Welcome to the black hair corner! This is where all my posts on black hair belong and even if you don’t have Afro Caribbean hair have a read… it may just inspire you.
I’ve been meaning to do this post for a long time so here it is! This is going to be a whole post on what’s on my head!
In the previous black hair corner post I talked briefly about them and what I did. Plaiting box braids for me was £40 and took 6 hours. I honestly think that she didn’t charge enough for the work she did but hey, discount for me right?
Firstly I’d like to show you guys what I used. The hair I used was called expressions and it’s cheap but of good quality. Priced at £1.99 you can’t miss it in black hair shops. I used colour 4 (Black) and 99J (A reddish brown). It is one of the best packs for braiding and twisting it’s also very good because you can curl it.
For those of you who don’t know… The name box braids is there because they part the hair in a box and plait it :).
After plaiting all the way down (5 hours) my hairdresser boiled hot water and soaked the ends of my braids to secure them.
I’m a massive fan of olive oil products and after using them for years I can say that they’re a safe brand to look into and their products really do help you. Everyday after styling my braids I use olive oil sheen spray which gives it that desired shine after you’ve been fiddling around with it:
I also do my edges (Baby hairs). You’ll find these on the edges of your head. These hairs are too small to be braided so they are left however after a while they get picky and messy so I use styling gel and a tooth brush just to mould it down. I might do a tutorial on that actually.
If you have Afro Caribbean hair and need any help call me! I’m not an expert but I can give you a few good tips.
Lauren x
Sunday, 13 April 2014
Black Hair: Update.
Hello readers of my Black hair corner! After a short break I am back. This post is just to update you on what’s going on with this page and my hair.
From the middle of February up until about three days ago I had my natural hair out, which can be a big pain when you don’t look after it. Just to make it easier to Handle I relaxed it. The relaxer I use is Olive oil girls and because of how much hair I have, I actually use two boxes. After that I blow dried it and left it out for a while. It looked like this:
After long hard searches of finding an affordable hairdresser I finally got one and finally got box braids which I’ll show you below. I used the popular expressions pack of hair, I used colour 4 (Black) and 99J (A reddish black). I mixed these two colour together and to complete my head it took 4 packets. It was very time consuming… Took 6 hours in total! But it was all worth it in the end because they’re so lovely! They are up to my backside and I got them medium sized meaning that they are incredibly heavy and sometimes weigh your head down. They are a nightmare to shower with however this is the third day of having them so I’m sure I’ll find a way.
So guys! That’s the update. A post will follow shortly after this is uploaded and it’s going to be on how to look after your hair when it’s in Braids, especially box braids which can break your hair if not careful. I hope to see you all in my next post.
Lauren x
Last week of Senegalese twist – 21st February 2014
Hey guys so I had a post a while ago on how to style my/your Senegalese twist. This is the last week I have them in because I’ve had them for about 2 months and it’s time they come out. I would of taken them out earlier but I’m having trouble finding a hairdresser who will do box braids for me under £50.
So starting from tomorrow and finishing on Whenever I take them out I’ll be posting some hairstyles and posts about Senegalese twist as we say good bye to them lol but overall I’ve loved having them. I just wished I did it longer.
Inspired by Box braids – 20th February 2014
Hey guys, so i’m now introducing a page called ‘Black hair’ because it happens to be an area that I know loads about. Don’t take it like i’m not posting for other types of hair, the reason why i’m not is because I haven’t got a clue about other hair types lol. I’ve already done one post and that was how to care for your Afro Caribbean hair. This post got a lot of views and I thought i’d post more content on black hair, so here we go.
Lately I have been inspired by box braids. In my opinion they’re so beautiful. The reason they’re called box braids is because they part a box at the top of your head. It’s my next hairstyle and I’m getting them next week. Why this type of braid is called so many things we’ll never know… they’re also known as poetic justice braids, solange inspired braids and patra braids. They’re very expensive to get done and i’m having a tough search finding a hairdresser who will do it for under £40. However i’m determined to get them done because they are totally amazing (toats amazballs).
How to care for your Afro Caribbean hair – 30th January 2014
This post is going to be on how to care for your Afro/carribean hair. It was requested by my good Ghanaian friend Nana. I’m not an expert so I got help from my hairdresser – a professional. Let’s get started xox.
I’m going to be talking about 3 of the most common types of Afro carribean hair – natural hair, hair in extensions and relaxed hair.
Natural afro carribean hair:
Shoutout to all the girls who are rocking there natural black hair! It’s so hard to maintain so big ups to you for maintaining it. Some can’t take it and prefer extensions (lol that’s me.)
My first tip is cut down on the amount of shampoo your using. Since the 40’s shampoo has been made with the same drying products as Laundry detergent. It makes your hair INCREDIBLY dry. How do I do this? If you must wash your hair with shampoo dilute it. Let’s say 25% shampoo and 75% water. If you want a good alternative co wash your hair. Co wash is when you wash with conditioner instead of shampoo. Wash your hair once a week.
My second tip is handle it with care. It will not grow if you are constantly combing it with brushes that have hard bristles. It won’t grow if your always tying it too tight. Keep moisturizing. Use organic products such as almond, coconut, jojoba, olive oil and shea butter. The term organic means no toxic chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides that are harmful to animals. Avoid products that have sulphate in them. Please please please never use grease in your hair (gel & petroleum) it’s terrible. It’s one of the things that annoy me the most. A girl has the most beautiful hair but it’s all forced into a pony tale under a layer of disgusting gel and when she touches her hair her hand is practically wet. Your hair shouldn’t be like that. When moisturizing moisturise your ends too. Try and moisturise daily.
When sleeping plait or twist your hair when you sleep this is good because when you wake up the hair would of been stretched out. If for any reason you can’t do that… Tie up your hair so the moisture stays in. Cover your hair when you sleep. Use anything you can find. I cut off the legs off a pair of tights and tied the ends and used it as a head tie Lol. You can also use satin scarfs.
Avoid heat. Avoid tonging and always straightening your hair it gives it the ability to break. Use wide tooth combs when your combing your hair also when doing a hairstyle do a protective hairstyle. If you tie it up make sure it’s a bit loose so your hair isn’t pulling from the roots. Also consider plaiting or twisting it.
Afro Carribean hair with extensions
Shoutout to all the girls who are rocking there extensions (me) and weave! I’m talking about Senegalese twist, pick and drop, box braids, poetic justice braids, rope braids, kenkey twist, Brazilian weave & Remy!
The good things about extensions: There are a million ways to style your hair with them. The possibilities are endless. The struggle of combing is o-v-e-r! (Well unless you have pick and drop). It grows when it’s in extensions too.
However it’s up to you to keep your natural hair protected when wearing extensions. DO NOT FORGET YOUR HAIR IS IN EXTENSIONS! Sometimes I have this problem. Just because you are getting up and not doing anything to it much doesn’t mean you can just leave it to rot. If you do, that one day that you decide to take your extensions out you will find that along with your extensions coming out your hair will follow. Moisturise the insides (scalp). Wash your hair. Huh? How, it’s in extensions?! Use a simple shampoo with no conditioner added. Massage your scalp and rinse then apply diluted conditioner to your hair and simply use a towel to squeeze the water out of your hair and leave it to air dry. The ultimate longest time for extensions is two months. If you don’t take them out by that time your hair will be so entangled in the extensions it will be a nightmare getting them out later. You can remove them by cutting just below your natural hair. Then unravel the extension then wash it.
Relaxed African hair.
At this point my hands are dropping off from the amount of typing I’m doing. So yeah. Shoutout to you girls too.
Don’t relax everytime you see new growth. Too many chemicals are not good. Wash and condition your hair once/twice a week. If you wish to do it more than that co wash it. If you have sensitive skin wash with shampoo without Ammonium Lauryl sulphate and sodium Lauryl sulfate. Avoid heat. Before you blow dry, air dry for about half an hour. Once again don’t use Vaseline or gel, simply moisturise.
Thanks for reading, Lauren x
Lauren Williams 