Sharing the Spotlight: French Braid Out on Rae

Yep, you read that right. I'm putting myself in the spotlight today. Forgive the poor quality of the pictures. I discovered that it's really hard to take a picture of myself from behind and, of course, Syd wasn't home to help. Go figure. So it was just me, my mirror, and my camera phone.

After wearing my hair in a ponytail every day for almost 2 weeks, I decided it was time to do something different. My natural hair is very thick, coarse, frizzy, and has enough body to almost be called wavy. You can't quite call it wavy, but you can't quite call it straight, either. It's really hard to wear it down without doing something to either straighten it out or make more defined waves/curls. I didn't want to grab the flat iron, so I decided to give myself a braid out instead.

I started in the evening with clean, damp hair. I didn't add any styling product, mostly because I'm running low on almost everything and wanted to save the product for Syd's hair. :)  I used my finger to part my hair into two sections. I didn't even try to make the part straight because I knew the braids were coming down in the morning. I french braided each side and secured the ends with rubber bands.

In the morning, my hair still wasn't completely dry. I left the braids in for about an hour after I woke up, but knowing I had that crazy crooked part on my head was driving me nuts so I went ahead and removed the braids. It was almost completely dry by the time the braids came out. The top was laying funny, so I pulled the front back with a clip and this was the result.

That picture was taken a couple of hours after the braids were removed. The wave pattern was a little tighter right after the braids came down, but it fell a little since I hadn't used any products with hold and my hair wasn't dry when the braids were taken out. Regardless of all that, I liked the results a lot. 

Do you have a style you'd like to share? If so, click on Contribute at the top of the page to learn how you and your style can be in the spotlight.

Sharing the Spotlight: Elizabeth and Ally

Today's spotlight is shining on Elizabeth and her daughter Ally. Elizabeth has a brand new blog that features Ally and her other 2 daughters, who she calls The Princess and Li'l Bit. That blog is called Different Kinds of Curls and I highly recommend checking it out! Her girls all have different hair types, so she gets the chance to share styles on different types of curls. I love it!

For her time in the spotlight, Elizabeth sent in a box braid style she did on her oldest daughter, Ally. I love it!

....but wait, there's more!

This style was changed up and got a whole new look! Check out what she did next:

To see what she did and how she did it, check out this post. And while you're there, be sure to check out everything else this amazing new blog has to offer. Big thanks to Elizabeth for sharing!

If you would like one of your styles to be featured on Sharing the Spotlight, find out how by clicking on Contribute at the top of the page.

Sharing the Spotlight: You Can Do It Too

Today's spotlight is shining on Kim and her brand new blog, You Can Do It Too.

Kim says:
"My name is Kim and my hair model (my niece) is ms. Diva A. I started taking more interest in her
hair when she moved in with us. I got tired of doing the same pony tails and pigs tails, so I taught myself how to french braid and cornroll. I'm still not 100% good at it but I do try. I believe anyone can do hair if they want to!"

Here are some pictures and styles that you can find on Kim's blog.

Everyone be sure to head over to You Can Do It Too and show Kim some love! Thanks for sharing, Kim!

If you would like your styles to have their turn in the spotlight, click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how!

Sharing the Spotlight: Janie and Angel

This week's spotlight is shining brightly on Janie and her Angel.

Janie writes:
"Hello! I am Janie and this is my Angel. She’s eight years old and has a definite opinion about how her hair should look! She has pretty tight curls (smaller than a pen spring), and some looser ringlets on her crown. I think we have not retained length due to my rough detangling in the past and too much rubber band usage. She has very fine hair (thin strands), but a lot of it, and that makes for major work when I detangle. I am learning, and we are trying to keep our styles simple now."

She goes on to say, "I am trying to keep her styles in for a week at a time, which is a struggle since I love playing in her hair (it's my hobby!)."

 

"This was our longest-lasting faux-hawk summer style. It still looked good when I took it down after 2 weeks! I guess because the cornrows & flat twists were so small."

"This was our 3-layer cornrows back-to-school style last Sunday, and it is horribly fuzzy Thursday night,
even with a satin pillow case!"

Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful styles with us, Janie! She is adorable and I love the creativity in your styles. I'm sure with the extra care you're putting into her hair, you'll be retaining more length than ever!

If you would like to see your styles on Sharing the Spotlight, click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how!

Sharing the Spotlight: Not Your Average Braids by Goldilocks*n*Me

Thank you to 6 year old Goldilocks and mommy Tav from Goldilocks*n*Me for jumping in to take their turn in the spotlight! They have sent in pictures of two amazing braid styles. Despite the complex look of the braids, Tav explains how to do them on her blog and says they were both done before school in about 5 or 10 minutes. That makes them even better!

This first style is an uneven braid with 2 tiny strands braided normally and then braided with the remaining hair to form a large uneven braid. A pretty lace ribbon was added, too.

The second style is a 4 strand flat woven braid using 3 strands of hair and 1 strand of grosgrain ribbon.

I love both of these looks! To get more detailed instructions and to find other very creative styles, head on over to Goldilocks*n*Me to see what you can find. Thanks again for sharing!

If you want to share your styles, click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how!

Sharing the Spotlight: Kandy Land Kurls

Today's spotlight is shining on Kandy Land Kurls, a wonderful blog full of natural hair care information, styles, and so much more. Check out these pictures to see examples of styles you can find over at KandyLand.

Be sure to head over to KandyLand right now to check out all they have to offer!

Sharing the Spotlight isn't just for bloggers. Anyone who has a style to share is encouraged to click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how the spotlight can shine on you!

Sharing the Spotlight: Cornrows from All Things Cute and Girly

Today the spotlight is pointed at All Things Cute and Girly, a wonderful blog that focuses on....well...all things that are cute and girly. :)

This great cornrow style is an adorable example what you can find when you visit the site. Hair, nails, accessories, product reviews...they've got it all. Be sure to head over to All Things Cute and Girly and check it out!

If you have a style that you're especially proud of, or if you have a blog that focuses on hair, click here or on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how the spotlight can shine on you!

Sharing the Spotlight: Box Braid Faux Hawk by Untrained Hair Mom

Today's Spotlight is shining on Brooke, the author of Untrained Hair Mom. She's sharing photos of a style she did a while back on her gorgeous daughter, D.

D had a head full of box braids, which Mommy Brooke pulled into a faux hawk using a handful of ouchless bands. What a great way to switch up a basic box braid style!

To see more details about this style and many others, head on over to Untrained Hair Mom where you're sure to find styles you'll love and tons of hair info. Thanks for sharing, Brooke!

If you'd like to be featured on Sharing the Spotlight, find out how by clicking Contribute at the top of the page.

Sharing the Spotlight: Two Twists and Fishtail by Courtnee'

Courtnee' says,

 

"I'm Courtnee' and I'd like to share a photo of my 11 year old "mini-me" Keyona. We were in a rush this morning, so I wanted something that could be done quickly. I misted her hair with water and added a some Blended Cutie Butter Me Up. I decided to do two twists going back (one of our staple "in a rush" hairstyles) and instead of doing a regular braid, I jazzed it up with a fishtail braid and added a flower."

 

 

I love this look. It has a lot of different aspects to it that keep it interesting, but it's not overly complicated.  Thanks so much for sharing, Courtnee'!

If you'd like one of your styles to be featured on Sharing the Spotlight, click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how.

Sharing the Spotlight: Mohawk Style by Diva's Hairdresser

Today we are featuring a style that comes to us from Diva's Hairdresser. She said it was her first attempt at a mohawk style and I think it turned out wonderfully! Take a look:

I absolutely love this look! Check out more of their styles by heading on over to their blog at divalocks10.blogspot.com.

If you would like to share one of your hairstyles on Sharing the Spotlight, get all the details by clicking on Contribute at the top of the page.

Sharing the Spotlight: Cornrow Style by Brown Girls Hair

Today's spotlight is shining on this beautiful cornrow style shared by the author of Brown Girls Hair. Step by step instructions are available here.

Be sure to head on over to http://browngirlhair.blogspot.com to see more styles and hair care information. Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to see one of your styles featured on Sharing the Spotlight, click on Contribute at the top of the page to get all the details!

Sharing the Spotlight: A Tip from Chelsea

Today's Sharing the Spotlight contribution comes from Chelsea from Curly and Young. Not only is she sharing one of her styles, she is sharing with us a wonderful tip to remember!

Chelsea says:
"This post is not so much about my hair style as it is about the styler that I used.  This style is a very simple dry braid out. I achieved it by detangling my hair using my wide toothed comb and tangle teezer.  I then applied my favorite styler and braided my hair.  The following day I unbraided my hair, separated the pieces and fluffed for fullness. I pulled my hair back by splitting my hair down the middle and separating the two sections into halves so that I had four sections in all. I then twisted all of the four sections and secured them with slides."

Chelsea goes on to say:
"What is my favorite styler you may ask? Aloe vera gel!!  This gel provides me with soft yet touchable hold that is long-lasting and best of all it is all natural. I felt it important to share this little tid bit because as a blogger who caters to young women I am often asked for product recommendations that are all natural and most importantly cheap, after all most young women do not have deep pockets. I hope this helps a young curly out there."

Thank you so much, Chelsea, for sharing! The style is simple enough for tweens/teens who are learning to style their own hair and using Aloe vera gel as a styling aid is wonderful! Everyone be sure to swing by Curly and Young to see more of Chelsea's styles and tips!

If you would like to see one of your styles featured on Sharing the Spotlight, click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out all the details!

Sharing the Spotlight: Mohawk by Malisia

Today the spotlight is on this mohawk style shared by Malisia.

Malisia writes:
"This is my daughter Coryn, aka Coco Puff.  For her fifth birthday I thought I would give her a cute yet funky hairstyle, so what better than a mohawk. I originally wanted to do cornrows leading into the mohawk but my braiding skills need some work and I knew cornrows would take hours.  So I opted for the veil pattern.  The style turned out just as cute and it only took me an hour to accomplish.  As you can tell from her diva pose she loved it."

This style looks wonderful and that pose shows how much Coryn is feeling it! Thanks for sharing, Malisia!

If you would like one of your styles featured on Sharing the Spotlight, click on Contribute at the top of the page to find out how!

Sharing the Spotlight: A Ponytail of Braids by DsMommy

This week's Sharing the Spotlight comes to us from DsMommy from untrainedhairmom.blogspot.com. She did a veil style all the way around daughter D's head and ended it with braids all pulled into a ponytail. I think the colored rubber bands add an extra touch of Spring, as well. Thank you to Brooke for sharing this adorable style!

Don't forget to swing by Untrained Hair Mom to see more from DsMommy!

If you would like one of your styles to be featured on Sharing the Spotlight, simply click on Contribute at the top of the page to get all the details!