Hot Style

Phyllisa applied MJ's buttercreme for moisture. She then put her hair in about 15 big twists then bantu knotted them. She let the style set overnight then untwisted her hair then massaged her scalp to get rid of the parts. Once that is done, a nice scarf was added and she was good to go! This one is great. Hope you try it out.

See more of Phyllisa at: http://members.fotki.com/diva180/about/

- KiK

Hot Style

Finger coils is a style I am yet to try. This fotki lady adds a little something extra by simply pinning up the sides. Check out her album at:
http://members.fotki.com/romasuki/

Hot Style

Lovely Locs

See always loved locs but thought they weren't for her. Now she has not only natural hair but her own hair-related blog.The part-time photographer was the subject of her own little shoot and I couldn't help but ask her for permission to post her pics on my blog. Her curled locs are just stunning. She is radiating natural beauty. Check out her blog and fotki pages. http://www.haitianhunny.blogspot.com/ or her fotki page at http://members.fotki.com/HaitianHunny/about/

- KiK

Hot Style

This Jamaican-born beauty is a business finance and pre-law student. She kicks the afro up a notch or two with beautiful accessories and just two little flat twists on either side - The style is full of flavor. Still think the teeny afro is boring? Take a leaf from her book. Check out her fotki page at:

http://members.fotki.com/ChellyG/about/

- KiK.

Hot Style

Fro Hawk - the easy way. April has with the easy frohawk down! You don't need a lot of length to achieve this style. It's great for partying on the weekend with the girls... and may just impress a few guys too. Warning - this style is for the confident only! lol I love to see women with natural hair go for these edgy styles... and we all know strong men love confident women... This style says you're a strong black woman. You won't have to say a word to prove yourself.

- KiK

Hot Syle

April Was Here is her fotki address name and she certainly is remembered, leaving her stamp with this cute style. Click on the pics to enlarge.
Check out her fotki page to view more of her beautiful hair:
http://members.fotki.com/aprilwashere/about/

Hot Style

Minaly's Chunky Twist-Out.

How-To:
Put your hair in large twists in the direction you want the twist-out to hang. Using Cantu Shea Butter and Aloe Vera Gel helps set the hair while maintaining softness. You also get better results with more defined twist-outs when the twists are done on wet hair. After the hair is dry, take out this twists. Pull twists in the directions you want them to go.

To see more of her hair go to...
http://members.fotki.com/minaly/about/

Hot Style

This is an easy variation on a fro. Mika from St Maarten alternates flat twists and cornrows and adds a band of twists to the front and puff out the back. Personalize it with your choice of headband or scarf and you're good to go!

- Keep It Kinky

Hot Style

This was a style I did when I was transitioning and was about 50% natural but it is a great style I plan to try again.

How I did it:

- The sides are done with three flat twists on either side.

- The two middle sections were cornrowed.

- The back can be up in a puff, bun or french rolled. That part is all up to you.

Good luck trying this out and Keep it Kinky!

Hot Style!

Fotki is a great resource for natural hairstyles. For those of you who don't have time to go through everybody's album or simply don't have the time - once again - KiK is here to bring all the resoures to you. I met Wendy, a college student in France. She hasn't been natural all her life but she's certainly mastered some very beautiful natural styles.

Here is her description of the style featured in this entry:

First u put ur hair into a puff, then u twist the ends (about 12 to 15twists). Then u put a second headband (a thin one)in th

e really front of the head and u pin each twists to cover it (the twists in the front, in the front, the ones in the back, well in the back, and u freestyle for the ones in the middle of the head). and that's it :-)

Hope i was clear enough...
One :-)

Check out her hair-related fotki website at http://members.fotki.com/F2x/about/

Shattering Stereotypes in St Maarten

This chick, Mika, from St Maarten is representing for the kinky-haired community. The natural hair community in the Netherlands Antilles isn't very strong. Having straightened hair is widely considered a right the passage into adulthood so natural hairstyles are often seen as childish. This young college student is knocking that stereotype out of this atmosphere. She believes that the ideas of natural hair may have something to do with the fact that many women on her island are not aware of the diversity of natural hair and the many styles from which kinky-haired women can choose.











Check out her fotki album for more style ideas and to learn more about her hair journey.
http://members.fotki.com/msmikamika/about/

ACV to the Rescue!

Some of you already know but some of you don't. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is fast becoming a stapple in not only the kitchen cabinet but also your bathroom cupboard.
How it's Being Used:
1. Use 1/2 cup apple cider and 1/2 cup water together. Apply it to a rag and wipe the scalp clean. This works well for those of you who don't want to get your braids messed up with vigorous washing.
2. According to vinegarbook.net, "The falling out of hair is primarily due to a tissue salt deficiency, thus Apple cider vinegar with its 'wonder products' will re-establish a natural balance, and supply the deficiencies where needed. Therefore, by taking the Apple cider vinegar treatment the hair will maintain its natural growth."
3. Check out http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo for how to wash your hair without shampoo using ACV.
4. ACV is also said to be great for dandruff. Apple Cider mixed with water left on the scalp for 15 minutes before washing is said to bring the scalp back to it's natural and correct chemical balance.










ACV of choice: BRAGG Apple Cider Vinegar.

Cornrow Tutorial

I know some of you are happy for this. It sure helped me. I'm going to cornrow if it's the last thing I do. Let me know if you guys have cornrow tutorials you want to send in. The more the better!

Puff Variation

Hey everybody. The afro puffs and cornrows are probably the first thing you think of when you hear the words "natural hairstyle". I love my afro puff but sometimes it gets boring. I know some of you ladies out there can relate. This video is shows a great QUICK variation on the puff.

To Grow-Out or to BC (The Big Cut)

For all the ladies trying to figure out whether they should grow out their relaxed hair while doing ting trims or just go in for the big BC, I thought I'd give my advice. It's really a personal decision I'd say so here are some things to consider.

1. Will I be comfortable with short hair?
2. Can I style my hair? (This works both ways.)
• Some women like the BC period to learn to style their hair.
• Some women prefer to learn to style longer hair because it's often a bit more manageable. Learning to plait or cornrow on short hair etc can be difficult.
• Some of you guys were plain ol' lucky. You already know how to cornrow, plait or twist your hair and will be close to a master stylist with little or no effort. If that is the case, I'd say go ahead and BC and enjoy styling your hair. Doing the BC really takes you on a lovely journey of getting to know your hair.
3. Which do you prefer? Many women hate having the trouble of two textures. Remember that there might be a day you can't get to the salon to get your hair done. Will you be able to handle it?

Good Luck one your journey to fabulous kinky hair.
Kik.

For your viewing pleasure...

Make it Curly

Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that I could get bouncy spiral curls with now extensions added. It seems there is really no end to the versatility of kinky hair. A video on youtube introduced me to this wonderful new was of styling my hair.

Lots of ladies in the Fotki community have already tried it on their natural hair with wonderful results. Mine got shopped today. I’ll be back very soon with my own trial. Let me know what you think about the new product. Did it work well for you?

Welcome to KiK

Keep It Kinky is dedicated to helping black women with natural kinky hair by giving them the tools needed to healthily maintain their hair and exposing a myriad of available styling options. KiK will help you stay kinky-haired and happy.

Keep It Kinky,
Diedre