Is wash day doing a number on your hair?
Source: blackgirllonghair.com
1. Start with sections
Once I started washing my hair in sections, I was blown away by how quickly I could detangle afterwards. By twisting or braiding the hair, you reduce the tendency of the strands to wrap around themselves whilst being cleansed. Try it and see for yourself.
Tip: For shoulder length hair, as few as 2-4 sections will do. For longer hair, you may need to make up to 8 sections.
2. Ditch the Shampoo!
Yes, I know you've been told to shampoo your hair to really clean it ALL your life but there are methods that are just as effective - and incidentally less stripping to the hair strands. Clay washes are now more widely available and have been used for 1,000s of years by Ancient Egyptians (even Cleopatra) and Romans to cleanse their hair and bodies. Click here to find out about Rhassoul Clay and Bentonite Clay as hair washes.Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking soda can be diluted in water to work as a final clarifying rinse for hair. You can alternatively add a tablespoon of baking soda to conditioner to wash your hair with. 3. Add a CO-wash or Pre-poo
A co-wash is a conditioner-only rinse: using conditioner in lieu of shampoo to wash your hair. The benefits are that your hair will not be stripped by shampoo but will also get a boost of moisture with each application. I personally do this weekly and use a mud wash every month to clarify my strands - remove any excess buildup.
A pre-poo is a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment (if you opt to shampoo). It involves using a mixture of oils or a deep conditioner BEFORE you wash your hair to prevent all the oils from being stripped by the cleansing process. You can do this for an hour or even overnight (if you want to wash your hair first thing).
4. Detangle like a pro!
The length of your hair depends more on this one step more than any other!
First choose when you will detangle: a the beginning of the wash routine, or at the end. Will you do it on damp or dry hair (but always moisturized) or on conditioner-drenched tresses?
Next, choose a wide-tooth comb or detangling brush and start at the ends of the hair. Work in the sections you will be washing in. Slowly work your way up to the roots. Twist or braid up the section once you can comb through with relative ease.
Finally, allow hair to air-dry in that section to at least 70% dryness before trying any further detangling. Be extra careful if you are styling whilst the hair is wet.
When I started my journey, I detangled my relaxed hair when damp at the end of my wash routine (air-dried to 70%). Now I detangle under the stream of water in the shower with conditioner in my hair. Oh, and I finger detangle almost exclusively. This takes dedication, practice and patience.
What parts of your wash routine have you tweaked on your journey? What needs changing now?
Hey. I am half African American and half white. But, I definitely have the African American hair! I have straightened it several times but over the past 8 months, I haven't straightened it because I want it to be naturally curly again. But, there are still quite a few parts of my hair that are straight because of the flat iron.
I have used homemade and store bought remedies that have not worked. Not only do I want to have my hair even again, by having it all curly, I want my natural hair back. If I could go back and not straighten it at all, I would. I would love to get your opinion on some remedies I could do to my hair to make it all curly again. My hair is very, very thick and medium long. Right now, it is cut in layers. I usually wear my hair in either a bun or ponytail everyday. I would also love your opinion on how to "tame" my hair.
I have never been able to wear it down or do much with it. If i just let it go, it gets way too frizzy and looks like Diana Ross from the 80's if you know what I mean! My goal is to find a way to wear my hair down without looking like a crazy woman... :) Please help me with these 2 problems!!! Thank you! Firstly, I hate to break the news that the parts of your hair that don't go back curly now are heat-damaged: their protein bonds have changed to stay straight after wetting it.
Like a relaxer, no product can take it back to it's original curly state. The only thing is to grow your hair and eventually trim off those areas.
The good news is that you can mask the straight areas with textured styles like twists, braids, bantu knot-outs, braid-outs and twist-outs. See video tutorials for these on Lolascrib YouTube channel.
For your second question about taming your hair, first invest in a satin scarf or bonnet. Next, trial hair creams or butters when letting your hair dry. With freshly washed hair, apply a leave-in conditioner and a hair cream or butter (like whipped shea butter). Style your hair and with a satin scarf for 30 mins. Let the rest of the hair air-dry. If this process is going to be done overnight, keep the scarf on. When dried, your edges (hairline) and hair will be smooth. Gently undo the braids with some oil on your fingertips to prevent frizzing and don't fluff too much. At night, you can make big braids of the hair and cover with the scarf again.
If you notice your hair poofing up at the end of the day, spray some water on the edges, smooth back with fingers and cover with a scarf - even 5 minutes makes a huge difference.
The main things are to use the scarf to smooth your hair and have a good holding product that will moisturize but prevent frizzing (the butter).
Hope this helps and let me know how it goes.
 Source: www.ehow.com Does it feel like you've been trying to grow your hair FOREVER?
Well, it could be down to habits that are still sneakily undermining your efforts.
Read on to see if you are guilty of one of these.
1. Hand-in-Hair Syndrome
You're finally rocking the ultimate twistout! Your hair is looking the BUSINESS. And you can't stop yourself from checking it out in every shiny surface today. Problem is, every time you look, you reach up and tuck, fluff, primp and twirl the strands.
Why is this habit bad? Well, simply put, you are over-manipulating your strands. You are tugging and twisting more than twice a day. You might as well be back-combing the hair, for all the tangles you are introducing!
This habit will lead to dry, tangled hair that needs even more time (and comb sightings) at the end of the day to fix it. And each point of manipulation is a potential source of breakage.
Beware of the hand-in-hair! lol!
2. Scissor-Happy Trimming Times
Trimming off split ends is a good practice - that much is widely agreed on. However, this is different from the 8-weekly to even 6 monthly trimmers.
When trim-time approaches, the scissor-happy lady goes overboard: cutting up to 2 inches off the ends. This is also known as a HAIR CUT.
Another type of scissor-happy habit is when dusting goes too far. Forever looking for the split end, this trimmer may dust a centimetre off every few days! This adds up to inches in a short period.The main issue is too much hair being taken off either in one go or over a few days.
Shorter ends = shorter hair (unfortunately).
Solution: Pick a set date for trimming, and only trim on that day (don't finish it off over the next 4 days). Trimming should only take half an inch off the ends maximum. Any more is a hair cut (evening out the ends if a blunt cut style).
3. Hair Brush Crush
There is a widely believed myth that encourages 100 strokes of the brush daily for stimulating the scalp. On hair that is naturally drier, curlier or kinkier (read 'Hair of African Descent'), you will either end up bald or with a very sore scalp from doing this!
A brush is only good if you use it properly and sparingly. Using it vigorously as you 'detangle' the strands will lead to breakage.
Side-note: if your hair is relaxed, you tend to need only one pass of any brush to get the job done. If your hair is natural, hair must be very well moisturized (maybe even coated in conditioner) before a brush can look at it).
I threw away my brushes at the start of my hair journey and only bought the Tangle Teezer or a soft boar bristle brush for special occasion use only.
4. Shampoo / Wash Routine Mayhem
A poorly planned wash routine will be poorly executed! Washing LOOSE hair that is past shoulder length (stretched length for naturals) will only land you in TANGLE CITY.
You need to remember that hair will be more prone to tangling from the shampoo alone (raises the cuticle to clean the hair). A good routine will see you through this common obstacle with ease.
You may need to apply a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment (pre-poo) to your tresses before getting in the shower. Washing the hair in sections also minimizes the tangled web one can fall into. (More info in the next post on a good wash routine).
Well, ladies and gents, any of these sounding familiar? Your thoughts?
So, have you met a Natural Hair Nazi? (Or are you a budding one?)
I couldn't leave you hanging for too long!
Here it is, ladies and gents!
She hides it so well!
Enjoy!
I thought I would share my hair history over the weekend!
Enjoy!
Length check video coming!
My hair is always dry! - The Untold Masses
A common stumbling block for women embarking on their hair journeys is the battle to keep moisture IN the hair. Many think it's simply apply product to hair and go about your business.
Hold on!
You may be doing it wrong:
(see if you've been guilty of these mistakes).
#1) Under-Moisturizing
Just as you feel thirsty if you aren't getting enough water, your hair feels dry if you're giving no-where-near the amount of moisture it needs.
I suggest you start by moisturizing daily. If your hair feels dry later in the day, go up to twice daily moisturizing sessions. If it feels mushy at the end of the day, however, go down to alternate day moisturizing sessions.
#2) Not sealing in the moisture
Using water or a water-based product is a good idea, but the water within it can evaporate quickly from the hair shaft....unless it is sealed in. This is done by applying an oil or butter to the hair after applying your water-based moisturizer. Some moisturizers also have oils included which help slow down the evaporation process.
#3) Moisturizing Dirty hair
When the moisturizer you apply cannot get through the build-up of products already sitting on your hair, you are not going to reap the benefits of the practice. Some products are notorious for forming a barrier to further moisture: silicones and petroleum-based products, for instance.
#4) Trying to moisturize your hair with a butter or oil
Simply put, moisture comes from water. If there is none in the product you are using, you are just lubricating the hair. Some oils CAN penetrate the hair shaft: coconut oil and olive oil for instance, but most sit on the outer surface only. This goes for most butters too. This makes them great for sealing in the moisture though (trapping it in the strand for longer).
#5) Neglecting the ends of your hair
The oldest parts of your hair strands are, you guessed it, the ends. Hence, they get dried out faster than the rest. They need the moisture and care you want to give during moisturizing sessions. A lot of women tend to focus first on the ends of their hair, then apply a bit of moisturizer to the roots. This will definitely aid length retention by minimizing breakage.
So, have you done any of the above? Any other tips or tricks you've picked up that have upped the ante for your moisturizing mojo? Do share!
This is a pretty short and sweet peace about moisturizing hair with extensions in them. Why is this important? Well, I found that my protective styling methods were sabotaging my length retention goals for years until I figured this out.
I'll let you in on the secret though! *wink*
You need a "water-based moisturizing spritz". Followed by a light oil/oil sheen spray.
Reasoning
The best way to get a product into hair that is hidden or intermingled with other fibres (extension hair) are to apply a liquid product. A spray is the perfect way to reach the roots, length and ends of the hair with ease!
Secondly, sealing with a light oil will keep the moisture for longer without the fears of increasing build-up on the hair.
The proof in the pudding
I used to buy braid sprays that tried to mix both of the above and just had a sticky mess! Once I began to add water to the braid sprays, this worked much better. My amazing discovery was when I tried an olive oil and argan oil sheen spray. That took my kinky twists to a whole new level of moisture.
This way, when I took down the braids or twists, I had moisturized, soft hair.
What to use:
For moisture sprays, try water as a base with aloe vera juice and glycerin mixed in. If your hair needs a bit of a protein boost, add a tablespoon of Infusium 23 to the bottle.
For oils, I recommend Jojoba, Argan (a bit pricey though), rapeseed oil and grapeseed oils. Oil sheen sprays are great for ease of application!
I moisturize my styles twice a day (morning and night) but seal with the oil at night time - before wearing my satin bonnet!
How do you moisturize your braids and twists?
It is in your hands to make the world a better place. ~ Nelson Mandela
Welcome to 2013, people!
Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living".
I believe this wholeheartedly! I find myself writing lists and reflections most nights. This isn't something new for me. I've long been making lists of goals and plans which I pray over and work towards. However, this used to be done only on a weekly to monthly basis though.
2013 feels different though!
I have to keep reminding myself to do things I have promised (myself) I would follow-up on or improve in 2013. The first is obviously to do with becoming more mature spiritually and finding my God-given purpose in life. After that, it's learning to smell the roses along the way.
If I sacrifice so much to achieve ONE thing, is it worth it if I can't recall the path with other fond memories.
My hair is thriving but I need to start enjoying my length and thickness. (Winter doesn't help). I will also be experimenting with different mixes to cleanse, moisturize and seal my hair.
Sharing information on simple but effective hair care techniques is the last piece of the puzzle.
My YouTube channel and hair meetups will hopefully fulfill this. The meetups will be either workshops or meet-and-greets with product swapping and buying opportunities thrown in! There will also be more profiles on naturals, transitioners and relaxed heads of hair to encourage you all in your healthy hair journeys.
I can't wait!
What are some of your New Year Plans?
YouTube Times | More videos from Lolascrib
Just a few videos to catch you up on.
Enjoy!
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