I love when Black women can have open dialogue about our hair! Our hair is so versatile and beautiful. We are able to create more designs and styles than any other ethnicity but yet sometimes we treat our hair as if it were an enemy. I LOVE MY HAIR.
I wore this shirt on Hooking Up. It was designed by a talented Black female named Kissa. Visit her site and get one of these awesome shirts at www.buttaflyunltd.com .
You will see on the show that I wore my hair in several different ways. I did this to demonstrate the beauty in the diversity of Black hair. Now, sometimes you will see that the humidity got to it!!!..but that is because my hair is all natural. Natural hair is beautiful and healthy for your body. I stopped relaxing my hair in 1997. I have more information to share about how I learned to take care of my natural hair from the women of the Dominican Republic in an upcoming blog post!
Ok, back to the question about the wavy look. It is my natural hair but don’t think that my hair dries like that!!! The waves take a little work.
The process is as follows: Wash and condition. (I like to use Straight Stuff by Lotta body (Revlon) as a conditioner and then lightly rinse- leaving in a little bit of conditioner). Comb while wet. While wet, separate hair into four or six sections. Rub in hair grease- don’t go too heavy. (I use Bronner Bros Super Gro). Do four or six individual braids/plaits (not corn rows). The hair must be VERY wet when doing EACH braid. (It helps to twist/pin it up to keep it wet while working on other sections). Twists ends with fingers to create a small spiral curl and put an extra dab of grease on the ends. Dry overnight (or under a hooded hair dryer). Don’t take out until completely dry or it will frizz. When ready to wear, take out the braids and separate with fingers to style- do not comb out!
Note: Six braids give tighter waves- which is better if you have really thick hair, otherwise your hair runs the risk of looking like a Jehri-curl. However, four braids may not be enough. It takes longer to dry and your hair runs the risk of looking puffy or fizzy. You have to play with which works best for you. Personally, I do six on the first day (which is a little too wavy but will not be so frizzy), then to maintain, I dampen lightly at night and only do four. My hair usually looks the best on the second and third days.
I would not advise to try this out for the first time right before an important event, as did one of my clients….I still get teased for trying to sabotage my client’s hair style. Experiment with it a few times before your big day!
Please let us know how it goes by posting a comment to the blog.
Anyone else with tips for natural Black hairstyles, please also post a comment to blog! I would love to hear them!
Reisha