My Coarse Yaki 22" Full Lace Wig

I've decided I will purchase one wig annually (for my Winter protective style). I ordered this one from Roman (a Chinese vendor) and it arrived via FedEx a month ago. If you want more information about where to order or more information about the wig watch the video.
After the video I co washed with my Tresemme Naturals Conditioner and blow dried. It was very flowy I also applied some MAC Concealer to the part for a more natural look.

If your wig ever has a bump due to the way it is package watch this tutorial on how to flatten it, it was so helpful and I used it with this wig.

Natural Hair Talk #1: Does wearing weave equal self-hatred?

I really wanted to post my opinion on different natural hair issues and this was one that cropped up recently. I plan to post these monthly or every other month...depending how it goes.

This question was asked on Instagram and Twitter both were asked by two black males. So I thought I would provide my answer:

The main reasons (in no particular order) women wear weaves are because:

a) It is easier than having to care for their natural hair

b) They like the versatility of different hairstyles

c) They think it makes them more attractive

d) As a protective style to improve hair growth retention

e) They want to *shrugs*

I have worn weaves on and off since the age of 19. I originally got a weave because my friends chose to so I did to. Back then I did like the ability to swang my hair back and forth! I also liked the ability to have long 18inch hair then a 10 inch bob with a bang then long hair again. I did not continually wear weaves sometimes I would wear braids too. But I would NEVER wear my natural hair, the only time I saw my natural hair between 19 and 22 years old was when I saw my reflection in the mirror when I took my weave down lol. Yes I hold my hands up in shame I know better now *hallejuiah*

 Fast forward to the present and the weave game is serious. Competitive. One weave bundle could set you back as much as £100+ (no I haven't paid that much). You now have Peruvian, Chinese, Malaysian, Brazilian, Russian, Indian and even Native American. So why do I still wear weave?

Well firstly, I just want to clarify black women are not the only race to wear weaves, no no no the Kardashian sisters do as well *shock horror*. 

As well as many English celebrities who choose to add extra wefts whether sewn in or clipped in. Back to the matter...I wear weave because of reasons B, D and E. Let me explain:

B) I like having different hairstyles. I get bored. I haven't worn weave or a wig on a daily basis since March and I have been rocking my natural hair everyday. I rarely wear the same natural hair hairstyle two days in a row. I have a serious hair decision making disorder - yes I made it up. On the weekends, if I want to wear a huge afro kinky curly wig and then a wig with a bang then a wig and then an afro puff- who gon stop me? Which brings me onto E). One of the BEST things about going natural is the increase in confidence I have. People stare sometimes (hey my type 4 hair can produce a huuuge puff) and probably think !why am I wearing it? Where is my weave and why do I think it looks good?" My head, my hair. Simple. Ain'tnobodygottime to spend worrying about people think, okaay!

Finally D)- weave for me has seriously helped me with my natural hair growth. Do you know how hard it was transitioning for 11 months and handling bone straight ends and type 4 roots? Girrrll. So I am so happy I had my wig to help me through! And yes, I love my wigs/weave in the Winter this enables me to protect my natural hair from the cold and snow. 

I can't speak for all women. But please don't judge a book by its cover. Not ALL women wear weaves because of self hatred. SMH. I repeat- I have not worn a weave or a wig to work since MARCH. Funnily enough when I stated I wear natural hair AND weave to one of the males who stated black females wear weave to be white. I got no reply. I guess we can't all handle it when someone proves you wrong *shrugs* ;)

Images from Celebritypop.com and aliexpress, rapgenuis.com, weddingbycolor.com, rollingout.com

Hairstyle How To- Marley Braid Bun

This has been done many, many times on Youtube and I was inspired to re-create this hairstyle because:
1) It's a great protective style
2) It is great for Summer when you do not want hair on your neck

I used this pack of hair- I think it was £6, I then tied a ponytail holder around it to create a loop.

I put my own hair into a bun then tied the marley braid ponytail around it and used 3 kirby grips to secure. That's it- it took 5 minutes. I would definitely down my edges with eco styler gel (apply water first) to make this hairstyle super polished.

Yup my hair is still brown and black smh

All about my Kinky Curly Yaki Install

Okay...first of all let me say that creating this wig was drama! I resewed it two and a half times- yes it took me hours! Firstly I sewed one bundle on a wig cap which was wrong because it wasn't sturdy enough. I undid it. Secondly I sewed both bundles (I have two 16" wefts) on a weaving cap and cut the U to make a U part. Now it wouldn't blend- two different curl patterns and colours. Now I really wanted to cry :(. Finally, I asked for advice and sewed both bundles on a weaving cap using Poisonflowerivy's no closure method. Omg she is a genius! I was smiling when I finished it. This is what the hair looks like:

I have left the perimeter (my edges out) to enable me to do a part if I wish or to brush it back. I will just blend it with ecostyler gel. The only product I have used on this hair is Suave Naturals conditioner and coconut oil and water I fingercombed the hair to detangle. I thought about cutting it/thinning it but I thought no WAY not after how much I paid for it. One third of a bundle has been cut for the front. Otherwise I used every single strand of hair and I did NOT cut any wefts. I used the flip over method click here (again Poisonflowerivy's video) to see. No ma'am was I cutting any wefts- nope! I sewed over the wefts (NEVER sew through). I also sealed the wefts twice (was probably a bit heavy handed because some of the wefts have a white residue on it :/). Anywho I will be doing a video about how the hair is holding up in due course.




Hope this has been helpful.
I knew the results were in when my brother said "Is that actually your hair?" when I told him no he said "It looks like your own hair, you should keep your hair that way it looks like it's growing from your own head". D'aww!
 
For more info on where/what I purchased click here

How I Wear My Natural Hair Under My Wig

Currently I am in Ghana, it is 32 degrees centigrade over here so I will not be wearing wigs unless I'm going out in the evening. It is waaay too hot to wear a wig in the day! Saying that, the plan for the Spring/Summer is for me to wear my hair out (eek!) and put down the wigs until Autumn. I'll keep you updated on that one. The wig I am wearing is the wig I made here.
I wash my hair weekly, detangle and braid down my hair as flat as I can. Here are some pictures:

Okay they're big, they're ugly but it does the job and I cannot cornrow. I find braiding my hair wet makes my hair lay flatter. I do think as my hair grows it is going to get even more difficult to wear wigs as the braids may make my wig bulky :/. But at the moment, there's no problem:

Making My Lace Wig WITH Closure and Straightening My Closure

If you would like to see how I made this wig then please watch the video below (plenty of info in the bottom bar :)

I straightened my closure using the Remington Keratin Therapy Pro S8590 Ceramic Straighteners I mentioned here. 

It straightened really well as you can see below. Before:

 After:

 Of course I used heat protectant. The closure is a 14 inch body wave closure. If you remember here, I stated this is Virgin Brazilian hair I am wearing to test before selling it- I love it so far and it curls so well.

How I Made My Wig:

Three BIG Pieces Of News!

1. I made a wig (lace front wig) thanks to fabulasityisme, peakmill and tiarramonet's tutorials- I managed to use 2 bundles of hair and a lace closure to make it :)
2. I am testing out this hair to see whether it is good enough to sell as I am *fingers crossed* starting a hair company
3. I will definitely tell you all the details the most I can say at the moment is it is 2x 18 inches Brazilian hair and a closure (14 inch), colour 1B.

Unboxing Video:

My Box Braids

 I got my hair braided in Jamaica while I was on holiday. I used the X Pressions Jumbo Braid which was £2.50 for one pack at my local hair shop, I bought two packs in a colour 1B. I wanted the braids quite chunky so it would not take too long to do nor too long to take out. It took two hours. My hair was shampoo and co-washed prior to being braided as well as being deep conditioned and blown out.  These braids cost me $2,000 Jamaican dollars (£14 or $23) - this is a bargain! The braidstress did not do it too tight- this was something I was really worried about! Overall, I am pleased with the hairstyle and it's a nice protective hairstyle to give me a break from my (sometimes temperamental) natural hair.

Washing my kinky curly wig

 It is about high time I washed my wig after having it for just over 3
weeks. I used my Herbal Essences smooth & soft conditioner (orange bottle) to co-wash (I always use this to co-wash wigs/weave).







After rinsing, I left to air dry. You can see when it is washed it returns to its original tight curly hair pattern.

Then I poured my Tresemme conditioner and water mix on the wig and finger detangled.

Afterwards for a different style I decided to braid and flexirod the wig - just randomly grabbing sections- in order to have big hair! I'll update with the results.

Just Enjoying My Kinky Curly Hurr

Specs/info on the wig, click here

Twistout on My Kinky Curly Wig

 Hi I thought I would try and style this wig, more information is in this blog post.

I first drizzled water on the wig.

When it was damp I then added my Tresemme Naturals conditioner (review here) to water in a spray bottle (which doesn't work :/) and shook it.

I then drizzled (if I could spray, I would have!) this on the wig, see I didn't use much.

Then proceeded to twist. The ends were unravelling so I used hairbands for the ends and left for 2 days. It probably would have dried within the hour.

 An alternative to using water and conditioner would be to use a curl activator. Results:

Next time I would use oil to take down the twists to avoid frizz.

NEW! Kinky Curly Style Lace Front Wig

I know, I KNOW I said I wouldn't order another wig *bows head in shame* however I really wanted a wig that would mimic my natural hair. This doesn't lol, but it is a step closer to an afro kinky texture. It is described as a Jerry Curl (I know), 14 inch lace front wig and I purchased from lacewigsfront.com. This is my go-to vendor and a very quick review is here. This wig did take a month to order (considering my last 2 wigs came within 1 week this is a long time) and I was slightly worried. I did e-mail them twice and they responded promptly and courteously stating they would have to make a custom order because they had none in stock. Anyway enough description here are the pictures and an unboxing video :)

Lace Front Wig Update

Just in case you were interested, this is the wig after just over two months of wear. It did shed a bit after washing it but otherwise I have no complaints. It is still holding up well. I purchased another (I promise my final!) lace front wig from the same website (lacewigsfront.com) so look out for that!
More info on the wig? Click here

This was just a quick work style, both bags in the background are from my favourite shop, H&M :)

Protective Styling: My 16" Lace Front Yaki Wig

I'm not sure if I have actually posted pictures of my latest LFW but here they are below:

This is after straightening with my GHDs. I purchased this wig from lacewigsfront.com and I also purchased my kinky straight from them. Honestly they are a great site- quick shipping and affordable - I just wish the knots were bleached! Anyway I recently washed it this weekend with my Herbal Essences Smooth Conditioner. I have had this wig since April and wear it at least 5x week (with my hair plaited underneath) if you want a detailed review, then watch my three-part video review which will I post at the end.

Anywho this brings me onto my current protective styling dilemma. I am bored with this LFW and Summer is beginning in June and I am very tempted to get box braids so I can bun my hair and prevent the tangling at the nape problem which occurs with lace wigs. However as you will know I do not trust any London Afro hairdressers in London. And honestly I have transitioned for almost a year - is it worth me going to a hairdressers for some box braids. My three protective styling options for Summer are below:
a) Take a risk and get box braids at the hairdressers
b) Order a kinky curly wig
c) Keep this wig and not change anything


I will definitely post pictures of my eventual protective style!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Haul/Clip-Ins Part Two

SO...I feel kind of bad because I broke one of my Hair-resolutions to avoid buying more products. However I needed these. Here's what I got from the local hair shop:

In this pic: magnetic rollers (for roller sets on wet hair, which I want to try soon) in medium and large (£2.50 in all), human hair 14-inch for clip-ins, wig clips and Elasta QP DPR-11 moisture DC- I'll alternate this with my hair mayonnaise protein DC after washing to get my moisture/protein balance right.
I bought the clip-ins because the hair I have is colour 2 which is too light. My hair is a mix of black and brown. However  I saw a great idea from Hairlista to make clip-ins a protective style! Here's the clip-ins I made (I previously did a clip-in tutorial):

I sectioned off a small section of hair at the front and pinned that out of the way. I then did a French plait of all the hair at the back and pinned it. I put the clip-ins over my hair at the back so the back of my hair is protected and not exposed. Here I am with the first clip-in:

By the time I finished my own hair at the back is completely covered:

Just the front section is left out and I blend it by moisturising and brushing the clip-ins and my own hair. Look how well it blends :)

This beats wearing a half-wig for me at the moment- they're a lot more money in England then America- although it is still on my wish list. I'm happy with my clip-ins I'll probably wear them on weekends and bun throughout the week, easier to do as I'll be so busy with work.