Protective Style: Crochet Braids!

My New Protective Style!

Hello Everyone! It's March Already?  Wow.  Here in Texas we didn't have much of a winter,  It was in the 80's today and we hung out in the 70's for most of February.  So what am I protecting my hair from?  ME!!  lol. I flat out enjoy the break from the daily manipulation.  Truth is,  I don't need a special season to go into a long term protective style. It is whenever I want a break from doing my hair!   

 

For most of you who've followed me or this blog, you know braids have always been my favorite long term protective style, but because my hair has grown a lot longer I had to let go of my love for curly individual braids.   But when I started to  notice this "new way"(well  new to me!) of doing crochet braids, I had to try them out,  and I LOVE Them!  They are a lot simpler to install on my self than individuals and are not as time consuming.    Before going into braids  I deep conditioned, moisturized, added a leave in, heat protectant and did a "tension method" blow out.  When blow drying I used medium heat and didn't blow dry straight, just enough to stretch to prevent tangles when braiding. 

blow out..tension method

  I then added cornrows to my hair. This was the first time that I've added cornrows to my hair since being 100 % natural.  Not as quick as adding them to relaxed hair, but  I got through it!  : )  

  

After adding my cornrows, I pinned my braids upward and crocheted  my curly synthetic braiding hair. I then cut and shaped it!  

 

Not bad for my first crack at adding any kind of extensions to my own hair, I'm loving this braid style because it looks very  natural.  

I'm excited because my hair thrives in braided protective styles, and this one has lower risks of damage because the hair is crocheted onto my cornrows,(which are not tight) I can still style the hair without worrying about any of my hair or edges being pulled.  I will probably do these throughout the spring and summer off and on...with regular Ayurvedic and deep conditioning treatments in between.  If you are local, and  want to know how you can achieve this style, please look me up at Styleseat.com/healthyhappyhair.com

Until Next time.. Keep it Healthy and Happy!  

What's your 2012 Healthy Hair Goals?

Protective Style

Happy New Year Everybody! I pray that everyone had a wonderful holiday with their friends and family. I love the Holidays it such a fun time. I enjoyed playing in my hair, to which I was a little forced because I had so many Christmas parties to go to! My hair was down and out a lot more than I cared for, but it was fun. I did enjoy it!

Pinned Twist outs and Braid outs

I didn't do anything elaborate as I am very simple when it comes to styling my hair I don't like too much manipulation so twist outs and braid outs are my signature moves when it comes to creating a base for styles. I  just set the texture and pin here and there.  As I said it was a  blast, but now it's time to get back down to business!   I've had time to reflect on my hair care regimen  from 2011 and I know what I need to do and will do for most of 2012.. 

Protective Style Mini Twist

In 2012 I am keeping it simple with a protective style mini twist regimen.  I've found that I really love mini twists. They are very versatile and my hair stays very soft and moisturized when I have them in. Last year I had more trims than I cared for, and I know the mistakes I made.  My detangling was an issue, I was experiencing minor breakage, so I've switched to 97% finger detangling. I'm slowly getting to 100%  I 've also  increased how often I moisturize and seal my ends and my ends have felt a lot healthier and I have not needed a trim since I've changed the way I detangle(I will have another post coming up on that!)   So yes, I've thought about it, and my hair care is going to be very simple this year, because I want to retain every inch that I grow, I was successful in retaininig all 6 inches my first year because I wore protective styles 97% of the time. Also my ends were healthier, and healthy hair is always my first priority!

My Low manipulation Regimen for 2012

• Cassia & Amla treatment 1x a month
• Wash and Deep Condition every 3 weeks(add leave-ins and moisturizers)
• Put in Mini twist wear in for 3 to 4 weeks(Keep hair moisturized and oiled)
• Scalp cleanses only, while in twist.(moisturize and keep oiled)

             *washing my twists cause them to tangle..badly, and that is counter productive, so scalp cleanses are enough for me during this 3 week period. 

And That's it! This is basically all I will be doing. I have learned when you fine something that works for your hair, you stick with it and this is what brings results! I use to think I needed to deep condition my hair every single week. But I've since learned that the additional manipulation to detangle wreaks more havoc on my hair than not deep conditioning every week. (but trust me it's being conditioned!)  I do plan to have fun with my hair while wearing my mini twist I've gotten pretty good with my Rod sets and pin up styles!  I am looking forward to  a year filled with simple Healthy Hair Care!  What about you?  What did you learn from your hair care regime last  year? Do you plan to continue doing what you were doing, or will you switch it up to match your long term healthy hair care

goals? 

Rodded & Pinned Mini Twists(2.5 wks old)

Until Next Time! : )  

Big Chop: No more relaxers...

 Are you planning to big chop, in order to go natural, but you're just a little scared? Don't worry, it happens to a lot of us..

My Big Chop! (9.27.09)

It's hard to ignore that there are a lot of women going natural at the moment(or choosing to wear their naturally kinky-curly hair). Some are choosing to have long transitions, some short, and some not at all, they just buzz cut it all off!  Whatever you do,  or however long you choose to wait, it's something you will have to mentally prepare yourself for.  I've met very few naturals who were "not" afraid to chop off their relaxer, and unveil their natural kinky curly texture to the world!  I have learned that most of the fear is from within. What I mean by that is, we automatically think that most people will respond negatively to our newly  natural hair.  But I've found that more people were accepting of my  natural hair than what I expected.  (many others come to find that this is the case as well..)I transitioned for 9 months, with the intention of going a full 12 months) I was so ready to be 100% natural but I was definitely afraid of what my natural hair would look like because I had no idea. On the day of my big chop I was excited and very nervous.  I had strong convictions on why I wanted to be natural, so I knew nothing was stopping me.  During the transition I learned a lot that I didn't know about my texture, and I was ready to see it fully without the relaxed ends.  So I called over a friend and she helped me chop off, a LOT of hair, and what I saw starring back at me in the mirror was a little unsettling at first.  I mean wow?  I really didn't expect my hair to be that short, it was so short and cottony, that I didn't know what could be done with it. I immediately wondered if I'd made a mistake in cutting it so soon.(Chop only when you are ready, because your hair will in most cases be shorter than what you expect.) It only took me a couple days to get over how short my hair was. To be all natural was so refreshing! No more wasting time and product on the damaged relaxed ends. I soon became more & more intrigued with my natural hair. I couldn't stop staring at it, and I couldn't keep my hands out of it, I went from being scared to in awe of the hair  God has blessed me with. 

Days following my Big Chop

Many of us are afraid because we don't know. We don't know what our hair will look like, how "WE" will look attached to our natural hair, or how others will respond to this hair that is attached to our heads. But I'm hear to tell you that the accomplishment and the freedom you will feel after you decide to big chop or wear your hair 100% natural will completely wash away all of those fears.
Last week was so awesome I did 3 big chops.. count em, 1..2.3 in one week! (on 2 sisters, and a friend.)  They all had different reasons why they wanted to do the Big chop, and go natural.  They all were a little anxious, or nervous about it, but soon after ended up being in awe, and actually liking their newly chopped heads!     Here's what they had to say below...

                                          My Sister Lasharus....She transitioned for 1 year

"I typically wear a lot of wigs, so I wasn’t really relaxing my hair or found it necessary. So I decided why not go ahead and try to go natural. When it was time to chop it off I wasn’t really afraid to do it because I plan to wear my wigs during the growth journey. I think it’s the best of both worlds! My long term goal is to see how long I can grow my natural hair!"

   Sis N Law Jackie..she transitioned for about 19 mos

"I wasn't so sure about going natural in the beginning, because I didn't know what my hair was going to look like. My hair is baby fine, and I knew relaxers weren't good for it.  I would see my Sis n law Chan's hair, and knew I liked it, but didn't know about it for my self. I eventually just stop perming it, and that went on for almost 2 years. I was really afraid to chop it because I'm accustom to wearing my hair one way, back in a bun or ponytail. And with doing the BC, I  figured I may not be able to do that.  I stalled for a while, when I finally got enough encourage, I was glad I did it. I'm loving my new curls and I started wearing my TWA out the same day!, and I'm still wearing it.. I love it!"

                                              My Friend V. She  transitioned for 3 Mos.

     

"The reason I decided to  big chop is because once I decided to go natural the premed hair over my new growth or natural hair was beginning to become a nuisance, so the big chop sooner than later was the only option for me.   I wasn't sure about it at first because I had quite a bit of hair and I enjoyed my ponytails!  But now that it's done I feel completely liberated and I'm excited about my natural hair journey!"

* All of these women were  attached to relaxed hair, and or wigs. Neither of them thought they could ever chop off their relaxed hair to go natural, but they did. (And their hair turned out beautiful).  So see, there's nothing to be afraid of, according to the bible, we are all wonderful and fearfully made! So embrace God's wonderful creation, and that would be you and your hair! So, if  big chopping is really what you want to do, I'm here to say that you can, and 9 times out of 10 you'll look great!

Until Next Time.. Keep It Healthy and Happy!

Braiding for Hair Growth

Braids done by: DesignsbyJackie

I am frequently asked by my clients as well as admirers of healthy hair, if I believe braids can grow their hair.  This is always a tricky question, so my answer is always yes and no.  As some of you may know, braiding and twisting for length retention are my favorite protective styles. I love braid extensions and would often use them to assist while my hair grew longer during my twa days.  However when using any kind of extensions to assist in hair growth we must be cautious of the potential damage that can be caused if the braids are handled improperly from beginning to end.  When I first Big Chopped (cut my relaxer out of my hair) I started using Braid extensions to protect my hair while it grew out. 

Big Chop: The morning after

After my Big Chop I was excited about being all natural. My fingers were constantly in my hair! I was always doing something to it, so I decided to braid up my 3rd month,  so that my hair could grow back out healthy and strong. This also gave me a break from trying to figure out what to do with my newly natural hair. 

First Set of Braids

I kept these braids in for 2 months. Washed and Conditioned, Covered at night, moisturized and did not wear tight hair styles....



Before Braiding up

2 months after

Within two months I retained 1" to 1.5"  also keep in mind in the above photo my hair is wet so it was actually longer than it appears, the photo above it is my hair in a dry state.  My husband was blown away at how fast my hair had grown within 2 months of wearing braids. And I must say I was impressed as well!  So I took another break about  a month and braided up again.

2nd Set of Braids  

The second time I braided up I asked the braider not to braid my edges, keeping the delicate areas of my hair out of the braid helps to guard against balding edges. That in conjunction with making sure the braider is not pulling on the hair too tight when braiding. When these braids came out my hair was significantly longer. 

Before my second braid up

 2 mos after..dry hair

                                                               wet hair

THIRD TIME......................................

                                                Take down after 

The above pic was a blow out that I did after my third take down, and I was pretty impressed with how much growth I had retained.    I  Braided my hair up  for a 4th time....  and don't know how many inches I retained(I got lazy with measuring)  But within 12 months time My hair went from  

THIS

                                                                   TO THIS!

Another blow out

The truth is:  hair is going to grow regardless, (unless you have a condition that prohibits your hair from growing)  But when hair is in braids or any other protective style,  you maximize how much length you are able to retain.  However if hair is not cared for properly in braids you can also suffer loss, or you may experience length but hair will be thin and brittle?  

As an advit braid wearer for the first year of my natural hair journey, I can honestly say that I feel wearing the braids is what contributed to the fast growth and length retention of my hair.   I will continue to wear my natural hair in braids/twists to reach my ultimate healthy hair goals.  

 Long Live Healthy Hair Braiding!