Tutorial: Simple Two Strand Twists

Hello Ladies: 

This is a very simple style and the reason why so many mothers love the Two Strands Twists style is because of it's flexibility; the fact that it's a great protective style, it looks great on toddlers, teenagers and even adults.  

The smaller the sections you use to do the twists the longer they will last, at least, that has been my experience when I do my daughter's hair.  

The tools you will need:

1.  Styling products: 
    a.  Spray bottle with your favorite mix;
    b.  Curly Butter or your favorite moisturizer;
    c.  Eco Styler Gel;

2. Rat Tail Comb  & Hair Clips for sectioning;

3. Rubber bands  

95% of the time, Ms. Bree's hair is banded for at least a day prior to styling.  After washing her hair I moisturize it by using Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer.  This process makes sectioning the hair easier since it keeps her hair detangled and it also keeps her hair moisturized.   

I did not have the need to use my wide tooth comb but it's always wise to have one handy, just in case you encounter a tangle/knot.  

Step 1:  Using the tail part of your comb part the top section first.  Start the line right above the right ear straight across to the left ear; clip the hair out of your way using a hair clip. 

Step 2:  Now, you are left with the bottom part.  Part a smaller section of hair by using the tail part of your comb (parting from left to right). 

Step 3:  Part a small section (like doing box braids but in this case you are doing box twists); spritz a little bit of water or your favorite mix (we do not want to get the hair to wet but you'll want it damp);

Step 4:  Apply your favorite moisturizer or butter starting from the roots to the ends. Then apply a little bit of Eco Styler Gel to the section, again, from the roots to the ends of the hair;

Step 5:  Secure the section by using rubber band;

Step 6:  Split the section in half and twist the right section before you bring the piece over to the left piece, then bring the right piece over the left piece and continue until the entire section is twisted.  

OPTIONAL:  You can use rubber bands to secure the ends until the twists are 100% dry, or you can use barrettes or beads to finish the twists. 

Step 7:  Continue to make the sections and repeat 3, 4 & 5 until the entire bottom section is twisted.   

Once you are finished with the bottom section, it's time to get the top section done.  

Step 8:  Spritz water or your favorite mix on the top section; apply moisturizer or your favorite butter and secure the hair with a cloth cover band;

Step 9:  Divide the hair into equal parts, this will help you create twists that look the same in thickness; 

Step 10:  Repeat step 3, 4 & 5.  

I styled her hair Saturday Morning and these pictures were taken Monday night. is you can see in the above picture, her ends looked dry.  

I moisturize her ends and scalp as needed.  To moisturize her ends I simply damp her ends with a bit of water and apply a dab of Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer and coil her ends using my index finger. 

STYLE UPDATES

4th Day Twists:

This was my first time using rubber bands at the base of her twists.  It is important to constantly check for any bumps around each parting line and around the hair line.  

Should you spot any stress bumps, immediately undo the style and massage the scalp with jojoba oil, and give the scalp and hair a break.

After wearing her twists for a few days, I decided her hair had enough and I removed all rubber bands and unraveled the twists.

Cover Page Beauty: Introducing Korrie Kelley

Hello lovelies...

Welcome to our Cover Page series... Today I am introducing you to an amazing lady who slowly transitioned and is now loving her natural hair! 

Let us begin this wonderful interview, can you tell us your name and which state do you represent?

   My name is Korrie Kelley and I was born and raised in Mississippi!!!

How long has your natural hair been free of relaxers/texturizers or any type of chemicals? Did you transitioned or did you do a Big Chop?

    I started transitioning in June of 2011!
    I was too much of a chicken to do a BC (big chop) so I just started growing out my relaxer, and cutting the relaxed ends every two months. It was so neat to see the curls popping out all over my head! I had no idea what my curl pattern was! It was fun:)



Goodness, look at all that hair, I love the color, tell me Korrie, What made you go back natural?
   

   My cousin did the big chop a few years ago, and watching her hair come to life really inspired me! It changed her also..gave her a certain confidence that she didn't have before. I liked that!

We all know how important it is to establish a routine, what is your routine? how did you come up with it?
   

    Trial and error!!! A lot of Youtube watching and book reading. Kind of gathering different info, and then seeing what worked for me. My wash and go routine is pretty easy. I am a believer in sectioning my hair. I used to free fall it when washing, but the knots and tangles increased so I had to re-evaluate what I was doing. I started out sectioning in the beginning and had to go back to that. I co-wash every 5 days with either Tresseme naturals or As I am coconut co-wash.

    Right now I'm experimenting with several different products for my page, but I do have some favorites that are re-ordered regularly. Kinky Curly knot today is an awesome detangler/leave in, Kinky Curly curling custard is a must for my wash and go's. For sealing I use jojoba or sweet almond oil. I'm loving twist outs right now, and I really think my hair is growing because of it so my musts for those are the Bee Mine Curly Butter!!! IT IS AWESOME!!!!!

I love jojoba oil and it is not secret that I love BEE MINE Natural and Organ Hair products.  Tell us, what products are currently working for you? 

      Tresseme Naturals has amazing slip, and it's my must have for a co-wash. As I said above the Bee Mine Curling butter! I'm in the process of getting and trying more of their products so stay tuned....



We all have experienced hair challenges at a certain point in this long journey, have you faced any challenges when it comes to styling your hair? How did you overcome them?

    In the beginning yes! I did not like the two texture thing with transitioning, it was a pain! Now, I've kinda gotten a good routine going. Learning to be patient and thoughtful with my hair..not rushing, pulling or snagging. TLC goes a long way!

Tell us, what is your favorite hair style? I love wearing my hair wild and free! 



What is your "To Go" Style??
    

     My husband loves it like that and also, when I wear my hair in a low, romantic looking ponytail with tendrils framing my face and how can I forget, I love a high bun (pineapple)



At the beginning my daughter was not "in love" with her hair but her feelings have completely changed now, how do you feel about your hair now?

   I LOVE IT!!! I hate that it took me this long to wise up! I feel more confident, free..just plain ole me:) Best decision ever!!! Have this HUGE accessory to ROCK now!
I received awful awful hair tips, and I'm glad I didn't follow any of them, tell us, what is the worst tip anyone has ever given you?

    To be honest, I haven't gotten any bad tips. I really just do my own thing, and the people around me just love what I do :)




I remember, one of the best tips I ever received was from a stranger at a store, what was the best advise you have been given?

       Everyone's hair is different. Learn and listen to what your hair needs. It will tell you. That is so true too I have found. Also finger detangling! Being comb free for a year now!

Some of our readers may or may not know this, but you own a Facebook Fan page under the name of "Korrie's Korner"; what is the main objective of your page, and what inspire you to create it?

      My objective is to encourage women to embrace their naturalness and God given beauty. Since I was a teenager I always helped my friends with their hair, make up or skin care needs..just kind of grew from there. I love helping women feel good about themselves! It's my passion:)



Do you have any advice that you would like to share with our readers?

If you're thinking about going natural GO FOR IT! Be patient and to give your hair lots of love. It’s not about whether or not you have “good” hair. We all have good hair! Everyone is different and that is what I love. Be unique. Embrace your “youness”.

Thank you Korrie for this amazing interview, the fabulous tips and the beautiful pictures.  Your hair is beautiful!  

Make sure you check her page out Korrie's Korner.  And don't forget that you can save on your next Bee Mine Product's purchase by using our code: 

You can see our Bee Mine Natural and Organic Hair Products' review here: Bee Mine Natural & Organic Hair Products- Our Review


and you can see Korrie's product review here: Bee Hold Curly Butter 

If you want to be part of our Cover Page Beauty Series email us at caramelcurlznswirls@yahoo.com 

Tutorial: Cornrows into Different Styles

Hello everyone:

This is a very simple style and what I love about it is the fact that:

1. It's a fabulous protective style;

2. It can last for weeks;

3. and it can easily be modified into different styles.  

I am up for the "easy styles" specially when our weekends are full of activities.  What makes this style look more complex is the way the sections are divided but this style is simple enough even for beginners. 

The products I used are:

Rait Tail Comb;

Hair Clips;

Spray Bottle with Water;

Oil Mix Bottle (castor oil and jojoba oil);

Eco Styler Gel with Argan Oil;

Curls- Paste (for the front section);

Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer;

Bee Mine Curly Butter.

After wearing her hair straight for a week, I washed her hair using our moisturizing shampoo and deep conditioned her hair with Bee Mine Bee.U.ti.Ful Deep Conditioner.  

Once I rinsed all the conditioner out, her hair was ready for banding.  I applied My oil mix first, then Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer  to each section and began banding her hair.   Ms. Bree's hair was banded for a day or so before we began styling her hair.  

*  I began by parting her hair from ear to ear;

*  Divided the bottom section into two by parting it diagonally (from right to left as you can see on the above picture);

* Before cornrowing each section: 

     I parted the section as thick as I wanted each cornrow to be;
     Then I damped the hair with water;
     I applied Bee Mine Curly Butter and a dash of Eco Styler Gel with Argan Oil and began cornrowing downward. 

* I followed the same above steps to cornrow the bottom left section (damp hair and applied the products);

   

  For this section, part each line from right to left on a angle.  You will still braid this section downward. 

*Front section:  I parted the front section from her left temple toward the back in a diagonally line.  

* Then began cornrowing down towards the hair line. 
      (Note: This is a great option for those who are worried about the hair line.)

* Again, I damped each section before cornrowing it and applied the products. 

This is what her styled looked like once I was finished with three sections.  I could have stopped there, but banded hair without styling it's not a good idea, at least not for me.   But I can't deny that it looked pretty.

Now, let's move on to the final step:

*The front right section, it's done the same way;

* Part each section in an angle, before cornrowing each section, I damped the hair and applied the products. 

This is a view from above, each section is braided in different direction but still braided toward the hairline. 

 This is the final product: 

Now, this style can easily be modified into different ones: 


A.  Cornrows into Side Pony Tails: 

B.  Lose Cornrows:

C.  Cornrows Braided into a One Big Braid: 

All the above styles are great protective styles and are definitely school friendly.  

Short Cornrows & Beads

It's been a while since we used beads and Ms. Bree has kindly requested I added beads to her braids and I thought "why not".    

The first time we added beads to her braids Ms. Bree decided to let her friends from school touch them and some beads were lost. And by some I mean half of the beads and snaps were lost! 

For this style I did very simple short cornrows and used medium size beads.  Last time we used small beads and I really didn't like the look at the end.

After washing her hair I applied our oil mix (equal parts of Castor Oil and 100% Coconut Oil) then applied Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer and banded her hair.  For more details on banding please see our post What is Banding?

Ms Bree's hair was banded for one day before I braided her hair.

Day 2

Products used:

First, I divided each section to start braiding,

Then I damped the hair with a little bit of water;

Then applied Bee Mine Curly Butter with a little bit of Eco Styler Gel with Argan Oil and started to braid;

I secured each braid with a rubber band;

Once all her hair was braided I began to add the beads.

Each braid has 7 beads in total.

Day 3

Day 5

Day 7

Maintenance:

I moisturize her scalp with Bee Loved Hair & Scalp Moisturizer at least once a day;

For the braids, I spritz Bee Mine Juicy Moisturizing Daily Spritz. 

When her ends are exposed, I use either Bee Mine Curly Butter or Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer to at least once a day (usually before bedtime).

How do you maintain the styles looking fresh?? 

The Best Curly Hair Charts!

Below you will see two charts that I believe will make things easier on most of us.  

Identifying the curl pattern can be overwhelming and it can be confusing.  Our dear friend from Kandy Land Kurls found this amazing and easy to read chart.

Ms. Bree has a combination of curls but most of them are 3C and doing the LOC method works for her at all times.  




I also found this Curly Hair Growth Chart on @Naturallycurly.com.



Some of the  most asked questions in the curly hair world are about hair growth and curl pattern.  

These two charts will give  you a better idea on how fast/how long curly hair should grow and instead of obsessing about the "curl pattern", what you really need to know about curly hair. 

I think both charts are extremely helpful and I'm sure you will too! 
  

L.O.C. Method by KandyLandKurls

The L.O.C. Method by KandyLandKurls

The L.O.C. Method is a very simple method that helps retain moisture in your hair.  

One of our favorite mama's has recently posted  about this amazing method by further explaining the very simple three steps and the products you may want to use if you do decide that the LOC Method is for you.

I use the LOC method on Ms. Bree's hair since one of our greatest challenge is retaining moisture.  

I use water as my liquid;
100% Virgin Coconut Oil as my oil;
and Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer.

So, head over to www.kandylandkurls.blogspot.com to read more about this wonderful method! 

Our Youtube Videos!!

We have added our first two videos!  Come and see them at youtube.com

Hairstyles of a Curly Child Part 1

Hairstyles of a Curly Child- Part 2

We are in the process of editing our "Washing Routine" video and "Banding Video", so stay tuned for those.

We are also working on Ms. Bree's 4th Birthday Party decorations, I will have fun party favors, cheap table decorations and more.