ZigZag Banding on Natural Hair

I loved every minute of the inaugural Baby Big Hair Frotective Challenge. It really was a challenge for both JJ and I to leave her hair big and free for four days - in fact, I'd safely say it's been at least two years since her hair spent that much time "out"!  It was great for both of us - for me to see that with the right preparation, hydration, and night-time routine it was possible; and for her to have a good little stretch of embracing her big hair.

JJ's favorite style of the challenge was a fairly well-defined "band-out" for Day 4:

I started on dry, previously stretched hair. JJ's hair was well-moisturized from a combination of avocado oil and Yes To Carrots Leave in Conditioner. I finger detangled in small sections, added copious amounts of Queen Helene Royal Curl Shaping Creme, and used a Denman brush to distribute the QH creme. I then took one-inch strips from an old pair up tights - cut into horizontal strips - and banded each section of JJ's hair with the tights. I secured the tights at the base by looping around a few times, and then I moved downwards as I banded to create a criss-cross pattern. The bands stayed in overnight.

Confused? Don't worry. It just may be one of those techniques that defies written explanation. Because of this, big brother helped me put together a little You Tube video of our ZigZag Banding technique for you to watch! We are very new to videos so please overlook quality issues (thank you). 

When the bands came out, JJ's hair was zigzaggy, like this:

Before the zigzags were separated , they looked like this:

And once the sections were separated they looked like this:

Later in the day (extreeeeeeme humidity in Toronto) the pattern was less defined, but JJ was still lovin' her hair! 

Thanks again to to Chloe at Baby Big Hair for organizing the challenge and to all the participants for great tips and tricks, and inspirational styles and photos!

Baby Big Hair Frotective Challenge

What can I say? Participating in the first ever Baby Big Hair Frotective Challenge has been nothing short of FROTASTIC!! An amazing group of mommies (and one big sister) swapped tips, tricks and frotos while we challenged ourselves to keep our little ones' hair big and free for four days.

Here are JJ's styles for the 4 days - we went from a shrunken 80's-style 'fro on day 1 (top left), to a stretched via twists for Day 2 (top right), to an even more stretched via banding for Day 3 (bottom left) and finally a zig-zaggy texture (also achieved through banding) for Day 4 (bottom right; more details to follow soon).

Please head on over to the BBH voting page to take a look at everyone's amazing four days of fabulous big hair! You really don't want to miss this!!

Big and Free Natural Hair

My work life has been crazy for the last few months.  As a result, JJ has been spending most of her time in protective styles that have stayed in for 3-4 weeks each. Because her hair has been in twists or braids much non-stop, it has been a long time since she has rocked her free, loose hair.

I try not to go too long without giving her some "big hair" time... I find that after seeing herself in braids and/or twists for extended periods of time, it takes JJ a while to re-embrace the big hair look. This weekend has been no exception. I detangled and separated her freshly-washed and still damp hair, applied some Queen Helene Royal Curl Creme, and told her we were done. She was unhappy. Actually - very unhappy. She expressed very clearly that she did not love her hair. It made me very sad.

Thankfully, Daddy D arrived home at that moment. Now he ***loves*** JJ's big, free, natural 'fro and is truly her hair's Number One Fan! He was very enthusiastic about her hair, and they posed for a few Daddy-daughter photos.

Then Daddy D headed out to run errands and invited JJ to come along. She forgot all about not loving her hair and accepted the invitation.

When she got back, she had gotten used to the big hair again, and added some (well, 6 or so) hairbands to accessorize. Daddy D and JJ spent some great quality time together washing the car and enjoying life.

Daddy D tells me that perhaps I've put too much emphasis on her hair... and that I should let her have free, loose hair more often. I agree, but I am also aware of how tricky the "wash-and-go" is with her incredibly shrinky hair. A big, free 'fro is hard to maintain during our busy weekdays.

I measured - 8 1/2 inches of shrink!!

We do surf the net often, looking at photos of fabulous big hair. I am forever pointing out and admiring big hair when we are out and about - so much so that my kids will point out big hair to me - before I even say anything. I do hope that as my work schedule winds down I can change up JJ's styles more often and maybe simply seeing herself with her free and loose hair more often will help her love it as much as Daddy D and I do....

Any thoughts. ideas, or opinions on balancing the BIG HAIR 

with longer-term styles? 

Or on helping JJ embrace the awesomeness of her big hair? 

We would love to hear your thoughts!!

Happy Easter: featuring Huffleblossoms!

Happy Easter!!! 

Blessings to you and your loved ones. 

We have had a wonderful long weekend full of reflection, joy and time with extended family. The weather has been beautiful and spring is in the air (yes, even way up north here in Canada!). Our tiny garden is beginning to blossom, and JJ is obsessed with looking at and learning about plants and flowers. This new interest has extended to choosing to wear dresses with big flower prints, as well as flower clips in her hair. Her absolute favorite clip, without a doubt, is this GORGEOUS Huffleblossom!! 

Now Huffleblossoms are NOT your ordinary hair accessories.

Besides being gorgeous, they are unique - and durable! 

Would you believe that the flower in JJ's hair is made out of duct tape?!?!?!?

I can't really believe it either. But it is pure genius. 

JJ is one of the most active and rough part-tomboy, part-princess kids I know, and this Huffleblossom still looks brand new after countless wears. Many of her other accessories have become scraggly-looking very quickly. The duct tape is super strong, and doesn't attract dirt or become misshapen like JJ's other fabric flowers do. 

At $6 for a flower clip these are a great deal - period. 

But the other really important thing to know about Huffleblossoms is that they are handmade by the very creative mother-daughter team over at Tweeny Hair (aka Rae and Syd). And the funds they earn from their creations at the Huffleblossoms Etsy shop goes to a very worthy project....

You may remember that last summer Rae and Syd went on a 9-day missions trip to Guatemala (see the AMAZING trip photos here). Well, they are going back! You can read more about the upcoming trip to Guatemala here. They will be once again be helping with building projects, distributing food, and holding medical clinics. Rae and Syd are already making a lot of personal sacrifices in order to cover their expenses for the next mission trip, and are also fundraising through Pay it Square. Please consider making a donation if you can, and check out the Huffleblossoms Etsy shop for duct tape flowers, fabric flowers, and **NEW** ladder ribbon necklaces.  

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/96641853/ladder-ribbon-necklace

Gorgeous!! 

Speaking of gorgeous, a few last photos of JJ and her favorite flower:

 

And links to other Huffleblossom reviews for further oooh-ing and aaaah-ing...

Intermittent Babbling

Charlotte's Avenue

Boys and Girls Natural Curls

Braid with Me

Diva Locks

Untrained Hair Mom

Baby Big Hair

Mainly Braids

Goldilocks 'N Me

Curly Hairdo Ideas

Precious Curls

Happy Easter! Love from JJ and Mama M