DIY Marley Twists

So I finally did it, I installed Marley Twists in my hair on the weekend and I love them!

It was my first time doing extensions on my hair, all by myself. I have not had any extensions or weaves in my hair for more than four years, because of a bad scalp experience. I thought, I would not be able to do it again. Well I was wrong.

Me rocking my Marley Twists - I'm in love!

I did some research and found out that I could wash the extension hair in water and vinegar to remove the harsh chemicals and dirt on the hair. I did this earlier in the week. So far so good, my scalp is doing well.

I also lived on Youtube during my free time and stocked blogs, there are plenty of resources online.

So I know you are l really reading, to see how I did it, here goes:

1.       The day before, I pampered my hair with a deep conditioning treatment, a mix of protein and hydrating conditioners (Tresemme, Keratin Smooth and Salon Silk), along with coconut oil. I sat under the dryer for 30 mins. I rinsed, applied Knot Today leave-in, and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and twisted my hair in the sections I wanted for my Marley Twists. Note: I’m not a big hair parter and I wanted them to look natural. I decided only to part the front perimeter of my hair, to ensure that my twist looked tidy.


2.   The next morning, I started my Marley Twists, using the invisible twisting method. See video by Cassandre Beccai. I love her videos: 

3.       Before adding the hair, I added a little more of the Curl Enhancer Smoothie, sealed with shea butter and a bit of Eco Styler for hold.

4.       I used two pieces of Marley hair per twist. My hair is fine, but high in density, I wanted to avoid scalpy patches and it worked. I used Freetress Marley Braid hair in colours B2 and P4/27, for a spring of colour.

5.       I ended up with 32 twists and used 4-1/2 bags of hair.

6.       When done, the next day I burned the ends and curled them in hot water, using flexirods.

What I learned

It is definitely trial and error and took me about six hours to do, not including snack and washroom breaks.

The hair will unravel at the end, so you will need to seal it in some way.

It’s important to note that, I did not grab the very front of my edges in the twists, to avoid damage. I’m fine with a few curls, I think they make the twist look more authentic as well.  

I loved having the control over the size of the sections and the tightness. For me, I’m fine will re-doing a couple twists if need be, because I know I’m not pulling my hair out and that means it is a real protective style. There is nothing worse than having extensions, and not knowing what you will end up with after the take down.

Maintenance

I will moisturize with aloe vera juice and a drop of coconut oil when needed.

I plan to wash my scalp with apple cider vinegar and water. Let’s see how that goes, or I will find a good dry shampoo. I’m open to suggestions!

Will I do it again?

Yes, without a doubt. I’m proud that I was able to do this myself, especially it never thought I would ever try this, but then again, four years ago I didn’t think I was going to be natural either. Things change and so do your capabilities, when you put your mind to it. I plan to keep these in for three to four weeks. The next time, I plan to try Senegalese twists.

Tell me what you think or if you have any tips to share.

Blessings and Curls,

Kim aka B-Curlie

   

My Mini-Twists

So I’ve just returned from a wonderful holiday in Jamaica. There is so much to say, before I even talk about hair. Ironically enough, one of my blogging idols, was staying at the same resort. It was the first time for us to meet face-to-face, since all of our contact has been through email and Twitter. She is the one and only Accidental Natural I also featured her a while back, check it out here.

After I booked my ticket and knew I was going for sure, I then started to scourer the internet looking for ideas to style me hair will I was on vacation. I intended on swimming as much as possible and I needs a style that would allow me to do that and deal with tropical humidity and dryness. I also knew that I didn’t want to spend my vacation washing and twisting my hair for twist-outs each day. I decided to try my hand at mini-twists.

I put them in myself on freshly washed, deep-conditioned and blow-dried hair. The entire process took me about 5.5 – 6 hours to complete. Here are my pros and cons and if I will do mini-twists again.

Me rocking my mini-twists in Jamaica.

Pros:

• Your hair will swing again (depending on your length).

• They are easy to wash and moisturize.

• A good test, if you are considering to loc your hair in the future. You will get a feeling of what your hair will look like.

• If you twist on stretched hair, you will see your true length, at least until it gets wet and shrinks.

• They are very versatile and fun to style

Cons:

• Depending on your hair texture and your activities, re-twisting after a week, may be needed.

• My twist started to matte after only two weeks, even though I moisturized every day.

• There will probably be a lot of knots when you take them down, even if you use conditioner like I did.
• The twists will shrink when we, but that comes with the territory.

• Can take a long time to do, depended on the size and length of your hair.

Will I do it again?

I have mixed feeling to be honest. I loved the low maintain factor and the look of the twists, but take them out and the finger detangling with tons of conditioner was not fun. I think I will try it again when I go away, but I won’t keep them in that long and perhaps moisturize them even more that I did on this trip.  

Have you done mini-twists, what was your technique?

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

Review of Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue & Baby Buttercreme

So a few months ago I purchased Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue and Baby Buttercreme on sale at HoneyFig. I thought to myself, this is my chance to try these products. I did some research and I found that Curlies either really loved Miss Jessie’s products or hated them. I actually have mixed feelings about them.

Let’s start with the Curly Meringue:

This product smells delicious. It has a wonderful lemon scent that makes you want to indulge in a lemon tart, if that is your thing. The consistency is thick and creamy. I decided to use it on my freshly washed hair, after applying my leave-in. I made sure my hair was moisturized and somewhat sealed before applying the meringue. God knows I didn’t want any trouble, since there is mineral oil in it.

So I proceeded to use half of a finger-tip amount on each twist. I was very happy with the light hold and shine the product imparted on my hair. It felt soft and healthy.

After untwisting my hair, I was surprisingly very happy with the results. I will definitely use this product again.

Moving on the Baby Buttercreme:

The buttercream smells like vanilla cake, which made me happy. The consistency was very thick and buttery just like the name. I applied the product the same way as I did the Curly Meringue. It went on damp hair nicely and seemed to give it a little shine.  Once the twists dried I unraveled them. When styling and separating my twists I found that my hair felt brittle and dry. Nonetheless I worked with what I got and tried to stay positive. By day two my hair was in rough shape, very frizzy and super dry. On day three, FORGET ABOUT IT!! I slept with my satin head tie as I usually do and found a humongous mess. I was in shock! I would like to say that I did not treat my hair any differently than I do with my other twist-outs, that usually last about five days.

So I was in a little panic and almost late for work. I decided to wet my hair to try to create a puff that appeared moist and shine. It was a TOTAL FAIL. The water only made tons of white residue appear in my hair. I had a small meltdown and then savaged my hair with a few twists in the front and the rest was covered with a bean. Needless to say I will not be using the Baby Buttercream again.

Although, this was product did not work for me, it may have work for you. Tell me about your experience and if you love or hate relationships with Curly Meringue or Baby Buttercreme.



Blessings and Curls,
B-Curlie

Faux Hawk Tutorial

I have to say, I’m really happy with the way my hair turned out today. So much so that I had to write about it.

I was rocking a tired six day twist-out that I was refreshing everyday with water, apricot oil and Eco Styler Gel- Argan Oil when needed. It was looking OK, but I was getting bored. Not to mention I like to try new things with my hair the day before wash day, so I’m not committed to the style, incase I don’t like it.

So I woke up with a smooshed fro that was tied down with a silk scarf at night (sorry no pics - it was a hot mess) … lol. Only hair I could love and husband could tolerate in the morning!

I started to tackle it with water that is sometimes mixed with a little bit of oil (whatever natural oil you have on hand is fine). I then seal in my moisture as I start to work my fingers through my hair to get the volume back.

I then took put a generous amount of gel and put it on the front of my hair. Once the curls started to pop I gathered one side (no farther back than my ear) of my hair and secured it with two bobby pins. I repeated this on the other side. When my sides were pinned, it played with the bangs and finger styled them. On a side note: I was so excited to have bangs to play with. My hair is starting to grow Curlies!! yay)

I then continued to finger style the rest of my hair to get the look I was happy with. All that in 5-10 minutes.

Try it and little me know what happens. Or share your favourite lazy style, canadiancurlie2010@gmail.com

Blessings and Curls,
B-Curlie

Featured Curlie - Shellene

Name: Shellene aka The Accidental Natural

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, but now I'm a proud Torontonian!

First year of curlieness: 2008

Why I went curlie: It was kind of by accident. My hair was permed STRAIGHT (like bone-straight, no kink, wave or curl to be found) for my wedding in September 2007. As the weather cooled down, I decided to go into braids as usual until the spring. When I took my hair out, I finally noticed my new growth and it was so coily and strong, I wanted to know what my hair would look like completely natural. I hadn't seen my natural texture in 20 years. On the other side of that was relaxing my hair was destroying my scalp. I had all manner of scalp issues that relaxing was just exacerbating. I am allergic to coconut and I learned, as I was researching product ingredients when I went natural that the majority -- almost all -- commercial shampoos use coconut-based ingredients as their foaming agents. That could have been a reason why my scalp was forever flaking off.

Going 'curlie' didn't stop the scalp problem, but deciding not to relax made the problems more manageable. By September 2008, I decided to cut off my permed ends and take it from there. I didn't have a real plan or I didn't make a decision at the beginning to become natural - it just sort of happened organically.

Regime and products: My regime and products started off very complex - I read every blog and watched every video online. From that, I was buying up things like I was a Trump and trying all types of methods. I'm much too lazy and busy for all of that. So now my regime is to the point and simple. I have a hair goal to get to BSL, but I was finding it hard to get past APL. I don't believe in terminal hair growth - I knew it was my regime (i.e. playing up in my hair too much) that was hindering me from reaching my goal.

Now, I'm doing a year of twists. I wash my hair every two to three weeks with either a Henna Sooq shampoo bar (Berhempsu is my favourite) or use my Shea Moisture shampoos (black soap for dandruff and shea butter for moisture). I detangle with lots of conditioner (Tresemme) and wash my hair in sections. I'm trying to deep condition more regularly - I was using Silk Elements Megasilk Olive Moisturizing Treatment, but I find that my hair reacts better to straight shea butter and a heat cap. Next, I do medium sized or mini twists using either shea butter (can you tell I like some shea butter! LOL!), a natural gel like Kinky Curly Curling Custard or Essential Wholesale Styling Jelly (when the weather was humid) or Shea Moisture's Deep Treatment Masque. I wear the twists for two weeks, try to rock a twist out for a week and do the whole thing over again. I started in June and I've already seen a major improvement in terms of length. When my hair needs it, I'll moisturize with a mixture of rosewater, aloe vera juice and a little glycerin and seal everything in with olive oil.

The best part of being curlie for me is: There are a couple of good parts of being curlie. The major one is learning to embrace me for me. I know for a lot of curlies, going natural isn't anything more than not relaxing their hair, but for me it was a kind of awakening. I was learning to love my hair the way it grows out of my head and without using a chemical to make it into something that it wasn't. I find it fascinating that Black women are the only women on the planet who don't know what their real hair texture is and don't know how to look after their own hair. I was so tired of depending on relaxers and hair dressers, that going natural was like being freed. I can do my hair when I want. I can figure out what it needs. I know my hair better than anyone else -- I don't have to depend on anything but some water, shea butter and my two strong hands.

My Curlie Mom

When I first told my mother that I was going to transition an grow my perm out, she didn’t know what to say. I could tell that she was not sure about the idea, only because she wasn’t sure about my motives.

I explained to her that I wanted to be free from relaxing, in essence putting myself through an intervention if you will. I explained to her that even though I was early in my transition that I was already seeing the benefits of not being exposed to harsh chemicals.

Little did I know that almost a year after I started my transition my mom big chopped from her curly perm. She told me that she noticed that her hair was thinning because of all the years of perming.

She said that she realized that we had been brain-washed to think pressing and perming was the only way for our hair to be styled to look good. She now knows that is not true since the hair that grows out of our heads is naturally curly.

Since her big chop, my mom loves her curls and loves the fact that I went natural too. For her me going natural gave her an incentive to do so too. She now wears her natural hair with pride and is happy she left the relaxing and perming days behind. She is now free.

Are you an inspiration for others in your family to go curlie?  

Mom and Me

Curls and Blessings,

B-Curlie

Favourite Natural Hair Resources

Let’s face it for most of us, our journey to Curliehood and experiences with natural hair has been minimal, that is unless your were lucky enough not to have ever came in contact with a relaxer, texturizer or even a jheri curl. You have been truly blessed and I'm actually jealous - LOL!!!

I’m still working on my perfecting my regime, but I also realize that this will always change as long as their are new developments in technology and our knowledge as a whole. With that said, I’m going to list a few of my favourite bloggers and youtubers who have inspired me throughout my journey and continue to provide my with new styling techniques and in ways give me the gusts to try something new. I’m sure they can help you too.


You Tube:

Kimmaytube - I swear by her leave-in as I mentioned before, not to mention her hair growth journey videos make yo feel like you can do it too.
Kandeelovesya - she is now 100% natural, but transitioned for over a year. Perfect for long-term transitioners
Naptural85 - her styling techniques are on point and very easy to follow.
Prettydimples01 - such a talented stylist, I love her creative styles. She is also hilarious.

MahoganyKnots - excellent tutorials and she is not afraid to use products.
Splinta24 - representing Toronto. I love her product reviews and styles, not to mention she tell you how it really is, without holding back.
ToniDaley80 - another Torontonian. She has a funky style and I like her product reviews too.


Hair blogs:
The Accidental Natural - great blog and writing style. Here review are very honest and so helpful. Another Canadian.

Back to Curly - A mellow feeling blog about natural hair. A good read while drinking a cup or tea.
College Curlies - Although my days in college are long gone, she also focused on frugal natural hair styling. I think everyone needs to think about $$$$ every so often.
Curly Nikki - She is a blog icon in the natural hair world, for me anyway. She covers everything from lifestyle stories, styling techniques, products and online forums.

iHEARTmyhair - I love her blog because it’s not just about products and style, but she also focuses on personal empowerment and loving natural hair.


Although I’ve only listed a few, I should note that I’m always finding new blogs and youtubers that I enjoy. So this list will probably grow as time goes on.

Tell me what youtubers or bloggers that have helped you?

Blessing and Curls,

B-Curlie

Flower or no flower

When I first went natural you could find me in my neighbourhood Ardene or Claire’s at least once a week. I was addicted to hair accessories. I soon decided to try my hand at creating my own. I invested in a hot glue gun, fabrics and zippers. I had found love once again. I loved creating my own stylish hair accessories every fabric had different possibilities and style combinations.

Now that my hair has grown longer, I do not wear my accessories as often and I think it’s because I’m starting to feel more comfortable with my hair naked so to speak. Even though I transitioned for nine months and had 4-1/2 inches of growth, it was still the shortest length I had my hair since I was a baby. So I think it was normal at least for me it was to have a few insecurities in the beginning.

When I started my making the accessories it was so much fun creating colourful, unique accessories that no one else would have. I was able to express myself and it was very fulfilling. I now wear my beloved accessories once or twice a week to complement my outfit.

My point is I understand the need for new naturals to accessorize whether it’s hair pieces, earrings or make-up. The question you need to ask yourself is why are you accessorizing? Is it because you aren’t comfortable with your hair or do you just want to add to your already amazing style. I learned that my soul and my curls are already my best accessories, everything else are just colourful additions.

(above) Me with one of my favourite creations 

(below) A few of the flower hair accessories that I made.

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie

Wash-n-Go Wizards

So my friend and I decided to go natural at the same time. What is cool is that our last perms were on the same day done by the same stylist. We both took different roads as well, she big chopped two months into her transition and I waited nine months. In terms of styling she is a wash-n-go wizard and I’m the queen of twist-outs. Twist -outs make me feel secure.

I love her wash-n-gos. She makes them sound and look so easy. To me they are too unpredictable, I don’t like my hair to shrink too much. Not to mention, they usually only guarantee two days of hair before another wash is in order. Not my cup of tea, but I still want to master them, to add another look to my skill set.
 
I’ve tried it using Kinky Curly Curling Custard, and it was OK. I think I may have used too much product or not enough. I plan to try it again this weekend, I’ll come back with an update on my next post. I’ll post pics too. Please pray for my curls…I’m accepting wash-n-go tips…

Blessing and Curls,
B-Curlie

Closing the frizz factory

First of all, I want to say that to a certain extent I love my frizz. I think of those little crazy curls as the ones with the most personality. My problem is when they all show up at the same time demanding attention. Then it becomes a chore.

I still consider myself as a semi-new natural and I’m trying to figure out what works best for my hair. Now that I’m experiencing my first summer 100% natural in humid, hazy Ontario, Canada, I find the frizz has now gotten out of control.

I’ve tried a tiny sample of Aveda’s Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade. So far so good, but it’s very pricey, even though the Canadian dollar has been doing so well lately. It’s still $31.50 at the Aveda store at the Eaton’s Centre in Toronto. Pure craziness!!!

I may try Curls Gel –lec’c or Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle. My problem is that I’ve curbed my product junkism (PJ-ism) and I don’t want to start back again for approximately three months of summer. I also want to find something that fits into my current regime or won’t require me to change too much. Yet, I don’t want to walk around looking like a frizz bucket either. I’ll let you know how far I get.

What are you using to get your frizz under control and what techniques are you using?

Blessings and Curls,

B-Curlie