I Don't Have "good hair" - We Have Good Hair.

Not to offend anyone...but that phrase "good hair" is not really a compliment to me. Personally I consider healthy hair to be good hair. I don't even know how to discuss this without sounding like a jerk. So here is my disclaimer: I mean no harm.

What makes hair "good" anyway?

I have three different textures on my head, are they all good? I don't type my hair but if I had to: my nape is Type 2 (wavy), my sides are more of a type 3(curly), and my crown area is type 4(kinky). So....still good?

So if I base my opinion of hair type on the comments I have received about my hair, I come to the conclusion:

If you have type 2 hair YOU have good hair

If you have type 3 hair YOU have good hair

If you have type 4 hair YOU have good hair

That's everyone!

So unless your hair is fried, split all up, falling out, or dry as the Sahara - you have good hair. If by chance one of those terms describes your hair, get your research on and come join us on the healthy side.

Now go look in a mirror and tell yourself "I have good hair."

Can we all just have HAIR?

The tired ponytail

This was how my hair look ALL of last week. I was tired and busy and this was a far as my style got. Talk about neglect, LOL.

A few years ago this was my staple style and needless to say I did not retain any length back then. The SSks and split ends from the friction of my hair rubbing on my clothes as just too much for my strands.

After that week I gave my hair a much needed spa night:
Prepooed with Jasmine & Castor Oil

Shampoo with Suave Humectant

Deep Conditioner with Giovanni Smooth As Silk

Applied Kimmaytube's leave in conditioner

Although is my typically wash routine what made it different was that I did each step a little longer and a lot more carefully.

My hair hugged me...

What do you when you need to show your hair some special love?

Trim your nails!

"Trim your nails!" is what I yelled at myself just now. I was braiding my hair for tomorrow's braid-out and heard my nail slice one of my strands. Typically, trimming my nails is the first in my regimen but tonight I just forgot. Lesson learn...again.

Scalp Massage

I love a good scalp massage and I love them even more when I am not the one doing it - that is what husbands are for :). In addition, as it turns out there more benefits to a scalp massage besides just the good feeling.

scalp massage.

Sources say that a scalp massage is a great way to ease the mind and the nervous system. Scalp massages increase blood circulation and increase root health and strength. They can also be done with the oil of your choice but be careful not to use an oil that is recommended to be used with a carrier oil (i.e. peppermint oil). A key thing to keep in mind is that scalp massages should be done with the pads of your fingers - not the tips, especially if you have long nails. Check out the resources listed below for more detailed information.

Resources

Hair & Scalp Massage Oils

Steps To A Great Self-Administered Scalp Massage

Hair Diet: What I've noticed thus far.

While wearing my updo that was styled using only sulfate-free, 'cone-free, and natural stylers:

○ I'm still getting itchy at the end of the week (that sucks) - no change here

○ My twists get frizzy faster - I still only touched them up once (pure laziness)

○ Uber softness! So soft that when water hit my hair it was immediately soaked and usually I have to work the water through to get it nice and drenched

○ I was afraid I was going to see a lot of damage that the 'cones were hiding but so far I am very satisfied with what I am seeing and feeling.

I am going to keep this up the rest of the month. As of now I am unsure if this will be a permanent change in my regimen.

I'm going on a diet!!

LOL, I know someone just said some explicit....but I am not going on a weight loss diet, I am going on a Hair Diet: No 'cones or sulfates.

While on my self imposed cornrow challenge I have decided to add another element. I am only going to use sulfate free and cone free products for the month long challenge. I've never noticed a differenc in my hair with product before but then again I did not use any of the sulfate free and cone free products consistently.

I choose my products after examining these lists:

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=34009

http://sites.google.com/site/ladylonghair/'cone-freeconditioners

I will be using:

Dudu Osun Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat conditioner or Giovanni Smooth As Silk

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

Building YOUR Regimen

Upon starting my healthy hair journey I never even thought once about developing and having a regimen. Now it is one of the first tips that I give someone when I am asked for advice. Why? Because I wish someone would have told me! I get the most true results from products when I use them on a regular schedule. I lost count of the number of times I tossed something in the trash because it didn't work the 1 or 2 times I used it-and used it inconsistently. While building my regimen I used the following layout and tips (based on my experience):

First decide your overall goals for your hair, assess your hair needs to get there, and research your options.

Once you decide on steps and products then decide how often you want to do those methods.

I found it easy to split my regimen into time frames - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly.

Here is an example of one method from each time frame:

Daily: Moisturize

Weekly: Deep Condition

Monthly: Shampoo

Quarterly: Trim ends

Yearly: Henna

This is what works for me and some of the methods will change according to the season. Like with shampooing...I do that more frequently in the warmer months because I am outside a lot and there is chance of sweat :)

To help keep me organized I created a chart. I have a lot to do so this helps me keep track of what I am supposed to be doing and when.

Helpful links:
Learning to Build a Hair Regimen That Works

Black Hair Care Regimen

Recap: January '10 Protective Style

During most of January (5th-30th) I wore two strand twists. It was great not having to worry constantly about styling but it was a struggle to fight through the boredom. I am used to changing my hair every week. When I finally took the twists out, I had a TON of shedding. This was expected since I did not comb or detangle my hair for nearly one month. I knew they were shed hairs because they we long and I could see the white bulbs on top. I didn't look at all of them but I did examine a good number of them just to make sure I was suffering from a ton a breakage. I feel like I retained a lot of length from wearing the twists all month but I didn't think to do before and after pics so I have no way of checking that assumption.

I learned that tea tree and aloe vera are GREAT for the itches. The first two weeks of January I used a water/conditioner mix for moisturizing and my scalp was itching like crazy. The last two weeks I used the aloe vera spray with some tea tree oil and my scalp felt sooooo much better. I also learned that my hair LOVES getting moisturized and sealed nightly. The shaft of my hair feels stronger but yet softer than it did in December. When my scalp felt a little too dry I used some coconut oil and that absorbed right in with no problem.

My routine with the two strand twists was fairly simple. Moisturize & seal nightly, co-wash (while twisted) in the middle of the month, and oiling the scalp when needed. I continued to wear my twists up because most of my length retention would have been lost if I would have allowed my twist to brush against my clothing or constant exposure to the dry winter hair.

Castor Oil Challenge: My Planned Routine

Castor oil is really thick and some even say that it smells (I don't smell it *Kanye shrug*). You may find it beneficial to mix the Castor oil with a carrier oil. Carrier oils include:

Sweet Almond Oil	Kukui Nut Oil
Apricot Kernel Oil	Macadamia Nut Oil
Avocado Oil	Watermelon Seed Oil
Meadowfoam Oil	Jojoba Oil
Borage Seed Oil	Sunflower Oil
Seabuckthorn Berry Oil	Hemp Seed Oil
Tea Tree Oil	Sesame Oil
Peanut Oil	Hazelnut Oil
Cranberry Seed Oil	Pecan Oil
Evening Primrose Oil	Pomegranate Seed Oil
Coconut Oil	Grapeseed Oil
Rose Hip Oil	Olive Oil

You can find the majority of these oils in any health food store. Olive oil will probably be the easiest to find-it is in almost every grocery store. From previous information I have read-the greener the olive oil the better. But to be honest, my hair response the same way to olive oil no matter the color.Mixing the olive oil with a carrier oil can be tricky.

If you look at some homemade hair product recipes out there you will notice that when Castor is used, the same amount of carrier oil is used. Some people apply the Castor oil straight with no chaser. The choice is yours. Listen to your hair and give it what it asks for.

The rules of the challenge say to apply at least twice a week. Castor oil has anti-fungal properties so if you have a serious dandruff problem you may want to consider a few additional days a week. The challenge will be going on for a while so feel free to start off slow and adjust your application if needed.

My plans for this challenge (and some things you may want to ponder):

Participation time frame: 2 months (Feb 1 -Apr 1)

Brand used: Walgreen’s Castor Oil and then Home Health Castor oil for the rest of the challenge

Mixing: Castor Oil and Avocado Oil (equal parts of each oil)

Application: Twice a week. Sundays and Thursdays, Sunday is my wash night.

Overall goal for this challenge: Healthier scalp, I put a lot of care into my strands but don’t really pay a lot of attention to my scalp.

I have pledged some serious dedication, I hope I can stick to it. Hold me accountable!

Castor Oil Challenge

Recently, I have came across a few videos on YouTube regarding a Castor Oil Challenge upon further investigation I discovered that quite a few of the ladies got this Challenge from Black Hair Media (BHM). The claims from the challenge include growth, healthier scalp, and less split ends. Sounds interesting huh? Well because I am more about maintaining length the healthier scalp and less splits intrigued me. So I decided it's worth a shot. I am going to follow that same rules posted on BHM. Once again, curiosity is getting the best of me. However, this challenge utilizes products that I already know that my hair loves. Therefore, I assume that no harm will be done.

I plan to try this starting on Feb 1 and going until April 1. The ending date also happens to be the date I plan to slow down on protective styles. The air should be moist again-April Showers :)

If you want to join me, I hope this gives you enough time to purchase your Castor Oil and your mixing oil.

My previous post highlight all the other benefits that can be gained from using Castor Oil.

About Me

Excuse my rudeness, where was my introduction?

Currently, I am employed full time in customer service, a full time student pursuing my master's degree in Community and Social services, and a wife. I love God, He's the center of my joy, I have a furbaby named Tyson (he's a pit but doesn't know it). In my opinion he acts more like a cat or a small lap dog.....60+lbs in your lap is not fun.

I am natural and have always been my entire 27 years on this earth. When I was younger I was influenced by many sources to feel ashamed of my curliness. As a result I wore press-n-curls consistently. When it was time to wash my hair I would hide from everyone for three days until I could get it under control. I probably would have gotten a relaxer but that was something that did not fit in our family budget at the time. I was persuaded to embrace my coils one day when my boyfriend (now husband) saw my hair on was day. He kept touching it and complimenting it and suggested that I wear curly. I took his advice, I was nervous, and have not turned back since. He has been my greatest supporter and motivator.

Not everyone is happy about my hair...mainly family. But guess what? I don't care. It's my head and my hair and I finally feel like myself. There is nothing wrong with me and "what God gave me is just fine."

Even though I have always had natural hair, I never took care of my hair properly. I used products that the relaxed girls used, I loaded my hair and scalp with hair grease, and consistently used extreme heat on my tresses. Upon discovering the many hair care sites out there I decided to start treating my hair like I it should be treated. Keeping this blog is a way to "check myself" and keep track of styles, regimens that works, and products my hair loves and hates. Now, I am finally happy with my hair.

Natural Hair New Year Commercial

I am so glad The Coil Review came out with another commercial because I absolutely loved the first one. Honestly, I would love to be in a Coil Review commercial, I think that would be friggin' awesome!

Pre-Poo

Pre-pooing or Pre-wash is simply a pre-shampoo treatment, which is applied to the hair and/or scalp, left on for a period of time and then shampooed out. Some people like to apply oil, conditioners, or a combination of the two.

Benefits

Pre-poos can help protect hair from the harsh shampooing process and ingredients. The majority of the buildup we are trying to remove is really on our scalp therefore, your hair really only needs the conditioning aspect of your wash routine. Pre-pooing with oil or conditioner can help establish a barrier between the hair and the harsh detergents in the shampoo.Pre-poos also help condition the hair.

Ways to Pre-Poo

You can apply oils (warmed or not) to your hair length and/or scalp and leave on for the amount of time you find appropriate for your hair. That can range from a few minutes to overnight.

You also have the option to apply oils and conditioners to dry hair and cover with a wet towel. Similar to deep treating your hair or steaming.

And finally you can apply the product, cover with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for a few minutes. The heat really helps the hair absorb the product. This is how I like to pre-poo my hair. As a result of my recent reading about coconut oil, I am going to try that next time under the dryer.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4584486_pre-poo.html

http://www.bvhairtalk.com/2008/02/15/black-hair-care-the-benefits-of-pre-pooing/

Coconut Oil

This past week I have been applying coconut oil to the length of my hair before I go out into the cold dry winter air. In the evening when I return home my hair is really soft and just feels great. I am so in love with coconut oil and after reading about it's capabilities I understand why.

Some key points:

"Historically, coconut oil has been used as a hair dressing in the developing countries in

the tropical regions of the globe where the coconut is cultivated extensively. Prolonged

use of coconut oil has been known to lead to healthy looking long hair, suggesting that

it may prevent damage to the cuticle in grooming procedures involving abrasion."

"It is well known that wet combing is accompanied by the breaking of the surface cuticle cell because of its brittleness"

"...the performance of coconut oil in reducing protein loss was better than that of mineral

and sunflower oils. Coconut oil performed better as a pre-wash rather than a post-wash

conditioner"

"damaged as well as undamaged hair benefits from application of coconut oil as a pre-wash conditioner, whereas in the case of sunflower oil and mineral oil, there was no effect. The effects of coconut oil were also positive in a salon test. In both normal and bleached hair, treatment effects in reducing protein loss were significant, whereas the same findings were absent in the case of mineral oil and sunflower oil."

“Coconut oil is mostly a triglyceride of lauric acid and is hydrophobic. Application of Coconut oil as a pre-wash conditioner coats the hair and inhibits the penetration of water into the hair. A small part of it is also absorbed in to the hair during the wash when the fiber is swollen. Introduction of this hydrophobic component reduces the swelling propensity of the cuticle, which limits the upward curving of the surface cuticle. This reduces the chipping away of the cuticle cells, which reduces protein loss, as observed in this work.”

I strongly recommend reading the research article in its entirety on your own:

Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage

http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2003/cc054n02/p00175-p00192.pdf

Product Rotation (as of Jan 2010)

Shampoo

• Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo
• Mane N Tail moisturizing shampoo

Conditioner

• Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner
• Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Deep Conditioner

• Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol
• Lustrasilk Olive Oil Cholesterol

Moisturizer

• Aloe Gro Treatment
• Conditioner Spritz

Sealing

• Castor oil/Almond Oil/Rosemary Oil Mix
• Whipped Shea Butter

Styling Aids

• Fantasia IC Aloe Vera Gel
• CurlyNikki Setting Lotion mix

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Protein in your diet

The nutrients that we take into our body are reflect by our outward appearace. If you indulge in a lot of healthy snacks and drink lots of water, more than likely you will have that healthy glow. However, if you take in a lot of junk....you get the picture.

Over the summer my husband and I began to workout and part of our work consisted of us drinking protein shakes. During this time I was also trying to discover the best hair care regimen for me. I began to look at different protein treatments and I am so glad that I did my research before I put one of those treatments on my hair. Too much protein will make your hair hard and brittle. Since I was drinking protein shakes daily, I was getting way more than my recommended daily value. When you intake too much of anything it gets absorbed into your body and/or excreted out. So basically, my hair got it's protein through my nutritional intake.

Hair is a protein so if your diet is rich in protein that will often result in better hair growth.

Protein Shakes:

1 Cup of fresh fruit (your choice)

1 Scoop of protein powder

1 squirt of lemon juice (optional)

1 tablespoon of honey (or more to taste)

1-2 cups of plain yogurt

Yummy quick delicious breakfast. There are many variations of making protein shakes but this is just how I preferred mine every morning. Now that it is getting cooler....I need to look into other options.

How well do you really know your hair? Part 1

Do you know the structure of your hair? Basic knowledge of hair will help you choosing how to care for your hair. With basic knowledge you may be able to eliminate a lot of trial and error from your natural hair journey (and save some money).

Human hair in good condition is surprisingly strong - one hair can hold the weight of a chicken’s egg. It is a hard, fibrous substance. We have to be very careful how we treat it because, unlike skin, it is not alive and cannot repair itself. Therefore, we need to correctly maintain its balance of protein and moisture to keep it in good condition.

The percentage of protein in hair is between 83% and 87%. The percentage of moisture is about 3%. The balance is made up of sugar, salt and trace elements. If this essential balance is maintained, the hair will stay healthy and strong. It will be in good manageable condition, soft to the touch and with a natural shine.

The outer structure of the hair shaft consists of a collection of transparent layers of interlocking scales, which are collectively known as the cuticle. Most people have from 7 to 11 of these transparent layers all wrapped around the delicate inner part.

The delicate inner part of the hair shaft consists of a collection of spring like fibers that are coiled around each other and suspended in a glutinous material known as a fatty acid. This is where the moisture and hard and soft proteins are found.

The outer root sheath of the hair follicle encloses the inner root sheath and hair shaft.

The inner root sheath of the hair follicle is located between the outer root sheath and the hair shaft. It is made of three layers: Henle's layer, Huxley's layer, and the cuticle.

Cuticle: the outermost part of the hair shaft.

Cortex: located between the hair cuticle and medulla.

The hair matrix produces the actual hair shaft as well as the inner and outer root sheaths.

Papilla: large structure located at the base of the follicle, made up mainly of connective tissue and a capillary loop, cell division is either rare or non-existent.

References

http://www.tintsofnatureusa.com/about_haircolor.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_(hair)

Why I Love Being Natural

I ♥ my natural hair because I like to play in the rain

I would rather spend my money on shoes rather than trips to the salon

I ♥ my natural hair because "What God gave me is just fine" (Thanks India Arie!)

I love being able to jump in the shower, "wash", and then "go"

I ♥ my natural hair because relaxers looks like a scary process

My style options are limitless, anything you can do I can do better!

I ♥ my natural hair because I love driving with the windows down

I stand out in a crowd, no more cookie cutter girl, my definition is unique

I ♥ my natural hair because I was born this way