Summer Hair...Sexy Beach Waves

So all of our favorite magazines are touting the hottest summer hairstyles...I couldn't help but notice that most of these summer styles require heat... There has to be a way to have fabulous summer hair without a whole of direct heat...right??? Well our mission (and yes we choose to accept it...LOL) is to recreate some of these hot summer looks without that NASTY HEAT MONSTER... Now we don't make any promises that styles are going to be exactly the same because we are not professionals but hey it's summer and we figure the only way to know for sure is to try...

So my first attempt at a cool summer style... SEXY BEACH WAVES

here's the magazine looks




it's a good look for J Lo



and Rachel Bilson

an article on how to get the beach waves look

http://beauty.about.com/od/hairbasics/ht/sexywaves.htm

most articles I found on recreating this look suggested using a curling iron and then separating the curls... I have tried that way in the past and it does work... but you need to add oil sheen and polisher afterwards to get a shiny look because your hair is so dry (and please don't forget the heat protectant if you try it this way)

My Challenge:

Okay since I was determined to use NO direct heat for this style.. here's what I did


Washed
Light Protein Treatment
Coffee Rinse
Deep Conditioned
Air Dried
After my hair was dry, I moisturized and then parted it into 4 sections and did a big bantu knot in each section
Slept on it overnight and VOILA (ignore the scowl on my face...I'm feeling a bit under the weather)

here's what you get... be kind...I don't have a lot of experience with bantu knots







All in all I give myself a B+...I would like them to be a little bit cleaner but they are supposed to be tousled... Okay so you all weigh in... what grade would you give me and will you be trying this style out for summer??

6 MONTHS WITHOUT DIRECT HEAT!!! RAISE THE ROOF!!

You read correctly, for the last 6 months I have forsaken the flat iron, the curling iron, and the blow dryer!! Woo hoo!!

Some of you may be saying, “Okay Ke Ke, 6 months without direct heat big deal.” Well for me it is a big deal, before my hair journey the longest I went without one of those appliances was 6 hours ( Okay okay… I am exaggerating a little but I am trying to make a point so I am allowed a little creative license).

I honestly believed that my hair could not be straight and “pretty” without flat ironing. I also did not know how to make a curl or wave without the curling iron. I let hair dressers flat iron my hair weekly and if that wasn’t enough I usually used my curling iron twice a week to get a wavy look. So now not only was my hair relaxed and dyed, but I was also putting heat on it three times a week. The end result was ends that were frizzy and split. My hair had to be trimmed from Arm Pit Length (APL) back to full Shoulder Length (SL). On top of all that, it was shedding like crazy. One day when I got around to counting the fallen hairs I found more than 120 on the floor and gave up counting.

Since I have given up the heat, I have gone from SL to Below Shoulder Blade (BSB) length. Now I’ll be the first to admit that it has not been an easy addiction to break. I never believed that I could style my own hair especially without my trusty curling iron. But my hair has thrived from the extra attention and actually looks prettier than when it was flat ironed. I still am not a fan of braid outs because my hair (especially as it gets longer) has a tendency to tangle but I love roller setting, flexi-rods, and pin curls.

Tips to Help You Stay Away From the Heat:

Schedule your wash days in advance; when you don’t feel rushed you can take your time with your hair

Invest in rollers, flexi-rods, and clips. If you have everything you need to get a great look, you’ll be less tempted to pull out the blow dryer

They have rollers of all sizes but it may take you a couple of tries to get the look you want. Remember the smaller the roller, the tighter the curl. Ladies with Ear Length (EL) hair that desire a straighter look should try 1” rollers, after hair is dry use a brush to wrap the hair, cover your head with Saran wrap and then sit under the dryer for 10 minutes or without heat leave it wrapped for 30 minutes to an hour. Ladies with SL hair should try the 1.75” rollers (usually the purple ones in the BSS).

Ladies who hate being under the hair dryer (like me!!) should try magnetic rollers with a ceramic coating… They can cut your drying time in half.

Good luck ladies!! Leave any questions you have in the comment section or email us

I was too vain to take pictures when my hair looked bad so all I have to show you is the finished product