Hello peeps,
A couple of posts ago, I talked about the importance of coming up with your own regimen. I thought some of you would find it useful to have visuals, so I rounded up loads of videos from my absolute favourite youtubers: Naptural85, Fusion of Cultures, and a number of others.
I've been meaning to put these up for weeks, but I hope the sheer number of videos will make up for my silence. Also as today's a holiday (in Nigeria) it means you have all day to lose yourself in Youtube- and practise.
So enjoy!
Pre wash detangling
Naptural85 demonstrates the process I use if shampooing before I DC (I stop before the bantu knot stage):
This is a great and painless method to distract children and detangle their hair prior to washing:
Washing process
This video is pretty similar to my washing process (except I don't use a brush).
Fusion of Cultures' routine is also actually very similar to mine, apart from the products we use, and the fact that my hair is never loose at any point during my routine, apart from the section I am working on at the time. I keep the same sections in from beginning to end, making them smaller after I have deep conditioned:
African Export:
Girls Love Your Curls are back with an effective way to wash in sections that is effective for adults and children alike):
Some people benefit from washing their hair while in twists:
Another demonstration of washing in sections. Yes, yes, I'm sure you get the picture now. Feel free to skip the next 3 videos if you know you've got it down:
Most naturals with shorter hair find they do not need to wash in sections, as demonstrated in this video.
Stretching hair and styling basics
As I've mentioned in the past, most kinkies find it necessary to keep hair stretched to prevent tangles and knotting which can lead to breakage and splits (not to mention frustrating detangling sessions)
How to two-strand twist:
This step-by-step tutorial is a great starting point for anyone who's still confused about how exactly to two-strand twist hair
Banding (another method of stretching out hair without heat):
Bantu knot-outs:
Threading technique (most of you will probably remember this from childhood):
...and they actually can be made to look decent enough to wear in public:
For those who insist on blowdrying, try the tension method:
How to flat twist:
These take less time to do than two-strand twists (once you get the hang of it), and can produce awesome twistouts. Also these tend to form the basis of some awesome updos
How to cornrow:
Twistout method:
On a TWA (you can start at 2:40)
More complicated twistout method, but when I tried this I got awesome results that lasted for days:
Braid out method:
On shorter hair...
Modified for longer hair...
Flat twist out style:
(Note to our transitioners: flat twistouts are a great style as they blend the 2 textures well)
Maintaining a twistout/braidout:
I very rarely re-twist my hair at night (I just don't have the time or patience, so I normally use Naptural85's scrunchie method demonstrated in the Twistout 101 video above), but for those who are interested, this might be useful
Simple styling ideas
Elegant updo with twists:
Cinna-bun:
Banana clip bun:
Frohawk:
Lazy Day Hairstyles:
Another two-strand twist updo:
And when your styles start looking a bit old:
Transitioners
General Kinkspiration!
(Both Rustic Beauty and JoStyling are Nigerian, by the way)
There is SO much information out there, and so many great videos, it really was impossible for me to get them all into this post, so just go exploring. Make sure you check out other videos by the youtubers featured, especially Naptural85 and Fusion of Cultures. They both have beautiful hair and have inspired me a lot over the past few months, and Fusion of Cultures is especially good as a reference point for transitioners, as she transitioned for 2 years before doing the chop.
It is really important to remember though, that while youtube is great for tips and ideas, no-one is actually a hair "guru", and you shouldn't blindly follow every tip given.
You don't need to use the same products mentioned, or follow the exact same method they do. When I first started watching youtube hair tutorials, I'd frantically try searching for every product that cropped up. In the long run, I guess we could argue that this was a good thing as the frustration at not being able to find anything led to the birth of the Kinky Apothecary. However in reality, all you need to do is know that if, for e.g. a certain leave-in is recommended in a video, you can always substitute this for another that works well for you alread
Of course there is no real harm in trying new things out if you feel like it and this is all part of the fun of having natural hair, but just don't feel that the exact same products need to be used to achieve a certain result. Just continue to research and experiment.
Finally, it is very important to make sure you don't get overwhelmed. As I've demonstrated, there are a million and one ways of doing one thing. The trick is to figure out what method works best for you.
Until next time.
A couple of posts ago, I talked about the importance of coming up with your own regimen. I thought some of you would find it useful to have visuals, so I rounded up loads of videos from my absolute favourite youtubers: Naptural85, Fusion of Cultures, and a number of others.
I've been meaning to put these up for weeks, but I hope the sheer number of videos will make up for my silence. Also as today's a holiday (in Nigeria) it means you have all day to lose yourself in Youtube- and practise.
So enjoy!
Pre wash detangling
Naptural85 demonstrates the process I use if shampooing before I DC (I stop before the bantu knot stage):
This is a great and painless method to distract children and detangle their hair prior to washing:
Washing process
This video is pretty similar to my washing process (except I don't use a brush).
Fusion of Cultures' routine is also actually very similar to mine, apart from the products we use, and the fact that my hair is never loose at any point during my routine, apart from the section I am working on at the time. I keep the same sections in from beginning to end, making them smaller after I have deep conditioned:
African Export:
Girls Love Your Curls are back with an effective way to wash in sections that is effective for adults and children alike):
Some people benefit from washing their hair while in twists:
Another demonstration of washing in sections. Yes, yes, I'm sure you get the picture now. Feel free to skip the next 3 videos if you know you've got it down:
Most naturals with shorter hair find they do not need to wash in sections, as demonstrated in this video.
Stretching hair and styling basics
As I've mentioned in the past, most kinkies find it necessary to keep hair stretched to prevent tangles and knotting which can lead to breakage and splits (not to mention frustrating detangling sessions)
How to two-strand twist:
This step-by-step tutorial is a great starting point for anyone who's still confused about how exactly to two-strand twist hair
Banding (another method of stretching out hair without heat):
Bantu knot-outs:
Threading technique (most of you will probably remember this from childhood):
...and they actually can be made to look decent enough to wear in public:
For those who insist on blowdrying, try the tension method:
How to flat twist:
These take less time to do than two-strand twists (once you get the hang of it), and can produce awesome twistouts. Also these tend to form the basis of some awesome updos
How to cornrow:
Twistout method:
On a TWA (you can start at 2:40)
More complicated twistout method, but when I tried this I got awesome results that lasted for days:
Braid out method:
On shorter hair...
Modified for longer hair...
Flat twist out style:
(Note to our transitioners: flat twistouts are a great style as they blend the 2 textures well)
Maintaining a twistout/braidout:
I very rarely re-twist my hair at night (I just don't have the time or patience, so I normally use Naptural85's scrunchie method demonstrated in the Twistout 101 video above), but for those who are interested, this might be useful
Simple styling ideas
Elegant updo with twists:
Cinna-bun:
Banana clip bun:
Frohawk:
Lazy Day Hairstyles:
Another two-strand twist updo:
And when your styles start looking a bit old:
Transitioners
General Kinkspiration!
(Both Rustic Beauty and JoStyling are Nigerian, by the way)
There is SO much information out there, and so many great videos, it really was impossible for me to get them all into this post, so just go exploring. Make sure you check out other videos by the youtubers featured, especially Naptural85 and Fusion of Cultures. They both have beautiful hair and have inspired me a lot over the past few months, and Fusion of Cultures is especially good as a reference point for transitioners, as she transitioned for 2 years before doing the chop.
It is really important to remember though, that while youtube is great for tips and ideas, no-one is actually a hair "guru", and you shouldn't blindly follow every tip given.
You don't need to use the same products mentioned, or follow the exact same method they do. When I first started watching youtube hair tutorials, I'd frantically try searching for every product that cropped up. In the long run, I guess we could argue that this was a good thing as the frustration at not being able to find anything led to the birth of the Kinky Apothecary. However in reality, all you need to do is know that if, for e.g. a certain leave-in is recommended in a video, you can always substitute this for another that works well for you alread
Of course there is no real harm in trying new things out if you feel like it and this is all part of the fun of having natural hair, but just don't feel that the exact same products need to be used to achieve a certain result. Just continue to research and experiment.
Finally, it is very important to make sure you don't get overwhelmed. As I've demonstrated, there are a million and one ways of doing one thing. The trick is to figure out what method works best for you.
Until next time.
Ah! Fantastic! Had such fun with all these videos. Thanks! :)
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