Crochet Hairstyles - The Pros and Cons

Bonjour tout le monde!

So I thought I'd do a post on the low down of crochet hairstyles since I had it for the first time very recently. I decided to try crochet for my prom as I wanted jumbo twists but I didn't have the patience to sit down for hours for it to me done. For those of you who don't fully know how crochet works, your hair is cornrowed underneath (I had eight cornrows) and then the hair is threaded and crocheted into the hair. If anyone is interested and has wanted to try crochet hairstyles then here's my pros and cons to give you a better idea!

PROS

• Quick and easy to install - crochet hairstyles take around 2 - 3 hours installation time compared to your regular braids install which can take up to 6 hours+. The design of the crochet twists/braids/locs make it easy to loop around your cornrows and install.
• Very versatile - you can do an abundance of hairstyles with your crochet! Half up half down, all up, all down, whatever hairstyle you fancy can be achieved easily with crochet. The method in which the crochet twists are attached to your hair enable you to do a variety of hairstyles without showing your cornrows underneath.
• Lightweight - perhaps it's the type of hair I used but my crochet twists were super lightweight! I often had my hair tied up in a bun and to the outside world it looked like it was weighing me down however in reality it was super light! This is a plus for me contrary to braids which can get very heavy the more braids that are on your head. 
• Natural looking - I was so surprised when I saw how natural my crochet twists looked! My twists honestly looked like they were growing out of my head which I loved, my cornrows weren't visible at all!

CONS

• Can become messy very quickly - as much as I loved my crochet twists, they did get messy very quickly. After about two weeks of having my twists, they became almost dull looking, having lost its original sheen which some strands coming out of the twist. As much as I wrapped a scarf around my head and made an effort to spray water on to my hair, I couldn't save my hair for longer than two weeks which was a downer. 

To be fair I only have one con to crochet hairstyles, that's how much I loved it! For me, It definitely lasts longer than braids do so I'll definitely be hopping back to this hairstyle very soon. For anyone who's never tried it, I'd definitely recommend this hairstyle.

Until the next time, 

Au revoir x

Prom 2016 X Caribbean Infusion

Bonjour tout le monde! 

I know it's a Saturday, not my usual day, but I thought I'd show you guys pictures from my prom! As many of you will know, I'm 18 and my sixth form hold a prom for Year 13's. My prom was on Thursday and I had a fab time! Let me tell you all about the stress I had. I went for a Caribbean theme with my dress because I wanted to embrace my Caribbean roots but the traditional Madras material is only sold in America so I had to import it over. It took about three weeks to come which left my dress maker with a month to make my dress. I was waiting for my dress to be made and a few days before my prom, she fell ill and had to be hospitalized. All the way up until the night before, I still hadn't seen my dress and it hadn't been made. Because I didn't have my dress I was set on not going to prom that I cancelled my makeup and hair because I honestly thought there was no point. 4am on the day of my prom, my dress was ready! I tried it on and fell in love instantly! I had to quickly scour around and find someone who was free last minute to do my makeup and hair and then I was ready! I thought to keep in check with the traditional ethnic vibe I wanted to portray, I got crochet twists which I absolutely love, I must say that this might be my new go-to hairstyle! It took two hours to do and looks absolutely amazing, can't even tell it's crochet! Anyway, I had an absolutely amazing time and wanted to show pictures of my stunning dress, hope you enjoy!

PS. For those of you who don't know, I'm from Dominica and Jamaica and the material that my dress is made from is traditional madras material (also known as creole material) from St Lucia and Dominica. The style of my dress is a modern twist on the traditional style dresses!

Au revoir x

My Trip To The Netherlands

Bonjour tout le monde!

I have to truly apologise, it's been too long! But my exams are finally over and I am finally free! I've been busy planning more things for Divinus Ater and jetting off to the Netherlands but I am back now! I thought I'd give you guys a low down on my trip since I had a blast!

I currently have purple braids in which I love. As you'll all know, I'm finally free of heat damage so I'm keeping my hair in protective hairstyles to allow it to grow. I've had my braids in for four weeks and honestly I can see a healthy amount of growth from my hair. I'm so excited to see how long my hair will be at the end of this year! I'm looking to try out Manetabolism again and give an updated review as to whether or not I think it's a worthwhile investment for my fellow naturalistas. 

Onto The Netherlands! Now it may seem like a random trip but I went to The Netherlands with three of my friends as a way of relaxing and de-stressing after a hard year of preparing for my exams. Boy I had the best time. I only spent three days there but it's such a peaceful country to be! Their way of life is so calm and the country is so much cleaner compared to London! I'd definitely recommend people to check it out and if you're into festivals, there are plenty of fun festivals coming up in The Netherlands during July and August. It was definitely a fab holiday and hopefully I'll find time to fit in another holiday but in the meantime, here's some pics from my holiday:

Until the next time,

Au revoir X 

Finally Heat Damage Free!

Bonjour tout le monde!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - exam season. But thankfully I'm done next Thursday and I'll be the first to say I cannot wait!

I recently took out my black chunky braids that you saw in my previous post to uncover the my five months worth of hair growth!

Here you're able to see the amount of growth I've had over the last five months which is absolutely incredible - natural hair does grow! I kept my hair in protective hairstyles such as braids and twists over the five month period and had my natural hair out periodically to give my hair a break. This is my hair after I took out my braids, moisturized my hair with ORS Curls Unleashed Coconut and Honey Hair Milk and sealed the moisture in with Jamaican Black Castor Oil. This made my hair feel so soft and easy to manage! I wash my hair with my Coconut Water Shampoo and Conditioner (review link here) which is one of my absolute favourite products to use in my hair. The picture above shows my hair just being combed out. As you can see my hair looks like it's been blow dried/straightened which is the heat damaged parts of my hair. I felt so great seeing how fast my hair had grown in such a short space of time that I decided to cut my hair once again and finally get rid of all of the damage, here's my hair now:

I absolutely love the texture of my hair now as finally my natural texture is all back! It's short again I know but now I feel like I can kick start my hair growth again properly. I'm going to go 100% no heat from now on, not even to dry my hair if I'm in a rush, and use various different methods to stretch out my hair. This may sound very laborious and time consuming but your hair will thank you for it in the long run! I'd been religiously taking biotin supplements but I think I may try out the new Mane Choice hair growth supplements and see the results I get from that. 

I hope this has inspired even just one person who may have been hesitant to cut off their damaged ends to just go for it as hair does grow back! My hair looks and feels amazing now and I can't wait to see my hair growth six months from now. Anyone have any tips they'd like to share on how to boost their hair growth? Feel free to email me or leave a comment!

Au revoir x 

Updated Jireh Edge Control Review

Bonjour tout le monde!

Now as many of you will recall, I made a post on my review of the Jireh Edge Control. My conclusion mid last year was that the edge control was fab but just didn't stay down for long. I thought it would be worth while to give an updated review so you can see how the edge control works on my hair. 

I have 4C hair which means that my hair is very coarse and can often be dry and brittle. I still struggle to find a range of products that are able to not only work in my hair but keep it moisturized. I've used a number of edge controls, Argan Oil, Olive Oil and Dr Miracle's just to name a few. The first two gave a less than temporary hold on my hair which wasn't helpful to me at all when trying to style my hair. I also felt that the Olive Oil Edge Control was too thin whilst the Argan Oil was a good consistency but couldn't hold my hair. The closest edge control I found in the hair shop was the Dr Miracle's Edge Control. This was able to hold down my hair but was prone to lift after about 20mins - 30mins. So I tried the Jireh Edge Control as I'd seen many naturals in America raving about it so I had to try it for myself. This edge control actually has a special place in my heart because it really holds down my 4C hair. Made from all natural ingredients, this edge control works to not only hold but also nourish your edges. Some edge control, whilst holding your hair, can actually damage your hair as its pulling out your hair. Jireh Edge Control doesn't do that at all and is so far, the only edge control that I've found which ticks all the boxes. Below I'll attach pictures of my hair:

As you can see from the above pictures, the Jireh Edge Control works wonders to lay my edges. Now I said in a previous post that there is a clear difference between and edge control and a hair gel. Edge controls are used for a temporary hold and often the hold provided is a light hold. Hair gels however are used for more of a long term hold on your hair. I don't tend to use gel that often on my hair because it can cause product build up and often seriously weigh down my hair. If you're looking for more of a long term hold from your edge control then I'd recommend applying a teeny tiny amount of hair gel over your edges once the edge control has been applied to keep it down. I apply a tiny dab of my Gorilla Snot gel just to keep my edges down if I know I'm going out. 

If you want to grab your own, hop on to eBay and search 'Jireh Edge Control', currently £10 for a limited time only!

PS - I'll be at Curlvolution tomorrow so I hope to see some of you there, I'll also be at the Afro Hair and Beauty Show UK on Sunday and (hopefully) Monday so see you then!

Au revoir X 

Exam Season!

Bonjour tout le monde!

I know it has been so long since my last post, it’s exam season sadly! I only have about one month left so expect posts to come here and there but I’ll definitely try my hardest to keep my posts regular even during this period!

Summer is coming and I’m sure many of you, like I am, are planning all of your exciting adventures that you’re going to undertake. Shopping, finding the perfect summer clothes but what really completes your look? Is it your glasses? Sandals? Accessories? Nope, it’s your hair! I’ve always found it difficult to look after and maintain my hair during the summer as I didn’t fully understand the needs of my hair. This summer however will be different. Compared to this time last year my hair is a lot shorter however this is the perfect time of year for all naturalistas to take pride in their gorgeous tresses!

I know there are many women out there who just don’t know what to do with their hair during the summer and so instead choose to hide their hair throughout the whole of summer under weaves/wigs. The same way we wear looser clothes during summer to cool down, our hair needs to breathe too. Hiding your hair during summer and allowing your hair to bake can in fact have the opposite effect on your hair and cause your hair to break. Instead, let your tresses be free and embrace them! There's never a better time to start loving your natural hair. Right now I have braids in as it is an extremely low fuss hairstyle which is exactly what I need. I'm thinking about having my natural hair out during summer, or perhaps faux locs? I'm still deciding but one thing is for sure, I can't wait for summer! That's me for now, new post this Friday!

Au revoir x

PS - I'll be attending the Curlvolution Event this Saturday, hope to see some of you guys there!

Product Review - Aunt Jackie's Fix My Hair Conditioner

Bonjour tout le monde!

So I got an abundance of products from the London Living No Lye Tour on the 17th April and so I thought I'd write a review for each of the products I received.

The first is Aunt Jackie's Intensive Repair Conditioning Masque from Aunt Jackie's new flaxseed range. I really didn't know much about this brand until I attended this event. In my Bantu Knot tutorial I used their Baby Girl Curls Curling and Twisting Custard to set my curls but other than that, I had no clue about this brand. However, at the event I was taken aback at how popular Aunt Jackie's is and how many women swear by it. They're releasing their new flaxseed which is aimed at naturalistas who may suffer from dry or damaged hair whether that's heat or colour damage. This range should be available in most hair shops in the UK this week.

I was so excited to try this product as I am essentially one of the first naturals in the UK to try this brand new product. I washed my hair as normal with my Coconut water shampoo to remove all of the dirt and product buildup from my hair. I then added some of the Intensive Repair Masque onto my hair. I made sure all of my hair was covered and covered my hair with a shower cap and left for 10mins for a deep treatment. I then washed it off and I got a sample of Aunt Jackie's Knot On My Watch which I applied to my hair to help detangle my hair. This can also be left on for up to 10mins for a deep treatment. The Aunt Jackie's Intensive Repair Conditioning Masque had such an amazing smell and was so lightweight that it didn't weigh my hair down. It also left my hair feeling soft and the Aunt Jackie's Knot On My Watch helped the comb to glide through my hair with ease. 

Overall I'd say I absolutely loved this product as, after having used this product on my hair, I didn't see very much shedding of my hair. I will be definitely looking in to purchasing more products from the Aunt Jackie's range and I can't wait for the flaxseed range to officially launch in the UK!

Au revoir x

My Current Hair Growth

Bonjour tout le monde!

So if you've read some of my previous posts at the beginning of the year I had cut my hair due to heat damage and I've made it my mission to kick start my growth this year. I thought I'd share you my growth within the last four months:

30th January

The picture above is my hair length after I'd cut my hair. It was pretty short and I struggled to even cornrow my hair at that length.

19th April

These two picture above show you my current hair length, the one to the left being after I took out my braids and the right after having washed and blow-dried my hair. 

My hair has grown so much in three months and it's amazing for me to see! I want everyone reading this post to have faith that your hair does grow, you just have to be patient and take the time to look after it. I have been keeping my hair in protective hairstyles and taking biotin supplements daily for the last month. I can't tell you what the secret is to growing fast natural hair but what I can tell you is that there's no point in trying to grow your hair if you cannot retain it. I've found that the way I get minimal shedding and breakage when doing my hair is when I give my hair a good deep conditioning treatment every 2-3 weeks. The frequency on how often you decide to do these treatments is completely up to you but because parts of my hair is still damaged, I aim to do it every two weeks.

I have a ton of new products to review for you guys which I'll be doing in my next few upcoming posts. I'm also looking to try hair growth supplements again, namely Hairfinity, to give you guys an insight into whether it actually achieves the hair growth it says on the bottle.

Jireh Edge Control is now also available for purchase via my blog as well as on eBay. If you click on the page called 'Shop' to the right of the page you'll be able to buy your own directly from there.

I hope this has inspired some of you naturalistas and if any of you have any questions with regards to hair growth of formulating the best hair regime, feel free to contact me! You can either email me or message me @DivinusAter on both Instagram and Twitter.

Au revoir x