@BGLHOnline PYE Challenge - Week Six Recap

I’m just about half way through this challenge, and I’m feeling the creative strain of it.  I’m running out of protective styles!!!  I really don’t know what to do next.  I’ve pretty much bunned my butt off.  For the most part, when I put my hair in a bun, it’s either a high bun or a low bun with flat twists in the front; but this week I tried a slick back bun.  I don’t own a bristle brush, so I bunned my hair wet and applied a ton of product at the top to achieve the smooth look without damaging my hair.  I used an ouchless headband wrapped twice to keep the hair back as I tucked and pinned the ends into a big, poofy bun.  I tried to remove the headband once I was done, but apparently I stuck a whole lot of pins in it — doh!

What do you think?  Is this a style to go back to?

@BGLHOnline PYE Challenge - Week Five Recap

After wearing a whopping TWO flat twists in my hair last week, I decided to up my game a bit and do a whole bunch all over my head.  I had a vision of 10 or so flat twists converging at the crown of my head with a bun, so that’s what I did!  I had six in the back and eight in the front, therefore I ended up with 14 total.  I rocked the look all week!

I still suck at flat twisting, but I’m getting better slowly.

I took the twists down today, and I have to say, no matter what I do, twist-outs just don’t work for my hair.  The twists look okay, but once I take them out, there’s no keeping my hair that way.  It just looks ratty, which is unfortunate, because I love the way so many women look with their twist-outs.  Anyhow, I don’t think it works with the texture of my hair, but I’ll keep twists in for sure until it’s wash day.

I’m pre-pooing with coconut oil today, so my hair is in four sections, twisted, oiled up, and under my satin bonnet.  I’ll be using my first pass for the Super Bowl, and will have my hair out tomorrow.  My fro wants to root for the Giants!!!

@BGLHOnline PYE Challenge - Week Four Recap

Has it been a month already?  Dang, where does the time go?!  This week was a learning week for me.  I decided that I was going to stretch my hair and do something different with it towards the end of the week.  What that “something” was I hadn’t quite figured out, but I figured I’d just roll with whatever inspired me at the moment.

So, wash day came and I did my usual shampoo, condition, deep condition routine, but using different products than the week before.  Freshly washed and detangled, I put my hair into medium twists, like I did a few weeks ago.  This week, I used Kinky Curly products.

I was in this style for a few days until I got bored.  I get bored with my twists much faster these days.  Thursday morning I decided to take them out and do something.  Now, I can’t flat twist worth a fug, but I figured I had to learn sometime.  So, I decided to do two flat twists along my hairline.  They were kind of horrendous the first day, but I improved quite a bit on Friday.  Here’s the look.

I’m going to venture into flat twisting more and try to become an expert.  I’ve got another two months to go for this challenge — I’ve got plenty of time.  :-)

@BGLHOnline PYE Challenge - Week Three Recap

I learned quite the lesson this week — don’t do buns every day!  My hair was so incredibly tangled by midweek, I didn’t know what to do.

I had washed my hair with Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa shampoo and conditioned with Naturalle Aura’s Rosemary Mint conditioner.  I then DCed with Motions’ CPR conditioner under the dryer for about 20 minutes.  After rinsing, I then styled my hair with Shea Moisture’s Curl and Style Milk from their Organic Coconut and Hibiscus line (sidebar: I’m never using this again. It made my hair feel so dry. Yuck!), aloe vera juice, and sweet almond oil.  I piled my hair on my head using an ouchless headband wrapped three times around my hair (it’s mad stretched out) and pinned rolled sections of my hair to form a bun.  This is the look I wore all week:

Bunning my hair over and over all week, I found, runs completely contrary to the goals of this challenge.  I was over-manipulating my hair and subjecting my ends to too many pins and clips.  While I might be able to do this as a 4th or 5th-day of a WnG, I shouldn’t do it every day for a week.  I think I’ll be going back to my twists for week four!

@BGLHOnline PYA Challenge - Week Two Recap

The second week of the Black Girl with Long Hair blog’s “Protect Ya Ends” challenge, and here’s a recap of what I did to retain length and hide my ends.

Day 1 - Wash day!  I started with an apple cider vinegar rinse and then shampooed with Aubrey Organics’GPB Glycogen Protein Balancing Shampoo, conditioned with their Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner, and then deep conditioned under the dryer for 20 minutes with Jane Carter Solutions’ Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner.  The Giants were about to play, so that sucker stayed in my hair for the next 3 hours after I got out from under the dryer!  Once I finally rinsed my deep conditioner out, I started my styling.  First, I applied Giovanni’s Leave-In Conditioner (sidebar:  this was the first time I used this leave-in and I could tell it was going to be amazeballs from the second it hit the palm of my hand.  It feels like Vaseline mixed with Vicks, which sounds crazy, but trust, it’s fantabulous.), sprayed in some aloe vera juice, and sealed with my sweet almond oil, which was the only product I also used last week (see “Breaking the Hair Plateau”).  I liked my twists from last week, so I decided to do them again, but narrower, so I’ve got like 30-40 in my head.  I threw on my super-sized satin bonnet and let those twists air dry before tying them down for the night.

Days 2, 3, and 4 - I rocked this updo to work before untwisting them to produce a different look.

Day 5 - Worst twist-out updo EVER!  I’ll spare you the horror and not post a photo.

Days 6 & 7 - Flat twists in the front, bun in the back.  It was all I could do to salvage the wreck that was the day before.  I finally learned that I could flat twist as long as my hair was pretty stretched out.  It’s practically impossible wet or dried in its natural state.

And that was my week!  I think I’ll do a bun version of my usual puff for week three.

@BGLHOnline PYA Challenge - Week One Recap

It’s the end of the first week of the “Protect Ya Ends” Challenge happening over at the Black Girl with Long Hair blog, and I wanted to report out on what I did.

I kept things SUPER simple for the first week.  I did my typical wash, condition, and deep condition routine on Saturday (the day before the challenge began); but instead of rocking my typical WnG, I did about 15 two-strand twists all over my head and let them air dry.  The twists were moisturized with Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie, the ends were protected with Jane Carter’s Nourish and Shine, and I sealed with sweet almond oil.

Days 1, 2, and 3: I put up my twists into an updo, making sure to keep the ends tucked away.  I did a moisture check every morning and evening.  My hair felt great, so I left it alone.  At night, I didn’t even take out the clips and pins, I just wrapped my hair in my silk scarf and went to bed.

My last day in Florida before heading back to the cold of Washington, D.C.

Day 4 - I don’t know how people keep twists in for WEEKS, because mine were looking straight SCRAGGLY, and I wasn’t even doing anything!  So, I redid them on day 4.  I added moisture using Jane Carter Solutions Revitalizing Leave-in Conditioner and sealed with my homemade shea butter concoction.  I changed things up a little bit, as I’m also trying to incorporate Hey Fran Hey’s suggestion of hair product confusion.  And again, I pinned everything up and tucked those ends away.  Omg, my hair was so soft.  I wish you could feel it.  ;-)

I thought the updo looked cute, no?!  That shine is due to my shea butter sealant.

Days 5, 6, and 7 - For the rest of the week my head looked like the above.  Simple?  REAL SIMPLE!  At night, because I was back in DC and fighting with that cold, dry air, I would mist with either Shea Moisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Hold & Shine Moisture Mist or Jane Carter Solution’s Revitalizing Leave-in Conditioner, baggie my hair, and tie everything down with my silk scarf.  In the morning, I had nothing to do with my hair, other than untie my scarf and take off my plastic cap.  And that was my first week!  Now I gotta figure out what I’m gonna do for week two….

BGLH Protect Ya Ends 2012 Challenge!

Happy New Year!!!!  Wishing you and yours many blessings for 2012!

So, for 2012 I’m going to be MAD SERIOUS about my hair.  I had my final cut back in July of 2011, and I’ve been having fun ever since with my WNG’s and frohawks and puffs, letting my ends float in the breeze.  But winter is here, the air is crisp in DC, and I’m sure my ends (and therefore my LENGTH) will suffer.  The amazeballs blog Black Girl with Long Hair is doing a protective styling challenge to commence the new year, and I’m in like sin.  I’ve whined all of November and December about how I can’t do protective styles, my hair is too short, it’s too thick, it’s too unmanageable, I can’t cornrow/flat twist worth a damn, I don’t know what I’m doing — ENOUGH!  (Where’s Taylor Armstrong when you need her???)  I’m gonna figure this out and grow me some hair.  Here’s the skinny…

Official forum thread

CHALLENGE RULES

• Challenge will run from January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012
• Hair must be styled in a way that keeps ends tucked away and protected at all times.  [This includes buns, tuck n’ roll styles, updos, headwraps, wigs and sew-in weaves.]  Each participant gets TWO one-day passes to wear a style where the ends are free/unhidden.
• Moisturize and seal ends before putting them away in any particular style.
• Keep ends well hydrated at all times, through whatever method works best for you.
• NO direct heat styling.
• Snip out any split ends or single strand knots whenever you encounter them (USING HAIR SHEARS, PLEASE!), to keep ends in good shape.
• All challengers must check in once a week here in the official challenge thread, so we all stay accountable and so that the challenge doesn’t die!  All weekly updates, photos, etc. should be posted here.

On or before January 1, 2012, when the challenge begins, all challenge participants must post:

• Starting stats (e.g., challenge goal(s), hair starting length, whether hair is layered, if you’re transitioning, etc.)
• Plans of attack (whether you plan to wear updos, wigs, headwraps, weaves, what your hair care routine will be, etc.)
• Photos and/or anything else that sounds good!

So here are my starting stats:
Hair:  100% natural, layered, right side tends to be curlier than left side, so left side is cut shorter to appear even with the right when curly
Right side ear:  9 inches
Left side ear:  8 inches
Crown:  9 7/8 inches
Front center:  9 inches
Left side nape:  6 1/2 inches
Right side nape:  7 inches

Plan of attack:

• Buns!  My crown has super loose curls, so I should be able to use these strands to cover the rest of my hair and then tuck the ends away.
• Two strand twist updos!  I tried this back in November, but didn’t have the fortitude to keep the twists in all week.  I’ll find the wherewithal somehow!
• Braided updos!  I have to remember to keep the braids slack at the roots so I have room to manipulate each braid into a style.
• Stretched updos!  Twists and braids have to come out sometime.  :-)
• Scarves!  I’m totally taxing Taren’s scarf method and hiding my hair, but instead of leaving the front out, I’ll twist or braid it up and create a pompadour or faux bang.
• French twists!  Naptural85 has a 3-video series on french twists.  I plan on stealing whichever one works for my length.  (Might not get to this until closer to March.  Not sure my hair is long enough.)
• Blow outs/Roller sets.  That one doesn’t get an exclamation point because I’m mad nervous about doing this.  I’ll probably rock a french braid with the end tucked into the nape of my neck for about a week after I get a trim.  Still up in the air as to whether I should do this, but it’s an option.
• Good products!  Since it’s winter, I have to be all about the anti-humectants; so Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie to moisturize and pure Sweet Almond Oil to seal.  Pre-poo with coconut oil, shampooing with whatever I’ve got, conditioning with Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle, and deep conditioning with whatever I’ve got.  Trying to finish all the products I stocked up on before buying new stuff.  :-)

Say buh bye to my hair!!!  I’ll be sure to put up pictures and videos during the challenge.  Anyone else from the Tumblr world participating?!