As I stated before, my FB page was a blog of sorts prior to the creation of S.I.A.G. Today our journey down memory lane takes us back to April 2011… The twist n curl experiment.
I had been following hair blogs & forums for months, soaking up all the natural hair knowledge I could get my hands on. During my curl reconnaissance, I noticed that CurlyNikki’s Show & Tell: Fierce Friday pics consisted mostly of twist-outs. Apparently TnCs & twist-outs were part of everyone’s style catalog but mine. 😦 At this point I was about 16 months into my transition to natural. I almost always wore (& still wear) my hair in a roller set, so I knew little to nothing about twists. Fortunately, me & Giovanni enjoy trying new things…
First I washed my hair with Elasta QP Conditioning Creme Shampoo. Then I detangled & deep conditioned with Pantene Relaxed & Natural Conditioner Breakage Defense Mask. I baggied my hair & sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes before rinsing w/ cool water. Before twisting each section, I applied a glob of Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner. I sealed my ends using Oyin Burnt Sugar pomade & slicked my edges back w/ Ecostyle Olive Oil gel. I had to use rods on some of the twists, b/c I still had a few permed ends that would not curl. It took me 2-3 hours to create 21 twists.
My hair was soaking wet at the beginning of this process. I sat under the dryer for an hour or so to speed the process along before bedtime. The next morning I set my twists free using organic extra virgin coconut oil. These are the results…
Because I used regular conditioner, instead of a leave-in conditioner (YES, there is a difference) my hair felt very producty & had little to no volume. It was more crinkly than curly, so I wasn’t all that impressed. Then there was day 2 hair…
The experiment ends here. By the end of day 2, it was a hot frizzy mess, so I co-washed & roller set my hair, vowing never to twist it again, LOL! In my opinion, this style took too much time & effort to only last me 2 days. But y’all encouraged me to get back on the horse & my next twist out was PHENOMENAL! The second attempt was made on dry, stretched out hair, using an appropriate styling product in the proper quantity. What else was different? By September I had cut off the last of my permed ends. You wouldn’t think a trim had that much impact, but on naturally curly hair it makes ALL the difference in the world! So to all of you transitioning divas: HOLD ON… a change is gonna come! Growing out your curls/coils is only one part of the process. You also have to learn what to do with them! It can be frustrating, but if you take the time to experiment, you will eventually discover what your hair needs to look it’s best. Happy hair growing, styling & evolving!
Sham I am Glam 
This is a gr8t method Sham…I like goin through my transition &want to perm my hair again :)……I’m almost a yr nxt month…my problem is that my hair is pressed once mth/over & every 2mths a trim & DC…..but how do I control my dandruff & shredding afterward?
A year? That’s great!
Don’t feel bad, it happens to the best of us. How often are you washing? Your dandruff problem could mean that your scalp needs more frequent cleansing… or it could mean that the products you’re using are causing build-up. Then again it IS the middle of winter, so maybe your scalp is just dry & needs a little oil. The only way to find out is to switch up ONE aspect of your routine at a time, until the dandruff stops.
For a fresh start, I take a rattail comb & scratch my entire scalp (to lift the dandruff prior to washing). Then I wash w/ a clarifying shampoo & apply a cocktail of tea tree oil & olive oil directly to my scalp. Then I DC & rinse w/ cool water. WORKS LIKE A CHARM!
You have some superfine hair! It doesn’t look like it with the roller set but wow! I think the wet and dry were both supa dupa ca-yute! You go girl! 🙂
Fortunately it’s dense enough to keep me from looking bald, LOL! UMMM… can I have your puff? Don’t answer right away, give it some thought, LOL!
I love it! super cute. I have always wanted to know how to do maintain your rollor sets so long? Do you re-roll your hair every night? I tried a flexi-set for the first time and fell asleep on the rods (not comfy at all, lol) but my hair didnt last without me rolling every night. They didnt look fresh. What’s your secret?
The ONLY night I slept in the flexi-rods was the night I dry set my hair. It wasn’t uncomfortable to me b/c I only used a dozen or so rods. Check out this post for days 1 & 2, and this post for days 3 & 4. If you scroll thru the pics you’ll notice that on day 1 my curls were the same size as the rods. Everyday after that they got a little bit skinnier. My hair tends to do that, the curls are just trying to return to their natural pattern.
As far as my staple hairstyle (roller set) goes, I typically wrap my hair at night. I know all the manipulation isn’t good for Giovanni, but I’m lazy. The next morning I rake my fingers thru it, twirl a curl or 2 around my finger & head out of the door. It’s wavy/straight-ish for the first few hours of the morning, but by 10am its big & curly again. I can’t pinpoint the exact reason for my longevity, maybe it’s the products I use…? Don’t get it twisted, I do sometimes re-roll at night. Especially when it rains, when my crown gets too frizzy or my nape hair becomes straight.
Did you use a setting lotion/ leave-in conditioner when you roller set your hair? Have you tried wrapping it?
I mainly have done twist outs and I wanted to try something diff so the flexi set was my first time. I haven’t tried a roller set (I too am a bit lazy, lol ok a lot lazy, lol) and I have not wrapped my hair since Dec 2010, lol. I am going to attempt a roller set this month and see how it goes. I have the same routine every week; wash condition, (deep condition 2x a month), oil, leave-in and shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie. Hopefully the same will work for the roller set. I would love to have my hair last a while longer than a week and still look fresh.
Hopefully it will turn out well. Thanks for the suggestions!
Yep It will be a yr Feb 23…I wash my hair every 2 wks & always follow your hairwashing method due to my press my beautican gives me a dry press/lite oil… Ughhh… then I come hm moisturized my hair afterwards lol…But she’ll good & my trim is amazing every 2mths….ima do me a protein treatment every 6 wks since my hair is so thick,long,shredding> Oh I have so much curl pattern ! Lol
By “shredding” do you mean that your hair is shedding (like full strands of hair) or breaking (like tiny pieces of hair)?
Full long strands…..I hardly have pieces due to my hair is over middle of my back now….simce the hairwash on Wednes I have been keepin my scalp & edges grease With Softee Mango Growth Treatment…Gr8t for press & all types of hair !
your twist out looks AMAZING! I love it!
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