[Hairstyle] Two-Strand Twist Updo | The #WashDayExperience

Lately, I've kept things for my hair really simple. I've been sticking to co-washing and two-strand twisting my hair to stretch it. Occasionally, I'll wear my hair in a twist out, but most days it all goes into a giant puff and then I don't bother it until the next wash day.

I've been noticing that my ends were a little on the drier side. They are definitely in need of a good clay rinse and protein treatment. Because I started today's #washdayexperience crazy late, I knew that I wouldn't have time to do all that, so I settled on a quick co-wash and a few well placed two strand twists to get me through. Here's what I used:

Pre-shampoo: Almond Oil
Co-wash: Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Conditioner + Almond Oil
Leave ins: Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner + DIY Hair Butter

The Results:

I used a little Almond oil to help me detangle and remove shed hairs. Then I hopped in the shower, rinsed the oil and applied a whoollleee lottta TRESemme Conditioner. I'm stoked that my natural hair loves it as much as my transitioning hair did.

My favorite co-washing conditioners under $10!

I used a cotton t-shirt to absorb most of the water and applied a few drops of Almond Oil. Then I applied my leave-ins (Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner and my DIY Hair Butter in sections. Next, I stretched my hair by banding and setting into a few large twists.

How To Stretch Your Hair Without Heat- Banding

To style my hair, I took the twists and pulled them into a quick updo. It's a super easy style especially if you're not into braids. This style is basically a version of my mom hair aka 30 second old faithful updo aka gym style aka you can really wear this style for any reason anywhere...I just had to edit it to accommodate my shorter hair.

1. Divide your hair ear to ear then create a side part.  
2. Two strand twist the smaller section above your ear
3. Divide the larger section into 3 or 4 smaller sections then two strand twist it above your other ear.
4. Next, divide the back section in half. Gently pull it towards the front of your air just above your ears, join it will your previous twist by (you guessed it!) twisting it. Pull it all back and secure across your head with hair pins. 
5. Repeat on the opposite side and secure with hair pins.
6. If your hair is short like mine, just take the remaining twists from your bang area and use hair pins to connect it to the other twists. 

Viola! Thank goodness for hair pins huh?!? I hope that made sense! Let me know if y'all want a step by step tutorial!

How was your #washdayexperience? Share the dets with the crew!

Besitos!
KLP

An InLinkz Link-up

Wash Day | Keyda

Hola Chicas!

So, this was going to be a pretty normal wash day but as I walked thru Target....you know what happened lol.. I ended up with some new goodies :) I shall be reviewing!

[A] Detangled with my fingers then my Magic comb! Just to be sure there were not tangles...

[B] Prepoo with Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner through my hair. I made sure to put attention to my roots and work through my ends. I did not want to put an excessive amount so I lightly moved it through my hair.  -- I honestly could have stopped after this point.

[C] Cowash with AS I AM Coconut Cleansing Conditioner -- and I was not a huge fan :/

[D] DC with my saving grace, Halka Baba de Caracol and sat under some heat for roughly 1 1/2 hour. Yummy!! My hair was sooo soft and manageable.

[E] Tea Rinse with Black Tea! [F] Lightly sprayed Nexxus Root Mist for my leave-in and rubbed a little Peppermint Hair Butter through my hair. I also put some Phillip Kingsley Scalp toner through my scalp.

Air Dried for roughly 75%

Wrapped Twists 

PINspired: Wavy Twist Out

Back of Twist Out

1) Twisted hair in sections.

2) Wrapped the twists around my head. Securing with pins. -Went to bed!

3) Vaalaa... Once I took out the twists, I had beach waves! ahah!

To keep my style lasting, I moisturized and sealed my hair into bantu knots for remainder of the week! bonita!

PINspired by Daily of dailycurlz.com

Hair Reality:

I absolutely love LOVED my hair this week. Need I say more...


How was your wash day experience!?

xoxo

Keyda

SOS Wash Day - 10 weeks post {Keyda}

Hola Chicas!

I had a good yet tragic wash day haha. I loved my process while incorporating some new products into the mix, however I was not a huge fan of my outcome. It was a roller set gone WRONG!

[1] Detangled with my fingers (since I had a braid out) then my magic comb.

[2] Pre-poo with a new essential oil mix on my scalp! I am very pleased to share that I purchased ARGAN OIL! Ahhh.. So, my mix is now argan oil/vitamin e with essential oils tea tree, eucalyptus, and peppermint.

Tea Rinse 

       I also placed JBCO on my scalp with Organix Argan Creme Conditioner on length/roots of my hair. I also placed CHI deep protein reconstructor on my ends primarily before sealing with warm coconut oil. Sat under heat for about 45 minutes. (could have stopped here!)

[3] DC with Organix repairing awapuhi ginger conditioner and Roux moisture recovery on length/roots of my hair. Sat under heat for about one hour. 

[4] Tea Rinse with Cc's natural Happy Hair Tea - As I looked at my hair, I realized...my hair has a tint of red!? ... My BF confirmed...a las..he likes it so all is well! lol We all know black tea slowly dyes your hair to black so it only makes sense! Still loves it! 

[5] So, here is when the tragedy begins... Leave-ins: Nexxus Hydra-light root life, and Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea spray

Then ... I decided to try the pony tail roller technique for my set. I have been seeing some bomb.com results on other blogs so I said hey! why not!? I did use end wrap papers and Aphogee style wrap and mousse.... 

My results

My issues: I DID NOT like my roots... maybe I tied to much hair but it was not as smooth as I would have liked. I liked the volume but it just looks BIG! 

Not-so tragic: My curls actually were not that bad and my hair was soft not hard while holding the curls. 

How was your wash day!?

xoxo

Keyda 

Snip, Clip, Trim (Official Length Check Results)

January 2013

Yesterday, I took a little more than an inch off of my freshly straightened tresses. Uneven ends are the devil to me. After snapping a few pics, I still wasn't happy with the quality of my trim; for some reason I felt like my hem line was a bit crooked, so I asked a friend to assist. She very reluctantly took off just a smidge more to even things out and called me loca.

September 2013

I'm pretty happy with the results. But I'm sorta kicking my self in the pants for snipping so much off last March. (You can check out my Imperfect Progress for more pics) I'm pretty much right back to where I was before I got a little scissor happy. The silver lining is the my front layers, formerly known as my bangs, are getting creeping closer and closer to my hemline. When I first started my healthy hair journey, I had this awful "mullet" type hair: long in the back and much much shorter in the front. *shudders* Although, I probably won't make MBL by the end of the year, but I'm very happy about my hair's overall thickness. I'm estimating that I have about a little more than 2 inches to go before I'm flirting with my ultimate goal. Once there---I'm just gonna kick up my feet and hang out. I really can't imagine having hair any longer...for now. Ha-ha!

How are your length goals looking for 2013? 

Besitos!

KLP

Win my favorite leave in, plus a few of her friends! Check out the Jessicurl Giveaway! You can enter daily!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mini Wash (and Length Check Preview)

I can't believe that I'm already 10 weeks post. Not only am I not ready to relax in 2 weeks, I really don't feel like going through the hassle. Perhaps my relaxer fiasco from July is engrained in my hair psyche. (Can hair even have a psyche? Hmm...) Any who, simply stretching my air dried tresses then whipping it up with a The Bun Effect style is keeping this stretch easy breezy.

I am however, a little hair-bored. So what does this chica do when I get bored? Straighten it! I wanted to go this entire stretch heat free, but since this is only the 5th time that I've straightened since starting this Bad Habit Detox in March, I think I deserve it. Woop! *insert really embarrassing happy dance here* I see that judgey look on your face; my happy dance is awesome---weird---but awesome nonetheless. I also had a chance to trim and length check. Double Woop!

Here's how I prepped by tresses for flat-ironing:

1. Detangled- the night prior with Aloe Vera Juice, sealed with my DIY hair butter, and pulled into a low bun.
2. Extreme Deep condition- On wash day, I massaged my essential oil blend and JBCO into my scalp, Matrix Biolage Hydratherpie Conditioning Balm to the length of my hair, and the layered EVCO on my ends. I hung out under my heating cap for about 2 hours.
3. Tea Rinse- I rinsed the conditioner then with 2 green tea bags steeped in 2 cups of water, I applied my tea rinse using a narrow tip applicator. I let it sit for a bit and rinsed.
4. Smoothing Treatment- I applied a large dollop of Matrix Biolage The Great Detangler to my strands and massaged it in from root to tip for a minute or two then rinsed.
5. Air Dry-80% in a cotton tshirt
6. Leave-ins- It's a 10! + Chi Silk Infusion.
7. Styling- Straightened with my Solia Iron.

Results-

 I loved how soft and fluffy my hair felt after I rinsed out the deep conditioner. Oh man, it took everything in me not to just hop out of the shower there. The tea rinse definitely killed a smidgen of that softness and the Matrix Great Detangler won't be replacing my Paul Mitchell Smoothing Conditioner either but it did do a fab job of loosing tangles at my roots. Perhaps it has potential after all. 

I cut about an inch off my hemline. I'll probably trim a bit more later and take a better pic. I feel so weird with straight hair; I almost don't recognize myself. Weird right?

Besitos!KLP

Don't forget, you can enter the Jessicurl Giveaway DAILY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Review] Bee Mine Daily Leave-In Conditioner (Battle of the Leave Ins)

Price: $12.97 for 8oz 

Purchased at: Bee Mine

Promises: Dramatically improve the moisture balance of your hair with the natural and organic nutrients in our new Daily Conditioner "Bee Lovely." With the soft & creamy consistency of Cupuacu Butter, offers exceptional daily moisture for the hair also provides some protection against UV-A and UV-B rays.  Enjoy hair that feels soft and smooth all day after just a single use without weighing it down. With daily use, even dry, brittle and damaged hair can see noticeable improvement in softness, smoothness and manageability.
 
Ingredients: Distilled Water, Chamomile Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Castor Oil and Stearalkonium Chloride, Cupuacu Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, BTMS (mild emulsifier), Organic Raw Honey, Preservative (Paraben & Formaldehyde Free), Fragrance (Phthalate Free)

Directions:
Apply to hair from roots to ends on wet hair. Rinse it out or use use it as a light leave-in. Good for daily use very moisturizing, and doesn't weigh down the hair.

My Thoughts:
As soon as I received this 2oz sample size as a part of the Loving MY Hair giveaway sponsored by the lovely Miss Age in ATL back in March, I smiled. One of my favorite bloggers Ebony @ Longing4Length has raved about this company for months. Next, I checked out the ingredients; Water first--excellente. Castor Oil--not exactly what I expected as a number 2 ingredient. Cupuacu butter---I had to google that one. Ha-ha! Lastly, I smelled it. (I see that judgey look in your eyes. Y'all know that my nose is particular!) To my surprise, its scent was very faint and that weird smell that I usually associate with natural products wasn't present!

I tried applying this to damp hair and completely dried hair with similar results. While the product appeared to be light and creamy---it was very oily. My hair seemed to absorb it well, but it doesn't play so nicely with my hair butter. Adding the butter on top of it lead to very oily next day hair---yet moisturized hair. The curliest inches of my strands seemed to like it. The straightest bits were overwhelmed. My multi-textured hair just wasn't on one accord. I moisturized every other day in an futile accept to prevent icky build up. But my hair was still pretty oily by the next wash day---BUT when I hopped in the shower, my hair felt like butter. This got me thinking, If it had just a little more slip, this would be an interesting co-wash. I also used it for a bantu knot out that you guys will never see. I did not take a single pic. Yep--It was that bad. Ha-ha! It has been hard to want to use this one consistently. I just kept choosing other products over it. If this was a battle of the best co-wash; this would would have a real potential. But, Bee Mine Daily Leave-in--- I got asi asi moisture but super oily hair. Meh, I don't think that I'm a fan.

Have you ever tried any other product in the Bee Mine Collection? 

Besitos!
KLP

 

Dear Bantu Knots, I love you. That's all.

Braid-out 2011

Big Bun 2012

My family vacays are always the best time of the year for me. When I say "family," I mean FAMILY. This year we have family members coming from as far as New York to Florida to celebrate my hubby's grandparent's anniversary. In our family, we don't need much of a rhyme or reason to celebrate. So this anniversary is a BIG deal. Fifty-plus years of marriage in this day, is a mega blessing. I always have a great great time, but I feel like I fight with my hair. A LOT. And it wins. Every.Time. The humidity is no joke. Straightening is just silly. My braid-outs are totally hit or miss---With more misses than hits. Last year, I resorted to big buns and updos. I really want a way to wear my hair out that's low maintenance but high style. This year, I'm thinking Bantu knots on stretched air dried hair might be my saving grace. *cue angelic music*

Three hours later

Freshly un-twisted

I did a test run today using a little Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth Split End Protector and Grapeseed oil. I sectioned my hair and then make little buns or Bantu knots. The knots only had a chance to set for about 2 hours before I had to get out of the house. 

I was out and about in 95% humidity for about 4 hours. I could literally feel my curls dropping and my roots getting bigger. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, only a little. Ha-ha!

Overall, I really like this look. It was super easy to do and its good to know that in 2 hours I can get a pretty nice low manipulation style. At night, I'll either pineapple or re-set in the same sections. I probably need another leave-in that can give my hair a little more hold and definition. Sugerencias?

Besitos!
KLP

Mini Wash

Hola Chicas!

Good news: I have 2.5 inches of super rizada roots. Bad news: I have 2.5 inches of super rizada roots. Ha-ha! I'm still sticking to my decision to relax in a few weeks after my vacay, but I pray daily that I won't regret it. Instead of fighting with my hair, attempting to coax it into sleek and smooth styles, instead I'm going to work with what I have. I'm thinking that a flexi-rod, braid-out, and bantu knot set will be the way to go. I naturally have big hair and the Florida humidity is only going to make it bigger. Then, if worst comes to worst, I'll pull it up into a big ol bun! So, for the next few days, I think that I'll practice so that I can brush up on my technique. Any suggestions will be appreciated! On to my wash day:

Wash Day Products

(0) Detangled with my magic rake in vertical sections.   
(1) Extreme deep condition with Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp Toner, my essential oil blend, and a little JBCO on my scalp. Plus a 3-1 ratio of Nexxus Hydralight Weightless Moisture Conditioner and Roux Porosity Control Conditioner on the length of my hair. I massaged a little EVCO through my strands, covered with a plastic cap and sat under my heat cap for an hour.  
(2) Tea Rinse with 2 green tea bags steeped 2 cups of water. I rinsed the conditioner thoroughly. Applied the tea rinse with a narrow tip applicator bottle and then let it sit on my hair for 5 minutes while in the shower.
(3) Smoothing treatment with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment. I rinsed the tea and massage a dollop of conditioner to my strands.
(4) Air dried with a cotton t-shirt until my hair was about 80% dry.  (5) Leave Ins- I detangled using the 2 comb method while adding a little Jessicurl's Too Shea Conditioner and Grapeseed oil to each section. Then I pulled my hair into a loose bun and tied it up with a satin scarf to get my roots to lay down. 

Results: 

Shed hair

A little more of the same ol same ol. Which at this point in my stretch---is a good thing. I did a good detangle the day before my wash which left me with just a few strands of shed hair in the shower. YAY! I'm glad that I gave Nexxus Hydralight Weightless Moisture Conditioner another try. I love the smell and the slip that it provided. I was actually shocked at how smooth and fluffy my hair felt after I rinsed. A girl could definitely get used to that feeling. Thanks Keyda--your review was on point! If I found it on sale (and I had a coupon again) I'd definitely repurchase to keep in rotation. My hair was fairly easy to detangle and Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner gave my roots a nice boost of moisture. 

How was your last wash day? 

Besitos!
KLP

Wash Day -- 10 weeks post!

Before...Hot mess! lol

Some tidbits: This stretch has been looooooooooonggggggg... I am sooo ready for my touch up! :) I had a very smooth wash day that was a semi-mini wash day. I am right now at a cross roads..........I really REALLY want to cut my hair. Yesss...I know...whaattt!? whyyy!?...I just want to do something fun and I missss my short hair lol...it is sooo freeing lol..IDK...This is a tough decision that I must make within these two weeks before my next touchup. I have been weighing the decision...I give swim lessons over summer time...soo the short hair is looking more like a winner but I do love to whip my hair! lol What would you do!?

(1) Detangled my lioness looking hair lol with my fingers then magic comb!

(2) Prepoo/DC: I placed my Essential Oil Mix/JBCO on my scalp... and Biolage Matrix Conditioning Balm and grapeseed oil on length of my hair. Sat under heat for 30 mins then chilled around house.

(3) CoWashed my scalp (mainly) with Nothing But Cleansing Conditioner (Review Coming)... My scalp felt soooo clean and fresh...it was just sooo delightful lol

(4) Tea Rinse with CC's Naturals Lavender & Chamomile ...yummmyy :D I massaged some Nexxus Hydralight Moisture Conditioner (Check my review!)  in my hair and let it sit for a bit then washed it out...Soooooo SOFT!

(5) Air Dried about 80% then placed my leave-ins ..Nexxus Hydralight Root Mist (Check my review!) all over, tad-bit Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea (focus on ends), and sealed with Organix Coconut Anti-breakage Serum.

Leave ins

Braids with Flexi-rods

I followed tips from our SOS Hero Adrienne from Age in Atl ..Loving MY Hair! blog (thankss girl!) and braided my hair then placed flexi-rods at ends. I also wanted to experiment with putting a little Aphogee Style & Wrap Mousse on my strands before braiding.

My hair reality: I loved the results! :D My hair was extra curly/wavy with a little umhph! cuz of the flexi-rods! And this braid-out seems like it shall last a lot longer than my previous ones...not sure if it is because of the mousse or flexi-rods tho!






Results

What you think!?

Muahz
Keyda!



[Review] It's A 10! Miracle Leave-In (Plus Keratin)

It's a 10 Miracle Leave in (with and without keratin)

Price: $24.95 for 10oz
Purchased at: Amazon.com
Promises: Does 10 things instantly-

1. Repair dry damaged hair
2. Adds shine
3. Smooths & controls frizz
4. Seals & protect hair color
5. Flat iron spray & thermal protector
6. Detangles
7. Stops hair breakage
8. Creates silkiness
9. Enhances natural body
10. Prevents split ends

Ingredients: Purified aqua, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, methylparaben, propylparaben, propylene glycol, panthenol, cydomethicone, silk amino acids, sunflower seed extract, tea leaf extract, quaternium80, fragrance, eugenol3, coumarin3, cinnamal3, linalo

Directions: After shampoo and conditioner, spray product all over hair and comb through.

My Thoughts: 
The scent is pleasing. The consistency is quite thick so a little goes a long way. After air drying 80-90%, I section my hair, spray 4-5 pumps into my hands, rub between my palms then apply to my hair. Considering the price---only having to use a little is a very good thing. The first time that I used it, I used too much (I also used it on soaking wet hair) and it did make my hair feel weighed down. I purchased the 10oz bottle in November and I still have 2/3 of the bottle left. I call that a great value. It provides tons of slip, which is why its my go to leave in late in my stretch to help me alleviate tangles and SSKs. If I have a particularly unruly tangle, I just spray one more pump of the leave-in on it then work out the tangle strand by strand. Its not oily and it truly does make you feel like you've added silk to your hair. I love the smoothness and softness it creates whether I air dry or use direct heat. I can't say that its an excellent moisturizer or that it gives me tons of shine (which is why I use it in conjunction with my fave shine provider Chi Silk Infusion) but I still love it and will repurchase until the makers give me a reason not to (ie: If they change the formula. Grrr! That grinds my gears!)

I've also used the Plus Keratin version, but I wasn't very happy with the results. My hair felt weighed down, coated and stiff. No smoothness, no softness no fluffiness. I've come to realize that my hair doesn't really like protein leave-ins on a regular basis. If your hair isn't a fan of protein---don't risk it---I'd skip this version all together.

Mini Wash Day

Notes: The moisture and strength that I gained from my previous wash day lasted all week. I was able to style with ease and I even came up with another 5 minute or less go to style. No heat weeks are definitely more fun when I can experiment with different looks. Let me know if you enjoy the "Minute to Win it" protective styling series! We'll add more styles if you're interested. 
I skipped pre-poo and shampooing this week. I want to keep my moisture levels up now that I'm in the thick of my stretch. Last year, I stretched for 16-20 weeks, but I think that this year, I'm going to shorten my stretches to see if it curbs breakage. Plus air drying and styling 16+ weeks post relaxer hair was no fun. (Which is why my flat iron used to be my bff!) On with my mini wash:

Mini Wash Day Products

(0) Detangled with my Magic Star Jumbo Rake in vertical sections. 

(1) Extreme Deep Condition: Applied Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp Toner and my essential oil blend to my scalp and Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie Conditioning Balm to the length of my hair. Then I coated my strands in extra virgin coconut oil watched a movie under my new heating cap for about two hours. 

(2) Green Tea Rinse with 2 tea bags and 2 cups of water. Today I used a narrow tip applicator bottle to apply my rinse to my scalp while I was showering. I let the rinse sit on my hair for about 5 minutes. I'm in love with this technique! Its so much easier and it prevents me from having to disturb my roots (and thus tangling up my at least 1 1/2 inches of nuevo crecimiento). Plus I feel like I'm getting the rinse on my scalp--which is where I really want it to be!

(3) Smoothing Treatment- massaged Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment into my hair and let sit for about 7 minutes. I rinsed with cool water.

(4) Air dry- I decided to go heat free again this week so I let my hair air dry 85% then applied my leave ins and detangled.

(5) Leave-ins- It's a 10! and Chi Silk infusion. No SSKs! Woot!

All of the hair from the entire
 wash process including pre & post detangling

Results: Beautifully moisturized and soft, big fluffy hair and the smallest amount of hair shed during a wash day in about a year! I'm not sure if this is a fluke or not, but I'm excited. I haven't done much differently except, I've been applying Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp Toner mid week to my scalp (Without fear of reverting my roots) and being sure that I detangle and moisturize at least every other day. I just hope that this trend continues!

How was your wash day? Do you have a mini wash day routine?

Un mil besitos!
KLP