Stylin': mini twists (update/maintenance)

It's been two weeks and my cute little mini twists are still giving me the business in the best way possible. This has been a very suitable substitution to the braided/twisted extensions that I've been longing for. I've received so many lovely compliments and exclamations from fellow naturals for me to get my hands in their hair lol! Before I big chopped I always wore my hair in a similar cut to where these twists fall. My relaxed hair never really grew past the base of my neck for years. So now that my un-stretched twists have made it to the length I was before the BC, I'm hype!

My night time routine/maintenance is very simple, which I need and appreciate. I lightly spritz the twist with water and then rub either coconut oil or my Shea Butter mix on the twist, focusing on the ends. I throw on a satin bonnet and then it's "Goodnight!" In the mornings I shake my hair a bit and then either pin the front out of my face or just let them "do what they do." And it's as simple as that.

The funny thing about these twists is it makes me long for locs...immediately! I'm just imagining short locs I can play in. Who knows...maybe it will come to be in the future. until then, i'll stick to the mini twists and genie locs.

This week's LUUUUST!!!

(Source: Tumblr)

notice anything particular about these photos? lol

Natural Hair: a sport?

From the guy who bought us, "Yo Boyfriend don't like you're natural hair?", comes a new video that I think you'll enjoy (for more ways than one...at least for me ;D) Check out SJSafety18's video and channel.

*Happy Hair Days*

 =D

This Week's LUUUUST!!!: Mishal Moore

I love music. It's honestly my number one passion in life. My degree reflects it. My job reflects it. My musical library reflects it. And my blogs/networking sites do as well. I'm always searching for artist that I can fall in love with. One of my more recent finds have been the talented and beautiful Mishal Moore. Her voice and songs are dreamy and her natural hair is lust worthy, for real! So check out not only her wonderful music below but photos of those beautiful curls of hers.

 (Source: Myspace)

Get It Again - Mishal Moore by mishalmooremusic

No Strings - Mishal Moore Mixtape by mishalmooremusic

Review: Vatika Hair Oil

I've been really trying to stick to the ayurvedic/natural aspect of my 6 month healthy hair challenge. It's actually been a lot easier than I thought because the products that I have been using are so accessible and CHEAP! One of the products that has actually been a major part of my hair regimen for over a year now is  Dabur's Vatika Oil. I've spoken about it a few times on the blog already. I thought it was about time for me to give you an in depth review.


Vatika (Enriched Coconut Hair Oil)- $3.99 (10.14 oz) : Vatika is a Premium Coconut Hair Oil enriched with Henna, Amla, Lemon and six other trusted herbs. Vatika's unique natural formulation ensures deeper oil penetration to give your hair and scalp complete nourishment for problem free, healthy hair.


Ingredients: Coconut oil, Neem, Brahmi, Fruit extracts of Amla, Bahera and Harar, Terminalia belirica, Kapur kachri, Henna, Rosemary oil, Lemon oil, TBHQ, Fragrance.

[You can go HERE to see the properties of some of these ingredients]

Honestly if I were stranded on an island for the rest of my life and I could only have one oil with me...I would probably choose this one. I LOVE it! It makes my hair feel amazing every time I use it. I tend to use it various ways mostly as a hot oil treatment and a sealant for my ends.

After I shampoo my hair I use it as a hot oil treatment instead of deep conditioning with a conditioner. I place the whole bottle of the oil in a bowl of very hot (yet not boiling) water for a few minutes,  pour the oil on my hair, place a plastic cap over my hair and let it sit for at least an hour (Most times, with my laziness, it's over night) I then rinse it out and style as usual. And when I braid or twist my hair I always seal my ends with this oil. When I take my braids/twists down my hair always feels super soft and looks very shiny .

Coconut oil in general has always been a hair saving ingredient for me but I love that the added ingredients in this oil help promote strong healthy hair which is what i'm always looking for.

The only cons I have are the smell and consistency The smell is definitely something to get use to. I wouldn't say that it smells bad but I wouldn't necessarily want to wear the perfume equivalent  of it either. If you want all of your products to smell like fruits and berries this probably isn't the one for you. Also because the product base is coconut oil it is usually in a solid state, which isn't a problem unless you're trying to squeeze it through the super tiny hole you have to puncture in the protective top. It can be annoying to have to slightly heat up the oil every time you want to use it. I usually just take the whole protective top off of it and let the slighly solidified product run out the larger opening.

Over-all this product is a God-send for my hair. Although I love my Extra Virgin Coconut oil, it's nice to know that I have a product that is considerably cheaper, and has a great amount of ayurvedic properties that  are so beneficial to the hair. You can find it at your local Indian grocer/store or if there isn't one near you check out this link to order it online.

Stylin': Wrap it Up! (revisited)

A few days ago I posted about my new favorite go to style, The Head Wrap. The wraps I usually do are made with long scarves and mostly Pashimas. But after watching this video featuring on of my faves, Keisha, from Ashiek1118 on Youtube, I'll definitely be running to thrift store  tomorrow to find some scarves/shirts/fabrics that will give me these great looks! Check out the video below to see the jazzed up versions of the traditional turban look. 

This Week's LUUUUST!!! :The Fro

(source: It's a Go on the Fro)

Stylin': Twist on an Up-do

Long story short; I’m really trying not to put some weave in my hair…I’m just SO BORED with wearing twists. It’s been about 31 days of them and I’m ready to retire them already. If it wasn’t a blatant opposing force to my hair challenge I would have BEEN had braided extensions. But since that can’t be an answer  I have to go to my handy-dandy, trusty-rusty, YouTube subscriptions to find some new protective style ideas. Actually I have ALL of the ideas in the world but it’s all about actual execution and  lack of laziness, so I can actually do them. So now that it’s February, I’m determined to find something outside of a head full of hanging two strand twists. I did find this super cute style to do on my twists. Who knew pinning the twist up would give me so much life?!

Check out iknowlee's Tutorial on how she pins up and styles her twists. The two styles are very classy and sophiscated, and I love it! 

Stylin': Wrap it up!

(Source: pics  from Google)

This winter has been all over the place.  Here in the district,  it's in the mid sixties one day and the next there's 3inches of snow!The weather has not only affected my immune system (I just got over the flu the other day) but it’s been doing some wear and tear on my hair. Although my hair has been in twists the entire month  of January, I can still feel how dry my hair is left feeling when I come from outside. So to keep my hair away from the harsh, up and down elements I've been wearing one of my signature styles from the summer; “The wrap.” I can tell you one thing. I’m so happy these are acceptable work-wear at my office because until the sun decides to have a consistent presence in my life these will most definitely be worn heavily.

           

I love how intricate you  can make one look yet it only takes about 30 seconds to wrap one. Below is an awesome tutorial on how I usually wrap my head scarves.  Let me know how you end up enjoying it, and if you’ll be incorporating them into your winter styles. 

This Week's LUUUUST!!!

This week's hair lust is dedicated to the absolutely beautiful and talented Shingai Shoniwa of the British Indie Band "Noisettes". I could go on for hours about how much I LOVE their music. If you're ever caught riding in my car expect to listen to the album "Wild Young Hearts," on repeat! But one of my favorite aspects of the band is the overall style of the front-runner Shingai. Her clothing choices are edgy, unusual and PERFECT. And hair...even more amazing. She rocks some of the most A-W-E-S-O-M-E protective styles. They are such upgrades to the usual twist and braid outs. While people Stan (see definition #2) for Beyonce, my celebrity idol is this women right here. Amazing vocals, attire and hair...what's not to love?

(Source: You can find more of her awesome style HERE).

And check out this video to see some more hair lust and to hear some amazing music.