I’ve been thinking about it for a long time now and I finally did it. I got two strand starter locs installed today . I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I’m sure I could have done it myself but I decided to go to a professional hairstylist. There are many ways to start locs but since my hair is so long, two strand twists was the best option. I know a lot people are going to ask me, “but why?” because I know a lot of people loved my loose coils. Here are a few reasons why I did it…

– I’m pretty sure I’m developing carpal tunnel from an excessive amount of typing at work so it’s becoming harder and harder for me to do different styles with my hair.

- My hair is long, thick, and kinky and so my hands end up cramping really bad when I’m styling it myself.

- Puffs always give my a headache so I don’t want to have to them again but sometimes it’s hard to avoid when I’m short on time.

- I don’t like other people tugging at my loose coils.

- A relaxer is not an option for me.

- I love how I look in yarn braids and would wear them every single day if I had the time or patience and since everyone thinks they are dreads anyway, why not just dread it.

- Finally, (the only reason I need) it’s my hair and this is what I wanted to do so I did it .

This is day one of a long journey. So, your support is appreciated.

Big thanks to my stylist, Paris, I know it was a whole lot of work and took a lot of patience.

Hello, LV here! It’s been a while since my last post and I’m sure you may be asking what the heck I mean by the title of this post.   I get a lot of people asking me about hair growth and what I did to get my hair to grow.  This question usually results in me with a blank face without a lot of advice.  Why?  Because, with all of the natural hair care advice and websites available out there, I didn’t think people would believe me if I told them my routine.  Second, I never really knew how to explain my hair growth.   However, I think I’ve finally come up with an answer…sometimes the key to hair growth may be to just leave it alone.  Leave it alone?  Let me break down my hair routine…

1. I wash my hair…wait for it…once a month.  Yes, you heard me…I wash my hair once a month.  Why?  Well I didn’t intend to vary my wash routine.  I’m a stay-at-home, home school mom of two children.  We participate in a lot of activities within our city.  Between soccer practice/ games, gymnastics, guitar practices/recitals, speech classes, drama classes, home school classes at various museums in town and field trips…my hair often takes a backseat.  Who has time to worry about hair?  Heck, I’m lucky to fit in a wash once a month, because even that’s pushing it.
2. After washing my hair, I braid it using just Coconut Oil.  I have other hair products, but Coconut Oil has become my staple allowing me to leave most of my other products behind.  I usually braid my hair into about 15 braids.  I use sponge rollers (with satin) to curl up the ends.
3. I allow these braids to stay in my hair for maybe a day or two, just to make sure the braided texture really sets in.  I then remove the braids for a braid-out.  My braid-outs last for about two weeks and I wear them for at least that long.
4. When my braid-out starts looking bad and/or feeling dry, I re-moisten my hair and re braid it.  Removing these braids results in another two week braid-out.
5. After the next two weeks of braid-outs, it’s time for a wash.  I use Apple Cidar Vinegar (mixed with water in a spray bottle) to give my scalp a pre-wash treatment.  I then wash my hair using a sulfate free shampoo.  I’m currently using Creme of Nature Professional Shampoo and Conditioner (orange bottle) , but I am not attached to any particular brand of shampoo.  While I am washing my hair, I detangle it using a cheap conditioner (usually Suave).  After my hair is shampooed and detangled…I braid it and the routine starts all over for me.

So, what can I conclude about my routine?  Well, I did a 2nd BC in 2009…three years later, my hair has grown longer than it has ever been in my life.  I contribute it to the lack of manipulation.  Washing my hair once a month means that I’m forced to detangle it less.  With the braid-outs, I’m also not combing my hair much.  I run a comb through my hair two times a month.  Ha!  Can you believe it?

Now, before anyone reading this decides to drastically change up their routine…I am not a hair care expert.  In fact, most hair care experts would probably frown at my routine and be amazed that I have any hair at all.  However, I had to do what fits my lifestyle.  Does my hair feel or smell dirty with a once a month wash…no, no more than it would if I wore it braided for a month. Would my routine work for others?  Maybe, maybe not, but I do believe that the less you manipulate your hair, the more chances you give it to grow.  But, I won’t say anything else…let me share some pictures showing my hair growth…

 My 2nd BC in August 2009

Here’s a stretched braid-out from a few days ago.  (I plan on sharing this stretching technique in a a video soon!)

This is my hair growth between August 2009 and December 2012 (3 years).  My hair has grown much longer after my 2nd BC than it did after 4 years after my first BC.  The only thing that has changed is that I’ve gotten lazy with styling and don’t experiment as much

I saw someone with hairstyle similar this on Tumblr so I decided to give it a try myself and I loved the results. I wore this hairdo in three different styles but there is a lot more that can be done with it.

Style #1 – As-is.

Style #2 – Sides clipped back with pompadour.

Style #3 – Sides clipped back with bangs.

This is my favorite two strand twist style to date. I’m sure I will be revisiting this style again in the future.

I am in love with this submission from the Gopher State! Please meet Keelii and the Curly Girls Around The World Crew!

Name:
Keelii

What state are you representing?
Minnesota

How long have you been natural?
fully natural 1 year! ( I transitioned)

What’s the natural scene like in your area?
Emerging! Minnesota’s natural hair curlmmunity is bursting at the
seams. More and more naturals are finding their way to each other
sparking meetups, symposiums, conferences and more!

Additional comments regarding your natural hair:
I love being natural! It’s so freeing!

Web, blog, youtube or fotki link:
curlygirlsaroundtheworld.blogspot.com

Would you like to “Rep Your State”?

If so, please fill out the form here:Natural-ness in the States. Don’t forget to send pictures! I will be glad to accept more than one entry from the same state. Let’s see what state will be represented the most!

States featured so far include Florida (4), California (2), Tennessee (2), Mississippi (4), North Carolina (1), Delaware (1), South Carolina (1) , Georgia (1), Texas (3), New Mexico (1), Missouri (1), Oklahoma (1), Ohio (1),  Louisiana (1), Minnesota (2) and Virginia (5).

Note: The number in parentheses next to each state represents the number of times that state has been featured.

Here are very cute small two strand twists, sent in by Claysie:

Style: Small Two Strand Twists

Hair Length: 4.5 Inches – Yay!!!!

Products used:
a.) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
b.) White Rain Conditioner Pomegranate/Cherry
c.) Salon Care Conditioner Honey and Almond
d.)Tresemme Natural Conditioner Nourishing Moisture
e.) Okra
f.) 100% Ipse Shea Butter
g.) ECO Styler Argan Oil Gel

Tools used:
1.) Wide Tooth Comb
2.) 2.5 inch hair clips to keep the hair together when needed,
3.) 20 Ouch-less Hair Bands, and
4.) T’Shirt for any spills.

Steps taken to create the style:
Step 1 = Deep Conditioned with White Rain Conditioner and Olive Oil
for 4 hours (was cleaning room, hehehe) then washed hair with White
Rain Conditioner Pomegranate/Cherry (love the smell).

Step 2 = Applied my own mix of conditioner (Salon Care Conditioner
Honey and Almond, I mix 1 cup with 1/2 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of
Olive Oil, Carrot Oil, Coconut Oil and Almond Oil), part in sections,
about 20 for my hair.

Step 3 = Air dry for about 15 minutes.

Step 4 = Start twisting away, applied Tresemme Natural Conditioner
Nourishing Moisture (only product able to detangle my hair), Okra,
100% Shea Butter and Olive Oil to coat the ends.

Step 5 = Last but not least, applied ECO Styler Argan Oil Gel while
twisting, (this one keeps my twists gorgeous and ends curled up and
protected).

Claysie says:
“I know, it does sound and it was a ton of stuff, but when you have 3 to 4
hours to play with and a 10 Season British Television Show, time flies
by!!!!!

I did small two strand twists, they may not look small in the pic but
they were when I did them, hehehe.

This style I will have in for 2 weeks, I moisturize every other day
with good old H20, 1 tablespoon of my own conditioner and 1 teaspoon
of soybean oil.

Hope this helps.

Please note, you do not have to use all these products, they work in
my hair and keeps my hair happy and this method works for me, my hair
is type 4B.

You can simplify by just twisting with a good moisturizer, coat ends
with EVOO, your favorite gel and voila.

Enjoy Lovely Naturals!!!!”

Do you have a fierce style or a hair experiment gone right that you would like to share? If so, please click here to submit your info: Style Share

I don’t do twist-out often because I could never get them to come out right so I usually turn to braid-outs. I finally figured out what my problem is, I’ve been doing rope twists instead of regular twist. This time I did the right type of twists and it resulted in my best twist-out so far.

Here are my twists in preparation for the twist-out

I let my hair dry on its on, since I twisted my hair in the morning I just put on my natural-ness knit (natural-ness knit hats are available here) hat while I ran my errands for the day.

Here are the final results.

This summer I decided to keep my hair in two-strand twists all summer long. I accomplished my goal and did a different style each time. Check it out!

Style #1

Style #2

Style #3

Style #4

Style #5

Style #6

Style #7

Today’s quick pic comes from Claysie:

Claysie:  “Me & Sis – Naturals On Vacation in San Salvador”

Want to submit your own quick pic? Just click here to submit your picture and caption or you can send a picture with your name and caption directly to my email at diego2memphis@cbpublish.com

More feature options: New Natural’s Showcase, Rep Your State, Global Natural-ness or  Style Share

September 19, 2012 marks my 3 year nappiversary. This time 3 years ago my hair was 2 inches long. Now, it is approximately 13 inches long.

It has been a while since we’ve last updated the site, so I was very surprised and pleased to receive a new submission to our Global Natural-ness showcase.  Please give a warm welcome to Claysie from Honduras, Central America!

Bantu Knot Out My Version

Name:
Claysie

What country do you live in?
Honduras, Central America

Big Chopped - 1.5 inches of Hair Left

How long have you been natural?
On August 28th 2012 – Will Have 6 months.

First Time 2 Strand Twists on 2 inch Hair

In America, being natural is seen by mainstream culture as rebellious
or unaccepted. Is it the same in your country, or are people more
accepting of natural hair/beauty?
Here in Central America, relaxed hair more accepted for black girls to
have, natural hair is viewed as nappy and unkempt and labeled as
“Bad Hair”. It is hilarious because were I live, it’s a tropical
island, so getting your hair done every month is not cheap and it’s
very hard to find hair products that will work with relaxed hair!!!

One of the main reasons Moms relaxed their little girls hair is
because as the child grows, the hair texture changes from smooth curly
hair to very tight kinky coils and they do not know how to handle it,
so poor Mom tries to comb the hair and of course the poor child is in
pain, so both are traumatized and Creamy Crack becomes their Best
Friend.

More girls are going natural, but they keep their hair short because
they feel to grow their hair longer means a lot of work, so a lot of
the gals keep their hair in the TWA Stage most of the time. Some do
grow their hair quite long but keep it ALWAYS pinned up in a bun, so
you really cannot admire the beauty of their hair.

Now as for reactions from others, it varies, there are alot of Ohh’s
and Ahh’s, smiles and of course the touching to see if it’s real which
is so funny many times. The Latins and Foreigners love natural hair,
it is from them, that we as naturals get the most compliments, you
just gotta love it!!!

Messy Hair Day so to the Scarves - 4 inches of Hair

Additional comments regarding your natural hair:
Love my hair so here is my Hair Story: One of my dearest friends went
Natural and fell in love and tried to get me to do it, of course I
said no way, but after a while, I was convinced by her and my aunty to
do for it so I did and my sister joined in.

I transitioned for 4 months starting from November 11th 2011, Big
Chopped on February 28th 2012 with 1 ½ inch of Natural Hair, loved
the feeling and the look!!!! Currently have 4 inches of natural hair
at 6 months.

Mom did Braids - Hair at 4 inches - Yay!!

Hair type is 4B, very kinky and poofy, hardly any curl definition, I
have been using an Okra Treatment because she was very thin, but now
it’s nice and thick so I am happy except when I have to style it in 2
strand twists, takes about 3 to 4 hours but worth it, because I leave
it in for 2 weeks.

I did not know how to take care of my relaxed hair and hardly ever
retained any length, so I have no regrets at all.

Cut off all heat and only use shampoo once a month, wash my hair
weekly with Conditioner, VO5 is my favorite right now, try to get the
ones that say “Moisturizing”, use a variety of Oils on my hair,
Olive, Carrot, Soybean, Almond, Coconut (My favorite, light but great
for shine and softness).

I agree with keeping it simple, try new things but don’t spend too
much money because it’s not necessary, as long as you try to keep
your hair healthy with a nice sheen, then no worries, thanks for
reading and take care.

Twist Out at 4.1 inches!!!!

Thank you Claysie for sharing your journey with us!

Want to be featured on the site?

I am still looking for submissions to Rep Your State  (for those living in the United States) , Global Naturals (for those living outside of the United States), New Naturals (natural for one year or less)  as well as Natural-ness: Style Share.  Click here to submit your info for one or more of these features: Be a part of Natural-ness

Don’t have a lot of time?  Just want to submit one picture?  Feel free to submit to our Quick Pic feature.  Don’t forget to leave a caption for your picture!  If you would rather not use the form, please email your responses directly to diego2memphis@cbpublish.com