Outie Sides Up Braids

As you all know we love braids in our family this is yet another way to braid the hair.

I started by making an outie (outward) french braid only to pull the sides up.  The above is the right side of her head.

Below do the same thing on the left side the only difference it that this side will have more hair to be braided 

Combine the 2 braids together in the back of her head and secure with an elastic. 

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Here's a pic I snapped last year while Keyanna and I were on vacation with some friends of ours. We were camping and Key decided to use one of the plastic forks and pick out her friends lil fro. His mom and I thought it was too funny, I guess she wants to do hair like mommy when she grows up :)

Sidewinder Hair Holders Review + Giveaway!! **Winners Posted**

Price: 4.99/set 

Set Includes: One 3", Two 2", Two 1"

I have been seeing Sidewinder Hair Holders everywhere lately, and have been wanting to get my hands on some for a while now.. so I of course jumped at the opportunity to do a review for you all! 

4 Strand 3D Braids With Sidewinders 

(We learned how to do these from Goldilocks*N*Me!)

Sidewinders Hair Holders are a fun alternative to beads, they definitely spice up even the simplest style and give it a unique look, I love it! When we first received ours in the mail I couldn’t wait to try them.. putting them on was a piece of cake! You can see how its done here. For Keyanna’s hair (which is on the thin side) we did have to use a band, or a bead at the end of the Hair Holder on some styles to secure it and keep it from slipping off. If your hair is thicker or you are using larger sections of hair then I wouldn’t see a need to do that at all. 

The Hair Holders come in 3 different sizes (1”, 2”, and 3”) and 26 colors, each 1 is 2 pieces so they are interchangeable with each other. I love the fact that there are so many colors/combinations to match any outfit, and unlike beads they are honestly so quick and easy to put in you could switch out the colors daily if you like. I definitely plan on getting a few more sets for our collection in the near future.

Here are some more styles we came up with using our Sidewinder Hair Holders 

2 Strand Twists With Sidewinders

 Simple Braided Ponytail With Sidewinders

Twisted Braid Ponys With Sidewinders

(This is a AllThingsCuteAndGirly inspired style!)

Braided Faux Hawk With Sidewinders 

For more style inspirations using Sidewinder Hair Holders you can check out their gallery HERE 

Or purchase your own set HERE 

GIVEAWAY!

Susie From Hairholders.com has generously offered  three of our followers each their own set of sidewinders! 

There are lots of ways to enter.. do some, or all of them for extra entries


**WINNERS**
Please send me your color choice along with your shipping info to KeyativeStyles@yahoo.com

Time To Get Rid!

So I am asked a lot "How do I know a product has gone bad??" 

Well here are just a few tips and examples of when its time to let go....

1. Mascara. I can't stress enough how important it is to not keep your mascara longer then 6 months as it can gather a lot of bacteria and can irritate your eyes. For this reason don't waste your money on high end mascara go for cheaper drug store brand.

Top tip: Give the mascara a good sniff, if it smell like funky fish then it's best to let go.
Clean you mascara wands often to get the most out of your mascara.



2. Lipstick/Glosses/liners. Lip products need to be use in about a year, only if they are used and open.

Top tip: Check your make-up stash before opening new products to make sure you don't have some thing similar that needs to be used.

3. Foundations. Powder foundations (powders in general) can last for about two years where are liquid foundation last any where between one to two years. However if you haven't really been using and its been over a year you may consider throwing it away.




4. Eye-shadows. Cream shadows will last about a year or so.  Powder shadows last for about 2 years.

Top tip: If you have found a cream that you love or you spent a lot on, try sampling it in a pot and keeping the original container tightly closed to prevent it from going off or gathering bacteria.

Give your make-up a fighting chance

Keep it out of direct sunlight.

Keep it in a cool dry dark place, meaning out of bathrooms that steam up.

Always keep the lid tightly closed.

Clean your make-up brushes regularly.

Try not to use finger tips to scoop out products, use a clean plastic spatula.   

Spa Shower

How to make the more of your daily shower!

Showers are just a daily routine but here are just a few tips to get 

the most out of your shower.

1. Face First - Steam from the shower can do wonders for the skin, so make sure the steam is working on clean skin to get the best results.

2. Shampoo - Work shampoo into the hair for a few minutes, think Herbal Essences ads - all that massaging actually does some good by boosting circulation.

3. Condition - Apply conditioner from the ear length down, this will prevent it from weighing down the hair and adding excess oils to the roots which can contribute to greasy hair. (Wash out the conditioner at the end of your shower)

4. Exfoliate - The steam from the shower has had time to soften the skin this is a great time to exfoliate and get the best results. Use exfoliating wash/gloves/loofah. (Click here to see what I love to use)

5. Shaving - The best time to shave is after exfoliating not the other way around as it can irritate the skin. Exfoliating the skin first can give a closer longer lasting shave.

6. Switch to Cold - Sounds crazy but switch to a cooler temperature to finish off the shower, this will boost circulation and tighten the skin but it also adds shine to the hair as it "closes" the hair follicle.

Top Tip 

Spend more on the right shampoo as most conditioners are the same except treatments of course. 

On average it takes 5 minutes for hair products to be washed fully out of the hair which is why it should be one of the first things you do.

Moisturise right after showering, locks in moisture and is very important after shaving.

Length Check!

So after a convo with my sister about keys length we decided to measure it and find out just how long it really is........... 22 inches! I measured just before I trimmed her ends so its roughly an inch shorter now (She was in desperate need of a trim, we hadn't done one in some months). 

Note: Both of these pics are from before the trim 

Throwback: Our First Twist Out!

Here's a pic of Key rockin' our first attempt at a twist out. She was around 3 years and I had just started doing her hair.