10 Day Hair Challenge: Style #2

One thing I'm learning about my 10-Day Hair Challenge is that everyone's hair is different. Neither of my styles have looked exactly like the ones from the tutorial, but they still provide enough of a change of routine to make it worthwhile.

Today I did hairstyle #5. The vlogger's hair seems to be a little less curly than mine, so whenever I do her cool side styles, most of the actual style gets lost in a sea of hair.

Front view of side twists before I pinned them back.

Final look!

 As you can see, the actual details from the style aren't that visible. But the effects were more than I expected. Wearing my hair in a different style, even if noticeable only to me, gave me a feeling of purpose and of rediscovery. One thing I've learned so far from my move to LA is that while your interior will never change (both for good and bad, but I'm stressing the good), your exterior is something you can always reinvent and should present with purpose and bravery. It's a canvas on which to design the reflection you wish to present to the world. Some wear "Picasso," others wear "Kahlo," but those who seem the most put-together know that the body is a work of art and should be adorned accordingly.

I didn't expect that this 10-Day Challenge would result in soul-searching revelations. I merely wanted to stop being lazy and try something new. But, of course, that's when revelations usually occur.

Side note: Today is the day of the Ferguson verdict so I feel slightly shallow for posting on such an awful day. My heart is definitely with my brothers and sisters as we continue to demand that our voices be heard.

10 Day Hair Challenge: Style #1

A few days ago I spontaneously visited a friend in my building who had just put on flexi rods. She was a little embarrassed, but as a fellow "natural hair sister," I understand that our unflattering hair care regimen often leads to quite flattering results. Not to mention, her enthusiasm to try something new gave me a kick in the pants, as I've been donning the same two hairstyles for a coupe years now.

I checked out a YouTuber that the friend recommended, Mo Knows Hair, but decided that at least in regards to that particular video, the styles were a little too sophisticated for "little ol' me." But it did prompt me to further my search, and I came across this video of "10 Styles for Short Curly Hair." I'm guessing this vlogger is in high school, but her "cutesy" styles definitely fit my personality. I scanned through the video and decided to assign myself a 10-Day Challenge: I'll try each of her 10 hairstyles over a period of 10 days. Granted, I may not actually do them 10 days in a row, but I'm definitely committed to trying all of them. (Though two are my go-to styles, so those will be cheat days.)

Without further ado, here is Day #1 (Hair Style #4).

It's hard to tell, but this style has two side french braids that come together in the back. For some reason it's much easier to do a normal french braid than a side one, and the style looked good until my hair dried lost about 3 inches of length. But, a good style to keep toying with and to use maybe on Day 6 (the number of days between washes, where with each subsequent day the hair has more essential natural oils, i.e., is less frizzy).

Stay tuned for the next new do!

DIY Cost-Cutting Haircuts

Lately I've been short on cash, so I've been doing what I can to cut costs. One of those cuts has been literal. After a full year of postponing a haircut until "the next paycheck," a few days ago I took matters--and scissors--into my own hands.

Following the growing advice of mixed race self-taught hair gurus, I've been putting my hair in about 10 to 15 twists each night, securing each with a hairband. Despite non-mixies assuming the twists create the curl, we mixies know the twists help keep our rebellious strands from turning into dreadlocks. On this particular evening, I grabbed my hair cutting sheers, usually reserved for "fairy knots," and cut the scraggly inch off of each twist below the hairband. This took all of five minutes, if that.

Granted, because my hair was in its twists, I had no idea if my self-grooming would turn out to be successful. But luckily, the next morning when I undid the twists, added my usual touch of water and my large touch of conditioner, those perfect curls sprang into a perfect line across my back. Success!

Now, I would be a fool to suggest that anyone follow my example unless, like me, they feel the risk is worth the possible blunder. But, as my mom says my grandma says, "Curly hair hides a multitude of sins," one being the "sin" of the hasty, unprofessional DIY.

Side note: Always angle your scissors as you cut.

Okay, so this obviously isn't a real photo, but you get the idea, courtesy of bitstrips.com

More Naturally Kinky Curly Hair Sightings

Sure, I'll admit it: Sometimes I read eHarmony advice columns. While I'm often disappointed in the quality of their articles, this one left me refreshed--both in content and in images. The very last page of the article, entitled "Ladies: What Men Think About Your Body," reinforced the notion that self-confidence and attitude are the biggest physical attributes a woman can possess. And what was the physical representation of this attribute? A woman my age sporting my exact hair--texture, color and all. (Not to mention the lavender shirt!) Finally, a sexiness I can truly get behind.

The Garnier Girls

Is it just me, or do the women of Garnier Fructis commercials have better hair before they "use the product"? Here is an example, not of one I've seen on TV, but of one I found on youtube:



We seem to have two parallel trends going on right now in fashion. One is a continuation of straight haired women being pressured to iron their hair even straighter, and the other is a comeback of big hair on the trendsetting platform of the runway. Granted, neither straight hair nor curly hair is better than the other. But in my opinion Garnier would be better off to show women with a lot more distressed hair in their "before" footage. Healthy hair, like a healthy body, should always be the goal no matter what form it comes in.

Women of the world: let's celebrate our curls!

--Shannon Luders-Manuel