This video shows my technique for a braid-out mid-wear re-braid. I sometimes wear my braid-outs for up to four weeks. However, there are times when I want to give my braid-outs a “fresh” look. That is when I do a re-braid.

Also, I have a big surprise at the end of the video…our new Natural-ness Knit Satin lined hats.

I wanted to post an update of the braid-out that I posted a few days ago (seen here).  Here are pictures of the same braid-out, a week later.  To maintain the style, I just spritzed my hair with a water and leave-in conditioner mist (when needed) and put on my satin cap.  In the morning I re-fluffed and went about my business.

I don’t have much to say about the style.  I do get asked how I manage to keep my braid-outs for so long.  In my case, I often keep my hair braided up for a few days in order to get the most definition.

I have also noticed that my braid-outs look better when done on hair that has not been freshly shampooed.  If I want a “banging” braid-out…I wear my hair in a braid-out for a few weeks, then I rebraid it without re-washing it (video on my Mid-Wear rebraid technique coming in my next post).

“Oh…but isn’t your hair…*gasp* dirty when you do that?”  My answer…not really.  I do not use a whole lot of product in my hair, so there’s no build-up on my hair or scalp.  “Does your scalp itch after a few weeks?”  My answer…not really.  Not any more than it did when I was shampooing my hair every day or every week.

I have to say that I love the fullness that a braid-out takes on after being worn for a while.  I get the most compliments on my two week braid-outs.

Last view of my cornrow braid-out.  I ended up wearing this braid-out for at least another week before shampooing my hair and restyling.

Below are pictures and an older video that I’m just now getting around to posting (forgive me ).  It’s a simple braid-out created using cornrows, which gives the hair a nice texture all the way to the roots (scroll down for video).

Before removing my braids for a braid-out, I also make sure to rub coconut oil on my braids.  This gives my braid-outs a nice shine.

I usually just do a regular braid when styling my hair for a braid-out.  In this case, I decided to try cornrows instead.

Using cornrows for a braid-out, creates texture all the way to the roots.  When I use regular braids, I notice that the roots of my hair is usually not textured.

In addition to the coconut oil, I also used products from Kinky Pride for this braid-out.

Below is a video of me removing the cornrows and styling my hair into this braid-out:

I just wanted to try something different with my twist out. I tried not to do the same braid out or twist out twice. Here is my latest twist out attempt. I really liked this style.

Products Used:
-Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel
was used on the edges of my flat twists.
-Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Smooth-n-Hold Pudding
was used on each individual twist.
-Scunci Silicone Rubber Bands
was used to secure my flat twists.

For step-by-step instructions for this hairstyle see the video below: 

I have never liked the looks of my twist outs so I usually opt for braid outs because for some reason they come out so much better on me. Here is my first successful attempt at a twist out. I still don’t like it as much as my braid outs but pretty good results.

Products Used:
-Creme of Nature Shampoo, Detangling Conditioning, Sunflower & Coconut – To wash my hair.
-Creme of Nature Leave-In Creme Conditioner for Dehydrated Hair, Lemongrass & Rosemary – To condition my hair.
-Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel -I applied this to each section of hair before twisting
-Scunci Effortless Beauty Wide Stretch Basic Neutral Headwraps – As a hair accessory.
-Snap Hair Clip – To pin back hair.

For step-by-step instructions check out the video below:

I can tell when the home schooling period comes around, because I have a lot less time for my hair.  This year is the first year that my daughter has daily lessons scheduled, so now I am home schooling two children instead of just one.  With added responsibilities, the last thing I feel like doing is spending a lot of time on hair. So what do I do when I have less time to spare on hair?  I keep it simple.

I am not currently doing any type of pre wash treatment, other than sometimes applying a bit of Coconut Oil if my hair is feeling very dry.  My chosen method of washing my hair is the shower, just because it is easier and I can knock out hair care and bathing at once.  Before I step foot in the shower, I divide my hair into 4 to 6 sections; securing them with clips.

This braid-out is the result of last wash/product experiment.

Shampooing & Conditioning: I’ve been using Kinky Curly Come Clean as my shampoo of choice for the past month.  I always use a shampoo when I cleanse my hair.  I really like this shampoo.  Could this be a new “must have” product for me?  Time will tell.

Anyway, to shampoo my hair, I remove one clip at a time and shampoo each section, making sure to concentrate on cleansing my scalp.  I then rinse the shampoo out using warm water, reapply the shampoo concentrating on my hair and rinse again using warm water.  I then apply a handful of condition and re-clip it.  Then I move on to the next section of hair, until I have shampooed and applied conditioner to all 4 – 6 sections of hair.

Detangling: Detangling is the next step in my hair care routine.  I detangle while I’m in the shower.  This is now a “must” in my routine.  If only I had known how effective detangling in the shower with a head full of conditioner is earlier in my hair journey, I may not have done a second BC.  Lately I’ve been detangling with Tresemme Pro-Vitamin B5 & Aloe Remoisturize Conditioner. It works great for detangling, but I am not attached to it.  In fact I just purchased a bottle of VO5 conditioner (from the dollar tree) that smells good enough to eat.  I cannot wait to give that a try.

After I have shampooed the sections and added the conditioner, I go back and remove one clip at a time.  With the conditioner still in my hair, I gently detangle each section with a wide tooth comb.  I then rinse the conditioner out using warm water and loosely twist the section before reclipping it and moving on to the next section.

Deep Conditioning: I am the first to admit that early on in my journey, I have not always been faithful to the deep conditioning process.  I have now made this a regular part of my routine.  For the past month or so, I had been using the Shea Moisture Hair Masque, applying it to my hair and leaving it on for 30 minutes before rinsing it out.  However, I have not been pleased with its results as a deep conditioner.  Right before my last shampoo session, I picked up a jar of BioInfusion Olive Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment, available only at Walgreens.  I applied this to my hair after rinsing the Tresemme conditioner out of my hair.  I added a plastic cap and sat under my table top hair dryer for 15 minutes.  I returned to the shower and rinsed out the conditioner, using cool water. So far I like it.  I will write a review after using it a few more times.

Styling: After my hair has been shampooed, conditioned, detangled, deep conditioned and rinsed, I dry it using a white t-shirt.  The last time I shampooed my hair, I un-clipped my hair before sitting under the dryer.  This was a mistake, because my hair ended up having a few tangles by the time I was ready to style it.  Next time I will leave the clips in.

For styling, I like to use Coconut Oil, but I ran out, so I skipped that step.  Since I had a few tangles, I used Kinky Curly Knot Today and combed through my hair a few times.  I proceeded to braid my hair into twelve medium sized braids. I usually use snap clips to hold the braids and pin them down, but I found that bobby pins work a lot better.  Snap clips tend to pull your hair.

Creating the braid-out: I left the braids in my hair for a few days (probably more like a week since I was so busy with home schooling), hiding the braids under a hat.  This actually served a dual purpose.  The weather here in the south was crazy hot for the past few weeks.  Keeping up hair braided up under a hat, served as a protective style and it kept my hair safe from the scorching sun (it’s finally cooling down – yay). Also, the longer you keep braids or twists in for a braid or twist-out, the better defined your braid or twist-out will be. Just keep in mind, that if you plan on leaving your braids in for a while, make sure you spritz it every so often to keep it from drying out!

After leaving my hair braided for a while, I finally un-braided my hair and separated it for the braid-out that you see in the pictures above.  If I had Coconut Oil on hand, I would rub some of it on my hair before removing the braids.  I did not, so I skipped that step. 

It has been almost a week and I am still wearing my braid-out; making sure to keep it from drying out by spraying it with a water and leave-in conditioner mix.  My routine may not sound simple, but I get two weeks of “hands out of my hair” styling for about 2 -3 hours work on shampoo day.  It works for me and I will probably be sticking to this routine for a while, with a few protective styles here and there in between.  I hope this helps some of you in coming up with your own routine; adjusting it as needed to make it work for you!

My last set of two-strand twists lasted for two weeks (see my previous post: Two-Strand Twists w/ Two Strand Flat Twists for how-to video). This is longer than I usually keep them in. This time instead of washing immediately after taking them down I decided to wear them in a twist-out for a few days.

Here are pictures of the Two-Strand Twists w/ Two Strand Flat Twists:

Here is Day 3 of my twist-out. I accidentially got it wet in the shower but it actually still came out pretty nicely:

I have been wanting to try a frohawk for awhile now but everytime I tried I couldn’t figure out how to flat twist the sides on my own. I was use to flat twisting the front of my hair but going all the way back was a challenge for sure. On this attempt, my left side was pretty easy to do once I got my hand placement right but my right side was a challenge. However, I managed to get it done.

Here are the results:

For the 4th of July I decided to wear a pompadour in the front. I got a lot of compliments today with this style.

If you would like to try this style, check out my how-to video below:

A braid-out is a very low maintenance natural hairstyle that can last several days depending on your hair type. As far as I can tell I am about a 4b or 4c (not entirely sure) but for those of you that don’t want to worry about daily maintenance of their hair, I documented the life cycle of my most recent braid-out to demonstrate how long it can last. Normally, my braid-outs require no maintenance at all. All I usually do is put on a satin bonnet at night then remove it in the morning and fluff up some of the flattened sections and that’s it. However, this week I did a little more than usual.

Day 1

Sunday, June 26, 2011 – After leaving my hair braided for about 5 days, I applied some coconut oil to my hair in the morning and I took the braids down for a braid-out before going to church.

Day 2

Monday, June 27, 2011 – As seen on the photo from day 1, one of the pieces on the very top was not as defined as the rest so before going to bed that night I braided that section over again and took it down in the morning.

Day 3

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 – My hair is getting a lot puffier and losing it’s definition on this day. This is normally the last day I would wear my braid-out and I planned to wash it in the morning.

Day 4

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 – I found out the night before that I had some important business to take care of this morning so I didn’t end up washing it, instead I took a few of the twists in the front and re-braided them last night. Then I took them down this morning for a more defined look, if I hadn’t I’d probably look like Sideshow Bob by this morning.

Day 5

Thursday, June 30, 2011 – Today it is a lot puffier and has lost a lot of definition. Tomorrow I will definitely have the Sideshow Bob look so this will be my last day wearing this braid-out. Tomorrow I will be washing it but I’m not sure which style I will be wearing next. I’m thinking maybe another braid-out or yarn twists.

This video shows how I get my twist outs to last for multiple days (sometimes up to a week). My night-time and morning routine is very simple and requires very little manipulation of the hair. I just spritz, cover, sleep, wake-up, fluff and go about my day.

This video shows my hair on the 3rd day of wearing my twist-out. Keep in mind that what works for my hair may not work for everyone.