Styling Tips

Hello lovely readers!


So we've reached the final step to natural hair...Styling! You've worked hard to grow out your natural hair. Now it's time to style it!

My Wash-N-Go right after I got out of the shower

A wash-n-go that had began to dry out.

Wash-N-Gos

A Wash-N-Go is exactly what it sounds like. You just wash your hair, moisturize and go. This is the most natural, unaltered look that you can achieve with natural hair. You can see that I have many textures of hair. Some sections are kinkier while others are straighter or super curly. Sometimes you'll need to leave some extra conditioner in your hair in order to insure that your curls last throughout the day.

This picture was taken at the beach. I left my hair in braids while I swam.
When I got out the water, I took out my braids & had a lovely braid out (:

To achieve this look, I braided damp hair with conditioner in it and slept on the braids before taking
out the braids.

Braid out/Twist outs are the bomb: I've found that when I wear my hair loose, it tends to get really knotty really quickly. However, no fear, twists outs are here.

The video to the left and below describe two ways to create a twist out.
But in my own words:
1. Do whatever you do to detangle your hair.
2. Plat it out into four to six sections. (Make sure hair is still damp when you braid it).
3. Braid or twist each section.
4. Wrap hair and sleep overnight & BAM! Sexy, stress free hair.
Sometimes I braid my curly hair into sections for a big-curly-hair look. However in this picture, I combed out my curls first and then braided them. Experiment and see what works best for you. This hairstyle works because it keeps my hair from getting knotty. This hair style also lasts much longer than a Wash-N-Go.






Bantu Knots

Another alternative to twists outs are bantu knot outs. Bantu knot outs are very similar to twist outs, with the exception that after twisting/braiding your hair, you twists your twists/braids into "knots" on the top of your head. I know this sounds confusing, so watch the video on the left to better understand what I am talking about :) I usually don't do Bantu Knots on  my hair because I don't like the way that they turn out. However, --> this girl looks absolutely AMAZING with a bantu knot out. Try using it on your own hair!

Straight & Sultry:
Sometimes I decide to straighten my hair. On these days I wash & detangle, then I blow dry my hair with a comb attachment. Next I then smooth castor oil from my roots to my ends (to protect my hair from high levels of heat) and use a flat iron to straighten my hair. This style stays completely straight for about 8 hours. At night I braid my hair in sections  and wrap a silk scarf around them. In the morning I undo them and go over them again with the flat iron. When I wrap my hair, I usually sweat out my roots by the morning, so these two methods work best. However, overuse of heat=hair damage, so this straight look lasts for a short period of time. I try not to straighten my hair more than once a month. However, considering that I haven't straightened my hair in six months, I haven't seen this look for a while (: It's probably surprising how long my hair is. It falls half way down my chest. You would never know if I simply wore my hair naturally curly all the time ;)

I straightened my hair and left rollers in for two hours
instead of sleeping with them.

These curls were created by putting rollers in my hair & then sleeping
with them in.

Curls, Curls, Curls
This is my quickest, easiest, most common do. I rub some palmer's growth treatment into my hair at night, before setting my hair in 15-20 large (pink) sponge rollers. I wrap a silk scarf over the rollers and sleep on them. In the morning when I take the rollers out all I do is pin my hair in whatever style I want and the curls fall into place. In this particular picture, I went over some of the curls with my curling iron to stretch them out. Notice how short my hair looks because of the tightness of the curls. I use these rollers and these rollers.

My poof , created using eco-styler gel

Eco-styler gel makes for an elegant bun as well.

Quick & Easy
When I don't have a lot of time to spend on styling, eco styler gel is my life saver. I spray some water onto the top of my hair & use about a quarter size amount of gel on each side of my head. Then I use a soft bristled brush to brush the gel into my hair. You can then style your hair into either a poof or a bun. The eco styler gel gives your hair a soft, smooth appearance, so it's great for formal occasions.


Sleeping with Natural Hair


At night: 

There are several things that I tend to do to my hair overnight. If I want to preserve my curls I pull my hair into a loose ponytail directly on the top of my head. This hairstyle, called the pineapple, preserves your curls while you roll around in your sleep.
 If I want more defined hair in the morning, I simply dampen & braid my hair in 6-8 braids. I always sleep with a satin scarf to protect my hair.

In the Morning:
If you chose to do the pineapple, take your hair out the ponytail & shake shake shake your hair out. If the shaking method doesn't work, some girls like to add water to their hair (via spraying). However, this causes your hair to shrink up and often knot up. Instead hop into the shower, wash your body, but don't "wet" your hair by putting your head under the stream. Instead the steam from the warm water will loosen up your curls perfectly. Or if you don't want to get into the shower, let your shower run on it's hottest setting for 5 minutes while you're getting dressed. Then come into the bathroom and let the steam penetrate your hair. In the time that it takes for you to brush your teeth, your curl pattern will reappear.


Miscellaneous


There are sooo many amazing natural hair blogs/videos out there. What I would suggest is to type in your hair type into the search bar (ex: 3c/4a natural hair care) and go from there. However, here is a list of some of my natural hair faves (Don't forget to click the links!):

1. The best natural hair playlist ever. This natural hair list has a whole bunch of natural hair tip videos. But remember, this is for my hair texture (3c/4a). Find out what the name is for your hair type & try to find similar videos! But this is a good place to start.
2. How to elongate your curls: Use the blow dryer to "stretch out your roots."
Here's another great how to.
3. These are some great/informative hair styling videos:
Twist Rod Set (Part Three)
Defining Your Curls
How to pull your hair up into a puff
Q & A about Moisture