Bangs: the growing out process

    Ok, so you’ve see pictures like these two, right?



If you’re like me when you see things like this you suddenly think to yourself, “I WANT BANGS!!”
And if you’re like me, you already have them, and, if you’re like me….

You INSTANTLY regretted the decision!

Bangs look adorable on other girls, but never necessarily worked with me unless I had a flat iron on hand.
Example:


Yes I looked dorky.
Yes I looked awkward.
I won’t even apologize.

My bangs never did what I told them to!  The rest of my hair could look fabulous, but when it came to my bangs, my hair wanted nothing to do with the word “perfection”.
A flat iron could do the job to make them look decent, but the damage and time wasn’t worth it.  I needed to grow out my bangs!  I’ve been growing out my bangs for a year now, and they still aren’t quite there yet.
But I know exactly how the process is.
Slow, painful, and sometimes even confusing!
Today I'm going to give you tips on how to keep those bangs out of your face in the growing out stage.  These are steps I've followed that have worked for me for a year now!

When my bangs first started growing out I had to woman up and look stupid for about a month.  Because honestly ladies, when they're just a pinch too long, they're just a pinch too short to pin back.  My apologies.
But NO worries!  There's a cure! :D  It involves a little bit of heat, but just have yourself a nice heat protection spray and it'll stay put till your next wash!

Short Bangs:
After you wash your hair when it dries it can be INSANE!  So here's the cure to those cray cray bangs.  Take a curling iron and curl your bangs into one curl facing away from your face.
Doing this will not only get your bangs out of your face, but will also help your bangs blend in and look more natural.

Medium Bangs:
So after you get through that awkward bang stage, you can now pin your bangs back, but!  Having your bangs pinned back 24/7 just doesn't sound exciting.  So here's a way to control your fairly long curly bangs.
Right after you get out of the shower and finish putting whatever gel or products you use, take a hair clip/bobby pins and twist your bangs facing away from your face and pin them.  Keep them there until they're dry and then remove the clip/bobby pins.  A natural heat free curling system.  Once again leaving your bangs out of your face.

Long Bangs:
Dealing with long bangs is the exact same thing as dealing with medium length, but at this point you don't even have to pin them back or curl them.  They can be wild and free just like the rest of your precious locks and not look out of place!

Well I wish you luck with your bang growing journey!  Believe me, I know it's a hard road, but it's well worth it.
If you're wondering if you should get bangs or not, let me know down below in the comments! :D       I can write a post on how you can know if bangs will work for you.

Although before you go, I'd like to share a little encouraging word for the day...

In the book of 1 Samuel, God sent a man named Samuel to the house of Jesse to choose a new king for Israel.  As Samuel looked at Jesse's older sons he thought, "Oh man, these are good lookin' strong men!  Practically perfect for a king!"
(I'm paraphrasing of course)
But God didn't quite agree with Samuel.  He corrected him in 1 Samuel 16:7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature... For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
You see, God didn't care if some strong, macho, good looking guy was on the throne.  Because no matter how good he was on the outside, he could be a complete fool on the inside.  God chose David, a young shepherd boy.  He was the youngest of the family. 
He had not muscles or the looks everyone else would usually flip out over in today's society.  Instead, David had a really big heart.  God even said Himself, David had a heart after Christ.  THAT is why David was chosen.
So just remember what is really important.  Perfect hair, bangs, or makeup could never replace or be better than a beautiful heart. :)

Your Southern Curl,
Billy

Curls 101

DON'T STRAIGHTEN THOSE CURLS!!!

Hello, my name is Billy, and obviously I'm quite passionate about keeping those curls alive. 
If you've been on the page "My Story" you already know how I've acquired all my knowledge on curls.  (If you haven't read my story yet, I highly encourage you to do so before reading on.)
Obviously, there was a load of learning down the road, and that is what I wanted to share with you!

SO for my first post I'm going to give you the small package of what the basics to curls are.  I decided I'll sum it up in three easy steps.

1. DON'T STRAIGHTEN THOSE CURLS
Obviously, I care about this point a lot technically speaking I've already mentioned it twice. 
That flat iron you're holding in your pretty little hands is the murder you see in horror movies!
Just a few swipes of that death machine is the funeral of perfectly coordinated curls that were just meant to be curly.  It causes damage/frizz, and usually doesn't look right on half of us curly girls.  Most girls with curly hair have faces that were shaped to look right with curls, not straight hair.

2. THROW OUT YOUR SHAMPOO
Now I know, half of you flipped out when you read this point.  Shampoo seems to be the only thing that could possibly get your hair clean and keep dandruff at bay, but that's just simply not true.  Shampoo has something called "sulfates" in it.  Sulfates can also be found in your detergent.
...Need I say more?
Sulfates strip away you're natural oils, dries out your hair, and causes frizz and damage.  The silicones in conditioner are meant to combat that, but it doesn't remove the damage.  It only covers it up, and also causes buildup.
 So either get sulfate free shampoo with silicone free conditioner, or check out the curly girl method: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/no-poo/the-curly-girl-method-for-coily-hair/

4. DON'T BRUSH THOSE CURLS
Ok y'all, I cannot state how many times people have asked me, "Why don't you just brush your hair?"



..... ._.




WHY DON'T YOU JUST RUB YOUR HAIR AGAINST A TREE?!
 The FRIZZ caused by hair brushes on curly hair is just UNSPEAKABLE!
 You just don't brush curls.  Seriously.  Just don't.
The only time I recommend brushing your hair is when it is wet, then you're good to go. :)


Ok, well now that I've given you the basic steps to keeping curls beautiful and healthy, I'm going to step out into the wild blue yonder.
But before I go I'd like to suggest, don't forget about what really matters...

 1 Peter 3:3-4
 ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.


Your Southern Curl,
Billy