Rock the Curly Look with a Bantu Knot-out!

Good Morning all! You tube is so resourceful! I found this incredible video of a woman doing a "bantu-knot-out" to achieve a bouncy, curly look. It consists of first doing Bantu Knots and then unraveling them when dry. I'm sure many of you are like "Huh", so without further ado, I present to you (courtesy of Youtube)....the BANTU-KNOT OUT!

Video 1-shows you how to do the Bantu Knots.


Video 2- shows you how to achieve the curly look by removing the bantu knots

Guide to Optimal Hair Growth Tip 4!

Tip 4: Avoid constant heat. Heating tools such as blow dryers and flat irons place major stress on the hair and increase the chance of hair breakage. For naturally curly hair, air drying is always best. However, if you must use a blow dryer, use a diffuser attachment that minimizes heat and maintains curl definition. If you intend to straighten your hair with a flat iron, use a ceramic flat iron that prevents breakage and greatly reduces damage.

How to Transition from Perm to Natural?

Everybody is rocking their natural and its a beautiful thing! However, so many of us are afraid to make the transition because we just don't know how. Here are some tips that helped me make the switch from the "creamy crack" perms to natural headed bliss:

1. NO MORE PERMS! The obvious first step to making the transition is to resist the box. Ya'll know what box I'm talking about (i.e. "Just For Me", "African Pride" and such. Oh and No sista, you cannot put some perm on your edges to make your edges lay down! Relaxers are chemicals that change the natural state of your hair. When your natural hair is altered, there is a StRoNg chance your hair will be damaged at some point. Just say no.

2. Wear styles that allow you to leave your hair alone and let your natural hair simply grow out. For example, when I transitioned from a perm to a relaxer about 3 years ago, I wore weaves. I wore a full head weave or a full partial weave (meaning a small amount of my natural hair was left out to conceal the extension wefts). I would leave the weave in for about 2 months, take it out wash and deep condition my hair (this is essential), trim the ends of my hair (i.e. trim the perm ends off), and reinstall my weave about 2 weeks later. I repeated this cycle until my hair grew down past my shoulders (I'll elaborate on weaves later in another post). I also wore braids and that is another great way to let your hair relax for a while (make sure your stylist braids gently. Very tight braids will pull out you hair and we don't want that.)

3. Research Natural Hair styles. In order to feel confident about rocking your natural, it helps to see others rocking hot natural styles. Check out Essence Magazine's hair gallery or Khamit Kinks salon gallery. There are wonderful, unique images of various natural styles that are glamorous, sexy, high fashion, corporate and fun and these styles will help you figure what looks great on you.

4. Find a Natural Salon in your area. ESSENTIAL!! If you do not know how to do your own hair, its essential to locate a salon in your area that SPECIALIZES IN NATURAL HAIR. If your stylist specializes in perms and color, she may not be as knowledgeable about Natural Hair styling. There are so many great Natural Hair Salons sprouting all over the country and they are wonderful at encouraging you to stay natural throughout your transitioning process and beyond! (For those in the Washington, DC area, message me for private home salon appointments).

5. Find products made specifically for Natural Hair. If you've discovered this blog, chances are you have aready covered this tip! There are so many great product lines for natural hair and the list continues to grow. Products made for natural hair usually focus on accentuating your natural curl pattern, moisturizing your hair using creams or oils and more. Check out my products, Donna Marie Handmade for quality natural products for natural hair!

6. Love your hair! This is also essential. You have to absolutely love your natural hair regardless of the negativity and backlash you may receive from rocking your hair in its natural glory. People are going to say things that will hurt you, for e.g. "When are you gonna do something to your head?" or "Girl, your hair looks a hot a$$ mess!" or "I love your hair when its straight." When you hear the negativity, block it out. Trust me, there were many days when I made guilt trips to the Beauty Supply in an attempt to buy a Mizani relaxer. I had to tell myself "DON'T DO IT GIRL, DON'T DO IT!"

Guide to Optimal Hair Growth- Tip of the Day

Tip 3: Eat right. Our mothers always told us “Eat your vegetables” for a very good reason. Eating more vegetables and fruit, drinking water, increasing protein, taking vitamins, and exercise will improve your health internally and provide nourishment to the hair root, maximizing hair growth. Stay away from foods that are pumped with hormones and synthetic fillers. Stick to organic meats or go vegetarian!

Vitamins that promote hair growth:

B-6-gives hair color (melanin) and helps combat hair loss- found in whole grain cereal and veggies

Biotin-found in eggs, rice and milk

B-3- promotes scap circulation-found in meats, poultry and fish

Vitamin C- fights off free radicals that attack the skin and hair-found in fruits and veggies

Vitamin A-helps produce natural oil found in hair called sebum- found in Fish liver oil, meat, milk, cheese, eggs, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, apricots and peaches

For more information on Vitamins that prevent hair loss and promote hair growth click here

CURLS NIGHT OUT

Can't decide how to wear your hair tonight? Well, make it a Curls Night Out and rock your naturally curly 'do. There are so many ways to Rock it. Here are some quick and easy styles for natural girls on-the-go:

The Coil Cascade
I styled this model (featured in Essence Magazine, July issue)by defining her curls with a little dab of my CoCo Curly Butter and pinned up her curls in a cascading mohawk style.














What you'll need:


1. Bobby Pins- to hold hair in place as shown.

2.Curl enhancing cream- Apply to wet or dry curls to define and make them stand out. Try my Coco Curly Butter curl enhancing cream for a smooth bouncy finish.

Fancy Free Fro

If you're off today like me, you may have some extra time on your hands to achieve this spicy look for a fun filled Curls Night out!













What you'll need:

1. Curl enhancing cream. Try my Coco CurlyButter for a smooth bouncy finish.

2. Flexirods (size of your choice...the smaller they, the more curls you'll have. Wrap your wet hair around the flexi-rods. Fold the flex-rods to keep them secure.

3. Dryer- Sit under to let your hair dry. Don't take your flexi-rods out until your hair dries completely :) Once dry, remove them and apply a moisturizer to make your hair shine and bounce. Try my Spiral Smoothie for added moisture.

GUIDE TO OPTIMAL HAIR GROWTH: TIP 2

Tip 2: Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize! Curly, Kinky, Coily, and Wavy hair needs plenty of moisture to stay strong and grow long. Despite its strong looks, curly hair can easily break especially when dry. Use products that contain natural moisturizers such as organic aloe vera gel, organic coconut oil or Shea butter. Also avoid shampoos that contain harsh cleansing agents, such as sulfates that strip the hair of its moisture and always use a moisturizing conditioner on your hair.

Product tip: Use Donna Marie's Spiral Smoothie daily moisturizer to quench your thirsty curls and kinks. Sulfate free shampoos such as Donna Marie's Mango Butter Oasis, is a gentle sulfate free shampoo that cleanses and moisturizes without stripping the hair of its natural oils.

RoCk ThIs! :Urban Updo Glam

I styled this model Janelle for a Mahogany Magazine shoot. She's rocking her natural with a braided/pin-curl combo. The model's hair was cornrowed on one side going upwards and the rest of the hair was curled with a ceramic curling iron, then pin-curled for extra hold. The pin curls were released after about 3o minutes then gently pulled apart to create this, hot natural look!

To maintain this style, use a light moisturizer such as Donna Marie's Spiral Smoothie, to smooth down your curls and keep them hydrated and shiny!