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Hair Puff Balls…What?
For a couple weeks now, I have seen this hair puff balls hairstyle pop up on my Facebook and Pinterest feeds. It is a simple style when once completed, looks like little puffs running down the sections of hair. Since Z was due for her mid-monthly washing and deep conditioning (especially now that she is taking swimming lessons), I decided I wanted to jump on this style right away. When I see this style, I think of the hair banding process but looser.
Here’s the link to the article I seen on Pinterest that inspired me to try this super cute style: Hair Puff Balls featured on Thirstyroots.com
The Supplies
- Pre-poo: Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Conditioner
- Shampoo: Dr. Bronner’s Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap (diluted)
- Deep Conditioner: Shea Moisture’s High Porosity Moisture Correct Masque (set for 30 minutes under Flaxseed Hot Heat Cap)
- Rinse: Apple Cider Vinegar (diluted in water)
- Moisturizer: Cantu Coconut Curling Cream
- Sealing Oil: Organic Coconut
- Setting Product: Cantu Define and Shine Custard
- Other: Conair Wide Tooth Comb, Knot Genie Detangling Brush, rubber bands…etc
The Process (or Styling Process)
Z started swimming lessons this past Saturday. She usually gets in two sets of swimming lessons per year. However, we were only able to fit in one this past summer. This is her first year having lessons during the school year so maintaining her hair will be more involved than usual for the next month and a half.
Last week was a total off week for me as far as styling Z’s hair. We had a super busy weekend prior so I had no time to do much to her hair. As a result, I styled her hair into two puffs for most of last week. Although it was cute at the beginning of the day, by time I picked her up from school, her edges were all over the place. Therefore, I manipulated her hair some each day and absolutely hated doing so.
By Saturday, hair was already quite dry from being out and loose for the week. I pinned her hair into two buns and hoped for the best by the end of her swimming lesson…lol.
Sigh. With little time to waste, I got down to business on her hair that afternoon. I washed and conditioned her hair as usual. This wash day, I decided to do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse to help cleanse her scalp of any residue and close her hair cuticles. I did a final rinse through with cool water.
As for the hair puff ball hairstyle, I slightly blow dried her hair so that I can part her hair better and work with hair partially stretched. I started from the back of her head and created scallop parts instead of straight block parts. I like scallop parting because it gives an unique look to the style and takes a lot of the pressure off of creating super straight parts. For each section, I:
- Applied setting cream and brushed it through from root to end
- Secured with an elastic band
- Secured rubber bands along the length of the section at 1 to 1.5 inches apart (the bigger the spacing, the bigger the puffs)
- Twisted the last two inches of hair at the end of section
And that’s it! Super easy. It took me about 1.5 hours to complete the style.
Overnight, I gathered the sections into a loose low ponytail and covered her hair with a bonnet. Yesterday morning, her puffs were as puffy as ever and maintain their shape well. You can see her texture well under natural lighting:
The Verdict
- Z: Loves it! She was not so sure at first when I showed her pictures from pinterest but once I got going, she was excited about the results.
- Me: I believe it is absolutely cute! I know Z is getting older so she does not want to wear a lot of pigtail type styles. However, this style looks quite unique and can be dressed up with dreadlocks cuffs and accessories. I could not find any cuffs at my local store but will try another store later this week.
- I will definitely do this style again but perhaps try bigger sections/puffs. This may also cut down on styling time. I will see how this style holds throughout this week and through swimming Saturday. The setting cream gave her hair a nice hold so hopefully the style will get some good wear.
