Type 4 Wash n' Go

My hair snapped right back from my press out...no qualms there, thank goodness!! As if I had to wonder. Day three of the press, and I was lazy in tying my hair back one morning. I went to wash my face and a huge wad of hair landed directly on my soaking wet face resulting in this...

I was never able to get it fully straight after that....LOL! Then a combination of being sick and rainy weather led me to co-wash after wearing it straight for only 5 days.

I co-washed with Giovanni 50/50. Then I applied a mixture of Herbal Essences "Come Clean" and EVOO as a leave in. To apply, I mix the two in my hands and pat it in gently, focusing on the ends and hairline.

Then I pretend like I'm a Labrador Retriever and shake my hair wildly back and forth and from side to side. Seriously....not playing about that even though it sounds crazy. Doing so achieves two critical things for me: removing excess water and curl separation/definition. Once that's over I let it air dry completely during the day and rock it au naturale. To preserve the curls at night I sleep on a silk pillowcase and mist with H2O to refresh in the mornings. I may gel the edges and pin it back from day 2 forward.

Twist Out at 2 Years Natural

So I decided to try a standard twist out on my hair about a week ago since I've gotten some length in the last two years. I typically don't prefer them because all of the parts leave too much exposed scalp and I feel somewhat bald-headed with all of them showing. Fluffing ruins the twist pattern (for me anyways) and I've had better luck with flat twist outs.

I co-washed with Giovanni 50/50, left a little in, and twisted with Eco-Styler gel on damp (not soaking wet) hair. Next time, I need to be a little more strategic with my parts. I had some huge, gaping parts for a few days since I refused to fluff. I was able to get 5 full days out of this set by sleeping on a silk pillowcase and misting with my water bottle in the mornings. I did use a little more of the gel on my edges each day and pinned them back from day 2 forward.

I was pleased with the results (surprisingly) and will be perfecting this over the winter months as a protective style.

Egg Protein Deep Conditioning

Step One: Crack and beat two raw eggs in a small bowl or measuring cup with a pouring spout. Pour the eggs into an applicator bottle.



Step Two: Part your hair into four sections and apply the egg mix directly to your hair and scalps. I apply at the scalp and pull it through to the ends; this keeps me from using too much on one section and running out too soon :)

Step Three: Make sure you have towels on hand to catch the drippies...there WILL be drippies...tons of them. This is normal but very annoying. You can sit under heat or let your hair air dry. As it dries, your hair will harden. Don't pull or mess with it in this state as this can lead to breakage.

Step Four: Rinse using cool water so that the egg will not cook in your hair. It's normal to have some egg-white flecks left behind, but I can usually pick them right out. Follow up with a moisturizing conditioning session, rinse, detangle, and you are good to go! Your hair should feel immediately stronger and your curls should have more spring to them. I do this immediately before and after straightening my hair to preserve my curl pattern from heat damage.

Natural Brides- Wedding Style

Last month my Soror, roommate, best friend, AND fellow natural, Essence, got married and I had the privileged to be her Maid of Honor. I also was tasked with styling her hair for the big day...no pressure, right?

Essence (a 3c/4b curlie) knew that she wanted her hair pinned back for the wedding, and after a couple of test runs, the morning of went rather smoothly. Well, other than the fact that she sweated out her press in her sleep the night before...lol..once we got past that, I started curling and pinning and below is the final result.

Through the ceremony and dancing our butts off at the reception, her hair held in place all night. I owe it ALL to one styling product: Tres Two Hairspray by Tressemme. It is, hands down, the BEST hairspray I have ever used- relaxed or natural.

Essence was a stunning bride and I am grateful to have been there for her on her big day!