Thursday 4 August 2011

Another twist out....I'm loving it.

So, I decided to embark on another twistout experiment.  I'm loving twists outs because they are super easy to do, don't require any heat and I feel that you can achieve different looks by varying your technique.Being that I am trying to grow out my  hair, I'm all for anything that doesn't require any direct hair. So on this
fateful day, I set up to get a huge fierce curly fro.

Did I get exactly what I set out to do? Not really. But it still turned out pretty well. Check out the video below:

Monday 25 July 2011

Protective Styling - Scarves

Scarves are back! Well, did they ever really leave? I mean, I have been wearing head scarves on and off since forever. I consider them my go-to style for bad hair days. However, recently I have been seeing a lot more of them. On the runways at the beach. In bold colors, patterns and prints. I'm loving it. Even better is the fact that they are a great protective style option. You get to rock a trendy look while protecting your hair and nurturing your goal of attaining beautiful long locks. There are lots of ways to wear this trend.

Here are some pics to inspire you ...






Here are some pics showing my current favorite ways to wear a head scarf:




Check out my video below, demonstrating how to achieve these looks.



Theres almost no wrong way to wear a head scarf...get creative.

xoxo
Lushstrands

Wednesday 22 June 2011

How I apply my lace wig (Glueless)

Right now, lace wigs are my favorite protective styles. I mean I like weaves too, but I find lace wigs to be much easier to apply.I don't need to cornrow and sew, I just put the wig on and go. I don't use glue or any other adhesive. Another thing with wigs is that your whole hair is protected unlike with weaves where you
have to leave out some of your hair to cover the tracks. But don't get me wrong, weaves are definitely a good protective style option. Just be sure to give the exposed hair required tlc. When trying to blend your hair to the weave, avoid any damage by rollers setting or twisting and airdrying. For those who may be considering lace wigs as a protective style option, here is how I apply my lace wig without using any glue or adhesive.



May hair update

I will be putting up monthly hair updates. If you are trying to grow your hair out, you should have period updates, this will help you identify a problem quickly and enable you make the necessary changes to your hair regimen. It is also great motivation to look back at old progress pics or videos and observe have far you have come. Here is my update for May.


Monday 20 June 2011

Heat free styling - my first 'twist out'

So I'm on a quest to discover healthy new styles. Right now, I am staying clear of heat. No flat irons, no curling irons, no crimping irons...no heat! I figure if I want to wear my hair out any time soon, I'm going to have to come up with some heat free styles. And today, while watching the show 'Girlfriends' I am totally inspired by Tracee ellis ross' gorrrgeous curls. I imagine that one way to copy that look is with a twistout. I've never done it before but I am willing to try. I decide to try my hands at twist out... and here is the result.





Its not exactly like Tracee Ross' but I love it!

Here's the video on how I achieved this look.



I don't consider this a protective style because I am wearing my hair out and it is swinging and rubbing against my shoulder (friction and air can cause some dryness) but that's ok. I'm not that ocd! Wearing my hair
down once in a while wouldn't hurt. At least I didn't use heat. :-)

Friday 22 April 2011

hair growth challenge...length check

So my plan is to gain 6" of length in 2011. I started out with about bsl (bra strap length) hair. I just did a length check today and have gained about 1.5". I have a lot of new growth so I figure by my next relaxer, I should see even more length. So far, it looks like almost 2 inches in the  last 4 months. However for some reason I have some thinning in the center of the back of my hair. I'm not sure what caused it but I had to trim about 2 inches off. I probably need to trim off another inch, but I'll hold off for a while. I guess I am coasting to gain 4" instead of 6" this year :-(

See my April hair update video below:

Thursday 21 April 2011

Hair growth challenge...6inches in 2011!

So I recently decided to join a hair growth challenge. The goal is to grow 6 inches in 12months. This is entirely possible because as is the case with most people, my hair grows at a rate of 1/2 an inch every month. Everyone has their own approach but mine is to use protective styles for the better part of the year. Growing 6inches in 12months leaves no room for trims so I have to be really good to my ends. See my regimen below:



Are you up for this challenge?

Protective styles ....Lace wigs

Your hair is constantly growing. For those with relaxers, the fact that you have to touch up your roots every 6-8weeks tells you something: your hair is growing. So why has your hair been the same length for the past year (or more)?.. Breakage. Breakage from hair manipulation: heat, improper combing, poor detangling etc. This is were protective styles come in. Protective styles are styles that require very little manipulation and generally keep the hair protected from the elements (wind/air tends to dry out hair, friction against clothes fabric etc). Examples of protective styles are buns, cornrows/twists, wigs etc.

Protective styling is key if you are trying to grow your hair in the shortest amount of time.

I have recently purchased 2 lace wigs which I will be wearing as a protective style.

Light Yaki lace wig from www.theweaveplace.com



See the videos below:


I will be doing another video shortly on how I apply my lace wigs and how I condition and treat my hair while it is under the wig...

Why your hair wont grow.....heat

I mentioned in my previous post that hair grows. Thats pretty much all it does. The big question isn't so much how to get your hair to grow as it is how to prevent breakage so that you retain the length that you have. While based on my research, improper combing is the biggest culprit, not far behind improper combing is... heat.



Too many of us succumb to the fiery plates of the flat iron. The truth is regardless of whether the plates are made ceramic/tourmaline/aluminum, regardless of whether you saturate your strands with heat protectants, the fact remains that frequently subjecting your hair to heat in excess of 250F will thwart your attempt at retaining length and achieve growth. There are better ways to get straight styles:

Roller set/doobie:
1. Wash and condition your hair
2. Apply the leave in of your choice.
3. Roll you hair in rollers of your choice (for a straight style, the bigger the rollers the better)
4. Sit under a hooded dryer
5. Once dry, take out the rollers, comb your hair and then wrap it around your head as shown below:





Watch my video on how to roller set your hair.

Sunday 17 April 2011

Why your hair wont grow...improper combing

Ok, first of all, your hair grows. At least, in most cases it does. For those with relaxers, the fact that you have to touch up your roots every 6-8weeks tells you something: your hair is growing. So why has your hair been the same length for the past year (or more)?.. Breakage. There's a whole bunch of things that we (women with coarse/kinky/nappy/type 4a/b hair) do to our hair that prevents it from "growing" but the biggest offender by leaps and bounds is...improper combing.

Tips for proper combing:

- Use a wide toothed comb.
This is the comb I use. I would also advise that you use a nail file to file down any jagged seams on the comb that could potentially rip your hair.

- If your hair is wet, put some conditioner in it to give it some slip. If the conditioner does not soften your hair, make is slippery and easy for the comb to glide through then you should probably change your conditioner. Most drug store brands will work nicely though.
Comb your hair while it is thoroughly saturated with conditioner.

If your hair is dry, part your hair in sections and comb starting from the tips and working down to the roots detangling gently as you work your way down.

I often see women rake combs and brushes through their hair, remove the broken strands caught in the bristles and toss it with such indifference. Well, lets do the math, if you break 20 strands of hair (and I am being conservative) every time you comb your hair and you comb your hair 3 times a day, how many strands will you lose in one month, 6months, 1 year. It all counts. I challenge you to do this: inspect your comb everytime you comb your hair and ensure that there are NO broken strands. Normal shedding is fine and you can identify shedded strands by inspecting the strand, if there is a tiny white bulb at the end, then its normal healthy shedding and you are off the hook

.
This is the biggest change you need to get the your hair from this:


To this:







- Happy growing...




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