Queen Headwrap Tutorial

Hi loves! It has been a while, how are you guys? I hope all is well and if not, I hope things will look up for you soon. With hopes to brighten your day, I have an easy and super cute headwrap tutorial to share with you.

Today was a terrible hair day for me and we all know that bad hair days mean a bad mood which therefore leads to an overall bad day.

I know most people think that short hair and bad hair days never go together but that's false. My hair was dry, frizzy and just simply not cooperating with me today. Usually I would just wash my hair on days like today but to be honest, I just didn't feel like it. So when all things fail, headwraps will always have my back. They are a tried and true "remedy" for bad hair.

This particular headwrap was inspired by one of my Instagram crushes, Priscilla Amado. Her style is so unique and authentic and her hair is just as amazing. Often times I see her rocking these super big headwraps and always thought that I couldn't accomplish the look because of my super short hair. Well I am happy to say that I thought wrong. I was able to accomplish the look and make it my own with my super short hair.

If you are like me and have shorter hair, you may often struggle with accomplishing cute headwrap and turban styles. I have found that this is because of the fact that the scarf does not have much to work with, therefore it is hard to shape. What made this look easy to accomplish was the use of 2 scarves instead of 1. I used 1 small size scarf and 1 large/extra large scarf-- one on top of the other. The small scarf was used as a foundation for the look which made it easy to wrap the larger scarf around my head with length and a little bulkiness.

To get more details on exactly how I accomplished this quick and easy look, click the link below!

https://youtu.be/Tp3W9KEkCTw

DIY African Black Soap Shampoo

I have been natural for about 4-5 years now and I have no growth to show for it. Not that it has ever truly mattered to me. However, now it's about to be all about the growth. I have decided to start my hair growth journey, again. I feel like the change is needed for many reasons but mainly because I want to fully embrace my culture and my hair is a big part of that culture (we can discuss this topic in detail at a later date).

So now I've decided to grow my hair back, whats next? Well, to me the best way to jump start my journey is by providing my hair with natural ingredients that it needs and loves. After doing a lot of research on 100% natural hair care products, I soon realized that I could create an entire hair regimen at home for my naturally curly hair. Thus, the creating began.

First, I wanted to start by creating a shampoo since my hair is still very short and there is no real curl pattern coming through. At my current hair length, I wash my hair about every 3 days (that will change as it starts to grow). Before I was using a non-organic shampoo and conditioner but as mentioned, I feel the need to start making the transition to healthier products now if I plan to grow healthy curls in the future. 

With that being said, I found a easy recipe that contained pretty much all of my favorite ingredients for hair and scalp care. My hair and skin love African Black Soap infused in oils because you get all of the benefits of the detoxifying soap without the dryness. And who doesn't love that. I cannot tell you if your hair will love this shampoo but I think it is worth a try. 

Ingredients:

100% Pure African Black Soap

Distilled Water

Jojoba Oil

Vitamin E Oil

100% Pure Vegetable Glycerin 

Tea Tree Oil

Peppermint Oil

Rosemary Essential Oil

Argan Oil

Lavender Essential Oil

Start by cutting small shavings of the African Black Soap and placing them into a mason jar. The smaller the shavings the better. Next, boil the distilled water and let sit for a few minutes until it gets to room temperature. Once the water is no longer too hot to touch, place 1 cup of water into the mason jar with the African Black Soap shavings. Cover the jar and let it sit until the shavings begin to dissolve. 

Once your soap is somewhat dissolved, add in your oils. I put 1.5 tbs of Jojoba Oil, 1 tbs of Vitamin E Oil, 1 tbs of Vegetable Glycerin, 10 drops of Argan Oil, 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil, 10 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil, 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and 10 drops of Peppermint Oil. Mix everything together and cover the jar. Let the mixture settle in for about 2 hrs before use.

This shampoo is packed with so much goodness to keep your scalp clean, soothed and your hair soft and lively (although this mixture will leave your hair soft, it is recommended that you follow up with a moisturizing conditioner).

So now you have a new organic shampoo that you made right at home. You know exactly what's in it because you controlled the ingredients. Your hair and scalp will thank you in the long run. If you try it out, let me know what you think. And as always, I will share my own thoughts on this shampoo soon.

-patiencetamarra

Why I Cut My Hair

 

Hello beautiful people. I hope you all are enjoying your week thus far. Today I felt that it was appropriate to share with you why I decided to cut my hair off. I have always been one to like shorter hair on myself but this is the shortest I have ever gone. There were many factors leading up to this decision. First, I want to give you all a bit of background on my hair journey. Most specifically my natural hair journey.

 

My hair has been in its natural state for about 5 years now. I decided to revert back to my natural hair during the summer before my junior year in high school. Before that, my hair was permed since about elementary school. I battled with thin hair throughout middle and high school because of the perm. It had slowly damaged my hair and it became unmanageable for me.

 

I began seeing a huge trend amongst black women during that time of change in high school. They all seemed to be reverting back to their natural hair. The hair they were born with. I fell in love with this trend but I had no idea what my hair was capable of. I never really saw my hair in its natural state before but I was eager to see the change. Thus, I did my first big chop and I absolutely loved it.

 

Now to fast-forward a few years, I began struggling with my natural hair. I found myself constantly comparing my natural hair texture to the natural hair "gurus" on YouTube and Instagram. I felt that people glorified their hair and I tried so very hard to manipulate my hair to resemble theirs. I began following several motivational or inspirational natural hair Instagrams and blogs. I began seeing another trend amongst these "inspirational" blogs. Most of their natural hair pics did not inspire me. It was as if they only focused on one type or texture of hair. The hair that was seen as "good hair".

 

This is when I began to doubt my natural hair texture. I began to see it as an ugly flaw. I started comparing myself to other people within the natural hair community that were constantly being glorified for their "good hair". This began to weigh on me heavy. To the point were I focused each day and each second of my day on my hair. I worried about how my hair looked, how other people looked at me and my hair and more. I even tossed and turned at night thinking of different ways to manipulate my hair so that it could be glorified to. I can't truly explain why this became so important to me but it did and I began to lose focus on what made me beautiful.

 

After much reflection, I felt that it was time to cut my hair. This to me was my way of taking back my power. I find that I often hold too much importance to hair and makeup. We all do and I do not want that to be so. I hope that my story can somehow inspire you all to embrace the beauty of you and to be brave enough and strong enough to see that you are incomparable.

 

Embrace all of the beauty that is you!

Twist Out with SheaMoisture

 

Hi my loves! I hope you all are enjoying the start of Mother's Day weekend. I love this time of year-- the flowers, the warmer weather and the beautiful scenery throughout the day. However, my hair does not like this time of year as much as I do. In the spring and summer I have such a hard time retaining moisture and keeping my hair manageable. I know this is odd as most people have this issue in the fall and winter. My hair has a mind of its own. I find myself doing more protective styles in the spring and summer to allow my hair to get as much moisture as possible and to make styling so much easier.  One of my favorite hairstyles to do is a two-strand twist out. If you all are unfamiliar with the term, a twist out is done by twisting your hair with moisturizing products on wet or dry hair and allowing the hair to set for loose curls. My hair is at an awkward stage so my twist outs often times do not come out how I would like but for the purpose of this post, I wanted to share with you all the products I use to obtain my best twist out results.

 

I first start by cowashing my hair with the Trader Joes Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner and deep conditioning my hair using the SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. My hair loves this conditioner! It leaves my hair super moisturized and sleek. I then begin the twisting process after rinsing my deep conditioner out. Before twisting, be sure to section your hair in whichever way you plan to wear it. I chose a side part as you can see. I use only one product which is the SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque to twist my hair while sealing with a light oil mixture. I use bobby pins to hold down my roots which also allows my twist to stretch a bit. The next morning, my twist are dry and ready to be taken down.

 

The Take Down



Hot Oil Treatment

 Hi there! It has been so long since I updated you all on my hair so I figured now was the time. As you all know, I had box braids installed to protect my hair the past 2 months. I missed my hair a lot during that time but I absolutely loved my braids. They were super easy to manage. When I took my hair out, I had a lot of shedding. My hair felt a little dry and brittle so I knew I would need to give it some extra tender-loving-care for the next few days to rejuvenate it back to health. To start the process, I did an over night hot oil treatment and deep condition. The photos above are days 2-4 of my wash and go hairstyle after this overnight treatment. The wash and go is my favorite hairstyle and as I preserve it throughout the week, my hair gets bigger and fluffier. To achieve super soft and super fluffy hair I do 1 hot oil treatment a week. Using the below products.

I use two different oil mixtures for my treatment. In a glass container/bowl I put in hot water. I use the color applicator bottle for the oil mixture. I put the applicator bottle in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. While waiting, I section my hair into 4 sections. I then distribute the oil all over my dry hair and do a light detangling session. I make sure that my ends are coated in oil as they are the most sensitive. I wrap my hair into bantu knots and place a plastic cap over it. The treatment stays in my hair for 45 minutes and then I proceed with the remainder of my wash routine. It is that easy. This treatment leaves my hair super soft, bouncy and fluffy.

Love and embrace your natural hair!

2014 Favorites!

 Hi guys! I know I am super late with this blog post but I have been wanting to rave about these products for quite some time. These products have been my holy grail for 2014. They consist of beauty, skin care and hair care. I love sharing my favorite products with you all because you guys constantly ask about my skin and hair. So lets get right to it!

SKIN CARE

I have finally found my saving grace! Thanks to some research and my VA Dermatologist I have finally found a skin care regimen that works for me. My skin is always giving me problems but since using these new products for the year of 2014  my skin has cleared up. My skin care regimen is very simple. I use the jojoba oil from Trader Joe's as a makeup remover. I know it may sound weird but it truly works! I use the Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser twice a day to cleanse my skin. The vitamin E oil is used as my moisturizer. This leaves my skin super soft and glowing. I included a photo of my skin freshly washed and moisturized this morning without makeup for you guys :)

BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Now for the fun. I have been loving these beauty products so much! I am not one to wear makeup everyday but when I do it is VERY minimal. These products include the NYX Shine Killer primer, Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade, Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow, Bare Minerals Well-Rested concealer powder, and Maybelline Fit Me foundation stick. All of these products have been used in the above photo. I also used my favorite foundation- Bare Minerals Pure Brightening Serum Foundation. These products give me a natural glow that I absolutely love. If you are looking to try out a natural make up look, I would definitely recommend all of these items. 

HAIR CARE

Lastly is my new hair care regimen. It really isn't a new regimen but I have added a few new products to my old regimen. The Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque has been a great product for my weekly deep conditions. I mix this masque with my African Royale Hot Six Oil and section my hair. I leave the deep condition in my hair for about an hour under a shower cap. The Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-In-Conditioner is my favorite product to revive any old hair style. I literally just spray my hair with this and shake or scrunch my curls and go. It is super easy and it smells amazing! I also have been loving the Hairfinity hair vitamin pills. I have been using them for quite some time but I need to seriously rave about them! I am sure you all have noticed the tremendous growth of my hair the past few months. Most of my growth is due to the hair vitamins, consistency with my hair regimen and drinking lots of water. I encourage you all to try them out if you are looking for fast healthy hair growth. 

Well, that includes all of my 2014 favorites. I will be using all of these products in 2015 as well but if anything changes in my regimens I will be sure to share them with you! I have included links to all of the products mentioned if you all are interested. 

Talk to you soon!

4 ways to style Box Braids

 

Style 1: Side Ponytail

Easy to do. You just need a hair tie! Start by pulling all of the braids to the front of your head. Then move the braids to whichever side you prefer. Once the hair is tied, grab 3 to 4 braids and wrap them around the hair tie to hide it.

 

Style 2: Left Eye

This is my favorite style. No styling tools are needed. Just simple sweep most or all of the braids to on side of your head for a very chic look.

 

Style 3: Side Swept Ponytail

To accomplish this look you will need just one hair tie. You use the same technique for the side ponytail but leave some braids out in the front of your head. Take the braids that are left out of the ponytail and sweep them to the side of your head (whichever side you prefer). After you have a nice swoop in the front, wrap the ends around the hair tie in the back. 

 

Style 4: Top Knot

This is the most effortless look and everyone loves a good top knot. There are many different ways to do a top knot with box braids.  For this style I simply put all of my braids into a ponytail. I split the ponytail in 2 sections and began wrapping one side around the hair tie. Take the other side and do the same.You can play around with how you wrap the braids around the hair tie to accomplish your desired look.

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Update on my hair:

I also wanted to include a super quick update on how I have been maintaining my hair. I have had my braids in for 2 weeks so far and they have been holding up pretty well. My hair is very silky and soft so I already have a lot of fuzzes and hair coming out of my braids. I have been oiling my braids and my scalp daily with African Royale Hot Six Oil to ensure that my natural hair is moisturized. I plan to use an ACV rinse for build up this week. I am not sure how much longer these will last but I am hoping at least a month! But we will see :)

My New Hair Inspiration

Hey guys! I was newly introduced to an amazing natural hair model. Paula Almeida is a Brazilian model who is widely known for her gorgeous natural hair. She has been modeling for quite some time now. I was reading a magazine and stumbled across her photo and fell in love. As I have always battled with my natural hair texture it is always great to see models rocking their natural hair.
I always wanted my hair to be curlier. After high school, I finally realized that I had to love and embrace my hair for what it really was. I have type 3C/4A hair. If you are not familiar with hair typing, this basically means I have a mixture of kinky and curly hair. Paula Almeida has basically the same texture as mines. When I first went natural I had no idea what to do with my hair. I literally just left it alone for the first few months. Once it began to grow out, I started to experiment with twist outs and bantu knots. I enjoyed my hair but I always felt that it was too "different". Now that I am older, I understand my hair more and I am not afraid to rock it!

When I see beautiful models with natural hair it makes me so proud. Proud that we are now very acceptable and proud of being different. Embracing our natural hair takes courage and dignity. Paula Almeida is a great inspiration for those who are doubting their natural hair journey. Don't give up, it is definitely worth it!

Follow her:
https://twitter.com/Paula_Almeida
http://instagram.com/itspaulaalmeida

Stay Naturally Beautiful!