Straightening Long Naturally Curly Hair

Please note: My daughters hair did not look like that before straightening. That's just a picture showing you what her curls look like.

I finally straightened Miss A's long natural hair. Can you believe it? I sat her down and I told myself I would try one section and if that one section was not straight after one pass of the flat iron, I would quit. Well as you can see, it worked! And the best part, the actual straightening process only took roughly 40 minutes. #Winning

So I'm sure you want to know how it was done, right? It's not as difficult as you may think...

• I washed her hair a few nights before using Bee Mine Products. Don't forget you can use our reader discount code: COLDBBB for 10% off your purchase only at Beemineproducts.com
• After washing and detangling, I moisturized her hair with our favorite product, Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer. Click here for Miss A's full hair care routine.
• I banded her hair immediately after moisturizing in two sections. Click here for Banding F.A.Q.
• The following day I removed the bands, detangled and put her hair in one banded ponytail going straight down her back.
• On day three it was time to flat iron her hair but first I applied a small amount of extra virgin coconut oil to her hair to protect her curls from any heat damage. Grabbing a very small (about 1 inch in width) section, I brushed the section with our Denman D3 brush and ran the flat iron down the section from root to tip.
• I used a pink Hana Elite 2 inch flat iron that was gifted to us from Misikko.com a while back. Absolutely love this flat iron. I kept the flat iron around 300 degrees and continued this process until complete, which again only took about 40 minutes.

Flat iron used, only we used a 2 inch made for thicker hair.

I think banding her hair made the biggest impact. Her hair was already stretched out quite a bit thanks to banding. If you plan on straightening natural hair any time soon, band the hair for a couple of days first instead of blow drying to reduce the amount of heat used on the hair.

Bed time routine has been very simple. I have been placing her hair in 1 or 2 twisted ponytails or one loosely banded ponytail, nothing special.

Please feel free to ask any specific questions.

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Bee Mine Products Black Friday Sale!

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OUR FAVORITE HAIR PRODUCTS! Bee Mine Products Black Friday Sale starts TONIGHT at 10pm EST! $20 minimum purchase. Early bird discount tonight for 30% off! Use redemption code: BBB23BLK at check out! 25% off all day tomorrow. These sales don

't happen often so take advantage while you can!www.beemineproducts.com Please allow 7-10 days for your order to process as these hair products are hand made. :) Discount can not be combined with any other offer. Have a happy Thanksgiving! 

Little Girls Natural Hair Style: Flat Twist Ponytails with Twisted Bangs & Rainbow Beads

By: Carrie Fay of Amaro Baby

With hair as amazing as Violet's, it's easy for me to get carried away with new styles.  Sometimes I lose track of the fact that my daughter is only 3 years old and does not (in my opinion) need to look any older thanks to the too-fancy styles that I can't seem to resist.  So it's refreshing when we find those styles that are simple enough for me to do, sturdy enough to last a week or two, and CUTE enough to make her look like the adorable 3 year old that she is.  

This is one of our "go to" styles:  Flat twist ponytail(s) with twisted bangs and rainbow beads.  

Flat twists have always worked better on Violet's hair than cornrows for keeping the fuzzies away, and some type of bangs just seem to suit her.  It adds a feminine touch and protects her hairline better.  Beads aren't something we normally do, but when we do them, it's usually a "color explosion" kind of thing.  (Once, my five year old son asked me, "Can we just put Violet's hair back the way God made it?  You know, with rainbow beads??")

We opted for heart snaps at the end of each twist this time.  Last time we did beads, we used rubber bands and saw a bit more breakage on the ends than I would like to see.  Snaps fall out occasionally, but I'd rather that than cause damaged hair.  

Anyway.  This is our style for the week.  The pigtails and colors suit her fun personality and her age.  And most importantly, Violet is a happy camper.  She loves her rainbow beads, skipping and jumping around the house to feel those pigtails swinging (and as a direct result, we can hear every. single. step she takes... another wonderful perk of a head full of beads!).  

Have a great week, everyone!  

CARA B Naturally / Walgreens.com Gift Card Giveaway!

CARA B Naturally products

CARA B Naturally and Beads, Braids & Beyond are teaming up! You may remember the name CARA B from Miss A’s Updated Hair Care Routine post. Great natural products for babies and children! Since you’re here reading this blog, chances are you love trying new hair care products for your kiddos. Well, did you know Walgreens.com carries CARA B Naturally? How convenient! Even better, CARA B Naturally will be buy one, get one half off (BOGO!) at Walgreens.com and with your purchase you can be eligible to win a $50 gift card to Walgreens through this contest! Note: No purchase necessary to enter, see end of post for details.

“Wait…so you’re telling me I can buy natural products for my child BOGO AND be eligible to win a $50 gift card to Walgreens and spend it on whatever I want?”

Yes! That’s what we’re telling you.

Follow the details below to enter!

·         Visit Walgreens.com and make a BOGO purchase of CARA B Naturally products. Come back to this post and leave a comment below telling me you have done so. Make sure you leave your first name and last name initial. Example: I purchased CARA B Naturally products on Walgreens.com! –Nikki G,

·         Visit this link to CARA B Naturally’s special contest entry page and enter your invoice/receipt number. Same rules as above apply. Come back to this post and leave a comment below telling me you have done so. Make sure you leave your first name and last name initial. Example: I entered my receipt/invoice number on CARA B Naturally.com! –Nikki G,

·         Once you enter your information be sure to mention Beads, Braids & Beyond (BBB) as the blog where you learned about the contest. After you've entered your information, you can email friends, post and/or tweet about CARA B Naturally’s Walgreens BOGO contest! Each additional email, post or tweet will count as a separate, additional entry. Leave a separate comment telling me you shared on Facebook or Twitter or emailed. Leave your first name and last name initial at the end of the post.

·         A winner will be chosen at random on November 17th and the gift card will be mailed/emailed.

Disclaimer: No Purchase necessary to enter.  To enter without a purchase, send an email with your name, email address and zip code to info@mycarab.com with the Subject Line "Contest”

Top 10 Most Popular Natural Hair Styles for Little Girls

Braids, twists, cornrows, twist outs, beads, oh my! I know how overwhelming it is looking for natural hair styles for little girls on our blog with hundreds of styles to choose from. I'm here to share with you the top 10 most viewed (on Beads, Braids & Beyond) natural hair styles for our curly and kinky haired gals!

Number 1 - Natural Hair Styles for Little Girls: Cornrows & Twist Out - Flat Twists & Twist Out
I guess it's no surprise that a simple but pretty hair style like this one is number one at 44k+ views. This style is very easy as long as you know how to cornrow. Basic cornrows with a twist out topped off with some cute bows from Gymboree and your little lady is good to go! Read more...

Number 2 - Little Girls Natural Hairstyles: Twist Out's + Puff with Twisted Bang

With 28k+ views and counting this post showcasing three completely different little girls hair types comes in a strong second. Cornrows, twist outs, puffs, what's not to love here? Read more...

Number 3 - Half Cornrows & Twist Out

Over 21k+ views! As you can see, cornrows and twist outs are very popular for African American and biracial little girls. I'll echo what I said for number 1, this style is very simple as long as you know how to cornrow. The cornrow pattern is slightly different here but nothing too intricate. Read more...

Number 4 - Side Cornrows into Sister (Rope) Twists

One of my personal favorite hair styles for my little girl! Coming in fourth at 20k+ views. Inspired by singer and actress  Jill Scott and the beautiful Tiashauntee of Her Best Hair. Not only is this style cute, but it stays put for up to two weeks if cared for properly. We love protective styles for little girls as long as they are not done too tightly. Read more...

Number 5 - Natural Box Braids

Ah, yes. Back to the basics. Over 18k+ views, natural box braids comes in at number 5! What little girl doesn't love to swing her braids? Not a care in the world. Dress the braids up with beads or barrettes or keep it simple with bows or a headband. Curl the braids. Put the braids in ponytails. The possibilities are endless! The best part? They can last 4+ weeks with proper care! Happy mommy and child! Read more...

Stop by later this week to see the remaining styles in our Top 10 Most Popular Natural Hair Styles for Little Girls series and see if your favorite style made the cut!

Of course these are just the top 10 most viewed styles on our blog so these may not be your top 10 hair styles for natural little girls. 

I'm curious to know; did your favorite hair style make the list? If so, which one? If not, what is your favorite natural hair style for your little girl? Better yet, feel free to share pictures of your favorite style on our new Facebook page, Beads, Braids & Beyond. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Introducing New Guest Blogger: Carrie Fay

By: Carrie Fay of Amaro Baby

I never in a million years thought that "cornrow" would be a regular part of my vocabulary.  Seriously.  Let alone flat twist... beads... bantu knots or the hundreds of other words that float around our house.  

But then Violet joined our family and my world was turned upside down in a thousand perfect ways, not the least of which is caring for her amazing hair.     

With practically no hair on her head the day she turned 11 months (also they day we met!) she and I have learned this process together, step by step.  Slowly, steadily, and to both of our great delights.  Now we eagerly anticipate hair days.  We collaborate on styles, colors, and the movies to include in our movie marathons.  (Hair days are fun for lots of reasons, people!)   

I get a little too excited talking about hair, can you tell?  So excited that I forget to write about what I'm SUPPOSED to write about:  A little about myself.  I am a proud mama to Violet (3 years old) and Daniel (5 years old).  I am a wife to the most ridiculously amazing husband out there.  I have experienced motherhood through adoption and through pregnancy.  I am a photographer and am relentless in my attempts to stop time (or at least slow it down!) through photography.  I am totally in love with Jesus.  Also, ice-cream.  I am a part of a family where no one matches - four skin tones, four hair types, four different stories - and we love it.  I began homeschooling our two kiddos a few months ago and am daily floored by the experience - it's beyond my wildest expectations.   

I am beyond thrilled to guest post on one of my all time favorite hair blogs.  Violet and I owe so much to the online community of natural hair care supporters/educators and it's my hope that I can encourage the mamas out there who are just starting out, just reaching out for information about natural hair.  You CAN do this!  One cornrow at a time.  

Now, if you'll excuse me.  Hair day is tomorrow and Miss Violet is in the next room, trying to decide on bead colors for her yarn twists.  It might not be the most important decision we'll make all week, but I wouldn't miss it for the world.  

New Blog:  In the works!

Old (Outdated!) Blog:  www.amarobaby.blogspot.com