Favorite Hair Style

This is my favorite transitioning hair style but it just takes the longest time to acheive. That's why I tried Bantu Knots. I saw it on this youtube video.

This picture was taken the first time I did this style on 04/01/09. I have to say..not to bad for my first time.

Now I didn't use everything in the video and I did this after washing my hair. But I think the main point was moisture since you will have to sit under the dryer.

This is what I did:

• Co-Washed my hair with what I had at home. Nothing spectacI can't remember now b/c I've changed conditioners a few times.
  

Hair should be damp but not dripping wet.

Next I did:

• Tui Hair Oil - Carol's Daughter. I used about a quarter size. Rubbed it thru my hair concentrating on the crown (my driest part).
• Therapeutics Rx Leave-In-Design Essentials. I used a little more than a quarter size and rubbed it thru my hair. Again concentrating on the crown.
  
• 15-20 Medium size perm rods. You can use whatever size you want here. I just haphazardly picked up 2 bags when I was at the beauty supply store. The bigger the perm rods the less you'll need. But it doesn't hurt to pick up a few bags. I find that the plastic piece on the end tends to break off. So, you may need extra.
• Detangle hair!!! I haven't invested in a detangler product but the ones I listed above seem to work fine for me.
  

When I first started doing this, I used a comb to section my hair and section the pieces. However, this is NOT necessary. Use your natural combs (your fingers) to get the hair you need.

Do a two strand twist and wrap around the rods. Once you have all the hair rolled, it will look similar to this.

You'll have to sit under the dryer for a while or do this early enough in the day you're off work and let it air dry. Once dry....


Now, all you need to do is open your curls to get the full curly fro affect. I take Tui Hair Oil again and rub it thru my hair when it's like this and start opening the curls. No comb needed!

I still hadn't found an easy way to sleep with this style, besides going thru the process again. However, instead of co-washing, I use a spray bottle filled with Distilled water, Rosemary EO, Spearmint EO & Tea Tree EO. Rosemary is supposed to aid in hair growth so that's why I use that. The Spearmint masks the Rosemary smell (really don't want to smell like Italian food!) and Tea Tree is an antifungal (no moldy water!).

My hair comes out soft and silky. I love the curls.

Bantu Knots

So, I’ve finally figured out how to do Bantu Knots after a few weeks of trying. The problem is, I never get the consistency I want. One day, they’re perfect, the next I’ll have to do some kind of funky updo to conceal the mess that is my hair!!! Today is that day. I was doing 2 strand twists with perm rods every night. But that took up so much time, that Bantu knots would be a better option. But, with this hot mess on my head, I may go back to the 2 strand twists.

I’m 4 months into my transition and I have about 1 inch of new growth. Although, it seems like I have more than that in the crown area. Everyday, I rehydrate my hair to make it more manageable. I have a 12oz spray bottle filled with Distilled Water, 20 drops of Rosemary EO and 20 drops of Lemon EO. That area being the hardest to comb thru! It works out o.k. I get some breakage and my hair is dry in the morning. So I tried something different.

After watching several youtube.com clips, I saw several people talk about Vegetable Glycerin (I always think of Nitroglycerin when I think of it..not the same). Well, Vegetable Glycerin is supposed to make your hair soft and keep it moisturized. Since I need moisture, I picked up a 32 oz bottle from the health foods store for $20. One video on YouTube said that it should be a 75/25 ratio in your spray bottle. That’s 75% water and 25% vegetable glycerin. That’s what I did last night.

I lightly sprayed my hair, combed it thru and did my Bantu knots. I blow dried the knots a lil and tied my hair up. I woke up this morning and took out my knots and some were still damp. But, my hair is definitely softer!!!! Not only is that, but my curls in my natural hair are more open and loose. I just wish I had more than an inch…