Vacation!

I went to the beach and Delaware with my fam for a week. My twists held up very well actually. I am ACHING to take them out, but I have to wait until I get back to Richmond.

They held up really well and just shrunk a couple inches. I swam 3 times and washed it 2 times. There are tangles at my roots, but no matting or locking. I think I'm going to wait a week and then do small twists again. They are working wonders for containing my hair in the summer. The vid (**humongous sigh**) will be up soon .

please excuse the weird picture.

Technical difficulties

I've been working a basketball camp this week so I haven't had a chance to edit my video, as well as it's too large to be uploaded straight here (which I wanted to do and then put the edited version on youtube and a link here).

I'm still rocking the twists, but I've taken to keeping them pulled up in a bun. They've been in for 3 1/2 - 4 weeks and I said in my previous post I want them to last for another 2-3 weeks.

Super small twists: the process.

I did them very similarly to the last time this time around. I banded with twice as many scrunchies, and blow dried in sections on warm and then on cool. This was the result:

I wore pigtail puffs for a day before I started. After starting I would pull it back in a ponytail or a bun.

I find it easiest to do it section by section, I usually kept mine to at most a 3"x 3", but I prefer 2" x2" sections. When I wasn't twisting or I was doing another section I would braid the other sections as seen above. I found that easier than using clips or pins to clip off sections and prevent loose strands. I t also kept my hair stretched out so the twists wouldn't start off shrunken. Im my experience the shrinking starts about 3-4 days in and the best way to stretch them back out is to band. They'll never go back to being as straight as when I started, but they will lengthen out a little.

It seems like there's a lot going on in the pics, but really I only deal with one of the components at a time. I prefer to use as many clips as I did to optimize visibility in the back, but I've seen curly vids where they only use 2-3 clips for the whole process. I use at least 6 at all times.

1. the bottom right
2. the bottom left
3. the loose halved side
4. the first side in the front that's done
5. the other side in the front that's done
6. the hair in the part I'm not dealing with
7. the line of twists I'm currently working on

And the end result (drumroll please...)

These were taken today (technically yesterday) about 2 weeks in, and I plan to keep them in for 4-5 more weeks. I wore the twists pinned up (seen above) to an interview earlier today actually. I hope I get the job :D.

Btw, my touch up method for my ends (they get frizzy and dry every 3-4 days) is to just put a dab of Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter to each end. I do this at night before I go to sleep. It takes about an 1-1.5 hours so I only do once a week. I hate the smell of the stuff, and it's kinda gooky at first, but after I wake up my ends are wonderful (I hope you can see in the pics)

More pictures... lol I have no explanation other than I was bored. These are a week in and before the touch-up I did last last night for the interview.

Random pics done. The video should be done and up in a day or two. Let's see if my computer wants to cooperate...

New Twists finally done!

They are considerably smaller and took much longer as well. Over the course of 6 days and 18 hours from June 1 - 6 I did them. So far they are holding out well, safe about 10-15 loose strands of hair that got pulled out of the twists. The loose strands annoy me and I'm too lazy to fix them soo...

Pics and video later in the day (when my technology is charged)

This past week

This post contains A LOT of pictures. I've had a busy hair week.

I took out my twists after 3 weeks because I was getting restless and bored of them. It was also the first time I did them and I think I can do it better the second time around. I'm banding my hair again, just with more sections (12) and less space between the bands. After the bands are out I'm going to blow dry on warm then cool to straighten my hair out more. I like more length with the twists.

This was the last day of the twists right before I took them out.

The last time I banded I put 5 on each section, but this time each section has 7-8. I have seen a few tutorials where they don't put anything in their hair but EVCO or shea butter for twisting, but I put in most of my moisturizing products that I usually do, just no oils or butters. I'll do that when I twist.

(This is just a rando, after the pool air dryed with a little Sauve Almond & Shea Butter conditioner)

This was my braid-n-curl after the twists, I wasn't too pleased with it, and I went swimming... so ooo the twists are coming back.

This was my hairball after the twists came out. ALOT more shedding than usual. Also since I stopped taking Biotin.

This is my hair drying after the twists and some texture shots.

I'll post pics as I start doing the twists tomorrow.

Twists

I am in week 2 of wearing my twists I did from May 5 - 7. I don't have any pictures from when I first finished or the first week, so excuse the frizziness.

I dont know why I've never done these before. They are the simplest hairstyle to date. I did

twists that weren't too small and it took about 7-8 hours total, but all I do for upkeep is re-twist the most frizzy ones, spray my concoction, and apply Elasta QP Olive oil and Mango Butter to my ends and EVCO to my roots.

To do the style I first co-washed my hair with HEHH+HETT, Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine, and Aussie Moist and rinsed all the conditioner out. I let my hair get damp and put Cantu Shea Butter L-iC, and banded my hair in about 10-11 sections. I slept with my hair banded and about 7-8 hours later it was dry. I started the twists in the sections i created when banding which made it alot easier. I used only EVCO when twisting and put a drop on my finger per twist and started applying at the end and then the root and it got dispersed through the rest of the hair after the twist was done.

Since the twists took 2-3 days I started at the front (a part from ear to ear) and finished that then moved from the nape of my neck up. In between when I had to go out I just had the excess hair in medium sized braids under a hat.

At night for upkeep as I mentioned earlier I apply Elasta QP Olive oil and Mango Butter to my ends (I love the stuff keeps my hair shiny and my ends curled) and spray (the recipe is here) and put on a silk scarf. Because of the length of my hair the end sticks out the back I also sleep on a satin pillow case. I don't cover my ends with a bonnet like I've seen other naturals do because my curls always flatten if I do that.

2 Strand Twists

I now have a head full of shoulder length 2 strand twists that took about 3-4 days to do. I'm almost at week 2 and at the rate I'm going they'll last for another 3-4. I'll post pics and maybe a how-to vid of my method.

school's over. haitus over.

ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!! I HAVE BCed~!!!!~!!!!!!

During the wee hours of the morning on November 28, 2010,

I Big Chopped!!!

I cut about 4 inches from the back and 7ish from the front. I like it, but it's shorter than I've ever had my hair. I was so afraid of this day but I love it.

I put in twists cause i didn't know what else to do. I'm so used to having long hair to curl and twist and braid and straighten.

Pictures are in the near future.

So far no feelings of regret...

64 weeks.

I have left this blog for quite a while (over a year I think) but now I am back! I almost basically have everything together with school and work and everything. I have many hair updates that will appear in the coming days and weeks, because I have been buying products and trying new styles, taking pictures, trying new products, etc., but I just haven't been posting about it. Not even on the Curly Nikki forum (I'm under Pwatem).

So my update so far is that I am 64 weeks into my long-term transition. I haven't trimmed my hair or done any major cuts (as you can see in the previous post) since then. I'm really focusing on retaining length at this point. Once in a while I can't think of anything to do with my hair and I want to grab some shears and BC so badly, but I think about my super bun (pictures will appear soon), and I hold out.

I have recently, and by recently I mean 2 days ago, discovered my perfect regimen and product combination for my hair.

For in the shower:

• Aussie Moist
• J/A/S/O/N Biotin Shampoo
• Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine
• Aussie Smooth
• HE Hello Hydration
• South of France Shea Butter Bar

Styling:

• Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner
• Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition
• Garnier Cream Gel
• EVCO
• Smooth n' Shine Curl Activator Gel

I have replaced Fantasia IC gel with Smooth n' Shine and it is amazing. I have read a lot of hype about Fantasia and I used it for a long time, but it just doesn't do what I want it to. I have no beauty supply store near me, so I have to rely on what Target or Walmart for most of my products. When I go home next weekend I'm going to live in the beauty supply store.

I also recently made a lot of purchases of organic and natural up-keep and cleansing products.

for a total of about $40 I got:

• rosewater
• glycerin
• essential oils of peppermint
• essential oils of lavender
• jojoba oil
• biotin capsules
• aloe vera juice
• soap nuts

I just have to get a measuring container thingee (wow my descriptive English is terrible) for the soap nut liquid, and a spray bottle for my other mixture.

I ordered everything a few days ago, so I hope everything gets here early next week.

Ok I think this post is long enough, so... bye.

2010!!!

Whoa. I haven't posted since the end of November. I have been busy with school and more difficult classes, the CurlyNikki forum, Tumblr, and other forums and blogs. The last couple posts I did were just copy paste from the CN forum.

I think I need to post more which will help/force me to pay more attention to me hair. I will probably update this with my hair progress within the next week.