Dry Bantu Knot Out/Twist Out (2 become 1)...Going to Get My Tracee Ellis Ross On (Hopefully)

Hey Guys,

So as you know, I have been having some "issues" with achieving a good twist-out or braid-out. I think the texture of my hair just isn't conducive in giving me great results (I accepted that fact). My hair usually comes out very limp and flat. BUT, I was watching a new video on Youtube from Taren916 (I love this girl and she has the flyest hair) and was given a new found hope. She made her twists into bantu knots, which resulted in that big and fluffy "Joan" look from Girlfriends. This was also done on dry hair. It came out so good. I also discovered that she had the same issue as me when it came down to achieving decent braid-outs or twist-outs. For those of you who have completely given up on doing twist-outs, there is hope ;-)

I Hendigoed, Ladies and Gentlemen

The other week I was looking at my hair and boy was I frustrated. Not because my hair was behaving badly, but because of the color. Now, I have probably hennaed my hair more than a few times, and I have been noticing that in the light, my strands are getting redder and redder. I wasn't too crazy about it. So this past MLK weekend, I decided to indigo. Now, there is a two-step process where you henna first, then apply the indigo paste second after rinsing out your henna (this can result in your hair being jet black). Or, you can simply mix the indigo paste in with your henna mixture, which can result in a dark brown/ natural black color (depending on how much indigo you add to the henna your resulting shade will vary). I opted for the latter process, as I was pressed for time.

So, I prepared my henna mixture as usual (applying amla and chamomile tea). I let the henna stand for about 2 hours. Then just before I was about to get in the shower, I made my indigo paste. All that requires is mixing your indigo powder with some warm water in a plastic bowl, until it reaches a yogurt consistency. I let the indigo paste sit for the duration of time that I was in the shower (so about 15 min). After I got out, I added the henna mixture to the indigo paste (leaving more indigo than henna because I wanted my hair to be darker), mixed it together, and applied to my hair. I let that concoction sit in my hair for about 2 hours. Let me warn you that indigo smells a little funky. Anyway, when I rinsed out, I was left with a lovely, dark, dark chocolate brown color. Lord have mercy, the red was gone! Like henna, the color will oxidize within 2-3 days.

The downside: My hair was and still is left extremely DRY, even after deep conditioning my hair with a moisturizing conditioner. It is slowly starting to regain its moisture back, but it is a slow process(I've been loading up my hair with crazy amounts of coconut oil in the meantime). I liken it to the feeling of after you dye your hair with commercial hair dye. Though, I LOVED the resulting color, which left my hair looking naturally dark (not like elvira),my hair is still trying to recover from the drying effects of indigo. So if you decide to indigo, be prepared to have desert locks for a while.

Just got back from the gym, so the hair was up. But, I wanted to show you the color and spare you the full frontal lol.

Giovanni's Direct Leave-In... Not So Much.

I know there have been many raves out there on this particular product. And, I have been feenin' to write this little review on Giovanni's Direct Leave-In. Basically, I was waiting for it to work, but unfortunately I have to put this one on my " crapeola" list. I've tried it just as a leave-in and once with coconut oil over it to seal in moisture. The problem was there was absolutely no moisture to seal. It left my hair ridiculously dry. It was not soft to the touch when dried, but chalky like there was some type of residue left in it, and once again it was haystack dry. Yeah, not so much. I will not be using this one again.

Diffuse this!

I have been pondering for the past couple of weeks on how to get my hair BIGGER! I realized that setting my hair in twists or braids are cute but they do not give me the volume that I would like. So I decided to surf Youtube ;-) In my quest for an answer, I stumbled on upon youtuber Taren916's channel. Her hair literally took my breath away. It was so big and it had a lot of volume- it's what my hair wants to be when it grows up. Anyway, for one of her videos she explained how she used a diffuser because she does not like to air dry her hair- and an added benefit of using a diffuser is lots of volume and decreased frizz. In this particular video, she prepped her olive oil, leave-in cream and Eco Style gel.

I decided to do my own version skipping the olive oil and I have to say I was impressed. I used to diffuse (or just plain blow dry) my wet hair from time to time back in the day. I totally forgot how big and awesome it makes your hair look. I left in some conditioner and styled it with the clear Eco Style. I really loved how my hair was defined and most of all it was BIG. I don't know if I would do this regularly because of the heat but every once in awhile is cool. Here are my results.

Here are some photos from a couple of years back when my hair was longer. Both styles I just used a blow dryer alone- no diffuser.

(Had my hair cut in layers to achieve a more rounded look).

(Me and my mommy in Paris. I am trying to get back to this length).

Check out Taren 916- my inspiration to breaking out the diffuser/ blow dryer from under the sink. This is actually her product review for Mixed Chicks but she also achieved this look by using a diffuser.