Tag Archives: LOC

protective styles

protective styles help your hair grow because they help you retain moisture and reduce manipulation. the biggest question is: how do i choose the right one? for me, I started with braids because I knew braids worked for my hair. as a little girl, I wore braids all the time and it grew my hair out. I always only used my natural hair, so i didn’t consider adding weave to my hair. while i do think weaves are beneficial, it’s just not for me. so I used to braid my hair often, until one of my friends twisted my hair. I barely shed at all and my hair lasted very well. Since then, twists have been my go to protective style. Here are some examples of how I do my hair!

These two pictures are my current hair style! I did three french braids after washing and deep conditioning. I then pinned them up and made it into a halo braid. I’m currently on day 2, and my hair is looking great!

This was my style last week! I washed, deep conditioned then flat twisted my hair. For work, I pinned the flat twists up, into a halo twist.

These last three are results from a flat twist out as well. I always flat twist to make sure my roots are moisturized and catch the curl.

I’ve found that picking a protective style that looks like your natural curl pattern makes the style last longer! I would say if your pattern is looser, try braids and if it’s tighter do twists!

feb 2018 hair care routine

*drumroll* IT’S TIME FOR AN UPDATED HAIR CARE ROUTINE!

Though not much has changed I just want to keep you all updated!

Prepoo-

  • Before I wash my hair I always add a generous amount of oil- normally either shea butter or avocado oil

Washing-

  • Prior to washing, I rinse my hair with warm water to get rid of the excess product and oil
  • I wash my hair once a week using Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo. I normally wash three times; I could probably do two washes and be fine but I like three.
  • Normally when I wash I try to massage my scalp for at least one of the washes. Scratching your scalp can leave your hair tangled, so I try to limit it.

I always use warm water to wash

Conditioning-

  • I always deep condition after EVERY wash. it’s essential to making my hair easy to maintain. I’m currently using Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment mask, but I also really like Eden Body Work’s Natural Deep Conditioner (they just didn’t have it at target when I needed deep conditioner).
  • I section my hair in four parts. I work one section at a time to add conditioner then comb out that part using my denman brush (which is a lifesaver- it defines your curls and makes detangling easier). Then I normally twist the section that I just added conditioner to or use a ponytail holder to secure it. After all sections are done I go over my hair once more with the denman brush
  • I either sit under the drier for 15 minutes (while wearing a clear shower cap) or use an old target bag over my shower cap for about 30 minutes. I like both methods but the bag is easier if you’re trying to do other things while deep conditioning.
  • I rinse out the deep conditioner with warm water then after it’s all out I use cold water to rinse my hair. It seals in the moisture and reduces frizz.
  • I then take a t-shirt and wrap it around my hair to dry it.

Styling-

protective styling is a must, especially in the winter. it helps you retain moisture plus it’s easier to maintain. I need something that’s going to be easy to maintain. Mostly because I’m a little lazy.

  • pick the right protective style- the two most popular styles are braid outs and twists outs. i used to do braid outs a lot until one of my friends twisted my hair and I saw how much less shedding I had. After that, I pretty much only do twists or twist outs.
  • Once a week I wash, deep condition and style my hair. I do twists of some sort. How I style the twists depends on if I’d like to wear it down or not- I’ll do flat twists if I want to wear it down. I like flat twists because the root is twisted so it’s easier to get through.
  • Normally i leave the flat twist in for a day or so then untwist it. I moisturize my hair every day.

Moisture-

Normally I do the LOC method, but I read that doing the LCO method reduces frizz so I plan on trying that out.

  • Liquid/Leave-In- I use water and peppermint oil first (they’re mixed in my spray bottle; Leave-In- I use Miss Jessie’s Leave In Condish
  • Cream- I use Cantu’s Coconut Creme and Camille Rose’s Curlaide
  • Oil- I use OGX coconut milk, shea butter and avocado oil.

my main tips-

  • wash and deep condition weekly
  • protective style
  • drink lots of water! at least half your body weight
  • use satin ponytail holders and bonnets
  • also use a satin pillow case
  • be gentle while combing your hair

this is the amount of shedding I had after eight days of no combing (i don’t comb my hair when it’s twisted, I had it in a twisted style for two days, then wore a turban for three (i put a bonnet on underneath to keep my hair protected from the turban), and then wore it different ponytail styles for three days.

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my hair routine (nov 2017)

hey y’all! it’s been forever since i’ve posted my hair care routine (I actually need to do a review on this homemade deep conditioner my roommate and I made). I just wanted to give you all an update on what I’ve been doing!


this was my hair in August of 2017


this is my hair this week!

isn’t it crazy how much it’s grown?! well here’s how I did it

major tips:

  • wash once a week

I used to wash my hair every ten days, with a shampoo that helped my eczema and then co-wash every five days. I thought that doing this was helping to keep my hair moisturized. After I had my sew-in  I really realized how much I was overwashing my hair. Your hair needs water, but it doesn’t need to be washed that often. I shifted to washing my hair once a week and deep conditioning. I really like it, plus it’s easy to keep up with.

  • deep condition weekly

I cannot stress the importance of deep conditioning. What I’ve recently been doing is adding my deep conditioner (I’m using Natural Deep Conditioner by EDEN), deep conditioning for 15 minutes under the drier and then detangling after. The deep conditioning makes it really easy to comb through.

  • use a satin bonnet AND a satin pillow case

I only use satin products on my hair. I have two satin wraps, a scarf, a long bonnet, two regular size bonnets and two pillow cases. though my bonnet normally stays on, I like having the satin pillow case just in case my hairline comes outside of the bonnet. Plus the pillow cases are really pretty lol.

  • drink lots of water

I know I drink WAY more than most people do. I drink probably around a gallon of water a day. It keeps my body hydrated and my hair moisturized. You should at least be drinking half of your body weight in ounces!

  • detangle outside of the shower

As my hair has gotten longer, detangling takes a lot longer. I started detangling in the mirror outside of the shower for a couple reasons. One, I was tired of my hands turning pruney from being in the shower too long. Two, I wanted to see my hair as I was detangling it. This has allowed me to see tangles earlier so I’m not just ripping out my hair. Last week, I kept my hair in two french braids for a full week to see how much I shed, so I could get a basis for how much I should be shedding.


This is how much hair I shed after a week! I believe my routine along with detangling gently allowed for this to happen.

  • trim your hair (NOT YOU A PROFESSIONAL)

Getting trims are so important to maintaining healthy hair. I get a trim just about every time I need one- since I go so long with curly hair, I get them close to every time I get my hair done. After a trim my curls are so bouncy and beautiful. You should get your trim done by a professional- they went to school to learn how to trim properly and it is impossible to accurately trim your hair. My hairstylist has been doing hair for at least 20 years and told me she still struggles trimming her own hair. It’s just hard. So let someone else do it for you! And make sure that person is a professional.

  • keep a regime

Keeping a regime is crucial. As a college student, I’m busy. So I want to make sure that I can manage my school work, personal life and hair. Knowing how I’m going to do my hair helps me manage it all.

actual routine:

  • Wash day

Normally I wash my hair on Saturday or Sunday. I use Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Restore Shampoo. I normally wash three times.

  • Deep Conditioning

I use EDEN’s Natural Deep Conditioner when I deep condition. I lather it on my hair, then I put on a clear shower cap and sit under my drier for 15 minutes. I detangle outside of the shower; then I rinse my hair out with lukewarm water, then after it’s all out I use cold water to seal in the moisture.

  • LOC

After I rinse out the conditioner, I put a cotton t-shirt on over my head to dry it. After a while (I can leave mine on for like an hour and be fine, but I try to leave it on for like 10/15 minutes- my hair retains a lot of water), I take my hair down.

L (Liquid/Leave-In)- I spritz my hair down lightly with water. I then use Aloe Vera Gel (just regular from target) and Miss Jessie’s Leave in Condish.

O (Oil)- I use OGX Coconut Milk and Shea Butter. I try to limit my oils because I can get heavy handed (lol). When I use too much oil my face ends up being really oily. So just using the Coconut Milk with Shea Butter has really helped.

C (Cream)- I use Cantu’s Coconut Cream and Camille Rose’s Curlaide. I like the coconut cream becuase it’s really thick but the Curlaide leaves my hair feeling more hydrated so I use both.

  • Protective Style

I try to make sure that I do at least one protective style a week. Last week, I did french braids and left them in all week (I did wear a turban for about 3 days because the braids got a little too curly to wear out). This weekend one of my friends twisted my hair. That was on Saturday night, so I wore twists Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow, I plan on taking the twists down. Since twists work really well for my hair type, I will just add aloe vera, coconut milk and shea butter each night until I wash it again (this will preserve the curls and keep my hair moisturized). I love aloe vera gel because it goes on really easy and keeps my hair looking really nice (but it’s not water based so putting it on twists won’t ruin the twist out). Shea butter also can work as a cream!

These are recent pictures of my hair straight! I’ll do a blog pretty soon on how I care for and maintain my straight hair without heat!

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions! 

miink brazilian review 

IT’S WEAVE TIME! When I went to Ecuador, I wore a lace closure and two bundles of miink Brazilian body wave (12 inch bundles, 18 inch closure (everything was cut)). So you all know I have to review it. So before I go into details I’m going to rate my experience 1-10 (1 lowest, 10 highest) for the following- quality of hair (10), styling experience (7), taking care of my real hair (7- it was tough y’all), taking care of the weave (9).

  • pre-gaming (pre-weave)

So as you all know I’m very into hair care- I want the best for my hair and my body, so I do the research, spend the money and invest in myself. So this experience was no different. Miink Brazilian is known for being one of the best hair brands in Detroit, it’s black owned and local. Kendra P, who I met in real life and I will say she’s so sweet, is known for having great quality hair. The former hairstylist makes some bomb ass weave (that’s literally the only way to describe it). The hair comes with a promise of not shedding or tangling and last very well. This is all the hair that was lost after I washed my weave two days before I got it done. That’s literally nothing. I was impressed with the quality of the hair when I received it. As for my hair, I got my hair trimmed a couple weeks before my appointment so my hair would be prepped.

  • Installation

So I got my weave installed a week before I went to Ecuador. The lady normally does one of my best friends hair, so I was confident. I had deep conditioned and used my ezcema shampoo the night before, but I still had her wash it. She washed, blowed dry and braided my hair. In my  opinion she left a little too much hair out for the edges. I think it’s because my edges situation is a little complicated- all my edges are blond so you can’t really see them. So she left out the brown hair. Next time I will just make sure she only leaves out edges. I did not like how she styled it at all. She didn’t really do a good job- only one press with no type of heat protectant. But I went home and my sister ended up straightening it for me. I didn’t like how she cut it; it was very very uneven. So I ended up going to my regular hair stylist who cut and styled my weave for $30 (I only had paid an extra 5 for my cut at the other salon).

  • The adjustment

It was hard to adjust to the weave. The hair was very nice but it was so much darker than my real hair it was a stark difference. It took a lot of getting used to, but eventually I loved the weave. It was easy to maintain and very cute. I made sure I rolled it or wrapped it every night. I also had a complicated situation in Ecuador- since I couldn’t drink the water I didn’t want to wash my hair. So I used Root Relief by Cantu and Tea Tree Oil to cleanse my scalp. I did do the LOC method on my real hair twice- using leave-in conditioner by cantu, doo-gro anti-itch oil and curlaide by camille rose. To keep my weave clean I used the dry co-wash by cantu. It was a little difficult to keep it clean but overall it was a good experience. My scalp, due the ezcema, itched a lot and I even scratched a couple sores in my head which hasn’t happened since like the tenth grade. I just had to keep using the tea tree oil and the doo-gro oil.

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(this video was when I was in Baños and I wasn’t feeling the activities)

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  • Post weave

The day I got home from Ecuador my other best friend came over to take out my weave. It was a long process but my real hair felt very very soft. I soaked the weave in my normal shampoo for a very long time, then after all the dandruff was gone and I was able to wash it regular. The hair looked amazing and was so soft. I’m telling you guys this hair is totally worth the investment. It’s so beautiful and soft. As for my hair, I oiled it, sprayed it down with water, added conditioner and combed out my hair. I did have shedding but it was a fairly normal amount considering it had been so long without combing it. I left that on for a couple hours, then washed my hair, conditioned it (I didn’t deep condition until a few days later, then a week later I got my hair done and my ends trimmed). I wore protective styles for the two weeks leading up to my hair appointment- mostly twists. My scalp hurt a lot right after so I tried to do minimal styling. It’s pretty much back to normal now.

(these pictures were taken before my trim) 


Overall this weave experience was great. I had some bumps in the road but I think if I would’ve been at home they would’ve been easy to take care of. I also recommend you all check out miinkbrazilian.com! 

hair care 2017

the first day of the year, I washed my hair. After using the shea moisture mask I reviewed (product review), these were my curls. I have a lot of shrinkage and my curls are very defined. I’m very happy with how they look. I also have a photo of how much shedding I had, which is fairly normal for me (that’s about a week’s worth of shedding). Since I protective style (mostly braids), deep condition weekly and use the LOC method, my hair has really flourished. Below I have some of my go to’s to keep my curls poppin!

  • LOC

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the LOC method- let me just say this is going to change your curls. LOC is a method to lock in moisture that I use prior to styling my hair (right after I dry my hair- after rinsing out conditioner, I wrap an old cotton t-shirt around my head which dries it without hurting my hair follicles).

L- liquid/leave-in

I start off by spraying my hair down (lightly, but I either use just water or a water and oil mix). I use Shea Moisture’s Leave-in Conditioner (Jamaican Black Castor line).

O- oil

I use a lot of oils. My favorites are- organic extra olive oil (trader joe’s), organic raw shea butter (beauty supply- Jack gets it for me (thanks Jack- I really love it), Silk by Design Essentials, and Extra Penetrating Argan Oil of Morocco (OGX).

C-creme

I only use creme. I use Cantu’s Coconut Curling Creme. After this I normally put on Camille Rose’s Curlaide Moisture Butter and Curl’s Créme Brule. After this my curls are ready to be styled!

  • Nightly routine

Establishing a nightly routine is really important. I vowed I will never go to sleep in a ponytail again. Braiding/twisting at night and using a satin bonnet/scarf really is curl-changing. It will protect your ends and make styling so much easier in the morning.

  • No touch rule

NO PLAYING WITH YOUR HAIR. It’s a horrible habit and all it does is lead to breakage. Whenever I see girls playing with their hair all I can think is about the breakage and how they’re hurting their hair.

  • Hair appointments

Hair appointments are mandatory in my opinion. Regular trims from a professional are essential to keeping your hair healthy. And if you’re natural and don’t want to straighten your hair, there are salons that specialize in natural hair. You’ll have to search, but your hair will thank you! Trimming your own hair is a horrible idea- my hair stylist explained to me that unless you’re trained you can’t evenly cut your hair. Just pay to get it done or save up until you can.

 

Taking care of your hair is like taking care of the rest of your body! Treat it like it’s as important as it really is!!!!!