Yarn Braids- Pros and Cons

I have installed yarn braids two more times since this last post. I love the look and it's probably one of my favorite protective styles thus far.

I have decided to come up with a Pros and Cons list for anyone thinking about trying the style. 



Pros

• Inexpensive - One pack of  Jumbo Yarn cost $5.98. For me, this was good for about two installations. A regular size pack of yarn cost $1.98 which I used as a highlight(red highlights) and this lasted two installations as well. 
• Natural Looking - Compared to box braids with synthetic hair, I feel as yarn braids look much more natural. They aren't as shiny and the texture feels more "real".  Many people think these look like locs and I can see why. 

Rihanna - Faux Locs Styles

Rihanna is an Island gal so she is no stranger to locs (or dreadlocks as some, but not myself, may call them). She may not have grown them naturally , but you can see that she definitely appreciates and admires the look. What better way to show appreciation than to emulate it. In my opinion, Rihanna took faux locs to another level. We're so used to seeing them very neatly done, small to mid-sized, straight parts, and very smooth/frizz free locs, but in Rihanna fashion, she did her own thing.

Let's take a look at the different ways Rihanna rocked some faux locs hairstyles

Repost: Satin Donut Bun

I was browsing through my stats and saw that this is one of my most popular posts. Who woulda thought that! Anyway..I decided to re-post this just in case anyone missed it. 

You could also roll up a sock to create a donut...there are many tutorials on YT. 

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I purchased this donut bun a while ago but never used it because of the texture. I thought it would dry my hair out and that defeats the whole purpose of protective styles.

 So, yesterday while I had a little down time, I decided to cover it up with a satin scarf. I just cut a thin strip of my satin scarf and sewed it around the donut.

Protective Styling- Necessity or Personal Choice?

A protective style is any style where the ends (the oldest and most fragile part of your hair) of your hair are tucked away/"hidden" & moisturized to avoid  friction and wear& tear from the environment. 

I put my hair in protective styles on a regular basis for 4 reasons:

1. Less manipulation
2. To keep my ends tucked away from clothes, wind, etc which could possible result in damage
3. I LIKE THEM
4. Because I'm lazy!

Before I began my healthy hair journey, I wore my hair down almost every day. My hair was somewhat healthy, but thin and never went past shoulder length. When researching healthy hair care practices, one common practice I saw in the MAJORITY of long haired ladies was the implementation of protective styles (buns, french rolls, braids etc.).

Even my Mother,who has mid-back length hair, protective styles on a normal basis.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

I knew I had to make a change in my hair care practices in order to yield results, which I did and I am now slowly receiving.

I can count at least 10-15 relaxed success stories (going from short and thin to long and thick) who credits protective styling as one of their reasons for achieving such results. I tend to go with the majority NOT the minority.

Of course protective styling alone does not give you thick and healthy hair and of course you can still reach your goals without them...but for ME...I do them because I like them and  I have seen results.

So, in my case...protective styling is a necessity AND personal choice!

What about you?

Two-Strand Twists on My Relaxed Hair

Because my new-growth has been getting tangled easily, I decided to put some twists in my hair to avoid any extreme knots during the week.
This is one time I really wish I were natural because these would look sooooo much better. The relaxed ends make my hair look stringy! But for now, they will do.

I will wear them either in a bun or in a faux bob. Because I did this with my real hair, I need to protect my ends by keeping them tucked away.

                                                            Twists rolled and tucked under

#Ew....I will not be wearing them down...AT ALL!

Hotmess! lol

Nails and a little Hair

On a business trip, so I won't have time to post about "hair things" but decided to show some pics of my nail colors.

They usually last a full week of no chipping, then I move on to the next color. My arsenal is getting bigger and I'm exploring more colors..and soon designs.

And if you're wondering how I'm wearing my hair...it's very very simple...

rolled up and the only thing holding it together is a simple hair pin.

Protective Styling Challenge

  Because this is my last year actively growing out my hair, I would like to retain as much length as possible. In order for me to do so, I need to protect my ends. Protective styles work well for me. I don't do tight ponytails/buns, I never use too many bobby pins(2 the most) and my ends stay moisturized all day long.

So, as a challenge to myself. I will be protective styling my hair until my next touch-up, May 21st. This won't be too hard for me because I rarely wear my hair out, but in order for me to stick to something hard-core, I need to document it.

My Rules Are:

1. I must change the position of bun or clip every week- do not want to cause a lot of tension in the same spot
2. Utilize Hair Sticks at least one week out of the month- I have so many, so it's time I use them more often, and these don't cause any breakage on my hair at all
3. Be WAY MORE Creative- Meaning one week out of the month, I MUST do something I never have done before. And it MUST be cute. haha
4. Allowed two passes a month to wear my hair down- too much of anything is never good. I need to let my hair breath at times. Plus, when I go out, I like my hair down. It's a personal preference
5. Never sleep in the protective style I wore all day long- Either put my hair in 2 braids or loose bantu-knots

These are the protective styles I currently wear:

More under the hood

Single Braids and Cornrows with NO Extentions

I'm pretty sure you're all sick of seeing so many braids in my last few posts, but I have just one more to show.
I am 2 days shy of being 15 weeks post relaxer and I just felt like I needed to give my hair a break of daily styling. I put some single braids in the back of my hair which took about 3.5 hours, then I got tired of doing them and stuck some cornrows in the front which took a half hour.  These aren't the cutest, which I know..but it will give my hair a little break.

Additional Info
*These will be left in for about 1 week.
*Daily Maintenance- Spray them 3 times daily with African Pride/Olive Miracle Anti-breakage Braid Sheen Spray(Smells soooo good)
* Maybe Co-wash after Work-outs
*Before taking these out, I will wash and deep condition my hair then let them dry...I will then remove braids after so my newgrowth can be stretched out for the next week.

                      Just took them out of a bun. Dang relaxed hair makes them look so sparse and thin!

                                                      Look at my side-burns..haha!

When I got to the front, I got real lazy..I have one big dookie cornrow in the middle, but I could care less at this moment

 

I keep them clipped up or I will put them in a bun. Just keeping my ends tucked away

Back to Buns

I had my hair out yesterday and most of last week due to the Holiday season. I rarely have my hair out, so I doubt any damage was caused, but I am back to buns for the remainder of the week.

I NEED to come up with more creative protective styles with my own hair which is a goal for 2011. But for now, I am doing the regular boring bun.

Why Are Buns or Protective Styles Important- If you have Shoulder Length or longer hair and are trying to grow your hair longer...Not only do you need to keep your ends moisturized, but you also need to keep the ends protected/tucked in. When hair is loose, it rubs against clothing which can cause unwanted split ends and it's also prone to break off easily.

                                             
                                             Bun Made with just 2 bobby pins, nothing else

Oh and now I know another reason why I don't wear make-up like that...it adds more time for me to get ready in the morning! So, I'm going to experiment more on the weekends and stick with what I know best and have learned during the work week.

Also, the jet black hair I had from the Henna and Indigo is fading, could be because I Henna-ed only again on Saturday..haha..I will do a full Henna and Indigo treatment before the end of the year.

Bantu Knots- Total Fail

I think I may have way too much new-growth to do a successful set of bantu knots on my hair, so it looks like I'll be bunning and maybe braid-outs for the remainder of this relaxer stretch. I have this mini afro underneath all my relaxed ends.hahaha.  I planned to relax at 20 weeks, but I'm hoping I can go a little longer. The longest time I have been able to stretch was for 18 weeks, so making it to 20 will be a success regardless.

Since I'm working out, bunning is probably the smartest way to go.
I'll be rocking this bun for the remainder of the week(still cowashing and re-doing almost everyday).

Hair Update

So, do you remember these?

 I had to do it..I took them out last night! I couldn't even last 3 weeks like last time. This time I only had them in for 2 weeks. It was either I take the front out and re-do them or take em all out. Taking them all out won! Like I said before, I am not doing single braids anymore. Time to think of more and better protective styles. If you can't tell already, I get bored easily. Back in the day I would re-do my weave and braids every 2 weeks and I guess I haven't changed.

I am officially 15 weeks post relaxer!

Look how much darker I got! This is my hair after taking the braids out before detangling. Notice how it kinda looks wet, well that's because I sprayed my braids with braid spray before removing them. Result: Soft moisturized hair

Anyway...I washed and conditioned my hair last night following an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse.

My hair now looks like this....

Pinned back Braid-out

Now, I told ya'll my hair has been looking a hot mess since I took my braids out. Surprisingly, yesterday some of my co-workers complimented my hair, so I want to show you how it looked. I'm not doing any tight buns or anything because as said before, I do not want to manipulate my hair too much. I did a braid-out and clipped my hair up in the back.I finger combed the braid-out which is why the curls don't look defined at all.

Here you go....

As u can see I don't wear any make-up what-so-ever. So don't mind the pics. haha

Oh yeah...Still going strong with the no-juice thing. I drink about 2 liters of water a day! Hoping to see major skin benefits by doing this.

Buns

I love buns. They are a great protective style. Now, some people think they look boring, but there are so many ways to dress up a bun. I also think a plain ol' regular bun looks good at times. I wanted to dig up some bun styles that I may try in the future.  I would prefer to try them with my real hair, but I wouldn't mind putting a piece on for special occasions.

A few pointers about Bunning:

• Don't make the buns too tight
• Try to use bobby pins or elastics without metal
• Make sure to moisturize ends (shoot, I moisturize my ends and roots)
• To lay edges down- put a little moisturizer(or water) and alcohol free gel on edges then tie down with silk/satin scarf for 15-30 min.
• Do not sleep in your bun- if you do, make sure it's very loose

Cornrow Styles for Women

Cornrows have been a popular hairstyle in the Black community for a long time now. This is one style that will never go away. There are many different ways to wear them, so I wanted to showcase a few styles that I like.
*Of course, you can make them as long or thick as u prefer and they will still look good*

Had to throw A.K in there. I always loved her braids

So Tired!

I braided my hair last night. I started around 6:30 P.M and finished at 3:30 AM!!! I took a few eating breaks here and there, but I pretty much braided straight through. I oiled every bit of my scalp and put moisturizer on the roots and ends,actually pretty much on the whole length of my hair. I rinsed the hair with vinegar & water and let it sit the night before. So far, no itchy scalp and this is when it usually begins! I usually do my braids smaller, but decided to go with larger ones this time around. I think I just wanted to get it over with. Anyway, here are a few pics. Better ones to come.

My Protective Styles

I swear, stretching a relaxer takes so much patience. I'm a little over 7 weeks post and my new growth is starting to get a little tough to handle. This is why I can't wait to braid my hair. For a whole month, I don't have to deal with all that new growth. I plan to stretch until September, which will be about 5 months from my last touch-up.
In the mean time, I have to do a whole lot of protective styling to get me through. See, I'm also not using heat until September. No direct or indirect heat, so all I really can do is protective style.
I just make sure to moisturize and seal  my roots and ends twice a day.  *Trying to avoid as much breakage as possible*

Here are a few pics of my different protective styles. *Yay, my camera cord came in, so this is the last post with camera pics. Well, unless I take a real cute one with my phone*