12 MINI TWIST HAIR STYLES | How to style mini twists on natural 4A/4B hair

Super excited about the support on my first video back on Youtube after 3 years- How I do mini twists for natural hair (linked in case you missed it). I decided that when the video reached 1000 views, I would post another one. Thanks to you guys, I has now passed a 1000 so as promised, here is my second video: "12 MINI TWIST HAIR STYLES | How to style mini twists on natural 4A/4B hair". As Youtube videos are a lot of work, I do like to make sure that each video gets enough views before posting the next one. Now the best way for a video to get recommended to other people in Youtube is if it thinks people are enjoying the video. In other words, the best way to get a new video as quick as possible is by showing your support by giving a thumbs up, subscribing and watching the whole video!



So, back to this video. I wanted to share my mini-twist hair styles as I thought that made sense after showing how I instal them. Another reasons was because, as mentioned in the video, I don't normally do that many different styles with my twists. As this is meant to be a protective style, I decided that I have to switch the styles up so I am not putting to much stress on one particular area of my hair. So this video was for me to discover new styles too. Also, I am not the best at doing different hair style so this is intended to help someone with intermediate hair styling skills like myself, or even a beginner who is new to natural hair.

Space buns on twisted natural hair

Now space buns is a hair style I loved to do on my stretched natural hair, yet for some reason I had never done it with my twisted hair. It may seem like a straight forward style but I show in detail exactly show I do the buns in the video. Main reasons is because when I used to watch videos on how to do space buns, I noticed every one uses a different method for the actual buns and a lot of times- it's hard to get two identical buns. With my method, which I use on my natural stretched hair as well, they turn out the same way each time. The method works for untwisted hair too. In the video, pay attention to how I am twisting my hair first, and which direction I twist and then which direction I use when I put the bun in place.

Top knot bun with fringe on twisted natural hair

This is another favourite of mine. I usually wear my hair in a top knot bun when it's twisted, but when I want it to look a little bit nicer, this is the style I usually go for. Again, I show in the video which method I used to make sure the bun is always perfect!

Make sure you check out the video for all 12 styles so you can find a favourite!

Half up half down on twisted natural hair

Hair down with gold cuffs on twisted natural hair

Ponytail with gold cuffs on twisted natural hair

Bun with twisted fringe on twisted natural hair

Please let me know if you have any feedback on the video and if you have any video suggestions. Also, I would love if you'd support by sharing your favourite style on Pinterest, as it really helps to share my blog post!

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How To Do Mini Twists On Natural Hair Tutorial

After two years away from Youtube I am finally back. I have a better camera, lighting and most importantly I have got a great place to film. For me to know that people are still interested in my videos and want more- I would be so grateful if you could view my video and share some love by giving a thumbs up and leaving a comment. Any video suggestions would also be greatly appreciated. So please watch the video below for a tutorial and/or continue reading this blog post for all of the detailed info on my mini-twists.

For the past 2-3 years mini-twists on my natural hair has been my favourite (and pretty much only) protective style. The reasons I love it is because my hair styling skills are limited, I can't canerow, I have never done twists or braids with extensions and simplicity is really key for me. I can do these twists with little preparation and although they take a while, they can stay in for weeks and during that time they require almost no upkeep. All of you ladies with tightly coiled afro hair can probably relate to my struggle of putting natural hair into a bun, with the mini-twists this is not a problem. I am still experiencing breakage in my hair so this time around I am going to try to switch up how I style my mini-twists to prevent always wearing them in a top bun. Stay tuned for my video on how to create different styles while wearing your mini-twists.

Installing the twists

As you can hopefully see in my video tutorial, I divide my hair into four sections and start with the back section. Each section takes about an hour so in total it usually takes me four hours to instal these twists. I do my twists on dry, stretched hair for length retention. There are two ways you can do this, either twist on blow dried hair or put your hair in braids (as if you were doing a braid out) after washing and leave to dry. Once dry, brush the hair out in a heat less blow dry fashion (tutorial here) and then start twisting. I almost always use the ORS HAIRepair Coconut Oil & Baobab Anti-Breakage Conditioning Crème or Cantu Coconut Curling Cream if I've run out. The reason I tend to use the ORS product is because it is a hair leave in, but it doesn't feel like it contains too much water which helps prevent the stretched/blow dried hair from reverting. When you start twisting, applying a small amount of product onto the twist, mainly focusing on the ends, to "lock" the twist, apply product to end and twirl it.

Maintenance

The twists are very low maintenance but the main things in terms of maintenance for these would be refreshing the twists (look wise), moisturising and how to keep them at night. Once a week, I would re-twist the perimeter of the hair if needed, using a small amount of water or leave- in. At night, I divide my hair in two sections and put those in a low bun. I twist each section before making it into a bun (I will show this in future videos) and then put on a scarf to sleep in. You could leave the twists for two weeks or one months if you can go that long without washing your hair. Depending on your hair type or how easily it gets tangled, you might be able to even wash your hair in twist. I saw this in a video recently by Laila from Fusionofcultures so if you're interested in washing your twists, have a look at that.



Styling

As mentioned earlier in this posts, I tend to wear my mini-twist in a top bun like the one you see in the first two pictures. However, I am looking to switch up the styling and I am planning to do a styling video if I can come up with some more easy to do styles! In these pictures you can see how it looks wearing it out. Although less noticeable in the pictures, my hair is a little to thin to wear out. I'd love to wear it this way hopefully in a year or so if my hair recovers from the damage and gets fuller.

If you've made it this far in the blog post, thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share my posts on your social media or even better, Pin one of my pictures to your Pinterest board.


Let me know what you though of this post and video and what you would like to see next!

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BLOW DRYING DAMAGED NATURAL AFRO HAIR ROUTINE, 4 YEARS NATURAL

BLOW DRYING DAMAGED NATURAL AFRO HAIR ROUTINE

Hello Guys!

In this video I am showing you the way I blow dry my hair. This particular product combo will work well for damaged hair and if you want to prevent heat damage. The ApHogee products contain a lot of protein and silicones and work as heat protectants as well as putting protein back into your hair..

If you enjoyed this video, please like and share and subscribe if you're not subscribed all ready :)
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What is your blow drying routine for your hair, and do you have a favourite product combo?

xx



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How to: Strengthening Henna Treatment for Natural Afro and Curly hair

How to: Strengthening Henna Treatment for Natural Afro and Curly hair

I finally have a new video for you guys. I decided a while ago to try a Henna treatment on my hair,  mainly for the treatment purpose as it is said to strengthen your hair and make it shiny. I wouldn't have minded more of a red colour to my hair from the Henna, but I also didn't take any steps (such as leaving henna mixture to set to release the dye) to get colour out of it.





Please watch the video for more detailed instructions or just follow this short summary:

• Purchase natural henna powder. Make sure it is just henna powder and not a mixture of different powders or synthetic dyes. The powder should look green/greyish.
• Mix according to instructions on the pack if given, otherwise use the same powder to water ratio that I used in the video.
• Add your favourite conditioner and oil of choice and mix.
• Apple to hair wearing Gloves and wrap with cling film when done.
• Leave for a few hours then rinse

My hair definitely had a orangy/copper tone to it afterwards. I was hoping it would help blend my regrowth a bit but I didn't get enough red colour for that. However, for some reason when I put my hair in a bun, the red tone was a lot more visible. The pictures of my hair out are from the next day when I blow dried my hair and the pictures with my hair in a bun is 2-3 days after.

If you want your hair to be dyed from the Henna, I would suggest using a high quality natural henna, and leaving the mixture to set over night or at least a couple of hours after you mix it, so that the dye will be released.

I believe I mention this in the video, rinsing the Henna out of my tightly coiled afro hair was an absolute nightmare. I am not sure if it was the henna I was using or maybe the fact that at first I tried to just wash it out with conditioner. If you use Henna I recommend rinsing it with a shampoo multiple times to get all of the Henna out of your hair.

Have you done a henna treatment before? 
If so, what Henna powder did you use and did it dye your hair?

xx

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Motions For Natural Textures; Deep Conditioning Masque & Smoothing Conditioner and Motions Weightless Conditioning Shampoo Review & Demo Video

 Motions For Natural Textures; Deep Conditioning Masque & Smoothing Conditioner and Motions Weightless Conditioning Shampoo Review & Demo Video

Very excited to share with you my first review as a Motions Brand Ambassador. If you haven't already, please check out my post about our first brand ambassador meet up (link)which is when we received these goodies. The Deep Conditioning Masque & Smoothing Conditioner are both from the Motions "For Natural Textures" range which has got loads of products especially made for us naturals!


Motions Natural Textures Deep Conditioning Masque

So, let's start with my favourite. 

Claim & Results: "Motions deep conditioning masque is an intensive weekly treatment, with Shea Butter, Coconut and Avocado Oils that bounces back dry, parched curls to the manageable ringlets you desire". I will definitely say that it leaves your hair very moisturising. Bare in mind that this is a conditioning/moisturising deep treatment and not necessarily a strengthening one. If you are looking for a protein deep treatment I would suggest trying out the conditioner which I am reviewing as well.

Formula: The first thing I noticed about this deep conditioner is that the formula is pretty thin, and runny. However, as soon as I started applying the product I noticed two things, the first is that despite the runny formula it felt very rich and nourishing and the other thing is that the spreadability was very, very good and you really did not have to use much at all! I am a person who always has to use a ton of conditioner to cover all parts of my hair so believe me when I say you did not have to use a lot! This of course means that the slip was very good as well which made it easy to detangle.

Ingredients: As mentioned in the claim, it contains Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil & Shea Butter (in that order, Coconut Oil being the 9th ingredient after Dimethicone).  This explains why it feels very rich & nourishing! Other nice ingredients are Panthenol (Provitamin B5) & Chamomile flower extract.

Ingredient Check:

• Mineral Oil [/]
• Silicones [x]
• Parabens [/]
• Sulfates [/]
• Butylene/Propylene Glycol [x]

Motions Weightless Conditioning Shampoo

Claim & Results: "Go from flat to full volume with Motions Weightless Conditioning Shampoo. The formula cleanses to remove dirt and residue, while the conditioning agents give your hair incredible body and bouncy. Great for fine hair". This is definitely a clarifying shampoo which will give your hair a thorough cleanse. It contains sulfates so some of you might prefer to use a more gentle cleanser, or to just use it occasionally when you're hair needs a proper shampoo. I personally do not mind sulfate shampoos as I feel like I want to properly cleanse my hair every week making sure I get rid of any dirt and product residue. As I mentioned (quite a few times lol) in the video review, I had gone one extra week without washing my hair so I had a lot of product in my hair. This means that the shampoo will lather less, and seem a little more gentle because there is so much product in the way. When I rinsed, all the old product build up had been removed and my hair didn't feel dry.

Formula: The formula is clear, like most clarifying shampoos. I am writing this before I am editing the video but there should be a picture of the formula in the video. As I mentioned before I had a lot of product in my hair already so I did have to use quite a lot of shampoo to make it lather, but I would say it lathers well, or like any sulfate shampoo.

Ingredients:  

• Cleansers: Now, the primary surfactant (the main cleansing agent) in this shampoo is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.  This is known as the strongest and "harshest" sulfate (Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the more gentle version but this is also considered harsh) and isn't widely used anymore. However, the secondary surfactant is Cocamidopropyl Betaine which makes the overall formula a lot more gentle. I didn't feel like my hair was too stripped or too dry after using this, so this ingredient isn't a problem for me!
• Conditioning agents: Mango Butter, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium 10, Panthenol (Provitamin B5) and Tocopheryl Acetate (form of Vitamin E). Other interesting ingredients which both promote hair growth are: Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and Biotin (Vitamin B7 or Vitamin H). It also contains Sunflower, Chamomile, Black Elderflower and Cowslip flower extracts.

Ingredient Check:

• Mineral Oil [/]
• Silicones [x]
• Parabens [/]
• Sulfates [x]
• Butylene/Propylene Glycol [/]

Claim & Results: "Motions Smoothing Conditioner, made with Shea Butter, Coconut and Avocado Oils, detangles and softens unruly curls to lock in moisture and manageability". This conditioner has a ton of great and nourishing ingredients. It definitely moisturised my hair, however, compared to the Motions Deep Conditioning Masque, the slip wasn't as good. The masque definitely left my hair easier to detangle.

Formula: The formula is quite thick and creamy, more so what I would expect of a deep conditioner. However it felt great in my hair and left it soft and moisturised. I would recommend this if you've got damaged hair, for example from straightening, blow drying or dying your hair because it contains Hydrolyzed Keratin which is strengthening. 

Ingredients:  This conditioner has got some great conditioning agents.. here are some of them (not full ingredient list, but in order) ; Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil, Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate, (Form of Vitamin E),  Hydrolyzed Keratin, Honey Extract

Ingredient Check:

• Mineral Oil [/]
• Silicones [x]
• Parabens [/]
• Sulfates [/]
• Butylene/Propylene Glycol [/]

What do you think of Motions hair products?
Have you tried any of these?

xx


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* Products given to me to test & review

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Braidout Video Tutorial For Natural 3C/4A/4B/4C Hair || UK Blogger || #MotionsBA

Braidout Video Tutorial For Natural 3C/4A/4B/4C Hair || UK Blogger || #MotionsBA

I am back with another Youtube video guys. I actually filmed it over a month ago but because I was still stupidly playing music in the background while filming, it kept getting copyrighted and I re-edited and re-uploaded three times. Anyway it is finally up. I would love some feedback on how I can improve my videos and or video suggestions! :)

I didn't mention any specific products for this tutorial only because I use different products all the time at the moment. I still don't really have a favourite combination and I have been reviewing a lot of different products. However, as you can see in the video I do use Eco Styler gel for my edges (I took the pictures before I did my edges, I forgot lol) and Dove Serum to prevent frizz while taking the plaits down.

Do you remember my first ever braid out post from last year (here)? My hair almost looks shorter & tbh I think I prefer my results from last year. I mean we all know what shrinkage is but I can't fully understand how my hair actually looks shorter even though it's grown a lot, oh well!

Thanks So Much For Reading 
& Watching

xx

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Straightening Natural Hair: Frizz Free & Smooth Results Using Chill- A Smooth Operator Oil Serum by Ed Lush

Straightening Natural Hair: Frizz Free & Smooth Results Using Chill- A Smooth Operator Oil Serum by Ed Lush

How to straighten natural afro hair and get long lasting, smooth and frizz free results? I recently straightened my natural hair, and this time I used a product I hadn't used before: Chill Oil Serum by Ed Lush. I received it a while ago to review but I tend to use serums for straightening my hair, as a heat protectant so I wanted to wait until I straightened it. Ingredient wise, it mainly contains silicones as a serum usually does, but for you guys who want to stay away from mineral oil- this isn't for you as it does contain mineral oil. I must say I didn't "notice" it tho, the formula is actually very smooth and quite runny, and absolutely not sticky.

Now I have reviewed quite a few serums on my blog before one from Mixed Chicks, one from Dove and one from John Frieda (all linked) and this is actually my favourite! Firstly, this one smells so nice.. I love it! Especially as I am straightening my hair with it, which tends to make my hair smell a bit burnt lol. 

Check out my video to see how I used this product. The picture above is actually when I re straightened my hair a week later because I forgot to take a picture the first time, so if you check out my initial results at the end of the video below you'll notice how straight and smooth my hair looked! :) I definitely noticed a difference when using this serum from the other times I straightened my hair- my results were also longer lasting!

What do you use when you straighten your hair and what do you think of my results?

xx

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