Black Hair @ Work

Apparently my hair concerns in a previous post are common. To catch you up, I didn't want to go from long kinky twists @ my internship to my shorter braidouts/twistouts. I'm not ashamed of my hair. I love my hair. In fact, I see it as an accessory. But, I just hate all the questions from co-workers about my hair! Here's what I wish I could say:

1. Did you do "something different" to your hair? ...*roll eyes and ignore the question*
2. Why did you cut your hair? I didn't cut it. It actually grew!
3. What happened to your hair? What happened to your face *as I proceed to slap it*

Two friends of mine are at opposite ends of the spectrum. One, if she doesn't finish putting in her havana twists, will finish the edges and bun it for the rest of the week or until she has time. The other, took her senegalese twists out, showed her short permed hair, and is about to get a long weave. But I already have people at work asking me why she "cut" her hair. Even if she did cut her hair, why would I know?! Le sigh.

Sometimes I wish all cultures could tell when braids/twists are using "external" hair. Or at least let them know it's not okay to ask such stupid questions. It's quite annoying answering these questions every time you see someone else in the hallway.

It's All in the Name - Kinky Twists vs. Havana Twists

Recently I put twists in my hair using a method from a previous post. What kind of twists are they? Not sure! (and I did them, I know).. 

Since the video I used was for the kinky twist method and I used Marley braid hair, I just assumed they were kinky twists. Also I used the same method for these styles. Now they're just longer and thicker.

 

But someone at last night's Curlucopia meetup called them Havana twists. Even though I had seen Havana twists, I had never thought to call them that. meh. I guess it's all in the name. 

I CONFESS!

Okay, okay. I confess. I do not know how to care for my hair while it's in protective styles, namely kinky twists. Usually I just leave it alone - no washing, no nothing. But there's got to be a more effective way right? Sure, I've heard about wetting the hair, washing hair..not so much about deep conditioning. It just seems like unnecessary work. BUT all of my semi-long-term protective styles have been in the summer or fall...not really the winter. I want to do more than just hope my hair doesn't dry out over these next couple weeks - I want to be PROACTIVE. But *ahhh* where to start??

Ah well

PS: Kinky Twists

This Thurs-Mon I'll be attending Mardi Gras and I'm so excited! My first real taste of southern culture! I didn't want to fuss with my hair so I figured I put kinky twists in for the next 4 weeks or so.

This time was different from other times in 3 ways

1. The marley braid I bought was 100% Japanese blend, whatever this means. I just know that they didn't look "kinky" the first few days, but now I'm happy to say they're nappy :)

2. The twists were a tad skinnier than the last time and definitely skinnier than the time before that.

3. I started off with a braid instead of a twist at the root. The following video shows both methods, relatively well.

4. I started from the front of my head instead of the back because LORD KNOWS I get tired/lazy by the time I make it to the front.

What do you think?

Done!

Classes ended Tuesday, but I've finally finished all take-home exams and papers of the semester. Officially completed my first semester of graduate school. Only 7 more to go until I force people to address me as Dr.

Anywho, this was also the first time I wore my hair in protective styles under kinky twists and wigs for the entire semester. Next semester I'll let it all out and wear protective styles that everyone can see! Then we'll see which phase of my little experiment went better.

Only time can tell!

Winding Down

So this Protective Style Challenge is winding down. It hasn't been as hard as I though it'd be. 1 month of twist outs, 1 month of kinky twists, and 1 month of Ms. Jackson aka my curly fro wig. When I had the KT, people thought I had dreads and with Ms. Jackson, people think it's my real hair. Now I just need to go the store and pick up my November hair (lol). I was just joking around that I need to find a hoodrat to put some cheap tracks in my hair but we shall see. That might be the December hairstyle.

It's also funny to me that I've begun planning monthly hairstyles like I'm planning to prepare a meal :)

OUT!

I finally took my twists out this morning. Funny how something that can take 7 hours to do only takes 30 minutes to undo. But anywho, I plan to wear my hair like this for about a day and wash it/deep condition it tomorrow.

Pictures then!

Twisted

Put my kinky twists back in. This time they're skinnier and a little shorter... I got tempted to straighten my hair so I decided this would be the best way to avoid that

I need to learn how to get these twists tighter, like how the Africans braid but since I'm not African I feel like it's impossible! Any techniques that someone would like to share would be greatly appreciated!

-Robbi

Trim + Tube

Part One - TRIM: I washed my hair for the first time in 1 month today. Used Palmer's Conditioning Shampoo + Conditioner along with Pantene Pro V Conditioner for Colored Hair. Surprisingly my hair was so soft. And since "no heat" is a rule in this Protective Style challenge, I finally trimmed my hair without straightening it first.

Part Two - TUBE: Also, a lot of people have been wondering how I did my kinky twists.

I guess they kinda remind people of dreads because they're thick and long. As it turns out, all I did was watch a youtube video! It only took me about 6 hours total. It's quite simple. Try it for yourself. This video makes it seem really easy:

Enjoy!