The Faux Fro.

Well, I did it. I made it one whole day without hairspray or teasing. Just 364 more days to go. Awesome.

Last night, I washed my hair and now it's officially product-free for the next year. See, I wouldn't say that I cheated, because yesterday's hairstyle was the day-after, brushed-out version of the hairstyle I received from Lindsey on the day before this whole endeavor started. And let me tell you... already my hair is feeling flat, dreary and boring.

To help rid myself of my plain-Jane straight hair, I decided to put it in braids after I got out of the shower last night. Call it a Bo Derek-inspired day.

I sectioned my hair into 4 pieces and cornrow braided it down the back of my head. It was quite attractive. I mean, if Bo Derek can do it... I can too, right?

Um... maybe not. I'm far from the Bo Derek fantasy with this hair. Truth be told, I seriously never let people see me with that hairdo. It's just downright funky looking and totally makes me look like a pinhead. But it does make a great morning-after crimp... so that's why I chose it. The nice part about braiding it right before bed is that it doesn't have to be nice. I knew I was going to take it out in the morning, so I just did a quick job.

This is a very, very easy hairdo to wake up with. Basically, I woke up this morning, showered, put on my makeup and went out the door. I actually took my braids out while I was in the car by running my hands through them. And that's how I left my hair for the day.

I call it my "faux fro" because it definitely has some good body when it's crimped. If I'm not allowed to tease my hair, but I know I want body, this is the look I'm going to go for. I don't care if it's "in" or not. It's easy-peasy... and that's just what I'm looking for. Since my hair is pretty fine, it tends to hold what I do to it pretty well. I'm hoping that same fact is still true when I don't have my trusty hairspray by my side.

The ONLY downside of this wake-up-and-go style is that you MUST know how to french braid. You could always have someone do it for you, but when you live with your dad... it's usually not an option. So a big thank you to my beautiful mom, who taught me to braid at a very young age. Knowing how to braid just might be the only thing that gets me through the next 364 days.