2014 Best Hair Collage

How could I share the collage on Google plus, but NOT on my blog?!

SMH. Forgive me.

Here is some of 2014's best hair days for me. Hope you enjoy!

 

It looks really small here, but most of these are pics I have shared on my blog IG @lofanaturalista (this collage is on IG as well) and follow me @livlyhood on Twitter and Livlyhood Naturalista on Facebook. Friend me!

 

Looking forward to discussing being an effortless woman with you all in 2015!

 

How to do Curling Rod Set (short hair) & Styling Pictorial

DIY Curling Rod Set from unwashed hair Video

Pictorial of how to style curling rod Set:

Step 1: Take curling rods out carefully

Step 2: Take time to separate each curl into about 3-5 parts depending on the size of the curl.
Step 3: Brush edges/burns with edge control or gel of your choice.

 

Step 4: Fluff and fill in holes and with separated curls.
Step 5: Use hair pins as necessary to pin hair into the direction you want curls to go.

This curling set lasted me or 5 straight days. I'm rocking a twist out now and no, I still have not washed my hair since the steam treatment and cayenne pepper treatment. My hope is to repeat the cayenne treatment this week and give myself a nice trim on the top...The hair is getting too long again. that's all for now. MuAh & CiAo!

Winter Hair Regimen (continued)

As promised, here are my results…my hair feels moisturized for the most part. HOWEVER, I did have some dry flakes I noticed which I realized was due to the amount of conditioner that I put in the first mixture that I put on my hair…Next time, I will hold on the conditioner and mix the aloe vera juice with oil instead with a half a dime size amount of conditioner. Otherwise, I’m happy with the results and the curls.

Exercise & MaintainTextured MoHawk

Curly Mohawks are convenient and easy to do. This week I had a really heavy 45 minute cardio workout. I was a little concerned about my hair because I was scheduled to head out with coworkers the night after. I came home in time early enough to get my workout on.

But then what? I ended up with a sweaty non-textured busted looking fro. Washing my hair was not an option as I'm trying to space out my wash time. (I started washing my hair 2x's every 10 days since I had a short cut and found my scalp became more dry as a result) I didn't want to do a wash N Go either as it's a little nippy out and walking around with a wet head makes me sick.

Could not get pic turned in the right direction, smh

So I allowed my hair to air dry for the remainder of that evening and right before bed say 3-4hours later, I was able to spritz my hair with my 50/50 leave-in, add some moisturizer followed by some almond oil and then flat twisted my hair in 4 two-strand braids. I've added a comparison pic so you can see my hair after first curling rod set pre workout and curling rod set post workout. You can see that the workout in between didn't change the results of my look.

Right now I'm rocking the now stale curling rod set from two night ago, but it's still cute thanks to Ro for giving me a quick edge up.

Speaking of exercise, I was able to get a really good treadmill workout over the Women's Retreat. that also reminds me that I have not yet given my review of RPC's Women's Retreat 2014. So stay tune for that post tomorrow. I have a lot to share about that experience. Perhaps it'll help you with your decision regarding your attendance at the next Women's Retreat in your area. MuAh & CiAo!
Follow me @lofanturalista on IG and Livlyhood Naturalista on Facebook.

Natural Mohawk Look Pictorial

Creating the Natural Mohawk look is simple by following these steps:

Final Look!

Night Before:
1. Start with clean and moisturized hair
2. Part your mohawk in half from ear to ear, then create a two-strand twist in the back portion of mohawk tail after splitting
3. Part the top of your mohawk in two sections from the middle ear to ar part to the front of your head and two strand twist all three sections

4. Add curling rods on the ends of each two strand twist, except the two strand braid going to the nape of your neck. (Adding a curling rod here isn't necessary, but feel free to do it if you wish)

5. Cover head with bonnet

Next Day:
1. Untwist two strand braids all over and separate and pull hair across parts to eliminate the uniformed look.



Two-strand braid out

 

2. Use Wen Styling Lotion and Brush to create a smooth and glossy finish to the remainder of your TWA. All your hair need some love too!



 

3. Add two long hair pins to hold hair down on either side of mohawk inserting from the middle side of mohawk towards the front of the head on either side (this is optional)

 

Very simple and easy....of course the longer you leave the two strand braids in, the more definition you get. I try not to over-moisturize my hair because I don't want a wet and soggy look the next day. I'd rather just moisturize my hair as I usually do and then prep hair.

Moisturizing Steps (In case you don't recall) - LCO Method

1. Mist hair with 50/50 Vegetable Glycerin/Water, few drops of rosemary or lavender oil homemade spray

2. Apply Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie throughout hair (I use a quarter size amount through my entire mohawk)

3. Apply avocado, jojoba or almond oil (not all oils) to seal moisture in hair.

Works for me ALL THE TIME and when I use it in my clients hair as well. Cheers to be effortless! Share your hair regimen and other hair tips. I'd love to hear them. MuAh & CiAo!

Pressed MoHawk

Wore my hair pressed for a couple weeks...and people say I wouldn't be able to press it because it'll be short, blah, blah, blah. At any rate, I rocked my straightened fro. Every time I straight my hair, I try different methods to see what works the best for me. I used these tools to style my hair:

Guest Post - LaLa Speakx of BeYoutiful Photoshoot!

As promised, here are the photos selected from the recent Curly Girl BeYoutiful Photoshoot. You may have seen the selfy-pics I posted in a past post. Here is the official flyer in addition to a few words from LaLa of LaLa Speakz and the organizer of this shoot.

I'm LaLa of LaLa Speakx and I wanted to share with you a neat idea we did in the DC area that has now spread to Atlanta and New York.

 

The idea originated with me wanting to show my three daughters that even though it doesn't seem like mainstream media might support our natural curls.. we don't have to wait on them to do it. So I decided to get a group of natural ladies together, a photographer donated their time (she's also natural) and do a photo shoot, celebrating in a bold way, our natural hair and its original beauty.

Our goal is not to only celebrate our natural hair, but to also pass that love for it to the generations to come!

Hope you enjoy!

 

 

Canon Summer Photoshoot

The ease of this hairstyle is the best! I'm not anxious about growing it back out and I am really considering leaving it short for at least the New Year, BUT, I can't imagine rocking short hair in the cold. I did consider wearing an you evolvewigs by Patrice Smith, one of my homies in the business, but right now I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do exactly. While I figure that out, here are some pics I shared on @lofanaturalista on IG and @livlyhood on Twitter.

 

Blue Roze Beauty Product Review

I created this look with the use of Blue Roze Beauty Products and the results were nice!

 These samples were a total of $10.00 (great price!) and then S&H, so less than $20 in all. They can be purcahsed at www.bluerozebeauty.com

 

From the attached pic, you can tell that I was able to slick my edges down and the curls lasted for about 5 days without recurling them. All i did was wear my bonnet at night and in the am, I fluffed the curls and wet a brush and slicked the edges down again.

 

Read on for more details

From Bra-Strap Length (when straightened) to Mohawk - Find out why!

 Hey all, everyone has been asking, so why'd you cut your hair? Others are upset I did. (wait until my mom sees it, lol n smh) But honestly, I cut my hair for me and I love it!

How Does the Weather Affect Hair?

 How does Weather Affect Hair? We all look at the weather to make decisions about the clothing we will wear as well as to determine how to wear our hair (ladies and men with hair) For instance, if it’s rainy out and you want to wear gel in your hair, you should probably have an umbrella to cover your hair so that the gel does not become more liquefied and drip down your forehead or not use gel at all…or maybe you may wear your hair in a ponytail to avoid frizz from the rainy weather. However, we check the weather and all seems well enough to wear our hair out, but before noon our tresses look like a puffy stress ball. That once curly fro you left home with now resembles tumbleweed.

THAT IS A NO GO!

So, I did some research because I know that there must be a way to use the weather to determine how to style my hair. And it was a success! Well, in theory it’s a success. I found that the Dew Point (which measures the amount of humidity in the air at that moment) is the best way to determine how to style one’s hair. Let’s say the dew point is 50 or below (dry weather)…it is best to style hair in a protective style (ie. Bun, braided updos/other braided styles, twists pinup, flat twist to name a few)

If the dew point is 50-60, you may be able to wear a pressed style and it will remain nice and fresh (for you transitioners and naturalistas that may want to wear the straight look) Curly Fros are also perfect in this weather (refrain from wash n go’s as much as possible, but if you do it, it should be done at or around this dew point).

If the dew point is 60-70 (can be very humid), a curly fro of any sort would work well. Keep in mind though that if the temperature is hot, you may not want to have a muggy fro. (muggy Fro = fro with old curls or old twist outs that may be full of product) Also, wash and go’s for hair type 4a-4c may be a no-go as well (due to curls getting tighter due to humidity and may lead to detangling issues) or hair that has high porosity or low porosity.

Start with well defined twist outs in the morning...

By noon, twists are slowly looking undefined. Hmmm?

Keep in mind that new air can cycle in and the dew point may change throughout the day. So while your flowing curls may bounce past noon, perhaps later in the afternoon/ early evening, it may not be so bouncy and your curls may drop. While you are indoors, your curls are fine, but to help with retention of hair growth, I would suggest checking the Dew Point before you leave your office for the day, or check your phone on the way out. If the dew point is below 50 or above 70, use a ponytail to pull hair up and pin curls loosely around the base of the pony tail to keep your curls secure and allow them to last longer throughout the work week. The 5 minutes you spend on doing this definitely beats the 30-60mins (if not longer) to re-curl your hair before bed. IJS !!!

TWA’s this portion is for you! Yes, I get it, you got a teeny weeny afro and may not be able to pull your hair up into a ponytail if the dew point takes a turn for the worse. HOWEVER, there are ways around it! Try wearing a beanie after your leave the office with a little hair sticking out on the very top OR twist your TWA into a few flat twist and secure with pins for a quick sleek style.

Got locks?! Don’t ruin your beautifully released curls on the first day due to a low or high Dew Point. Pin your hair up, or pull it into a loose ponytail and secure the ends as much as possible with pins.

Be sure to follow me @lofanaturalista for more tips on how to quickly secure/protect hair from disastrous weather.

MuAh & CiAo!