Swimming and Natural Hair

So this twist out is the result of the two strand twist in the post below. I rocked the two strand twist in various styles for a week, which included going swimming twice this week. each time I went swimming I rinsed my hair out with a mixture of olive oil and VO5's Kiwi clarifying conditioner. On Thursday I unraveled the twist and this is what I got...not bad and my hair felt nice and moisturised.
Notice how my ends arent frizzy...I'm really happy with the results.

Something New....

I think I'm going to try something a little different..at least for the next 2 months. I'm going to try and keep my hair in protected style during the week, and set if free on the weekend. Plus I'm adding swimming to my exercise routine 2 times a week and we know that chlorine can kill a FRO! this is how I'm currently rock'in my hair...two stand twist rolled around my head..lol You get the idea ;)

Winter Hair Challenge...the Final Streach

The take down is complete! I just twisted my own hair and will rock it like this for most of the month of April...come May I will be busting this FRO OUT!! For the record my hair feels GREAT! There are no fairy knots/single strands knots on the ends of my hair and it is thick from root to tip. I'll do my final length check complete with a full winter hair care challenge roundup the next time I wash but so far it looks like I gained about 1 and 1/2 inches of growth of the winter. FYI, I actually did a light trim in late January in between protective styles. Overall I have to say I'm pleased!

Time for the Take Down

This picture says it all and I'm feeling old boys pain...I HATE taking braids out, but the time has come and my braids MUST come out!! Last night when I was driving home a random twist fell onto the steering wheel...LMAO Since my original plan was to wear protective styles from November through April, I'm going to have to alter things a bit. My plan now is to just twist my hair myself and wear twist off and on through the end of April before I unleash my FRO in all its glory for the summer ;)

Pondering the Take Down

Oh how I love the ease of protective styles and braids. A bag of synthetic hair can be a girls best friend when she is NOT in the mood to do her hair for long stretches, but I am officially tired of these Senegalese twist in my hair, and just to damn lazy to take them out..LMAO

My Winter hair challenge comes to an end officially April 30, but I'm not sure if I will make it that long. Trust me I am to damn lazy to take these bad boys out but the real reason for perhaps only making it to April 1 is because I am not sure the style itself will hold up much longer. Due to sheer laziness I will leave them in as long as I can but I am sick of "the look."

I guess I could take them out and put cornrows or something in for the last 30 days but like I said I do not have the mindset to take these out and the next few weekends will be busy one. Ho Hum.

Last Protective Style of Winter 2010

No, I didn't punk out...lol I got my second protective style as planned but just haven't had a chance to snap any pictures. As it is these pictures are only of my hair cuz as my mama would say, I look like a "bugga bear" My goal is to keep these in until the end of April or as close as I can get to it. I'm not sure this particular style will last that long before it starts looking ragged.

Winter Hair Challenge...Protective Style #2

I'm putting my wig back in a protective style tomorrow, which I plan on leaving in until the end of April...just in time for "free froing" season...SUMMER!! For those of you that follow splinta24 on youtube, I am gonna bite my girls style this time around and get Senegalese-Twist . I've had these kind of twist in the past, but Splinta has her braider braid the front a bit differently which allows for more versatile styling. Check the pictures below of Ms. Splinta


I'll post pictures of my take on Splinta24's twist soon. Hopefully they turn out well!

Winter Hair Challenge Length Check

You can check out my original length check at the beginning of this challenge here.

The kinky twist take down

This is the hair lost after all twist were taken down. I had the twist in for about 2 1/2 months.

Winter Hair Challenge-Pre Challenge Stats

As promised here is a pre length check before putting my hair into a protective style for the winter,

Let the Winter Hair Games Begin!!

It's time to protect my FRO. True to plan, I am moving forward with my "Winter Hair Challenge." On Friday, October 29 I will be heading to my braider to get my first of several protective styles this winter. I am thinking I will start off with a set of fluffy/kinky twist. Here'sa picture of the look I will be going for.

I'll share a picture of my own results after I get them done. To get my hair in the best condition possible prior to getting the twist, I plan on doing a pre poo with Vatika Oil, washing with Jessicurls Cleansing Cream, doing a deep conditioning treatment using my hair steamer and Jessicurls Too Shea Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, follwed with a tea rinse and kimmaytubes leave in conditioner.
I'll do a length check after I wash and conditon my hair and post pictures of that so we have something to compare my growth to when spring rolls around and I set my hiar FREE! My goal here is to retain as much length as possible over the winter months and emerge with a lush fabulous healthy fro that's hopefully 3-4 inches longer. Wish me LUCK!

Winter Hair Challenge

I feel a hair challenge coming on. As summer draws to a close, I have decided that I will wear my hair in protective styles for most of the cold weather months. My goal is to rock a protective style from December 1, 2010 until May 1, 2011...that's 5 months of wearing twist, braids, cornrows or something like that...y'all know what I'm talking about.

Here's my plan....I will not wear a braided style for more than 2 months straight, at which point I will take down my braids and wear my hair out for a week or two (but no more than 2 weeks) before putting it back in a protective style. I'm pretty sure I will end up getting kinky twist for 2 months, rock corn rows for 3-4 weeks, put my own hair in two-strand twist for 2 weeks, and then a final set of kinky twist.

I'll do a length check at the beginning of the challenge and again each time I take my hair down. I'm curious to see how much length I will be able to retain and just how much growth I will be able to achieve. Looking ahead to summer 2011, I will be ready for massive FREE FRO'IN!!

Free Fro'in!!!

I LOVE this picture...hair out and Free Fro'in...I like to wear my hair OUT!!!!!!! I wore a protective style of cornrows once this winter for about 4 weeks and most recently I wore two strand twist for 2 weeks, but damn it I like my fro to be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Some would say that wearing your hair "out" all the time is not good, especially during the winter months. I think I have had great growth in the 10 months that I've been natural but would I have even more growth if I wore my hair in protective styles more often???that's the question.

As summer approaches in the Twin cities I can't wait to flaunt my kinks in the glistening sun. I think i will pay particular attention to my hairs growth this summer. When I was relaxed my hair grew more in summer months than it did in the winter and I think the same will hold true now that I'm natural.

I plan to keep a close eye on my hairs growth from April to September...who knows I may have to reevaluate the benefits of protective styling this coming winter, but for now I am looking forward to summer and the growth that I hope the heat and humidity bring my hair.

Oh yeah...I plan on doing some kind color in the next few months (April or May) in the form of a rinse. I don't want to deal with the drying effects that come along with permanent color...at least now. I do love me some summer hi-lights so I may have to revisit the issue of permanent hair color next summer.

Spring Approaches...Summer Hair

My hair has been in two-strand twist all week. I have decided that for the remainder of winter I will keep my hair is twist and only take them out on weekends if need be. For example, next week Friday and Saturday I will be going out with friends, so my plans is to take my twist out on either Thursday night or Friday morning and rock a twist out until Sunday when I will likely co-wash followed with a steam deep conditioning treatment and twist my hair back up. If I ain't going no place special (and work ain't special) my hair will be in two-strand twist for the next few months. Maybe I will even give flat twist a try. It wont be pretty but my hair will thank me when the warm weather breaks and the sun comes out and my Fro is basking in its luxurious rays...lol

It's About Time to Protect the Fro

Think it's time to give my fro a rest. I will be getting cornrows over the thanksgiving holiday...a style that will last me until Christmas. The goal is to keep my hair in a protectives style until the first of the year...wear it out for a week or two and then braid it back up. It's cold as hell in Minnesota and I would just rather not have to deal with what seems like a loosing battle of moisture in the weather to come.

I use the same braider all the time and she takes great care not to braid to tightly, especially at the edges. Trust me ladies, when brads are put in to tight they will wreak havoc on your edges and you will be highly pissed!

I go with simple styles like this cuz I hate taking down braids..LMAO