Twists and Puff - this week's low manipulation style

Imagine a day when there are no classes, no work, and no scheduled activities....

...Tuesday was such a day for me!

So what better excuse can there be to play in my hair and experiment with a low manipulation style?

I had deep conditioned my hair the night before, so in the morning I shampooed and towel-dried my hair. Starting out with the style was hard. I don't usually deviate from twist-outs or braid-outs, so planning a style I would keep for a week was tricky. 

I was clueless as to what look I wanted to achieve, but I knew that I would be doing some twists since that's the easiest style I can do.

After much fumbling and uncertainty, I ended up dividing my hair into five sections. 

• In the front, I made chunky twists and used bobby pins to create a kind of "pompadour".
• In my crown area, my hair felt very moisturized so I skipped adding any product and did not de-tangle. I simply left my hair to air-dry in a ponytail. (Think "wash and go")
• I also put chunky twists in the back section....well, maybe they were a bit too chunky since the twists still refuse to hang straight down!
• Lastly, I made a cornrow on each side of my head near my temples, and pinned the ends up towards the "puff" or ponytail. 

Yesterday I slightly altered the look since I took down the ponytail section, moisturized my hair and also put that section into chunky twists. This way, my entire head is in a low manipulation style and I don't have to worry about my crown area tangling during the week. 

I'm loving the ease of this style since I don't have to re-style daily. I'm also preferring doing short term low manipulation styles like this one instead of braids. I love braids but I can never keep them looking neat for more than two weeks! o.o I won't even start on how long it takes to install braids.

This style took me about two hours since I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I overtime, the time will shorten as I'll become more comfortable and skilled in doing a variety of hairstyles.

What's your "go-to" low manipulation style?

Love, 

~Hatter

Hatter's Adventures (Hair Update)

February marks my one year post relaxer milestone!!


Since the new university semester started in January my time has been eaten up with school work. Making the time to blog regularly is proving to be a challenge, but keeping track of my hair journey is essential!

Since I did the big chop in December, I put my hair back in braids in January, and took them out about two weeks ago.

Then, on last Friday 7th February I went to the barber shop on my campus (yes, I went to a barber shop) and had my hair trimmed in an attempt to even out my hair. Well, my hair is STILL uneven (the back section especially is too long in proportion to the rest of my hair) but at least the shape isn't as bad!

My fro after the trim.

Last week I put my hair in small twists and kept them in for about 3-4 days during the week. I admit the twists were fuzzy but hey! I certainly wasn't going to waste the time and effort I took to do them. On one day I used a gold headband to spice up the look and make it look a bit more polished.

 

That was the first time I twisted my natural hair and I already knew that twists will be my go-to low manipulation style. Not having to comb or manipulate my hair everyday was a blessing!

 On wash day I unravelled the twists and got this result:



le twist-out

Over the past few days I've been wearing twist-outs, and I'm loving the fluffy look I get. I re-twist my hair every other day and sleep with a satin scarf over a bonnet.

So far the only issue I've had with my twa is that I've started to notice single strand knots on the ends of my hair, especially since taking down my twists last week. Do you know any tips on how to reduce SSKs? With my patience level, I can't afford to have to battle a head full of knots!

Other than that, I am most satisfied with my hair. Deep conditioning and moisturizing regularly is preventing breakage and major shedding, while detangling on damp hair is proving to be effective in minimizing tangles and pain from combing.


On a new note, last week I came across a small business based here in Trinidad that produces all natural hair care products. I quickly contacted the owner and bought flaxseed gel and bees wax to use in my twists. I'm yet to take the time to do a product review of the items I purchased, but I will mention that the company's name is "Happy Curls, Happy Girls". If you're in Trinidad and interested in supporting our local entrepreneurs, you can check out the facebook page here.




Ayyee I need to catch up on my blogging!

 

 

Stay sweet,

 

~Hatter

 

 



Natural

Two days before Christmas I tried to do the big chop.

I say "tried to" because no matter how much hair I cut it seemed like I always had some elusive relaxed ends hanging on to my natural hair.

Now, exactly three weeks later (after much snipping every wash day) I can say that I am au natural. Its a bit hard to believe that three weeks have already passed! My hair has given me minimal trouble and no fuss.

Eleven months post relaxer and loving it!

My natural hair!

My natural hair is much more easy to manage than I expected it would be. Since my hair is short it takes me only an hour (!) to style and even less time to wash and condition.On wash days I start by sectioning my hair into braids then deep conditioning, shampooing, rinsing, drying and styling. I've been playing around with flat twists and I still have a lot of practice to do before I'm comfortable with flat-twisting.

Before manipulating my hair I always start by spraying it with water to soften my strands and then moisturizing or adding conditioner or oil before I use a comb. By doing this I haven't experienced any significant breakage. Patience is also key in managing 4c hair.

I am so grateful for the women on youtube who share how they take care of 4c hair. Without them I definitely would not have been as equipped to transition to natural hair. Here are some videos that I've gotten styling tips from:

I may be getting my hair braided again today because tomorrow I go back to Trinidad and thus back to university life. I really want to continue taking care of my hair as it is, but I know braids would save me a lot of styling time that I could use on my studies.


Lots of love,
~Hatter

Snip snip! Short Hair!

Last Saturday 10th August my mom mini-chopped my hair!

I've been thinking about doing the big chop for weeks, but my mom thought it better to keep some inches of relaxed hair- i.e. to transition rather than be 'drastic' and chop all my length off. Now I'm glad that I listened to her...I don't know if I would have been happy with only 2-3 inches of hair!

Note: I still have 2-3 inches of relaxed ends, so I would not consider my haircut a big chop. The cut is one phase closer to being fully natural. 

After the chop, I washed and conditioned my hair and honestly...I was at quite a loss about what to do next. After an easily detangling session, I proceeded to twist it, gave up, and settled for large cornrows. However, my mother took pity on my desperate efforts and kindly fixed me up with smaller, neater cornrows. Then she twisted the ends up like bantu knots and pinned them down.

Girrlfrieeend! I felt so much better when she was finished with my hair. I'm an impatient person, and I can lose hope easily when faced with a difficult challenge. So to see a light in the tunnel and be encouraged by my mama to have patience with my hair really helped me to get more enthusiastic about my new look. 

The night before...

I then slept with my hair in the braids and on Sunday my mom and I loosed them and styled. Viola! After some picking out with an afrocomb, I was left with very curly, cute hair. I pinned back both sides and the front piece, leaving the rest out.

...the morning after!

When my hair was first cut, I felt like I was thrown in a boat on rough, rough waters. Did I make the right decision? Oh my gaawd what did I do to my hair?? lol I think I've gotten over that now and I look forward to relearning how to care for my hair. Since Sunday I've been re-braiding or re-flat twisting at night, and in the day wearing curly styles. Yo it's not easy!! But I know I'll become more patient and adept with time. 

So I'm still transitioning to natural hair. When will I cut off the rest of my straight ends? I would like to say I'll do the big chop at 1 year post relaxer (February 2014) but I know that depending on my mood and how my hair grows out, that date may change. 

I'm on my way!

Love,

~Hatter