Independence Day Twist Out

It is officially July 5th. I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration and I hope everyone made it home safely.

I had planned to go to my sister's house for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks, and I wanted my hair to look good. My goal was to wash, deep condition, and set my hair for a twist out. Due to a toddler who refused to go to bed in her crib, my plan was a bust. I hadn't done anything to my hair. I didn't braid it, I didn't oil it, and I certainly didn't put my satin cap on before trying to get my daughter to go to bed. I knew I didn't want to put my hair back with a scarf, nor did I want to attempt an up-do for the day's festivities. When I finally did wake, it was next to a snoring toddler and 3:45 am. Not the ideal time for someone to be up trying to figure out what to do with her hair, but I did it anyway.

I knew what ever I did with my hair, I wanted it to hold it's definition and not be dried out. Most articles or blogs I have read state that your hair needs moisture, and nothing adds moisture better than water. The trick is to seal it in, and there are several ways in which to do this. I wanted to do a twist on the LOC method to set my hair for the night, however instead of doing it in the order of Liquid Oil Cream, I wanted to do LCO - Liquid Cream Oil. I have found this works best for my hair. Unfortunately I could not find my go-to cream. So, I did the next best thing. I got a spray bottle with water, Dr. Miracle's leave-in conditioner, Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO), and Curly Kinks Twist Whip.

 Here is what I did:

I first wet my hair with water, then I put a generous amount of the leave in conditioner through out my hair. Next, I used the JBCO and worked that into my hair. Last, I twisted my hair using the twist whip, and made sure I had some on each section. I let my hair air dry while I did other things that morning, and when I finally got into the bed this morning (about 7:50 am) I put my satin scarf on. In the afternoon, when I took my twists out, I made sure I had the JBCO on my finger tips to help smooth and polish my hair. I was very happy with my results!

First off, The three with the time stamp - well, you see how late it is, so sorry for the unhappy look. Second, I know these aren't great pictures of the hair style. I really wanted a close up of the definition, but it just didn't happen. My apologies. Still, I hope you can see the style I achieved. 

Why am I so happy with the results? 

• My twists and the twist out actually fell naturally on my head. Usually they are sticking up all over the place. I was starting to think it was because my hair is not as long as other women I see who rock the twist out. Theirs seem to lay down or fall naturally and not stick out at every angle on their head - unless that is how they meant it. Now, I think it has to do with how I set my hair
• My hair held it's definition! Generally when I take out the twists, most strands seem to revert back to it's natural pattern instead of holding the crimped look of the twist-out, especially when it comes to larger sections. As I separated them, they would lose their definition. Not today!

I was in such awe at how my hair turned out, that I kept saying to my husband, "Look babe! It never looks like this." He laughed. By the end of the day my hair didn't frizz nor did it revert back to it's normal pattern. It held. The only thing I complained about is that my hair felt drier than it has been since I started taking care of it. Not sure if I need a moisture spritzer or if I should have done something differently when twisting, but that is something I can play around with. When I do, I will share my results. 

Well, I am off to bed. All I am doing is putting my satin cap on. I think I might have decent second day hair. We will see. 

As always please feel free to comment below or email me directly, and you can also subscribe to my blog via email.

Thank You for reading, and have a wonderful night.

Happy Healthy Hair,

~Millah Sirhea

Castor Oil Challenge via Kinky Curly Coily Me

Once I decided to get it together and start getting my hair to a healthy state, I started looking online for tips, products, and support. I found several on Facebook as well as through  a plain old internet search. While browsing one site, something might catch my eye and it would lead me to another. One website I found is Kinky Curly Coily Me. A week or so ago I came across a castor oil challenge for the summer months.

Some problem areas I am working on are obtaining length, getting my edges back (they are  ever so slowly disappearing), and keeping my scalp nice and moisturized. I seem to have issue with a flaky scalp. Castor oil is supposed to help in all of these areas! Go figure. Seems like I came across this challenge at just the right time.

According to Help Health, massaging castor oil into your scalp helps to stimulate it which improves the blood flow to your skin and hair follicles, thus improving hair growth. The antibacterial and anti-fungal properties also improve the quality of the scalp helping your hair to grow as well.

Kinky Curly Coily Me has several before and after photos of people who have used castor oil and saw results. Even though the challenge began June 1st, you have until June 7th to join and you can do that by going here.

June 1st was the start of the challenge. I have never used castor oil before, but I committed myself to using it at least 3 times a week for 3 months for this challenge. I started by oiling my scalp with Jamaican Black Castor Oil after twisting my hair before bed. I also plan on doing a hot oil treatment once per week. I plan to document each week, and below is my twist out the next morning. Eh, still a work in progress for that amazing twist out, but that is why I am here, right?

If you are unsure on how to use castor oil for your hair, eHow and Transitioning Movement offer options. Not sure where to buy? One site I frequent is curlmart.com, but I bought mine on Amazon.

Well, I am signing off for the night. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment with any feedback.

Happy Healthy Hair!

~Millah Sirhea