#TeamNatural All the Way! Check out this Great Top Knot Tutorial for Natural Hair

There are so many hairstyles you can pull off with natural hair. We have even highlighted some of them in previous editions and I must say this is definitely one for the bookmarks. This hairstyle is your basic top knot, but what is so special about it’s the details on the top knot. It has some twists, needs minimal material and will literally take about 10-15 minutes.

Here is what you will need:

 -A Hair Brush

 -Bobby Pins

 -A Wide Toothed Comb

 -A Tail Comb

 -Mousse

 -Leave-in Conditioner

 -An Elastic Hair Rope (you can use a shoe lace as an alternative)

How To

Step 1

Brush your hair upwards with the hair brush and pull slightly upwards while brushing. You could add in some leave-in conditioner now to untangle the hair.

Step 2

Place the hair rope or shoe lace at the nape of your hair and wrap it to the front of your head. After you have done this, slightly push the rope upward while pulling the string tighter to keep the hair in place. When you have gotten to about 2 inches away from your forehead, stop pushing the string and tie it securely.

Step 3

Section the hair in the middle of your head out. Add a little leave-in conditioner to the section and make a loose twist. Do the same to the remaining part of the hair but this time securing the ends with a bobby pin and pinning it to the original section in the middle of your head.

Step 4

After the twists are done all over, take off the hair string and brush the hair again. Then apply some mousse to the edges and brush again. Then reapply the hair string as stated in Step 2.

And that is it. A simple top knot. Be sure to share this with your friends so you don’t look fabulous alone and let us know what you think of the tutorial. Have a fab week.

 

Wrap it Up, Keep it Safe! Want to Protect your Natural Hair during Cold Weather? Find out How

We are getting closer to Harmattan/Fall/Winter, and with all the festivities comes dry and harsh weather.

For women who love to leave their natural hair out, relaxed or not, this can be a stressful time as you have to discover new ways to keep your hair from drying out, breaking and still promote growth.

Here are some great tips for keeping your hair moisturized and looking great this dry season.

Pre-Poo your hair before washing

Pre-poo is all about preparing your hair before it becomes wet while cleansing or washing. To do this use heavy conditioners or oils and massage in into the hair. This process promotes elasticity of the hair which would prevent breakage and give it extra moisture so you don’t strip the hair while cleansing and make de-tangling a breeze.

Cleansing

During summer or warmer periods, naturals usually use light-based conditioners and other products to get rid of product build-up and keep the hair clean. In cold weather, these light- based products wouldn’t work as much. In this case you have to use heavier conditioners, oils etc to help keep the moisture in the hair. Unfortunately, conditioners do not have the ability to adequately remove product build-up from the hair like a shampoo, that is why you should find a sulfate -free shampoo that you can safely use.

Moisturize your ends

A lot of the time we pay attention to the roots of our hair and neglect the ends of the strands. One thing we should remember is that when it comes to natural hair, the natural curl pattern or kink makes it difficult for our natural oils (sebum) to get to the ends of the hair, therefore we have to add that extra moisture. If you pay attention to the roots of the hair, that already has the sebum and neglect your ends, they will get really dry and start to break off and that could lead up to your hairs mid-section and cause more damage.

Protect, protect and protect

During cold weathers, it is best to keep your hair in when it doesn’t need to be out. Whenever you are stepping out and want to protect your hair, apart from wearing wigs and protective styling, you can put on a silk scarf. Thankfully, scarves are very trendy during cold weathers so you can always style it to compliment your outfit.

This also applies to when you are going to bed at night. During Summer you could get away with leaving your hair out while sleeping, but not this time. Sleeping with your hair out on a cotton pillowcase will strip your hair of its natural oils and leave it dry, so instead of this, put on a silk scarf and even replace your pillowcase with a silk one and keep your moisture intact. This way you don’t have to moisturize as much, you don’t have too much product build-up and silk feels great while you’re sleeping.

Be Proactive

Don’t wait for your hair to get dry before you decide to moisturize it. Apply the necessary conditioners and oils to your hair so your hair doesn’t get to the stage when you have to rescue it.
Here are a couple of protective hairstyle inspirations that you can adopt to keep your hair safe from the impending cold weather.

We know you would be filling very inspired so don’t forget to share what your favourite protective styling hairstyle is in the comments section. Have a great day beautiful people.

Managing Hair Extensions- Ladies

 

 Having considered the work involved with managing the kids and still looking good as a mom i feel its necessary to blog about Hair extensions. This will be followed up with other issues such as "Getting permanent hair extensions", "How to manage curly or different hair types" etc

Am out to stalk the web for all available information and i will share it so join me on this ride xoxo!!!

Managing hair extensions presents even more responsibilities than your natural hair. You need to be a little gentler with your extensions to extend the life and to keep them looking their best.

Indian hair extension(After)

Natural Hair (Before)

Your natural hair goes through a ton of abuse every day of the year and it can really withstand a good amount of damage over time. But extensions do not gain nutrients from your scalp so they are at least three times more susceptible to irreparable damage. While this may not seem like a big deal, because hair extensions are not with you forever, it does mean that they could fall out prematurely or need to be replaced.

Be sure to always wash your hair every day if you have hair extensions. Unwashed hair accumulates your body oils and it could compromise your extensions. All too often extensions fall out because of oily hair, and it’s a shame to have to have all new ones put back in because of a little negligence.

If you are considering human hair extensions, be sure to ask your stylist if it is possible to safely dye the brand they will be using. It is not possible to dye synthetics, but it is possible to dye human hair extensions. Some brands are pre-dyed, so if you happen to dye them it could severely damage the hair. If you forget to ask before having the extensions put it, it might be a good idea just to stick with your natural color for the time being.

It is completely possible to use heated styling tools on human extensions, but most synthetics will melt if subjected to high levels of heat. There are brands available these days that are safe to get hot, but their heat resistance is usually reflected in the price. A simple curling iron twist on zero resistance synthetic hair can melt a whole area of your extensions, and force you to get them completely redone.

It’s important to know both what kind of extensions you have and what brand they are. Brands can mean as much as the material, so get the full scoop on your extensions before having them attached and possibly making a mistake.

 

Hair Type Affects Extensions

No matter whether you have synthetic or human hair extensions, it is possible to run into some difficulties or discomfort with your new extensions. While long and beautiful hair is always tempting, knowing what you’re getting into before investing your time and money is always a good idea.

Removing extensions (especially removing them improperly)  is usually what causes the most damage to your natural hair, but some complications can arise before you even get a chance to have them removed. While having your hair extensions attached by an experienced stylist is a big part of reducing or preventing most problems inherent with extensions, there are some natural factors that cannot be helped.

If your hair is especially oily, hair extensions applied by weaving may not stay intact. The excess oil in your hair can cause the weave to simply slip loose and fall off. This is especially true for synthetic hair, as it is 3 times heavier than human hair extensions. Glued in extensions are not immune to excessive oils either. It is possible for the hold the glue has on your hair to weaken or slip over time. Cold fusion attachment techniques are best for those with oily hair.

Previously damaged or very thinned hair may fall out over time with heavy hair extensions. Ask your stylist if your hair can actually support extensions at all.

For the reasons above, it’s especially important to seek a consultation with an experienced stylist prior to making an official appointment. Finding out your exact hair type is crucial to determining which attachment method is best for your hair and your budget. Neglecting to make an informed decision on your hair extensions can yield less than perfect results.