TWISTS! A First Attempt

I've always thought the girl's hair was too silky to hold twists.  They would always just unravel as soon as I let go of them.  Maybe it's because her hair wasn't long enough, or her hair was too wet while being twisted.  I'm really not sure.  Because the other day I twisted up a section of hair in the front and it puffed up and held rather nicely.  She's been wearing the twists as bangs all week and the photos were taken after a couple of days.

So.  To put in the twists I started with very slightly damp hair and used Darcy's Botanicals Avocado and Wild Plum Twisting Cream.  I divided the hair into square sections about the size of a quarter.  Each section was divided in two strands and twisted.  Simple as that.  At the end of each twist I twirled the two strands together and banded them.  Even though the process was super simple, there must be a couple of tricks I'm missing.  The twists weren't completely uniform and they kinked a bit instead of lying straight.  If anyone has any tips, please leave a comment.

Have a great weekend,
Jenny

Seasonal Challenges for Curly Hair Care

The girl really loves the pool and she actually has some talent in the water. At 2.5 years old she jumps in, and refuses to be held while she dives under, swims around, then tries her best to resurface. She stupefies us all.  I can't wait to see what develops out of this love of swimming.

So...we spend a lot of time at the pool during the summers. I never really noticed the toll it takes on her hair until recently. And now I'm wondering if pool water damage is the reason our good ole standby products haven't been working as well?!

Sunday she spent about 3 hours in the water and when I got her home I washed her hair. I used our usual Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose shampoo and conditioner. Aubrey's is the only shampoo and conditioner I use on my girl's hair except for an occasional wash with a sulfate-containing shampoo when we need to strip her hair of product build-up (check out the Aubrey Organics website). But this time after the final rinse her hair felt like wet straw.  Umm...YIKES!  I remembered I had some Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner that I typically use after her deep cleaning washes.  Hello Hydration contains dimethicone, a silicone that coats her hair and seems to make it feel more moisturized.  You can read about dimethicone at The Natural Haven blog in their Ingredients Dictionary.

It worked.

Since then I have also applied some coconut oil and almond oil and those seem to be helping to retain moisture as well.  She's been wearing her hair in one or two puffs with the front cornrowed into sideswept bangs that I band to the side so they are out of her eyes.

Sorry, no pics.  It's been a hectic two weeks.  So anyway, for some reason, last year I didn't notice this type of dryness during the summer.  But maybe that's because her hair was shorter and easier to care for.  I am learning this year that hair care for my girl will be seasonal, and I'll need to change it up depending on the environment.  Not sure what the fall and winter will bring, but I'll be sure to post about it. :)

Have a great week everyone.
Ciao,
Jenny