Potective Style: Braided Crown with hidden ends

My babies left me recently to head down south for a family reunion. They were only gone for 4 days, and while I knew they were in good hands with my dad and sister, I was beside myself with worry. My family always jokes with me that my kids come with more instructions than a new swing set (at least I think they're joking), though I can't figure out what the big deal is. Make sure they wear sunscreen. Remind them to brush/floss. Don't let them near water unless someone is DILIGENTLY watching them. No soda. No candy.   No rated R movies. They will try to convince you that they are allowed to watch 'Family Guy', but they are NOT. You know, typical mom stuff. :)

Obviously, one thing I do not want them to have to worry about is hair. So before travelling or overnights away from mommy, I like to make sure the girls' hair is styled and protected. Here is the style that Li'l Bit rocked for the weekend. These pictures were taken 5 days after her hair was styled, and she DID swim without a cap, and she DID sleep without her satin pillowcase, and that IS lint, or grass, or something else in her hair that I did not see until looking at the pictures. But its a cute style, so I thought I'd share anyway:

Starting with freshly washed and conditioned hair, Li'l Bit wore plaited hair for a day to stretch it out. I have found that her hair is easier to braid when it has been stretched somewhat, and I always braid her hair when it is dry. Her hair tends to break when  I braid it while it is wet. 

I parted the hair from ear to ear, but the part was not directly on top of her head, it was back more toward her crown area. Then I began to braid her hair. I freestyled the braids on top, but the ones in the back were braided straight up toward the part. The loose hair (after the cornrowed parts) were braided. Then I started on the left of her head and cornrowed the loose braids toward the center. Then I went to the right side and also braided those to the center. I twisted and tucked and pinned it all under itself until I liked the way it looked. (Did that make sense? I dont know how else to explain it.) I used two bobby pins, and plopped those two cute little clips on top just because she wanted me to. :)

See the hair at the bottom that is left out? I intentionally leave that hair out whenever I am braiding/styling her hair. It is not as long as the rest of her hair, so I am afraid of pulling it. In addition to that, it hurts her if that hair is tugged at all. Since I am more concerned with her comfort and the health of her hair than I am with how it looks, that section is always left out. :)

 

I really like this style, and I am going to try and get another week out of it. :)

Braided Fauxhawk on natural hair...great for little girls/teens/adults!

Hi! :) Back with another style I picked up on Pinterest. I'm starting to feel kindof guilty, like I need to be a little more creative and get back to creating my own styles again. The last style I did on Ally, and Li'l Bit, were both from Pinterest. And the now The Princess is wearing a copycat style as well. But I had been in a styling rut for awhile, so at least some hair is getting done, right!?

Side note: See the laundry basket at the top of the stairs? Its calling me. I'm ignoring it. :)

The fauxhawk part....I had a very difficult time trying to figure out what to do with this part. I'd try something, but after half an hour or so realize I didn't like it, so try something else. Her hair is so thin and fine, its very difficult to get a roll or twist of any sort to stick. I'm actually not so sure I like this either, but it survived the night unscathed, so its a go, at least for now. :)

See that small child? Someone should tell her mother to do her hair. ;)

I like this because it is versatile; you can finish the middle in a variety of ways. (As a matter of fact, I am going to try the same style on Li'l Bit, and hers will be finished quite differently.) I promised The Princess that  toward the end of the week, I would take out the roll and she could rock her fauxhawk wild and free, 'rock star style', as she put it.  I like that the braids are small, so it should last a significant amount of time. I like that it didn't take long to finish, maybe about an hour? I like that she loves it. :)

Here is the style I was attempting to copy:

I just love this!

Source: naturallymeashley.tumblr.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

MOMMY!! My hair is Broken! It won't stay down!

 

Yes, in those exact words. "My hair is broken. It won't stay down." The scene: My 3 year old standing in front of a mirror, brushing her hair back, down, and to the side....frustrated because she cannot make it stay 'down' like her sisters' hair does...or like mommy's does. Telling me that her cute little perfectly picked out and moisturized 'fro  is not pretty because it 'is sticking up too much.' This seems to be a theme in my house. The child with the curly hair wants it straight. The child with the straight hair wants it curly. And the baby with the cute little coilies just wants her hair to lay down. And mommy is left wondering why I am the only one that seems to think that all of those little heads are perfect just the way they are.

Now don't get me wrong, none of my kids are lacking in the confidence department. Put some beads on the end of Li'l Bit's hair and she gets to swinging her hair around...you can't tell her  nothin'. Corn rows with barrettes? She knows she's the flyest. Even afro puffs decorated with bows make her feel fancy. But leave that hair in its au naturale state, and be prepared to see one very unhappy mini person.

Sadly, its no wonder why my Li'l Bit is so self conscious and insecure about wearing her hair out. Of course mommy and daddy tell her all the time how beautiful her hair is. She knows that WE think her hair is perfect, but WE are not the problem.The problem is all of the people that approach us while we are out....and compliment Ally's hair. "Your girls are all so beautiful. And my, look at this one's hair. Ihave never seen hair that beautiful before." Or "This is the prettiest hair I have even seen, look at all those curls!" Admittedly, Ally's hair is amazing. It is very hard not to notice her long, naturally highlighted, endlessly spiralling locks. But seriously, people...would you compliment a child's hair and ignore the expectant gazes of her 2 sisters that are standing right beside her? Seriously?! Even from family members I have heard, "geez, you got so lucky with the first 2, why didn't she get the 'good hair'?" Even "I feel bad for you, I don't know what I would do with that hair." Really? Let me tell you what I do with that hair....I LOVE IT!!!!

I always try and give them the benefit of the doubt, I know that a lot of these people are just ignorant. They have no idea about different hair textures , and their lack of appreciation for my child's type 4 hair is stemmed from that ignorance. But let me tell you something, you people in the grocery store that ignore my baby and make her feel inferior because her hair doesn't fit your definition of 'beauty'.....my daughter's coils are perfect! All of my children have healthy, well moisturized, tenderly touched locks of perfection. I should know; I keep them that way.

So I know I am not the only one out there dealing with this problem. How do you help your child develop an appreciation for their hair, no matter the texture?  I wish they could all see what I see....

that these heads are all beautiful!!

And I dare you to try and tell me otherwise!!

I Just LOVE getting free stuff!

I got a card in the mail from Sally's telling my it is time to renew my membership. It said if I renewed in November, I would get a free product by Silk Elements. The membership costs $5 for the year. and right away they give you a coupon for $5 off of a $5 purchase in the store, so it already pays for itself. The free product was a nice extra!

Anywho, I found this new (to me) Silk Element sub label(?) called Mixed Silk. It says "Natural Curls for Natural Girls" on the front label. I was very happy to find something for natural hair that I could use my FREE coupon on, and the reviews for the product were great! I am thinking that Ally will be the first one to try this new product, since I am taking her braids out this weekend and told her she could wear her hair out for a week.

Does anyone have any experience with this product? Comment below and let me know what hair type you used it on and how it worked for you! I will be giving a product review just as soon as I get to try it on all 3 of my girls. :)