I wasn’t sure what to call it. But it’s a series of rolls and tucks using hair combs and bobby pins. I did this to go to a wedding a few weeks back. There’s no tutorial though. I only decided to take pictures whilst i was there.
Front
Back
Side 1
Side 2
It was really sunny so the pics came out a bit bright. The parting on the side wasn’t that neat but overall i was pleased with how it came out. It took me seconds to do. Hope you like it!!!
Until next time.
So… I’ve put off doing a length check for quite some time now. But i’ve finally given in and allowed my sister blow-dry my hair to check it’s length. Here are the pics. My comparison pics are from June 2010 after my trim. They are not the right angles for proper comparison but at least you can get an idea of the growth.
(2010)
I thought i was a thin haired girl until i started this hair journey. My ends are an example of the the amount of hair i had before. Look a few inches higher and there is the new, fuller hair. Not so thin after all ay! A few more trims should see all my old hair gone.
Back stretched out. A few cm off bra strap length
Side 
Front/Side Stretched. Past armpit length
I know you’re laughing at the bra over the top, lol, but it’s a good guide as to where exactly my hair reaches. Next time (in six months or so) when i do another length check i’ll wear the same bra to show good comparison.
Overall, i’m glad with the progress. My hair is longer than it was before i trimmed my hair in June 10 so it’s a testament to how well it’s growing. I wanted to be fully BSL by the end of the year but we’ll see. I want to trim some more old hair off.
Just To Note
I HATE HATE HATE blow-drying my hair. When V (my sister) finished blow -drying it, the floor was covered in little bits of hair. Short little bits. All broken hair!!!! Using heat is not enticing to me at all. I’ve taken very good care of my hair and to see it on the floor is heart breaking. Next time i length check, i might air-dry my hair fully and then pass a flat iron over it in sections (only2 strokes or so) to stretch it out a bit. That might be a better way. The blow dryer with the comb attachment is just not working for me. I love my ends and wish to keep them!
Until next time.
I’ve decided to set my hair free this week. Since it’s finally starting to warm up a little here in the UK, i think my hair can take a brake from the protective twists i’ve been doing all winter. I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by doing a flat-twist out, my first ever.
I pre-pooed, washed and DC’d my hair and dried it using the quick-drying method but instead of using no product i used a little leave-in conditioner. I find this keeps my hair smooth during the drying process. Once dry i sectioned off my hair into 5, oiled my scalp and used some of my new Twisted Buttercreme to flat-twist (i’m still learning, watched countless videos on YouTube). Unfortunately i didn’t take any pictures of it as i only decided to share it with you this morning.
Here are some pictures. Sorry about the quality, i used my phone.
Front 
Side
Other Side/Back
Just for Comparison. Here’s some pics from Oct 09. My hair has grown quite a bit considering i’ve had two major trims (mini chops) between then and now.
I also stretched out my hair at the back out of curiosity. This is an unofficial length check i guess.
March 11 
After trim June 10
Nearly BSL (i can’t believe it). I feel like my hair hasn’t grown that much but obviously it has. That’s why it’s good to take pictures because your own memory is not reliable at all. So maybe by the end of the year i’ll be fully BSL (bra strap length).
I know this sounds absolutely crazy but i have come to realise that it’s most definitely essential for me to take certain precautions with my techniques whilst my hair is in protective twists.
The point of me wearing my protective twists is to protect my hair from the harsh cold of the winter and therefore maintain it’s health and retain length. Some ladies choose to wear extensions (braids, twists, cornrows) others choose to wear weaves and some wigs, but i’ve decided to leave the artificial hair alone this winter and just care for my own hair. So putting my hair ‘away’ in these twists is my way of protecting it through the winter.
However it’s coming to my attention that if i don’t properly care for my twists using the right techniques then this whole process could be counterproductive, even damaging.
The potential problems
My strategy for protecting my hair
If you decide to wear you hair in twists or braids over the winter then i would advise you to follow similar rules to gain the maximum benefits of your protective styling. You can keep your twists in for longer periods of time, like 3-4 weeks at a time, which is fine and even recommended by most naturals. But even more precautions must be put in place as the hair can almost loc when kept in for long and will be quite hard to detangle.
Long Term Twists Tips
Happy Twisting!!!
This week is week 4 of my new regime which called for co-washing and deep conditioning (DC). On Saturday night i took down my twists which i’ve kept for the week but i didn’t pre-poo as i was going to co-wash the following day and it doesn’t really call for the extra treatment.
On Sunday i washed and detangled my hair with Liz Earle Botanical Shine Conditioner for Dry hair and deep conditioned with my mix of Jason’s 84% Aloe Vera Conditioner mixed with honey and olive oil.
I must say that my hair greatly loves co-washing. It makes my hair feel incredibly soft. All the conditioning without the overly cleansing stripping shampoo is just what my hair needs this winter. More Please!
Quick-Drying Method
A little while ago i came across a video of a woman named curlychronicles on YouTube and she talked about this method she uses to air-dry her hair within a few hours. It intrigued me because my hair takes about a day to dry overall after i wash it. If i wash today and cornrow it for air-drying, the following morning it’s still slightly damp which can be rather annoying.
The quick-drying video can be found here.
So after i co-washed and DC’d in my usual four twisted sections i towel dried my hair and then took down one section, towel dried again and then divided and re-twisted the section into two or three twists depending on the size of the section. I did this without applying any product to my hair. I had already detangled in the shower so it parted easily.
Twists from washing
Twists from washing – side
My hair after towel drying and re-twisting in slightly smaller sections allowing it to dry faster
My Quick dry twists from the side
After about an hour and a half i carefully undone the twists and continued to let it dry for another hour or so.
Here’s what it looks like from the side
After the hour or so drying time my hair was practically dry. Just slightly damp at the root.
Dry hair from the side.
I have super shrinky hair as you can see from the last two photos. From looking at these you would never believe my hair was past my shoulders. Here’s a pic to prove it. lol.
Nearly APL (arm pit length)
After my hair was dry i then preceded to section it for my weekly twists. I parted my hair with a tail comb, applied my leave-in conditioner and shea butter mix and twisted it into my smaller (but still rather chunky) twists.
My finished twists
From the side.
All in all i think the quick drying method really works. and it’s not too much extra effort. It took my hair a little longer than curlychronicles to dry, about 2 1/2 – 3 hours, but i loved the fact that my hair was fully dry when i finished with it. Normally i twist my hair straight after washing so my hair is still wet when done. But twisting on dry hair allowed for a neater finish, i believe. So i’m definitely going to continue with this if i have the time.
A Quick Note
A quick note on my leave-in conditioner. I haven’t used it before on dry hair. I only use it straight after washing, before air-drying, so i was interested to see how it would perform on dry hair. OUTSTANDING (if i do say so myself, lol). After drying my hair with no product, my hair felt quite crispy dry. But after applying my leave-in it became so soft again. It worked really well. So i’m very pleased with it.
