Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Flat twist out

Last wash day (Friday the 23rd), after my wash n fro, I set my hair in flat twist. Four days later, no retwisting, here's what it looks like.


Another day later, no retwisting, after showering with no shower cap and applying some coconut oil:


I'm getting more into the non-defined look. I still prefer definition from some sort of set but when my hair clouds up a bit and looks more indistinct I still think it looks cool versus thinking it looks a mess and I need to reset it. I believe spending more time looking at pictures of people with undefined styled hair has helped broaden my outlook.

When I wear my wash n fro, I'm more self conscious of how short it shrinks versus the actual texture. Next summer, I'll definitely rock that style a lot as my hair should be longer and I like how quick and carefree it is.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Blown.....

About 2 weeks ago I washed my hair in twists and gave my scalp a good rubbing. My scalp was itchy and I wanted to really get up all debris and have a fresh scalp. The downside is the dandruff and scabs that had accumulated from scratching my scalp nearly raw all came up and got caught in my naps!

I tried rinsing for an extra long time after conditioning to no avail. I realized the only way to get this crap out of my hair was with a fine tooth comb. The only way to accomplish this was stretching my hair out.

I needed to blow dry.

I'd been thinking about blowing my hair out for a few weeks. I wanted to do it in April so that I could attempt to trim my hair evenly and see what state my ends were really in.

Sally's Beauty Supply was having a 'sale' on blow dryers and I'd checked them out but didn't feel comfortable spending that kind of money. I think I'll be using it a few times a year so it wasn't worthy of a significant investment.

Since this was a sudden decision, I needed to get my hands on a dryer quickly. I had already deep conditioned with Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner with some olive oil added. I used Beautiful Texture's leave-in for the first time then sealed it in with a dimethicone heavy heat protectant. I plaited my hair up, tied on a scarf, put on a hat and headed to Walmart to buy a blow dryer.

I chose the Remington D-1000 from Walmart for less than $20:


The process took longer than I expected bc I went through small sections at a time. I originally started on cool but I didn't have the patience for that. So I used the next setting up which felt like low heat. I could blow it on my skin without a burning sensation.

What felt like all day later, I had this:


It was not straight as if I'd used an attachment so it was still difficult to access my ends. I chose to trim since I'd blown it out. I don't think I will trim again until September unless my hair tells me otherwise. Even then, if my hair seems to be in good shape I may skip it or just do a dusting. I have since bought a comb attachment but I'm a bit weary of using it. I'm dealing with breakage right now and I don't think using the attachment will be good for the health of my ends.

I chose to set my hair in dry bantu knots using only my castor/coconut oil pomade. I had visions of hangtime and my hair blowing in the breeze due to the youtube videos of bantu knotouts on blown out hair. That was NOT my experiece. Not sure if I don't have enough hair for that effect or if my hair will not do that period. It was soft, fluffy and the hold was good overall. I didn't reset it that night, just slapped on my bonnet and my hair was fine.

What I did.....

On Friday the 23rd, I washed my hair in twists w Giovanni Deeper Moisture shampoo. My scalp was itching and I didn't want it to get out of hand like last month when I scratched until I broke the skin and had scabs.

I focused on my scalp and only ran my hands down the length of twists. I rinsed then applied the matching conditioner. I let that sit while I bathed then rinsed.

I chose not to deep condition my hair this time. I was tired and really didn't feel like it. I also needed to go by the duplexes that we are trying to get into so I unraveled the twists which were very fuzzy. the roots were not clumped at all. I applied 2 pumps of Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Restorative Conditioner. I chose not to seal with any oil bc I didn't know what my end game was going to be. I pinned either side up with a comb and left the house.

I guess I can call this look a wash n fro. Since I didn't define my texture. There was some definition but I'm not sure if it was my hair pattern or bc I washed in twists. I would try this method again.


I noticed some flaking caught in my hair due to dry scalp. Very annoying. While out my fro shrank up as it dried. By the time i came home it was 95% dry. I applied a coconut oil w rosemary oil mixture to my scalp for dryness. I haven't done that in several weeks. I left my hair like this all day while wearing a bonnet. I refreshed it before picking up my husband with a spray bottle of Aloe Vera juice, water, and a touch of olive oil.


At night before bed, I sectioned my hair, spritzed with my Aloe Vera mix, applied Beautiful Textures detangling leave-in and detangled. Then I moisturized with my Shea Moisture. I barely sealed some ends. I'm running low on my castor/coconut mixture. I set my hair in flat twist via a tutorial I watched from blakizbeautiful. I think this process took me an hour+. Tied up my hair with a satin scarf then covered w a bonnet.