Ask Nik G of BeadsBraidsBeyond

NikG20 wrote:

oooop2 wrote:Nik...What do you do to keep your daughter engaged and not complaining while you are doing her hair? I want to do one of your styles this weekend, but I know my daughter won't be able to sit still very long...

To keep her distracted I put on her favorite movie/cartoon. I might give her snacks, a toy, a book, some paper and crayons, etc. If the style is going to take a while, we take breaks. Sometimes I let her go take a nap if she's sleepy and I finish the rest later/ the next day. I definitely have to act interested in whatever she is doing or watching. If High School Musical is on you better believe I am singing a long. I often have those songs stuck in my head, lol. But it takes her mind off of everything and turns it in to bonding time. Know what I mean? So yeah....basically I'm telling you to act a fool with her! LOL Have fun! Hope she lets you do it because I'd love to see!

LOL...Will do!!

Notthecoolmom wrote:We went to the Curly Nikki meetup today and I did a fro-hawk for my little bundle...I think it was cute.
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So cute!!!

Nik....how do u mix the shea butter and coconut oil? I'm going to use that on my daughters hair tomorrow and I'm not sure how to go about doing it.

Notthecoolmom wrote:We went to the Curly Nikki meetup today and I did a fro-hawk for my little bundle...I think it was cute.
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Omg!!! How adorable is that. TOO much cuteness going on in here. I LOVE IT!!! And I love your hair too! Great picture!

naturalessence wrote:Nik....how do u mix the shea butter and coconut oil? I'm going to use that on my daughters hair tomorrow and I'm not sure how to go about doing it.

Hey naturalessence

Sometimes I just rub it in my hands and melt it like that but usually I will melt a batch in the microwave, seperately, until it melts or almost melts, then mix it together with a spoon, put it in the refridgerator until it turns to solid form which is usually in 1-2 hours. I know some people melt their stuff on the stove too...I'll have to try it like that one day.

NikG20 wrote:Hey Frizzcurls427!!!

Thank you sooo much!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Giovanni Direct Leave-in really moisturizes my daughter's hair!! I remember the first day I tried it on her hair I got on a forum and raved about it! lol THE best $5 I had spent in my life. (Marshall's) [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I have a long 'to try' list but for now the direct leave-in gets the job DONE!!

When I twist or braid her hair I use shea butter mixed with coconut oil and her hair stays so soft & moisturized!!

Have you tried any of these products on your daughter?

Feel free to ask away!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I have yet to try the Giovanni Direct Leave-In. I'm on the hunt for a new moisturizer for my baby, currently using Silken Child or Kids Organics...this is on my "to try list" Thanks for your recommendations [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Okay Nik...After 4 hrs and NUMEROUS Wii games, here is my daughters style for this week. I might attempt to cornrow next week!! Typically my cornrows look at HOT MESS


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Told you I was PARTING CHALLENGED

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Just wanted to say I'm loving all these pictures! Everyone's kids are too cute!

@simara0507, let me know what you think!

oooop2 wrote:Okay Nik...After 4 hrs and NUMEROUS Wii games, here is my daughters style for this week. I might attempt to cornrow next week!! Typically my cornrows look at HOT MESS


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Told you I was PARTING CHALLENGED

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First off, you are NOT parting challenged! I love your versions of the style!! Let me know if I can share them for this weeks hair share. They are beautiful!

Nik you are too sweet. You can definitely share these and I'll be peeping your site for style ideas.

I'm looking for a really cute updo style.

Hey Nik, got another question....lol. How do you get the kiddos edges to lay down on the scalp for ponytails? I've been using a mix of shea/coconut oil and it works okay, but as soon as she gets to running around it is all over the place. I even tie her hair down at night with a satin scarf. But I still end up combing her hair everynight before bed.

I did baby bantu knots last night and they stayed in (for the most part) which is a lot to say for my little one. I didn't have to pin them or use rubber bands.
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JackieJ205 wrote:Hey Nik, got another question....lol. How do you get the kiddos edges to lay down on the scalp for ponytails? I've been using a mix of shea/coconut oil and it works okay, but as soon as she gets to running around it is all over the place. I even tie her hair down at night with a satin scarf. But I still end up combing her hair everynight before bed.

Lately I have been using ORS lock & twist gel. You just need a little tiny bit for the edges. I use a fine tooth comb to smooth them down.

Notthecoolmom wrote:I did baby bantu knots last night and they stayed in (for the most part) which is a lot to say for my little one. I didn't have to pin them or use rubber bands.
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She looks sooooo cute with bantu knots!!!! I love it!!!

@oooop, what kind of updo are you looking for?

HI, NikG20


Ilove love love your blog.

I'm a new cornrower. Any tips?

My cornrows always come out underhanded, loose and very frizzy. I cornrow in freshly washed hair that's been air dried in about four to six braids.



@Notthecoolmom your baby is such a cutie! I love the frohawk

NikG20 wrote:@oooop, what kind of updo are you looking for?

a cute braided/twist updo

@sweetypie- Thank you!! Ok so I'm guessing when you go to grab the hair to add to the section of hair you use your thumb and pointer finger, right? So my tip for less frizz would be use those two fingers, grabbing pretty close to the scalp, and smooth that hair down, then quickly cross the next section over. I hope that makes sense. Also this website taught me to cornrow, maybe it could help a bit, let me know!

http://cornrows.co.uk/howto/howtobraidcornrowsx.html

@oooop, I will try to come up with something!

Ohhh, by the way, to all the mommies, I need some signups for Diva Spotlight and Littleman's Lounge on the blog. Email me at beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com if you are interested. I'll send you the questions. I appreciate it!

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Hi Nik! I need some advice...I have 3 little 7, 4, and 3 months [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
However cute as they are....we all have different heads of hair. I have more of a fine wavy texture. My oldest is definitley 2a or 2b. My 4 yr old is long, tangly, fine 3c(seriously curly & alot of hair). Not kinky just very fine & curly. We all have issues with dryness & tangling oh and our hair is super thick. Also, because we all have fine(textured) hair it's weighed down very easily.
Do you have any product/regimen/style advice to give me to make my life easier? I currently do their hair every other day in one or 2 ponys. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] So boring I know. But by the time I detangle I'm to exhausted to be creative.

Thanks!

Hi 3c!! I love your avatar picture!

All of the kiddos are adorable!

How often do you wash and detangle their hair? When you do two ponytails are they typically left out or braided/twisted up?

I would suggest washing their hair once a week, maybe do the 7 year olds on Saturday and the 4 year olds on Sunday if you don't do much on the weekend. It may make it less stressful so you won't have to do hair back to back.

For dryness I love Giovanni direct leave-in. It's cheap (love that) and it's light, so I don't think it would weigh their hair down. I find it very moisturizing. A little goes a very long way. I also like shea butter mixed with coconut oil. Have you tried any of those products?

For detangling, I find that herbal essences hello hydration conditioner makes detangling sooo easy! Lots of slip. Work in sections, finger comb, then use a wide tooth comb. After you're done with each section braid it or twist it. You can leave the braids/twists in and rinse the hair, then let it air dry like that for less tangles.

Do you do any protective styles that last up to one week? (well, 5 days) Like, for your oldest you could do one or two big french braid, and your 4 year old you can do a couple of braided pigtails or something like that. You may need to smooth their edges down each morning though.

NikG20 wrote:Hi 3c!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I love your avatar picture!

All of the kiddos are adorable!

How often do you wash and detangle their hair? When you do two ponytails are they typically left out or braided/twisted up?

I would suggest washing their hair once a week, maybe do the 7 year olds on Saturday and the 4 year olds on Sunday if you don't do much on the weekend. It may make it less stressful so you won't have to do hair back to back.

For dryness I love Giovanni direct leave-in. It's cheap (love that) and it's light, so I don't think it would weigh their hair down. I find it very moisturizing. A little goes a very long way. I also like shea butter mixed with coconut oil. Have you tried any of those products?

For detangling, I find that herbal essences hello hydration conditioner makes detangling sooo easy! Lots of slip. Work in sections, finger comb, then use a wide tooth comb. After you're done with each section braid it or twist it. You can leave the braids/twists in and rinse the hair, then let it air dry like that for less tangles.

Do you do any protective styles that last up to one week? (well, 5 days) Like, for your oldest you could do one or two big french braid, and your 4 year old you can do a couple of braided pigtails or something like that. You may need to smooth their edges down each morning though.

Nik!

OMG!!!! Thank u for the detangle section...thats ingenious!!! I always put A's(4 yr old) hair in 2 ponys the do about 5 twists per pony. Love the idea of detangling twisting then rinsing....that is ingenious...seriously. For J(7yr old.) I love the french braid on her but unfortunately I have no idea how to braid hair [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I have to pay to get that done. To answer ur ?s I do wash their hair once a week and I have just recently began sealing their ends with shea butter which is a blessing for the frizz. My lil babe(A) always wants her hair down like her sis's so I'm now using the flex rods from ur site. Ur blog is a blessing...'preciate it!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Nik G,

My little one is 1 (15mths) but she doesn't have enough hair to do anything with it right now. I love your site and can't wait until I can try some of your styles.

I love the step by step directions you put on Curly Nikki about Cornrow X. Do you have any other tutorials/step by step how to instructions for other styles? I swear I look at some of your styles and I am baffled at how you did it [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] !

Hi Nik G!

I have a 3 year old who has very curly hair. It's almost a tight corkscrew hair texture. I was wondering how do u smooth ur daughter's hair when styling? My lil girl's hair is so thick & curly, dat I itch to use a brush to smooth her hair out. Also, I wanna kno how to do the 3-strand twist?

T.I.A.