High Ponytail with Curlformers

Earlier this week I had the bright idea to do a high ponytail using Curlformers. It turned out okay but it was just a lot of work getting all my hair up in a high ponytail, which is why I don't do it often.

I set my hair in small on the Curlformers using CurlyNikki's curl defining spritz on dry hair. I sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes on med-heat and 10mins on low heat.

I slept in the Curlformers overnight. They did not disturb my sleep because they were up and out of my way. I tied down the edges of my hair with a satin scarf and used Aloe Vera gel to help smooth the edges.

I removed the Curlformers in the morning and thankfully the curls did set. I was surprised to see that the curls resembled more of a flexirod set than a curlformer set. My curlformer sets usually look more elongated like:

I am satisfied with the look and the curls held up well in the high humidity. This is a style I will do again. To maintain at night I used a satin scarf on my edges and put the curls in a satin bonnet.

I am on Day 2 of this style and it's still looks fresh. I will be taking it down tonight because my hair needs some water. I think I am becoming addicted to mid-week co-washes. Like I need one more hair thing to be addicted too...

When was the last time you wore a high pony tail? Do you think it's harder to do them now that you are wearing your naturally textured hair?

One Week, Two Looks

A busy day always leads me to create a look that will last for a few days. This time I did some flat twists in the front and mid-sized two strand twists in the back.

It worked as a great protective style. 

I removed the twists in the back later in the week.

The back was frizzier than I wanted but the twists were really old and frizzy.

For a second, I thought you had on a half wig.

The title of this post reflects a statement that I heard when I wore a twist out from the "twisted in a storm" updo.

I took the updo down with the intention to wash, deep condition, and bun. After seeing the twist-out results I decided to just wear the style for a day or two.

Check out the shrinkage - which resulted from me initially doing the style on wet hair.

I like shrinkage because at this length it allows me to wear my hair out without worrying about the ends so much. The back section of my hair did rest against my shirt but I know that if I would have wet my hair again while it was twisted I would have been able to get even more shrinkage. It's not ofter that you hear people talk about how they WANT shrinkage.

Tornadoes, Hair, and Sunshine

This weekend (04.16.11 - 04.17.11) was a crazy weekend. First North Carolina got abused by storms and tornadoes. People's homes were pick up and thrown, cars flipped, and lives lost. The most amazing story I have read thus far is the one about the 3 month old baby that was taken by the tornado winds and then found safely on a stack of wood.

See photos of the destruction here: NC tornado disaster

Around 2pm we lost power and the wind picked up. I was in the middle of deep conditioning my hair. So I checked the weather report (thank God for our technological advancements) on my phone. The tornado was predicted to hit our area around 4pm. So I rinsed my hair and used the remaining day light coming through the window to start twisting. If the tornado came early at least I would already be in a bathroom.

By 3:30pm I was done with my hair so we waited in the windowless bathroom until it sounded calm. We heard wind and then it got quiet. We looked out the window and it was raining, then it started to hail, then the sun came out. It was bright beautiful sunshine.

In the end God watched over us. We suffered no damage whatsoever. Not even one shingle blew off the house. But the damage 5-10 minutes down the street from us is devastating. Two HBCUs in our area have had to cancel classes for the remainder of the semester.
 
As a result of  styling my hair in the midst of a storm, I have to call this look "twisted in a storm." I did have to SMH at myself because only I would be in the bathroom doing my hair during a tornado warning.

My heart goes out to every person in each state that suffered a loss with this storm.

Click here to see the inspiration for this look.

Since we didn't have power I did this look from memory. I should have more twists in the front and the back was a guess because there is not a shot that shows the hair from the back.

T.E.R. Goddess Braid

Tracee Ellis Ross

I have been wanting to try this braid style for a while and since my hair is straight - there is no time like the present. Here's my attempt:

I don't like hair in my face so i moved the braid up a little. This was actually pretty quick and easy. I did a tutorial on the look and I believe the vid is going to be less than 3 min long - not bad.

Flat Twistout w/ 2 Braids

You get it first...

This is a style I wore to the CurlyNikki gathering a while back. I got a few questions on how I maintained the look and this is how.

The flat twists were done on dry hair that was an old twist-out. The older the twist-out the more stretched out the look. 

This look was originally done on freshly washed hair but as the days passed the look got a little messy and this video basically demonstrates the steps I took to refresh the style.

To achieve/refresh this style:

1. Create two plaits/braids in the front

2. Separate the rest of the hair into easy to work with sections

3. Using a water-based product, flat twist from the crown to the nape (this will encourage length with the look)

4. When hair is 100% dry remove the twist (apply oil if desired) and fluff until you are happy with the look



Edit: The error with the video not playing should be resolved. If it does not play for you please let me know

A night out with an old twist out

When you have old hair, a busy day, and plans later that night - trying to figure out something to do your hair can be stressful.

It just so happens that two days before I watched a YT video on a Quick and Easy Saturday Night Updo...and I must say, it was very quick and very easy.

 The style was done on a 3 day old twist out that was on it's last leg - seriously it was BAD.

I did not apply any product to my hair prior to styling and the only tools used were my hands, a brush, and a hairzing.

For smoother edges you can gel & brush - then tie them down. I opted to go with just a brush because I didn't want the style to look like an attempt at neatness - I prefer messy looks when my hair is out.

I got a few compliments that night so this will definitely be a "go to" look for those days/nights when I have little to no time to do my hair for an event.

Curlformers (Days 1-3)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3 

Day 3 with curls pulled apart.

I hate to fight the urge to do another Curlformer set for the week. I am curious to see how long a set will last if I take my time and put some real effort into the style. I am sure the set could have last up to Day 4 but I really needed to deep condition and do my protective style for the week. I look forward to do more Curlformer sets in the future.

To preserve the Curlformer set I simply wore a satin bonnet at night and only put a Curlformer or two back in at night if a curl had gotten a little too frizzy.

Twist/Twist-out Faux-hawk

Last weekend I went out with the girls and I wanted to wear a fun & funky style that would last. I posted a few days ago that I wanted to try out some "Goapele braids" and that weekend seemed to be the best time to do it so I gave it a try. 

I didn't do super small cornrows because I didn't have much time so I would like to try this look again with some itty bitty cornrows. The style was actually pretty easy to accomplish once I got my hair parted into the major sections. 

Here's my interpretation:

Pinned Twists

Twists released

There is also a YouTube tutorial to go along with this style: 2-N-1 Faux-hawk

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.

Simple Braid-Out

I was able to achieve this style after doing the 6 cornrows and a flower for a week. I love 2 in one styles because they contribute to my laziness. :)

Here is a quick tutorial on how I do my braidouts, its an extremely simple process:

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

High Bun

Yesterday was such a bad hair day that I had to go home after work and do something about it.

After attempting to participate in a 6 week long twist challenge I opted to go back to bunning. For some reason wearing twists for an extended amount of time is not good for my ends unless I am going to immediately style them and keep them in an updo. My ends get too curly and although it looks good - it's bad for my hair. I noticed this back in January also when I was wearing two strand twists. Another lesson learned.

It looks like I will soon have to trim about 1/2 inch all over due to single strand knots and a few splits. I have only seen 2 split ends but the SSKs are everywhere.

Fun with Banana Clips

Last weekend I did the side swept afro with a banana clip, this weekend I positioned the clip on top and accented the look with a cornrow in the front.

BraidOut on Straight Hair

This was actually my first time doing a braid out on straight hair. I liked the waves and if I was so in need of a washing I would have worn this for a day or two.

Fun to Protective

Sunday's style was the perfect template for a protective style and quick to do. Since the sides were cornrowed into place I just needed to twist the loose section. I misted each section with Care Free Curl/Water mix and sealed with my Spring Shea Butter mix. This look is the outcome.

Bunning It!

After having my fun with the Jill Scott inspired style I decided to use the style as a starting point for this week's protective style - more buns :)

Work it Ms. Scott!

Check out this fly hair on Jill Scott!

I will be copying this style! I have to, I love this look.

Inspired Style

Spring is here! Time to have some fun :)

Alas, my twist out was too defined! This style I will attempt again because I want it big and wild just like Yaya's.

To get this look a twist is gather in a high pony and clip (or pin) in place. Leave a little out for the "bang" and throw on some fierce earrings and you are ready to go.