Hair Update: 1-month In

I mentioned in my New Year's Eve post that I had some new hair goals this year. (Read that post if you want to know in more detail). In that post I promised I'd come back each month with an update on how things have been going.

Well, so far I have been loving taking a break from twists! On wash day it makes the process so much easier and quicker. It's a breeze to detangle my hair and after my deep conditioning I don't have to waste time putting in twists. I just moisturize and then put it in 4 chunky twists for bed.

I've also been experimenting with oils in my deep conditioner. I love castor oil in my deep conditioner because it makes my hair ridiculously soft. Last week I also added some sesame oil to it (not the toasted sesame oil you put in Asian cuisine!) in addition to my olive oil, jojoba oil and castor oil.

Besides the ease of wash day, I've also been able to be more in tune with my moisture levels. When I wore twists it was harder to gauge when my hair needed moisture. Sometimes I wouldn't even moisturize because I didn't want my twists to get fuzzy.

Since I take my hair down every evening to prepare it for bed (and every morning to style) I can feel and see when my hair needs something. I'm also able to pay special attention to my ends. I get a lot less tangles.

In the morning it does take me longer to do my hair but the benefits outweigh the cons. I'm also forced to actually learn to style my hair without the aid of twists. For the past two weeks I've been trying roll, tuck and pin styles courtesy BlakIzBeautyful on youtube.

Every so often she has a winter protective style tutorial that is just so easy to try. So I'm getting better with experimenting with styles that aren't too complex for my skills.

This style here is just a roll, tuck and pin with a bang and the back rolled up.

The next one also features a bang but the back is my version of a french roll.

The last style is super, duper easy and a definite go-to style when you don't feel like doing you hair but want it to look decent. Here's my version of the high-bun.

As for the Curly Girl Method, I bought the book but my sister has to ship it to me from the US. Once I receive it I will read it (obviously) and see whether it's something feasible for me to do. Right now I'm simply enjoying my hair and re-realizing the joys of being natural!

Week 46 Hair

I haven't done too much with my hair these past months. Like the above pics show I've been sticking to the basics: twists and puffs. During the week I have my twists and I either pull them back into a bun, pin them up or do a combination of both.

Tomorrow, or tonight, I will take out my twists in preparation for my wash. I do this at the end of the week before a wash to aid the detangling process. Currently, I wash my hair every two weeks because of time restraints. This will be week three since last weekend was super hectic.

I did recently purchase some headbands just to spice up my 'dos. I've been doing the same styles and just popping one of these on for some flare. I love headbands and flowers!

If you don't know this youtuber, BlakIzBeautyful, then check her out. She also has a website, kinkycurlycoilyme.com. She hosts tons of natural hair gatherings as well as provides tips, tricks, and inspiration for naturals. 

Jenell also has a shopping service for those naturals (like me) who are abroad and can't find their favorite products. She shipped me the headbands, 2 bottles of coconut oil, jojoba oil and another container of Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. 

I also wanted to try some African black soap so she shipped me two bars. I paid for the products, the shipping costs, as well as her fee, which you can find on her website. I live in Spain and my products came in less than a week with all the recepts included in the box. It was great.

My sister (yay for sisters!) also sent me the Aussie Moist shampoo and its  3-minute miracle. I've used the shampoo once and have yet to try the other product. I think I'll probably use it more in the summer when I need a "quick fix." I start my training over the summer and the heat here is intense. So I will need it to protect my hair so that it doesn't dry out, especially since I sweat a lot.

Here are the products I got from BlakIzBeautyful and my sister.

This weekend I have another Henna treatment. This will be the second time so I hope the process goes faster. I definitely like how my hair looks and feels afterwards even though I don't enjoy the long process.