Cornrows are out…

21 May

hair

I removed the cornrows on Sunday.  I kept them for two weeks.  They were beginning to look messy and I don’t think I could have pushed to three weeks even if I wanted to.   Prior to removing the cornrows, I used a bottle with a nozzle to apply coconut oil on my scalp along the lines.  I applied the coconut oil quite generously because I wanted to do a pre-shampoo treatment with it after I removed the cornrows.  The coconut oil spread to my hair as well.

I removed a few lines at a time and proceeded to detangle those lines before moving on.  I did this to avoid detangling my whole head right at the end.  I’ve learnt that you lose less hair when you detangle your hair in small manageable sections.

Once all the cornrows were removed and the hair completely detangled, I wore a shower cap and proceeded to do a pre-shampoo treatment with the coconut oil I had applied.  I wore the shower cap to bed and washed and deep conditioned the next morning.

I am going to wear my hair out for a week before putting in a new set of cornrows.  In the week I plan to wash and deep condition my hair twice.  My plan is to have the next set of cornrows for two weeks, wear my hair out for a further week, then get braids after that to see me through winter.  I’ll keep you posted!

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I’m in Glamour Hair magazine!

14 May

glamour hair

I have a small feature in the latest edition of Glamour Hair (South Africa).  It’s an abbreviated version of my styling tutorial on how to create a braid bun.  Nangamso and Mathlodi of Frochic and Aisha of MyFroandI also have a feature in the magazine.     I’m actually enjoying this magazine.  Its packed full of info.  I couldn’t read it all in one sitting.  It also has a lot for us brown girls.  I would actually say 50% of the magazine relates directly to us :)

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Style tutorial – perm rod set on braids

10 May

Thought I would share pics of my daughter’s braids when they have been set with perm rods.  I do this not only because it looks great, but also to shorten the length of her braids since they are always long because her hair is long.  I just feel braids that are too long do not look appropriate on a young girl.DSC_0101

All you need to do this are some perm rods, a small bucket / container and hot water.  Perm rods come in several sized.  I bought average sized ones for mid-size curls.  You can use any type of roller really, anything round will do.  If you use ordinary rollers you can hold them in place with bobby pins.  You can even use drinking straws to create tiny spirals.  Large rollers will create waves, these look great on thinner braids.

perm rod set

I always begin with clean, freshly washed hair.  I place the perm rods just on the ends of the braids.  The higher you place the perm rods, the more curls you have and the fuller they style.  You can also create a fuller style by using more rollers.  Once I have placed the rollers on all the braids I dip each roller in hot water.  You need to make sure you do not skip any braids.  Let the braids cool before removing the perms rods.

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These curls will last quite a long time.  They become looser with time and with washing.  You can simply renew them again by repeating the process if they are beginning to look ‘tired’.

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Product review – Revlon Special Feeling Super Soft Activator

8 May

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Thought I would just share my experiences with this moisturiser which I bought on a whim while taking pics for a post.  What made me buy it was the name, I was drawn to the fact that it was a ‘super soft activator’ and I was curious to see if it would work in making my new growth super soft.

One of the things that also made me buy it is that Scurl Activator Moisturiser has been out of stock for months now.  This looked like it might be a good substitute.

My thoughts:

I really liked this moisturiser.  I did make my new growth ‘super soft’.  I last relaxed my hair six months ago so I am dealing with a lot of new growth.  I have been using it by applying it directly to the new growth and a bit to my ends. I’ve also applied a bit to my sons hair and it works well on his hair too.

Downside:

I discovered the hard way that I cannot be heavy handed with this product.  It tends to coat the hair and make the hair heavy and limp.  I also learnt that the best way for me to prevent this was to use a bit every other day instead of daily. The heavy coating may be because it has some silicone as the 8th ingredient.

I cannot pronounce some of the ingredients because they are so long!  It had me wondering what they are exactly.

Directions on the bottle:

Place a small amount of Super Soft Activator in the palm of your hand and massage gently through hair.  Style as desired.

Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Stearalkonium chloride, Cetyl alcohol, PEG – 4 stearate, Hydrolysed Collagen, Methylparaben, Sodium chloride, Simethicone, Fragrance, Propylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Disodium phosphate.

 I bought this product at Sweet Penny for R21.99 (approx US$2.50).  It’s also available at Checkers.

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Hair update – 24 weeks post relaxer

6 May

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It’s now 24 weeks (6 months) since my last relaxer.  Surprisingly, it’s actually going quite well! I have learnt that the best way to deal with plenty of growth when you are relaxed is to keep it soft and moisturised.  It then becomes easier to manage.  I have been using Revlon Special Feeling Super Soft Activator to achieve this (review coming soon).  Since I took the braids out, I have kept the hair almost exclusively in a bun.

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I now have my hair in cornrows (I haven’t had this style in years!).  I had them done 3 days ago.  I went to a salon and had them done there.  The night before I got the cornrows, I did a pre-shampoo treatment with a mix of coconut oil and Jamaican black castor oil (JBCO).  This was then washed out at the salon using my own shampoo (which I took with me).  My hair was blow dried before the cornrows were done.

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To look after the hair in cornrows I am applying my JBCO / coconut oil mix to the scalp in between the lines.  The reason I mix the two oils is because I find JBCO very thick, coconut oil helps to thin it.  The only downside is that because of the cold, the coconut oil makes the mixture solidify.  I have to heat the bottle in warm water each time before I use it.  I then spray braid spray on the hair, paying special attention to the plaited bit at the back of my head.  I spray the hair until its damp then tie a scarf over my head.  I do this at night just before bedtime.  In the morning I just remove the scarf and carry on as usual.  I’m doing the moisturising at night so that the scarf will make all the frizzy bits of hair lie flat by morning.  I make sure not to touch the hair in the morning so as not to disturb it.  I plan to keep the cornrows for two weeks.

Winter is fast approaching.  It’s already very cold in the mornings and evenings.  I have been wondering when I should get my next relaxer.  I plan to get braids done through winter so I may just forgo the relaxer and just get my hair braided.  I’ll keep you posted!

When was the last time you had cornrows done??

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Hair update – 20 weeks post relaxer

8 Apr
Quick check to see if I am retining any length. Pic on left is Nov 2012. Pic on right is a few days ago.

Quick check to see if I am retaining any length. Pic on left is Nov 2012. Pic on right is a few days ago.

It’s now been five months since my last relaxer in November 2012 and about two weeks since I removed my last set of braids.  Surprisingly, I have been coping very well with the amount of new growth that I have.  I have resorted to washing and deep conditioning my hair in four sections (inspiration taken from natural girls).  I tie the hair with bands in four sections and wash each section in turn.  This helps in that the hair tangles less.  It takes longer but I think it’s worth it in the end.  With 5 months of new growth I have to be really careful when dealing with two completely different textures.  The hair is vulnerable where the new growth meets the previously relaxed hair.  If I am careful the hair will break at this point along the hair shaft (it’s often referred to as the ‘line of demarcation’).

I have been giving some thought to what to do with my hair now that the braids are out.  I do not want to relax it just yet.  As I mentioned in my first post of this year, I plan to get more protective styles this year.  I am thinking of getting cornrows (without braid extensions) done next week.  I will share pics of my cornrows with you when I get them done.  I also plan on getting braids again in June and July for winter.  These are arguably the coldest months of the year in South Africa and braids will protect my hair from the elements.

I do think I am full bra strap length now (finally!!).  It’s hard to really tell because of all the new growth I have.  I would have to straighten the hair to be sure.  I think I will just wait until the next time I get a relaxer before doing a proper length check.

A bantu knot / twist out. I do this to blend the new growth with the elaxed ends.

A bantu knot / twist out. I do this to blend the new growth with the relaxed ends.

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How I wash braids

3 Apr

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now but I realised it would need pictures to accompany it so that it makes sense.  I managed to get some pictures taken while I washed my daughters braids.  I wash my own braids the same way.

I’m often asked how I manage to keep braids looking neat for up to eight weeks.  I believe part of it is in how I wash them.  In the pics my daughter has had the braids for almost eight weeks.  They still look quite good.

I like to wash my braids over a tub using a hand held shower head.  You can do the same thing standing under the shower or you can even use a bucket.

So here is the process:

You will need a towel and some shampoo. You need a towel that’s big enough to wrap around your head.  I use a bath towel.  You may dilute your shampoo with water in a spray bottle if you wish.

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Thoroughly rinse your braids before you begin.  This will dislodge any dirt and wash away any dust on the surface of the braids.

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Put some shampoo in one hand.   The pic below shows the amount of shampoo I use per lather.

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Apply the shampoo to your scalp using the free hand.  Take a bit of shampoo and apply it all over your head including your hairline and nape.  If you are using diluted shampoo in a spray bottle then spray the shampoo onto your scalp.  Massage your scalp your fingertips.  Make sure you are concentrating on the scalp.  Do not worry about the length of the braids at this stage.  Also make sure you have massaged every inch of your scalp.  Pay attention to any areas of the scalp that might itch.

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Rinse out the shampoo.  The lather will run down the length of the braid washing them as they go.

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Apply shampoo to the scalp once more.  Massage the scalp again.  This time squeeze the shampoo lather down the length of the braids to the ends.  Squeezing the braids will help to clean them.  If you have not washed you braids in a long time you will notice that the lather is brown with dirt!

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Rinse the hair once more, taking care to get all the shampoo out.  Gently squeeze out excess water from the braids.

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Wrap your head in a towel.  Make sure all the braids are covered.  You can tuck the ends of the towel in to prevent water trickling down your back.  Keep the towel on your head for about 10 minutes.  The towel will absorb the water from the braids.

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After 10 or so minutes remove your braids and let them air dry.  At this stage you can spray some braid spray on the length of the braids to moisturise them.  Once dry you can apply an oil of your choice to the scalp.

My daughters braids at 8 weeks

My daughters braids at 8 weeks

To summarise – When washing braids there is no need to scrunch them up or disturb them too much.  Just concentrate on getting your scalp clean.  Squeeze the length of the braids to get the dirt out.  Since you should be washing your braids frequently (I prefer weekly) they won’t really be dirty anyway.

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