Bantu Knot Out on Pressed Hair

Just a few pictures of my hair today. I typically do not do BANTU KNOT OUTS because I don't think my hair is long enough. However, I pressed and trimmed my hair for the first time in about five months (view this post for more details!) and I thought Bantu knots would preserve the stretch from the flat iron AND create really pretty waves the next day. Turns out, I was right! I put my hair in about 10 bantu knots last night, and here are my results! What do you think?

PEACE and LOVE,

AphroKiKi

Regimen Reloaded!

I'm so hype about my hair today!

Product Dream Team!

After a week of utter lethargy, I'm back in the swing of things with my regimen. Well, at least for now I am. Also, I've added a few new products and procedures to my hair care routine. I recently started using COCONUT OIL, which I am now obsessed with-- not only does my hair love it, but so does my skin. I will probably use this stuff until I die (not to be morbid, but real talk, I will). I also bought CASTOR OIL, which I use to seal my ends-- again, I really should have started using this stuff earlier. My hair is shiny and moisturized with each application, plus, it's a really light oil so it doesn't weigh my hair down. I want to briefly mention two new products that I will be reviewing sometime in the near future. The first is Carol's Daughter MONOI SPLIT END SEALER and Organix COCONUT MILK CONDITIONER. I've used them together for the first time today and I'm so pleased with the results! Here's a picture of what my hair looks like today; this is a braid-out on FIRST DAY HAIR!!! I know my 4C girls feel me on this because my hair never looks this stretched or this defined the day after washing it. As a part of my wash-day regimen, I clarified my hair with diluted apple cider vinegar which I let sit for about 10-15 minutes. I then co-washed with Organix Conditioner. After my hair air dried about 30% of the way, I applied the coconut oil and split end sealer to my hair in small sections which I then blow dried (using the tension drying method..check the YT for tutorials). Note that I only dried my hair about 75% of the way, on medium heat, and let it air dry over night. I braided with African Pride's BOUNCY CURL PUDDING (review coming soon). I took down my braids this morning and I'm so hype about the results. I hope you all are having a great hair day too! 

PEACE & LOVE,

AphroKiKi

Thoughts on Thursday: To Flat Iron or Not to Flat Iron?

     Let's talk about something that is a little controversial in the natural hair community: heat manipulation! The impression I get from watching several Naturalistas on YT, the verdict on flat ironing  is very divided-- some naturals use heat with much success  some forbid and abhor it, and others remain undecided. I think I'm of the undecided/ neutral variety. It's very hard for me to say what someone should or shouldn't do with their hair because I believe in experimentation, especially if you're newly natural and you're just learning about all the wonderful things your hair can do. I've straightened my hair four or five times, and each time I achieved different results. I always made sure to use some form of heat protectant-- whether it be oil or some other heat protectant product (I hear grape seed oil is great for this). Furthermore, I only flat iron my hair once or twice a year, usually because I want to check my length and trim my ends if needed. I will say this much-- I have never succeeded in getting my hair bone straight. My natural texture is extremely thick and because I never get it super straight, it ends up looking like a blowout after one day.

     I won't sit here and say that I'm not somewhat paranoid about what heat manipulation is doing to my hair. Sometimes I worry that straightening my hair could be stunting my growth (even though I only do it twice a year) or that I may get heat damage and my kinks wont bounce back. To ensure that I'm protecting my hair from heat damage, I deep condition my hair two or three days before I flat iron, and I wear styles like braid outs or flat twists that stretch my natural pattern. I notice that when my hair is already stretched, half of the flat ironing battle is already won. I proceed to add oil to each stretched section, comb through to detangle, blow dry on low heat, and THEN and only then do I pass the flat iron over my hair--and I was surprised to find that just one time is all it takes! Another lesson I learned, is that I shouldn't apply heat to my hair when it starts to revert; instead I should wear styles that really showcase my stretched hair. All of these tips I picked up by watching hair videos-- gotta love YT!

Two days post flat iron: It looks like a blow out!

     I flat ironed my hair about two weeks ago just to gauge my length and see how much my hair had grown since last year. I was happy to see that I retained a few inches and that my ends were in pretty good condition. I probably wont use intense heat on my hair until May, which marks the anniversary of my last relaxer. It will be interesting to compare photos of my relaxed hair with photos of my flat ironed natural hair. Every once in a while I get the itch to flat iron, but then I hear my inner voice preaching to myself that heat should be used in moderation. What do you think? Do you incorporate heat styling into your regimen? Or do you think that flat ironing your hair is plain unlawful? I would love to hear thoughts, ideas and suggestions!

AphroKiKi