3 Awful Ways To Trim Natural Hair

I can't even count the times that my hair was butchered at a salon. You go in asking for a trim and come out with INCHES missing or you ask for a blunt cut and come out with layers. I've made so many mistakes when it comes to trusting that a stylist knows what I want, which is why I researched DIY techniques to trim my hair. But I was searching, I stumbled upon 3 of the most AWFUL terrible I-can't-believe-they-are-serious ways to trim/cut curly hair.

The Tunnel Cut

The premise of this cutting technique is to reduce the bulk your curls without affecting curl formation no matter the curl type. The stylist cuts diagonal "tunnels" into the sides of the hair at the root.

An actual, supposedly trained stylist did this. *hangs head* This atrocity is the absolute worse natural hair trimming technique that I've ever seen. I actually wanted to cry for her. I understand that BIG hair ain't for everyone but this cut CANNOT be the solution. I mean, can you even imagine what her hair will look like as it grows out?

The Razor Cut

Razor cuts thin out your ends and supposedly prevent that heave mushroom shape as your hair grows out.

If you're a curly girl that only wears straight hair, then the razor cut pixie look can be a totally chic look. However, when you wear your hair curly, don't be surprised if your ends look thin and limp or if your curls are frizz and piece-y. When you add the fact that most curlies have more than one curl pattern, razor cuts lack styling versatility.

The Straighten First Insist

In this method, a stylist insists on straightening your hair before cutting or trimming in order to "more accurately cut.

I've debated this technique so many times that it makes my head hurt. The truth of the matter is that you don't need to straighten your hair just to trim it. In fact, you can do your hair more harm than good when excessive heat and high manipulation are involved. Because I'm still learning my curl pattern, I want to learn ways to work with my curl instead of against it---and that includes how I trim it. Here are 5 ways that you can trim your hair without using heat.

What's the worse method or technique that you've seen to trim your hair?

Besitos!
KLP

5 Ways To Trim Natural Hair

I'm scissor happy and cut apprehensive all at the same time. I'm not at all afraid to trim my hair. I know that my curls will look better, feel healthier, and behave properly when my ends are maintained. But I just don't want to over do it.

My goals for trimming my hair are simple:

Keep length

Remove splits

Create shape

Without using heat

I want to keep my length, while removing any split or rough ends, and give my curls some shape, all without having to straighten my hair with heat. I know I know...I'm asking for a lot here. So I took to YouTube in hopes of finding a few tips to help me beyond a better DIY trimmer. Here's what I found:

THE TWO STRAND TWIST METHOD

Time consuming but thorough. I like this method because it allows me to wash, trim, and set my hair all at once. However, I doubt that it will give my hair shape.

THE STRETCHED FRO METHOD

Because my hair is typically stretched from a Curlformer set, the stretched fro method would definitely be convenient for me. I sort of used this method during my last trim, but I found that I snipped off a tad bit more length than I would have liked because my ends love to curl up on itself.

THE CURLY SEARCH & DESTROY METHOD

I love this method because it truly takes into account what your ends look like while wet while concentrating on getting rid of single strand knots. There are times when my stretched ends will look wonky and uneven but once it curls up---it's perfectly fine. Again, this method is tedious but you're guaranteed not to take off too much length.

THE DIY DEVA CUT METHOD

I won't lie, this DIY Deva Cut Method is personally the scariest technique that I found because it's all about achieving that perfect shape. I don't trust my trimming skills enough yet to even attempt this free hand method, but I'm saving it for that day when I feel bold!

THE BANDING METHOD

I love the way that Laila uses a hair tie to determine where to trim her ends. She concentrates on keeping the trim even, only snipping off the splits and keeping her layers in tact.

What are your tips for trimming your hair? Have you tried any of these methods? Share your dets!

Besitos!
KLP

[Tutorial] Curlformer Side Bun + Double Dutch Braid Bun | The #WashDayExperience

They say that too much of a good thing is bad---and I'm guessing that applies to your hair too.

I co-washed by hair about 3 days after last week's #washdayexperience and afterwards I noticed that I had a couple places in my hair with some yucky build up at the roots.

So I grabbed my fave shampoo this week to give my scalp a thorough scrub.

Here's what I used:

Pre-shampoo- DIY Moisturizing Mist (tutorial here) + Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner  (review here)
Shampoo- Jessicurl Cleansing Shampoo (review here)
Clay Rinse- Here's the dets on my recipe
Deep Condition- Jessicurl Deep Treatment Conditioner (review here)
Leave-Ins- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Why EVCO is AMAZING here) + Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here) + DIY Hair Butter (tutorial here)

RELATED: My Minimalist Natural Hair Regimen

And here's how I did it:

This week's #WashDayExperience theme is Detangling tips. I always detangle my hair before I hop in the shower. When I don't---my hair hates me. To get started, I spritzed the ends of my hair with my DIY Moisturizing Mist (tutorial here). Then I slathered my hair in Herbal Essence Hello Hydration (my full review here) and detangled my hair in small sections. My detangling process takes about 15-20 minutes. I let the pre-shampoo treatment sit for about 20 minutes before hopping in the shower.

RELATED: My 5 Steps to Detangle FAST!

In the shower, I rinsed the conditioner section by section then applied my Clay Rinse with a narrow tip applicator bottle. This week, I started the application from front to back. My curls in the back are completed defined from root to tip. So I started with the front to give these curls some more love. Fingers crossed that I can get the curls in the front to POP like the ones do in the back!

Next, I deep conditioned with my all time fave conditioner Jessicurl Deep Treatment Conditioner (review here), coated my ends in Extra Virgin Coconut oil (here's the kind that I use $) to seal in the conditioner and plopped under my hooded dryer for about 30 minutes.

RELATED: Why I'm in love with the Coco (Coconut Oil of course!) 

I t-shirt dried for about 10 minutes then installed Curlformers using a little more Extra Virgin Coconut Oil + Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner (why I love this stuff here) + DIY Hair Butter (how to make your own Hair Butter here) as my leave ins.

I sat under the dryer for an hour then took down the curlformers and tossed my hair into a side bun.

I thought about doing something more glamorous the next day.

But I just didn't feel like it.

So into my staple Double Dutch Braid Bun the curls went. Aside from a simple ponytail--has been my favorite workout style since my relaxed days. You can check out more of my workout styles here. 

What are your detangling tips and how did you style your hair this week?

An InLinkz Link-up

5 Steps To Detangle Your Natural Hair Faster

Detangling your hair doesn't mean ripping it out, spending hours haunched over in the shower or having to cut out huge knots. I noticed that the better I get at detangling my hair, the better my curls clump, the easier it is to style, and the better products seem to absorb into my curls. Here are my steps for detangling my crazy thick curls:

P R E - W A S H

I've found that detangling before I wash is the best way to identify and remove tangles before they turn into large knots. Detangling before I wash makes my wash day faster and gives me less work to do in the shower. 

S L I G H T L Y   D A M P

I start my spritzing my ends with this DIY Moisturizer. It only has 4 ingredients and it works like a charm to re-hydrate and soften up my curls. At this stage---you're not gonna want to completely saturate your hair; especially if you have super dense curls because they will just shrink up on you. (Side note: A plain ole mist of water will do the trick too.)

Related: The BEST Moisturizer for Natural Hair (and it's cheap too!)

S M A L L   S E C T I O N S

Gently divide your hair into several sections. I usually start with 8; 4 in the front of my hair and 4 in the back. Then I further divide these sections into 2 parts then apply a little conditioner to my ends before using my fingers to detangle.

F I N G E R S   O N L Y

Your fingers are the best tools for detangling your hair. You can feel for knots and unravel them inside of ripping them out. Your hands will create less friction  and it gives you the opportunity to really get to know where your hair tangles the most. I've found most of my tangles at the ends of my hair vs the roots and the middle of my head is usually more tangled than the back or the front. This reminds me to keep that section of my hair better moisturized between washes.

My method is pretty straight forward: I take the section, stretch it out with my fingers and rake downwards to remove shed hair. If I encounter a tangle, I isolate it and pick it apart. For those pesky single strand knots---I just grab my scissors. Ain't nobody got time for that!

While it's basically impossible to eliminate single strand knots, I have noticed that I have less knots, tangles and splits now that I'm sticking to my minimalist hair regimen.

Oh and if you just have to use a tool--try this amazing seamless comb.

Related: Detangling Comb From The GAWDS!

K E E P   S T R E T C H E D

After you've detangled each section twist, braid or bun the section to keep it stretched and tangle free.

What are your secrets for detangling your hair?

Besitos!
KLP