Natural Hair Detox using Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner.

 

 

  Happy Tuesday Ladies!As naturals, we often find that our hair is prone to product build up. Once in a while, its a good idea to give your hair a little bit of a Detox.

 

  Of late, Activated Charcoal has been all the rage in Skin and Hair Care. Activated Charcoal has the ability to draw out impurities from the skin as well as absorb oils. This makes it an ideal cleansing agent to leave your scalp clean and free from anything that could cause your pores not to freely grow out healthy hair.

 

   I used Charcoal and Citrus Oil Detoxifying Shampoo by Hair Chemist Limited. This shampoo fights clogged pores by absorbing excess oils, dirt and grime that cause build up. I followed my shampoo with Bamboo Charcoal Detoxifying Conditioner. It contains Ginkgo Biloba and Green Tea. In addition to further removing Dirt and impurities, this Conditioner also helps to detangle hair while gently moisturizing the hair and adding body to it.

 

  Just remember when doing a Natural Hair Detox, please do not over do it. This is a thorough cleansing and stripping of the scalp so hair can become dry if this is repeated often. When you feel that your hair has been subjected to build up,this treatment will definitely come in handy.

 

 





 

 

  Enjoy the video Ladies and have a Blissful Day!

 

 

 

 

 



Signs of Product Build up in Natural Hair

Since we use more natural hair ingredients, than synthetic ones, we do not encounter a lot of product buildup. We do wash oir hair with a sulfate-free shampoo at least once a month (at the end of the month). If my hair or the girls' hair looks a bit dull, I will clarify their hair. This tells me that they have product build up. 

Apart from dullness in hair, here are some other signs that your hair might have product build up:

• Your hair and scalp has a coated feeling. 
• Your hair lack movement and body causing it to feel limp and flat
• Your sulfate-free shampoo or conditioner does not seem as effective as usual. If you use shampoo, it might not lather as well as it use to lather. If you use conditioners, it might sit on your hair instead of penetrating it.
• You are experiencing hair breakage even though you have no hard water, you balance your protein and moisture in your regiment, and you are gentle with your hair.

Removal of Product Buildup

To remove product buildup, you can use any sulfate shampoos or a clarifying shampoo. You can also use clays like bentonite clay or rhassoul clay. African Black Soap is also a great one to use.




Remember to deep condition afterwards.  Due to the stripping effect of clarifying shampoo, use it only once a month. 


Stay beautiful! 💖 

If you like this blog post written by Sola of DiscoveringNatural, you can find her on her Youtube channel, DiscoveringNatural,  for more natural hair tips. Click here to visit her channel.

Demystefying Silicones

Hi ladies! Haaaaaaappppppyyyyy Friday!

Hope you are having a great one.

Cones, cones, cones! Silicones are the main subject today. A very common ingredient on the label, but how much do we know about them? 

What are silicones? 
According to  google, silicones are polymers that chains of alternate silicone and oxygen atoms, with organic groups attached to the silicone atoms. Such compounds are typically resistant to chemical attack and insensitive to temperature changes and are used to make rubber, plastics, polishes, and lubricants.

How do I recognise a silicone on my ingredients list?

They usually end with the suffix "-cone" "-conol" or "-zane"

How do silicones work?

Silicones are widely used by manufacturers because of their hardwearing unique properties. They create a layer over the strand. This layer is an effective lubricant for detangling and slip, creates added shine, reduces frizz and is a great barrier against heat. With all these benefits, you can see the numerous reasons why one would want to use silicones.

However silicones do have a less than reputable side which makes most naturals want to head for the hills. And going from the definition I just gave, i'm it's got you second guessing whether it's an ingredient you really want in your products. However the beauty and cosmetics industry has harnessed them due to their usefulness in products. Some cones are not water soluble. Meaning that the layer they form over the strand cannot be removed with water. This causes build up, and over time can prevent effective moisturisation and product absorption, as well as result in less curl definition. The only effective way to get them out is with a sulfate/clarifying shampoo.

So with the pros and cons set out, how can we use silicones to our benefit without reaping in the negative effects in our weekly regimens? 

The key is in classifying your cones and knowing which ones to use for specific purposes in your regimen.

We can divide them into three categories; water soluble, intermediate, and non-water soluble silicones.

Water soluble silicones

Stearoxy dimethicone

Behenoxy dimethicone

PEG-dimethicone

PEG-silicones (basically silicones which start with "PEG")

Hydrolysed wheat protein (hydroxypropyl polysiloxane)

These are water soluble which means that they can easily be removed by water. The water dissolves the layer created and thus the cone washes away.  What does this mean practically and products-wise? It means you can use products which contain these in your weekly regimen, as a quick co-wash or sulfate free shampoo will remove them. I would recommend that you actively search out leave-ins, stylers, cowash conditioners, moisturisring sprays which have water soluble silicones for daily use.

Intermediate silicones
Trimethysilyamodimethicone

Amodimethicone

Cyclopentasiloxane

Cydomethicone

Whilst not competely water soluble, they do come off with ease. Usually a sulfate free shampoo. You would want them in leave-in, styler and setting lotion - seeing as the silicones combat frizz that means your set style (flexi-rod set,perm rod set, braid out, twist out etc)  will last longer. If you noticed, these are also popular ingredients in heat protectants and hair polishers.

Non-water soluble silicones

Dimethicone

Cetyl Dimethicone

Cetearyl methicone

Dimethiconol

Stearyl Dimethicone

These are the big guns, they don't easily come off your hair unless one uses a sulfate shampoo or one containing cocamidopropylbetaine (say that ten times without skipping a beat and you'll enjoy healthy  long problem free hair forever!). Because they don't easily wash off, they are the perfect ingredients you want in a heat protectant, gel or setting lotion. It will ensure you are protected from the heat, create lasting shine, and help eliminate frizz/ prevent your hair from shrinking up as quickly when your braid or twist out is pappin'

Do you incorporate silicones into your regimen?

Signs It's Time To Clarify Your Hair

Hi hi, happy Friday everyone!

Who's looking forward to the weekend? I most certainly am.

Sulfate shampoos are often shunned in the hair care community because of the stripping nature of the sulfates they contain. However these same sulfates are necessary from time to time to give our hair a thorough clean down of products that cause build up. Think of it as spring cleaning your hair. The same you would do in your house or room.

How do I know it's time to use a sulfate aka clarifying shampoo? If one or more of these factors are present, it's a good indication you need a deep clarifying clean.

• If you have been using products that contain silicones especially the type that are not water soluble e.g. gels, stylers, heat protectants, setting lotions, hairsprays.
• If you have just taken down a long term protective style. Even though you were faithful with washing during the period you were protecting your hair, it's still necessary to give your hair and scalp a thorough clean down. This will remove excess gunk and give you a clean slate to moisturise and condition effectively.
• If you have used a sulfate free shampoo/cleanser for the past 4 weeks. Sulfate free shampoos are good, but as stated earlier, they may not be able to get ingredients like silicones and excess product completely off. After all they are hailed for their gentle cleansing. Over time you just need to a fresh start.
• If you have been using a lot of products and are experiencing trouble moisturising. Sometimes our hair gets overloaded with products, which makes it harder for it to absorb moisture. You may just need  to clarify your hair and you'll solve the moisture issue.
• If your products are not penetrating your hair as they normally do. This is once again rooted in build up. They will work more effectively once the surface area is clean again.
• If you cowash often. Cowashing is great but sometimes it can leave residue on the scalp. And yet again the silicones in the conditioners need to be removed. So if cowashing is a regular part of your regimen, make it a habit to clarify every 3 to 4 weeks.
• If you have dandruff. One of the causes of dandruff is an accumulation of excess skin cells on the scalp. Part of eradicating the problem lies in using a good clarifying shampoo that will eliminate the flakes, then you can take proactive steps to prevent the issue from arising again. In this instance i'm talking about dandruff that  is not as a result of an underlying medical condition. If it is a recurring issue ,please see a specialist like our lovely Atilola at the AN Hair Clinic, who can give you specialist treatment.

Clarifying shampoos can be identified by their ingredients. Look for the following on the ingredients list: ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonia lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl sulfate.

These are also the same ingredients you want to ensure are not on the ingredients list if you want to buy a sulfate free shampoo.

When was the last time you clarified, and how do you know when it's time for you to clarify your hair?