Twist-Out Pics - Finally :o)

I've finally gotten around to posting these - thanks to the snow I'm trapped indoors :o)

Picture descriptions...

This is about three weeks ago before using using Naturi Quench Moisturizer - oh by the way the winner of the Quench contest was Chai of Back To Curly and the winner of the Bobeam Shampoo Bar was Coco Diva - CONGRATS AGAIN - CHAI and COCO DIVA :o)

Anyway, before using Naturi Quench Moisturizer and washing - I had previously detangled and braided my hair then unbraided - then put it in this low puff. I was excited that I could actually get it in a low puff - I wanted to wear it like this, but it was sooooo itchy and had to be washed.



Closer look at low puff :o)

When pulling it back into the low puff I also noticed my ends 'crackling' - which is my sign that they need to be trimmed...



Washed/conditioned and Naturi Quench Moisturizer added. Getting ready to put in two-strand twists.


Twists...

I rinsed - tea rinse- then let dry over night and untwisted in the morning.


This is actually the beginning of the second week.


Back of twist-out. I have since detangle and washed in preparation for my protective style - box braids. I have yet to start them, so no pictures yet. I will post them when I'm done.

Also stay tuned for the next giveaway coming soon :o)

Peace and Blessings...

Coming Soon - Twist-Out Pics - Another Giveaway :o)

Hello, Everyone :o)



I have been soooo busy doing hair these past few weekends I haven't had a moment to post. I guess during the holidays everyone natural or not wants to wear low maintenance braid styles that, of course, take forever to put in ;o)


Anyway, I am still wearing my twist-out. I will post the pictures soon. I am also planning another giveaway. So stay tuned...


In the meantime, have you checked out my Naptural Hair Story (working title :o)? - Check it out and tell me what you think. I tried to label the chapters so it would be easy to follow. You'll have to go into the archive on the right and click on 2008 for the beginning Big Chop and work your way up.



Peace and Blessings...

Thank God I'm Natural Book

I have been reading so many great reviews of the book Thank God I'm Natural by Chris-Tia Donaldson. Thank God I'm Natural - called "Your Natural Hair Bible" by Essence Magazine describes Chris-Tia’s personal hair journey, as well as "...educates readers about the historical and cultural events that have led to our obvious misinterpretation of our own beauty…and the lengths that we will go to to pursue the false and ultimately unattainable image of perfection that so many of us perceive as ‘normal’ or ‘acceptable’."

The book also features advice from celebrity stylists of Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and others. I'm definitely going to read and post my review as well :o) The Thank God I'm Natural book companion site is having a holiday promotion where you can get a personalized autographed copy of the book, t-shirt, tote bag and free shipping. Check out the promo:

Thank God I’m Natural: The Perfect Xmas Gift for the Special Woman in Your Life
The holidays are right around the corner and Thank God I’m Natural would make the perfect Xmas gift for that special woman in your life. Surprise mom, your daughter, or your best friend with an autographed copy of the book with a personalized inscription that reads "Dear XXX, Always stay natural. You’re beautiful just the way you are." As black women, it is not often that we’re told we’re beautiful as we are, which is why this is such a unique present. The book is available online at the Thank God I'm Natural store and Thank God I’m Natural is offering free shipping on all purchases from now until Christmas, excluding international orders.



Thank God I'm Natural Reviews:

AfroGlitz Magazine

Chocolate Orchid

Naturally Leslie

Curls, Coils and Kinks

Nappily Evah Afta

A Kinky Hair Monologue


By the way - pictures coming soon of my twist/twist-out using Naturi Quench Intense Moisturizer :o)
Peace and Blessings

Product Review and Giveaway :o)

I've tried a wonderful product made my Shelley Chapman of Naturi Beauty Concepts - check out her other product on her blog - Naturi Beauty Blog. Shelley also makes the most mouth watering treats - check out her Vegan Cacao Cupcakes - live step-by-step recipe on her Naturi Beauty YouTube channel .

Product Review:

The product I tried is called Naturi Quench. Just like the label indicates Naturi Quench is an intense moisturizer.

Ingredients: Water, shea butter, aloe vera gel, jojoba oil, hemp oil, glycerin, lanolin, vegetable emulsifying wax, EO lemongrass, FO blend, preservative blend. Read more detailed about each ingredient provided by Naturi Beauty here.


The moisturizer has a very light, creamy, smooth consistency similar to pudding with a cool, minty/herbal smell. Naturi Quench is very moisturizing. So far, I've been using it to smooth down my edges and tame frizzies, while wearing my bun (which I am still wearing by the way :o) My hair soaks it up.

My hair felt moisturized all day. Even after coming in and out of the rain I had no frizzy hair sticking up, my hair stayed nicely smoothed into the bun, and it had a non-greasy feel. A little truly goes a long way.

I am planning to use Naturi Quench to moisturize my hair before I put it into two-strand twists in preparation for a twist-out (pictures soon to come).

The Giveaway :o)

In conjunction with Shelley andNaturi Beauty and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, All Naptural is having it's first giveaway :o) The prize, of course, is a jar of Naturi Quench moisturizer.

To be the winner of this giveaway.....All you have to do is ONE of the following:

COMMENT on this post about why moisturizing your hair is important. COMMENT on this post about why your hair NEEDS Naturi Quench.

Visit Shelley's blog then come back here AND COMMENT on something that you learned from her Naturi Beauty Blog.

For extra chances to have your name in the drawing and win...do SEVERAL of the following
Tweet a link to this post @Laquita33 with the words "Win Naturi Moisturizing Quench Giveaway on All Naptural Blog" Subscribe to All Naptural Blog and leave a separate COMMENT that you have subscribed.

Already a subscriber? Thanks a bunch, just let All Naptural know that you subscribe and tell me what you want to see on the Blog :) Every comment and/or tweet counts as it's very own entry.

Happy Commenting & Tweeting -- the more Giveaway Love you spread, the higher your chance to WIN!!! CONTEST CLOSES NOVEMBER 27th at 11:59PM Est.

Peace and Blessings

Twist-Out Puff and Bun Pictures

After wearing my twist-out for almost two weeks, in the middle of the week I turned it into a twist-out puff.




At the end of the week I decided to wash and condition then got lazy and put it into a bun.



I just separated the puff into three plaits then braided them together to make a bun.


To jazz up the bun during the week, I added various accessories like these elastic bows.

Flower pins.

And decorative hair clips - I like this giant heart - found it in a dollar store :o)

I also wore this headband on Friday.

I think I will actually wear this bun for one more week :o)

Peace and Blessings...

Great Video about Hair Growth and More

I am still wearing my twist-out going into the second week. I think I'm going to actually wash and re-do in the next day or so and I will post pictures of whatever style I come up with, but I have no idea as of now :o)

Anyway, I wanted to share this wonderful video done from Kimmaytube. Check it out and be sure to rate, comment and subscribe to her channel :o) Peace and Blessings...

Twist-Out Pictures

Here are the pictures of my twist-out that resulted from the video I posted of my wash/condition routine.

After one week I co-washed my twists, let them dry overnight, and added shea butter before unravelling.


Wet twits


After they were dry I moisturized with shea butter and unravelled. I also added a headband


Other side

Back - you can see a little hole - but it went away by the middle of the week!

Peace and Blessings...

Documentary: Where Hair Comes From

In light of the news I read about Chris Rock being sued over his movie - read the story here - I remembered a BBC documentary I saw about a pop star - Jamelia, going to India investigating the international trade in real human hair. Apparently the documentary has been taken off of BBC, but I found some videos on YouTube that show some of it. Check them out.

Also check out this article on the documentary - Why I'll never wear hair extensions again, by pop star Jamelia

Oprah and Chris Rock 'Good Hair'

I didn't get a chance to see the Oprah and Chris Rock 'Good Hair' show as of yet, but I've been scouring the Internet looking for reviews and clips of the show. Doing my 'research' I came across some very interesting commentary on the show, one of which stood out the most.

This came in the form of a video commentary from the YouTube channel Kimmaytube. She brought up the fact that the show focused on the term 'Good Hair' relating it to perms and weaves versus hair with a certain texture. She also had some interesting views about Solange and Oprah. Check it out (don't forget to rate the video and check out her other videos which are also great).

*On the video she gives instructions on how to get to her 'Good Hair' commentary but if you watch from here you wont be able to follow them, so just scroll to 4:30 if you don't want to watch the beginning.*

Video: My Wash/Condition Routine

My wash and condition routine :o)

*Sorry for the typo - took forever to do this so I refuse to redo - lol

Peace and Blessings...

Twist-Out Still Going Strong

This is the result of two-strand twists that I wore for one week. I washed and conditioned, then added a leave-in (Suave coconut conditioner mixed with Castor oil) and twisted on wet hair. I wore my twists in a bun for the entire week. Before unraveling, I co-washed my two-strand twists and let dry over night.

1st week pics

Since I wore my two-strands in a pulled back bun for a week - I stretched the front of my hair which resulted in the twist pattern straightening, so I used a headband to smooth back the hair that was not in the two-strand twist pattern.

Back of 1st week

I moisturized with shea butter about three times a week and wore a satin cap at night. I re-twisted about seven twists mid-week - just re-wetting and twisting.

Side/back of 2nd week twist-out

Closer look at top of 2nd week twist-out

Back of 2nd week twist-out


I plan on washing on the weekend - I wont re-twist any during this week because I want the twist pattern to swell and expand - which will make it easier to detangle.

Peace and Blessings :o)

Second Week of Twist-Out

Actually this post is a little late since I have now started my next - two-week long style (just plain two-strands twists in a bun). But, here are the pictures of the second week of my twist-out.

After the first week of my twist-out with cornrows in the front - I had gotten tired of looking at my frizzy cornrows and decided to take them out. But, I really should have left them in because I created more frizz by disturbing them - so I decided to turn my twist-out into a twist-out puff :o)

I added a Tomoka's Twist Accessory :o) Check them out here.

That day, at work (during my break of course ;o) I came across a couple of blog posts on twist-outs done with flat twists. On Chocolate Orchid's blog she featured Calla Lily's flat-twist out method and pics. Then on A Grl Can Mac's blog she showcased her own beautiful 'first-time' flat twist-out along with some great 'how-to' videos. So, I decided that I had to try a flat twist twist out when I got home ;o)

My tools - (excuse the sideways picture - thought I straightened it up at home, but when I got to work to add my captions I discovered I didn't) - again, I am on a 'break' while doing this ;o) - Anyway, I used Organic Root Stimulator's Lock and Twist gel (I'm in still in search of a paraben free gel - but this one works pretty well for now). The brown jar is my own mix of shea butter, almond oil and coconut oils.


My flat twists - I'm sure you can tell I parted with my fingers, and I may have went a little overboard with the twisting gel...


I followed all of the steps on both blogs - but I did my twists too late in the evening, and maybe even a few were a little too thick, because in the morning my hair was not completely dry :o( Breaking my own rule, not giving myself enough time to do my hair, I found myself in a rush and had to break out the handheld dryer - no time to sit under the hooded one - which in hindsight I will do before going to bed the next time I plan on wearing a twist-out and do my hair late in the evening ;o)


Again pressed for time I still didn't get it super dry, hence the results ;o(
BTW: Don't ask how I had time to take pics - but needless to say my husband was not amused - but my stepdaughter helped move the picture taking process along ;o)

Some parts did dry though, and I was pleased with the results, but there was still a big chunk in the back that did not dry, and as you can see it really stood out from the rest.

I tried to get a shot of the top which dried and looked great. To fix my half dry flat twist-out. I decided to resort to a twist-out/chunky puff :o)


You can see the parts from the flat -twists :o)

Although I didn't get to wear my flat twist twist-out, overall I was pleased with my puff :o)

That night I decided to re-twist and put in some big two-strands which took about an hour. I re-wet sections with water and added a little more of my shea butter mix. I didn't add any more styling gel.

Again I parted with my fingers. I put the twists in earlier, right when I got home from work, so in the morning they were completely dry :o) I unraveled my twists and in an effort to get out of the house on time - I went right to work before styling...

Since I got to work extra early - I decided to style there.

Side of big twist - twist-out :o)

Other side - yep, I'm taking pics in the restroom at work :o) I wanted to wear my twist-out out, but really didn't like how the the front looked and rushed out of the house forgetting to grab some flowers clips which would have done the trick. So....

I resorted to a big twist-out puff - I did manage to grab my homemade butterfly pantyhose headband :o)


Side of puff :o)

Tried to get a shot of the back - but someone came in and I decided to end my photo shoot - lol.

I had to laugh when the lady came in frowning - lol

Close shot of my butterfly pantyhose headband - I'm going to have to put a pic tutorial up one of these days on how to make these. They really come in handy :o)

Over the weekend I had to re-wash becomes my scalp was itching - I think it was because of all the gel I used. So for now, I am wearing the two-strand twist bun, but may unravel for a twist-out next week.

Peace and Blessings

Twist-Out Results

After wearing protective styles for an entire year, I was anxious to wear my favorite style - the twist-out. Before unraveling my two-strand twists after wearing them for two weeks, I did a co-wash and moisturized while wet. After the co-wash, I noticed that a few of my two-strands were loose at the root, so I re-twisted them and let air dry.

Side of wet twists right after co-wash

Other side - you can see the loose roots were the holes are.


The back - and more holes with loose roots (I'm going to make them smaller next time so I can get them tighter). In the morning I moisturized again with Shea butter and unraveled starting from the back. After unraveling a few from the back I noticed they were shriveled and not in the form of the two-strand twist pattern to my liking and some were super frizzy (possibly because I slept on them when they weren't completely dry). So I ended up re-twisting them.

Side of twist-out. When I first took them out I was not pleased with the results. It didn't look the way I remembered. It just looked different for some reason from the way I was used to seeing it :o( But I was glad at the way the top hung over my cornrows because the ones on the sides closest to my ear look a hot mess :o)


Other side of twist out - you can see some of the holes - due to re-twisting. I re-twisted all of the ones along with the entire back row (6 twists) and a few in the middle that didn't dry all the way. I will let them stay for a day or so then unravel again.

The very back - can you tell that the last row is in two-strands? I don't plan on taking them out because I think they blend in pretty well.

Twist-out comparisons: The first pic is a twist-out I did when my hair was much shorter. I loved how it looked - hardly any holes. The second pic is one I did when my hair was a little longer - again I loved how it looked. The last one is my twist-out now.

And from looking at the pictures I see why it looks different to me - it's because the hair is actually hanging. For some reason I failed to realize that my hair is longer now and the twist-out IS going to look different. I'm still not used to it though - I think I will try twisting with gel next time to see how it turns out, and I will make sure all of my twists are the same size because since it is longer, the hair doesn't blend in together and you can actually see each individual hanging piece and some pieces are smaller than others - I could just be nit-picking though ;o)

I plan to wear this for two weeks. I think the first week I will wear it as-is and the second week I will take out the cornrows. Of course, I will post pics of how it looks each week :o)

Peace and Blessings...

End of Protective Style Experiment

Hello everyone,

I've finally reached the end of my self-induced year-long protective style challenge :o) At the beginning of my challenge - August of '08 (see blog post here) - I had big plans of keeping my hair in protective styles for an entire year and achieving 6 inches of growth ( the average person's hair grows about 6 inches a year) added to the 4 to 5 inches I had at the time. I also had plans of taking vitamins, exercising, eating right and paying close attention to my ends during the challenge.

Well, now that the year has ended I am ready to examine the results. In the beginning, the first few months I did exercise some and tried to eat right, but those two things slowly died away - not to mention I have yet to take vitamin the first :o( - In the beginning I also took special care with my ends, but as the months rolled on I found myself getting a little lazy and not moisturizing them as often as I planned, but for the last 3 or 4 months I did pamper them. And in-between styles, I started washing my hair in 6 to 8 loose braids which has helped tremendously with breakage.

I think the fact that I got 'lazy' with overall moisturizing and paying closer attention to my ends and not taking the vitamins, resulted in me missing the total 6 inch growth mark. But in the end, wearing the protective styles did help me achieve much healthier hair, and the crown area of my head that seemed to not grow as fast as the outer areas - is actually healthier and therefore retaining more length. Overall, my hair has grown 4 to 5 inches longer - the crown measuring a little over 7 inches and everywhere else between 8 and 9.

This challenge has taught me the importance of moisturizing and setting aside time to take down and style my hair - which resulted in retaining length. It also has gotten me used to frizz. I was able to keep styles in for a month or more at a time - frizz and all.

In the beginning of my challenge, I wasn't able to put my hair in a bun without using clips to hold some of the shorter hair in place. Now, I am able to wear it in a high pun and actually have hair left to fold over.


My last protective style - big box braids.

Showing the length - I used to have to put clips to hold the back braids or twists in place.

I had big plans to do some finger coils, but decided to put my hair in two-strand twists (another protective style ;o) - I will wear these twists for two weeks and then unravel for my first twist-out in one year!

Front - my signature cornrows in the front. The front of my hair is thinner and straighter. Because it is thinner when I do two-strands there are a lot of 'holes' parts showing unless I do them really small. Because it is straighter the ends of the twists unravel, so I prefer putting the front in cornrows or flat twists.

I did these on freshly washed hair. I was surprised that there were not many 'holes' since I did them so big :o)

Side view.

Back shrinkage.

Side shrinkage.

I plan to were this style for the entire month of August. The first two weeks like this, although I may put it up in a pony tail next week, and the last two weeks I will unravel to wear in a twist out. I will be back in two weeks to post pics of the twist out.

Peace and Blessings...