Goapele Getting Braided

I saw this vid this morning on Alice in Nappyland and I had to share. Honestly, I have been wanting to do some Goapele inspired braids for a while now. They are so much work - maybe I will do a modified version (larger cornrows) one day.

Style Basics

In July 2010 I.M.I. held a giveaway that asked readers to suggest topics that they would like to see on the blog. The following topic was inspired by one of those suggestions:

Protective style: Consists of cornrows and twists

I have found over time and through experience that styling natural  hair in cute protective styles can be more fun when you are able to do what I call the basic foundations. For most protective styles the basic foundations consist of cornrows, flat-twists, braids, and/or two strand twists. There are a vast number of tutorials on YouTube than can help with developing those skills. The key is to find the right tutorial that explains without confusing the technique further. Here are a few that I found helpful:


How to do Cornrow Braids 
Senegalese Twist Braids 
Flat Two Strand Twists (flat twisting starts around 1:30)

Three Strand Twists

Two Strand Twists (twisting starts around 1:30)

Bantu Knots (start at 3:30)

If these tutorials are not to your liking, YouTube has a slew of others that you can choose from. It is likely that if you are able to do some of the techniques above there are many styles that you should then be able to achieve.

Happy Styling ♥

Be sure to click the Suggested Topic label to see all the posts in this series.

The Updo After 1 Week

Prior to doing my henna treatment I was still wearing my updo. This is how it looked after one week:

To turn this into a second style you can remove the twist to achieve the look of a curly updo:

Tutorial Here: Updo Twist out

Twist-Cornrow Updo

Here is the tutorial for last weeks style:

Featured on CurlyNikk.com

I always start on clean and conditioned hair. When styling I like to use no more than three products at a time, for this particular one I am only using shea butter.

1. I section my hair into two sections; the section to be cornrowed and the section that will be the two strand twists.

2. I start the cornrows on one side (going from the nape up to the crown) and move in the direction towards the opposite while attempting to keep the cornrows the same size.

3. After all the cornrows are done, then it's time to twist. The twists can be any size and can be pinned in any fashion or even set on rollers for an more "out" style.

The first time I did this style it took a little over 1.5 hrs. The second time it only took 1hr 15min. This look can last up to two weeks with proper care.

Cornrow and Hair Diet Challenge - Week 1

The first week of the month long cornrow challenge. One of my goals is to do cornrow styles that are as feminine as possible. This week I started with this style:

To achieve this style I first shampooed my hair with Dudu-Osum Natural Shampoo. Then I conditioned with Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat for about 15mins. I used Shea Moisture Shea Butter conditioner for my leave in and then let my hair air dry in two braids. I styled with Shea Butter and used Kemi-Oyl Conditioning spray to moisturize.

Protective Styling Challenge: Cornrows

I like challenges, they keep me consistent.

This time I am doing a self imposed cornrow challenge. When I was in college I wore cornrows (no weave) all the time and it was so convenient. Presently, I do them often but typically not more than a week at a time. I was motivated to do this challenge as I browsed through the FOTKI album of Forevercurlycatrina and watched some of the YouTube vids of LongHairDontCare2011. Forevercurlycatrina has some awesome cornrow styles that are cute and very feminine. LongHairDontCare2011 has some impressive length that came without complicated regimens.

Cornrows are super low manipulation and low manipulation = length retention. :)

My regimen will be as follows:

Prepoo

Shampoo

Deep Condition

Apply leave in condition

Style using only oils

Remove braids and let hair rest overnight before re-braiding.

My concerns:

Getting carried away and braiding to tightly

Roughly handling my hair while braiding

(If I can avoid those issues I think I will do okay with this challenge. )

I wanted to start this month long challenge on June 1 but with the last weekend in May being a busy holiday weekend I will start on May 30 with a fresh set of cornrows.

Six Cornrows with a flower

I have a lot going on and I didn't want my hair to suffer so I needed something that was super super low maintenance. Also, for a while I have been wanting to recreate one of NikG's super cute styles that she does on A's hair. I chose this one: 6 cornrows with a bow

Cornrows = Scalp Rest

A few days ago I stated how my scalp was itchy and sore. The itching I am used to - it just happens during this season. The soreness was because I was going a little too hard with scratching. I have even awaken myself in the middle of the night because I was scratching too hard. So I decided to cornrow my hair for low manipulation and rest. I don't braid tight so this was perfect. I am on day 4 of my cornrows and the soreness is gone. My scalp just needed to be left alone to heal.

I haven't figured out why my scalp itches or what causes it and no I have not been to a dermatologists - I barely have time to eat. Ever since I can remember my scalp has done this during the cold weather. It's probably the dry hair because guess what - my skin hurts and itches also. I have to slather on shea butter just to be comfortable. During the summer - no issues. I am drinking more water in hopes that increase fluid intake will help. It's bearable so I'll live. :)

Here are the cornrows: