Perfecting the Art of Twisted Buns

I'm becoming a protective style queen! Twists and buns are my favorite protective styles. This summer I have been beating the heat by staying hydrated with water for my body and moisture for my hair. Whether I am at work teaching summer school, meeting a friend for lunch, or enjoying my family reunion, buns have been my go-to style. Why am I so enthralled with keeping my hair up and tucked away? Because it is so EASY and helps me to retain lots of length. Not only that, but my hair stays moisturized longer. I can roll out of bed, take my shower, and be ready for my summer gig in no time! How do I maintain my twisted bun?

To style a twisted bun you will need the following supplies:

• Thin, black Goody Ouchless band
• Stylish cloth or plastic band
• 15-20 bobby pins (or as many as you need)
• Spritz--I used bottled water, aloe vera juice, detangling tea, rosemary oil, and JBCO.
• Natural Gel-- My fav is Shea Moisture Curling Souffle.
• Natural Pomade--My fav is Tropic Isles Rosemary JBCO pomade.

I style my hair with a spritz, natural gel, and natural pomade. I start with a clean, conditioned head. I air dry my hair over night in gigantic twists. The next day, I finger detangle and section my hair into four sections. Think of quadrants.. Two sections in the front and two sections in the back. Begin twisting your hair into the size of twists that you want. I prefer medium twists, because I have issues with the takedown from mini twists. I prefer to mix a little souffle with pomade and then apply to each section. I twist really tight per the Naptural85 method. I tightly twist until the hair can't be twisted anymore then move down to the next section.

Front view 

Then, I used a thin, black ouchless headband to pull the twists upward from my face. I wrapped the ouchless band twice for a secure hold. Then, I slowly pulled it upward toward the crown of my head. I was careful not to pull too tight.

Next, I sectioned my twists into two gigantic sections--One on the left back side of my head and one on the right. I folded my twists over my hand and pinned each side down starting with the back section top to bottom.

Side view 

Finally, I smoothed down stray hairs and used a little pomade on my edges and hairs in the back. I wrapped my hair with a silk scarf to hold the style and smooth down my hairs.

I added a colorful scarf to create style and give my bun a vibrant look. The first time that I did that style I used a plain black, chunky headband. The cool thing about the headbands is that you can go casual or more dressy dependent upon your destination for the day.

Next time I plan to make my bun more uniform. I know that it is slightly off centered. For me, the art of twisted buns is an ongoing process. My first goal was to make sure that it looked neat and presentable, which I think I accomplished. When I do it again, I will be sure that each side is more symmetrical. That slightly lopsided bun look didn't get any weird looks, thank God! 

Back view

This style is easy and very sensible for the summer. I don't have to sorry about stray hairs or frizz. I can go about my date without worrying that my style will morph into something else. On rainy days my bun still remains in tact and on sunny days, it keeps my neck cool. Now that my curly hair is growing past shoulder length (stretched inching past APL), keeping it off my shoulders helps me to retain length. This is definitely becoming one of my favorite styles for the summer. I can't wait to adapt it for fall and winter!!

Dear readers, have you tried a twisted bun? What tips do you have for styling and maintaining it? What are your go to styles for the summer?

July Flat Iron Fiasco

I'm still asking myself why did I flat iron my hair on the hottest week this summer. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. Perhaps I just am a hard headed natural. Whatever the case, I'm reflecting on what went wrong and what I learned from the July 2013 Flat Iron Fiasco. In order to understand what went wrong I revisited my flat iron routine and compared it to what I did to lead to me looking like a distorted black Dolly Pardon.

When I usually flat iron my hair I am meticulous about the products that I use and my flat iron routine. The following is my usual flat iron routine:

• Detangle, prepoo with oil (usually JBCO)
• Rinse hair thoroughly and shampoo with heat protectant shampoo (Nubian Heritage Black Seed & Honey shampoo).
• Rinse out condition (usually TRESemme Naturals)
• Leave-In Kinky Curly Knot Today conditioner
• Use a wide tooth comb to carefully comb out curls
• Spray hair with Nubian Heritage Black Seed & Honey Heat Protectant Spray.
• Blow dry hair on low.
• After hair is dry apply Wild Growth Hair Oil in sections.
• Set flat iron on medium heat and flat iron hair in sections.

This time I deviated from my normal routine and now I can see where I went wrong. I used different products and that definitely resulted in the Dolly Pardon look (no offense Dolly, but that's not the look I was going for). Without posting the specific products that I used, let's just say that the heat protectant spray that I used was recommended by a sales rep at a local beauty supply store. It contained a lot of ingredients that I cannot pronounce. Unfortunately, that spray made my hair feel coated and funny. I won't make that mistake again. Ugh!!!!

Well, on the bright side my hair is growing nicely. I felt proud of my hair but on the other hand, I couldn't wait to wash it out and let it curl back up again. All I could do while on vacation was wear my hair in a ponytail. Wearing it out was just too much in the Southern heat. Lesson learned!!!

What is the moral of my story? Don't deviate from what is working. It may be tempting to try a new product, but unless you have time to hide under a rock if it comes out looking crazy, DON'T DO IT! Stick to what you know!! Ah, message received!

NaturelleGrow: ALL Hair CAN Grow!

SPOTLIGHT ON UP & COMING NATURAL

Renee Dawes 

Renee Dawes, Owner & Creator of
NaturelleGrow Handmade Hair Products

For months now, I’ve been using NaturelleGrow products and I have experienced phenomenal results. Impressed with the quality ingredients and superior performance of the products, I reached out to NaturelleGrow products owner, Renee Dawes, for an exclusive interview with The Forgotten Natural Blog.

Renee, thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview with The Forgotten Natural Blog. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am originally from Ohio, but up until recently I lived in New York. Currently, my family and I are relocating back to Ohio.  My husband and I have worked in ministry for the last 11 yrs. We have had our own church for the past 3 yrs. We have two daughters, ages 14 and 8.

How did your hair journey influence your decision to start a company?

In my younger years I was relaxed.  In high school, I wore weaves a lot and the glue I was using caused my hair to become so damaged that my edges were gone. My scalp was white and flaky. Then, I began sewing in the weaves. I had the mindset that my hair wouldn’t grow. It got to the point where I couldn’t even relax my hair anymore; it was so thin.  So, in 2007 I slowly transitioned to natural.

Once I started learning how to take care of my hair; it started growing. It became a passion. I was trying all kinds of products and investigating the ingredients in products. I began studying herbs and finding out how beneficial the herbs are for hair. I was interested in long and healthy hair. As a result, I decided to find out how to make conditioners, cleansers, etc. I looked into which natural products would work. I was able to test the different formulations on the different hair types of my family members (relaxed, natural, kinky, curly). I was able to determine that natural products work on all hair types.  I discovered that people, who had never grown hair, were able to do so using natural hair products.  I became passionate about helping others attain what I had; long healthy hair. Once I figured things out, my hair went from chin length to armpit length. Once I began making my own products it grew to waist length. Currently, it is almost TBL (tail-bone) length.

With all the different natural hair product companies out here, what do you think makes NaturelleGrow unique?

Customer service and having a relationship with the customers are very important to me. I believe in putting the customer and his or her needs first. When you are a small company, you have the ability to reach out and touch people’s lives. We provide fresh ingredients and listen to what the customers actually need.

Can you share with us your weekly hair routine?

I cleanse my hair and then, I do an herbal rinse. Next, I put in my deep conditioner and sit underneath the dryer for about 15 minutes. All of my deep conditioners are especially formulated for dry hair. After rinsing out the deep conditioner, I put in a moisturizer and then I plait about 5 braids. Next, I will sit under the dryer and then, comb it out. Some days I use a blow dryer and straighten it.

During the winter, I set my hair on large rollers and sit underneath the dryer. After my hair has dried, I put hair butter on my ends or moisturizer and pull it back into a ponytail.

How have your products helped your customers with their own hair journeys?

For years my sister’s hair didn’t grow and now her hair is mid back length.

One person e-mailed me the other day. She said that at first she was skeptical, but she was using my oil on her daughter’s hair. It worked exceptionally well. Another person has relaxed hair and she told me that she noticed the moisture in her hair improve right away after using NaturelleGrow products.

Do you have any new products coming out?  If so, when can we expect to be able to purchase them?

NaturelleGrow has a new hair growth oil that is expected to be launched August 2013.  After testing out the oil for some time, I was astounded by the fast results. This oil works VERY well to aid hair growth!

What do you think is the most important thing to remember when caring for kinky, coily, and curly textured hair?

All hair is beautiful. All hair will grow. Long hair has nothing to do with your race or genetic make up. The most important thing is that you must treat your hair as though it was fine china. Your hair is constantly growing but you must focus on retaining the hair you have. You must learn what your hair likes and dislikes. Get to know YOUR hair. Treat your hair well and it will flourish.  

To order NaturelleGrow products visit  NaturelleGrow on Etsy

NaturelleGrow handmade products are fresh and all natural.