Perfecting and Maintaining the Bantu Knot Out – 14 Fantastic Tips

May 10, 2021BruceDayne

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Perfecting and Maintaining the Bantu Knot Out – 14 Fantastic Tips

By Jacqueline Samaroo

An abundance of springy, shiny curls that beautifully frame your face. That’s the picture-perfect ideal you’re after when you do a Bantu knot out.

It doesn’t often come out that way, though. Instead, you get limp, frizzy half-curls with different sections of your hair seeming to do their own crazy thing. What’s up with that?! What are you doing wrong?

Don’t worry – we’ve got your back with these tips for getting an IG selfie-worthy Bantu knot out. We’ve also included some ways to keep your Bantu knot out hairstyle looking awesome for more than just a few hours. Read on!

1. Start with clean, detangled hair.

Hair that is clean and fully detangled will produce better-looking, more defined curls.

2. Dry (or slightly damp) hair works best.

Because of how a Bantu knot is coiled around itself, it can be difficult to dry completely. This is definitely a problem! Undoing the knots while your hair is still damp is what often causes knot out curls to look limp and end up frizzy.

3. Divide your hair into sections

It will give you control over how much product you use on your hair. Less is best since you want your hair to dry without too much fuss.

4. Add a little butter or oil for moisture.

Products that contain shea butter or argan oil are popular choices. They also give sufficient hold without making your hair too stiff or weighing it down.

5. Twirl (or twist) then wrap.

Do two-strand twists give better Bantu knot outs than twirls? The debate rages on! It probably all comes down to the kind of curls you want. Twisted Bantu knots will definitely give you curlier hair but may also make your hair look shorter than you expected once you undo them.

6. Get help keeping them in place, if necessary.

Once wrapped, the knots will usually stay in place on their own. If your knots keep unraveling, you can use hairpins or hair ties to hold them in place.

7. Remember: size matters.

How many knots you make out of each section will depend on the length of your hair and the kind of curls you want. As a general rule, shorter hair is done in smaller knots and longer hair in larger knots. Whatever the length of your hair, do small knots for plenty of tighter curls and do larger knots for fewer loose and wavy curls.

8. Leave them in as long as possible.

Give the curls of your Bantu knots time to take shape, especially if you are doing your Bantu knot out as a completely heat-free hairstyle. Overnight should be sufficient. You can help your curls to set by sleeping in a shower cap. When you remove the cap in the morning, allow your hair to dry before styling.

9. Oil your hands!

When it comes time to undo your Bantu knots, add a little oil to your hands first. Dry hands will lead to frizzy hair. Olive oil, coconut oil, or argan oil are good to use here. They also add shine to the curls as you unravel them.

10. Take your time undoing the Bantu knots.

Carefully undo each knot by unscrewing it in the opposite direction to which you made it. If you did your Bantu knots using strand twists, carefully undo the twists, too.

11. Don’t over-separate.

If you do, you are more likely to lose the definition of your curls AND end up with unsightly fizziness.

12. Fluff (but don’t over-fluff) the roots.

Use your fingers, an afro pick, or a wide-tooth comb to gently fluff your hair at the roots. This will add some volume and, at the same time, hide any visible sections of your scalp.

13. Protect your style.

You put a lot of effort into getting a picture-perfect Bantu knot out. Making it last even a couple of days is a wonderful bonus. Here are some ways to protect your curls at night.

Put your hair up in a pineapple style.
Make loose ponytails with large sections of your hair.
Wrap a scarf around your edges and push your curls up a bit.
Sleep in a silk or satin bonnet.
Ditch your cotton pillowcase for a silk or satin one.

14. Add a little shine.

Spruce up your curls with a nourishing oil sheen spray. It’s a great way to add shine to curls that are beginning to lose their luster.

Did we miss anything? Share your own Bantu knot out tips with us!

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Chanel’s Punk-Inspired Show Featured Garter Bags, Harnesses & Fishnets

May 09, 2021BruceDayne

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Never underestimate the power of accessories. On Tuesday, Chanel presented its cruise ‘22 collection which, in addition to midriff-baring tweed sets and coat dresses, included its fair share of out-there accessories. In fact, it was said accessories, from handbag chain harnesses to quilted leather garter belt bags, that stood out most.

Against the backdrop of a former quarry in Provence, France, models walked to trance music by Sébastien Tellier, Angèle, and more while covered in punk-inspired accoutrements that included fishnet tights (Jill Biden is vindicated!), miniature neckties a la Avril Lavigne, heavy chain belts, and chokers. Though long known for its handbags and shoes, the French house, under the guidance of creative director Virginie Viard, used this collection to move away from its quintessential quilted flap bags and tweed slingbacks. Instead, Viard debuted a more daring and youthful approach to the house’s signatures.

Jewelry-wise, models switched off between cross pendants and extra-long, tangled chains reminiscent of the early ‘00s. Upper arms were decorated with cuffs, while wrists were adorned with chunky metal bangles. Arguably the most unexpected addition was the CC lip ring worn by many of the show’s models. According to Vogue, their addition was inspired by the late Stella Tennant’s “punk attitude” — the supermodel once refused to take out her septum piercing for a British Vogue shoot, according to W — as well as photographs of model Lola Nicon dressed as a “punk heroine,” taken at Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment in Paris prior to Tuesday’s show. “I wanted something quite rock,” Viard said in the show notes.

With Chanel’s stamp of approval, we’ll be considering a lip piercing of our own — or more likely, a clip-on version — in the near future. Leather harnesses, garter bags, and neckties, too.

Watch the show, below.

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Lori Harvey’s New Skin-Care Line Is Michael B. Jordan-Approved

May 09, 2021BruceDayne

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 09: Lori Harvey poses backstage for Cushnie Et Ochs during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Pier 17 on February 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images for New York Fashion Week: The Shows)

In the latest installment of Vogue’s Beauty Secrets video seies, Lori Harvey took fans through her everyday getting-ready routine and casually dropped the news that she has a skin-care line on the way.

The model, whose stepfather is television host Steve Harvey, is so passionate about skin care that she’s in the process of putting the finishing touches on her own collection of products, which she’s currently beta testing on herself — and the important men in her life.

“I tested all my products, of course, on myself, but I also tested them on my boyfriend,” said Harvey, who has been publicly dating actor Michael B. Jordan for the last several months. “He has become my live test model, so now he’s very into his skin-care routine as well. He tells me all the time that when he’s on set, the makeup artists compliment his skin.”

In fact, Harvey has gotten her stepfather into a consistent skin-care regimen as well. “So if you’re wondering why his skin looks so good lately,” she says, smiling, “it’s because of me.”

Throughout the tutorial, Harvey incorporated products from her own line, including a low-pH cleanser that was inspired by her own sensitive skin and her struggle to find products that didn’t leave it feeling stripped of moisture. She also teased what she calls the “perfect eye cream,” created with her mom’s advice that “prevention is better than correction” in mind.

While the model credits her mom for her philosophy on beauty, she also mentioned makeup artist Pat McGrath as an inspiration. “She taught me so much,” said Harvey. “There’s a lack of Black women in the beauty space, and in the skin-care space, so she definitely inspired me to create my own brand.”

So far, there’s no official release date for Harvey’s skin-care collection, but let’s just say we are very ready to test out the “perfect eye cream” that also happens to be Michael B. Jordan-approved.

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Mother’s Day Has Always Been Complicated, But The Pandemic Has Proven It’s Broken

May 09, 2021BruceDayne

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

For years now, I’ve dreaded Mother’s Day. Part of the reason is that the seemingly obligatory social media posts have always made me feel isolated. In part, this is because it had never been a holiday I celebrated much with my own mom; being from Russia, we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 instead, a holiday with roots in labor movements that has over the years turned into another flower-and-card show. But, since my mom passed away in April 2018 after battling with leukemia for a year, the second Sunday in May has turned downright painful.

As I prepare to have a child of my own this summer, and as we continue to navigate our way through a pandemic that has exacerbated so many of the inequities and indignities of being a mother in this country, it feels particularly hard to participate in the celebration of the holiday without a second thought. And yet, that seems to be exactly what people are doing: Despite the economic downturn and pandemic-related job losses, U.S. consumers are projected to spend a record $28.1 billion on flowers, jewelry, and cards for the holiday — an average of $220.48 per person — which is up $1.4 billion from 2020. The promotions folder of my Gmail is full of embarrassing subject lines like, “Who run the world? MOMS!” as seemingly every company jumps on the motherhood-praising bandwagon.

And yet, rather than make me want to buy things, these missives are just another reminder that our country values capital over humans. After all, so many of these companies “<3 LOVE MOMS <3” but don’t pay their employees fair wages to take care of their children, don’t give their employees adequate paid family leave, and are among those who have laid off thousands of moms in the middle of a pandemic.

It’s not only me who is dismayed by the holiday’s capitalist fervor; famously, the founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, grew to despise its commercialization (and was arrested for disturbing the peace when boycotting it). Jarvis initially set out to honor her mother, Ann Jarvis, a peace activist who had unsuccessfully campaigned for the creation of a Mother’s Day in the U.S., with a memorial at a church in West Virginia in 1908. She was very intentional in calling her celebration “Mother’s Day” as a singular possessive: as in, honoring one mom and not all moms. However, after it officially became a national holiday in 1914, Hallmark started producing Mother’s Day cards and the holiday was quickly on its way to being commercially exploited.

Mother’s Day isn’t only broken because of crass commercialization, though. It’s more the fact that it’s also coupled in this country with a lack of support for working parents. Mother’s Day should look the way mothers want it to, but it will take great strides to get there. On a government level, this means supporting mothers, not grinding them down as has been done during the pandemic, when millions of women have dropped out of the labor force, many of them because they had to take care of their kids and there was no childcare available; 1.5 million mothers are still missing from the labor force, according to economists. Then, too, our maternal mortality rate is abysmal, and according to the CDC, Black mothers in the U.S. die at four times the rate of white mothers, one of the largest racial disparities in women’s health, and Black babies are twice as likely to die during infancy than their white counterparts. “Every day, Black women are subjected to harsh and racist treatment during pregnancy and childbirth,” Rep. Cori Bush testified in Congress this week, discussing the way she was mistreated by doctors when facing severe pregnancy complications with both of her children. “Every day, Black women die because the system denies our humanity.”

President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan — a huge federal investment in education, childcare, and paid family leave — would be a useful start to solving many disparities. After all, we are one of only a handful of countries in the world that doesn’t have a federally mandated parental leave, and rank near the bottom for spending on childcare and early-childhood education and highly for income inequality and childhood poverty rates.

“I wish I had the option of taking paid leave to care for my family,” Rachel Maurice, a member of COVID Survivors for Change who lives in Riverside County, California, tells Refinery29. Maurice resigned from her job to care for her now-16-year-old daughter, who contracted COVID and is still suffering from complications, her lungs severely damaged. She ended up losing the family’s health insurance. “I did what I had to do to keep my loved ones safe and I’m proud of that. But it shouldn’t have cost us our health insurance or financial stability. I love being a mom and have always loved a day dedicated to celebrating that. But this year, it’s hard to feel the joy of Mother’s Day without also feeling deeply angry at what mothers have been through over the past year. I’m urging my lawmakers to pass the American Families Plan and finally guarantee paid leave for all workers.”

But even the most comprehensive legislation can’t change pervasive values that affect the way mothers are often treated. For example, in heterosexual couples, women are still taking on the bulk of childcare and housework, even when they work full-time. So we have to do more than just pass bills, as life-changing as some of them could be. We have to hold companies accountable for treating mothers and pregnant people with equity and respect, starting with fair wages and adequate leave time on top of the paltry, unpaid amount offered by the government. It’s up to employers, too, to offer more flexible schedules, pay for childcare, and normalize workers not having to be in the office 9-to-5, even post-pandemic. And, it’s up to partners and the community to do more, too, to make sure mothers are equitably treated.

“I see Mother’s Day in the United States as a bit of an insult,” Caitlyn Collins, a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of Making Motherhood Work: How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving, tells Refinery29.

“The United States has the most family-hostile public policy of any wealthy Western country. We offer among the fewest supports to help caregivers and families — policies that are the norm elsewhere, like paid parental leave, high-quality and affordable childcare, affordable healthcare, living wages, fair work schedules, and a federal requirement that employers offer paid vacation and sick days. So patting moms on the back one day a year to thank them for keeping families afloat 365 days a year feels, let’s say, inadequate.” Collins’ research has found that American mothers “stand apart for their guilt and worry,” and that they feel the most acute work-family conflict. It shows: 58% of mothers, compared to 32% of fathers, have said the pandemic has harmed their mental health.

I see Mother’s Day in the United States as a bit of an insult. Patting moms on the back one day a year to thank them for keeping families afloat 365 days a year feels, let’s say, inadequate.
caitlyn collins, sociology professor and author of making motherhood work

Given all of this, it’s kind of no wonder the birth rate is at its lowest point in over a century.

Another way to reform Mother’s Day is for companies and government bodies to become more inclusive and acknowledging of all mothers’ experiences, including those of queer parents, who often have to fight for their right to be recognized as parents at all; undocumented and refugee parents; as well as people who struggle with fertility. “A fair and equitable Mother’s Day means recognizing the unique experiences of all women,” Jamie Weiss Yagoda, senior policy advisor at the International Rescue Committee, tells Refinery29. “This includes women refugees, both here in the U.S. and around the world. These mothers have faced conflict, displacement, and now COVID-19, and we must ensure they have access to the resources and services they need.”

And then, on an interpersonal level, we have to consider the specific emotional needs of mothers. “My main feeling about Mother’s Day is that all the fancy brunches and family get-togethers are a misinterpretation of what a mom would actually want or need, which is time alone to think about no one but herself,” Laura Norkin, 37, Deputy Editor at InStyle.com, who has a baby and a toddler, tells Refinery29. “While I love and appreciate the mothers who came before me, I would so appreciate a single day that felt, well, FOR me.”

At the very least, mothers need help — not only in the form of a bottomless mimosa brunch, but also via systemic change that uplifts the millions of women who keep this country running. Seeing progress toward this would certainly help me dread Mother’s Day a tiny bit less. What doesn’t help? Companies yelling at us: “Who run the world? MOMS!” We know they do — and they deserve a break.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for organizations to support, or if you are a mother and need support yourself, please check out:

Emotional support: National Parent Helpline; 855-427-2736

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224

Legal advice: The National Women’s Law Center provides free consultations; 202-319-3053

Understanding your workplace rights: A Better Balance, a nonprofit legal advocacy group

Black maternal health and justice: Black Mamas Matter Alliance

Advocate for care workers: National Domestic Workers Alliance
Food assistance: Mutual Aid Hub

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