How I did my Faux Crotchet Locs

For the first time in about 4 years I decided to do a form of attachment on my hair 😱. I opted for doing faux locs instead of braids which I typically do because its so much lighter on your head and I’ve developed an intolerance for things weighing down my hair. After doing a bunch of research on many youtube videos, I decided to give this a try!

The Hair

The hair I used was the “Janet Collection Synthetic Hair Crochet Braids 2X Havana Mambo Faux Locs 14 inches”. The quality was alright, it doesn’t feel particularly natural but its not terrible either. Next time I’ll look out for a more natural-feeling extension, but this one was pretty reliable.

The Steps

I started by cornrowing most of my hair, leaving just the a bit at the front. I ended up with about 9 cornrows going straight back on my scalp.

Then, working from the back, I used the regular crotchet method to attach the locs to the cornrows.

Next I moved on to the front section of my hair, and made as many individual braids as I wanted.

Finally I used the crotchet method again on each individual braid. But this time, I wrapped the braid within each loc to hide my real hair. This method worked well enough, although some of my real hair still shows wrapped around the loc.

The loss didn’t turn out perfectly my any means, but they were a good first try and Ill definitely try them out again.

"Undefined"

As a hair blogger, I mainly show pictures of when my hair is perfectly styled. However, my hair rarely stays in that perfectly defined state, and I think it is important to show what my hair looks like by the end of the day (or even a couple of hours into the day!).

When I first went natural, it seemed that achieving curl definition was the ultimate goal, and the standard for a 'good' natural hairstyle. Unfortunately, as I soon found out, my kinky 4c hair was not naturally curly, and so cannot maintain that type of style. 

This is something I still struggle with. I definitely prefer my 'curl-defined' look to the aftermath. However, I think I am beginning to embrace the frizz and not be so self conscious about it. For me, going natural wasn't just about changing my hairstyle. It was also about accepting what my natural hair looked like, because it was something I was really ashamed of.

Anyway, I just thought I would share with you guys what my hair looks like most of the time. Some people seem think that my styled hair is what I wake up with, and it certainly is not!

Hairstyle Today - 7/Jan/2015

Happy New Years!

This is the simple hairstyle I did today. A flat twist in the front and a low bun at the back. It's a nice hairstyle to do for days when I didn't set my hair the night before in a twist-out or braid-out. 

Simple Long-Term Protective Bun

I really like to do buns, but sometimes packing all my loose hair into a bun doesn't give me a sleek look, and it isn't great for my ends. 

This is an alternative way of bunning I came up with which is kinder to my ends and allows me to keep the hairstyle for a few days without my hair getting tangled. It doesn't look like my hair is in twists at all, and yet the majority of my hair is tucked away in a tangle-free style.

Braid-Out and Top Knot

My hairstyle today. I have seen this type of hairstyle about before and always wanted to try it. I really liked the way it turned out and will definitely do it more often!

On another note, if you have any ideas for posts you would like to see me do, please let me know!

Straightening my Natural Hair

So for the first time since I went natural, I straightened my hair! One day, I just felt the itch to do something different, so I ordered a hair straightener and got to straightening the next day.

Even though my hair wasn't nearly bone-straight, I was happy with the results. I didn't expect to get my hair totally straight the first time I did this, and I quite liked the fuller look that I got. 

My process -

Overall I really liked the results I got. The process didn't take too long as I didn't need to blow-dry my hair first. I will definitely do this again, although probably not anytime soon. I'd rather stick to my heat-free styles!

Braid-Out vs Twist-Out on 4C Natural Hair

Although I have been natural for over 3 years now, I have only 'mastered' the braid-out/twist-out on my hair in the last few months. So, I thought I would share with you the pros I have found of doing each style.

Pros of the braid-out:

Pros of the twist-out:

I like both styles, and which one I do typically comes down to whether I feel like braiding or twisting that particular day. Let me know which you guys prefer on your hair!

Dandruff Solutions for Natural Hair

I usually don't like to talk about specific products I use because I don't think they are what is really important. However, one product that has made a noticeable difference in my hair has been the Terrensentials Lavender Garden Hair Wash.

Although I used a (sulphate-free) shampoo every time I wash my hair, I would notice that I still had flakes in my scalp. I tried various products that just didn't work. The Head & Shoulders left my hair feeling very stripped and straw-like. The ACV was a pain to use and it smelt really bad. Neither products made much of a difference to my scalp.

The only product that made the difference for me was the Terresentials Mud Wash. Not only does it effectively clean my scalp, but it leaves my hair feeling soft and conditioned. I can't say that this will work for everyone, but it has been great for me so I thought I would share it with you guys!

How I use the product: I use the mud wash in combination with my regular sulphate free conditioner. I mix the mud wash with water in an applicator bottle and pour it all over my scalp and hair. I massage it in for a few seconds, then rinse it out. I follow with a co-wash. 

(NB: I was not sponsored by Terresentials to write this post, and I bought these products myself!)

Curlformers (Barrel Curls) on 4C Natural Hair

A video showing how I use the curlformers (long barrel curls) on my hair. As you can see, with these style of curlformers, you achieve a less defined curl, but more of a straightened look. Nonetheless, this is still a great way to achieve relatively straightened the hair without using any heat. 

Unrully || YouTube || Instagram

Simple Graduation Updo

I had my graduation a few days ago and this is what my hair looked like by the end of the day. It puffed up more by the end of the day but still looked alright. The style was really rushed but I liked the way it turned out in the end.

I braided my hair the night before so that I would have a braid-out as a base for my style. The next day, I only had 20 minutes to style my hair so I settled on this simple hairstyle. I achieved this by doing two loose flat twists and leaving a bit of hair at the front to frame my face. I didn’t have any of my hair accessories on me, but I think a head chain would have looked good. That was it!