Headwraps!!!

I'm sorta kinda getting the hang of this head wrapping business!!! I have been motivated because it has been extra cold in Nashville lately. I normally do a turban type style.  Here are some of my looks:

Crochet braids with Cuban Twist hair on 1 inch flexi rods

Crochet Braids with Cuban Twist hair

So this is my second set of Cuban twist crochet braids. The first set came out after two weeks because my hair was shedding. A lot. Some of the weave pieces were falling out, especially around the hairline. When I took the braids down and washed my hair I saw that I had bald spot on my edges. 

Thinning edges due to post partum shedding

 This is due to post partum hair shedding.  Oh well. They will grow back one day. In the meantime I will be wearing weaves, wigs, and head wraps.

This current sets of braids are with Cuban twist hair set one inch flexi rods.

1 inch flexi rods used to set hair

Cuban twist hair crochet braids

I really like them! I am totally all about big hair lately. And they fall over my thin edges perfectly. I curled the hair before I put it in. I dipped them in hot water to set the curl. I used the knotless crochet method.  There are tons of YouTube tutorials if you need more info.

National Headwrap Day

Yesterday was National Headwrap Day!

National Headwrap Day

You know, sometimes these Facebook/Instagram holidays are a bit much, but I love head wraps so I totally got in on the action for this one.  And I got my sweet little Lindy Rose involved too!

Amber and Lindy Rose on National Headwrap Day

I love head wraps! Especially since I am experiencing severe post partum hair loss.  😒

National Headwrap Day

Amber and Lindy Rose on National Headwrap Day

I'm BACK!!! Cuban Twist Crochet Braids

Crochet braids cuban twist hair

Hello! I know  been gone. Major life changes! For one I have a baby!!!

Her name is Lindy Rose Meka Nono. She was Minnie Mouse for Halloween.

Lindy Rose as Minnie Mouse for Halloween

Amber and Lindy Rose at Times Square NY

 Me and her dad met doing a dance called Lindy Hop so that is where her first name came from. Her dad is from Cameroon so Meka (pronounced Mecca) is her African name. She is the joy or our world. 

Before I it pregnant I was tired of having my hair longer so I cut it short....and colored it pink. After pregnancy my hair took a serious hit! I am 3 months post partum and I have serious shedding. I hear that it can last up to a year after birth so I plan on wearing weaves until it slows down. I currently am back to crochet braids. For this set I used Cuban twist hair and then put it on curl formers and dipped in hot water.

Cuban twist hair Crochet Braids

Amber and Lindy Rose at the Midwest Rueda Exchange

 It turned out great! I will try to keep for at least two weeks. I have a lot more hair I on using for other hair styles. 

Havana Twists

So two years after this post, I finally got me some Havana Twists. They are all that and a bag of chips.

I did them myself using the invisible twist method. You can check out a tutorial here. It is super easy to do. But just don't wash your hair or your roots will come out the twists. With that being said, I will probably keep these about three weeks, wash my hair, and then reinstall. I used Marley hair. I used 2, 3, and 4 strands depending on how much of my real hair I used. I think if I do them again next time I will make them shorter. When I salsa dance they hit my dance partners in the face. They took about 3 hours to install. 

People keep thinking that this is my real hair lol. 

Crochet Braids using Water Wave by Model Model

So I returned from my trip and my hair was a matted mess. As soon as I got back to Nashville I took the bus to Atl to hang with my boo. I really wanted to redo my hair so I took my weave and other hair supplies with me. I wanted to install another set of crochet braids, but I don't know how to braid. Luckily when I cut out the Gogo Curl hair my braids were still intact! So I just put in the hair on the old braids. Based on my pattern I think I will keep these about three weeks. 

At first I was very self conscious about doing my hair at my BF house. I felt kinda weird about him seeing me with my braids and putting in my weave. But I figure  he has sisters and a mom, he has seen it before and he may as well get used to it lol.

 This hair was easy to install, I used 4 packs cut in half, and I did not have the loose knots issue due to the hair being kinkier. We will see how it holds up. I think after this I am done with crochet braids for a while.

Has your significant other ever saw you in the process of getting your hair done? How did you feel about it?

Water Wave by Model Model

Headed out on the town to dance!

Quick Trip To the Left Side of the Country....Vegas and L.A.!! This is a dance trip of course.

This trip had been planned for a while. For a minute I did not think that I was gonna go, but then at the last min I was able to. I bought my ticket two weeks before hand and it was still only $244 direct flight from Nashville to LAX!!! It was great to escape the cold weather in TN. Plus  I got to experience my first earthquake! It was just a small one though.

I flew into Cali to hang with my friends Casey and Stacey Ashmont. These are two amazing women...if you dance kiomba then maybe you will have the chance to meet them one day! 

Casey, Stacey, and Jamaican Food. The food is the BOMB!

We decided to drive to Las Vegas. It was a nice drive. I got to see lots of mountain scenery. I love the mountains!

Mountains on the way to Vegas

 I met lots of cool interesting people. And of course had lots of fun danicng! We went to the Afro-Latin Festival.

Angela from Cape Verde. She is also a vegetarian!

I met Walter...aka Black Power Ranger. He is a dancer!

View from Hotel. We stayed at Harrah's. 

My hair was in Gogo Curl by Freetress. It is here that the hair got the most tangled and matted. While dancing my partner's hands would get caught in the curls quite often. I was dancing to 6 am or longer for two nights so that was a lot of dancing and a lot of chances for tangles. 

After we left Vegas me and Stacey went sightseeing around L.A. 

Mural in LA hood.

This man offering to whisk Stacey away to...Kansas!

The name is interesting. Hood store lol.

I had to do a double take...This is Beyonce. She looks like a white woman!

View from Baldwin  Hills. More mountains!

Overall a very fun trip! The next day I took by hair out lol. It was beyond tangled and matted by the time I got back to Nashville.

Crochet Braids using Gogo Curl by Freetress

Gogo Curl Fretless Crochet braids

I installed this set on Jan 5. I took out my last set due to the braids being loose underneath. I really liked how it looked, but due to the bad foundation, the style had to be taken down prematurely. 

Me cutting the braids out.

I got Lola to braid my hair. She is African so you know she did a good job!

It hurt! I'm joking, It did not hurt...that much.

Finished braids. I like to have my "baby hair" left out to prevent hairline breakage. 

Next I installed the hair. It is called GoGo Curl by Freetress. 

Day 1

Day 3

I have very mixed feelings about this hair. I think it is beautiful. On the other hand I had some serious problems with it. One problem I had was the knots at the bas of my hair coming loose.

Loose knots.

 I tried to double and triple knot, tie it down, I tried several methods. The hair is too loose to knot effectively. I saw online that some people used spritz or glue to keep the knots in place. Maybe I will try that next time. Everyday I had to tighten up loosed knots. Eventually the hair became so tangled that I did not even need to tighten the knots anymore. 

Which leads to my second issue with the hair. It tangles to easily. Now, I am a get up and go type person. I did not sleep with a satin scarf over this. I did not brush it or comb it, or even wash it. It is a weave so I feel it should be low maintence. After the third week I had to cut off chunks of the hair. 

Week One

Week Two

As you can see by week two the hair looked less fuller because some of it was matted and knotted. Week Three it looked a total hot mess and I took it down. 

Would I buy Gogo Curl again? Nope. But, it was cute while it lasted.

Crochet Braids Week Two Update: I Love my hair but I am taking it down

NYE Party in ATL

What an eventful week this was. NYE party!!! I got the chance to bring in the New Year in Atlanta. I love this place. It has a great salsa dancing community. Here are a few pics

Me and my date Mamadou. He is a great salsa dancer!

Mamadou and Benjamin

As the post says I love my hair but I am taking it down. I did such a horrible job braiding my real hair underneath it is completely loose and my real hair is coming out the braids. FOUNDATION IS EVERYTHING!!!! The reasons are discussed further in the video below: