Marley Twists: My Winter Protective Style

Havana Marley Afro Puffy Kinky Twists. 

     I spent the last five hours of my young adult life engaging in what felt like a rite of passage: braiding my hair. YAY! For my first time braiding and twisting with extensions ever, it really wasn't as terrifying and awful as I thought it would be. I'm not exactly sure what to call the finished result-- it's a combination of Marley Twists, Afro puffy twists, and kinky twists. Regardless, they're on my head for the next month or so and I'm pretty pleased with them. Not gonna lie, when I started I was intimidated by the amount of the natural hair on my head (especially because it's so thick) and figuring out the proper technique for installing the twists, but after watching a few excellent YouTube tutorials I felt emboldened enough to navigate the treacherous waters of Hair Braiding 101.  I used Prism's 100% Kanekalon and Toyokalon hair which cost about $6 a pack. I only used 2 and half packs so I have plenty left over for touch ups. Because I installed this style  myself I saved  a ton of money-- you cannot beat a $20 protective style that will last you 2-3 months.

Quick Messy Updo.

I tried to make them shorter at the top and near the back.

  I learned more than a few things about braiding with extensions. Number one: make sure your real hair is detangled, conditioned, and that the moisture in your hair is sealed. When other people braided my hair, they didn't know the first thing about detangling my 4c hair which made for a very uncomfortable experience for me. On the contrary, I know exactly how to detangle my kinky hair so I had no issues in that department.Number two: Section your hair for manageability and accessibility. I sectioned my hair off (about 5 total) and two strand twisted the sections I wasn't braiding and clipped them out of the way. Number three: Pick a method of installation and stick with it. The method I used was pretty basic; I attached the extensions to my hair with a braid and then twisted the remainder of the hair. The beginning is honestly the trickiest part of the whole braiding situation, but once you get past that, it's pretty much smooth sailing. Next time around, I want to improve the way I part my hair (I got pretty lazy about it in the back) and use smaller parts in the front. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I've tried to install twists and braids in my hair before, and needless to say I was in the dark. Just ask my college roommate. We've had plenty of laughs over my hair braiding attempts. For example, I once went to a bar with half my hair in raggedy kinky twists and the other half fro'd out! I unsuccessfully disguised my hair with a beanie. It was all in good fun I guess, but I will never have to do that again! What was your first successful hair braiding/twisting experience like? I would love to hear about it!

AphroKiKi

Keep Calm

     Just a quick post today. So, I totally had a moment today with my hair. I really wanted my hair to behave a specific way today because it was my birthday, and we all know that we want to look special on the day that we realize we've gotten a year older. I don't know why my hair didn't turn out the way I was expecting it to, especially since I've spent about a year and a half training it. Anyway, I attempted to do a braid out on stretched hair. When I took down the braids, half of my hair was fly, curly, and fierce, but the other half was not! At first I thought, "Okay, no big deal, I will just re-braid it". The second time around wasn't any better, it had actually gotten worse! I had no curl definition at all, so one side of my head had stretched curls while the others was a chunky afro. Utterly exhausted, I repeated the process of restyling my hair, this time putting in chunky twists on both sides. Basically, I'm telling this story because there is a lesson in it, I promise. I was very frustrated almost to the point of tears, and this really never happens with me. I am not that girl who cries over her hair!!!! I ended up stepping away from the mirror and the hair products, throwing a scarf on it, and gaining the patience I needed to let my hair do its thing. I had to remember that there will be days when my hair doesn't have the perfect curl, definition, length, height, whatever. My hair has its off days too-- and because it's fierce 98% of the time-- it's allowed a break. It is sometimes difficult to do, but being patient is so necessary when it comes to caring for your hair. If you don't have that resilience you may end up making rash decisions that may seriously damage your 'fro. Avoid styling your hair when you're in an emotional state, and instead, step away from the mirror and remember the reasons why you went natural to begin with. Caring for your natural hair is a beautiful thing, and it is one of the most unique things about you. A bad hair day here and there can't change that.