<p>Both my acrylics and my bundles are long gone. My mustache is growing back with a vengeance, and it's safe to say that the quarantine has humbled me.</p><h5>For the first time in a long time, I've been forced to take a good, hard look at my natural self and the woman I see looking back at me is upsetting me and my homegirls. </h5><p>The ability to book a pedicure, wax, or silk press pretty much put my <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/mua-glow-up-during-quarantine/" target="_blank">beauty routine</a> on cruise control and now that I've lost it—your good sis is struggling. I am your good sis. Although I'm able to <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/black-owned-nail-products-to-use/" target="_blank">paint my own toes</a> and put my wrist to work with a razor, the task of taming my tresses has been another story entirely. Now that my third sew-in in a row has reached its expiration date, I've come to find that my twist-outs never quite twist out and my <a data-linked-post="2645865469" href="https://www.xonecole.com/pattern-beauty-type-4-hair-review/" target="_blank">wash-and-go</a> makes me happy to stay at home.</p><p>Heat damage and bleach have pretty much <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/best-products-for-bleached-hair/" target="_blank">fried, dyed, and laid my curls</a> to the side, but just when I was about to give up hope, I received a package from Mielle that got my tresses together expeditiously. Before playing around with the products, I tapped my stylist, owner of Denver hair salon, Booji Beauty for a virtual consult where she gave me five must-have tips when it comes to perfecting my twist-out: </p><ol class="ee-ol"><li><strong>Make sure to <a data-linked-post="2599986284" href="https://www.xonecole.com/deep-conditioner-natural-hair/" target="_blank">deep condition</a> and rinse thoroughly before any protective style. <br></strong></li><li><strong>Detangle from roots to end. </strong></li><li><strong>Make sure it's completely dry before untwisting. </strong></li><li><strong>Separate coils with oil on your fingertips (avoid over-separating). <br></strong></li><li><strong>Be patient. </strong></li></ol><p>After my virtual consult with Jasmine, I tried <a href="https://amzn.to/2zsPQn8" target="_blank">Mielle's Rosemary Mint Collection</a> for a Flexi-rod twist out on my fussy, chemically damaged hair.</p><h4>Here's what happened:<em></em></h4>
<p class=""><em>Featured image courtesy of Pretty Honore/xoNecole.com.</em></p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE3NjgxMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTg3MjE3M30.2b9XbzK4p6LOo20DGFF-NJImCZ0DiEDM9eBT42vr4S8/img.jpg?width=980" id="d2ecb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b599dcca5c91bef783a5baef1584d390" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Pretty Honore/xoNecole
Step One: Activate Hydration
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE4Mjc3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwOTIxNzg1NH0.ys8y2fFecvmzjPVji8SN91DsP3ppoz-ZLywhuIFzkT4/img.jpg?width=980" id="810da" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="37433381775cdd5e58df835bd8b0b304" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Pretty Honore/xoNecole
<p>After shampooing my hair thoroughly with <a href="https://amzn.to/2WtSXEt" target="_blank">Mielle's Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo</a>, I dove right into the deep conditioning process. I sectioned my hair into parts and applied <a href="https://amzn.to/2yG5TxW" target="_blank">Mielle's Rosemary Mint Strengthening Hair Masque</a> from root-to-end and began detangling. Then, I put on a shower cap and allowed this to sit for about three hours. I'd probably even sleep in this mask if I'm having a really bad hair week (which is pretty frequent for me). </p><div class="ad-tag">
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Step Two: Rinse & Detangle
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE4Mjc3Ny9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5MTA4MTM2Mn0.bZMFnVfOxRgL2hQWf6w2MFstWWdGARaQIzIwJMpc8as/img.gif?width=980" id="6a4c1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cd8ef608ecf6173b0d5bbd4996c2c2f7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /> <p>Next, I make sure I this masque is rinsed out completely (per Jasmine's instructions) and sectioned my hair to make sure it was completely detangled. Since where I live in Denver is EXTRA dry—and so is my hair––I applied <a href="https://amzn.to/3cvyfJK" target="_blank">Mielle's Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil</a> on my scalp and mildly split ends during this process.</p>Step Three: Get Twisted
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE4Mjc3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTg1MjA4MH0.pb2v-ow_hjs7Y3Rj9XWRSyHzYl4FIpvMPDrQsTrA1y0/img.jpg?width=980" id="dc017" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d79eeb45db4fd4715ed6724afff21ee3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Pretty Honore/xoNecole
<p>My least and favorite part of this process is getting twisted, which took me about two hours to get right. While my two-strand struggle was real, <a href="https://amzn.to/3cqpX63" target="_blank">Mielle's Multivitamin Rosemary Mint Styling Cream</a> had enough slip for my grip to snap even the most unruly curls into shape. I then applied Flexi rods at the ends of my twists and went TF to bed. I allowed my twists to stay in for about two days, and no mom, I didn't go anywhere with these rollers in my head.</p><h4>And then, it was judgment time.</h4><div class="ad-tag">
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The Final Results
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE4Mjc3OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0Njc0ODQ5N30.0uMPD7D1WaTJPdkUXwxMeFlc6ul87B7MnN1syMYOxrA/img.jpg?width=980" id="9e711" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2ff55252c337a82f4b160e4f7a6bfd80" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Pretty Honore/xoNecole
<p>As a <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/big-chop-natural-hair-dating/" target="_blank">naturalista-in-training</a>, I wasn't sure what results to expect from this experiment, but if all else failed, I could rest assured that my hair smelled good as f*ck. </p><p>After applying a generous amount of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mielle-Rosemary-Mint-Scalp-Strengthening/dp/B07N7PK9QK" target="_blank">Mielle's Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil</a> to my finger tips, I unraveled my twists and discovered a curl pattern that I forgot existed. While I would suggest adding a leave-in conditioner to this routine to help curls stay fresh longer, and I still need some practice before perfecting my twist-out, this collection <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/these-are-the-foods-that-will-moisturize-your-skin-hair/" target="_blank">gave me the hydration</a> and definition that I needed to say <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/took-my-hair-extensions-out-love-my-hair/" target="_blank">goodbye to my bundles</a> for a while and finally embrace my natural hair.</p><h4>Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter <a href="https://www.xonecole.com/st/SignUp" target="_blank">here</a> to receive our latest articles and news straight to your inbox.</h4>
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