The Bantu Knot-Out Breakout

The Tale: 

Last year (2013) was a pretty stressful year from beginning to end. There were a lot of new changes that I experienced and just when I was beginning to adjust to one situation, a new curveball was usually thrown. By the end of the year, I had experienced my share of disappointments. However, I decided that my disappointments and failures would not define who I was. Life is going to hit you on the blind side. You will have some grueling situations to face. As many of you know, I'm a Christian and a lot of times, believers have this illusion that because they are walking with God, everything is supposed to pan out wonderfully. Yes, all things work together for the good of those who love God as we're reminded in Romans 8:28. Just know that you will face trials. It is your job to mentally rise above the situations with an understanding of who you are in Christ and the fact that He is covering you. 

By the end of last year, with an understanding of who I am in relation to the challenges I face, I made up my mind and committed to enjoying 2014 and purpose/passion-driven living. I've called 2014 my "purple" year. When I was a kid, there was one year where I made a bet that I would kiss everything I saw that was purple. Purple is my favorite color. If I couldn't kiss it because it was dangerous or inappropriate (i.e. a moving car, complete stranger), I'd blow the purple subject a kiss (I was a kid so be nice. It'd be wrong to judge my bizarre antics lol). Now fast forward to 2014. I decided to, in a figurative sense, "kiss everything I love" or become a little more intimate with the parts of my life that I'd like to improve i.e. dancing skills, workout routine, etc. On Monday, I introduced my early bird quest in Becoming A Morning Person Pt. 1. I will continue to share my findings over the next few weeks with my endeavor. I've also made a commitment to DO MY HAIR! I really like my hair but when facing a lot of stress and a never-ending to-do list, the hair usually falls off the list. I found that my hair was really becoming super stringy and weak. It was hard to do anything with it so I kept putting it in a bun. 

So how have I decided to "kiss" my hair?

•  REGULARLY washing my hair and detangling :: It sounds gross but I wasn't washing my hair as consistently as I should've been. I would wait until it started to look and feel dirty before I washed it. That may work for some but it wasn't working for me. 
• Hairstyle Experiments :: I have a ton of Youtube videos bookmarked and hairstyles that I've pinned on Pinterest but I never gave them a try. It's not about waiting until a special occasion to pull out a fun hairstyle. It's about appreciating the moments in the present and what's in front of you right now. It's about celebrating each day like a special occasion because technically it is. Every day is another 24 hours you are alive and able to glorify Christ! When you look at it that way, it's easier to start the whole "carpe diem" process with the simple things like hair. 

**Disclaimer :: I still love my bun. I really do. I will still wear it. I just won't wear it every day for 6 and 7 months on end. Now, if you're on a hair growth challenge or journey, that's a different story. The bun is a great protective style but I just got tired of the excitement scale getting stuck on zero. No thanks! 

The Tutorial: 

I love this hairstyle and it's seriously my new favorite. I haven't been able to get 3rd day hair out of it but I can get 2nd day hair by simply "pineappling" the hair on top of my head and then covering with a satin bonnet.

What you'll need::

• A curl pudding ( I used this one and it worked REALLY well for me!) 
• A fine tooth comb
• A blowdryer w/ comb attachment
• A bristle brush
• Bobby pins (totally optional) 

Instructions::

1. Blow-dry the entire head. I ALWAYS use a comb attachment...ALWAYS!

2. Part hair into sections as pictured below. Obviously, the parts don't need to be perfect.

3. With one section in hand, apply a tiny bit (I dipped one finger in and dotted it over the length of the hair).

4. Brush the pudding into the hair so that it is evenly distributed throughout the hair.

5. Twist (not two strand but literally twist) the hair and then put it into a bantu knot. The knot should look more like a Dr. Seuss character knot instead of a perfect bun (if that makes sense).

6. Be sure to use the fine tooth comb to get any tangles out of the ends of the hair. You want the ends to be as smooth as possible.

7. If you can't get your bantu knots to stay in place, use a bobby pin to hold.

8. Put a satin scarf on it and go to bed.

9. When you get up the next morning, unscrew the knots and separate. I separate the curls once and sometimes twice and called it a day!

Here is the link of the tutorial that I followed for this hairstyle. It's called How To Get Perfect Bantu Knots on Dry Natural Hair and it's by Curly by Nature 21/Alyssa Forever! She does a lot more than I did but I'm sure that if I followed all her steps that would take the hairstyle up a notch on the fabulous scale! I bookmarked a while ago but never used it. This tutorial has helped me achieve, hands down, my best bantu knot-out EVER! Thank you, Alyssa Forever!!!

Cheers to getting out of the hair rut!

Two things::
1. If you're stuck in a rut, what do you do to help break out of it?
2. Are you going to try this style? If so, I'd LOVE to see your results!

Thanks for reading & God bless you!
-dani