Come on lets twist again...again :)

Yes!! As you can tell by the title,the twists are back!! I had been in my hair for a whole week,so it was about time.
Here's the rundown of what went down (ha ha):

•Sunday night I began finger detangling using my 'strumming' technique (I will try to do a post on this when its time to take these down) then continuing the stretch I put the finished section in a bantu knot. I wasn't able to finish that night,so Monday morning I jumped back in it & ended up with 4 bantu knots.
• Around 3:30pm I started twisting,took a 30min dinner break :) & finished at 7:50pm

So it took me about 4hrs 30mins to complete this set,which is like WOW because I was thinking it would take me anywhere between 6-8hrs. I believe what sped up the process this time around was the fact that my hair was stretched & detangled a good bit. Doing these twists on hair that is not detangled very well can easily put 4hours on the time it takes to twist.
The only tools used were;my fingers,some satin hair scrunchies & some claw clips. Yep,no combs :) not even to part. And the only products used was my "twisting butter" & "Yes to Cucumbers Cooling Body Butter".

I plan on keeping these in for 4 weeks, using my routine, but we shall see. We don't know what tommorrow brings, (Proverbs 27:1 Do not brag about tomorrow,because you do not know what another day may bring)

Anywho,enjoy the pics! Sorry if I look a little shiny & rough :) I was actually REALLY happy (I even danced...don't judge me) if you've ever done small or mini twists, you know the feeling I'm talking about. The,I-just-finished-my-hair-and- won't-have-to-be-bothered-with-it for-a-few-weeks,feeling.
Okay let me stop, I'm beginning to ramble :-p

Till next time!!
Nessa*

P.S. I've put some pics in of what my twists were like in 2010,they've come a long way.

Blog feature:Nappturally Shy

Meet the very 1st "blog feature" here at Nappturally Nessa, Ms. Shyron!!! A very sweet & God fearing natural. I am honored to also call her my friend.

How long have you been natural? what inspired you to start your healthy hair journey?
"I have been natural for about 14 months now. I have always wanted to go natural, but I was unsure on how. I was told by several stylist my hair was way to thick for me to go natural. I tried once while pregnant, but did all the wrong things so it didn't work."

Did you encounter any negativity along the way?
"My family told me to go natural, but I was afraid, plus of what I was told. Now being natural yes! I am told alot too get a texturizer & I need to loosen my curls etc.."

What is your current regimen?
"I don't have a strict regimen. I love to experiment way too much for that.. LOL"

What are some of your favorite products?
"LOL, I am still going all the products I about as a product junkie.. but I like the shea moisture line,Lets Jam custard, V05, plus my BFF Vannesa is teaching me to make my own concoctions."

What are some techniques that you think made this journey a tad bit easier on you?
"The detangling process has never given me much trouble, but I have found a much easier way to do it. I prepoo, shampoo, condition as usual, but I don't detangle until I get out the shower.I section off, put in a good amount of moisturizer, and detangle...much easier."

Do you have some advice you wouldn't mind sharing that would help someone just starting their hair journey?
"Stay postive, your hair is beautiful no matter what ANYONE says. God blessed you with your texture, don't try to make your look like anyone elses. Also, there are no magic ingredients that will make your hair grow to much faster than 1/4 to 1 inch a month,and ofcourse moisture is your best friend."

Is there anything else you would like to share?
"Going natural is a process of trial and error, you have to figure out what works for YOU.Someone elses regimen may not work for you. Embrace your hair!! if you have kinky hair don't wish for it to be wavy,or any other texture. And most importantly have patience...although I'm personally still working on this one. LOL"

Where can we find you?(blog,facebook page,website,etc)
"I'm on Facebook, thats it, I respect bloggers who blog about their journey, but sadly too many try to tell them what to do."

Thank you so much Shy for gracing us with your beauty & wisdom!!! Sad to say that there are some who do tell you what to do with your hair, & then it becomes one of those "My way or the highway" situations. And you are super lucky to not have a struggle when it comes to detangling! That is such a tedious process to me.

Would you like to featured? Ofcourse you do!!! So please send your favorite photos (2-5) in an email with your first name & "Nappturally Me" in the subject bar.

Till next time!
Nessa*

My Super Dee Duper Braidout!!!

Earlier this week I FINALLY had my wash day after wearing small twists & then a twistout during a 2 week period,after washing I applied my "Yes To Cucumbers Cooling Body Butter" to damp hair,sealed with my safflower/castor oil mix & proceded braid my hair into 10 braids for stretching,then multiplying them into 26 on the next day.

This morning I removed them for a super defined braidout. I didn't put any oil or anything on my hands for shine or anything. I'm strange like that. :)
 
Also, I've done many braidouts,usually on less braids & they usually turn out kinda fluffy,this one shocked me by being a tad bit on the heavy side. Heavy meaning I have some serious 'swing' to it & it feels weighted like I have small braids in. o_O
Theres a few things that could've affected this;

•The products used-I just recently started using that particular butter,which is more like a "cream" actually. I loved it so much,that it is now a part of my staple products...welcome home :)

•My hair length-Its kind of a DUH situation here,because the longer your hair gets for some the more weight it has
:-p lol I should've known that.

•The amount of braids- The smaller the braids the more defined the set is.
And...

•My hair was really detangled-I'm not saying my hair is usually "birds nest" tangled but I have to say that I did a do a mighty fine job finger detangling after removing my twists.

But uhm...thats all folks!! can't think of anything else to add,hope you guys enjoyed reading this post!!!

Nessa*

P.s. please overlook the unpainted fingernail :-) I'm trying to start a trend...no? We'll hey,can't say I didn't try ;)

Thoroughly finger detangled hair = Really stretched out hair :)

After removing my twists for a twistout I was ready for a new look! The plan was to detangle my hair,wash,condition & retwist...yea,I didn't get so far lol after about 8 hours of finger detangling split between 2 days I was left with a huge lions mane!!! Laziness got the best of me,& since I rarely get to see my hair this way I decided to rock that style for the rest of that day as a treat. :) although I do enjoy wearing my hair out on those rare occasions,I do feel a tad bit...scrutinized o_O call me paranoid,but hey.

See my twist routine & takedown here, & a tidbit of how I finger detangle here.

No products or tools (besides claw clips) were used to do this,not even a blowdryer. Sorry I don't have to many pics :( will do better next time...promise.

Nessa*

"The Journey of the Traveling Twists"

I gave you guys just a snipet of what I do with my small twists here in this post,but I figure I ought to give you just a tad bit more because I'm just super sweet like that... :) ok, we'll the other reason is that there is just soooo much more to my twist regimen then I led on. There is actually a specific routine I follow to ensure they are put up to last throughout the weeks & taken down safely with minimum breakage.

Small twists have helped me greatly as far as length retention,low manipulation (hand in hair syndrome anyone?) goes. Its taken me a while to figure out what works best,but by George I've done it!!!

So here it is folks, "The Journey of the Traveling Twists".

Week 1/the day of twisting
-Using about 1/2 fingertip worth of my twisting butter,smoothing it along the desired width of hair. Start twisting tightly about 20 times around at the base (root) then loosely (maybe 15 times) the rest of the way down,finally twirling the ends around your finger encouraging it to spiral. I'll end up having somewhere between 70-80 twists (give or take a few lol), after about 6-8 hours.
Usually worn straight (no curling with rods etc) down styles,loose messy buns,handle twists as little as possible to prevent premature "fuzzing".
Sleeping on a satin pillowcase,in a loose bun on the top of my head ;) aka "pineappling".

Week 2 & 3
-At the beginning of the week curl twists with flexi rods(using 11 rods),wear them curly for the remainder of the week,curly buns,down styles,etc. If scalp is still reasonably clean continue to the next week,if not start the takedown process

Week 4
-Gently undo each twist for a curly twist out,handle hair as gently as possible during this week for this is now loose hair & you dont want any early matting or excess frizz. Hair should be easy to manage,since its still "clumped" in sections from the twists.

"The Takedown"
Week 5/day 1
-Go thru each clumped section,finger detangling getting rid of any sheddies,tangles & knots. Start this early in the day giving yourself at least 6-8 hours to complete,if you're not able to complete,feel free to finish the next day (Week 5/day 2).

Week 5/day 2
-Start this early in the day as well allowing up to 4 hours to complete the wash regimen. Section,pre poo,wash & deep condition. Seal moisture in using as little product as possible & braid (about 10 braids) after deep conditioning to start stretching the hair.

Week 5/day 3
-At this point you can either
(A) multiply your current braids by making 20,& wearing them untill the day you decide to retwist (about 4 days) thus stretching the hair even further & keeping it "low manipulation" or
(B) remove each one & use a blowdryer to stretch & start twisting that day,or the next starting the routine all over over again at Week 1. But know that by blowdrying,your twists might not stay as moisturized throughout the Weeks as it would if you had not. 

Tricks that help me with this "Journey";

-I do not wash,co wash or even spritz my twists. The only time they are spritzed is on the weeks I am curling them using flexi rods, & even then its only enough to set the style
-I twist with a butter I make,the recipe is in this post. Its oil based,but with just enough conditioner to keep them moist thru the Weeks. And no silicones in the butter to prevent excess buildup & dryness
-I try to handle my hair as little as possible so it wont fuzz sooner then it should or more than normal since some fuzz comes with the territory of being a natural.
-My basic washing regimen consists of going back & forth between water & soap washing,but while wearing small twists (especially back to back) I stick with soap washing.

Nessa*

My Favorite Homemade Recipes!

Hair lotion
62g crisco
46g condtioner
1tbsp glycerin
1tbsp oil
*I find that I use this recipe more so in the warmer months as a sealant.

Black soap shampoo
16oz water
5oz black soap
2oz honey or glycerin
5oz oil
*I love this!!! :) it did take me awhile to finally get the ratios right. I have the How to guide on making this in this post here. I use this in an applicator bottle,4oz shampoo mix to 4oz water & it still lathers like crazy! Glycerin is an option,but I usually use honey instead :-p no,it doesn't leave my hair sticky. As in most natural products,there will be some separation so you need to lightly shake it before use.

Twisting butter
17g conditioner
34g crisco
1 tbsp honey
10g shea 
*This one also took awhile to get the ratios right,but this is what I usually do my smaller twists with & not so much with other styles. Not even medium twists.

Note: The conditioner I usually use for my recipes are the Garnier Fructis 'pure clean'(if I want a thicker consitency) or the Silkience Spa Haus line found at the dollar tree. Both are silicone free.

*Nessa

Regimen Basics;My Wash Day Regimen

(1)Wash day(soap)
(A)Wash day(water rinsing)

1/A-finger detangle with oil
2/B-twist hair (16-20)
3/C-band the ends of the twists to make 4 sections

4-apply soap mixture to scalp using applicator bottle
D-rinse hair & massage scalp w/ warm water for 5 or more minutes

5/E-squeeze out excess water

6/F-saturate hair with conditioner,and deep condition with cap 1hr or a previously heated conditioner for 30minutes

7/G-completly rinse out hair with cold water

8/H-squeeze out excess water

9/I-let hair dry under a tshirt or a microfiber turby

10/J-seal "dampish dry" hair with a water based cream

11/K-put hair in about 10 braids for stretching

12/L-NEXT DAY-when braids are dry,take down each one,lightly finger detangle,spritz with aloe vera juice & rebraid for further stretching using less braids or style

*I tweak this depending on the current style I'm wearing at the time,but this is my basic wash day outline