Protecting while Protecting......

...... After a great idea to put my hair in a protective style for the week or at the very least a few days, I had a think and an Internet and YT browse and thought I'd like some twists.... then I thought hmmmmm I wanted to try African Threading why not do that??
I knew I'd have a busy 2 weeks coming up and my thick hair needs more time then I have for styling... plus... I have noticed my hair crying at the manipulation lately and the shedding is continuing .... so yeah... protective African Threading it was.

Now I don't know if I am just *cack handed* or it takes time to get the hang of it but erm.... lets just say it didn't turn out how I thought it would... at all!!

The thread wouldn't wind on properly and the root part started to far down so I had to keep undoing and redoing.... it took ages!! Not figuratively. Actual ages lol.
I did it in sections and by the time the first side of my head was done I just wanted to take it all down and forget it, but I just continued. When I finished my whole head I looked like a scarecrow!! no lie!
I just put the twisty straw like thingies in a bun(tucking the twiggy bits down with hair pins), put on a bonnet and just pretended they looked fab.

So next day I got ready for school run and couldn't pretend anymore, I had to do something with the straw and twigs on my head. I couldn't show up at the school gates like I had a birds nest on my head so I got inventive, put the twisties into a bun at the back and flat twisted some twisties at the front and to the side, placed my butterfly headband on and wasn't horrified lolololol. I just put on a little heavier than normal{for me} eyeshadow to try and deflect o_O

Here's how hairdo looked when we got back after a loooong walk home.

Top and side view - ahh the butterfly

please excuse the dignity blankee

Unfortunately {or fortunately} the twigs didn't last long, like a day, I tried to style them again the next day and it was a struggle, the threads was coming out of some and all sorts. I put them in on Sunday and took them out on Tuesday! bahh so much for week protective styling.
I decided to take them out and put normal twists in, So I start to unravel, following the advice from one of the YT vids - untwist a little, trim the thread that comes free, untwist hair and the knot will slip off -  the ones at the back had already started to come out so it was fine. The others were coming out good then SNAG. ugh the knots were stuck, not hard to come out but stuck! I got my trusty Knot On My Watch detangler it worked on some but noooooo not on all. I had no other choice put to pull the knots and strands{cry} out... oh I wanted to screech. here's the pic of the strands....{bawl}

Arrggggghhhhhh!!!

Oh the pain of seeing my hair in the threads! I try and console myself with the fact that it's ends that got tugged and they'll be trimmed of at some stage but honestly it didn't work I had the waaaaahhhmbulance on speed dial.
After detangling and combing I start to twist my hair, halfway in I know it's not gonna work out. My natural regrowth loves the twists and looks great springy and curvy but the relaxed, over processed ends don't love twists at all, they unravel and untwist and look stringy and maggah!! no sah the twists never look good atall!!

The next day I woke up early as hubby was taking me clean across to Brixton to get a top up on the Dominican Conditioners, I also want to try a leave in. Soooooo excited.... too excited? maybe. But hey you gotta be happy about the small things that make your week have a little buzz.
The twists were staging a protest and refusing to play ball..... they looked hideous, I tried to fix them into the style I had the Threaded twists in but... Nah!! they weren't having a bar of it. The stupid things kept untwisting. I did my best and decided to look for a wig at the shop for next week.

I did take some pics of the twists as they show how much growth I have achieved since the start of my hair journey, they showed the difference between the textures very well and let me realise that my hair has grown. I know all hair grows but at times I really get frustrated as it seems like I'm not making progress as quickly as I want, but there it was clear as day.

spot the difference

pulled

s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d

Soooo although the threading wasn't a success I will retry when I get the courage as I love how my hair felt afterwards, soft and stretched.
I learned a few hair lessons this week the most important being to protect my hair while trying to protect my hair...