ELEMENTS OF A HIPPIE

Oh, my natural girls … I don’t know if it’s just me but sometimes my natural hair makes me so sad.
Why?
Well, because IT TAKES SO MUCH TO MAINTAIN … AND MONEY .. the moneyyyyyyyy. I can’t handle it.

In all honesty, wearing your natural hair out all the time not only takes a lot of time and money spent on the RIGHT products but it also wears your hair out and makes it more susceptible to breakage. So I comprised a mini list of some ways that you can go about protecting your natural hair (not only giving your hair the break it needs, but you and your money).

1.) BRAIDS .. or Marley Twist Extensions.

I prefer braids (because they last longer) but either one is good really.
Pros: -They’re fashionable and easy to style .. I mean on a day you don’t feel like doing much -which is pretty much every day for me- you just throw that sucka in a bun and go (and you still look cute!).
– It’s a cheap hairstyle to accomplish, especially if you live in the New York City area. If you go to the right beauty supply store all you need is about 15-20 dollars (depending on how long you want your hair etc). Now you could go to a hairdresser and pay over $100 dollars to get this done .. or you can watch a YouTube tutorial, gather 2 or 3 of your friends, a box of Papa Johns Pizza and get to work in your head (JUST SAYING)
-You can wash your hair with the braids in (not too sure about twist though).
-It’s a good way to experience with colors, if you aren’t willing to color your own hair.
-You can keep redoing them if you don’t want to keep the same hairstyle for too long. For example; my mother takes them out row by row during her own leisure time and redoes them

Cons: – They take a long time to do – especially if you are working alone.
– If you do plan to wash them, they take a long time to dry.

Note: Make sure to be careful to your edges. A lot of times, girls go overboard with this hairstyle and in turn their edges go . Just make sure to be soft around the edges.

2.) Crotchet Braids

Pros:– They don’t take long to do
– They are very fashionable
– They resemble a variety of natural hair textures (depending on what kind of hair you get)
– Versatile styling options – can also experiment with colors
– Inexpensive, this is another style that will only cost about 15 to 20 dollars
– Easy removal

Cons: (for me anyways) this style was my LEAST favorite because it was so hard to maintain. Then again, I opted to not flexi rod my hair and went for the obnoxiously big afro. Most times that I have seen this hairstyle done they do it like this but blah I think that is a little boring. Lol
– Doesn’t last as long as other protective styling (in my experience)

3.) Sew In

Now here is one that I haven’t accomplished as of yet (with my hair being completely natural) but that is just because I don’t have the urge to put a weave in lol. BUT, it is a very good way to protect your natural hair.
Pros: – Low Maintenance
– You are able to wash your hair with a sew in
– If you buy the right brand of hair, you will be able to re-use the hair for multiple styling options
– One of the best ways to experience with colors (especially if you do invest in a good brand of hair)

Cons: – Investing in a good weave can be get pricey
– Whyyyy does it itch so much? >_<

4.) Wig

Don’t want to sit for 4 hours to install a weave. Get a wig! You can make your own or you can simply buy one at your local beauty supply store.
What I do is buy one (a synthetic curly) that only cost about 20 dollars. If you are rocking a curly ‘fro and you’re just testing the waters .. I would say synthetic is the way to go. Just braid your hair underneath (or twist-I do both), put on a stocking cap (which is optional) and throw that bad boy on.
Be cautious, there are a large variety of wigs. Currently, I am rocking a half wig but there are full wigs, wigs that use virgin hair, straight hair etc. And if you’re willing to take the extra leap, check out YouTube for a tutorial on how to make your own wig.
Pros: -Cheap
-Stylish
-You can take it off at the end of the long day
-Low Maintenance
-Fun
-Did I mention you can take it off at the end of the day !!!
-Easy Removal
-Can be inexpensive

Cons: -Wigs can get pricey (especially if you are making your own .. or want a wig with human hair
-You will get addicted to buying them

With that being said, this concludes my list of ways to protect your natural hair and save some money. I hope you guys enjoy this list and try some things out.

Now, I haven’t had a post up about my hair in a while and honestly it’s because I was stuck at a stand still with what to do with my hair. For graduation, I showcased crotchet braids .. then soon after, I returned to wearing my hair natural. Then I returned back to my braids. After wearing those out, I decided I wanted to try Marley Twist …… let’s just say it wasn’t my favorite. After being stuck once again, my mother suggested I buy a wig (hence why it’s on my list, it’s awesome!) Now when I was in highschool, I did occasionally wear some of my moms curly wigs (please excuse the poor quality of my webcam, lol) as you will see in the pictures to the right. For some reason, when I went to college, I guess I felt like it wasn’t cool anymore … I LIED TO MYSELF, THEY’RE STILL COOL and that is what I’m currently rocking out. I got my current one from a beauty supply store for 12 dollars but I have being YouTubing because I plan on making my own. I have also asked for my cousins assistance in making one for me as well. I just plan to be wigged up !!!! Lol.

So there you go, this is my current state of hair. Who knows what new style and/or color will come my way but for now I’m wigging it out and I’m happy. Oh! And Wigs are GREAT if you are lazy!

xoxo Cielo.