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