DIY- Scarf/Necklace

I saw this really cool t-shirt scarf/necklace on pintrest and really wanted to make my own. The bad part about pintrest is its photos don't come with How To instructions so I learned as I went.

Supplies:

1) An old cotton t-shirt (can be used or new-nothing special)

2) A pair of scissors

3) A hot glue gun

1) Lay your old t-shirt flat. If your t-shirt has a design on it like mine I would suggest turning the shirt inside out. I did this at a later step.

2) Cut the t-shirt straight across from arm pit to arm pit. Save the remaining fabric for later.

3) Cut off the bottom hem. You may throw this away.

                                     
4) Position the shirt so that the two side hems are at the top and bottom. Start from the bottom hem and cut straight up towards the top. Stop near the top leaving about a 2 inch border. The strips can be as narrow or wide as you would like. I would suggest slightly pulling on the first strip when done to make sure it small enough to curl up, but wide enough so that it does not snap.

                                     

5) Slightly pull on each strand so that it stretches and curls up.

6) Cut the strands on the side from the top where the hem is. When you are finished you should be able to lay every strand flat and it should look like a hula skirt.

7) When I was done I had 18 strands. I created three groups and braided them together. 

**Tip: Do not twist the strands when braiding. Instead just place each strand on top of the other so your  finished braid is smooth. 

**Tip: If you are having difficult starting the braid cut a strip from the extra fabric and tie it around the top bunching together. Then Start braiding from there. I went back and did this step for a neater braid.

8) Taking one individual stand from the braid and wrap around the braid knotting it twice.

9) Measure the braid around your neck and determine how low you want fringe will fall. Knot the fabric at the appropriate the length. This will vary from individual and personal preference.

10) Cut two inches below the knot on the fringe. Hot glue the fringe to the top of the braid.

11) Use the excess fringe and lay over top of the existing fringe. Fan it out and try it on to create a layered effect.  Tie two knots on either side of the fringe. Cut the excess fringe off.

12) Go back to the remaining fabric from the shoulders. Cut the fabric into wide individual strips then stretch the fabric.

13) Cut one end of the fabric so that it lays flat.

14) Wrap the wide strips around the necklace where the braid and fringe meet. As you wrap add little dots of hot glue to the back side of the necklace.

And your done! 

Let me know if there are any steps unclear. Feel free to do what works for you and create your own variations. Send me the results I would love to see!

Sasha Fierce

My friend Sasha came over this morning and she let me do her hair. Doing someone else's hair is completely different from doing your own. Even though our hair seemed similar in length their was difference in thickness, texture, porosity, and how our hair responded to the same products. The back of Sasha's hair is tapered so we improvised and learned as we went. Nevertheless, her hair turned out awesome if I may say so myself. 

Before- Freshly washed hair that was air dried

On Sasha's hair I lightly spritz her hair with water and a mixture of oils and leave-in conditioner. I used Cantu Leave-in conditioner mixed with Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Conditioning Milk sealed with melted Shea butter to twist her hair.

                             

I flat twisted the sides of Sasha's hair and opted for individual twist on the back and crown of her head. A couple of hairpins were added to her twist in the front so they will lay flat and swoop across her forehead.

Back View

Sasha's hair only took an hour and a half. Check her out!

              

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Wedges to die for!

5 Tips to Moisturize Your Hair

My hair feels so dry! What do I do?

Whenever people ask me how to combat dry hair I always recommend to MOISTURIZE. The secret key about moisturizing hair is that only WATER can do this.

 Here are 5 tips to add moisture back into your hair:

1) What you put into your body is just as important as what you put onto it. Make sure that you drink enough water.

2) Look at the ingredients on the products you use. A product that moisturizes your hair should have water as the first or second ingredient.

3) Make sure to deep condition your hair every time you wash it with shampoo to add moisture back into your hair. My personal favorite is the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Pack. For a $1.50 I can get two deep conditioning sessions you can't beat this! 

                                                  

4) Co-wash your hair more often using less shampoo. The sulfates in shampoo not only strips your hair of dirt, but also moisture. Try washing your hair only with conditioner to keep some of that moisture in. (If your scalp needs to be cleaned opt for a sulfate-free shampoo instead).

5) Spritz your hair daily with a mister filled with your favorite leave-in conditioners, oils, and, of course, water. I am not talking about drenching your hair. Just a nice mist before styling your hair in the morning and preparing it for bed at night.

OOTD: Lunch in the City

I met one of my friends for lunch downtown and came across the coolest mural. I just had to pose in front of it!

Shirt: Target $6

Shorts: I forgot the name of store (I think it went out of business last year)

I just love this shirt especially the color and the neckline. It is so different from anything else that I own.

Wedges: Target $15

Earrings: "Borrowed" from my Mother's Collection :-)

Both the shirt and the shoes I picked up from Target a couple of weeks ago off their summer clearance.

I wore my hair in a old twist pinning back the sides to create a fro-hawk look alike.

My friend, Alexis, and I!

Protective Style- Braids

So exactly what is a Protective Style?

Protective Styling consist of hairstyles that protect the ends of your from the elements (sun, wind, etc.) and from over manipulation (like constant combing and twisting). Examples of protective styling are full sew-ins (with no hair left out), wigs, and, my favorite, braids!

Weaves are nice, but I personally refuse to spend that much money purchasing someone else's hair.
Maybe this will change in the future... Wigs are another great protective style option. I have the fear of wearing a wig and one of my friends snatching it off my head running away with it like its a prize. I know it's a silly fear, but this has kept me from experimenting with wigs.

That  only leaves braids as protective style for me. I love braids! <3 Braids give me the sense of freedom allowing access to my scalp to wash and scratch  head. I transition from natural to relaxed with braids. Braids are so versatile and come in so many styles.

Kinky Twist

Senegalese Twist

I use to get Senegalese Twist all the time when I was relaxed and LOVED THEM! I got them done once when I was natural and wasn't feeling. The smooth texture of the twist did not blend in well with my natural hair after about three weeks.

Micro-braids (with curly hair)

These are probably my favorite type of braids so far. They take the least amount of time out all of the braids I have gotten because you are only braiding the length of your natural hair. These braids last a long time. I was able to stretch them to almost three months. 

 Poetic Justice Braids/Box Braids

My cousin, Robyn, rocking large individual box braids, also known as Poetic Justice Braids. She is currently transitioning! 

Cornrows

My little sister Noelle (6). Her hair is cornrowed into a half up/half down hairstyle.

My Mother with two rows of cornrows

 

                    

Cornrows combined with Individual Braids 

My little sister Alexis (10). Alexis' hair is cornrowed to one side with individual braids on the side.

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There are so many more different types of braid hairstyles that I still want to try. Tree braids, Nubian Twist, Crotchet Braids...the list goes on. Just by changing the type of hair that you use can give your braids a completely different appearance. My next personal look that I can't to try are Spring Twist!

My friend, Tonyette, rocking Spring Twist. Check out her blog!