JJ's Signature Style: Two-Strand Twists

About a year and a half ago, a simple google search led me to discover the existence of "hair blogs". The very first blog I found was Happy Girl Hair, and it was through blog-author Katie's posts that I first learned the basics of caring for JJ's hair.

One of Katie's posts around that time was about "signature" hair styles. I remember wondering if I'd ever be good enough at doing JJ's hair that she would have a signature style. Surprisingly though, it didn't take long for me to learn the joy of two-strand twists, and luckily, JJ loves them too!

A headful of two-strand twists is definitely JJ's signature style. I've become pretty quick with them, and I love the versatility they offer. JJ can wear them down, or her twists can be easily gathered in half-up half-down or pigtail styles. I usually do smedium-sized twists (note: I love this term for the size between small and medium - I first saw it used at Mainly Braids by the amazing and talented Shay. Check out this link for an awesome braid-out with smedium braids). We usually leave twists in for 2-3 weeks but I do have to pay careful attention to JJ's ends. I usually unravel and re-twist just the ends every 4-6 days or so to avoid tangles/loc'ing).

Here are JJ's recent twists:

Before twists: big hair

Halfway done. I usually do a (relatively)
straight part in the back so that I can easily throw in some pigtails. 

Done! 

JJ prefers the side part at the front so she can have some bangs hanging down.

Her bangs are actually getting really long...! 

As you can see, she loves to swing her twists around.

But wait!! It's not like JJ is the only cute kid out there who sports some awesome twists. Check out these blogs for even more twistspiration:

Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care: Love Boo's twists! Be sure to check out this post about how to do two strand rope twists.

Charlotte's Avenue: Twists are definitely Choca's signature style! Here is one of my all-time fave posts about Choca's twists.

Baby Big Hair: Chloe is another master of the two-strand twists! This is one of my favorite posts:  "lets do the twist"!

Greek Ghana Mix: The adorable GG rocks some great mini 2 strand twists here and an update on the 2 strand twists here.

Finally - be sure to check out this recent Blast at Baby Big Hair which gives the inside scoop on actor Yara Shahidi's beautiful, shiny twists.

Cornrows into Pigtails - Inspired by Rachelle Yakubu

Over the weekend, JJ and I were looking through hairstyle photos on the Rachelle Yakubu Photography website. This amazingly talented photographer has a feature that we both adore - called Hairstyle Thursdays.

JJ put in a request for this hairstyle by Rachelle Yakubu, and I tried my best! (side note: we left out the beads - for now anyway)

We started with clean hair that has been loose and free in a 'fro for the day.

Her hair was well-hydrated thanks to a home-made shea butter/coconut oil/shea oil mix.

Just another reminder of JJ's non-shrunken length:

I started with some corn-rows into single braids, 'cuz JJ loves "bangs".

 

Then - it was bedtime! The next day, JJ wore her hair free in the back with the braided bangs.

At bed time, I banded the back of her hair for the night, to stretch it out. I typically use JJ's old tights (cut into strips)  to band JJ's hair as they are really gentle and are very quick to put in.

I wanted to make a curved part for the ponytails, because I loved the "freestyle" look of Rachelle's original style.

curved part for ponytails

I also decided not to put the lower back hair into the ponytails. Instead I chose to braid these downwards. JJ likes to keep some length in the back. I've also found in the past that the skin at the nape of her neck is sensitive. Downward braids do not seem to irritate her skin like upward braids have in the past.  

ready for bed!

The next day I cornrowed both sides into two side ponytails.

In the back I did one layer of cornrows into single braids, and added some single braids at the nape of her neck.

Yes, the phone again - favorite hair time distraction!

I pulled the back braids into a ponytail.

See, phone is put away - she's reading a book! Yay!

JJ loves her hair!!

Be sure to check out Rachelle Yakubu's Hairstyle Thursdays for some other beautiful styles and breathtaking photos!

Playing with Barbies - The Boil Perm

Boil perm, side view

JJ loves imaginary pretend play, and has a wide variety of dolls, including some Barbie/Barbie knock-offs. Here are a few of her dolls, waiting patiently for a tea party:

 From left to right:
"Isabel" with her short hair (TWA?); she also owns an afro wig and a spiral curl wig
"Merliah" with her hair down
"Dufferin" with a 'fro and headband
"Ballerina" with a big puffy pony

Now, Dufferin and Ballerina did not arrive at our house with such fabulous big hair. They were transformed, after I was inspired by Kristl from Playing With Barbies and Nikki at Beads, Braids & Beyond. These two trend-setting women put together a great tutorial on how to achieve natural hair for dolls using pipe cleaners.

I've been wanting to give this "boil perm" a try ever since I read the tutorial a couple of  months ago. I chose three dolls, all recent thrift store finds. They were all in excellent condition and all three had long, straight hair:

Things never quite go as planned at my house, and the doll on the right (green dress) ended up not getting a boil perm. As I was detangling her hair to get her ready for her perm,  I realized she might be a decent "demonstration" doll. I've been approached by a number of people asking me to show them how to cornrow, and I know JJ's activity level and temperament (ahem) may not allow for a live model. I gave her some quick cornrows on the side just to see how they'd look:

Not bad - a little too much scalp showing, but her hair did seem like it would work for demo-ing. Done.

The other two dolls got the full pipe cleaner/boil perm treatment. I switched up my methodology a little to see what worked best.

The dolls, chilin' while their pipe cleaners

METHOD ONE: For the doll on the left I twisted small sections of hair and wrapped the sections in a spiral around the pipe cleaners (see more photos, below). I made 21 sections in total.  

METHOD TWO: For the doll on the right I twisted very, very small sections of hair, and zig-zagged them around pipe cleaners that had been folded in half, as illustrated in the How To Play with Barbies Custom Rotini or Halo Hair post. Their were 58 sections in total. This took about 3 times longer than Method One. 

For both dolls I dipped their heads in boiling water for a slow count of ten and then let them sit for a couple of days because...my life got really busy.

I was very excited to see Dufferin's transformation:

Row 1: D's straight hair, pipe cleaners from two angles (note spiral wrap)
Row 2: Pipe cleaners out, curls in the process of getting separated
Row 3: Amount of hair trimmed, final 'fro, and a headband

 And Ballerina's transformation:

Row 1: B's hair straight, and in zig-zagged pipe cleaners
Inset photos: Immediately after taking pipe cleaners out, pipe cleaners from the back
Row 2: Views of the really big 'fro, and pulled back into a large pony puff

Daddy D thinks I spent waaaay too much time on them. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed every minute of my time playing with barbies! And, most importantly, JJ loves her dolls and their new hair!!

While I'm on the topic of playing with barbies, here's a flashback to Merliah's 4-week collage from the last Protective Style Challenge (spring 2011) at Beads, Braids & Beyond's facebook page:

Twists, braids, bantu knots & knot-out!

And a link to one of my favourite posts at Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care, about using dolls to explain the importance of detangling to young children.


Finally, for some ***stunningly gorgeous*** barbies with natural hair, be sure to check out Natural Dolls by Beads, Braids & Beyond on Facebook.

I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts about dolls, hair, dolls' hair, boil perms, and playing with barbies!  Leave me a comment & let me know what you think...!

Toronto Natural Hair and Beauty Show 2011

It's taken me a while to write about it, but the Toronto Natural Hair and Beauty Show was simply incredible.

JJ and K at the Toronto Natural Hair Show!

I have never seen so many beautiful hairstyles - and so many natural hair products - all in one place. I was too busy taking it all in to remember to take photos, but you can check out these slide shows from the Natural Hair Show website. 

I was literally like a kid in a candy store. I had a very modest budget and spent it very quickly, which was exciting (there's nothing like retail therapy!). But the best part by far was connecting with workshop facilitators and participants, as well as the many vendors. I could go on forever - so I'm going to try to concentrate on favourites:

FAVOURITE VENDORS

The product selection from the people at Honey Fig was amazing. I saw all kinds of products I'd only ever seen in the blogosphere (seriously, click on that link to see the incredible selection!). The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. There is a retail store in Toronto, and Honey Fig will ship their great selection of products to Canada AND the US.  Did you click on that product link yet?

The people from The Natural Beauty Shop were so warm and approachable. They had great information about Hair Analysis and Building a Hair Regimen. They also provide a very unique service - In-Home Natural Hair Consultation Shows - where  they will do a hair analysis and personalize a hair regimen for each guest. A "Hair Party" is DEFINITELY on my to-do list!! 

Finally, the people from i HEART my hair were awesome. Their website is undergoing maintenance and is soon to relaunch, but you can check out the i Heart my hair facebook page here. They were selling these lovely T-shirts:

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=253748768003137&set=pu.103856122992403&type=1&theater

Sadly, I was out of money by the time I reached their booth ): but I hope to buy one of their shirts asap!

FAVOURITE LOCAL FIND

The couple from Eli's Body Shop were unbelievably nice. I spent a lot of time looking at and smelling their wonderful natural products. I got a very good ((off-list)) price on this Organic Shea Oil with Lemongrass. It smells amazing. So far I've used it on JJ's and Daddy D's hair, and am hoping to incorporate this oil (and it's delicious scent) into some of my upcoming homemade concoctions (stay tuned)!!

FAVOURITE NON-LOCAL FIND

Although I've read a lot about Taliah Waajid products I've never seen them in Canada. I asked the vendor at the Taliah Waajid booth what she would recommend for little brother K's multiple curl-pattern 'fro. She suggested the Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier. I wasn't sure, so she convinced me by trying some out right then and there. After a few sprays and a little rubbing, his curls looked refreshed and shiny. I picked up a bottle at a very good price. After checking out this review at Happy Girl Hair once I got home, I transferred the product to a better spray bottle and diluted it with 2 parts water to one part Bodifier. Especially diluted with water I feel this product is a great value and works wonders for K's hair (review with photos coming soon).

FAVOURITE SEMINAR

The day before the event I was reviewing the program. One of the many seminars that caught my eye was this one:

Natural Hair and Natures Waves: A business
Mariam Ibrahim and Donna Kakonge
Did you know hairstyling has always been a major way for black women to earn an income? Mariam Ibrahim who left her government job to start a natural hair business and Donna Kakonge who received funding from the University of Toronto to study natural hair at the doctoral level will share their story.

Participants will learn tips and techniques on how they can use natural hair to finance many of the dreams that they have or turn the art of working in the natural hair care field as a dream in itself. They will also learn the dos and donts of loc maintenance.

I could not believe my eyes! Donna Kakonge is my neighbour and friend! We have spoken many times about many things, and I have often admired her natural hair, BUT I had **no idea** she was facilitating a workshop at the Show AND studying natural hair at a doctoral level!! And she had no idea that I had a little natural hair blog!! It goes to show that sometimes we have resources and connections in our own backyards that we don't know about.

I ran over to her place to share my excitement, but she wasn't home, so I decided I would surprise her by attending her seminar. The kids' nap schedules did not cooperate, so I arrived slightly late for her seminar and snuck in at the back. By the time I got there, the discussion had turned to loc maintenance, which was great since I am a relative newbie at taking care of Daddy D's locs. People started talking more generally about natural hair and hair care, and much to my surprise, Donna saw me and shouted me out in front of the whole group, bigging up my cornrowing skills! Everyone turned to look at me and although I'm sure I blushed a little I was very proud of myself and how far I've come over the last couple years. I mean, I have gone from knowing nothing about natural hair care...to being shouted out by a facilitator at the Natural Hair Show!

FAVOURITE MOMENT

I loved sharing this experience with my family. Big brother took a pass, but Daddy D, JJ and K all came with me. We also ran into our friends Mama L and her gorgeous daughters O and Baby T. Daddy D generously offered to take O, JJ and K so that Mama L and I could ran around and look at products. I loved scanning the room and seeing them all holding hands, checking out the vendors. They got a lot of attention - one big natural with three little naturals in tow! 

O, Daddy D, JJ and K checkin things out

For those of you who haven't yet had the chance to go to a Natural Hair Show in your area, I highly recommend it. It's an incredible way to learn from and connect with others interested in natural hair. And there's so much to see (and BUY)! I can't wait for next year!!

Bye Bye Braids!

The Braid Komb

A while back I picked up this Braid Komb at a local Beauty Supply Store. I had gone in looking for Queen Helene Royal Curl Shaping Creme. Unfortunately, the QH doesn't seem to be anywhere in Canada, but I left with a package of 100 large-barreled black beads, the Braid Komb ($1.99), and change from my $5 bill.

I braided JJ's hair recently with 53 small braids and lots of beads.  I took out the beads using a seam ripper after 6 days, and left the braids in for a few more days. The braids probably could have stayed longer, but I was itching to try out the comb.

I decided to pace myself, because I am not a huge fan of braid removal. I decided to take out only the braids in the back section of JJ's hair while she watched Shrek for the billionth time. She watched, I took out braids, and before we new it, ALL the braids were out (except the cornrows on the side, which I left in). I wasn't keeping a super close eye on the clock, but Shrek is 90 minutes long, so I was pretty happy with that compared to the five or so hours that it took last time I did small braids.

In fairness, I made the braids a bit larger than last time. But the Braid Komb made huge difference. I used the first tooth to insert into the braid and pulled out 2-3 stitches at a time. The angle of the tooth is perfect for this. You can see some action shots of the Braid Komb on the website.  It was super gentle on JJ's hair.

Once the braids were out I spritzed her hair lightly with water and - ta-da! It shrunk right back up into a 'fro.

She rocked the 'fro for a short time, and then (while watching Shrek 2) I put in some flat twists for the week. 

JJ - second week of Kindergarten!

According to the Braid Komb website, online ordering is coming soon.... Meanwhile, I'm **very** pleased with this find (but still desperately seeking the QH creme....).

UPDATE: I stopped into the Braid Komb creator's salon today and met Sharon in person!! I told her that I loved the comb, and she promises to get those online orders going soon....!

Criss Cross Twists - Inspired by Diva Locks

This weekend I didn't have any plan at all about how I was going to do JJ's hair for the week. I usually have some vague idea, but this time - nothing.

I checked out my blogger dashboard for inspiration, which was delivered immediately by one of the amazing blogs I follow:  Diva Locks, where The Diva's talented Hairdresser had created gorgeous criss cross braided ponytails.

I added my own twists to this style - literally. Instead of the braids I did two-strand twists. I also added in some purple yarn, because 1) I had promised JJ a while back that we could try adding some yarn to her twists, and 2) as you may have figured out, I like to experiment.

I started by washing and conditioning JJ's hair, and banded it in 6 sections.

I twisted each section into two two-strand twists and added purple yarn.

halfway done!

halfway done!

I then criss-crossed the twists (see  Diva Locks' post - criss cross braided ponytails for an extremely thorough description).

I ended the twists with beads - adding beads to the ends when they are just yarn seems so much kinder to JJ's ends, allows her to have the bling she craves, and it's so easy to just tie a little knot in the end of the yarn versus using snaps and/or elastics.

THANKS to Diva's Hairdresser at Diva Locks for the inspiration!

And a shout-out to the fabulous Precious for technical assistance with my blog!!!!!!!