Another way to extend your twist out while protecting your hair.

Bantu Knot out

So I have been experimenting, and decided to take my 3 day old braid out and try a Bantu Knot out. I only used eco styling gel because I had so many products in my hair (Shea Moisture and castor oil)

So I used a small amount or Olive Oil eco styling gel and placed my hair in 8 knots

Here is what I got:

 Here is my braid out after 3 days. This braid out was don on dry hair using Eco styling gel, Shea Moisture and castor Oil.

I tied up the knots and slept on them for 8 hours, and I took each of them down with no manipulation.

I then turned my hair upside down and ran my finger through the roots to lift the hair and this is what I ended up with. 

The style lasted for about 6 to 7 hours, and by the end of the day it was frizzy!

Sleeping on the knots were very uncomfortable and my ends were fished tail because of how I pinned them up. I like the results but, I want to try them on clean hair.

The Porosity of your hair.

Products and care tips are everywhere, there is a new blogger popping up every day, with hair tips and promises of non-frizzy and moistened hair.  But what happens when you follow ever step and still have dry and frizzy hair. Previously we discussed the PH of your hair, now let’s understand the porosity of it.

Porosity refers to how well your hair is able to absorb and hold moisture. So, what type of hair do you have?

There are two methods you can use to find out how porous your hair is.

The Float Test: Take a couple of strands of Clean/washed hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a bowl of water. Let them sit for 2-4 minutes. If your hair floats, you have low porosity. If it sinks, you have high porosity.

The Slip'n'Slide Test: Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up the shaft (toward the scalp). If you feel little bumps along the way, this means that your cuticle is lifted and that you have high porosity. If your fingers slip smoothly, then you have low porosity hair.


So now that you know your hair type what can you do with this information?

Low Porosity Hair
Hair with low porosity has a tightly bound cuticle layer with overlapping scales that lay flat. This type of hair is usually considered healthy, and is often very shiny, especially when it's dark in color. Low porosity hair repels moisture when you try to wet it and is hard to process since it resists penetration of chemicals.
Low porosity hair is also prone to build-up from protein-rich deep conditioning products, which can leave it feeling stiff and straw-like. Stick to protein-free, daily conditioners with humectants such as glycerin or honey. Use moderate heat with protein-free deep conditioning treatments to help open up the tightly bound cuticle.
Low porosity hair requires moisturizers rich in emollients such as shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil and mineral oil. It also benefits from humectant products, which attract and hold moisture to your hair. Choose lighter, liquid-based products such as hair milks that won't sit on your hair and leave it oily or greasy.

High Porosity
High porosity can be either an inherent property of hair or the result of damage from chemical processing, rough treatment or environmental damage. High porosity hair has gaps and holes in the cuticle, which let too much moisture into your hair and leave it prone to frizz and tangling in humid weather. Even simple acts such as bathing, swimming and shampooing can create more damage and breakage due to the sheer amount of moisture highly porous hair can absorb.
Be sure to use anti-humectants in climates with high heat and humidity. This will help seal your damaged cuticles and prevent them from absorbing excess moisture in the air.
Because highly porous hair can also lose moisture easily, it's important to use leave-in conditioners, moisturizers and sealers. Layering these products will help your hair hold on to the moisture you're giving it. You can even follow up with a heavy hair butter to help fill the gaps in your damaged cuticles and further protect your hair from losing too much moisture.

Courtesy of :http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing/hair-porosity

Next week we will discuss how to care for Low Porosity hair and High Porosity Hair.

Dry Braid out

Happy Friday Chula's. Last night I decided to take down my Goddess braids and prepare my hair for a dry braid out. So, I sectioned my hair in 4 parts and I used Shea Moisture curl enhancer, Castor Oil and Eco styling gel on dry hair. I applied each, one at a time to the sections. Then, I braided my hair in 5 braids and rolled the ends with rods.

I carefully unbraided the hair with no separation, I just tuneded upside down and shook my head back and forth.

Its about 70 degrees today and very little humidity, so I am curious as to how the curls will hold as well as  how much Frizz I will encounter. With a wet braid out I get beautiful frizzles curls that last up to 4 days, with the dry braid out, I am lucky to make it through the day, during the summer. 

Here is what I looked like before I left the house

 

This is what they look like after I made it to the office.

I don't think that this will last all day, maybe I didn't use enough gel, but I didn't want to use too much for fear that it would not dry by morning. I don't use heat on my hair very often, but I am thinking that if I try this again, I may use more gel and sit under the dryer for 20 minutes, because I want more hold.

UPDATE: after 6 hours my hair became poofy and undefined, so I put my hair away. Next time I will try a twisting balm or defining cream, to help hold my curls.

Question of the day: What are you using to grow out your hair.

Well my hair is Medium Porous, meaning I retain moisture very easily and my hair takes well to moisture. So, from the inside, I have been using a chewable Biotin and Prenatal vitamins. I eat tuna and salmon at least three times a week for my Omega-3’s and I drink 9 8oz glasses of water per day. From the outside, I have seen major retention with doing a midweek moisturizing/deep conditioning of my hair once a week. I usually use Shea Butter , Olive Oil,  and castor oil, I section my hair in 4 parts and coat my hair with the mix, I cover my hair with a baggy and sit under the dryer for  20 minutes. When that is complete I seal my ends with an aloe Vera mix (aloe Vera juice, jojoba oil, Vitamin E Oil and distilled water), and place my hair back in a protective style. Once a month I perform a clarifying wash, a henna treatment, and weekly co-washing.

My Protective Hairstyle.

At the end of the week when I take my hair down these are the results:

 For more information on taking care of your hair check out my blog on the PH of your hair:

Understanding-ph-of-your-hair 

Getting a great Bantu Knot out.

I really love the curls from a Bantu Knot out. I tried it before and my hair came out a frizzy mess. I found a great video by demonstrating how to get a great Bantu Knot out. This method straightens or smooth the hair with a blow dryer and then she sets the Bantu Knots.  There are several non-heat methods of stretching or smoothing the hair. I would like to try this style without heat. 

Let’s check it out:

By CurlyByNature21

Video by CurlyByNature21 using heat

Method using no heat:

By Samirah Gilli

Video by Samirah Gilli with no heat

The key to getting a great Bantu Knot out is to ensure that the hair stays dry. Use products that do not causes the hair to revert back to the curl pattern,