Knots, Knots, Knots!

Knots have been frustrating me like no other the past few days.
I've been laying in bed for the past couple days (time of the month) and my hair had gotten tangled and dry and making me want to go bald!

I need a trim and this time I'm taking no less than an inch off. I know that my predicament is a result of my own actions...or in this case inaction, but I can only go forward from here.
I'm trying to not straighten for the rest of the year because that only adds to the breakage and dryness issues, but we'll see.

~Kerri :)

Time to Trim and Deep Conditon

My hair is in bad shape. I mean mid-strand splits and knots... and it's really terrible because my hair has been breaking really badly.
I know I can't say 'I don't know why this is happening' because I know exactly why.

1. I haven't been trimming often enough.
2. I haven't been deep conditioning enough.

My hair dries out, splits and that split travels up the strand and eventually breaks.
I bought a cheap bottle of hair mayonnaise which I'm gonna mix with Extra Virgin Olive oil and deep condition for at least an hour with heat.
I want to do this at least once a week and trim or search and destroy when I see my hair needs it.

I Forgot What It's Like To Have Loose Hair...

...OK, so maybe I'm over dramatizing. But, I really did miss my loose hair, after seeing nothing in the mirror but twists for nearly a month.

I'm not completly finshed removing the twists, but I'm about almost half way there and already there is a lot of shed hair!

Hair Plans

As of right now, I won't have anytime to wash my hair until early next week. So, Im going to do some damp de-tangling (with my bright-pink, kiddie electronic de-tangler) tonight and put in some medium-sized braids and wear a braid-out for the next couple of days.

Although I do plan to say goodbye to my summer vacation in twists...I want to wear my hair in some loose/curly styles for the next week or two.

Here is my progress with operation: twists removal.

I've taken out a little more than a quater of the twists. I'm going to be busy all night!

~Kerri :)

Twists: Night-Care and Moisturizing

Since I've been wearing twists for about a month now, I've discovered a way to moisturize and take care of them at night that works for me.

Moisturizing My Twists

From past experiences, I've realized that when it comes to moisturizing twists that you'll be wearing for a while...Less is More.
I used to moisturize my twists with heavy creams and conditioners and 2 days later, they would feel heavy and look dull.
Now, I simply spritz water or wet my hands and run them down the length of my hair, making sure that the majority of the twists were a little damp and I would then seal in the 'moisture' from the water with olive oil.

Twists Night Routine

Caring for my twists at night is very fuss-free. I do one of two things:
1. After moisturising as explained above, I would 'part' my twists in two and braid each side and cover the braids with my head scarf. Braiding the twists provides a crimped/curled look that I like; it gives the twists more texture and makes it look more 'styled'.

2. If I decided to skip the moisturising for that night, I would simply braid my dry twists anyway (which created a more 'wavy' look) or I'd opt for the lazy route of gathering all the twists in the back and covering them with my scarf, leaving the twist hanging out the bottom of the scarf.

:)

No, I'm not Locking...

This coming Saturday will be a month since I first twisted my hair, although I didn't intend on keeping in the twist for more than 3 weeks. To my credit though, I have re-twisted each twist, which is like starting fresh...but not really :)

I do plan on taking out the twists soon. Not that I'm getting tired or bored of them, I just want a little break (Maybe a braid 'n curl or braid-out) and then a new, fresh set of twists.
I'm not sure when they'll be gone, but I think that by this time next week they will be.


Maybe I can keep this going...

During the past few weeks when my twist I've really realized how time-saving and easy to style they are and the though came to me that maybe I should keep this routine. Especially, during the school months, when I'll be busy with papers and projects and such. It would really come in handy. Just a thought.

:)

My Thoughts: On Locking

Having mini two-strand twists in my hair for a little more than two weeks now, have made me think about having dreadlocks.
I wasn't considering locking my hair, but I thought about life with dreadlocks. A pros and cons kind of thing.

Pros:
1. No more de-tangling-> de-tangling takes up a lot of time in taking care of my natural hair loose and not having to de-tangle will make it that much eaiser.
2. Easy styling-> Well, I'm not sure about locks but styling my twists are easy. I can braid my hair at night and have nice waves/curls in the morning and create a cute style like my bob look, in 10 minutes.
3. Easy maintaince-> Like I mentioned in my previous post...having twists and dreadlocks, I'm imagining, makes it easy to deal with your hair in the summertime after getting it wet at the pool.
4. Growth-> As anyone can see, it's very easy to retain length with locks, becasue you arent doing anything to the hair that will cause breakage or any type of malipulation.
Cons:
1. Limited styling options-> I like to have options when it comes to the way I wear my hair and with locks, I can't wear straight styles, wash and go's (sporting my natural curls) and certain other styles.
2. Lots of updo's -> Aside from the styling options, I've noticed that many people with locks wear updo's. This may mean nothing to a lot of people...but it means something to me because I don't like wearing my hair up a lot. And I think that the longer the locks get the more it would have to be worn up.

That's all I can think of for now. Although I have more pros than cons...locks aren't in my future. I've seen some locks that I adore, but I like my options to have the locked look (twists and braids) and more.

Update
A reader named LifeOrdinary, commented that another con of locking is : Tension Alopecia.
The weight of the locks as they grow...pulls the hair from the root (I think this occurs mostly in the front), causing baldness.
Thanks to her for that addition :)

Twists: Washed, Conditioned and Re-Twisted

I washed and conditioned my twists on Friday the 9th and I've been taking them out one by one, de-tangling and re-twisting them since Saturday and I'm still not finished.
I had to stop late Saturday night because of church Sunday morning and I haven't gotten the chance...'till now, to start re-twisting again.

I don't know if I'll be doing this again. After I washed and conditioned the twists, the roots became tangled (I'm guessing it's because of the scrubbing). As a result of that, In some areas, I had to take many of the twists out at once to de-tangle and then put them back in. It was a little frustrating.

However, It's been really nice not having to de-tangle every 3 to 5 days and it's also been great 'discovering' styles that fit me and that I really like.

I was telling my beau that I think twists could really be in mainstay summer style. During the summer I get my hair wet often and It's nice not having to start over to re-style my curls or settling for a tangled, dried-out wash and go afterwards.
I'll be taking out my twists soon though, because I don't like keeping in the same set of twists in my hair too long...even if I did wash and de-tangle it. I like starting over fresh every so often.

I'm not sure if I'll put more twists in right after washing or take a break with a braid and curl or something. I'll depend on how I feel after washing.
I'll keep you posted...so stay tuned :)