out

2nd  Day Bantu Knot out

Protective style Challenge begins

Hey all
So I put in Marley twists by Free Tress as my 1st protective style. I bought them from Blush at Apic Centre in Westlands for 1100/- a pack..I used 2 1/2 pkts..I didn't want a lot of braids on my hair..I like the braid texture it is kinky but not coarse like the local ones and so I feel they will not be rough on my hair..
To prepare my hair I applied a Bentonite clay mask on my hair for 20 mins which I rinsed off. I got the clay from Healthy U at 250/- and I mixed it with Apple Cider Vinegar to make a paste. I then Dc'ed with natural yogurt,egg,olive oil and honey. I left this on for about 2 hours then I washed it out and applied Tresemme Naturals conditioner and went under the dryer for 15 mins..my hair was so soft and felt amazeballs :)
I then applied my leave in (Giovanni Direct leave in) JBCO and my Shea mix and flat twisted my hair and went to bed. The next day I pulled my hair into a high bun and used a pony extension to stretch the hair in preparation for braiding.
While in the braids:-
I plan to massage JBCO at least 3 times a week into my scalp
I will spritz hair with water, flaxseed gel and tea tree oil combo
I will seal moisture with Baobab oil
I will clean scalp with Sea Breeze astringent when necessary
WISH ME LUCK Y'ALL

Its Straight y'all :)

My TWA in January 2012 

Hi y'all,
Its my one year nappyvesary and wanted to see how long my hair had grown. I have gone from dry unhealthy short hair to healthier longer hair a year late(pics below).. I was so scared of getting heat damage from the flat ironing so I decided not to do it myself and even ore to look for a professional whom was experienced with natural hair . I went to several salons and after talking with the stylists I was not convinced..I then decided too ask my girl Tricia of Tricia's naturals and she recommended to me Andrea Porteiger a US trained hairdresser..She has had extensive experience with all hair types and more especially good hair techniques..anyway we chatted and I booked my appointment. The night before I co-washed, and Dc'd with the ORS Replenishing conditioner, EVOO, honey and Aloe Vera gel. I went with the DC still in my hair and Drea rinsed off but the gel had left some white residue so we had to shampoo the hair to get it out :(..She then applied a leave in that I think I'll purchase and when I do will do a review and after sprayed a heat protectant. She then blow dried my hair with a roller brush to give my hair some body as I didn't want a flat on the scalp look.. she then applied a bit more heat protecant and flat ironed my hair..The results were fab..I loved loved my hair..although I think I will rarely straighten it..I will see how long this lasts as my hair is fine and tends to frizz up. I applied a teeny weeny amount of Grape seed oil to the hair and pin curled it at night to keep the hair straight and covered with a satin scarf.

a

Wind touseled hair ;)

I love the layers

Later that night after a night out hair a bit poofy :)

 Will do post on how long and how I maintained the look.
Thanks and be be blessed y'all.

Crochet braids aftermath

Hey all,
I removed the crochet braids last week an my hair was so dry.Yes I was not as dedicated to the moisturising as I should have been..anywho I decided to restore moisture in my  hair and so
Pre pooed with Lory's and EVCO, EVOO, Castor oil and Avocado oil..I slept with this
The next morning I finger detangled to remove the shed hair then shampooed with a Sulphate free shaampoo,
I then used my Alberto balsam strawberries and cream conditioner to further detangle with my Denman brush..I then used my ORS Replenishing conditioner mixed with EVOO and honey to DC I kept this for 2 hours.
I then rinsed off and dried with an old shirt then I added the Giovanni direct leave in which made my hair get all white and foamy..I then applied  a small amount of JBCO to hair  and in sections the Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie. I shook my hair to get the curls to form and hold each other and then left hair to air dry. I felt the hair was frizzy but soft and the curls were well defined however the hair had no shine . I'm not sure if this is cause of the leave in or I applied too much product..Any tips on how to better use the two products? I kept the wash n go for 2 days as it became frizzier when  I sprayed with water in the morning.

before shampooing..dry dry hair :(

Pre poo with Lory's conditioner mixed with Castor oil, EVCO, EVOO and Avocado oil

Freshly washed hair

Scary shed hair :(

Wash n go with flower accessory hair band (Mr Price)

I felt that my hair was frizzy but the curl definition was not bad

Thanks for stopping by :)

Be blessed y'll

Hair You Tubers I love :)

Hey y'all,
So I wanted to share with you my fave natural hair You Tubers . These women have helped me immensely in my journey and continue to inspire and to know more about myself as this hair journey has taught me so much about myself..
So they are in different categories

• Tips and Techniques 
• Styling
• Kid's hair care

Naptural85 http://www.youtube.com/naptural85- Whitney is the bomb y'all her channel is so informative she has clear and concise tutorials that get to the point..She is also the DIY queen..

African Export- http://www.youtube.com/user/AFRICANEXPORT-this girl is real and her protective style tutorials are great check out her Crochet braid tutorials and her blog too.

MahoganyCurls http://www.youtube.com/mahoganycurls- This girl has some hair and the simplest regimen I have ever come across..she is especially a great resource for anyone wanting to try the Curly Girl method. She has a great blog too.

LONG HAIR DON'T CARE LLC-http://www.youtube.com/user/LongHairDontCareLLC- Nik Scott has great hair and her channel is a great resource..

Kim. Loves, Beauty: http://www.youtube.com/user/backsyncfan- From a TWA to longer hair her styles her creative and easy to replicate..she also has grreat OOTD and makeup tutorials

MyNaturalSistas http://www.youtube.com/mynaturalsistas- These sisters got it going on y'all..tips and styles from TWA hair and Long bra strap length hair..they also talk about weight loss and healthy living.

Whoissugar- http://www.youtube.com/whoissugar- "But Sug??!!" this girl is so funny, dramatic and has beautiful hair..her channel is great and has little bit of everything including OOTD and makeup as well..She is so real!

GirlsLoveYourCurls-http://www.youtube.com/user/GirlsLoveYourCurls- When I came across this channel I was so happy to see how I can manage my daughters hair without using heat and at home. since then I no longer use heat on her hair and her hair is starting to thrive and the ouchies are no more :) We watch the videos together which is great cause then she has an idea of what I want to do with her hair

So there you go ..who are your fav natural hair You Tubers? Please share with me would love to discover new channels
Be blessed y'all


















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Happy New Year and 2013 updates

Hey y'all,
So I'm so excited about this year and hope you guys are too.

I'm still rocking the crochet braids but curled them with perm rods..so I got big ol hair :) I love crochet braids y'all and I think you will see me in them most of this year.

So this year I am doing  a protective style challenge for 2 months ..I want to realize some growth and retention that I feel was missing last year..So who's with me? The girls on Tricia's Naturals FB page are also doing one and another fave blogger of mine Good Hair Diaries is too (http://goodhairdiaries.blogspot.com/2013/01/good-hair-diaries-grow-with-me.html)
So this is what I'm looking at doing

• Keep my hair and ends tucked away for 8 weeks
• Low maintenance styles and low manipulation
• Use JBCO on scalp and edges
• NO HEAT
• DC between protective styles and moisturize and lock in moisture with Shea butter mix
• Keep scalp clean and moisturized
• Handling hair with care
• Drink loads of water and eat healthy and exercise

Styles I plan to wear

• Braids

• Crochet Braids

• Wigs ( I plan to make one :)

My 2 month challenge starts on Feb 1st so will post a pic of my hair to start with and will post pics in between styles.

So hope to hear to from you about your hair and what you plan to do about growth this year..

Be blessed y'all

Straight Crochet Braids

Hey y'all,
So decided to install the crochet braids again but this time I used straight Kanekalon syntheitc braids. I used a packet of Sleek City Girl Smooth Operator 20/16 in color 2 and for some colour I used Darling Xpressions braid in no 4. The sleek braid was about 600/- and the Darling about 250/-..
The braid pattern i used was 15 lines all the way to the back and one line across at the back so I can tie a ponytail with the braids..because of the straight hair I tied knots after looping the braid on.I actually wanted to curl them with straws but my sister and braider said I should keep them straight for a couple of days then curl them..so here are the results..not bad but I like curly hair better than straight so will curl them asap

New products, regimen and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hey ya'll,

Pole for the silence but the holidays took over and I just haven't had the time. so from my last post I had on crochet braids which I kept on for 3 1/2 weeks. I washed them once and moisturised my scalp and hair every couple of days. I DC'd after the removal and was so happy at the length I retained..this will definately be my go to style for Protective styling
New products update
Cowash- Alberto Balsam strawberries and cream

Prepoo oils- EVCO, EVOO, avocado oil and castor oil
Prepoo condish- Lory's silicone treatment

Shampoo- African Black soap
DC' treatment- ORS Replenshing Pak, mixes from my kitchen
Henna gloss once every month- Nupur henna ,conditioner and EVOO


Leave in conditioner- Giovanni's Direct leave in

Styler- Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie

Sealing oil- Jamaican Black castor oil, my shea butter mix(has shea butter, cocoa butter, EVOO,EVCO)


I purchased the curl enhancing smoothie, Giovanni and JBCO from http://www.lexies-curls.de/ which is a natural hair care product website run by a Kenyan natural Faith Fischer who is based in Germany but can ship to Kenya.
Regimen change -
I recently learnt that my hair has low porosity and so I have to find a way to make sure that I maintain the right amount of moisture levels in my hair. Here are tips on caring for low porosity natural hair
Low porosity hair tends to be very shiny, initially repels water rather readily absorbing it, has flat cuticles and is difficult to chemically process. Basically this means it is difficult for anything to penetrate the hair shaft. On the flip side it is also difficult for anything to leave the shaft. To find out about the porosity of your hair check out this video http://youtu.be/QSfa7YtD8OA

New regimen tips for low porosity hair :
For regular conditioning rinse hair with warm water first to open the cuticle and then apply conditioner. Leave on hair for about five minutes then rinse with lukewarm water.

For deep conditioning, apply deep conditioner (DC) generously to hair. Next cover hair with a plastic cap and sit under a warm dryer for 30-minutes or wrap a warm towel around your head for 45-minutes. The heat will help the conditioner penetrate the hair shaft. Rinse hair with lukewarm water.
Use protein packs sparingly and only if noticing like excessive breakage or dryness from heat damage. When low porosity hair is healthy, added protein will lay on hair making it dull-looking, dry and feel straw-like.


On wash day use a leave-in conditioner or use a light conditioner that has slip to it as your leave-in. Use very little of the conditioner on hair while it is still wet. I will need to smooth the conditioner through hair, gently squeezing hair to remove excess conditioner. Then apply an oil, anti-frizz serum or hair gel to seal while hair is still wet.
When using styling products I need to use a light hand with them. If you use too much product on hair it can leave a white residue on it or make hair feel dry because it will build up on the hair.

So armed with this info I will adjust some steps in my  regimen and hopefully my hair will thank me for it..here's to happier hair in 2013. Thank you to all my subscribers and for all of you that have checked out my blog..I feel so blessed..
HAPPY NEW YEAR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!