Showing posts with label protective style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protective style. Show all posts
Thursday, March 13, 2014

Hairstyle: Today's Hair - 3/12


Early in the week I rocked two huge puffs, but yesterday I was ready for a change. I realized that I've never done a style with flat twisted or braided up sides (like a faux hawk), and I figured that yesterday was as good a time as any to try. 

After 40 minutes, a comb, and about 10 hair pins I ended up with this...



I kind of love it...and all that I imagine it can be. In its current state, I:

1) Parted the hair from about my temples to right behind the ear on each side of my head;

2) Formed four (4) flat twists in each section to just behind the ear, and twisted the hanging pieces to the end;

3) I repeated step 2 on the other side;

4) I pinned up the sides as I decided what to do with the rest of my hair;

5) I decided to do rows of large double-strand or two-strand twists. I ended up with 14 twists (4 rows of 3 twists and one row of 2 twists in the very back);

6) As I completed each row of twists, I took the ends of the twists and twirled them together into a single unit and tucked the unit under. I then pinned the unit in place (it was similar in technique to the non-braider's braid); and

7) Finally I unpinned the sides, and pulled the ends toward the middle of my head. I allowed the twists to criss-cross, then pinned down the ends. 

I'm planning several variations on this style - including roller-setting the twists and wearing it as a faux hawk. Later this should end up as a cute twistout as well (possibly with one side remaining twisted and the rest worn loose). 

Let me know what you think - and if you plan to try it.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Hair Inspiration! Bow 'N' Bun...


@keysofbeauty - I just love this bun! It is just too cute.

I saw this combination of one of my featured protective styles that I called the front facing bun or bang, and those cute bows that people have been doing for last couple of years. This won't be an everyday look for me, but it will be cute for a night out, and maybe teens and college students.  Anyway, I am going to try to figure out how this style was done and write out the steps as I imagine them. When I try the style [likely tomorrow night for Halloween], I'll let you know if I had to modify any of the steps.

Tools: Brush, oil, edge control gel, pins, bobby pins, and two ponytail holders. You may also want some extension hair on hand for fullness.

1. Brush hair forward - I believe that this style will work best with stretched or straight hair, and form a ponytail at the temple, whether in the front-middle or front-center of the forehead. I am going to use a new ponytail holder and just do a very loose ponytail (no wrapping the ponytail holder around multiple times).

2. Brush up the edges with whatever hold gel or edges product you use. This may be the time to tie your hair down.

3. Take the loose hair from your ponytail and separate it so the hair is fanned out around the base of the ponytail. This would be a good time to apply your favorite oil to the ends of your hair.

4. Take the very middle section of the hair (maybe about a third of the hair) and put it into another ponytail - at least temporarily.

5. Form a large, loose bun with the remaining hair, pinning it down as needed.

6. To form the bow:
 a. Put the middle section of hair into a ponytail, but don't pull the ends completely through, create a loop by pulling the hair about 3/4 of the way through, and leaving the end loose. Try to create the loop so the loose end is left hanging in the front of the loop and not the back. If you don't think your hair is long enough to have the ends serve as the middle piece of the bow, leave a piece of hair outside of the ponytail, and plan to use it to form the middle piece of the bow.

b. Take the loop, and split the hair into two equally sized pieces.

c. Take one section of hair and try to get it to stand up by pulling some of the hair upward. When you get it to point that you are satisfied, pin the bottom of the bow down, and add bobby pins to the side of the bow, so it won't droop. Do the same on the other side.

d. Take the middle piece and wrap it over the center of the two ends of the bow. Pin it in place.

You should end up with something resembling the style above. I'll show you how my experiment turns out. Let me know if you have any hair inspirations, and the steps you took to recreate the look.  
Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Today's Hair: August 27th




It was a New Day, New 'do kind of day. I had a messy bun yesterday that I shaped into something resembling a bow or Minnie Mouse ears - depending on who you ask, and I just didn't feel like walking around like that today. And I had some style inspiration - one of my co-workers had a a really pretty set of French braids, I have seen all kinds of braided bangs lately and there was a faux short hair cut I've seen that I fell in love with - if I find it again, I'll do a hair inspiration post on it...Anyway, I think all of that was on my mind when I came up with the style above.

1) I started by adding some oil and leave in conditioner to my stretched hair, and combing through the ends (they were a little tangled from my Bantus over the weekend).

2) I sectioned off a little more than 1/4 of my hair (a part from about the center of my head to over to my left ear, and from the center of my head toward my nose) to form a bang.

3) I combed through that section and did one large flat-twist across the front of the section toward my left ear and twisted the hanging ends. I took the hanging twist, brought the end toward the right side of my head, and pinned it into a circular bang. 

4) I took the rest of my hair, and flat twisted it from the right side of my head toward the left. When the twist reached just behind my left ear, I put the hair into a ponytail, and twisted the ends. 

5) I took the now single twist and pinned it into a circle also. 

Overall it took 5-6 minutes, but it looks nice, and it's a protective style that can last for several days to a week.   


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Braided & Protected - Protective Hair Style on Child's Natural Hair

By Aisha of Braid with Me



We're back with a new protective style! Before I started Anisa's hair, I knew that I wanted her to have a nice, protective up do. The one thing that I didn't know was how I wanted it to look. 

This style was done over the course of two nights. Due to our hectic schedules, I am only able to devote time to hair at night. As a result, Anisa tends to get sleepy during the styling process and I'm not able to finish. 


During the first night, I braided sections 1 and 2. I also added the small cornrow in the front that hangs down. The remainder of her hair was placed in a simple bun for school. I used Oyin Handmade Hair Dew and Sugar Berries Pomade while braiding her hair. I will continue to use these products to moisturize her hair while she has this style. I will also use Oyin Handmade Juices and Berries for added moisture.  


The next night, I continued to braid the rest of her hair. Sections 3 and 4 were braided as if I was making two off centered mohawks. The remaining hair in each section was gathered into two large cornrows going in opposite directions. 


I wrapped sections 3 and 4 around each other and secured her hair with pins. 



Sections 1 and 2 were joined with sections 3 and 4 and secured in the same fashion. 


The end result is a beautiful, protective style that is sure to turn heads!! I love it! And most importantly, she loves it!!! 

The Left Side

The Front

 The Right Side

The Back

 The Top

 Beautiful!!! 

Products Used:







Wednesday, November 2, 2011

1 Month Protective Styling Challenge Sponsored by Blended Beauty

Blended Cutie

There has been a lot of interest in another protective styling challenge so I thought Fall would be a great time to start one! This challenge will be sponsored by BlendedBeauty.com. More details on the prize(s) to come. I will be using Blended Beauty products during the entire challenge. If you would like to join me with using Blended Beauty products or if you just want to try them out you can use discount code 'codeBBB' to receive 15% off your purchase at BlendedBeauty.com They now also carry awesome sleep caps for children in beautiful prints.

If you are interested in your child participating please email me with 1 photo of your child (any photo will do) by November 8th with their name (or nickname) and age. This will be used in our introduction post. beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com

Your child's protective style will need to be in by November 10th. November 10th is the official start date of the challenge and it will run through December 10th. Once I receive your entry I will email you a list of questions to answer regarding your child's protective style (products used, how long you plan on keeping it in, etc). You will need to provide at least 1 picture each week with the questions answered.

Cornrows, two strand twists, sister twists, flat twists, braids, bantu knots, etc. all count as a protective style. You cannot use rubberbands during this challenge. You may use ouchless ponytail holders to band the hair prior to styling. You cannot use beads or barrettes on the ends during this challenge. You may use a barrette or two somewhere at the top, you may also use headbands and bows. You may use ouchless ponytail holders to change up a style (example, putting box braids into a ponytail).

More details to come.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
Friday, June 11, 2010

Protective Styling Challenge: Update #4 The FINAL Update!

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Bee Mine

Use discount code: BBB for 10% off Bee Mine Products $15 minimum purchase (Good only until the end of June!)

The Prize:
The winner of the One Month Protective Styling Challenge will receive 4 (Yes, FOUR!) full size Bee Mine Products of YOUR choice!

Incase you need a reminder of how much we love these products click here and here.

Click *here* to see our introduction post along with our plans of action.

Click *here* Update #1

Click *here* Update #2

Click *here* Update #3


The owner of Bee Mine Products and I will choose the winner based on:
  • How well you follow the rules
  • How well your overall plan of action sounds
  • & Being creative doesn't hurt!

Of course, you must do our weekly check-in's and include a picture. 'A' will not be eligible for the prize.

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Protective style:
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Name:

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Chunky Two Strand Twists

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes

Did you stick with your plan of action? Yes

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? After swimming several times, her twists didn't hold up too well.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Definitely. Less is more!

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Yes I have already started!

Other: Since doing this challenge and using Bee Mine Products I see a great change in her ends and how they feel. I will continue to use these products and I will continue to rotate doing "regular" styles and protective styles.

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Protective Style:
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Name: Simara W.

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Simple box braids

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes!

Did you stick with your plan of action? Yes, and we added some new products to our regimen. I absolutely love the Bee Mine Curly Butter for her braids/twists, as well as the Luscious Moisturizer from Bee Mine. For extra moisture, I like the Juicy Daily Spritz to refreshen her braids during the week.

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? Her cornrows from last week held up very well. They started to frizz on Thursday instead of the normal Tuesday/Wednesday.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? I've learned that less is more. Even though all of the accessories are cute and add to the styles, I've learned through this challenge to appreciate her hair for what it is. Simple braids/cornrows/twists can be just as cute as the ponytails with all of the beads and barrettes, etc.

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? This challenge actually fit in with our current normal routine. I usually braid up her hair during the week while she is in school, then style it for the weekend. I think that at least once a month, I will do her protective styles throughout the weekend.

Other: Let's do this challenge again sometime before the year is out!!

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Protective style:
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Name: TK

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Cornrows and braids. The first week we kept them straight and the second week we moisturized again, curled them (first time!) while wet and let air dry.

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes, and I'm hooked.

Did you stick with your plan of action? Yes, lots of moisture and low manipulation, but we also added regular scalp massages and 2x/daily ends moisturizing.

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? Still going great. We kept it in for 2 weeks! I think curling it for the second week helped them last a lot longer.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Sometimes less is more. TK's hair has done great for the past month. Paying even more attention to how her hair responds to certain things such as styles and accessories as made a world of a difference. And it just proves that all the extra sometimes is just unnecessary extra :)

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Definitely. Even though the challenge is over and as much as I miss her bubbles and barrettes, it's hard for me to want to add them to often to her ends because, other than aesthetics, they don't do anything for her hair. I've noticed a huuuuuuuuge difference in how her ends look and feel and also much less breakage. I think the change in breakage really comes from the extra moisture on a daily basis and more attention to her ends on a regular basis.

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Protective style: CONGRATS to Makena's Family!! They have welcomed home their new baby boy!
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Name: Makena

What was your protective style of choice? Box braids, twisted at the ends

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes we stuck with the plan for the whole month, leaving the box braids in, washing weekly and keeping moisturized.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? No re-styling for week 4. Since I was in the hospital having a baby Makena pretty much handled her hair on her own, putting it up into ponytails with Goody Ouchless bands. At the end of the week/challenge I washed her hair w/ the braids in, deep conditioned w/ Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment + EVCO and then took the braids down. She rinsed and I styled her hair in two-strand twists using Kinky-Curly Knot Today and Curling Custard. She is going camping for a couple of days and this was another simple protective style that would hold up well.

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Protective style:
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Update:
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Name: Laverius

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Layered Braids

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes we have.

Did you stick with your plan of action? Yes/No
Yes- we continued using Wave Nouveau Finishing Mist as our moisturizer. Laverius also had a cowash.
No- we decided to use the WNFM everyday instead of every two or three days, to make sure his hair stayed moisturized.

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? This week has been a challenge due to extreme hot weather but his hair held up better than expected because he stayed running through water. I didn't want to do the pool because he had layers and I would have needed to take his hair down and wash it. We wanted to stick with our plan by letting his hair stay in layers for two weeks. Bae Bae still had layers but we decided to braid his layers into one big loose braid to keep him cool. We also decided to let him wear his hair down and we loved how his hair had a loose wave pattern due to the one big loose braid.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Yes. We don't have to use accessories (beads) or rubberbands whenever his hair gets braided.....since he only gets his hair braided 2-3 times a year. It's also ok for him to have his hair braided straight to the back once in a while and not be afraid that breakage will happen. I also learned when I do braid his hair, I don't have to put his hair in designs(zig zag etc.) every time he gets his hair braided...he can have very simple braids and they will look nice as well.

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Yes. The simple braids were the best for us and hopefully he can get braids more often without any accessories.

Other: Good luck to all the mommies and thank you for sharing your hair routines. This has been a great challenge and a learning lesson for us. As I stated before the simple braids were a first for us and we hope to do them more often. We've never braided Bae Bae's hair straight back until this challenge so this challenge has helped me feel more comfortable with doing this style. Thanks again Nikki, A and Bee Mine for a great challenge.

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Protective style & update:
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Name: Anisa

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Anisa wore the same box braids from Week #3. I washed them after one week with Deva Curl No-Poo Cleanser and applied coconut oil and Carol's Daughter's Hair Milk. I cornrowed her box braids and left it this way for a couple of days. The cornrows gave her braids a crinkly look, which she loved! She ended up wearing them half up, half down for one day, down for a couple more days and finally in a high pony.

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes

Did you stick with your plan of action? Yes. I am using the same products that I mentioned in previous posts. I apply Carol's Daughter Loc Butter to her braids each night before putting on her head wrap.

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? Her braids held up very well.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Less is sooo much more!!

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Definitiely!!

Other: While Anisa's hair was in the high pony, she decided to cut her hair!!! I ended up taking the braids down to assess the damage and luckily it was okay. I ended up washing/deep conditioning her hair and put it in loose ponytails for 2 days to let it rest. I gave her some more box braids and she will keep these for at least one more week.
Anisa and I have really enjoyed the challenge! She has gotten so many compliments on her hair this month. This is definitely something that I will continue to do to help protect her precious hair. And hopefully she won't do anymore cutting!!

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Protective style:
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Name: Evelyn

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? I did bigger two strand twist, i think my first twist were sister twists

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes i did

Did you stick with your plan of action? because the week before i did not moisturize my daughters hair that much i just took out the cornrows an moisturized her hair with beemine luscious hair moisturizer AND I LOVE IT!!! oh my gosh i have never seen a product make my daughters hair sooo soft and shiny, and then on each twist i put a little beemine curly hold butter and it smelled wonderful and did really well with her hair. After twisting her whole head i twirled the edges with some shea butter, and she wore a du-rag to bed

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? it is still holding up really well but i think i will take it out this week due to the fact that i did not wash her hair last week.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? i learned that you did not need to have all the beads and barrettes to have a nice hair style. i constantly got compliments on my daughters hair this month and i loved the fact that these styles showed how beautiful her hair is without accessories.

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? defiantly, it takes the worry on doing her hair different every week and actually being able to have a break

Other: Something that i thought was interesting is that when my daughters hair was in twist many people even strangers came up to me and asked if i was going to lock her hair!


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Protective style & update:
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Name: Aliana

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? We did 9 cornrows (our first time doing them!) into a puff (w/ ouchless holder)

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Heck yeah we did!!

Did you stick with your plan of action? No, I actually changed it quite a bit. Maintainence & moisturizing I stuck to plan but the styling was changed to:
Week 1 Sister Twists
Week 2 Sister twist out, Bantu knots
Week 3 Bantu knot out
Week 4 Cornrows into a high puff

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? This one held up the best of all the styles (yay)! And I really love how it turned out on her. I originally started out w/ bigger braids (see week 3 update) but I didn't like how it looked so I went & made them smaller the next day. It lasted pretty good throughout the week. It got pretty frizzy towards the end & I alternated wearing her puff at night & taking it out to give it a rest. This style was great as all I had to do in the morning was moisturize, brush, reset ponytail holder & go. We (my daughter & I) liked this style so much I washed/conditioned it at end of the month & rebraided it. We're keeping the protective challenge going!

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Yes,definitely! I've found the more I do her hair the more comfortable she is with it. She still squirms (of course) but compared to the first week she has gotten soooo much better (well usually lol!). This challenge has also made me a lot more creative because I've done styles I've never done before all month (plus the fact that we can't use any barrettes/rubberbands etc.) It was very challenging but I'm loved it as the challenge made me push the boundaries that I hadn't before on her hair & I'm glad, so thank you!! The other thing it brought was an awareness & thoughtfulness to her hair that I didn't fully have yet. It really made me think about what I put in her hair & how I treat it. I now always finger comb her hair after washing & really tune into protecting it in a major way.
Oh one more thing I learned: I need a new camera! I didn't realize just how bad mine was until I compared it to everyone else's pix *pathetic* lol

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Yup Yup :)

Other: Thank you again so much for doing this challenge & to Bee Mine! You (Nik) inspire us Mamas & I hope we helped inspire other Mamas to keep the protective styling train going. Choo Choo!

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Protective styles:
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Name: Joeliana and Alia

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? For Alia, I redid her braids into a twist out for Sunday, with lot of moisturizer and it was adorable. For Joeliana, I have let it be "loose" this week and it has looked good.

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes

Did you stick with your plan of action? yes

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? Both of their hair styles held up well and the moisturizer really kept them looking great.

Did you plan on restyling for this week? We are leaving at the end of this week for a week at a lake in Texas. I really feel that this month has shown me how to take care of my daughter's hair better. For the lake I will do box braids or cornrow/twist and moisturize each day. I feel that I know how to protect their hair better, and I am so glad that I spent this month learning from each of you.

Other: Thank you so much, Nik, for doing this. I am so grateful to learn from you and others. I love my daughters and am so grateful for the opportunity to learn how to take care of their hair. As I braid, or bead, or wash and moisturize my girl's hair, they know that I love them...and that is worth all the time and work, to look at them and say "You are so beautiful and I am so glad that I am your Mommy!".

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Protective style:
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Name: Jaliyah

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Cornrows with box braids I even tried to get a little fancy lol

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes

Did you stick with your plan of action? Pretty much the only thing I did was moisturize more often then I thought I would

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? It held up great thanks to the bee mine products. What a life saver.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Yes that protective styles are just as fun and cute and ones with beads and barrettes.

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? O yea! We've already picked a new style for next week and it has no beads pony's or anything.

Other: We need a length check after I took the last style out and no lie her hair has grown like a inch everyone noticed it. This challenge has taught me so much and has been allot of fun.


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Protective style & update:
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Name: Patience

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? For this week I went with the fishbone french braids with cornrows in the front

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? ABSOLUTELY!

Did you stick with your plan of action? I sure did...

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? her hair is looking great...

Did you learn anything during this challenge? I have learned to appreciate my daughter's hair and learned how to better take care of it. I learned that we both appreciate the protective styles as we don't have to restyle everyday.

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? I will most definitely keep up with the protective styles. It gave her hair a nice break and I have noticed that her ends are much healthier.

Other: Thanks so much for this challenge...even if I do not win the prizes, I have enjoyed doing this for my daughter. It's been amazing!

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Protective style:
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Name: Nylah

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Box braids

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes we did!!!

Did you stick with your plan of action? The only thing I changed were a couple of the styles.

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? Nylah's hair held up very well in the beginning, but we did a little swimming , after that it got pretty frizzy!

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Oh yes!!! I want Nylah's hair to be the healthiest it can be, and doing this challenge has showed me that with a little extra lovin' and a lot of moisturizer, lol, her hair can be even more healthier than I imagined!!!!

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Most definitely!!!!

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Protective style & Update pictures:
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Name: Ray (see Ray and her mommy's blog here.)

What was your protective style of choice for week 4? Box Braids

Did you follow the rules for the entire month? Yes, it was not that hard. I think we will do this frequently.

Did you stick with your plan of action? Yes, she actually kept the style for 2+ weeks.

How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? Great, we changed the style with the box braids and she loved them.

Did you learn anything during this challenge? Yes, that Box braids can be done, I was scared to try them. How am I gonna take them off. But I did it, and had fun with them.

Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often? Yes. 1x every 6 or so months.

Other: You can see how I took the breads off here ( http://mylittlerascals-letty.blogspot.com/2010/06/easy-way-to-take-off-box-braids.html ) Good luck to all the moms.


____________________________

I want to say thanks to all of the mother's who participated in this challenge. A huge thanks to all of you who made it to the very end! I really enjoyed this challenge and this is going to be a very difficult decision deciding on the winner. You are all doing such a great job taking care of your childrens hair and I really appreciate your participation! I hope you all stay in touch. :)

I submitted *this* post to CurlyNikki after being inspired by this challenge.

The owner of Bee Mine Products and I will look over the challenge posts and decide the winner. Please give us a few days to decide. Thank you for your patience!

Also big thanks to Bee Mine Products for being so generous with your giveaway!


Email me if you have any questions: beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com
Monday, May 31, 2010

Protective Styling Challenge: Update #3

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Bee Mine

Use discount code: BBB for 10% off Bee Mine Products $15 minimum purchase (Good only until the end of June!)

The Prize:
The winner of the One Month Protective Styling Challenge will receive 4 (Yes, FOUR!) full size Bee Mine Products of YOUR choice!

Incase you need a reminder of how much we love these products click here and here.

Click *here* to see our introduction post along with our plans of action.

Click *here* Update #1

Click *here* Update #2

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The owner of Bee Mine Products and I will choose the winner based on:
  • How well you follow the rules
  • How well your overall plan of action sounds
  • & Being creative doesn't hurt!

Of course, you must do our weekly check-in's and include a picture. 'A' will not be eligible for the prize.

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Protective style:
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Name: A

What was your protective style of choice for week 2? Same Box Braids from last week

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes

How did your child's new style hold up for the week? A's box braids held up very well for the second week. In the update picture I had unraveled the ends of the box braids, wet them, then applied Bee Mine Curly Butter and twirled them around my finger.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? Yes

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Protective Style:
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Name: Simara W.

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? For week 3, Simara had simple box braids in her hair

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes. I received some new products in the mail this week and I can't wait to use them on her hair!!

How did your child's new style hold up for the week? Simara's hair held up pretty well for week 3. Besides the normal frizz, I redid some of the braids on Thursday.

Do you plan on restyling for week 3? Yes, for week 4 Simara will have a cornrow style that I saw on HappyGirlHair blog. Side cornorows with 2 ponytails secured with Goody Ouchless bands. Simple and cute!

Other: This month has been flying by. I can't believe that the challenge is almost over. I have really enjoyed participating in this challenge and we should definitely do this again this year. I really enjoy the weekly check-ins because it helps to keep me motivated and seeing all of the girls (and boys) with their styles gives me new ideas to try. Keep up the great work Nikki

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Protective style:
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Name: TK

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? A combo of cornrows into 2strand twists with medium plaits in the back. I wanted something that was a little dressier and something I wouldn't have to worry about freshening up too much in the mornings.

Have you been following the rules? Roger that! I've completely ruled out adding anything to her hair for this month so so far, we're still on point.

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes, plus our 2x/day scalp massages and daily moisturizing of her ends.

How did your child's style hold up for the week? Pretty well... maybe just as well as when she had the 2strand twists in. Each morning I spritzed her ends with a mix of water and EVCO and every other day I freshened up her twists because they unraveled daily.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? Yes, cornrows and plaits. That will definitely hold and stay. And even though we're nearing the end of the challenge, that style is going to get pushed as close to 2weeks as it possibly can. I wish I had thought to see how her hair responded to a couple weeks of having her hair cowashed biweekly instead of weekly, so I'll start now.

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Protective style:
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Name: KeAirah

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? Our style of choice was box braids.

Have you been following the rules? Yes, we have been following the rules.

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes, our plan of action has remained the same.

How did your child's style hold up for the week? Her braids held up very well except for the very back. Her hair is very soft/fine back there and the braids just unravel after a day or two.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? No, we will not be restyling for week 4. We will maintain these until the end of the challenge.

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Protective style & Update pictures:
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Name: Ray (see Ray and her mommy's blog here.)

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? Puffs

Have you been following the rules? Ooooh Yes.

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes. When I took the braids the hair was not to tangled and after washing and deep conditioning I used all Bee Mine Products. They seem to work good on her hair.

How did your child's style hold up for the week? I did not restyle. I sprayed it with Bee Mine Juicy - Moisturizing Daily Spritz daily. I took off and brush the top ponytail holder (white one) and after brushing the fuzzy's down I put it back on. I re did the puffs on Day 3 and they stayed untl the last day.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? Yes I plan to make Box Braids.

Other: I like the Bee Mine products so far.

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Protective style:
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Name: Makena

What was your protective style of choice? Box braids, twisted at the ends

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes, my plan was basically to keep the box braids in for the month, massage scalp and wash weekly, use leave-in conditioner, moisturize daily, and seal. I have kept up this routine, although I decided to experiment with different products for some functions (i.e. Qhemet OHHB as a sealant instead of EVCO or EVCO/Shea mix).

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? No re-styling, we just washed as planned with Oyin Honey Wash, conditioned with water bottle mix of Oyin's Honey Hemp condish and water, and sealed with EVCO/Shea mix. Since the bottom 1.5 inches of her box braids were twisted, I untwisted them, sprayed w/ extra water bottle condish mix, and applied a little more EVCO/Shea mix, then retwisted. Finally, for this week's look I flat-twisted the top half and used bantu knots secured w/ Goody Ouchless bands - the skinny ones. I flat-twisted/knotted the bottom half in the same way and sent her outside to read and play in the sun for a few hours. Then I took it down for a 1/2 flat-twist, 1/2 curly look. She likes it and said her scalp felt good...lol.

Other: I had an idea of some of the looks I wanted for her so I took that into consideration when I made the box braid parts in the beginning. Hair part considerations included: a side part (loose braids) AND middle part (flat twists), making the parts small enough that we could get a good wash and oil of her scalp, but big enough to keep the frizzies to a minimum and hopefully achieve a nice braidout next weekend.

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Protective style:
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Name: Laverius

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? Simple Braids

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes/no
Yes- I'm still using Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Mist as a moisturizer.
No- instead of using the WNMFM every two or three days, we are moisturizing Bae Bae's hair everyday because he has his simple braids instead of layered braids...we want to make sure his hair is getting enough moisture.

How did your child's style hold up for the week? His hair held up ok.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? Yes. Bae Bae may get layers to get an extra week pass the 1 month challenge.

Other: Bae Bae will continue to sleep in his satin bonnet and we will moisturize his hair everyday with the layered braids to see if everyday moisture is better for his hair, instead of every two to three days of moisture.

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Protective style & update:
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Name: Anisa

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? Box braids

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes, but I am still using Carol's Daughter Loc Butter, Carol's Daughter Hair Milk and Shea Moisture Hold and Shine Moisture Mist

How did your child's style hold up for the week? Great! I have been very happy with this style.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? No, she will have the same box braids for week 4.

Other: I did decide to change it up a bit. I bought Anisa some Goody's Ouchless Comfort Fit Headbands and she wanted to wear the pink one to school. I also tried something different. I twisted her box braids on the side. The twists led into cornrows. I clipped one of the cornrows up with a curly bow. The rest of her hair was left down. I applied the loc butter to her hair everyday and she slept with her hair in a satin bonnet.

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Protective style:
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Name: Evelyn

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? i did cornrows into puffs

Have you been following the rules? i have been following the rules i used black faded glory bands to hold the puffs and i did not tie it tight and i also did little bows tp bring so color to her style

Have you stuck with your plan of action? i have stuck with the same plan of action

How did your child's style hold up for the week? her hair only lasted for a week before it became very fuzzy; it was kind of my fault, i kept on forgetting to put her du-rag on at night

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? i do plan on changing her style to box braids and i just got in some bee mine products so i will try to see how they work out on her hair

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Protective style & update:
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Name: Aliana

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? She rocked the bantu knot out this week (as we did the knot out on Day 6 of last week)

Have you been following the rules? Yes ma'am!

Have you stuck with your plan of action? As far as keeping it moisturized & protected yes. My original plan for week 3 was the twist out (her twists were supposed to last 2 weeks {ha!} try less than a week) but it's all good because I got to try a lot more protective styles that I've never tried before. SO...for week 3 it was actually similar to my original plan as it is an "out" style. Then last night (day 7) I washed & condition her hair (with products from plan), finger combed & started part of her style for week 4 (cornrows into puff, I did half or cornrows & put in puff, doing the rest tomorrow).

How did your child's style hold up for the first week? It was great I used the Creme Brule daily & it really defined her curls & made them not so "clumpy". The knot out also kept her hair very full/volumized (versus just having her hair in a natural puff/fro)

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? The last week: cornrows into a high (but not too tight) puff!

Other: UPDATE:As you can see I finished making her satin pillowcase this week & both she & I love it!

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Protective styles:
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Names: Miss Priss & The Artist

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Protective style & update:
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Name: Jaliyah

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? 3 Layes of Cornrows

Have you been following the rules? Yes

Have you stuck with your plan of action? Yes mostuize every morning and every night.

How did your child's style hold up for the week? It held up very well. As long as I mostuize her ends the style stays very nice. I was suprised her cornrows especially the ones in the back held up because she is such a ruff sleeper.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? We are going to definalty restyle. Not sure yet because she had been sick the last 3 days so i'm not sure how long she is going to sit for me.

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Protective styles:
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Name: Joeliana and Alia

What was your protective style of choice? For Alia, I washed and then braided her hair in box braids this week. To dress up for church I pulled her box braids into two ponytails with approved bands.
For Joeliana, we took out almost three weeks of her small cornrows, and I have let her hair be natural at this point since her hair is still so short.

Have you been following the rules? yes.

Have you stuck with your plan of action? yes

How did your child's style hold up for the week? I re-did Alia's box braids with my new favorite Bee Mine moisturizer and her scalp, which was "sick" before, is doing much better...no sores this week-YEA. Joeliana's loose hair needs oil and moisturizer every day to look "healthy" and good. I would like to try box braids for her this week.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? Alia - no. Joeliana - box braids if her hair is long enough...

Other: I'm glad to see Alia's scalp improve; which means I was probably doing her braids to tight. I am also glad to see Joeliana's hair getting long enough to braid again...her hair is so thick and her curls so tight that her hair seems to be healthier if it can be braided or twisted some how.

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Protective style & update:
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Name: Patience

What was your protective style of choice for week 3? It was the same box braids, just refreshed.

Have you been following the rules? I have been following the rules.

Have you stuck with your plan of action? I sure have. I washed Patience's hair last week twice because she went swimming, but still kept the box braids.

How did your child's style hold up for the week? They held up very well. But needed to be re-done.

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? No, I will just keep the box braids and style them in a few styles you did on 'A'. I like the french braid and the curly pigtails.

Other: This is still a wonderful challenge and I don't even think it's challenging at all! I want this be a normal routine even after the challenge is done. Thanks Nikki!

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Protective style:
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Name: Nylah

What was your protective style of choice? I did cornrows in the front and twist in the back

Have you been following the rules? Of course

Have you stuck with your plan of action? I' am still washing, conditioning and moisturizing her hair the same, but I've changed the styles up a little bit from what I had originally planned!

How did your child's style hold up for the first week? Nylah's hair held up pretty well. Towards the end of the week we did a twist out, which turned out very nice!!

Do you plan on restyling for week 4? Yes, I plan on doing box braids.

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I am a little late on posting this, but we are technically done with this challenge. I love all of week 3's styles and updates. You are all doing such a great job and as always the children are just adorable! I look forward to seeing/hearing week 4 update so get it in as soon as possible so we can decide the winner of the Bee Mine Products! Yay! :)

Thanks again to everyone who signed their child(ren) up. Also big thanks to Bee Mine Products for being so generous with your giveaway!


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Please email me your child's next protective style picture. If you did not restyle please send me what their previous style looks like the weekend of June 4th. Also email me by June 6th a recently updated picture (preferably taken the weekend of June 4th-June 6th) of your child's new protective style to show how it is holding up. Subject: Protective Styling Challenge Week 4

beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com

These are *NEW* questions!

Answer the following questions in your email: (highlight, press CTRL + C on your keyboard, and paste in email)

Name:
What was your protective style of choice for week 4? (if you did not restyle, let me know what last weeks style was)
Did you follow the rules for the entire month?
Did you stick with your plan of action? (if you changed anything let us know)
How did your child's style hold up for the week 4? (if you did not restyle, let me know how their previous style is holding up)
Did you learn anything during this challenge?
Do you think you will be doing protective styles more often?
Other: (optional)

If you switch up the style by doing a ponytail or pigtails or anything, feel free to send those pictures in as well.


I look forward to hearing from you all soon! Happy Styling!