25 in 25!

Hey! Welcome back! 

In 25 days I will be 25 years old! So exciting! I'm going to be celebrating with hair of course! For 25 days I going to be experimenting with different crochet hair and hair styles! Yes, I am still obsessed with crochet braids. It has been a fun and convenient way to protective style. 

First up for #25in25 is the Freetress Braid 2x Soft Faux Loc Wavy in colors 1B, 2, and 4. This is the most natural looking faux loc crochet hair I have seen yet.

It has low to medium sheen and a slight frizz to it. The frizz concerned me at first but then I realized that the slight frizzy makes the faux locs look very believable. The wavy pattern is subtle and reminds me of the goddess loc look that Megan Good and Zoe Kravitz have made so popular. 

The loops on the soft locs are small but easy to install. The install only took about 45 minutes (not included the braid pattern). 

My braiding pattern consisted of 10 cornrows going back with the middle 6 connected at the crown. 5 packs of hair was the perfect amount for this install! 

I am excited to get to styling this hair! Be sure to check back in to see what hairstyles I go with the for my #25in25 celebration. 

Wash Day/HOTD: Failed Twist Out

Happy Monday! This weekend's wash day was as simple as can be. I couldn't be bothered with a long wash day this time around, so I stuck with the basics.

First, I did a pre poo with a mix of Tresseme Naturals conditioner, olive oil, tea tree oil, and castor oil. I put my hair into two sections and baggied my ends before putting a plastic cap on my whole head. There is a short clip on @mypoundcake Instagram page which shows exactly what I am talking about. Be sure to follow Pound Cake on there! I baggied for about an hour while I worked out.

After rinsing out my prepoo, I cowashed with Trader Joes Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner (an old favorite) and finger detangled in the shower. I applied an oil mix (a blend of every oil I own) to my hair in sections, rinsed the oil off, and seal my strands with cold aloe vera juice. Outside of the shower I applied Shea Moisture JBCO Leave In Conditioner and then let my hair air dry for about 4 hours while I binge watched the Entourage (in preparation for the movie coming out this week). When my hair was about 70% dry I applied about a dimed size of Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and half a dime size of Argan Oil Eco Styler Gel to medium sized sections and twisted my hair up for a twist out. Altogether I had 21 twists. I believe this was the first time I combined these two products for a twistout. I love the products individually but this is probably the last time I will use them together. I'll explain why later...

I found that when I do a twist out on damp or dry hair as opposed to wet hair, I get better twist out results simple because my hair dries all the way before I take the twists down. 95% of my hair styles that have failed have been due to my hair not drying all the way lol. Well...

This morning I took my dogs for a long walk and it was just hot enough for me to sweat. I didn't have the time to sit under a dryer, so when I took my twists down this morning, my scalp and some of my twists were damp. Oh joy!... Well, I didn't get the definition I was looking for...once again.

I don't think the dampness was solely from walking the dogs in the heat though. When taking the twists down, my hair felt almost over moisturized. I think I may have applied too much Argan Oil Eco Syler Gel. This gel is so moisturizing, but when paired with the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie it doesn't seem to be the business if definition is what you're going for. As a matter of fact, my best twist outs have been a result of 100% dry hair and using the least amount of product possible. Obviously I didn't remember that this time around. So here my hair goes again...doing whatever it wants. 

I pouted for a bit....then I put it a puff and jazzed it up with a flat twist in the front! Problem solved! 

How do you achieve your best twist outs?

Wondabraid: Janelle Monae MetGala Inspired Hairstyle

For Met Gala 2015, Janelle Monae wore a beautiful braided hairstyle created by celebrity hairstylist Caprice Green. I have been obsessing over it ever since and plotting on a recreation.

After doing my research, I decided to incorporate a dinosaur braid (also known as the four strand round braid) using braiding hair and what seemed like a million bobby pins to recreate this look. My hair was separated into three sections: the middle mohawk section, and the two side sections. I used Olive Oil Eco Styler Gel to cornrow all three sections. I used about two and a half packs of Janet Collection Super Jumbo Braiding hair for the dinosaur braid and used bobby pins to attached the braid to my middle cornrowed section. As I bobby pinned the braid down I made sure to pull on the braid for more volume. Check out Youtuber Briadsandstyles12's video on how to do a dinosaur braid for more information on how I created the braid.

Headwrap Lookbook/Tutorial Vol. 1

Do you want to try incorporating headwraps into your hair regimen but don't know how to style them? I got you! I love headwraps and I am probably wearing one 2 to 3 days out of the week nowadays. I have posted my first of many headwrap lookbook/tutorial video. It features 4 different styles so you can get your wrap on! Enjoy!

Hair of the Day: Faux Twisted Bun

I put mini twists in my hair a couple days ago so I could dust some split ends. I've been wearing them under headwraps and wigs but today I decided to wear them out before they got too old and frizzy. I don't have too much length to do much with my mini twists but I improvised and got a faux twisted messy bun look out of it.

 

I had some leftover Cuban Twist hair from a failed crochet braid wig attempt, so I attached the hair to a hair tie and twisted up a faux bun. I had no intention of wearing my mini twists out when I installed them so they aren't the neatest but the Cuban twist hair is slightly rough and frizzy which made for easy blending and a successful improve style. Here is a quick video below showing how I got this look.

Wash Day: Braidout

This weekend's #washdayexperience started off with the SheaMoisture Curl and Shine shampoo and conditioner. Afterwards, I deep conditioned with Alikay Naturals Honey and Sage Deep Conditioner overnight. This deep conditioner is new to my stash. It gave my hair so much shine and moisture moisture moisture! I deep conditioned in twist and my twists were just bouncing all over the place afterwards! I was very pleased with the honey and sage deep conditioner and will be using it again. After washing the deep conditioner out, I applied my oil mix to the twists. I rinsed that off with cold water and then sprayed my hair with cold aloe vera juice.

My style of choice this time around was a braidout. I loved braidouts when I was relaxed and I love them even more now! I had my hair air dry about 75% before adding the Alikay Naturals Lemongrass Leave In Conditioner to the twists. I had let it air dry a bit first so that the braidout could be big a volumionus but I ended up having to spritz it with water beacuse my hair is easier to manipulate that way. I added water (when needed) and a very small amount of the Alikay Naturals Moisture Rich Hair Parfait. This hair parfait definetely takes the cake for best smelling product in my stash. It smells like desert and a tropical island mixed together.

After applying the products I braided my hair in small/medium sized sections and then rolled the ends with perm rods. For the takedown I took the perm rods out and added a bit of the Alikay Naturals Shine Crave Hair Glosser. I then unbradied my hair carefully, separated, and fluffed. My barids were not completely dry when I took the braids down (of course...they never are) but its ok because it make for bomb second day hair!

When I tell you all that my hair is so soft! It feels so fluffy and has tons of movement. I've been shaking my head all day beacuse I am so surprised at how much movement it has. Everytime I shake it I get a wiff of the hair parfait and I am in love! I really enjoyed using the Alikay Naturals products and I can not wait to try more styles with these products.

Be sure to follow Pound Cake on Instagram (@mypoundcake) to see more pictures and videos of this braidout and more!

Have you tried the Alikay Naturals products? How did it work for you?

The Wrap Life: Nia

I have been loving headwraps lately. They are a great way to spice up a hairstyle or stretch and old one. I am definetely thinking of incorporating headwraps into my weekly routine so that I don't have to manipulate my hair too often.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a company called The Wrap Life. This company is based out of Brooklyn, NY (my hometown) and they hand make African headwraps, clothing, and accessories with different colors and textures. I fell in love with their store after visiting their website and I went ahead and order my first Ankara headwrap. 

I ordered the Nia headwrap. It had a gorgeous blend of red and gold and just perfect to brighten up a look. It is 22x72 inches and 100% cotton. 

The shopping time was alright. It took about a week to get to me with standard shipping. I was so eager to try some head wrap styles with such a beautiful piece. Here are some of the styles I have achieved with the Nia headwrap. 

I can not wait to expand my collection of headwraps from this company. It looks like the styling will be endless!