I think they turned out pretty decent.  I did not part, just grabbed a section of hair and twisted.

To prepare, last night I washed with Oyin Poo Bar, conditioned with Oyin Honey Hemp, then added the Kimmaytube leave-in with Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade.  I braided the hair to stretch it out and got to work today.

Twisting my hair makes me really want to get a haircut.  My hair is super long in the back and I pretty much have no option but to put it up so the back won’t look so spaced out.

I don’t know how long I’m going to keep these in.  When I wore twists years ago, the longest I ever had them in was for 16 days.  I really like these so far and maybe now I can wear a little makeup to work since I don’t have to worry about my hair.

I found this tool in Target tonight after looking for it forever!  I’m going to try my first protective style this weekend.  Check out the video from MsVCharles below for the style I plan to try!

• Add aloe vera juice to my water spray bottle
• Deep Condition at least twice a month (I used to do this every week but stopped due to laziness)
• Try the “water bagging” method to see if I like it

You can find more tips on her blog by clicking HERE.

On another note, I made a video reviewing the Oyin products.  Check it out below…

I purchased these products during the Black Friday sale and wanted to try them out for a while before reviewing.

First is the Grand Poo Bar.  I was expecting this to come in a plastic case, but it came in a plastic bag instead.  The bar is really big and I haven’t any problems with it dissolving really fast in the shower.  I still have a lot left and I use it weekly.  Although this is a non-sulfate shampoo, it still lathered quite well.  The poo bar got my hair really clean without stripping it.  I’ve read that some people don’t even need to use a conditioner with it, but I have no desire in trying that anytime soon.  This poo bar did a great job of cleaning, but I don’t feel as if I would purchase again because it wasn’t amazing.  I feel as if I can find a shampoo in the store that cleans and moisturizes just as well.

Next is the Honey Hemp Conditioner.  I love this stuff so much!  I purchased the 16.9 oz this time and next I will purchase the 32 oz.  The scent is very light and reminds me of kool-aid.  You can use this as a pre-poo, deep conditioner, or leave-in.  It is extremely moisturizing and has small amounts of protein so it doesn’t bother my hair.

The Hair Dew is a product that can be used as a leave-in or daily moisturizer.  Water is listed as the first ingredient, so you have to be careful when using with blown out hair.  It didn’t cause my hair to revert, but it did slightly.  I use it mostly as a leave-in because as a daily moisturizer it didn’t do that at all.  This stuff smells just like Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade and the consistency is super thick.  As a leave-in its okay but I won’t be purchasing again because I like Kimmaytube’s leave-in mix better.

I could smell Oyin’s Whipped Pudding all day!  It has a light chocolate scent and can be used for hair and body.  Water is listed as the first ingredient, so you know that it is moisturizing.  The Whipped Pudding makes my skin feel super soft and the same for my hair.  I don’t think I would purchase this regularly, but sparingly as a treat to myself.  Also, I tend to use this product more on my skin than my hair.

I have saved the best for last and that is the Oyin Burnt Sugar and Sugar Berries Pomade.  My hair loves this stuff so much!  This is the reason I have started dry detangling because this stuff makes my hair separate like butter.  No other oil I have tried so far makes my hair feel that way.  I use this product to seal in the moisture and a little goes a long way.  These products have castor oil listed as a main ingredient so I do want to try that before I repurchase.  But for now, the sugar pomades are a staple product!

I really enjoy the Oyin line, but I do want to try other items and brands that I can purchase in store.  Oyin is pricey, especially considering how much shipping is.  It also takes a while for products to arrive, so any comparable store alternatives are worth searching for.

I used a regular blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle, Kimmaytube’s leave in, and Generic Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum as a heat protectant.  This combo left my hair so soft y’all!!!  Every time I decide to blow dry my hair this will definitely be the combo for me!  The pic below was taken after I blowdried and left my hair braided for two hours.  I had to go out so I took them down.

The method I used was the tension method that I learned about from one of my favorite You Tuber’s MsVCharles.

When I got home later that evening, I braided it back up and wore the braids for two days.  When I had to go to work on Monday, I took them down and this is what I got…

My students figured that I was either wearing a wig or had gotten a relaxer.  They were shocked to see my hair look much longer, especially after seeing it in its shrunken state for so long.

I was very pleased with the results of my hair and debated incorporating a blow dry into my weekly routine.  For now I have decided against weekly blowdrying because I am challenging myself to retain length and to have the healthiest hair I possibly can.  I want to try mini-twists again and see how they work for me this time around.

Since I am a day late, I’m going to complete an extra challenge this weekend so I can get on track.

The first day of the challenge involves choosing a physical journal to record your thoughts and challenges in, a personal mantra, and a theme song.

My notebook is similar to this one, but is a lighter shade of purple and has butterflies on it as well.  I purchased it several months ago from Barnes & Noble.  A few pages are written on already, but most of them are blank.

My Personal Mantra is from Rosa Parks:

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear”

I chose that quote because I am so sick of fear dictating my life and I need to get rid of it!

My theme song is India Arie “I Choose”.  This song popped in my head over the weekend and I think it is perfect for me and what I want to accomplish in this challenge!

I have decided that in order to keep my hair from being matted and to maintain a peace of mind, I need to keep my hair stretched out as much as possible.  By doing so, I will minimize knots and tangles, both of which I have a lot of!

Twist outs do not really elongate my hair as much as braid outs do, so that will be my method of choice.  I did the braid out with Oyin Hair Dew as a leave in and Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade as a sealant.  I am so happy with my hair growth and cannot wait to see what it will look like after another year of growing.  A video of me doing the braidout and the takedown is below.

Click to view slideshow.

Quickweave - November 2011

Post originally written December 10th, 2011 

I’ve had my quickweave in for two weeks now and I must say that I am tired of hitting myself upside the head all day because of the itch!  In the video below, I explain how my friend did my hair.

I may do this style again depending on how I feel once I take it out.  I would much rather wear a wig, but all the ones I find in this style are way too big for me.  This is only my second quick weave ever in life and the first one did not leave me with happy memories.

First Quickweave - 2006

The type of hair was similar and I loved the color of this hair as well.  The problem came with taking that mess out of my head!  The same friend did this one and at that time, she just molded my hair down with gel and glued the tracks on. This is my commentary from my hair journal back in the day:

May begins with a curly weave. My friend came over and she ALWAYS wears weaves and I had the brilliant idea of letting her do mines. She glued it in, which I really don’t care for, but it’s really cute and she’s going to take it out so I won’t rip my hair out. So, I can’t say yet if I will do this again or not.

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Update: I don’t think I’m going to do this again for a while. I lost a lot of hair and it was so dry afterwards. To take the hair out, I wet it and saturated it with my Neutrogena conditioner(in products album), covered it with a plastic cap and let it sit for like an hour and a half. Some of the pieces came out really easy, but others were just a pain. Then I washed it with my Olive Oil/Aloe shampoo and treated it with my cholesterol.

Supposedly, with the GPS (Gro-Protect Solutions) I can wet my hair with water for 2 – 3 minutes and the weave will come out without being attached to my hair at all.  I’m going to have to give a serious O_o (side-eye) to that as I get my mind ready for the take down.

Quickweave - November 2011

How I Got My Fro Condensed

The plan was to take my weave out this weekend, but now I’ve gotten lazy and mad scared.  I don’t want to have to deal with tangles and dry hair.  Who knows, maybe I won’t even encounter these things, but I still don’t want to find out right now.   I’m going to keep looking for You Tube videos (I haven’t found many so far) on how to take down quickweaves and for tips and tricks.  I do have a plan, so I guess that’s better than nothing.

Does anyone out there have any tips and tricks they would like to share?  Please post them in the comment box below because I definitely need some help.

In the meantime, the video regarding application and removal of hair using GPS is below.

I did take out my hair that weekend and just as I dreaded, it was a painful experience!  Due to my impatience, I ended up ripping some of my hair out just to get it done.  There was tons of shed hair, but my hair was not dry after washing and conditioning.  I will NEVER get another quickweave again in life!  I would much rather find me a cute wig and rock that!

Oh how I wish I could attend!  This is going to be an amazing event and if you are in the Chicago area you should check it out!  For more information check out MeechyMonroe’s blog here.

The back (texture shot)

Tonight I co-washed with Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner, used a bit of the condish as a leave in, and applied Oyin Sugar Berries Pomade.  I smell scrumptious and I look cute!