GET THE BEST TWO STRAND TWISTS--NO MATTER THE LENGTH OR THICKNESS

HOW TO POSITION 2 STRAND TWISTS NO MATTER THE LENGTH OF YOUR HAIR

I get a lot of questions about two strand twists and hair length. I understand that there will be challenges with the execution of 2 strand twists on fine hair, shorter lengths, looser coils, etc. Over the next 30 days, we will research using different techniques on different types of hair.

Since 2 strand twists are my absolute favorite style, I will be honored to conduct my various experiments and see if we can come up with solutions for different coil patterns/density/thickness.

I want to start by explaining exactly how I do my two strand twists--no matter the length:

FIRST: I love to do my two strand twists on freshly cleaned (amla paste mix) hair/scalp. This is mainly to prepare the scalp for longer lengths of time without a proper massage during wash. When I wear my hair (not in twists), I will not hesitate during the week to dunk my hair under water and massage with the balls of my fingertips when I shower.


SECOND: Most of the time I stretch my hair in preparation for 2 strand twists. I do this by braiding my hair into about 6-8 plaits overnight after a wash/conditioning. Occasionally I will blow dry for a stretch, but not often (only because I get lazy). If I do blow dry it, I use the tension method (blow drying on damp hair while stretching out the coils in sections by holding it taught with my hand or a tool. Running the blow dryer swiftly back and forth). I DON'T BLOW DRY STRAIGHT. I WANT THE TEXTURE AND FULLNESS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WITH FINER/SHORTER LENGTH HAIR.

THIRD: I moisturize with a creamy product and seal with oil. I'm still experimenting with products, and staying away from shea butter/shea butter products. I find that shea butter starts out nice for me, but tends to block my moisture attempts (water) later on. I can't afford that, as I use two strand twists primarily as a way to keep moisture on my hair.  

FOURTH:  I section my hair into about 10 two strand twists (or small buns) and put all of them into a ponytail (not the buns of course). Then I will pull down one of the two strand twists (usually I start from the back), moisturize that a little more (focusing on the ends), and then start on that section with a diagonal part. Parting my hair diagonally helps to ensure that my scalp does not show. I do not like scalpy two strand twists or box braids. It's likely that scalp will show if the hair is parted straight across. Sometimes the parts are not "staggered", and that causes scalp to show.

FIFTH: After I do a diagonal part, I don't part with a tool again until the next row. Within that section, I pull a section with my thumb and pointer finger. I guess on the sizing based on how I want my twists to look. The size that you do will be very important based on the thickness of your hair. Finer hair, I believe that finer hair will benefit from smaller sized twists in an effort to create a thicker look of MANY twists. However, don't do the twists too fine! You will know it's right when you see it! If the twists are done bigger, then the fine hair will be apparent.

SIXTH: Working in sections, I repeat the process. While twisting each twist, I am directing my twist in the way I want it to fall. For instance, if I want a twist to fall forward towards my forehead, I will need to begin the first twist on that strand in that direction. If I twist it while heading the twist back towards my crown, then the twist will not lay forward-it will lay back.

SEVENTH: I make my diagonal parts in the direction that I want my twists to lay/stack later. For instance, if I want a part at my hairline that goes straight back, then I will need to make that part and then twist all of the twists in that row towards the back as well . If I also want an alternative to that side part (like a middle part), I make that as well. Later when I go to style my hair, I always have a few different part options.

Two Strand Twists on Medium/Long Length Hair

Two Strand Twists on Short/Medium Length Hair

No matter the thickness, coil pattern, length, or any other hair varieties you may have going on--two strand twists are definitely a great option for growing long length hair. They are also a great styling option for the corporate office, and on the playground. Sit tight, as we will explore and demonstrate ways to achieve two strand twists that you will fall in love with.      -tia

Want to See ANOTHER Twisted Style done on Kay? Check us Out on FACEBOOK at: http://www.facebook.com/AngelsRinglets?ref=hl#!/AngelsRinglets

Moisturized Two Strand Twists Using EDEN BODY WORKS PRODUCTS!

Hey All!

I hope every one's day is going GREAT! It's all good here...so far LOL.

I've been getting really lazy with my hair. I used to be so "on the ball" about steam treatments and cute styling, as well as protective styling. I was always ready to do the 6 hour (broken up into 2 days) sit down and twist up. Not so much lately. 

But I've started a set of small sized twists! It's going good so far. I think I'm almost halfway through (I hope).

I started with the back section and worked my way up. I know, I probably should start with the front and work my way around the edges, but I can't make sense of it that way. How I styled it here, I just did about 10 twists in the front and braided them into a sort of headband around the sides. Between that and the headband, no one will be any wiser about the foolishness going on up in there (except you now).

2 Strand Twists Halfway Done, Front Section Done In Bigger Twists

I went to Sally's Beauty Supply the other day to browse around. I don't know why I do that, because I always complain that they got all the toxic products up in there. WELL, they must have heard my muttering...or maybe everybody started complaining, but they now have an actual section with all natural products (or close to all natural). I purchased 3 products from a line that appears to actually be ALL NATURAL, or have all natural ingredients. 

I bought the EDEN Body Works Conditioner, Hair Milk, and Hair Oil. They come in peppermint tea tree scent. They actually have tea tree as an ingredient, so it tingles your scalp and helps rid of any itching.

I used the Conditioner as a deep treatment and kept it under a plastic cap overnight. Good stuff. My hair stopped itching, and I think it helped me get my scalp situated (I have dry scalp issues). My hair was soft the next day. Since this is not the actual product review, I will stop there. I used the conditioner to prep/deep condition my hair for the twists that I'm putting in now.

I used the Hair Oil in combination with the conditioner to sit on my scalp and hair shaft overnight. It was a great decision, as it seemed to help add to the softness! I put it straight on my scalp, and it helped refresh my scalp.

I used the Hair milk to coat my hair before my twists. So far so good. I'm liking the shine, luster, and softness. I'll just wait for the review! Hahaha

EDEN Body Works Conditioner, Hair Milk, & Hair Oil

Free Beach Bag with Qualifying Purchase From Sally's Beauty Supply

Great deals going on at Sally's! I hope I haven't shared too late, but you can probably check on their website. I purchased the 3 products and got this sweet, nice sized beach bag for free!! So basically I spent $33.00 and got a bag (valued at around $26.00) for free. NOW THAT'S A DEAL! Especially since I wanted to try the products anyways. I don't think the free bag was limited to the EDEN Body Works products, I think they were promoting their natural hair product lines, and the purchase of any 3 (mix and match between lines) would qualify. CHECK IT OUT!

HOW TO GROW & KEEP LONG LENGTH RELAXED HAIR! CONTEST WINNERS

FROM THE DESK OF ANGEL'S RINGLETS BEAUTIES.......
HOW TO GROW AND MAINTAIN LONG RELAXED HAIR!

We want to thank everyone who participated in this contest! We received so many excellent comments that we are sure will be a great resource to anyone looking for lots of information on how to grow long relaxed hair. We noticed that most of the care requirements for long, healthy relaxed hair are pretty much the same for growing long, natural hair.

CONTEST PARTICIPANTS: Please check below this post for the winners names, and how to claim your prize!

• Relax My Hair every 5 to 6 months: This is referred to as "stretching". Typically, you will be instructed by a hair care professional to relax your hair somewhere between every 6-10 weeks. T & I used to go to the hairdresser for a relaxer once every 10 to 12 weeks. Sometimes we were told that we waited too long. WHY stretch 5 to 6 months? At 6 months, you could have 3 inches of unprocessed hair. That's enough new hair growth to apply the chemicals safely without overlapping. Overlapping leads to thinner (double processed) hair, which can and probably will be easily broken sooner or later.
• theprfktangelful says "My best relaxed hair care practice is to relax properly such as not leaving it on too long or letting it burn your scalp which could lead to permanent damage and breakage, impeding hair growth and retention.
• "T" encourages ALL to "tex lax", a process where the relaxer chemical is not left on the hair long enough to make it "bone straight", it simply "loosens" up the curl. This will allow for thicker hair with more strength to withstand everyday wear and tear, thus resulting in longer lengths.
• Reduce Heat Use: Every Wash day I used to blow dry and flat iron. What I could have done instead was air dry mostly, and then use the flat iron. An even better option was to air dry partially, moisturize and do a braid out or twist out. Roller sets are a great option for using a different type of heat (indirect). Any time heat is used, don't forget to use heat protectant. Don't low dry from soaking wet, allow to dry partially. Add oil to the heat session (i.e. grapeseed oil, avocado oil).

• MIMI MACKAY said: "Protective styling and minimum usage of heat I believe are the best practices for relaxed, natural, or in-between. It allows your hair to grow because you aren't doing too much damage. Heat used to dry out my relaxed hair so bad, but I kept using my flat iron everyday! It left my hair dull and limp after too much abuse!"

• Oil before washing with shampoo (pre poo or hot oil treatment): Traditional Indian hair care encompasses oil from scalp to ends prior to using a cleanser (or simply just to oil). The oil serves as a buffer to hair against harsh cleansing agents. A pre conditioner can also do this. This step will help protect the hair ends!

• Trim only as needed: If your ends are now being taken care of, then there's no reason for a trim every time you go to get a relaxer. Did you ever go the get your hair relaxed (all excited about the new hair growth and anticipating the new longer length gain) only to have your beautician chop off 2'' of hair? Well if you got your hair relaxed every 6-8 weeks, the beautician would have cut off more than you even grew.

• Moisturize hair focus on ends: WATER!! We didn't use to put water on relaxed hair. Frankly it took too long to dry. It was mushy. But research shows that relaxed hair enjoys the benefits of moisturizing with water and holding that water in with oil. Moisturizers that are water based are great! Can you flat iron relaxed hair & moisturize? Yes. You can use lightweight water based moisturizers and seal with oil. Some people use straight up oil (rumor says that coconut oil is a moisturizer?)
• • mkupmstrss73 says: "I think that if I had known about moisturizing and sealing in that moisture, I would have done better being relaxed".

• Low Manipulation: Combs/Brushes, combined with dry, heated hair ensured that my ends would be on the floor daily. Wrapping, roller sets, maintaining your style with as little manhandling as possible. Some people have opted to throw away their combs and brushes! Relaxed hair can be styled with fingers and the palms of your hands at times.  

• Deep Condition/Protein Treatment & Balance: ayitah69 said: "conditioning the hair and doing a protein treatment at least once to twice per month. I would say deep conditioning every other week or once per week also helps.  Wearing hair in a wash n go during the warm months with alcohol free gel, and using a variation of the curly girl method."

•  mkupmstrss73 said: "I think that if I had known about moisturizing and sealing in that moiture, I would have done better being relaxed. I also know that I used way too much heat along with overprocessing my hair on a monthly basis for years. I relaxed every 30 days faithfully and that was too much".

AND THE WINNERS ARE....................

1) Annette
2) SC


AND COMMENTS THAT WERE SELECTED, BUT HAVE TO MEET FULL REQUIREMENTS FOR PRIZE REDEMPTION:

3) Dshawn4
4)MIMI MACKEY
5) HOTMOMC

Winners: PLEASE PROVIDE CONTACT US: FREEBIES@UNTAME.TV

Swimming Hair Care- How to Remove Chlorine: SwimSpray Product Review

SWIMMING ESSENTIAL HAIR CARE: SWIMSPRAY PRODUCT REVIEW

SwimSpray Product Review: Every Summer, we do not like getting out of the pool. We know that's when the real work starts. "Which section of my hair has knotted up?”  I've tried a few shampoos (there aren't many on the market), but they all seem to have the same dangerous ingredients. In addition to that, they left my hair feeling dry, which is exactly what the chlorine did. 

This year, it was important for me to avoid all of the terrible things the chlorine does to our hair (dry, ashy, breaking, tangled, discoloration like green or orange hair, brittle, broken ends..I can go on). We've had so much progress with the health and length of our hair that we refuse to lose our length because we swim in a chlorinated pool weekly! 

After some research, I found out that vitamin C is well known to remove chlorine. I figured I would squeeze some oranges onto our hair, but thought twice about the possible tangle problems. I did some online research and came across the SwimSpray website. They offer a product containing 2 simple ingredients:

 1) Water and

2) Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

That caught my attention right away. Ingredients I can pronounce, and that I know! I contacted the company, asked them if I would be able to sample and review, and they agreed to send us some samples (enough to use effectively). After 2 weeks of DAILY use (the little one had a swim class), we are able to report to you our findings.

Product Claims [according to website]:

SwimSpray Product Claims: "Tired of smelling like chlorine?  SwimSpray removes chlorine after swimming."

·         For your hair & skin

·         100% natural

·         Fragrance-free 

SwimSpray helps…

·         prevent chlorine from bonding to your hair and skin

·         neutralize chlorine on your body, skin, and swimwear

·         get rid of the chlorine smell

The Verdict:

After 2 weeks of using this product daily on coily type hair, I am simply impressed. I used it as a cleanser (to rid of the chlorine), and it did just that. Better yet, it didn't cause a stripped feeling, dryness, or the need to use a conditioner afterwards. I think that's pretty amazing news, especially for curly hair! Drama free hair that was tangle free, felt soft, remained conditioned after styling, was easy to use, and helped make hair care after swimming very easy. 

Recommended Use: After swimming, rinse off in the shower (skin and hair). Next, spray SwimSpray on your hair and skin. Then shower normally with your favorite shampoo or soap (Rinse off the SwimSpray from your hair and body).

How we Use it: After swimming, I used a spray bottle containing conditioner, oil and water (milkshake consistency) to saturate her hair. I finger detangled approximately 6 sections. (On day one, I did a thorough detangle with a paddle brush).

Next, I placed her in the shower, rinsed out the conditioner mix, and sprayed the SwimSpray product on the sections. I used my hands to ensure even distribution throughout the hair shaft. I left this on until I bathed her, then rinsed.

This product is stated to remove chlorine from the body as well, so it was ideal to have the product rinse from her hair onto her body. After rinsing out the SwimSpray product, I put an oil of my choice (avocado oil) on her hair, put it into 4 plaits, and her wash session was done! This process took about 25 minutes each night (bath and hair together). 

NOTE: Because this product is Vitamin C, you may experience slight tingling (she only reported tingling on 1 area where she may have had a cut). Avoid contact with eyes.

After a Day in the Pool

After Conditioner Detangling and SwimSpray

Next Day Styling for School, Ready to Swim Again!

Will We Purchase this Item?

Let's just put it this way.....Our Summer hair care arsenal will not be without SwimSpray! We need this product to maintain the health and length of our hair after swimming in our chlorinated pool.

Cost:

For a 2.0 fl. oz the price is $8.95. I've paid less for products that do nothing but make the situation worse. I don't mind paying to avoid tangles! A little goes a long way, so a 2 oz bottle could last 1 person about a month. We used it daily for 2 weeks straight, most people will probably only need to use it about 3 times a week--if that.

Promotion: For a limited time, use discount code UnTamed and get 10% off of your Swimspray purchase. Click Here

Awesome Blogger Award Recipient is...ME!

Congratulations to An Angel's Ringlets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to thank Slimwavy for giving me the Awesome Blogger award! It's taken me a minute to compile 7 about myself things that I can safely share with you beautiful readers, but here goes something!

1. I'm a huge fan of the ID Channel, which makes complete sense since my undergraduate degree is in psychology, with a specialized love for the study of abnormal behavior. I was the girl who wanted to interview people like Ted Bundy.

2. I love to travel. I've hopped pretty much all of the Caribbean Islands, and spent a month in Africa (Liberia). Anywhere coastal intrigues me. I am drawn to the ocean in a major way. It calms me, so you'll quickly find me anywhere with a coastline.

3. I love music (specifically the use of instruments)! That may sound strange, but with the artists who are using production that is synthesized, it is rare to hear music with a real orchestra, acoustic guitar, or piano keys.  That's why I appreciate producers like Ryan Leslie, artists like Jay Z, and there are a few others who will not hesitate to throw an actual live orchestra into their production, or to sing alongside an acoustic guitar, or to throw in a full marching band (and if you have been around instruments like I have, then you will know the difference when you hear it)! I have played in concert and marching bands. I love all instruments (except the oboe and trombone?) and have tinkered with the flute, clarinet, and piano. I "play by ear" and can pretty much copy a tune.

4. I drive like a race car driver. I probably should have done race car driving as a hobby. It's not intentional, and I do it safely (I do have kids LOL), but it's just how I drive.

5. I'm afraid of heights. I scream upon takeoff and landing in anything less than a 747 airplane. It's the kind of scream that makes other passengers stare, but I don't care. I don't let it stop me from travelling, I'm well known for taking a "sedative" before takeoff, and halfway through I will have a glass of wine or an individual size Baileys. This seems to be one fear that is not corrected by "facing it".

6. I'm a published writer with articles in criminal justice journals. My writing has gotten kind of sketchy and suspect of recent. Writing is certainly one of those "use it or lose it" things. My love of reading fuels my ability to write, so when I slack off on my reading....it shows!

7. I LOVE to spend time by myself. When I don't get alone time, I get really cranky and will stare at anyone in my "alone space" for a while, without speaking. Most of my friends are the opposite, they can't stand to spend time alone. I think it's really important to like yourself. If you can't or don't want to spend time with yourself, there may be a reason.  I'm one of my best friends!

And for the grand finale, I will award the awesome blogger award to 7 of the following wonderful bloggers who's written words I look forward to daily:

Curly In Colorado  You'll enjoy hair plus more (I'm considering planting my  own food thanks 2 her)
For the Fabulous and Frugal True to it's title, you'll learn how to save some bucks on haircare
I DID IT My pricelessly professional personal organizer! I love this blog!!!
Relaxed Hair Health Resourceful information about haircare (no matter if you're relaxed or not)
SRose Blog College student's perspective on natural hair care and college life
This Hair of Mine Keep abreast of meet-ups, giveaways, and haircare tips!
SammyWithTheBigHair  This fledgling blogger shares so much haircare info & experiences!

Congratulations to you all, and thank you for the daily or weekly dose of priceless information and even some laughs!!