Updated Bantu Knot Twist-Out Tutorial

Bonsoir tout le monde!

I'm a day late I know but I spent the whole of Tuesday recording a new Youtube video (currently in the editing phase) and taking photos for you guys!

Today is an updated Bantu Knot tutorial as many of you will know that a have a prior post describing my method. However from then to now, the products I use have changed so I thought I'd do an updated post.

Here are my essential three products that are a must in my opinion when doing a Bantu Knot Twist-Out. The first is Aunt Jackie's Girls Curling and Twisting Custard. The struggle I've had with other puddings I've used before such are the ORS Olive Oil Smooth n Hold Pudding is that they're water based. Instead of leaving my hair with a defined curl, I end up achieving extreme shrinkage and don't get the look I want. However this product does quite the opposite and is perfect for Bantu Knots. It is a pudding thick enough to give a good curl definition but doesn't weigh down your hair. I picked this product up from my local hair shop for £3.85 which was a bargain for such a big tub. 

The second product is Dr Miracle's Edge Holding Gel. My search is ongoing for the perfect edge control for 4C hair but I'd heard good things about this edge control and decided to give it a try. This edge control has a very good hold and doesn't have any heavy build up either. It's easy to slick using a styling brush and doesn't leave you having white edges like other edge controls do. I picked this edge control up for £2.49 at my local hair shop and I'd say this edge control has its best hold on straightened hair.

The final product is an Afro comb which I deem to be a black girl's essential. I use this to tease the curls out from my Bantu Knots and give it its final look!

So to begin with, I sectioned my hair into three and further sectioned it to apply the curling custard for the Bantu Knots. I applied I pea-sized amount of curling custard to my hard and worked it through to get the best effect. I then twisted my hair before wrapping it around itself pretty tightly finally securing it with a rubber band. I repeated this over my whole head and gelled the front of my hair using the Dr Miracle Edge Control and held it down with a bandana. Here is the final result:

I let this stay overnight and took it out in the morning. I took out the rubber bands and gently teased my hair using my Afro comb, the before and other pictures below:

Unlike other twist n hold gels or puddings, the curling custard didn't leave my hair feeling crusty nor did it shrink my hair since I did this look on my straightened hair. It left my hair looking healthy, glossy and shiny with a good curl definition. 

 And that's it! I'll have a full tutorial video up on Youtube very soon so stay tuned.
Until then, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or any other hair tutorials you want me to do. See you guys,

Au revoir x

Product Review - Coconut Water Shampoo and Conditioner

Bonsoir tout le monde!

So I thought today I'd give you guys a review on the brand new shampoo and conditioner by Xpel Hair Care. I bought the set which included their 'Revitalising Coconut Water Shampoo and Conditioner'. This was bought from a homeware shop called Home Bargains in East London for 99p each (bargain!). The products say that they 'immerse your dry or damaged locks of your hair with our specially formulated coconut water rehydrating shampoo, revitalise dehydrated hair back to its sleek, shimmering best.' The product comes in such as amazing looking bottle that anyone would think you'd spent a fortune on the products!

I've been attempting to find a product that can keep my hair hydrated during the winter months and combat the harsh weather and so I decided to give these products a try. Both products went onto my hair and felt so lovely. The shampoo lathers very much so allowing you to get a deep wash of your hair and leaves it feeling very much moisturised when you rinse out the shampoo. In addition, I had also bought a paddle brush to be used in conjunction with my shampoo and conditioner. I had read up about paddle brushes and had seen that it was suitable for all hair types. Having 4C hair, I didn't believe that it was suitable for my hair type at all one bit however I was pleasantly surprised. The paddle brush glided through my hair, wet or dry, detangling with minimal breakage. This is become my new go-to tool alongside my wide tooth comb when doing my hair. This reduces the amount of breakage that comes about as a result of excessive styling. 

I'd recommend this brush for everyone due to how gentle it is on coarse natural black hair. It's also very cheap as I also bought this brush from Home Bargains for £1.99 which was a brilliant deal and one of the best products I've ever purchased! My hair feels so lush and weightless thanks to these products!

Merry Christmas guys! I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this post and is having the most amazing day surround by great food and those that they love dearly. We're only one more post away from 2016, see you guys soon!

Au revoir x

My First Ever Hair Straightening Experience

Bonjour tout le monde!

Guys I know it's been ages since I lasted posted but I'm still here, you can't get rid of me that easily! I've been overloaded with college work and Christmas that I've put everything else on the back burner but I'm here don't you worry.

So today I thought I'd share with you an experience that happened about two weeks ago, my first ever straightening experience. Now perhaps some of you may find it weird that this is my FIRST EVER time using intense heat on my hair but you better believe it baby!

So I must admit, this really wasn't something I'd planned for. Initially, I went round to my friend Amy's house just to visit and chat with her and her mum. I had showed them both a hair treatment that I wanted to get done for my birthday, one that my friend Tomiwa did a review on, a silk press treatment. They both fell in love with the results I had shown them and Amy's mum wanted to have a go at straightening my hair. Now I'm not a big fan of someone who isn't an expert with handling natural black hair doing anything on my hair but I thought I would let my guard down for a minute. The agreement was for her to ONLY straighten a section of the back, just so she could see how it would come out:



This was how my hair came out. I was pretty impressed as I had never seen my hair so straight before so it was definitely a new sensation for me I must admit. Heat protection is a must when applying such hair levels of heat directly onto your hair so we used the 'TRESemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray' which gave my hair a lovely finish.

So after that I thought I was finished, but boy was I wrong. My friend's mum insisted on carrying on as 'the back row has come out so lovely, why not continue!' and so I begrudgingly allowed her to continue.






Here are some more pictures:

So as you can see, my hair continued to get straightened and we continued to see the results. It took all in all around two hours because my hair is so thick it had to be straightened in really small sections. Here is the final result with my hair tied back:

Now one thing I must say is that my hair didn't come out bone straight. Now I don't know whether that was because of the straightener used, my hair or the products that were in my hair but it instead came out like a super blow-dry in my opinion. Nonetheless, the final outcome was very nice and I really liked how it looked on me!

I did take me some time to adjust seeing how different my hair looked in the mirror but overall it was fabulous.

After my straightening experience I have two pieces of information to share with everyone:

1. HEAT IS NOT THE DEVIL - many people paint heat use to be the 'be all and end all' and that you must 'stay away from it at all costs' however I'd beg to differ. When used in moderation with the appropriate hair products, heat can be your friend. If you aim to use heat only once a month with the necessary heat protection then there is no problem with heat at all. On the other hand, if you prefer to only apply heat twice a year then there's no problem with that either. However regularly you choose to apply heat to your hair is completely fine once the necessary precautions are taken.

2. DO NOT FORGET TO MOISTURIZE - I noticed that my hair was more susceptible to dryness and becoming brittle from the harsh weather conditions of London whilst my hair was straightened. So I decided to up the moisture in my hair regime and moisturize my hair nightly before bed and then tying a silk scarf around it. This allowed the moisture to penetrate the hair and keep it hydrated in its straightened form. I also took extra care to reduce the manipulation as it's very easy to comb your hair excessively whilst your hair is straightened but this can aggravate breakage which wouldn't have otherwise taken place.

I hope you guys all found that useful, feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Au revoir x

20,000 Views - Woohoo!

Bonjour tout le monde!

This is just a quick post to say that Divinus Ater has reached 20,000+ views!

I am over the moon and would like to thank everyone who has and is continuing to support my blog whether you're a first time viewer or a regular visiter, your support and interaction with me has been much appreciated and doesn't go unnoticed! 

To celebrate and thank everyone I'm sending the first 3 lucky naturalistas their own personalized Divinus Ater phone case! 


All you have to do is send the title of your favourite Divinus Ater post and a few sentences as to why, your name, address and phone model to:

inquiries.divinusater@yahoo.co.uk

The first 3 will receive confirmation emails letting them know that they'll be receiving their own personalized case! There are a few conditions so please make sure you fit the criteria before entering:

- Must be UK based
- Must have one of the phones below:

iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, 5C, 6, 6 Plus (includes 6S and 6S Plus)
Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and S5 mini
Samsung Galaxy Note 2, 3 and 4
Google Nexus 6
Sony Xperia Z1, Z2, Z3

If you meet the criteria then please go ahead and enter your names!
I'm looking to do draws and prizes for my overseas naturalistas so don't worry, stay tuned!

Another huge thank you to everyone, you're all special my naturalista sistas,

Au revoir x

My Current Hair Length - 8 Month Check-in

Bonjour tout le monde!

So it's been 8 months since I've last done a check-in on my natural hair length. Here's a quick low-down on how these past 8 months have been for me hair wise:

• I've spent months trying to find the perfect deep conditioner for my hair and I'm afraid to say my search still continues. My hair gets very dry very quickly and thus requires a lot of moisture and I still can't find a deep conditioner which achieves this
• I recently had my very first (ever in my life) trim in August. Now I'm convinced my hairdresser went a tad crazy and gave me a cut instead of a trim. Almost all naturalistas can share my pain when I say my hair isn't as long as it used to be! However I must admit it feels a lot healthier after having had this trim
• As many of you will know, I've tried a number of hair supplement pills to see whether they aid hair growth and I haven't yet found one that I've deemed to be useful. Don't worry, I'm still on the lookout though!

Now I won't act like these 8 months have been plain sailing as they really haven't. Wash day is still a day I dread as, because my hair is 4C, the amount of shrinkage I experience is immense. However, I've been able to learn more about my hair such as the best protective hairstyles, products and hair care regimes to use. So I urge all of you who are perhaps transitioning or are already natural to be patient or persistent. As the old saying goes, 'Good things come to those who wait' so the more time you take and invest into your hair care, the more rewards you'll reap at the end of it. Here are a few pictures of my current hair length:

Nothing special has been done to my hair here, it had just been cornrowed and this is the result of my hair having been taken out of the cornrows. I merely massaged half a teaspoon of Jamaican Black Castor Oil mixed with Amla Oil onto my scalp for added moisture. Compared with some of my previous photos, you can see that my hair is shorter due to the trim/cut however it is healthier than ever believe you me. I'm setting myself the ultimate goal of getting my hair to bra strap length (BSL) by the end of 2016. Want to join me? Then feel free to join the mini challenges I'll be setting myself along the way and lets see if we can get there! It's not impossible to grow black hair, it just depends on whether you want to put in the care and time required to grow it.

Feel free to ask me any questions on my AskFM:

www.ask.fm/DivinusAter

or drop me an email or a comment below.

Au revoir x