I'm not sure what it is. It might be the wonky summer weather. It might be the fact that I haven't been eating as well as I should be. It might be due to the colour job I did on my birthday back in May. It might be stress. I'm not 100% sure where the blame lies just yet - but my hair hasn't been acting right, and it's boring me to tears. This past weekend, I looked myself in the mirror and sighed. I can't do much about the weather. I've started seeing a naturopath to get my body back on track. I'm halfway over this red/blond colour I've got going on.
All that aside, this hair was still on my head, and it was sick of being neglected in a bun or lazy updo. On a night when I could have been out dancing on a table top hanging out with friends, I decided to actually take the time to do a really thorough wash and twist-out - and the results were great!
First, I dry-detangled my hair using my fingers and a wide-tooth comb. This is usually a step that I skip solely for time's sake, but properly detangled hair is the foundation of a great twist-out. I didn't utilize conditioner during this step or do any kind of pre-pooing (treating the hair with various oils prior to washing), but will remember that for next time.
Once my cotton candy 'fro was thoroughly detangled, I jumped in the shower.
Sidenote: I recently had a chat with someone who said their solo drives were their prayer/talk to God/pseudo-meditation time. For me, it's the shower. While I love being pampered by having someone else put their hands in my hair, there's nothing like the clarity I get during a shower where it's just me, the water, and my thoughts. Bliss!
I used a new shampoo and conditioner this go-round. I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of Alaffia Authentic African Soap from Canadian online boutique Love Thy HNS and have been using it as a face wash for the past 2 weeks. The bottle stated that it could also be used as a shampoo, so I tried it out! It has a great tingle and citrus-y scent thanks to the tangerine, orange, and lemongrass essential oils in the mix, and it felt great on my scalp. After my shampoo, I utilized TREsemme's Moisture-Rich Conditioner - a rich product with vitamin E, sunflower, hazelnut, and almond extracts, and great slip. While loaded with conditioner, I brushed through my hair section by section with my Denman brush, pinned it up, and went about my shower.
Products used: Alaffia Authentic African Soap, TREsemme Moisture Rich Conditioner, B.U. Coconut & Vanilla Elixir, Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Styling Custard
To rinse, I turned my dial to the coldest temperature I could tolerate, and rinsed my hair. The verdict is still out on whether cold rinses actually seal your cuticle, reduce frizz, and increase shine as often touted - but my hair loves it. I took the cold rinse a step further and borrowed a move from Tracee Ellis Ross by cold rinsing my entire body:
It’s like the cold water rinse you get when you go to the spa. Yes it’s painful, but here’s the thing that changed my relationship to the pain. That cold water rinse, it’s actually really good for cellulite! [laughter]. Have you ever been to the Korean spas and seen the open fist pounding they do? Well, I will sometimes do that in the shower, under the cold water, across my rear and my legs.
There are apparently some great benefits to cold rinses, and hey - if it's good enough for Tracee, it's good enough for me!
T-shirt dried curls, and my multiple textures! The front bit of my hair is very loose, as is my nape. The middle is a mix of kinkiness and curls of various sizes.
Roots. My colour was on May 10th, and I'm going to have to figure out a new gameplan soon...
Finally, it was time to twist. I moisturized my hair with my B.U. Coconut & Vanilla Elixir, then set about 20 twists using Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Styling Custard. The custard was light, but my twists seemed to dry with a nice hold. I was excited to see the results, so I slept on it overnight then took them down the next day.
Voila!
Three things I learned in this twist-out journey:
1. My new place has horrible lighting for photos. I'm still trying to find my sweet spot.
2. I have to be patient. I like my hair BIG. I tried to ruffle it up a bit, but ended up disturbing the looser curls instead. I have to leave it alone and let it grow into the Day 2 and 3 hair that I love.
3. Every once in a while, my hair needs to get out of its comfort zone with new products, or products I haven't used in a long time. Must. Not. Get. Lazy.
So there you have it! I've been enjoying this twist-out over the past couple of days, so I'm hoping I can stave off the boredom for a while. Fingers crossed...
Do you have a bonafide bomb-ass twist-out or braid-out routine? Let me know what works for you!