Mar 11 2016

Bantu Knots Equal Taut High Puff

Nine bantu knots

High puffs are like coconut oil, they make everything better.

Does your twist-out look like you rolled down a hill, then fell head first into a river? Throw it in a high puff. It’s the cure-all style.

As my hair grows I alter my methods of mastering the high puff. To get my kinky curls taut and in formation at medium hair length, I bantu knot them. Twist-outs worked when my hair was shorter. Hair pours down my face at medium-length, so shrinkage is my friend.

I began with freshly cleansed, conditioned and blow-dried hair. This look can be created on an old style too. Need a bantu tutorial? Check out Mini Marley’s ‘Heatless Bantu Knot-Out on Dry Hair’ video. And iknowlee has you covered with the high puff tutorial. See my completed look below.

Warning! Do not risk loosing your edges. Frequent tension on the edges can cause traction alopecia. Toia B sums up the risk nicely in a post featured on Curly Nikki.com

Products I Used

Wash | Marula Oil Rare Oil Replenishing Shampoo

Condition | Marula Oil Rare Oil Replenishing Conditioner

Moisturize| H20 and DevaCurl Set It Free Moisture

Style| DevaCurl SuperCream Coconut Curl Styler

Seal (hair+scalp)| Tropic Isle Living Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Oil

Bantu shrinkage is great for taut curls

The look – High Puff w/ taut curls

Products used

Curl Popping Twist Out Tutorial

Three years ago (Sept. 2011) I went natural. I big chopped again last year (2013), right before my two-year naturalversary because I wanted a tapered cut. The first few years I avoided heated in my regular routine. Over the last few months, I have adopted blow drying because it minimizes my tangles and speeds up the drying process.

Step 1: Cleanse & Condition

For four weeks I have done apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses in addition to the regular wash and condition. I am in the process of evicting pesky dandruff that is living rent-free on my scalp. I wash and condition once a week right now. I deep condition every other week.

Step 2: Blow Dry

I blow dry in sections on low heat and medium speed.

Step 3: Moisturize, Twist, & Seal.

I lightly oil my scalp with cold-pressed castor oil before twisting to help with eliminating the dandruff, then I begin the twisting process. In sections, I dampen my hair with water using the spay bottle, then apply my leave-in (avoiding application near the scalp). I gently rub in the leave-in until there is no visible residue. Next I apply a small amount of oil to the hair to seal in the moisture, then twist. Sometimes I twist and apply the sealer last.

Step 4: Style

I aim to have my twists done by 6pm so that my hair is dry by morning. Dry twists and defined curls go hand in hand. These days, I typically style my hair in a puff because it’s low maintenance and works for my lifestyle.

Mar 11 2014

Sophisticated Box Braid Updo (Bunning it up)

Braids have been in heavy rotation, because I decided to grow my tapered cut out (I want my hair back!). Awkwardness of the awkward-length stage is more awkward when your hair is uneven, so braids have been my crutch.

Growing up, I believed that braids were not appropriate for sophisticated occasions, but it’s all in how you style them. I attended a few events that required a fancy upgrade from the basic everyday top bun I wore.

The video above by Jennifer Olaleye inspired the braided bun i’m rocking below on the left. I added my own twist to the style by crossing a few braids from each side and clamping them with a thin metal barrette. Instead of wrapping the ponytail with hair (as shown in the tutorial), I used a hair tie for a more secure ponytail. I also used a rubber band to secure the final bun and a few bobby pins to hold the bun in place. Pictured on the right is an alternative to the braided bun, I created a regular bun by wrapping the hair in a circle, then pinned it in place.

Make sure that your braids are not pulling your hair, especially around the edges. Loosen hair as needed to stay alopecia free.

Jul 31 2013

Awesome Twist Out Tutorial- Part II: Untwisting

Jul 23 2013

Awesome Twist Out Tutorial – Part I: Twisting

May 8 2013

My First Great Twist Out

Fingers crossed, I attempted a twist out for a James Bond themed party. My goal was to resemble Naomie Harris in Skyfall. Did I achieve it? You be the judge!

Get The Look

-Start with stretched hair (I started from an old Curlformers set)

-Finger detangle hair by section (I created 6 sections) using a small amount of water (apply water using a spray bottle) followed by Cantu Shea Butter (avoid adding moisture at the root to minimize shrinkage)

-After detangling a section, add a little more Cantu Shea Butter making sure that all strands are coated (give your ends a little extra love)

-Two-strand twist the section and continue the process until each section is twisted

-Allow twists to COMPLETELY dry

-Once twists are dry, add a small amount of light oil (I used coconut oil) to your finger tips to avoid frizz while separating twists

-Separate the twists from the root, then separate the subsequent sections (one twist becomes 4 sections)

-Use a pic at the roots of your hair to create volume

*If you are not satisfied, continue to separated sections and pic until you achieve desired volume & look

Dec 10 2012

High Puff Tutorial via Coloured Beautiful

I gave you my current hair regimen in my last post. Realizing that some viewers may have no idea how to achieve the high puff, I thought it would be smart to give you guys a tutorial. Below is Coloured Beautiful’s video, I learned from it. My process is slightly different, so I will do my own tutorial soon. Enjoy!

Dec 6 2012

Need Hair Inspiration?

Do you need hair inspiration? Sometimes I do. Check out my Pinterest page. Below is a preview of what you will find. I add new pins at least three times a week. The styles, hair types and lengths vary. Pins are organized by style category. There’s something for everyone.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

kinkycurlsla

Experience. Learn. Grow.

Category style tutorials