Going into this school year, I never imagined that classes wouldn’t be the place where I would learn the most. Instead, much of my growth and acquisition of skills has been related to my hair care routine and the styles I’ve been learning to wear my hair in. The transition from wearing my hair heat-styled most of the year to experimenting more with natural hairstyles that show off my curls has been a significant part of my life these past few months. Weekends are now for deep conditioning and discovering styles I can manage along with my busy schedule. Luckily, I’ve found a few that not only are compatible with my schedule, but also make me feel super confident in myself and proud of my hair.
- Mini-Twists
-
Mini-twists are such a fun, protective, natural style. I like them because they don’t take as much time to have done as a style with added hair would take. I love mixing up how they are arranged, whether I choose to go with a middle part or incorporate some flat twists on one or both sides of my head. I love that this style is so low maintenance, so I can give my hair a much-needed break as I see fit and just go about my daily routine without worrying about styling it. I also love that once I’m ready to stop wearing the twists, I can still work in a few days of styles with twisted-out hair.
- Twist-Out
-
Twist-outs are my number one go-to style. Most weeks, when I wash my hair, this is the style that I intend to wear. It hasn’t failed me yet, and I’ve found it doesn’t take me too long to accomplish. For this style, I wash and condition my hair as normal, detangling my hair in four sections while it is covered in a conditioner. Then, once I’m out of the shower and ready to start styling, I apply a leave-in conditioner and use my Felicia Leatherwood Brush to make sure that there are no tangles and well as help define my curls. After that, I apply a mousse for hold and twist each section so that the curls will form and set as they dry. I usually wear the twists for a day or two so that my hair has the opportunity to completely dry. When I’m ready to take out the twists, I make sure that I apply an oil to my hands to prevent the curls from frizzing up and separate them where my hair naturally parts, fluffing and adjusting to my liking. I can then wear my hair up, to the side, or in any other style for the rest of the week before I wash it again.
- Flexi Rod Set
-
Flexi-rod sets are a style that I grew more and more interested in testing out over the past few months and finally took the leap of faith on this past week. I bought a pack of rods with varying sizes so that I could choose different curl sizes. To do this style, sections of hair are wrapped around each rod, and then secured by bending the rod. This style took a longer time to actually do the prep for, following my normal wash routine with applying leave-in conditioner and mousse for hold before putting the rods into my hair. It took a bit more care and involvement because I had to determine what size rods to use at different parts of my head. I decided to use larger rods in the back sections and smaller rods in the front to frame my face, and then had to let my hair completely dry before taking them out. This was also time-consuming and a little uncomfortable to sleep with, but was definitely worth it when I saw the results! I loved the uniform spiral curls it left me with, and I am definitely excited to use them again.
- Home Blow-Out
-
Even though I’ve transitioned to wearing my hair in its natural curly state more often, I do still like switching things up every so often. I recently upgraded to a round brush blow-dryer which has made achieving an at-home blow out so much easier! Paired with a heat protectant and my go-to straightener, I’m able to give myself a sleek and smooth style while still keeping my hair healthy. When I do straighten my hair, I try to minimize the amount of contact heat tools have with my hair, so I don’t tend to restraighten it throughout the time I’m wearing the style. Additionally, once I wash my hair again and return to curly styles, I make sure to give my hair some extra TLC with a mask or deep conditioning treatment.
Taking the time to find natural styles for my hair has been a learning curve but all-around a really fun process. I love being able to have so much versatility with how I wear my hair, and I’m so excited to find more styles that make me feel comfortable and confident as I continue learning.