I’ve written about using a hair bun as a protective style, but I never went into great detail of what to use and how to achieve it. Today I plan on doing just that because I know for our long hair sister’s, it is important that we all know how to style our hair in protective styles during the fall and winter season.

The first thing you will need is a mesh donut. This can be purchased at any local hair store or online. Next you will need 2 medium-large cloth covered elastic bands depending on the thickness and length of your hair. You will also need your moisturizer and a natural oil. You will also need a soft bristol brush(This will probably be the only time that I recommend the use of a brush.).

You can style your hair while it is still damp after shampooing and conditioning. It will be much easier to smooth your hair while it’s wet.

1. First apply your moisturizer, which can be aloe vera, shea butter, Curls Milkshake, etc.
2. Follow up with your oil to seal in the moisture.
3. Detangle your hair with your fingers or a wide tooth comb.
4. Take a soft bristol brush to smooth your hair up into a ponytail. Do not make the ponytail very tight because this will cause breakage.
5. Next take the mesh donut and pull your hair through the center of the donut.
6. Next take your hair and smooth it evenly over the donut to create a beautiful bun.
7. Secure your hair with the second elastic band and your all done!

This is a quick and easy protective style. I honestly can’t wait until my hair is long enough to use this style as it saves a lot of time. Remember to enter the Protective Styles Challenge this month to add an extra 3 inches of length to your hair by April 2010!

The fall season has begun and winter is just around the corner. With the dry, cold air approaching, our hair is in need of some major care and protection to preserve it throughout the fall and winter months. Whether you are relaxed or natural your hair will need special care. This year and for the years to come GrowBlackHair.NET will help guide you during the next 6 months in properly caring for your hair during the fall and winter. This year Grow Black Hair Online presents it’s very first Protective Styles Challenge!

Each year during November-April, readers of Grow Black Hair Online will be encouraged to wear their hair in protective styles during these cold months. Your hair will love you for it and you will enter the spring with approximately 3 inches of healthy hair! Now doesn’t that sound great?

So what are protective styles? For those of you that don’t know, protective styles are styles such as single(medium sized) braids, kinky twists, cornrows, 2-strand twists, bantu knots, and buns. These styles hold moisture in the hair, prevents knots and tangles, and preserves the length because the hair isn’t being manipulated often. You don’t have to wear just one style all winter. You can alternate between styles. One week you can wear bantu knots, then get kinky twists for 2 months, and then wear a bun the week after. It’s all up to you!

A few more tips for the fall and winter months:

• Do not go outside with wet hair – it will literally freeze your hair and cause damage
• Always protect your hair from the winter and fall air with a hat
• Wear a satin lined hat or put a satin scarf or bonnet on before wearing the hat
• Invest in an humidifier to add moisture to the air in your home

To enter the 2009-2010 Protective Styles Challenge click here!

I’ve read and researched about the popular Apple Cider Vinegar rinse, raved and glorified by many naturals. I read about the right way and the wrong way to apply the vinegar rinse to the hair. I tried it twice and I have to admit I can now see what the hype is all about.

The first time I did the rinse I believe I used too much vinegar and my hair suffered. My hair was very hard and dry. I used about 1/3 c of vinegar in 20oz of water. Way too much! I spent the next couple of days trying to restore my moisture balance with plenty of moisturizers throughout the day. I then followed up with an ultra rich deep conditioner(caramel treatment). I was afraid to try it again, but reluctantly I did. Instead of 1/3 c of vinegar, I used 1 TBSP of vinegar in 20 oz as my final rinse. The end result was soft, shiny hair. My scalp no longer itched and I am happy with the results.

This is a great way to clarify your hair and remove impurities from your hair and scalp. You can do it as often as once every 3 days to just once a month. It really depends on your hair and what you feel it needs. Experiment with the rinse to find out what your hair likes and stick with it. The ACV rinse may not be for everyone, but it’s worth a try, and maybe a second one too.

Lastly, do not think just because you are not natural that your hair won’t benefit from this rinse. I highly recommend this rinse to relaxed women as well. Apple Cider Vinegar is acidic, just like our hair. It helps bring the hair back to it’s normal pH balance, which is something women with chemical treated hair really needs. So to all you relaxed divas, try it out as well, I’m sure you’ll love the results!

Credits: Photo from www.momssoapbox.com

I was contemplating buying some Kinky-Curly Curling Custard the other day to take with me on my honeymoon, but the expensive $30 price tag on it, had me thinking of a cheaper alternative. Getting married is expensive, and I just couldn’t afford spending the extra $30 right now so I decided to think of a solution. From what I gather and have experienced, the Kinky-Curly Styling Gel is just that, a GEL! It locks the natural curls and coils in place. The only difference it has from other conventional gels is that it is completely natural and it does not contain protein which dries out the hair. Also, the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard isn’t what defines the curls, it’s actually the Knot Today that defines your curls. All the custard does is lock the curls in place.

I did a search on the net to see if anyone else was opting for a cheaper gel and read about women using the Fantasia IC gel instead with similar results. There are a lot of different types of gels made by Fantasia, but the one that I liked the best based on ingredients was the Fantasia IC Olive Styling Gel.

Ingredients: Purified Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Dimethicone Copolyol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit. E), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Polysorbate-20, Benzophenone-4, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum).

Of course I had to look up those hard to pronounce ingredients to see what they are, for our hair’s sake:

Carbomer – Thickening agent
Triethanolamine – pH adjuster, Emulsifying agent
Dimethicone Copolyol – Silicone/Conditioning Agent
Polysorbate-20 – (A.K.A Cetyl Alcohol) Emulsifying Agent
Benzophenone-4 – Preservative
Methylchloroisothiazolinone – Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone – Preservative
Disodium EDTA – Viscosity Controlling

I really don’t understand why the gel has to have 3 different preservatives which is my only concern about the Fantasia IC Olive Styling Gel. If you are really particular about using natural products then it’s best not to use this gel and opt for the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard instead. For those of you on a budget, it’s a good gel to try out paired with the Knot Today. It only cost me $3.99 as opposed to the $29.99 for Kinky-Curly. I do not recommend using this gel everyday due to the protein contained in the gel because it can and will dry your hair out and cause breakage, unless you are someone whom co-washes your hair daily, which will counteract the drying effects. The Dimethicone Copolyol can also cause build up in the hair so you will need to clarify your hair often if you use this gel often. Personally, I recommend this gel for that “just in case” or “I’m in a rush” days.

Below is a shot of my son’s 4a/b hair with the Knot Today and Kinky Curly in his hair:

(I know this isn’t the best pic, but I didn’t take this pic for hair showing purposes.)

Below is 2 shots of his hair with the Knot Today and the IC Fantasia Olive Styling Gel:

(Yes, his hair has grow quite a bit in the last few months)

As you can see the Fantasia IC Styling Gel works just as a good as the Kinky Curling Custard.

Again, this is not something that I suggest to use daily, but it’s a much cheaper alternative to the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.

That is the question of the day; Does natural hair need protein treatments? Do women really need them if they are natural? The answer to this question is yes and here’s why:

Unlike relaxed hair, natural hair doesn’t have to deal with the weakening and drying effects of a chemical relaxer, but even with natural hair, our hair has the tendency to break off as well. Natural hair is naturally dry and due to the tight curl pattern it has many weak points and it can break, this is why regular protein treatments are vital to grow long natural hair as well as relaxed hair.

My suggestion is to do a protein treatment every 6-8 weeks. This treatment will strengthen the hair preparing it for everyday styling and you will see less breakage with regular treatments than if you were to skip this treatment all together. After your protein treatment, be sure to apply plenty of moisture to your hair, for protein may be good for the hair, but it dry’s it out as well. So have your glycerin spray, Curls Milkshake, and shea butter ready to “up” the moisture in your hair.

I have tried two different protein treatments which I find are excellent for the hair no matter if it’s natural or relaxed which are the Aphogee Two Step Protein Treatment and the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise mixed with one egg.