DIY Crotchet Wig!

So,

I made a wig!

It all started with this post from one of my favourite lifestyle bloggers which led me to this other  post and a ton of YouTube video DIY crotchet wig tutorials. It took me all of four hours in which time I kept busy watching movies while crotcheting

What I used;

Dummy also called a bald mannequin head or alternatively a Styrofoam head; 

I really wanted an afrocentric one but couldn't find any:(

Weaving caps/nets; I used two, tip I got from a Youtuber who incidentally was using the same brand of weaving caps that I had purchased #great minds hehehe! Anyway I used two to make it sturdier and avoid any parts snapping while crocheting.

Hair; I used curly silky braiding hair which is what I had around just for practice. Rough hair read Afro kinky/Marley braids/hot water use kanekalon braids and co hold much better than silky hair for crocheting. This one was so slippery but I made it work all the same.

Crotchet; I used a regular crocheting needle with a big hook and it worked just as good as a crotchet latch hook. There is a technique to using a needle as opposed to a latch hook though. Once you pass the crotchet needle through and hook the hair, pass it back through with the hook facing down the latched hair holds on better to the needle with the hook facing down in my experience as opposed to up.

The hook is much bigger than it looks here

Not pictured

Needle and black weaving thread to secure the edges of the two weaving caps together

Hair Shears/Scissors for styling any other cutting activities

A styling mouse/moisturizer or leave in conditioner to run through the hair and make it easier to separate them pre crocheting. Pick whatever works for you even petroleum jelly would do just fine

I watched several videos on crocheting wigs and picked up different tips from all the videos I watched to aid in my first attempt at wig making. Here is one of the videos below for instructional purposes.

Like I mentioned earlier, I used two weaving caps for a secure hold; I stitched the ends together first using a needle and thread

halfway done!

 End result!

Ignore the thick band at the front I had a wig cap underneath the wig to see how much of the front still needed to be filled in

   

Not too bad for a first attempt. I plan on making another one this week using kinky hair or something along the same family. I think I may even delve into sew in wigs as well. It’s looking like wig making is my current obsession and I am not complaining. I showed it to a few friends and family and some have shown interest in having me make wigs for them at a fee so I guess we are in business:)

Jumbo Cornrows!

Just a quick roundup of my last wash day. I did a henna treatment since I had been due for one for a while now.  I mixed the henna with plain cold water and a teaspoon of vinegar to aid in the dye release, let it sit for an hour before applying it to my hair. I wet my hair with water applied the henna and let it sit for two hours while doing a gazillion other things around the house. Henna ready I rinsed it out till the water came out clear and then shampooed twice and then rinsed out I conditioned with regular conditioner and let it sit for about ten minutes as I scrubbed the CSI crime scene  bathroom clean; y’all know henna leaves bathrooms looking like a crime scene! Bathroom clean I rinsed out the conditioner t-shirt dried till damp applied this new leave in conditioner I recently picked up and then sealed with coconut oil then blow dried on cool. I later went and got these jumbo cornrows done ready for a four day out of town trip. I oiled my scalp with my Amla oil mix post braiding. 

It's an allright leave in nothing to sing home about; doubt if I will be repurchasing it

 

I just brush up my edges, style the waist length tails into a bun and I am ready to go

Hair News: #HairTalk

The Beeb well BBC Africa to be precise has been having a series of #hairtalk #afrohair conversations on its online platform and social media this week. Here are some of the articles and videos that I have come across on this topic so far…

 
Hair has become a political issue across Africa. Chemical relaxers, which straighten hair, have been popular for years. But while the look is seen by some as professional, others call it un-African. There's a move away from relaxing hair- a journey the BBC's Pumza Fihlani has made.... continue reading  HERE

Blogger and BBC Journalist Valley Fontaine also gives her contribution on the topic HERE

Frenny Jowi also from the BBC shares her thoughts on natural hair HERE

Impromptu Wash Day…

So I was sitting on the couch watching TV when I thought to myself how about I wash and deep condition my hair now that I really have nothing to do for a few hours. So I went to the bathroom with the intention of wetting my hair as usual then applying my deep conditioner. Halfway between getting my hair wet I was like why not just shampoo and deep condition for a change (I usually do the reverse at home – deep condition then shampoo).  The plan was to test out this dual rinse out/leave in conditioner that I had picked up at the beauty supply store. So I proceeded to shampoo and then midway during the shampoo session I was like why would I want to rinse out what can also be a leave in conditioner. I abandoned my deep conditioning plans temporarily and besides what my hair needs at the moment is an intense steaming deep conditioning session which I can only get done at the salon. So I shampooed my hair rinsed out and then conditioned with regular conditioner for like five minutes before rinsing it out. This Organics conditioner that I am using for the second time now is the absolute truth! The comb just glides through my hair when detangling and it leaves my hair very very soft on rinsing I almost did not apply any other product due to how soft it was post Organics conditioner rinse out. It smells really nice as well good stuff! Really good stuff get it if you can.

 

That Alberto Balsam green apple shampoo smells exactly like green apples; it reminds me of Granny smith Apples!

I towel blotted my hair dry sprayed on my Argan oil leave in conditioner and then blow dried on cool since I wanted to do some braids for a braid out. Once blow dried I applied this blend of Amla oil that I recently purchased on my scalp and massaged it in; it is a blend of Amla, Tea tree, Sunflower, jojoba, sweet almond and mineral oils, henna extract and other ingredients. I quite like it and because it is blended it has a pleasant scent unlike the pure Amla oil. I am taking a break from my castor oil scalp mix for a while and will be using this Amla blend for now. I just use castor oil on my edges every now and then. Scalp oiled I sectioned my hair and applied this new dual rinse out leave in cream conditioner Venus Beautiful Essence that I picked up the other day to each section and then braided. I used it as a leave in moisturizer works very well, softens hair and has a nice scent, the consistency is just right. So I think I will be using it for this purpose as opposed to a rinse out conditioner. I will probably purchase a larger sized tub next time I go product shopping since I only got a small size to test it out this time round. 

I like to do these joining braids for braidouts because my ends tend to unravel a lot so this makes sure they don't. Not sure what they are called in English but in Swahili we call them "Kamatana" (literally translated to mean hold each other) I am yet to unravel them they were only a few hours old at the time of publishing this post.

Finally a photo! Better late than never:)