Style Card Wednesday!

WASH DAY

Oh! I dread wash day! It's one of those things that must happen yet I dread and hate it so much I always push it till last minute. Now if only wash day meant jumping in the shower, conditioning my hair and calling it a day, I wouldn't hate it so much. But my wash day involves hot oil treatment, deep conditioning, sitting under a hooded dryer for the full effect of deep conditioning (because my hair is a dry circus thanks to postpartum hormones), THEN jumping in the shower, sectioning my hair, detangling, washing section by section, re twisting each section, conditioning each section, rinsing, then applying a leave in conditioner. It used to take me a total of two hours to just wash my hair, that was before I became a mother. But now, I don't have two hours to spend washing my hair!! The most I take in the shower is maybe 45 mins, and even that is pushing it. So I found something that cuts my time in half, and that is sectioning! Washing my hair in sections is so much more convenient than washing it all matted together as one. It also saves me time after getting off the shower because I don't have to deal with major shrinkage and twisting again. For the moment I'm using olive oil deep conditioner which I love but I might have to start using a DIY deep conditioner because my lovely olive oil deep conditioner is so expensive in Germany I'm not willing to shell out 10 Euros equivalent of $14 every two weeks for a deep conditioner. In the states I used to buy it for $3.99, but darn! Things are on another level of expen$ive here!

Hair saturated with Deep conditioner.

Check out the length. Shrinkage is REAL! 

Later,

Roots4LiA.

Procrastination: The PUFF & The REST.

So the day after my failed attempt at getting sick flexirods results, I decided to see what other mess I could create before the much procrastinated wash day! Honestly, I don't even know what I created but in the end I came back to my to go to style, the lovely puff. My hair on this pic is two weeks old, yup, in need of a wash!

My hair is looking dry because I've been slacking with moisturizing, plus it needs to be DEEP Conditioned. #WashDay.

The Puff. 

Don't know what to call this. #Caption it!

My hair has definitely grown! Though Pregnancy is taking whatever is left of it! oh! the breakage! Postpartum hair shedding is REAL! 

Style FAIL: FLEXIRODS!

While on the hunt for a hair steamer on the German Amazon, I came across these flexirods and had to get them! I was eager to try them out because I've seen many naturals on youtube using them with dope results. I have to say that for my first time using them, I was a bit annoyed that they weren't going on the way I wanted them to or maybe my expectation were just a tad bit high or maybe, I did them in a hurry since my Bubba was being extra fussy! In addition, I didn't really give my hair enough time to dry before taking them out so maybe that also contributed to my trial disappointment! I'm definitely going to try them again and see how it goes. In the meantime, peep the pics below.

Hair was still literally wet when I took off the flexirods, as you can see, the results aren't so great! 

Maybe next time I'll get the definition am looking for!

Later, 

Roots4LiA. 

MINI TWSTS, NEVER AGAIN!

Having a newborn and no time to do my hair, I'm always on the hunt for a good protective style that can last me two to three weeks or even four weeks! Of course I jumped straight to youtube to see what styles I could find.  I have always liked mini twist since going natural and I guess when my hair was still a TWA, mini twists were my to go to style. So of course I decided to instal mini-twists, and regretted the decision two hours later because it was already past midnight, and I was functioning on no sleep for almost a week! But still, I was determined to finish! I finally did finish, but my hands and shoulders suffered a great deal! It took me a total of four hours because I had to stop in between to breastfeed my baby otherwise it would've taken less time, but I will not be doing mini twists again for a very long time. I had them in for three weeks, but it was the takedown that literally did it for me. It came to a point where frustration met exhaustion and all i could think of was getting the darn things out of my head. The mini-twists left my hair in knots and the sheer thought of detangling the mess literally gave me hair anxiety.

Shrinkage is a beast! On the other note, my hair has really grown, Past my collar bone! 

For styling, I just gathered them in the middle and added a faux bun! simply and easy. 

After taking them down, my hair was this knotted MESS! I almost wanted to cry detangling this mane, but luckily I have found a new detangling method that has really REALLY saved my sanity! and time!

Later,

Roots4LiA.

Style FAIL: TWIST OUT.

I think the title says its all. For some reason my twists outs never come out as I want them to. They're always pointing into every direction except down! There must be a secret to laying them perfectly down that I'm still yet to discover! Anyways, I guess I'll keep trying! I ended up doing my to go to style when all fails, the puff!

I naturally have thing edges and as you can see, it looks like am balding!#ohwell. 

Later,

Roots4LiA. 

Protective Designs: BANTU KNOTS.

I've been experimenting a lot lately with different protective styles that I can actually do myself. When I was pregnant and couldn't do my own hair, I spent too much ca$h getting my hair braided at the salon, and the thought of spending more than $150 was so painful that I swore to do my own hair once I was done with the pregnancy business. Although I barely get the time to do my hair now that am a mommy, I try my best to find time, sometimes its impossible, but I make sure it's darn possible! For example, the other day I woke up at 4 in the AM to wash my hair, cause this was the time my baby was sound asleep and i knew once he woke up, I could kiss free hot shower and hair washing time goodbye. So you know, I don't mind a little sleep sacrifice for a clean hair! Anyways, I digress. Bantu knots, oh i love em'! They are so simple to do and take me less than half an hour! And the added bonus is: they make my hair look so fly when I take them out! Take a look:

I'm never keen on parting my hair because it stresses me out and I can never get the lines straight. #partitionanxiety
Sometime when I'm just in the house I throw on a scarf and call it a day, but when I have some errands to run, of course the knots come apart! 

I see length! This was after cutting a good inch off because my hair was a split ends circus.   

Later,

Roots4LiA.

LET'S TALK BIRTHDAY & HAIR.

It's my Birthdayyyy! Well it was, yesterday! I had a wonderful time spending time with the best two persons in my life. So let's talk hair! Hair styles, Hair! I was a bit baffled on what style to do, since I didn't feel like taking out my current protective style out only to put another one. #Iaintgotthetime! So of course I took to youtube to get some hairsparation! I stumbled upon a roll and tuck hair tutorial and decided to roll with the one that was LEAST complicated. (Some styles are really easy to create but some youtube hair tutorials are so complicated and long when they could be simple and short. You really have to search deep to find something that can work for you). Anyways, without further ramblings, here are the pics of my roll and tuck, with a braided side.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEE! #lethegoodtimesroll.

Later,

Roots4LiA.

Protective Designs: The HALF MOHAWK.

As you know by now, I'm always trying to come up with some protective style that can push me a week or two! The other day I went on youtube and tried my best to recreate a style one naturalista was rocking. I think my style can come out OK if i didn't have partition anxiety! I can't part my hair for the life of me! Anyways, here it is:

I ended up two strand twisting the back and gathering everything in the middle! It lasted a week before I was bored and had to change it up for my Birthday! 

Later,

Roots4LiA.

Been MIA, Now I'm Back!

Wow!

Haven't posted on here in like forever! The last post I did was a year ago and since then, a lot has happened! Life has happened and it has blessed me with such grand things! 2013 was incredibly an amazing year. My whole life changed, I become a mother to the most beautiful son in the whole entire world. It's been a great journey, learning new things as I go along and adjusting to my new home in Germany. Before I jump to the hair talk, let me just summarize why I've been MIA for a whole year!

1). I was pregnant, gained tons of weight and by nature, did not feel like doing anything hair related for the whole 9 months!
2) I moved to my new home- Germany. (NY you still have my heart!) I love it here, but the natural hair scene is almost nonexistent so of course am still learning where to buy my hair products and currently on the hunt for places to get my hair done.
3) Becoming a mother has left me with absolutely no time to do my hair, heck I barely have time to shower!

I've always heard/read how pregnancy makes your hair grow, how it gives you glowing and shiny hair! WRONG!. Pregnancy left me with severe breakage. Like the depressing kind, the kind of breakage that when you wash your hair, the shower drainage blocks because you're simply shedding too much hair. The amount of hair I've lost is too much, and now at 4 months postpartum, my hair is yet to recover. It's dry, no amount of moisture can do the trick. I'm constantly deep conditioning, moisturizing and sealing, but  my ends are so rough, crunchy, and super dry that I don't know what else to do. I want to switch to deep conditioning once a week instead of every two weeks, but I simply do not have the time. I recently changed my weekly wash regimen so maybe that would do the trick, but for now my thirsty hair is in dire need of some serious moisture!

During pregnancy, I wore my hair in either kinky twists or senegalese twists. I didn't have neither the patient nor the strength to do my hair. When you're pregnant and your back is aching and you're constantly nauseated, throwing up and what not, the last thing on your mind is doing your own hair.


I had these senegalese twists done when I was 8 months pregnant. They lasted me almost three months!

Senegalese Twist.

After the take down, my hair of course was on another level of damage! But I was kind of prepared and expecting the damage because I knew going 3 whole months with a protective style was a recipe for a complete disaster. Split ends, fairy knots, dryness, breakage, you name it, I had it! Check the mess below...

Later.

Root4LiA.