EZ Combs

I bought EZ combs, with the hope of trying the styles as displayed in the picture attached. They are quite easy to use with a reasonable stretch for locks. My problem, however, no matter how much I try to make sure the locks are not stressed and pulled...the combs still feel tight/funny and I can't keep the comb for more than 3 hours at any given time. My tolerance of any kind of tension on my head is pretty low and I'm prone to get a tension headache even from a ponytail, which is why I mostly wear my hair freestyle or with curls.

It looks like they don't poke holes in the locks (rounded ends), however I'm not too certain that kind of tension is good for locks. If you have tried/use EZ combs please let me know your experience with them.

Happy styling...

Pleas feel free to drop your opinion on these combs, even if its just theory and you haven't actually tried them on your locks.

Different Curling Methods - Personal Review

Bendable Curlers - I really liked these curls!!!
Advantages - gorgeous curls, spiral but bigger curls, great for an evening do, bouncy and easy to do front bangs...
Disadvantages - the curlers are really bulky, feels like you've tied a blanket around your head, hair doesn't dry easy as a result, which means curls don't last ..3 days max!

Braidout - my staple :-)
Advantages - love the wavy look, hair becomes nicer as the curls relax, easy get up and go, easy to make, don't need any gadgets - just have to know how to braid, can combine braids with Bantu knots and other curlers or tie hair in a bun..
Disadvantages - hair can become a bit unruly, especially with the Cape Town wind, hair can break off if made too tight..

Pipecleaner curls - these were just too wonderful, same look as bendable curlers but lasted longer (like 2 weeks!!!)
Advantages - easy to do, easy to pull out, curls last forever and become nicer each day, hair appears fuller, can layer the curls (if you're patient)
Disadvantages - can't think of any, sorry!! Oh, difficult to find the pipecleaners in South Africa :-)

On my TO TRY LIST

• Steam Rollers (there's some fancy one's Americans usually blog about)
• Perm Rollers (for the curly ends look)
• Bantu Knots ( without braids, I usually do individual braids first - I must try the other method!)

I'm not so keen to try the hot electric curlers - I really don't miss the smell of burning hair.

Curls with pipecleaners

 I have to admit, before I started blogging I had never heard of pipecleaners, and judging by the blank looks I got while searching for them in the shops, not many South Africans know what they are :-)

Anyways, many tobacco, art and craft shops later, I finally found them ( only sold in a multi-coloured pack!) and getting enough black ones meant I had to BEG the shop assistant to transfer black ones from other packs to mine :-)

I immediately went to work and I kept them for 2 nights and a full day in between...on that day I had to take a Ugandan friend for a Robin Island tour and both tourists and locals looked at my hair with curiosity but I really couldn't be bothered. PS: I took one one out just to see if it was worth running around with pipecleaners while I waited for my hair to set properly, don't know if you can see the undone one in the pic above.

This was the result when I finally took them out.

5 days later, my curls have dropped a bit but still look gorgeous, in fact I like them more now. I will post some more pics on how they look now as soon as I can take pics with a proper camera.

I think this is going to be my regular curl of choice. I have been using bendable curlers but the curls don't last as long and it is just not possible to go out in public with them, unlike pipecleaners, which I can keep on a relaxed day like Sunday and still manage casual visits and an trip to the shop.

I just hope they last at least a few sets before they get worn out.

More pic later and cheers for now...

Triple Bun

This is my first attempt of a triple bun inspired by Dewdrop's attempt of Fuesha's double bun :-) I'm sure my second attempt will even be better.

I tried to follow Fuesha's tutorial but I struggled, so I improvised. I found it easier for me to start with the innermost bun and work my way outwards rather than the instructions as per the tutorial, which is outward bun first then inner bun.

Depending on the length of your hair, I suppose even four layers are possible; but for me, the triple bun works best.

I'm not good with step-by-step instructions, but here's what I did :-

• Start with the centre smaller bun, tie hair with whatever works for you and twist the hair anticlockwise as you would with a regular bun.
• Add another layer and tie it at the base of centre bun and repeat process (careful as inner bun tends to protrude upwards).
• Tie the remaining hair (or another layer if you are making more layers) into the base of the middle bun and repeat again.
• I added a few beaded pins and a string of pearls around the outer bun just for a bit of colour and fun!
• The pictures below are not the greatest but I hope they make my instructions clearer.

Cornrows...experiment :-)

I attempted cornrows with my locks, however I think my locks are a little bit too long for this hairstyle, or the downward plait wasn't tight enough... but whatever the case, although I got a lot of compliments, I felt something wasn't quite right.

Too much of a rooster effect? not sure...

I'm still going to try a few more styles..at least 2 every month, I'm loving the freestyle so much I'm bordering on downright laziness!!!

PS: not sure if this sort of 'cornrows' hairstyle doesn't break the hair, I didn't keep it long enough to find out...I'm somehow paranoid with anything that pulls my front locks as I feel they are too thin to handle the pressure.. need to get over it soonest!

Wrap-A-Loc the African Way