How I Stretch My Hair for a Twist Out

Hello everyone!  It's been a LONG while since I've blogged.  It seems like this month has just flown by!  But I'm back, and I'm here to show you in a series of blog posts how I have been wearing my hair over the past month. 

You may wonder how to stretch your hair for fuller and bigger twist outs.  Well I will show you in this post!

Usually, when I do a twist out on on freshly washed hair (without stretching) my results look like this:

Very defined hair - twist out day 1

To stretch my hair for a fuller twist out, I now pin my twists back with clips and the back with a pony tail holder.

 Which results in this look when fluffed.

See the difference?  As my hair grows, I love it's fuller, fluffier look.  I think I adore BIG hair!  I'm also discovering that while I appreciate definition, I also don't mind a little frizz.


On Day 5, it's obnoxiously huge!

What say you...do you like the fuller or more defined look better?

I've Big Chopped, Now What?

My big chop 12.20.2010

The weather is getting warm outside letting us know that summer is on the way!  In fact today in NC, the weather is forecast to be 90 degrees!  As the temperature rises, we have a tendency to want to shed; our clothes and our hair.  For those of you who are transitioning to natural hair, this may be the perfect time to get ride of those relaxed ends and do the big chop! Maybe some of you have already cut your hair.  You now may be wondering, I have this TWA, what do I do with it?   Well never fear, here are some tips for maintaining your TWA!

1.  Develop a simple maintenance routine!  There are many natural hair products out there, be careful not to go overboard buying products.  All you need is a sulfate free shampoo, a conditioner, an oil for sealing in moisture, and a styling product.  For a relatively inexpensive brand for just starting out I recommend either Curls or Shea Moisture products.  Both can be found in Target stores where there is a relatively high African American demographic.

2.  Combat dryness by moisturizing your hair regularly!  Many new naturals often complain of dry hair.  The best way to keep your hair moisturized is by applying water. This doesn't necessarily mean shampooing the hair every day (a common mistake that new naturals make).  It does mean however, that your hair needs water frequently.  Mist (don't saturate) your hair with a spray water bottle for moisture and a light oil (i.e. coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil) to the hair to seal in the moisture.  Always sleep with a satin bonnet or on a satin pillowcase to keep dryness at bay as well.

3.  My hair looks dull, is it unhealthy?  Naturally curly hair reflects light differently than straight hair because it has bends and curls in it therefore instead of it being a totally reflective surface, its structure fragments light.  It is very rare for highly textured hair to appear "shiny", however you will notice that it does have a healthy "sheen" to it.  Again, the use of light oils can help with this.

4.  Utilize low manipulation styles on your TWA.  A few simple hair styles for your new TWA is a wash & fro (without gel) or a wash & go (which uses gel to define your natural curl pattern), finger coils & coil outs.

Finger coils on a TWA

5. Accessorize your new look!  Your TWA will naturally draw attention to your facial features.  Use the time to try a new bold make up look, feature your favorite jewelry accessories and wear flowers, bows, and unique headbands in your hair!

6.  Lastly remember, short natural hair DOES need care & maintenance.  Short natural hair is not  get up and go hair.  While you may not have to spend hours styling your hair you will need to care for your hair in order for it to have a healthy and neat appearance.


Do you have any questions about maintaining your TWA?  Leave a comment in the comment section below and I'll answer them!





NaturallyNita is a women's lifestyle blog.  After chronicling her natural hair journey 2.5 years ago, Nita realized that there were many other life  journey's where she could share her lesson's learned with others.  This blog focuses not only on natural hair but also health/fitness, business, finances, spiritual & personal growth. www.naturallynita.blogspot.com

Protective Style: Cornrowed Updo

So by now those of you who follow me know that about 2 weeks out of each month, I wear a protective style and for the other 2 weeks I wear my hair out.  It just gives me a break from styling my hair and my hair a break from being styled.  Well, in early April I went back to Taji's Natural Hair Styling for this protective style.  I loved the look!  I was able to maintain this style for 2.5 weeks!  I retwisted the bang section about once a week.  At night I would mist my hair with my moisturizing mist and then add oil.  I would tie a scarf around the back of my head and under the bangs, top with my satin bonnet and go to sleep.

Check out more pictures of the style below!

Celebrity Natural Hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood Comes to Raleigh THIS Weekend!

This weekend Celebrity Stylist Felicia Leatherwood will be bringing her "Loving Your Hair with Natural Care" workshop to Raleigh, NC!  Who is Felicia Leatherwood?  Well she is the stylist behind many of your favorite natural celebrity's hairstyles.  For example:

Jill Scott at Why Did I Get Married Too Premiere

Kim Coles

Nicole Ari Parker who recently big chopped

Anthony Anderson

Felicia is based in Los Angeles but has been traveling the world with her workshop in response to the questions she received about caring for natural hair.  During this workshop there will be a Q &A session for your most burning questions, she will perform a few scalp analyses, protective styling will be discussed as well as how to retain moisture in your hair and she will talk about many popular natural hair products.  For the first 60 attendees who register & pay you will get an awesome swag bag full of natural hair goodies!!

You can purchase tickets by going to www.raleighnaturalhair.eventbrite.com. This event is sponsored by Moni's Haute Boutique and Mhe Magazine!

If Saturday doesn't work for you, drop by the Kinks, Curls, and Cupcakes mixer on Friday night in Raleigh at Oliver Twist to meet and greet with other naturalistas in the area.  This event is FREE!  One lucky attendee will receive a free ticket with their cupcake!!  This event is from 7 pm - 10 pm.

If you plan to be at the event, please let me know in the comment section below.  I would love to meet you!!

Bracey's Transition to Natural

Some of my friends have taken the natural hair plunge along with me.  Each have had their own journey.  One of my friends, Bracey, has been wearing weaves for 13 years, of which I've known her 3.  Of the 3 years I've known her, I've only seen "her" hair once for a week.  Her intent at the time was not necessarily to go natural but she just enjoyed the styling options that weaves gave her as well as the thickness of it. She would get her weave maintained every 2 to 3 weeks and reinstalled every 3 months.   Another convenience was that due to her 5 day a week gym routine, she didn't have to sacrifice her health because of concerns of messing up her hair.  I and several others have been "gently" encouraging her to let go of her weave even temporarily to see what was beneath.  We even joked, YOUR hair is probably as long as the weave you're paying to get sewn in! She finally said she would give it 2 weeks.  I am happy to report she has been weave free for 2 months!  Because of the versatility of natural hair, her choice is to wear is straight styled. She is interested, however in learning how to style her hair in a curly state for a change from time to time.  I'll be glad to help her with that as well!  Once we successfully get it accomplished, I'll be sure to come back with pictures!  Check out her transformation in the video below.

Free slideshow generated with Smilebox Note:  Please note I am not anti- weave as I sometimes add hair to add fullness to my own natural hair.  However, this was a huge change for my friend & I wanted to celebrate that.