Long Time No See / New Discount Code

It's been so long, hasn't it?? No worries, we will be back with lots of updates soon!

Although I haven't been blogging much, I've obviously still been styling Miss A's hair. And, yes... we are still using our beloved Bee Mine Products, in-case you were wondering. Speaking of, we have a new discount code for our fabulous readers. (see below)

Preview / Styled with Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer

Preview / Styled with Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer

You can use discount code SUMMER14BBB to receive 10% off your purchase only at www.beemineproducts.com

Don't forget to follow us on instagram! @beadsbraidsbeyond and check us out on Facebook!

Cornrows & Sister (Rope) Twists

As promised, we're back with another new hair style for your girls! This style works for all ages, even adults. Read below to see how we achieved this look.

Miss A's hair had already been stretched out from her previous hair style (large cornrows), as seen on our instagram, @beadsbraidsbeyond (follow us!) so there was no need for banding this time around. As many of you know, I almost always style on stretched hair. Click here to see how banding works and how it stretches natural hair in preparation for styling.

Alright, so now that the hair is already stretched, I applied a little Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer to her hair and gently detangled with a Denman brush. Once her hair was completely detangled, I began cornrowing the top of her hair straight back for about an inch or two. I didn't want to braid too far back because I wanted the twists to hang to the side (as shown in pictures). If you're not able to cornrow, you can always flat twist, or check out our Cornrowing for Beginners post. I ended each cornrow with a rubberband (not too tight!) and began doing a sister (otherwise known as rope) twist with the remaining hair.

Sister/Rope twists are actually very simple. Split the section of hair into two pieces and begin twisting one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. So, you're twisting each piece in opposite directions while twisting them around one another. It sounds complicated but try it right now with your own hair. Ready? Grab a small/medium section of hair, split it into two, now begin twisting one piece to the right and twist the other piece to the left, now begin twisting those two pieces around one another while maintaining the clockwise/counter-clockwise motion. Got it? Good! If all else fails, check out some Youtube tutorials. We will be making one of our own in the near future!

Now that the top is done, I moved on to the back. I began at the nape of her neck, parting a small square with my rat tail comb, adding a little Curls Control Paste and twisting, as explained above. I didn't use a rubberband at the base because her hair type holds these twists pretty well. If you're working with a finer texture of hair, you may need rubberbands. I continued parting small squares through-out the back of her hair and twisting until the style was complete.

A common question I'm asked is how I get the ends to stay without using a rubberband. Once again, this has a lot to do with her hair type but, once I reach the end of the twist, I begin rolling the ends between my thumb and index finger several times to ensure they stay put. You can also use a little holding product (such as Curls Control Paste) for a little extra help.

This style is easy to maintain and very versatile. These twists should last between 1 and 2 weeks. Check out our Youtube channel to see how we remove the sister/rope twists.

Instagram saw this style first... Follow us for the latest hair happenings! :) @beadsbraidsbeyond Let us know what you think of Miss A's new style and stay tuned for more blog posts!

Interested in trying out Bee Mine Products (our fav!)? Well, we have a reader discount code for you! Use code: FALLBBB only at www.beemineproducts.com to receive 10% off. Happy shopping!

Cornrows, Twists & Hearts... Oh My!

Quite the combination, eh? See, what had happened was... I began styling Miss A's hair with absolutely no plan in mind. I think the outcome was cute and age appropriate for young girls, wouldn't you say?

Never mind that. I'm pretty sure you're all wondering where we've been... yes? Well, let's just say life happened. Between Lil Man being diagnosed with autism, Miss A being diagnosed with epilepsy, becoming a full time working single mom and almost everything you can think of in-between, it's safe to safe my hands have been full... and not with my daughters hair, as you can imagine! Ha. If you're interested in reading more about our personal life, feel free to stop by my other blogs Facebook page, Nik Gets Fit, chronicling my life and weight loss journey.

Just here for the hair? Got it! Let's get straight to the point...

I washed, banded and moisturized Miss A's hair as usual. If you've been following us for a while then you have probably already checked out her hair care routine, if not, click here for all the details including the products I use for this process.

Once her hair was banded, I parted the top section of hair from ear to ear and tied off the back. I began parting near her right ear first to begin the first cornrow. New to cornrowing? No worries! Check out our Cornrowing for Beginners post, here.

Once I had a few cornrows on each side, I decided to part a heart right on top. I'm not sure why, it just seemed like a good idea at the time. As you can see, my parting skills are a little rusty, I haven't done a heart in quite some time. As for how I parted the heart, well, it's actually very simple. Take your metal rat tail comb, and "draw" a heart in your child's hair. You may have to do this a few times. Always perfect your "rough draft" if possible! Once you have a shape that somewhat resembles a heart (haha), place that section of hair in a ponytail.

Alright, so now we have the cornrows, we have the heart... now all that's missing are the twists! I wanted larger twists so I twisted the remaining hair from two cornrows together at a time. I parted squares with the remaining hair in the back, placed a rubberband at each base, and twisted.

After about 1 week of wearing this hair style, I removed the two strand twists, creating a gorgeous twist out for Miss A's birthday party! Check out the pictures below. Shout out to Miss Teeny Fab Couture for making Miss A's custom Monster High birthday party outfit!

Want to stay up to date with Miss A's latest hair styles? Follow us on Instagram! @beadsbraidsbeyond

Stay tuned for another hair style this week! Yes, we're baaaaack!

Little Girls Natural Twist Out - Step-by-step Instructions

Miss A's older cousin, Ky

Twist outs look great on all natural hair types and are absolutely adorable on little girls! I put together a quick picture tutorial for beginners. Hope it helps!

• Start with washed and detangled hair. I decided to go the extra step and band Ky's hair as well just to give it a little length.
• Part about a two inch section of hair with your fingers and add about a quarter size amount of your choice of product. I used Bee Mine Curly Butter on Ky's two strand twists. Don't worry about the white color showing up, it's from the product and it will fade away shortly. 

You can use code BBBSPRING for 10% off your Bee Mine Products purchase! :)

• Split the section of hair into two even pieces.

• Using both hands, begin twisting 1 section over the other. Continue this process until you get all the way to the end.

• Once you reach the end of the two strand twist, roll the ends in one direction multiple times to make sure the twist does not come loose. This may not work on very thin/fine hair types. If your child's hair cannot hold a two strand twist by itself, you may need to use an ouchless ponytail holder.

Half way done!

I prefer keeping twists in overnight for best results but we didn't have much time so I took Ky's twists out after about 1 hour.

Ky loved the results! You can check out her sister Lil Bit's style with step-by-step instructions by clicking here.

Here's an older twist out I did on Ky last year.

You can view this full post with more details by clicking here.

Let's connect!

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Looking forward to seeing you there! :)

Natural Hair Updo: Twisted Cinnabuns with Cornrows

We have been loving updo's over here lately! Can you tell?  Miss A will be attending her Aunt's work event this weekend so I decided to give her a style to fit the occasion. This style is perfect for both little and big girls. Great for holidays, formal events or just to feel like a princess! 

As always, I washed, detangled, moisturized (with Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer) and banded Miss A's hair. For full washing instructions click here.

I removed the bands once her hair was almost dry, just slightly damp. I began by parting the hair from ear to ear and tying the top section off. I started working on the back section at the nape of the neck, cornrowing from the right into the middle and from the left into the middle until I was done with the back. I used Bee Mine Curly Butter on each cornrow. 

Once I got to the top I parted a fairly large section in the middle and tied it off. I added a few cornrows to the side sections going up into the middle of her head. Once those cornrows were complete I gathered a large section of hair in the front, tied it off with a ponytail holder and did a loose two strand twist. Once the twist was in I began to create the cinnabun. I simply wrapped the twist around the ponytail holder, making sure it laid flat the entire time. Once the twist was wrapped around into a cinnabun, I placed 1 or 2 bobbypins flat, straight through the cinnabun. I continued this process until she had 5 twisted cinnabuns. I added some cute flower clips I bought from Claire's and there you have it, a beautiful natural updo!

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Criss-Cross Cornrows with Two Strand Twist Out

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a nice 4th of July. I decided to keep Miss A's 4th of July hair style fairly simple and go with criss-cross cornrows going half way back into two strand twists. Read below for more info on how this style was achieved. 

First, I washed, detangled, moisturized (with Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer and Virgin Coconut Oil on top) then banded. You can read all about how I do that and what products I use by clicking here.

After Miss A's hair dried I removed all of the bands and parted her hair from ear to ear. I tied the back section off and began working on the top section. At an angle, I parted two straight sections and in those straight sections I parted 3 individual sections to begin the criss-cross cornrow. You can see how I criss-cross cornrow by clicking here. I used Bee Mine Curly Butter on each cornrow. 

I left the remaining hair loose at the end of each cornrow until I had 2 cornrows side-by-side then I applied a generous amount of Bee Mine Curly Butter to the remaining hair and twisted the two sections together.

After the top section was complete I moved on to the back. I parted large squares, applied some curly butter and twisted each section together. I rolled the ends of each twist between my fingers to make sure the twist did not unravel.

After a couple of hours of letting the two strand twists set I carefully unraveled each twist, starting from the end of the twist and working my way up and viola- A beautifully defined twist out! See pictures below.

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Flat Twists into Side Ponytail

click to enlarge

Just a quick 'do. Two strand flat twists going into side ponytail.

School is out in about a week so expect many more updates to come. :-)

Little Girls Hairstyle: Side Swept Two Strand Twists into Puff

Click photos to enlarge

I have a feeling you will be seeing a lot of Miss A's older cousin so let's go ahead and give her an alias. We'll call her Ky. Ky spent the night again this weekend and asked me if I could do her hair like her little cousins so of course I said yes.

I washed her hair with Cara B Naturally products (shampoo and conditioner). After washing I applied a generous amount of Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer and banded her hair for the night (see picture below).

Check out our Banding Frequently Asked Question post.

Banded hair

Stretched hair after banding

Ky's hair was ready for styling the next morning so I parted a square in the top middle section of her head. I cornrowed medium sections straight down and ended them in basic two strand twists.  I used Bee Mine Curly Butter for styling. I pulled her hair into a side puff with an ouchless ponytail holder and pinned her twists to the side near the puff. I added a headband and she was all done! She absolutely loves it. See more pictures below.

Here's Miss A's version in case you missed it. Check out the post here.

Miss A's version of this style.

Don't forget to "like" us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/beadsbraidsandbeyond

Side Cornrows with Two Strand Twists

Click pictures to enlarge

You all probably remember I styled a couple of Miss A's cousins hair about a week ago. Click here if you missed that post. Well, she had another sleep over this weekend and I was once again pleasantly surprised when her cousin asked me if I could do her hair. I love doing hair so of course my answer was yes! :-)

First, I washed and detangled her hair. I washed with Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo and conditioned with Queen Helen Conditioner. I could tell her hair would immediately soak the water up so I hurried and applied and generous amount of Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer to her wet hair. See the picture below.

She wears small ponytails or cornrows with beads, barrettes and knockers most of the time. She told me she didn't like the knockers and would like to wear her hair curly, like Miss A's. I showed her some pictures in our Facebook Style Gallery and she eventually settled on side cornrows with twists. We planned on doing a twist out but she had to go home a little early because she has a doctor appointment tomorrow. I told her she can come back over this week and we will do the twist out.

On to the style, I kept it fairly simple and did some basic cornrows on the side. I don't think it's any surprise that I used Bee Mine Products for this style. I know you're probably tired of me mentioning them but I find that they work well on all hair types. I applied a little Bee Mine Curly Butter to each section before cornrowing. I ended the cornrow with a rubberband and twisted the remaining hair. After cornrowing one side of her hair, I moved on to the rest of her hair. I simply grabbed small sections of hair with my fingers, added some curly butter and twisted until I was all done. I added some claw clips to jazz the style up a bit.  She absolutely loves how it turned out and she really enjoyed having a little mini photoshoot.


Edited to add: I used a tiny bit of Kinky Curly Curling Custard to lay down her edges ("baby hair"). :-)

Our Bee Mine Products reader discount code has been extended so you can still use code BBBJAN for 10% off your $15 minimum purchase. Happy shopping! www.beemineproducts.com

Wet, moisturized hair.

Funny side note, she kept asking me if I was braiding her hair and I kept telling her yes. She was so surprised that she couldn't feel me braiding! lol

For bonus pictures of this style and Miss A with her cousin, stop by and "like" our Facebook page! www.facebook.com/beadsbraidsandbeyond

Click here for details on Miss A's style.

Two Strand Twists with Braided Roots Pulled into a High Bun

How perfect is this style for girls? We both absolutely love the way this turned out. A Facebook reader (Hi Lizanne!) completely inspired me to try this when she posted a picture of her daughters two strand twists with the roots braided. I've seen this done with synthetic hair but never thought to do it on natural hair. If you have problems with your roots being too puffy or frizzy or coming undone, then this right here should solve your problem! 

First, I washed my daughter's hair. After washing I moisturized on wet hair (Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer) and applied a little extra virgin coconut oil over the moisturizer. I began by parting at a slant at the nape of her neck. I used Bee Mine Curly Butte for a little bit of hold. I braided about an inch of each section then took the 3 sections and made them 2 sections, finishing off with a basic two strand twist. To get her twists to stay in place, I roll the ends between my index and thumb several times. I continued making medium sections parted at a slant until I was finished. This style took about an hour or so to complete. I decided to place the twists up in a high bun. A few people were asking me how I got her bun so perfect on Facebook so read below for some quick instructions.

Click to enlarge

1. Place twists in a high ponytail
2. Gather all of the twists together and begin twisting them all one way.
3. Begin rolling the twisted section around the ponytail holder.
4. Tuck the ends under the bun and secure with an ouchless ponytail holder. Use bobby pins if you need extra hold.
5. All done!

If the hair is not long enough for this bun method, try using a sock or donut piece then wrap the twists around and tuck the ends under. Click here for instructions.

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