Tag: Afro Hair

Do Men Treat You Differently When You Have Natural Hair?

Recently I watched the YouTube video #MenOnNaturalHair : Do Men Treat You Differently When You Have Natural Hair? by Davina from The London Curls. She answered two questions in her video, ‘Do men treat you differently when you wear your hair natural?’ and ‘Would you ever change your hair for a man?’. I found it really interesting hearing about Davina’s experiences and it got me thinking about my own experiences with men and my natural afro hair. I hadn’t thought about these types of questions in a long time before watching Davina’s video and it made me realise how different each persons experience with their natural hair, relationship and the opposite sex can be. I felt eager to do a response to this and decided to answer Davina’s questions…

So, would I change my hair for a man? Watch my short video to find out.

Samio x

More on afro hair: How to Embrace Your Natural Hair

September 8, 2015
My Braid Out Tutorial Video – Getting To Grips With YouTube

This week I uploaded my fifth video onto YouTube. A few people had been requesting I do a braid out video, so I finally got round to doing that and for those of you who have watched it already, thanks for taking the time to do so and I hope you found it useful.

I’m slowly getting to grips with the whole YouTube thing and I’ve really appreciated all the lovely comments and suggestions so far (which have of course prompted me to make this current video).

I’d originally only planned on doing a one off video, after having requests for a video on my Wash and Go routine. But I guess there is no such thing as ‘just one video’ when it comes to YouTube, as I am now learning. I like to go with the flow with these things, so we’ll see if it becomes a regular occurrence or not and although I’ve not quite got the bug for it yet (like I do with blogging), I must say I have found it surprisingly enjoyable (aside from a few minor filming/editing frustrations).

So anyway, here is my most recent video. It is aimed at people with curly to Afro hair but I actually have a friend with European/straight hair who uses the same technique (with no product, on damp hair). So some of you non Afro haired ladies out there could find it useful for creating waves or lose curls in your hair, heat free. My advise is, the less coarse your hair texture, the less product you’ll probably need to use… Anyway, check out the video and you’ll see. Plus if you’d like to see my step by step written braid out tutorial, you can check out this older post here.

http://youtu.be/wOM78iwC4gM

Samio x

April 10, 2015
2 Easy Methods for Creating a Quick and Easy Frohawk

It’s always good to experiment with different styles with your afro or curly hair, especially if you’re transitioning or are in a process of trying to grow your hair and fancy something different. Some days the regular puff just doesn’t cut it, so why not try out a frohawk if you haven’t done before. It’s actually a rather simple style to achieve and here a my two easiest methods for doing so…

Method 1 – The Kirby Grip/Bobby Pin Method

Whatever you like to call them, kirby grips or bobby pins, using them to pin your hair in place is a super easy way to create a frohawk hair style.

First of all I added volume and fizz to my hair by combing it out slightly with an afro comb. You can do this look with any type of curly hair of course, I just decided to go for a more wild, frizzy look so that I could create a bigger frohawk.

First of all get a bunch of kirby grips. I used around 8 or 10 kirby grips (between 4 and 5 on each side). For a tighter more slick style or if your adding product to neaten up the sides you may want to use more kirby grips.

Make sure all of your kirby grips have their nibs on the end, like the one on the right here. Often I find some of my older kirby grips lose their nib, like this one on the left, which can be slightly painful as well as damaging on your hair when trying to pin it in place. So be sure to throw any kirby grips without a nib in the bin before you get started.

(btw, kirby grips/bobby pins go curvy side down when sliding them into your hair, in case you weren’t sure)

Start by grabbing the lower section of your hair on one side of your head and pull it back before sliding in your first kirby grip to hold the section of hair in place.

Work forward, grabbing the next section of hair and pinning the hair back in place until you have lifted and pinned all of your hair on one side.

Work from the front to the back of your hair if you find it easier and repeat the technique on the other side of your head so that both sides are pinned up.

There you have it, your kirby grip frohawk. Like I said, if you want a slicker, more neater looking frohawk then you can add products to the sides and comb the hair as you pin it to make it look super neat. I however rather like the rough and ready look.

Method 2 – The Bobble/Hair Tie Method

Again, whatever you call these, bobbles (my personal favourite) or hair ties, you will need three of them.

Section the middle front part of hair on your head. This doesn’t have to be neat but try and make it central, then bobble it.

Repeat this with the middle section of hair (behind the first puff), this time also bringing in the hair from the sides, up to round about your ears. Again don’t worry about the sections being super neat.

The first two sections tied up should look like this – a semi frohawk.

Finally grab the remaining lower section of hair and tie in a bobble.

This will create three puffs on your head, which you can tweak around slightly with your fingers to make sure all the hair blends together (if it doesn’t initially).

And voilà, the quick and easy three bobble frohawk.

So if you’re having a bad hair day, or maybe just fancy doing something different, why not try out a quick and easy frohawk using one of these simple methods.

I would love to know some of your thoughts. Have you ever tried a frohawk or do you think you’d like to try out this style in the future?

Samio x

January 13, 2015
Curly Hair – How I Get Defined Curls

My hair type is 3c and so it naturally forms into very tight ringlets, however the way in which I comb my hair, along with what products I use, effects the definition of my curls.

For me, defining my curls starts with detangling. I comb my hair after washing it, whilst it’s still wet and usually with conditioner still in the hair. This makes it easier to comb through the hair and detangle without causing breakage. I detangle my hair by brushing the ends first, slowly making my way up through the hair until it is fully detangled and smooth enough to brush from root to tip.

I use the Macadamia No Tangle brush. I’d definitely recommend this brush (or one similar) to those with curly hair, as it really does make it much easier to comb through the hair and it prevents the breakage that a regular brush would cause. This is my main tool for creating defined curls as when I comb through the hair it glides through without separating all of the curls (like some afro combs do) and so when my curls bounce back up they form into their natural coils.

I then add my Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment and brush through my hair once more to make sure that the oil is spread throughout my curls. After combing I then add a leave in conditioner, in this instance I used Macadamia Leave in Cream. I then wrap my hair in a towel to begin to dry it.

When my hair is still damp I then take the towel off my hair, spray it with Macadamia No Tangle spray before using my hairdryer on a medium heat to dry my hair fully. I use a TREsemme hair dryer without attaching the diffuser.

If I feel any parts of my hair need it, I will rub some more of the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment onto my hands and rub it onto my hair.

Once my hair is fully dried, I’m left with defined and glossy curls like this.

Samio x

August 30, 2014
Braid Out – Retro Up Do

So you’re waiting for the fro to grow and you’re fed up with the same style, or maybe you’re happy with the length but just fancy trying out a new do… Well here is an easy to follow step by step tutorial of a simple yet fancy looking, braid out style. This style can be done on long or short hair and is perfect for those of you who like the vintage look. Continue below to follow my 12 simple steps to achieve this style

What you will need:
Leave in conditioner (or braid out product of your choice)
Curvy grips/bobby pins
Fabric or headscarf

Step 1:

The night before, separate the hair into about four sections, add product to each section (I used Aussie Conditioner) and then plait… Basically you’ll be doing a braid out, if you need instructions on how best to do a braid out, read this previous, how to post here. Please note: Make sure one of your parts is to the side of your head and not in the center. This will just help the hair to fall to one side better when you take out the plaits, so then the style will be easier to achieve.

Step 2:

The next day, following on with the braid out process, undo the plaits carefully so not to mess up the newly formed wave in the hair.

Step 3:

Continue to undo all the plaits until you’re left with a head of waves. Separate parts of the hair slightly if you feel you need to. Do this gently using your fingers so not to create too much frizz.

Step 4:

Grab the majority of the hair, leaving about a quarter section to hang lose at the front…

Step 5:

Pin the grabbed hair at the back of the head. Do this using bobby pins/curvy grips (as many as needed) to secure in place.

Step 6:

Once the back part of the hair is pinned up and secured, you should be left with something that looks like this.

Step 7:

Now grab the front section of hair and take it to the side and again pin in place. One hair grip should be enough to hold this section but use more if needed.

Step 8:

Check that the front piece of hair is secure and that all grips are hidden.

Step 9:

Now that your style is in place, it’s time for the finishing touch… Grab a headscarf of your choice. Here I have chosen to use a long strip of organza fabric. You can buy this fabric at most haberdasheries or even online for a reasonable price. Don’t worry if you don’t have any organza fabric, a head scarf or any remnant of your choice of fabric will do fine. Just make sure that the fabric/headcarf you use is long enough to wrap around your head and tie into a large bow.

Step 10:

Wrap the fabric around the back of the head. Bring the fabric/headscarf together at the top of your head, just behind the front piece of pinned hair, then cross over and tie.

Step 11:

Finish tying the bow (the same as you would with a shoe lace) at the top of your head and then adjust the bow so that you are happy with it. If needed, secure the fabric/headscarf with more pins.

Step 12:

For the end result you should be left with something similar to this. Now go out, rock your new style and feel fabulous!

Did you try out this style? I would love to know how it worked for you… Feel free to share your results with me via Instagram & Twitter – @samiorenelda

Samio x

April 10, 2014