Hair Inspiration? Anyone
Searching for some Hair Inspiration? I got ya covered!
Havanna Twists, Chunky Twist, Chunky Senegalese Twist, Jumbo Twist.
Boom. Bam.
Now if you are blessed to braid your own hair, good luck. But if you can’t, find someone who can braid. I know for a fact that everyone is getting box braids fixed into their heads now. So, I have decided to step out of the box and try Chunky Twist. I have found plenty of lovely pictures of this protective hairstyle, but I cannot for the life of me find a good YouTube video. I will try this style out tonight, I just hope that everything works out in my favor.
Wish Me Luck Folks!
Havanna Twists: A Long Lasting Protective Style.
The top photo is me and the bottom is my friend. Even though we live 5 hours away, we experimented with this together and love the results. Keep reading to see what we did!
Please click the link to see how we achieved this style: Havanna Twists Tutorial
** Her YouTube name is Addicted2GlamXO and she also has a video on how to style the twists as well as other hair tutorials.
You do not have to order the hair that’s in the description box for this video. Marley braiding hair works just fine. Here’s what you need (some you should already have):
- Marley braiding hair
- Some type of pomade to add hold as you’re braiding/twisting the extensions in. I used BioInfusions Curl Pomade purchased from Walgreens
- Rattail comb
- Scissors - to cut your hair to the desired length. I cut mine to be bra strap length, but my friend didn’t and they are down her back.
- Rollers/flexi rods - if you want curly ends, put them on the ends and dip in boiling water. If you want straight ends, just dip them in the boiling water to prevent them from unraveling
- Gel - put on all of the twists before tying up your hair at night so the fuzzies will lay down
- Hair scarf and/or bonnet - I use both
Personal Suggestions
- Shampoo then Deep condition your hair thoroughly before doing this: these twists can last a month or so.
- I stretched out my hair for a day in sectioned off bantu knots after the deep condition. My friend blow dried her hair which is fine as well; just make sure your hair is dry and stretched before starting.
- Make clean straight parts! Having my hair in the sectioned off bantu knots really helped (8 total). And since they are individually done, people are able to see everything.
- Spray it every other day with a water/oil mix, not too much so your hair doesn’t revert back to it’s natural state.
- Follow all of her instructions, they were the best I found on YouTube and this is very easy to do, just time consuming. It literally took us 12hrs. I had breaks for eating, watching tv, talking on the phone, and afternoon naps. I would suggest you do this over a weekend you know you’re not doing anything, so you can stop and start at your leisure.
I believe that this is a great alternative than going to a braiding salon, it costs wayyyyy less for you to do them since they don’t stay in for long periods of time. If you want them to stay in for months at a time, I suggest you go to the braiding salon lol. It’s a great protective style because your hair is covered and you’re not touching it! I do not braid tight so if I wanted to, I could pull the extensions out (which I’m not going to do, ever). This was my first time adding extensions to my hair and it was not hard.
As always, feel free to ask me any questions and have a blessed day! Thanks for reading.
Protective Styling | Braids
I have a post on braids and my havana twists already but I think it’s necessary to touch on this subject again. I’m combining these two because I read them both over and they need some revamping. This post is going to be a lot shorter.
Before you get your hair braided, determine what kind of braids do you want. Box braids like Beyoncé? Kinky twists like the girl in your class? Just remember, the longer they are, the heavier they are; especially when wet. Also, ask questions if you’re letting the African’s braid your hair. Know how much it costs to get the braids you want, how long it will take, if the costs fluctuates with the length you want, & how much it costs to get the edges re-done. The last one is very important because braids can ruin your edge-game and you do not want that. If you’re doing this yourself, you got it dude (and can you do mine for the cheap?). The havanna twists post has a DIY for you to follow if you wanna give this a shot.
You all should know that you need to have your hair freshly washed, conditioned (or deep-conditioned), & blow dried. At some braiding salons, they will charge you extra if you come with your curly hair & you want your hair to blend with the braid. Just blow it out; protect your hair from the heat of course. During the process, if you’re tender-headed, take 2 tylenol before you go so you don’t get that nasty headache after.
The most important part about this post is the maintenance of your braids.
- Buy 4 spray bottles
- Put diluted oils or a leave-in (whichever+water) into a bottle as your daily moisturizer (shake well). Spray no more than 5X a week.
- Think about how often you want to wash your hair; I say once a month because once a week is a lot.
- Dilute shampoo and conditioner in separate spray bottles and have another one of just plain water. Spray the shampoo onto your scalp and massage it a little, spray water to rise, spray conditioner on your scalp, spray water to rinse, then spray in the leave-in. Only focus on the scalp for the washing. Grab a towel because this will get messy.
- Do the washing in the morning; your hair will need to air dry & keep your hair down so the air can flow through.
If you get braids on the regular or just as a summer thing: you need to give your hair a 2-3 week break before putting it up in braids again.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed week!
