.:[Double Click To][Close]:.

Update: Avocado Deep Condition

After doing the Avocado Deep Conditioner a friend (Thanks D!) reminded me about the curl relaxing properties of coconut milk. I do remember reading about this, but took it with a grain of salt because the thought of a natural relaxer just seemed like another hearsay treatment to me. Well....

Before (March 2010)

After (Aug 2010)

Lesson here, if you are going to try this deep conditioner you may want to omit the coconut milk or either be prepared for looser curls. I'm cool...my hair will revert (I hope). After all, its just hair.



Disclaimer: This is the reaction MY hair had, all reactions may not be the same.

Update: Avocado Deep Condition

After doing the Avocado Deep Conditioner a friend (Thanks D!) reminded me about the curl relaxing properties of coconut milk. I do remember reading about this, but took it with a grain of salt because the thought of a natural relaxer just seemed like another hearsay treatment to me. Well....

Before (March 2010)

After (Aug 2010)

Lesson here, if you are going to try this deep conditioner you may want to omit the coconut milk or either be prepared for looser curls. I'm cool...my hair will revert (I hope). After all, its just hair.



Disclaimer: This is the reaction MY hair had, all reactions may not be the same.

Infant Bows Part 2

I had some offer some other great suggestions on how to get bows to stay on an infant heads.

Betts Family  offered this great advise:
If you live in a humid place like I do in Seattle Karo and KY don't work as well as in dry places so I discovered that a traditional Elmer's glue stick works wonders. . .bows stick all day and it washes out with water! I love the looks when you're caught glue-ing a bow on a babies head! I love your blog thanks for all the fun ideas.


I wanted to thank Betts family for giving us this information.  I live in such a dry climate I hadn't thought about the humidity. 

How long will you grow?

Dear Diary,

Since I have been putting real effort into properly caring for my hair it has been growing tremendously. I used to think that I always wanted really long hair, like WL long hair. However, the length and thickness I have now is a lot of work on wash day and when styling. So now I am wondering - do I really want more. I am leaning towards "no." BSL may just be enough.

When I started my journey I was all about volume and not length. I wanted big Kelis-like hair. Big beautiful curls- that's it. Well....I feel like I have the big hair I want. So what now? I guess I just focus on keeping it healthy and trimming the ends as it grows. Maybe I will keep caring for my hair just to see how much I can control.

Honestly, I don't know what I want. I kinda want locs...

How long will you grow?

Dear Diary,

Since I have been putting real effort into properly caring for my hair it has been growing tremendously. I used to think that I always wanted really long hair, like WL long hair. However, the length and thickness I have now is a lot of work on wash day and when styling. So now I am wondering - do I really want more. I am leaning towards "no." BSL may just be enough.

When I started my journey I was all about volume and not length. I wanted big Kelis-like hair. Big beautiful curls- that's it. Well....I feel like I have the big hair I want. So what now? I guess I just focus on keeping it healthy and trimming the ends as it grows. Maybe I will keep caring for my hair just to see how much I can control.

Honestly, I don't know what I want. I kinda want locs...

Lauren's Double Braids from Make it or Break it

Another fun Make it or Break it hairstyle from Lauren.
Make a center part and make large part french braid as shown below.
Make another french braid as described above. Below is a picture of what I did.
Then pull all the hair into a ponytail.
Top view
Side View

Packing for Vacation

I'm still playing catch up



We stayed at the Wyatt



Last year, my husband and I, for our anniversary went to Jamaica and I styled my hair in box braids. The only hair products I packed were Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner and some Shea Butter. Very simple.

This year we stayed a little closer to home and while the box braids were perfect for Jamaica I didn't really want to walk around D.C. looking like a 5-yr old. What's a girl to do?

First, I had to decide what I was going to do with my hair for a week and that would make the product selection a little easier. I decided to go with twists and wash-n-gos.

For product selection, I decided to pack:
Shampoo
Conditioner
Leave-in Conditioner
Shower Comb
Denman(like) brush
Hair Butter
Hair Oil

Each night when I showered I co-washed or shampooed depending on how icky my hair felt. Then I put my hair into three flat twist on each side so that my hair would dry quickly over night. It wasn't too time consuming and didn't interfere with our vacation. Plus I got to wear big hair everyday! ;)

What hair products do make sure to pack for trips?

Packing for Vacation

I'm still playing catch up



We stayed at the Wyatt



Last year, my husband and I, for our anniversary went to Jamaica and I styled my hair in box braids. The only hair products I packed were Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner and some Shea Butter. Very simple.

This year we stayed a little closer to home and while the box braids were perfect for Jamaica I didn't really want to walk around D.C. looking like a 5-yr old. What's a girl to do?

First, I had to decide what I was going to do with my hair for a week and that would make the product selection a little easier. I decided to go with twists and wash-n-gos.

For product selection, I decided to pack:
Shampoo
Conditioner
Leave-in Conditioner
Shower Comb
Denman(like) brush
Hair Butter
Hair Oil

Each night when I showered I co-washed or shampooed depending on how icky my hair felt. Then I put my hair into three flat twist on each side so that my hair would dry quickly over night. It wasn't too time consuming and didn't interfere with our vacation. Plus I got to wear big hair everyday! ;)

What hair products do make sure to pack for trips?

The Messy Bun Step by Step Instructions

Recently I have had a lot of people asking me about my messy bun.  So here goes if these are not clear please ask questions I will do my best to explain what I do.


Because we don't just like plain messy buns at our house you will get a few instructions on rolls for the front of the hair.
I first made a roll across the front of her head this pulls all the bangs out of her face.
I then made a 2nd roll and 3rd rolls as shown below.  1 almost parallel to the first and the 2nd to make a t. I secured them in place with small bobby pins
Then I made 3 more rolls.  Another one parallel to the 2nd roll and one that follows the t shaped one.  The last one is parallel as shown below.  (I hope all that made sense if not try and look at the picture)
Now to start the messy bun.  Take all the hair and put it into a ponytail.  Don't pull the hair all the way through on the last loop of your elastic.
The back of the hair will look like this after all the hair is into the ponytail.
Now I take the hair that is looped and pull it upwards towards her head.  This makes a circle shape in her hair secure this with a clear small elastic.
Below is the hair after I have pulled the loop upwards. 


Now bobby pins become your best friend.  I use bobby pins to put the hair where I want it as shown below.  If you put the hair into a bobby pin and it looks to small put your finger in the loop and pull a little bit.  You can also pull small amounts of hair and pull it to the other side and secure with bobby pins. 
Below is the finished messy bun.  If this doesn't make sense please ask me more questions.

Diagonal French Braid to Bun

Follow the post before for great 2nd day hairstyle
Now the difference is to take the end of the braid and wrap it around itself to make a bun.
If the bun doesn't lay how you want it then take bobby pins and move the around until you like the bun.
Below is the side view.

Diagonal French Braid

This style was so easy and fun and litteraly took minutes to do.

I started by making a french braid starting at her left ear that went diagonally towards the right side of her neck.
Above is the starting of the french braid.
Below is the back view of the french braid.
Make sure to braid all the way to the end of her hair.

When Mom's Out of Town

Just recently I was out of town and told my husband will you please just put our daughters hair into a ponytail for school.  I figured this would be the easiest for him. 

This hairstyle is no glamour do, but it means the world to me.  I came home and got showed these fun and cute pictures.  All this style is, is a plain ponytail.
My husband took pictures of his hairstyle to share.  He took pictures of the front side and back of this style. 
I could not be married to a better man and I just wanted to share this fun story with everyone.
Below is the back view

Avocado Deep Condition

When I started to mix the ingredients for the deep condition I realized that I didn’t have everything that the recipe called for so I got creative and improvised. That is why you see that I added aloe vera and olive oil. There is really no reasoning behind choosing those items, it’s just that I know what my hair likes and it likes aloe vera and olive oil.

Mixing with a hand mixer was just dumb. I wasn’t thinking at all. It did not work. However, the blender was perfect! The blender made the consistency of the mix feel just like commercial creamy conditioners.

I rinsed the mix out with cool water and it rinsed out really easy. I did use a cheapie condish to help rinse out any left over residue. I saw a few very small chunks in my hair after rinsing but they magically disappeared after I completed my two strand twists.

My hair feels soft but there is not really a dramatic difference from the times when I use an organic conditioner. I may give this a few more tries over the winter season to see how well this mix really works.


Update to Avocado Deep Conditioner

Avocado Deep Condition

When I started to mix the ingredients for the deep condition I realized that I didn’t have everything that the recipe called for so I got creative and improvised. That is why you see that I added aloe vera and olive oil. There is really no reasoning behind choosing those items, it’s just that I know what my hair likes and it likes aloe vera and olive oil.

Mixing with a hand mixer was just dumb. I wasn’t thinking at all. It did not work. However, the blender was perfect! The blender made the consistency of the mix feel just like commercial creamy conditioners.

I rinsed the mix out with cool water and it rinsed out really easy. I did use a cheapie condish to help rinse out any left over residue. I saw a few very small chunks in my hair after rinsing but they magically disappeared after I completed my two strand twists.

My hair feels soft but there is not really a dramatic difference from the times when I use an organic conditioner. I may give this a few more tries over the winter season to see how well this mix really works.


Update to Avocado Deep Conditioner

Commercials used to be motivational

After seeing this commercial on the Soul Train documentary aired on Vh1 this weekend I had to share:


What happened to the days when commercials made us feel good about who we are?

I'm not going to post it, but there is one in particular that really irks me. Basically the lady in the commercial states how she can't feel good if her hair doesn't look good and it only looks good when it's bone straight. **kanye shrug**

I would love to see Marcus Garvey or Sojourner Truth or Harriet Tubman "star" in a hair commercial...a girl can dream.

Commercials used to be motivational

After seeing this commercial on the Soul Train documentary aired on Vh1 this weekend I had to share:


What happened to the days when commercials made us feel good about who we are?

I'm not going to post it, but there is one in particular that really irks me. Basically the lady in the commercial states how she can't feel good if her hair doesn't look good and it only looks good when it's bone straight. **kanye shrug**

I would love to see Marcus Garvey or Sojourner Truth or Harriet Tubman "star" in a hair commercial...a girl can dream.

French braids to Sides Up

I started this style by making a diagonal thin french braid.  I braided a little ways down and secured with an elastic.
Then I made a 2nd french braid that lays parallel  to the first.
Then take the sides and pull them up over the top of the braids.
I finished off the style by wrapping her hair around the elastic.
Side view
Back view

You Asked...I Answered

You Asked: I tried your updo (cornrow w twists). I love it...no fuss hair. Thank you so much. You are definitely my hair inspiration. I posted the pics in my fotki/pinkrage. Twistout of the sides will come later this week.

I Answered: Thanks!! It's makes my day when styles work out for others. I will definitely check it out.


You asked: Hey Tia Shauntee, Do you feature your followers?

I Answered: Honestly, I thought about it and decided against doing features because so many blogs already feature a ton of naturals. I have come across a few blogs with the same individuals featured and it made me bored so I did not want to add to the repetition. However, if you do want to be featured on a blog - I have some connections. Just email me a brief summary of where you are on your journey and I will see where you can fit in.

You Asked...I Answered

You Asked: I tried your updo (cornrow w twists). I love it...no fuss hair. Thank you so much. You are definitely my hair inspiration. I posted the pics in my fotki/pinkrage. Twistout of the sides will come later this week.

I Answered: Thanks!! It's makes my day when styles work out for others. I will definitely check it out.


You asked: Hey Tia Shauntee, Do you feature your followers?

I Answered: Honestly, I thought about it and decided against doing features because so many blogs already feature a ton of naturals. I have come across a few blogs with the same individuals featured and it made me bored so I did not want to add to the repetition. However, if you do want to be featured on a blog - I have some connections. Just email me a brief summary of where you are on your journey and I will see where you can fit in.

Voluminous Flat Twist-out

Voluminous Flat Twist-out

Eeeeee-Funk!!!!


Eeeeee-Funk!!!!


Poof, Braids, and into Ponytail

First off I made a triangle shaped poof in the front of her head.  This is going to be the line you use for the french braids. 
Make a thin french braid along the poof line along both sides as show below.  Secure the ends with elastics.
I then put the all the hair into a ponytail.  To finish it off I wrapped some of her hair around the ponytail.
Below side view

Lauryn Hill

Her hair is still straight:


Thoughts?

I don't want it to appear that I am "picking on" Ms. Hill, I was such a huge fan back in the day and it excites me to see her out and about and looking so relaxed. I hope all is well with her. My thoughts on her hair...She was soooooo fly with locs. The straight look makes her look very average.

Lauryn Hill

Her hair is still straight:


Thoughts?

I don't want it to appear that I am "picking on" Ms. Hill, I was such a huge fan back in the day and it excites me to see her out and about and looking so relaxed. I hope all is well with her. My thoughts on her hair...She was soooooo fly with locs. The straight look makes her look very average.

We have a winner!

The winner of the detangling kit giveaway is:



Later this evening all the contents of Jay's win will be posted...stay tuned.

Jay please use the contact icon at the top of the page to send me your shipping information.


I was on vacation last week and now I am playing catch up.

Update:
Here's the contents...