How We Talk About Our Own Hair

What is a bad hair day?

Rebellious, unmanageable, nappy, untamed, unkempt. These are just some of the words I hear about how people describe their own hair, and its usually not meant to be positive. This is what makes us look for so-called "miracle products" for our hair. I'm even talking about those of us who wear our hair naturally; I still don't think we have gotten rid of negative thinking about our hair. Some of us are wearing it out and proud but still talk about certain sections of our hair being "too unruly." I know some gave up relaxers and frequent flat iron use (me) because we were tired of fighting with our curls and coils. But then why are we still trying all these products and techniques in attemps to "fight" with our hair even more?

Don't get me wrong, I like playing in my hair on days when I'm not being lazy. I like finding out what it can do. But I stopped thinking about my hair as these unruly fibers sprouting from my head and then suddenly, styling became easier and so did my product searches. I am NOT searching for a product to solve all my hair problems because quite frankly, my hair isn't problematic. Having curls and coils isn't a disorder that needs to be "taken care of" or handled. Even though I have different patterns all over my head and it's in layers and I easily get single strand knots, I still don't think these are issues, but things about my hair I have to work with. Do you note the difference in wording? I said I had to work with my hair, not manage or tame it.

Obviously, the issue with naturally curly hair (particularly the afro-grade) is that information isn't mainstream enough for people to understand how their hair works. And let's face it, most products we love market themselves in ways to promise us to deal with these "problems." Look at the description of some (even ones that I have) that talk about using the product to have beautiful or managable or better hair. If we want to fully accept our hair, I say that we stop using words (unconsciously) that make it so negative.

Back From the Moutains

Happy Monday Hair Enthusiasts!

I'm back in the city and pretty exhausted. I was up in the mountains in NY near the Canadian Border (even got stopped by Border Patrol!) and it wasn't warm. I think the highest temperature it reached was 60 degrees but was regularly at 40. Remember that here in NYC it's been 80 and up.

Saranec Lake, NY

Somewhere in Lake Placid

I kept my hair in the twists, and remembered why I need to wash my hair every 5-7 days...for the sake of my scalp. The temperature change really made my scalp itch beyond belief, I already suffer from scalp issues and get these gross dry patches especially in the front of my head. And then because of the colder temps, wind, and morning dew my hair got a little frizzy.

In the moutains...

In Albany

I moisturized my hair with aloe vera gel, whipped pudding and coconut oil which which I think really kept the hair from frizzing as much as it could've. I kept my hair in high ponytails and buns most of the time because I don't like hair in my face. By the time I got to Albany, NY the temps were about 70 but it was rainy and my hair still frizzed up a bit. Anyway, I'm really glad that I did not wear my hair loose because of how unpredictable the weather was. Overall, my hair doesn't feel dry because I moisturized it daily. Today I plan on doing my routine to sooth my scalp because I hate feeling like it's on fire!

Twists Remix

So basically, what I do is braid sections of my twisted hair to make it wavy. I like the way it looks, it gives the twists an extra "umph" in my opinion. I moisturized my hair with aloe vera gel, Oyin Whipped Pudding and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to seal.

Before...

After...

The combination of products I used were quite moisturizing by the way. I'm heading to the mountains upstate tomorrow so hopefully the hair will be able to stand the random conditions for the weekend. Depending on how they hold up will depend if I leave them in for the 8-12 days I had planned.

I'll be back to report and have fun with SP and her Majesty for a few days.  Peace!!

What has her Majesty been up to?

So as everyone can see i haven't really been posting much due to a bad mosquito allergy = / 

Gross right?

Anyhoo....

So i wasn't able to do much to my hair for 2 weeks besides wash n go, which paid off in the end for me because once i was able to start really touching and doing my hair again, i realized it had grown.

My roots are getting bigger, my hair is getting thicker, and although i haven't stuck to my regimen in quite a while (which i plan to get back to today!), my majesty has really been flourishing and i am so proud of her.

I am back to regular posting and i think i have some fun stuff in store = )

Hair For the Week: Double Strand Twists

I haven't done this in months! I literally just finished this set. I love twists because of how versatile they are and how I don't have to touch my hair for how ever long I leave them in (between 1.5-2 weeks)

Details:

*I did my wash routine on Fri, but then co-washed my hair early Sunday morning

*Put my hair in two braids to dry

*sectioned my hair into four, worked from the back to the front

*did not use a comb and did not really part. I really just used my fingers to gently detangle and part

*Moisturized each section with aloe vera gel and Oyin Whipped Pudding (which is a shea butter mix)

*I braid the roots and then twist the rest of the hair

*Sealed twists with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

I actually don't leave my twists like this because I like them to be curly. I'll post how I actually wear them later.

Happy Natural Shopper

So yesterday I was minding my own businesses buying groceries at ShopRite when I somehow managed to wonder into the hair section (gee wonder how that happened lol). I was really excited to see that my two staple conditioners were on sale: RenPure Organics My Hair is Parched for $2.99 and Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut Family Size at $1.79! Both of these items I had purchased before from CVS retailed at $7.99 and around $2.79 respectively and not including tax. And of course I was even happier to find out that regularly, RenPure is $5.99 at ShopRite. For both my conditioners, I spent $5.20! *does the happy natural dance*

Of course, I started thinking about fellow natural hair enthusiasts who love buying their products but also love having money for other important things. And as a natural who became a hair enthusiast during my last two years in college (and did not live at home, had an apartment, and recieved no money from the parentals) I wanted to share some tips that I used first for saving money while grocery shopping (which sounds funny I know) that I later applied to hair shopping:

*Shop for the best deal: coupons, circulars, online orders. Products for your hair are everywhere including in grocery stores so you're really not confined. There's always a deal on a product somewhere, you just have to look. And when there's a sale for your staple product(s) be sure to stock up!

*Ingredients check: if you know your hair well enough to know what it likes, then shopping for new products is a lot easier. Need a conditioner with good slip? Then make sure that something like Behentrimonium methosulfate is in the first 5 ingredients. Don't want any sulfates in your shampoo? Well that will narrow down your choices...

*Sample: and if  you aren't sure about what ingredients work for you, sample the product somehow. Ask a friend if they have some, ask the store for some samples (I know Aveda gives out samples, Ricky's has products you can try in the store) participate in online giveaways (hint hint, we have one coming soon!) and you can sometimes call the manufacturer and request samples from there. I especially like to sample if the product is expensive and I'm not completely won over but am curious.

*Research Before You Try: Everyone's hair is different so what works for Natural A may not work for Natural B, but maybe it will for Natural C. Also, please follow the directions as close as possible the first time you try a product. Learning how to use it first allows for experimentation later, especially if you don't know your hair that well. I cannot tell you how many products I am thinking of revisiting that I dismissed before simply because I didn't know how to use it.

*Jumping on Bandwagons: will make you broke, simply put lol. It's cool to try a product that another natural reccommends (I mean we ♥ product reviews) but it goes back to researching before hand. Someone says they love castor oil and so they say that mixing it in their conditioner is wonderous! Don't run out and buy castor oil without even knowing what it is. There are too many resources for us out here, there's no excuse!

*Always Have An Alternative: I mean this specifically when at times you cannot afford the usual product. There's always, I repeat, always an (cheaper?) alternative. For instance, I love my Kinky Curly Knot Today, but costing between 9-13 bucks doesn't always help my wallet. That's why I alternate with Sauve Naturals because it's cheaper and it works about the same for me. And there's always stuff from the kitchen that is the same, if not better, than commercial hair products and it turns out cheaper (I have personally mixed all sorts of things and I promise to share concoctions in future posts)

I could go on and site how each of these tips helps with grocery shopping, but that would make this post longer. I will give a small example. I'm trying to decide what to cook for a dinner party I'm hosting and I want it to be something really popular. Someone tells me I can't go wrong by cooking calimari. As it turns out, I loath the thought of eating squid and think omg what if there are leftovers? What am I going to do with them? Throw them out? I hate wasting food. I know it would be popular but I have an alternative that I wouldn't mind eating and having left overs from.

Happy shopping!

Hair Growth, Layers, and Trimming

As a professional hairstylist, there are a few things i have heard, read, and that  people have asked me that i would like to hopefully clear up and better explain for some. If i have forgotten anything or anyone has questions they need answered, i will be back to update this post with any further information.

Now, lets begin!

HAIR GROWTH AND LAYERS 

~ Hair grows approximately a 1/4 of an inch to a 1/2 of an inch per month

(Remember, these are average hair growth rates and hair growth will vary from person to person, with some people growing faster or slower than these rates)

~ Hair is not Symmetrical.

 It is completely normal, and very common, for our hair to grow faster and fuller on one side. As we are not perfectly symmetrical from our left side to our right of our bodies, sometimes with one hand or foot being a little bigger, same goes for our hair.

~ Hair does not grow in layers.

I wanted to clear this up because i see a lot of people, especially naturals saying that their hair grows in layers and this is not true. I will do my best to explain....

If you shaved your head bald and and let all of your hair grow out again, each strand of hair should be the same length ( give or take some length depending on the way your hair grows). 

With each hair being the same length, it will seem as though your hair grows in layers with the hair in the nape area reaching your shoulders first, while the hair in the front is growing to the chin, the hair on the sides past the ears and so and so forth. 

Being that there are higher and lower points on the head, these same length strands will hang down, in a layered effect.

TRIMMING

For some reason, a lot of people seem to be confused as to when to trim, why to trim, how much to trim and who should trim. I've heard everything from some people thinking they need to trim every month or 6 to 8 weeks, to some who believe they don't need to trim because they are natural.
A lot of people tend to forget that a lot of rules that pertain to hair are generalities because most people do not follow the same hair regimen, seeing as how our hair is all different.
Think of the same when it comes to trimming.
Here it goes...

Trimming is truly only needed as necessary.

Reasons why to trim:

• To remove split/stringy/see through ends.
• To remove damaged hair due to chemical processes such as color, relaxers, perms, texturizers, Brazilian Keratin Treatments, Japanese straightening treatments, and bleaching processes (to name a few).
• Keep ends freshly trimmed.

Trimming every month to me seems excessive unless you are slowly trimming away hair that is damaged in some sort of way or are in some sort of transition, or your hair grows fast and you are trying to maintain a certain length. 

Otherwise, if your hair is healthy there is no reason to need to trim every month. 

Trimming every 6 to 8 weeks would be a good regimen for someone who is trying to maintain healthy ends and has chemically treated hair. Because chemically treated hair has been weakened and is more susceptible to damage, it will more than likely need to be trimmed at a faster rate than hair that is natural, this goes for all hair types. 

Now of course if someone has really strong hair (let's say Chinese hair for example) and they have a chemical process done, they may not need to have their hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks because their strands are really strong.

Just imagine, lets say hypothetically your hair grows 1/2 inch per month, thats 6 inches a year. What if you kept your ends in such a good condition that you'd never have to trim them. Imagine how long your hair would be!
Get it? lol.

NATURALS .Yes you need to trim too. 

I have found that many naturals have a lot of split ends and it can be the reason why their hair is feeling coarser than usual and may be hard to comb through. It can also play a big role in the way your hair curls up if your ends are split and dry. Naturals who wear a fro especially should want to trim because their ends are constantly being exposed to damage from the elements of styling and everyday life. Also, women who get knots in their hair should trim these knots away if they can't be detangled, instead of ripping through them.

I hope i did a good job of explaining =)
If there are any questions or anything is unclear, please feel free to ask and i would love to see what your comments are.
SP = )