I Went a Little Crazy at Claire's

I'm like a kid at a candy store when I'm at Claire's. I went a little crazy and just wanted to share some of the stuff I got. I don't know about you, but I love seeing what other mommies bought their little ones. Got a shopping spree to share too? Send it in, and I'll post your goodies. :) So here's what I got...

Bows

Flowers

Clips, Ponytail holders & Bracelets

Lacing Cornrows

A very unique way of 'dressing up' cornrows. A unique accessory. It may look difficult but really it isn't. It's just like lacing a sneaker. Just make sure not to pull on the ribbon when lacing because you will end up messing up the cornrow. I used an off white satin ribbon which you can find at any crafts store. I bought so much ribbon and had to do 'something' with it. Use whatever color ribbon you like to match the shirt/dress you want to dress your daughter in. I used two big needles that didn't have a pointy tip, but just a round tip, bigger than a pen tip. See the picture below. Hope you all like this one as much as I do. Her daddy loved it. :)

How to achieve this look:

• I started with washed, and moisturized hair.
• Part the hair from ear to ear and section off the back hair which you will work with later.
• Next, part the top hair in the middle and work with only one side.
• Part the hair in a 'V' starting from the main middle part. I did 3 cornrows in each side, so 6 in total. After I finished cornrowing, her hair was still a little damp, so I finished the back before I laced the cornrows.
• In the back, I did 2 strand twists using clear rubber bands from Claire's. All rubber bands are not equal and I find these are more 'slippery', which is good. You can do either box braids in the back or twists.
• By the time I finished the back, the top part was almost fully dry. Which is what you want because if you start lacing on wet hair the ribbon will get wet and loses it's shine with all the product in it.
• Refer to the pictures below on how I laced the cornrows, remember, it's just like lacing a sneaker. If the ribbon gets twisted, gently turn it with your fingers to make it look flat, before you proceed lacing. This will give it more of a smooth look.

I hope this was clear enough! If you have any questions or suggestions please email me.

OT Saturdays: I love the whole world!

I recently discovered Discovery Channel and love this commercial. One of the best commercials ever. I get happy every time I see it. It hasn't been coming on though lately, what happened? Anyway, are you a Discovery Channel addict? What's your favorite show? Watch this commercial and let me know what you think.

OT Saturdays: STOP Bullying Now!



There's too much bullying going on! I wish no child ever had to go through it. So help spread the word. Share this on your Facebook page, Tweet, post it on your blog, Blackberry messenger, etc...  That's the least we all can do. Help Stop Bullying Now!

Visit Stop Bullying Now! and see what you can do to help.

Question: What is your favorite styling product for braids, twists etc?

I can't wait to try some of the most popular hair products on my chlidrens hair. I know many of you have already figured out what products are best for braids and twists. So my question is, which is your favorite hair product for braids, twists etc? I need to find something asap. So help me people! :)

Meet 5 Year Old Yaya

This is Yaya, my little man and first born. He is 5 years old and loves anything Spiderman and Superman! Such a boy. He has very thick curly hair. It was cut very short not long ago, and is now already starting to grow back and curl. His hair grows very fast. I will have some posts on boy hair care very soon. All my children have curly hair, yet all have completely different textures. I'm waiting for some great products to arrive, then will see which is best for who.



Affordable Curlers: Three Layered Curly Cornrows using A Shower Mat!



Shower mat? Yes, you read right. While I'm waiting for some curlers to arrive, I decided to curl Jannah's braids with a Shower mat that I bought not long ago to put under my washing machine because it would travel all over the place while it spinned the cycle. This is supposed to help hold it in place. I had some leftover and decided to use it on her hair. I saw this trick on the Style Network. Haha! These are usually made for under the carpet, or for the shower, not hair. lol. They are only about $9 for a whole roll.

It does work very well, because the material sticks to the hair and stays put. It sticks in a good way though, no damage involved. Jannah took a nap after I put them on and when she woke up after about 2 hours, her braids had a nice curl. This curling method is supposed to work very well on type 2 and type 3 hair. Well, I guess if it works for 4a braids, then it should work for anyone right? If you decide to try it out, let me know of the results. I would love to know.

Here is the How To:

• Start with washed, detangled and moisturized hair with product of your choice.
• Part the hair in 3 parts. See picture.
• Start cornrowing. Make the cornrows as big or as small as you like.
• Now cut up the Carpet Underlay about 5 inches long and 1 inch thick.
• For curling technique, refer to the picture tutorial. Note that I curled 3 braids in one strip of the Shower Mat. After rolling the braids in the strip, just tie it once and it will not unravel.
• I am a new and slow braider, so this took me about 1 hour and 30 minutes. If you are used to cornrowing it should take you about 1 hour.

Here is a different way to style it.

Here is what you need:

 

Tinker Bell's Iridessa Bun

We love Tinker Bell and her fairy friends. We have all 3 movies. Our favorites are Tink and Iridessa. I like all the fairies myself and think they are absolutely gorgeous! If you look up close at Iridessa's hair it looks like it's twisted or something, but then I was thinking maybe this is just Disney's version of kinky hair? lol. Anyway, here is the tutorial. Let me know what you think.

How to achieve this look:

• Start with freshly washed and moisturized hair. I am waiting on a few products to come in, which I am very excited about, so until then I'm using Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-in.
• Part small sections along the hairline and use rubber bands to section them off. I soaked the rubber bands in olive oil the night before.
• Twist each section in 2 strand twists and leave them alone for now.
• If you don't know how to make a sock bun, here is the tutorial.
• After you put the hair in a ponytail for the sock bun, take the twists and secure them in with the ponytail holder.
• Smooth down the top and back and you're ready to go.

So who is your favorite fairy?

Here are a few Tinker Bell products from Amazon.

The Princess Show: J

1. Please introduce yourself and your daughter.

My name is Danielle.  I’m black and Japanese and my husband is Nigerian so her hair is a bit different than mine.  I didn't know much about her type...I always thought it was normal for it to be dry and hard to comb.  She didn't really show an interest in her hair but now she is looking forward to her hair growing so I can try all the styles on the blogs.

2. What is your daughter's hair care routine?

I am just now learning about how to properly care for her hair.  I used to just wash it once a week and use grease to cornrow it. I didn’t use conditioner or moisturizer, but I would spray some oil on her scalp during the week if it was braided.  I guess because I don’t use that stuff for my own hair.  Just last week I noticed her hair has gotten shorter and really dry so I looked at your blog and BBB blog and curlylikeme and this week started a routine.  So far I washed her hair, used a rinse conditioner and then a leave-in.  I put it in twist and styled the next day.  Every day I am planning to moisturize her hair.

3. What products work best for her hair?

So far I’m using HEHH conditioner, vo5 moisture soak conditioner, avocado oil that you recommend and coconut oils. 

4. What products have you tried that didn't work so well?

I bought some shampoos (Garnier Fructis and HEHH) but then saw the sulfate and sodium chloride in them so I am looking forward to replacing those when they are finished.

5. How long would you say her hair is in inches?

It is braided right now, so I have to estimate...it's pretty short in the back, maybe 3-4 inches and her hair gets longer toward the top, maybe 6-7 inches.

6. Do you periodically trim her hair? If so, how often?

No. Never.

7. Do you ever use heat on her hair? If so, how often?

I’ve used heat on her hair maybe a total of 2 or 3 times.  I’m not sure if I will stop forever but I don’t plan on using it until her hair is stronger.

8. Have you ever relaxed her hair?

No.

9. Do you plan to in the future?

No.

10. Do you have any hair secrets to share with us?

Since I’m new, no but I’ve seen other people say moisturizing it is key so I’m going to see how that goes.

11. Finally, let's see pictures of your princess!

Danielle is a dear friend of mine and I wanted to thank her for participating in our blog. Jannah and J are good friends and I hope we can get together very soon. It is also thanks to her (and dh) that I didn't relax Jannah's hair. I remember she was very against it and as a result referred me to some websites that had lots of great info regarding bi-racial hair. THANK YOU Danielle! Keep up the great work.

OT Saturdays: Charlie bit my finger - again!

Off Topic Saturdays: Hey guys! Thought I would introduce something new to the blog, there is always so much more to talk about other than hair, so every Saturdays I'll post some things that ineterest me, just for fun. You can expect videos from youTube, recipes, jokes, book reviews, reviews of different products. Anything. Let me know what you think.

I wanted to start off with something funny. These kids are adorable and I always laugh everytime I watch this. Enjoy and comment!