How much work goes into your natural style?

[Chriselle83]

I used to WAH and experimenting on my hair was no biggie because not that many people saw me. Now it's different, and I'm afraid of going to work looking a fool. So... I am taking my braids out this weekend and snipping the 1/2inch of relaxed ends I have left off of my hair. I plan to rock wngs, braid outs and puffs to work. BUT, I need to know the real deal. I'm not really a high maintenace hair doer and I really will not have time in the morning to fumble will my hair for an hour. I see so many pictures of curls and I wonder how much work goes into your style. Do you have to braid every night to achieve the curls? can you sleep on your style for a couple days? is it really as simple as wash and go? Would you consider your style high maintenance? Can you do it every morning with limited time? Any end of the workday pics? I guess I'm still scared. I'm going to do it but I'm scared.

 

[msa]

Well I can wash and go every day and that's the absolute easiest. But, shrunken hair leads to major knots so I'm not doing it anymore.

My daily style now is a bantu-knot out. Here's luvovcandy's thread about hers:
http://longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=326995

It came out really cute. Anyway, that's what I do every night and it comes out as a curly fro in the morning. The first night I do 15 knots (two strand twist first and then knot). Each night after I do about 8-10. It comes out as a curly fro, which I love. I either put on a headband or pin it up in a kind of french roll thing.

It only takes 45 minutes the first night when I do it on freshly washed hair, and 10 minutes each night after. I moisturize with water and some castor oil every evening. Oh and it takes like 5 minutes to undo and style in the morning. You can just put your bonnet on at night instead of reknotting but then it won't look as good the next day.

I've found that if I set my style at night then it only takes a few minutes in the morning to do my hair. You can do braidouts, twist outs, and lots of other styles that you won't have to do to much to in the morning aside from unraveling them. Or, you can do a wash and go, but watch out for knots and tangles.

 

[rsmith]

I like doing the wash and go. For me it's not hard to do and I can do it for 4 days without rewashing it.. I cowash and use KCC and go. I just get up in the morning and spray with spray bottle and apply Cantu shea butter and go. Right now, I have been wearing two strand twist I did myself. It took me three hours to do them but they can last for a week or more. You have come a long way. Dont be scared. I am sure that you will be fine. All of us had to experiment to get the style that fits us.

 

[SimpleBrooklyn]

Well, I'm newly natural. I say if your water is not hard then WNG are easy. Well at my moms, I was able to WNG and just re-wet it in the shower for like 5 days. No problem. I would sleep on it (with scarf) and just "finger pick" in the morning and throw and band/scarf in the morning.

Now at home, these WNG's is not looking like a good look so far. The water is hard so my hair looks hard. What I do thought is wear it back in a pony/puff. This doens't take anytime. But I have to detangle at the end of the week.

This week I put in two strand twists. I am on Day 4 and they still look pretty good. I make sure I hit my scalp up with some oil (trying to use up my BT) and moisturize my edges and ends. This style proves to be the easiest and one with lowest manipulation (doesn't strain my hair) so far.

 

[prettybrowneyescutie]

It depends. My usually style is wash and go, but I trying to get more creative with my hair. Now it can take 10min(wash n go)- 2hrs (straightening).

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I'm trying to figure out how to 2 strand twist my hair. I can't figure out how to do the whole style on my head. So far, I've successfully twisted the back.

 

[Nonie]

Do you have to braid every night to achieve the curls?
I have always worn my hair in some braid or imitation of a braid (ie twists) when going to sleep ever since I was a kid. It's a habit hard to break and one that serves me well in keeping my hair tangle free. I don't do it to achieve curls though. Plaiting 4B hair stretches it and messes up the defined spirals. But I still do it, because when I want to wear my hair out, I use S Curl which is a curl acvitator. The plaits help keep my hair detangled and stretch it a bit so it's easy to comb in the AM. The S Curl makes my combed out hair return to its curly state. Not easy to see from far but evident close up:

can you sleep on your style for a couple days?
I I have been spending my life in twists lately. And depending on what style I wear, I can sleep in that do for more than a couple of days and still have it looking good. I did that with this updo (I simply baggied at night with Saran Wrap and then took it off and went to work). If I don't feel like doing much to my wear, I wear a headwrap or a hat, after putting on my plastic cap. I'm a baggy junkie.

is it really as simple as wash and go?
In twists, it is for me. I never wash my hair out of braids or twists. In twist, I shampoo, condition, ACV rinse and then drip/air dry and call it a day. No detangling, no fuss. I actually look forward to wash day because it's so easy.

Would you consider your style high maintenance?
Nope. I live in twists and touch them up one at a time as needed. I wet them when I want to style them to get them to stretch and cooperate with me if doing some type of style. Otherwise I just wet them and let them drip dry.

Can you do it every morning with limited time?
If wearing them down, yes, I can do that in less than 5 minutes. If putting them up, it might take me 7 or a little more since I only have one frontal mirror and usually have to take another mirror to see the back and try to improve any areas that need fixing.

Any end of the workday pics? I guess I'm still scared. I'm going to do it but I'm scared.
This is an end of day pic.

I had my twists cornrowed in a circle where that puff is and then donned a phony puff. This was taken that night after work. The night routine this time was to take puff off, put on plastic cap and go to bed. In the AM, put puff back on and go to work. I am too lazy to do too much more.

 

[Evolving78]

i current wear two strand twists and i twist my hair once a week. i don't consider my style hight maintaince since i wash/dc and twist once a week. after that i just moisturize daily and do nothing else until wash day. wash and gos take 10 mins and i just cowash, leave wet, and gel, and that's it. i sleep with a satin scarf at night so my hair gets mashed down. i like my hair to look fresh anyway with that style so i would cowash daily. my hair is coily on it's own so i don't have to braid or twist to achieve that look. puffs don't take long either.

 

[glamazon386]

Unless I wear a wash and go or a bun too much damn work. I don't like combing hair. I'm seriously considering going back to my biweekly hair appointments.

 

[Likeyouneverseenme]

NONIE!!!!! I have never seen your hair before, it is gorgeous!!

Wash and go's require a lot of time to dry IMO and I don't get 2nd day hair; my curls die overnight lol.
How about doing a style that only requires you to "do" your hair once a week, like roller sets, twist outs, curlformers, bantu knot out?
At last then you don't have to worry much about your hair during the week.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

I do not like spending a lot of time with my hair. My puff takes me 5-10 mins. to do in the mornings once I get it in the style. I spritz my hair, slick down my edges and fluff my puff to my liking. My flat twist-out style (in my siggy pic), takes me 15 mins. to put the flat twists in at night, and 5 mins to take it down in the morning. I don't do too many WNG's because I don't like my hair being wet daily for hours before it dries.

 

[anon123]

I used to WAH and experimenting on my hair was no biggie because not that many people saw me. Now it's different, and I'm afraid of going to work looking a fool. So... I am taking my braids out this weekend and snipping the 1/2inch of relaxed ends I have left off of my hair. I plan to rock wngs, braid outs and puffs to work. BUT, I need to know the real deal. I'm not really a high maintenace hair doer and I really will not have time in the morning to fumble will my hair for an hour. I see so many pictures of curls and I wonder how much work goes into your style. Do you have to braid every night to achieve the curls? can you sleep on your style for a couple days? is it really as simple as wash and go? Would you consider your style high maintenance? Can you do it every morning with limited time? Any end of the workday pics? I guess I'm still scared. I'm going to do it but I'm scared.

I think what styling options you have depend on your length and texture. There are a lot of naturals who can do wash and gos in the morning and it seems to take them no more than 10 or 15 minutes. If you can't do this, you can put your hair in twists and wear them or their twist out for 1-2 weeks. When in twists, you shouldn't have to do anything other than oil or moisturize if you want.

This style is hot. I really thought it was all your hair until you said something.

 

[natstar]

Not that much time. Like what honeycomb just said about her flat twist set applies to me as well. I will do some type of set the night before (make some plaits, do flat twists or regular twists) which take at the most 15 mins to moisturize and do. Then in the morning, I i unravel and go (max 5 mins).

 

[naturalmanenyc]

So far Wash & Go's and flat twists seem to be the faster styles. I have not done flat twists on my entire head but plan to soon. I have not done a wash & go in a while.

I work from home 90-95% of the time but did test out some styles, including a cowash & southerntease bun. I gave myself 10 minutes under the dryer.

Results before my mini chop - http://public.fotki.com/RegsWife/my-attempt-at-a-was/

 

[jreagins]

Not that much time. Like what honeycomb just said about her flat twist set applies to me as well. I will do some type of set the night before (make some plaits, do flat twists or regular twists) which take at the most 15 mins to moisturize and do. Then in the morning, I i unravel and go (max 5 mins).

Do you retwist every night for twistouts? this is what I want to do but i have to retwist every night and im not sure about all the mainipulation...

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

Do you retwist every night for twistouts? this is what I want to do but i have to retwist every night and im not sure about all the mainipulation...

I do retwist every night, but manipulation is not a problem, I don't have to part my hair once it's parted ( I just hide the parts with my hair once I unravel). I also spritz with water, brush with the section with a denman brush, and surprisingly there is very little shedding.

 

[natstar]

Do you retwist every night for twistouts? this is what I want to do but i have to retwist every night and im not sure about all the mainipulation...

I re-set my hair almost every night. It's not over manipulation for me. I don't use a comb or brush when I re set my hair.. I don't like going to bed with my hair loose so I try to set it every night. I moisturize and seal daily too so at night I am able to do my moisturizing and setting as well. I just rebraid/or twist.

 

[anon123]

Do you retwist every night for twistouts? this is what I want to do but i have to retwist every night and im not sure about all the mainipulation...

If I do small twists on wet hair and don't overdo it on the moisturizer, the twist out will last a week.

 

[Chriselle83]

NONIE!!!!! I have never seen your hair before, it is gorgeous!!

Wash and go's require a lot of time to dry IMO and I don't get 2nd day hair; my curls die overnight lol.
How about doing a style that only requires you to "do" your hair once a week, like roller sets, twist outs, curlformers, bantu knot out?
At last then you don't have to worry much about your hair during the week.

I can't get my curlformers to look good overnight, let alone a week. I guess I sleep too hard because my hair always looks "slept on" the next day.

 

[Chriselle83]

OT: Does anyone have the name or a picture of the knock off denman brush from walmart? I've been meaning to ask for awhile now.

 

[bludaydreamr]

i current wear two strand twists and i twist my hair once a week. i don't consider my style hight maintaince since i wash/dc and twist once a week. after that i just moisturize daily and do nothing else until wash day. wash and gos take 10 mins and i just cowash, leave wet, and gel, and that's it. i sleep with a satin scarf at night so my hair gets mashed down. i like my hair to look fresh anyway with that style so i would cowash daily. my hair is coily on it's own so i don't have to braid or twist to achieve that look. puffs don't take long either.

I have the same routine, do I every week especially now that it is so cold.