Tweens and teens often find themselves somewhere between wanting to fit in and wanting to confidently embrace their own identities. So what happens when that naturally curly head of hair is suddenly too old for bows and barrettes, but not yet in need of professional adult styles? Step away from the relaxers and join us as we explore natural hairstyles that find the balance between individuality and the desire to fit in.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Twists and Keeping Damage to a Minimum
After 12 years of styling Syd's hair, I've gotten pretty good at minimizing damage as much as possible. However, now that Syd is taking over a lot of the detangling, we're starting to see some damage at the ends. We're definitely going to have to trim the ends very soon to get rid of all that damage.
But that's ok!
We all know that learning to properly care for curly hair takes time. Be careful not to expect too much from your child as she learns to take care of her own hair...I know I did my fair share of damage over the years. But with patience and practice, I have learned several little tips and tricks that help keep damage to a minimum.
This post is going to focus on one of those tips...and here it is: Since we weren't shampooing between styles, we moved from one style to another without a comb touching Syd's hair!
When I took down Syd's latest cornrow style, I removed the cornrows on 1/4 of her hair at a time. After I removed those cornrows, I put that quarter of her hair into one big loose braid to keep it detangled. When I had removed the entire style, we were left with this:
We then focused on one of those sections at a time. I tied three of the braids up out of the way and started with the back left section. I removed that braid and used my fingers to gently detangle the entire section. Remember, I braided this hair immediately after removing the cornrows, so there really weren't any tangles. The best way to keep detangling easy is to prevent the tangles in the first place. This finger detangling was done mostly to remove the loose strands that were shed while her hair had been in the last style.
I decided to start in the very back of Syd's hair, so I used my fingers to separate out a section of hair at Syd's nape. I just clipped the rest up and out of the way for a minute.
Since I like to do twists on hair that is slightly damp, I misted this piece of hair with plain water in a spray bottle. I then added just a bit of styling product, ran my fingers through her hair to distribute the product evenly, and started twisting.
In order to make sure the twists last as long as possible, it's important to twist as tightly as possible. It's tempting to rush it and not twist as tight, but the twists loosen up on their own. If you don't start off with a very tight twist, you will end up with very loose twists that will quickly become frizzy. In the two pictures below, you can see how tightly I twisted this section of hair, and then how it loosened up the minute I let go.
And then I repeated that process 33 more times as I moved through the rest of her hair.
In the end, we have a head full of great looking twists and my fingers were the only tools used. No brush, no comb, no damage. =)
But that's ok!
We all know that learning to properly care for curly hair takes time. Be careful not to expect too much from your child as she learns to take care of her own hair...I know I did my fair share of damage over the years. But with patience and practice, I have learned several little tips and tricks that help keep damage to a minimum.
This post is going to focus on one of those tips...and here it is: Since we weren't shampooing between styles, we moved from one style to another without a comb touching Syd's hair!
When I took down Syd's latest cornrow style, I removed the cornrows on 1/4 of her hair at a time. After I removed those cornrows, I put that quarter of her hair into one big loose braid to keep it detangled. When I had removed the entire style, we were left with this:
We then focused on one of those sections at a time. I tied three of the braids up out of the way and started with the back left section. I removed that braid and used my fingers to gently detangle the entire section. Remember, I braided this hair immediately after removing the cornrows, so there really weren't any tangles. The best way to keep detangling easy is to prevent the tangles in the first place. This finger detangling was done mostly to remove the loose strands that were shed while her hair had been in the last style.
I decided to start in the very back of Syd's hair, so I used my fingers to separate out a section of hair at Syd's nape. I just clipped the rest up and out of the way for a minute.
Since I like to do twists on hair that is slightly damp, I misted this piece of hair with plain water in a spray bottle. I then added just a bit of styling product, ran my fingers through her hair to distribute the product evenly, and started twisting.
In order to make sure the twists last as long as possible, it's important to twist as tightly as possible. It's tempting to rush it and not twist as tight, but the twists loosen up on their own. If you don't start off with a very tight twist, you will end up with very loose twists that will quickly become frizzy. In the two pictures below, you can see how tightly I twisted this section of hair, and then how it loosened up the minute I let go.
 |
| The twist while I was holding it |
 |
| See how it got looser after I let go? It will loosen/plump up even more as it dries completely. |
In the end, we have a head full of great looking twists and my fingers were the only tools used. No brush, no comb, no damage. =)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Simple Cornrow Style: Half Up
It's been a while since I've done an actual style post. This is mostly because we've fallen back into our simple twists/twist out/repeat routine lately. I did finally find the time and motivation to do some cornrows, but somehow ended up doing one of the simplest cornrow styles in our aresenal.
One of these days, I'll get my creative juices flowing again! But until then, here's a simple one for ya:
The instructions for this style are probably explained simply by looking at the pictures. I first cornrowed the back half straight down. I then cornrowed the top half toward the center of her head and joined them with an ouchless band.
We were able to jazz this style up a bit by adding different colored flowers and other accessories to the pony on top each day.
*Sidenote: See how the ends of her cornrows are looking straight instead of curling up? That means a trim is long overdue. That will be happening very soon!
One of these days, I'll get my creative juices flowing again! But until then, here's a simple one for ya:
The instructions for this style are probably explained simply by looking at the pictures. I first cornrowed the back half straight down. I then cornrowed the top half toward the center of her head and joined them with an ouchless band.
We were able to jazz this style up a bit by adding different colored flowers and other accessories to the pony on top each day.
*Sidenote: See how the ends of her cornrows are looking straight instead of curling up? That means a trim is long overdue. That will be happening very soon!
Monday, February 13, 2012
CARA B Naturally Review and Giveaway!
CARA B Naturally is a line of all natural, affordable, skin and hair care products for ethnic babies and kids that is now available in Target and CVS!
Syd and I have tried CARA B Naturally products and had wonderful results. Here's a quick breakdown of the products we have tried and what we thought of them.
Shampoo/Body Wash: This product is somewhat thinner than our usual shampoos, but it leaves hair feeling clean. Since it is so thin and Syd and I both have such thick hair, we have used it more as a body wash than as a shampoo. It leaves skin feeling clean, but not dried out. Wonderful Product!
Body Lotion: This is a light lotion that left our skin moisturized without feeling greasy.
Leave-In Conditioner/Daily Moisturizer: This leave-in does what it says it will do. I applied it to Syd's hair after using the CARA B Naturally shampoo and they worked very well together. Her hair was soft and moisturized. I've also used this product along with a few different styling products and it has worked well with all of them.
Moisturizing Hair Mist: This mist kept Syd's mini twists feeling great for over 3 weeks. A quick spray in the morning and she was set. Quick and easy to apply and most definitely effective!
And the great news is that CARA B Naturally has just launched in CVS stores across the country! Tweeny Hair and CARA B Naturally have put together a fun I-spy style contest for readers. The winner of this contest will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to CVS! Check out all of the fun ways to enter on the Rafflecopter form below!
Good Luck!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Happy Birthday Syd!!!
12 years ago today, I met the single most amazing person I've ever encountered.
To celebrate this special day, I'm going to share a little bit about her birth and why I have no doubt that she's going to go on to do big things. (Basically, I'm gonna brag about my baby and tell the world why she's amazing.)
The deck was stacked against Syd from the very beginning. While I was pregnant, the tests showed that my baby would have Down's Syndrome. I was surrounded by people telling me that abortion was the best option for a situation like this. I didn't know how I was going to handle raising a special needs child, but I did know that I wasn't going to kill my baby just because she wasn't "perfect" by the world's standards. I loved her, no matter what.
Fast forward to when I was 37 weeks pregnant and I went to the doctor for a routine test. The results didn't come out right, so they sent me to the hospital to have the same non-stress test done again with better equipment. In the middle of that test, my baby's heart inexplicably stopped beating.
An emergency c-section was done immediately and I officially became a mommy. I truly believe that nothing but the hand of God had me hooked up to heart monitors at the exact moment her heart quit beating. She is alive today because of the unexpected chain of events stemming from that bad test result at the doctor's office.
I was mentally prepared to be handed a baby who had Down's Syndrome that day. Instead, I was handed a baby who had no such condition. Were the test results wrong? Did God heal my baby? I don't know, and I'm not sure that it matters. What does matter is that four days after she was born, I took my perfect little baby girl home.
It is my belief that the Lord brought Syd through that wild pregnancy and delivery completely unscathed for a reason. He has a plan for her life that is bigger than I could ever imagine.
Syd has spent the last 12 years growing into a remarkable young lady. She is an honor roll student who has been in accelerated classes since first grade. She strives to do the right thing, is dependable, and has very strong morals. She spent over a week helping others in the harsh conditions of a 3rd world country, and she started saving money the moment we got home so she can go back again. She has a compassionate heart and even at this young age, her faith is evident in her daily life. Not only does she WANT to make a difference in people's lives, she KNOWS that she will do so.
Some people say that the teenage years are something for parents to dread. I don't feel that way. I am looking forward to those years because with a kid like this, how could the teen years be anything other than incredible?
Happy Birthday, Sydney.
To celebrate this special day, I'm going to share a little bit about her birth and why I have no doubt that she's going to go on to do big things. (Basically, I'm gonna brag about my baby and tell the world why she's amazing.)
The deck was stacked against Syd from the very beginning. While I was pregnant, the tests showed that my baby would have Down's Syndrome. I was surrounded by people telling me that abortion was the best option for a situation like this. I didn't know how I was going to handle raising a special needs child, but I did know that I wasn't going to kill my baby just because she wasn't "perfect" by the world's standards. I loved her, no matter what.
Fast forward to when I was 37 weeks pregnant and I went to the doctor for a routine test. The results didn't come out right, so they sent me to the hospital to have the same non-stress test done again with better equipment. In the middle of that test, my baby's heart inexplicably stopped beating.
An emergency c-section was done immediately and I officially became a mommy. I truly believe that nothing but the hand of God had me hooked up to heart monitors at the exact moment her heart quit beating. She is alive today because of the unexpected chain of events stemming from that bad test result at the doctor's office.
I was mentally prepared to be handed a baby who had Down's Syndrome that day. Instead, I was handed a baby who had no such condition. Were the test results wrong? Did God heal my baby? I don't know, and I'm not sure that it matters. What does matter is that four days after she was born, I took my perfect little baby girl home.
It is my belief that the Lord brought Syd through that wild pregnancy and delivery completely unscathed for a reason. He has a plan for her life that is bigger than I could ever imagine.
Syd has spent the last 12 years growing into a remarkable young lady. She is an honor roll student who has been in accelerated classes since first grade. She strives to do the right thing, is dependable, and has very strong morals. She spent over a week helping others in the harsh conditions of a 3rd world country, and she started saving money the moment we got home so she can go back again. She has a compassionate heart and even at this young age, her faith is evident in her daily life. Not only does she WANT to make a difference in people's lives, she KNOWS that she will do so.
Some people say that the teenage years are something for parents to dread. I don't feel that way. I am looking forward to those years because with a kid like this, how could the teen years be anything other than incredible?
Happy Birthday, Sydney.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Birthday Giveaway: Blended Beauty!
Today is Tweeny Hair's very first birthday!
To celebrate, we are giving away THREE products from Blended Beauty!
You may remember our fabulous results when using Blended Beauty products recently. You can revisit our two reviews by clicking HERE and HERE.
Blended Beauty has generously offered to let one lucky Tweeny Hair reader choose three full size products! And you don't have to worry if you haven't used their products yet and aren't sure what to choose. They have a tool on their website that will help you choose the best products for your hair type! It doesn't get much better than that!
To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will run through February 9 and the winner will be announced on February 10. Good luck everyone!
To celebrate, we are giving away THREE products from Blended Beauty!
You may remember our fabulous results when using Blended Beauty products recently. You can revisit our two reviews by clicking HERE and HERE.
Blended Beauty has generously offered to let one lucky Tweeny Hair reader choose three full size products! And you don't have to worry if you haven't used their products yet and aren't sure what to choose. They have a tool on their website that will help you choose the best products for your hair type! It doesn't get much better than that!
To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will run through February 9 and the winner will be announced on February 10. Good luck everyone!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Tweeny Hair is Turning One!
It's hard to believe, but this is the very last day of Tweeny Hair's first year!
The past year has been such a blessing! I have had the opportunity to get to know so many readers and fellow bloggers and look forward to bonding with even more of you.
Thank you to everyone who helped make Tweeny Hair's first year so wonderful. I can't imagine where we'll be at this time next year!
Be sure to come back tomorrow...we'll be doing a little something special to celebrate our first birthday!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Twists and Cornrows to the Side
This style was pretty easy to do. First, I made a part that was slightly off-center. Then I added a handful of cornrows that went from her ear up to the part. There wasn't much rhyme or reason as to where the cornrow parts were made...I just started parting. The rest of her hair was then put into about 30 two strand twists.
Syd only wore her hair down like this once. The rest of the time, she wore the twists pulled into a low side ponytail (and sometimes wore a huge flower with it).
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| Excuse the black box. Her last name is on this shirt and we had to block that out. :) |
If you 've been following us for any length of time, you can probably guess what happened next. After a couple days of the twists being in a side pony, the twists became a twist out. The twist out was then pulled into the same side ponytail.
We may have to revisit this style again soon. It is so versatile, being worn 3 different ways in one week. And if we change the size and parts of the cornrows, it will again have a completely different look!
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