KNOWING WHEN TO CHANGE YOUR NATURAL HAIR ROUTINE

You’ve had the same hair care routine and used the same brand of products ever since forever and could not be bothered to change it. After all, that is why it is called a routine – consistency, repetition, and structure are the bedrocks of a hair care routine, asides from the products of choice. However,  it may be necessary for you to change your hair care routine from time to time. I know you’re thinking, “why fix it if it isn’t broken?” but not every regimen is a good regimen. You may have picked a regimen because it works for Sister A but it just might not be the best for you because your hair needs are different. You need a regimen built just for your hair. Let’s show you when to switch your hair care routine

How to Use Aloe Vera for Healthy Hair Growth

Do you know the different types of Aloe Vera products and how to use them for healthy hair growth? In today's video, I share with you the best uses of Aloe Vera, from the plant, to the gel, to the juice and een oils. Did you know that you can also buy aloe vera powder?

Have you ever used aloe vera in your hair before? Share in the comment area, how you use it.
For more Aloe Vera benefits, click here.

Click here or watch below



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.

Detangling to avoid knots in Natural Hair.

 

  A very Happy Tuesday to you Ladies! In this video, I share with you my current detangling routine that I use to avoid excessive knotting in my hair. Your Natural Hair Journey, is made that much easier if you adapt an effective detangling routine.

 

  I find that performing my Wash Routine on sectioned hair is really working a treat for me.

 





 

 

  Enjoy the video Ladies and hopefully it helps someone with tackling the issue of knots and tangles while washing your hair.

 

 

 

 

 



Four things to do when you lose Hair Care Motivation

Lately, I've lacked motivation to care for my hair, due to general loss of zeal, tiredness, illness, and pressure from here and there. I mean I lost everything that made me Me, internally. As for my hair, I couldn't be bothered. It might as well, not have existed. I didnt care.

I can't say I have completely gotten myself back to that zeal-filled stage, but I am no longer where I was some weeks/month's ago. I have realised that almost everyone will go through this phase, where life hits so hard that hair will be the last thing on your mind. For some, the phase might last long, for some it might be short, maybe just 2 weeks. Whatever the case is for any of us, it would most definitely come.

So since the above is the case, what do we do when we lose the motivation to care for our hair

1. Know it's just a phase

Don't beat yourself up or punish yourself mentally for not moisturising every morning, or washing your hair twice a month. It will just make you feel bad, and make your situation worse. Understand that it's just a phase, and you would be back up again, regain you hair care mojo.

2. It's just hair

So what if your hair breaks and falls off due to lack of care? So what if you suffer a little setback for one month? It's not the end of the world. It is just hair... and it will grow back. As long as you don't have any scalp of hair shaft disorder (which we advise you see the trichologist at our hair clinic for), then you will be fine in the end. Treat it like what it is... hair.

3. Scarf it up

You probably already know this. The hair is most likely not presentable anyway, and you have no energy to make it look good. Cover it up with a scarf, turban, or hat, and go about your day's business. You need the little energy left for that. Remember that a bright lipstick and pair of sunshades can complement your head gear. This way, you would have a bright countenance, and people would most probably not notice that you have been hiding your hair for a while.

4. Protective styling to the rescue

Once you suspect that this phase is not easing up anytime soon, pick yourself up, go to the salon, and put your hair in a long-term protective style, such as box braids, crochet braids, etc... something that would make sure you don't have to worry about hair styling for the next couple of weeks.

I hope that with these few points, I have been able to help someone in this situation.
What of you? Have you ever lacked motivation to care for your hair? What worked for you when you were in that situation? Please leave your answers and suggestions for others in the comment section.

How to Avoid Getting Flakes on Natural Hair

Have you ever wondered why your gel is flaking or why you have flakes in your hair or your child's when using gel or why you have white residue with you use gel?
In today's video, I will show you how to avoid getting flakes in your hair.

Watch below or click: http://bit.ly/DN_NoFlakes

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.

5 Things That Cause Natural Hair Damage

In this video, I will discuss 5 things that you could be doing to your child's hair that causes damage.




Which one of these things are you guilty of doing?

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.

SIMPLE WAYS TO TEACH YOUR CHILD HOW TO CARE FOR NATURAL HAIR

How do you start ...
It is actually simpler than you think. When you wash your child's hair, tell them what you are doing. You can even give them a section of hair, and show them how to scrub their scalp with the base of the fingers (not fingertips).

In the morning, when you get their hair ready for the day, show them how you moisturize the hair. Even teach them the LOC method. Allow them to gently spritz their hair with water and moisturize their hair. You can even show them how to use the soft hair brush to catch those pesky edge-and-nape hair.

If your girls love to play with dolls, let them do the steps on their dolls. This will allow them to practice without messing up their hair.

Overall, let them have fun with their hair, under your supervision, OF COURSE. LOL!

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.

How to return Natural in 2017... in 8 Steps

Hello everyone. Happy New Year. We pray 2017 brings far better things than 2016 ever did. When it comes to hair care, what more way to start the year than making defining decisions about our hair?

And for those who have decided to just start your natural hair journey...

Here’s how to’return’ natural in 2017… 

STEP 1. 

Look at your image in the mirror.

What do you see? Ask yourself  ‘Why do I want to return Natural?   Because you want to get to know yourself? Because you’ve seen other naturalistas and realize how beautifully amazing what you have, or what you could potentially have is? Or is it the ‘IN’ thing now. Everybody’s returning natural and you no go carry last.

Why are you returning natural? You will need a solid reason, because this will be the back bone of your journey. And when push comes to shove, this will stand between you and your decision go back to creamy crack (relaxers). Why I went Natural; see my natural hair journey

STEP 2.

Research! 

At this point returning natural is somewhere on the list. Maybe not Top 5 on the New Years resolution list but it’s somewhere!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step! (I love this quote!!) Your first step here should be research. Take it from me, you don’t want to start in on this journey totally clueless! Chances are you most probably have been on creamy crack from the age of 6, if you were lucky age 10 and you have little to no idea how to deal with your kinks. Gourg on beautiful natural hair images on Pintrest, follow natural hair vloggers on YouTube, google about natural hair and read natural hair blogs. This is also a good time to get a small book to document your findings.

STEP 3.

Know that black hair is different 

    

Yes your hair is SPECIAL! We like to say MAGIC! I mean it makes history all the time!

It has been proved scientifically that black hair has specific structural features that make it differ from other hair types. These differences are responsible for excess breakage, splitting of the hair shaft, knotting (SSK’s), shrinkage and all the other magical stuff that come with being natural. 

It is also known to have fewer cuticle layers than any other hair type. So NO it won’t blow gloriously in the wind (until many years), you can’t run your fingers through it every other minute, and it certainly don’t wake up looking bed-head fab. You will learn to love it for what it is.

STEP 4.

Reality Check! NATURAL HAIR IS NOT FOR LAZY PEOPLE!

If you followed the steps above, by now you may (or may not) have realized the effort other Naturalistas go through to get moist healthy-looking fros.

Its point-blank simple! Natural Hair is not for lazy people! It will cost time and effort to learn to understand your hair, the way it behaves, products its responds to, how to style etc. You will spend a fair amount of time watering your coils to keep it strong and fight breakage. I like to liken growing natural hair as to growing a plant. You have to water, protect, trim, cultivate it before it blooms.

When people refer to ‘LAZY NATURALS’ it’s about being laid back when it comes only to styling. All the other ground work of washing, conditioning and moisturizing is ALWAYS done. And that’s ok! You will find that the more you leave your hair alone, the faster it will grow.

STEP 5.

Know that Natural Hair does not have to be Expensive. 

Truth be told the only expense you will really need to invest in once you gain an understanding of who you are and how your hair works is Time. Using fancy products and styling tools are for the ones who want and can afford to. The term Natural will start to apply in every sense once you begin your journey and you will notice more life changing decisions in your lifestyle. You can be natural with just African Black soap, Shea butter and braids every other month as the next naturalista with the entire range of Caro’s Daughter and stocks of styling tools. It just a matter of choice really!

STEP 6.

BIG CHOP OR TRANSISTION?

 CUT IT, CUT IT, CUT IT, CUT IT. Just do it.

Even if it feels like the end of the world, remember there are worse things in life than cutting your hair. No one can explain to you in words the feeling of triumph, bravery and confidence that comes with shaving your hair off. Because at that moment, it will just be about you and you alone. And this only the tip of the iceberg of the wonderful burst of emotions you will experience on your journey. This feeling my not come immediately and perhaps not even in the next few months following your big chop. Till now I have not heard of a anyone who did the BC and have regretted their decision.

Most people who transitioned will tell you one thing, its haaaarrrrrdddddd bruh. Except you intend to forever keep your hair in braids or any protective style you love until your coils grow to a length you are comfortable with seeing, you will need to prepare even more for the work of caring for multiple texture of your head. Another thing with transitioning is that you will spend more time in general getting to understand your kinks than you would if you BC and baby step from day one. And seriously,who would want to miss Teeny Weeny Afro(TWA) stage????

STEP 7.

Budget your 5 years 

You’ve done the big Chop! Subscribed to Natural Hair Channels on YouTube, followed all the amazing natural hair blogs and naturalistas for hairspiration and you stay dreaming every day about your bra-strap length of glorious kinks that will belong to you.

Before frustration comes knocking on your door, let me quickly tell you to budget at least 5 years of growing time to achieve that . From what I’ve seen from long haired naturalistas, it takes about 4 to 5 years to get that big hair shoulder length after shrinkage kinda look. And from experience it takes about 2 years to even begin to understand the phenomenon that is our hair.

Everything is personalised in this game! What works for others may not work for you. Chances are you will do another big chop within your first 1-2 year on your journey. Sounds far-fetched? Just ask the nearest Naturalista. So you should actually be budgeting 7 years for that jaw dropping length most of dream of. LOL, it’s not that serious though. But for the first 2-3 years, try to focus more on the overall health of your strands and less on length.

STEP 8.

Document your Journey 

Once you establish in the corner of your mind that a huge afro won’t just grow on your scalp overnight, and that you will need to work for it, you know to relax and enjoy the journey. It’s not just a thing that we say. It really is a Journey, one of self-discovery. We have to learn things our mothers never knew and taught us.  Keep a hair journal, start a blog, take length check photos. DO whatever it takes to keep your head and hair in the game, forming the habits of caring for your hair, finding out things that work and don’t. There is nothing more motivating than proof of progress!

Returning Natural is so much more than hair. To me it’s the one of the most self-empowering decision a black woman could make. I mean dealing with everything that comes with being woman, and then having our type of hair?? Talk about Super-Women!

I hope these steps help to guide you on your decision to returning natural. For more insight on natural hair Download my free e-book NappyHair by Ese|Guide to Beautiful Healthy Hair and to subscribe to NappyeseTv on YouTube for more Natural Hair care tips!

These post may also help:

Top 10 Tools and Things for Nappy Hair After the Big Chop!

Ingredients to avoid in your Natural Hair Products

 All the best for the New Year♥ and see you on the other side!!

Love&Nappiness

Ese

Irish Potato juice on Natural Hair

Hey darlings,

Hope you are all doing great?

 

source

So I was talking to a naturalista sometime last week about how avocado diy hair mask was great for hair. Then she replied with ‘Have you tried irish potato’; and i’m like you mean boiled or fried lol...

She then said, ‘Irish potato does the same treatment avocado does to hair’. I was speechless.

According to her, you blend raw fresh irish potatoes, squeeze out the juice and use it (the juice) to deep condition hair. You could add honey or coconut milk too.

Results after treatment is a well moisturized hair, thicker hair, shine and faster hair growth when done consistently. This treatment should be done every week for visible outcomes.

In no time I was on Google to get more information, here is a video I later saw online on how to deep condition with irish potato juice along with avocado.

Please watch and let me know your take on it.

Yay or Nay?

Would you ever give this a try? As for me, I’m not too sure. But whenever I do, I will definitely share on the blog.

Till then

Leeznijis

How To Speed up Hair Growth

Hi Naturalistas

Here are some tips that can help you grow your hair faster;

source

1. Eat more protein: Since our hair is made of protein, you should make sure you are getting plenty of it in your diet. This helps strengthen your hair and improve growth. Eggs, meat and fish are good sources of protein.
2. Get enough Vitamins: Vitamins are essential when you want a healthy hair. Eat lots of fruits like oranges, paw paw, pineapple e.t.c especially those foods that contain vitamin C, iron and zinc such as vegetables.
3. Reduce heat: Try as much as possible to avoid heat damage. Heat causes damage to your hair when exposed to it regularly. Stick to stretching your hair with threading when you need a stretched look. Also try protective styles so you don’t get tempted to apply heat on your hair.
4. Trim your hair: Trimming is very important when trying to grow your hair. Get a trim every 3-6months so as to get rid of split ends that might be hindering growth.
5. Exercise: Try and workout as often as possible. It helps reduce stress. Also get enough rest and sleep.
6. Drink a lot of water too

I hope you all find these tips helpful.

Don’t forget to leave a comment.

Till then

Leeznijis

How to Do Scalp Massages for Hair Growth

Scalp massages are touted by hair gurus and enthusiasts everywhere to aid and promote hair growth. We've written about it ourselves - throwback to Bee's post on How to Get that Salon-Style Scalp Massage at Home. Some people are more visual though, so today I'm sharing a video from Discovering Natural that shows you how to do a scalp massage properly.

How often do you do your scalp massages?

Berry Dakara.

The First Step to Take When You Go Natural

One of the most common reasons why women transition or big chop their hair in a bid to be natural, is because they want stronger, healthier hair. But what a lot of people don't know at the start is that what you need for healthy natural hair is - A REGIMEN!!!

Let's watch as Tabitha of Craving Yellow talks about having a regimen.

To build your regimen, look no further than right here - The African Naturalistas Store!

To learn more about building a natural hair regimen, check out this post.

Have a great weekend! Happy Wash Day for those who will be doing it over the weekend!
Berry Dakara.

Ingredients to avoid in your natural hair products

I wouldn’t describe myself as a product junkie now, but in the early stages of my natural hair journey I had a side table lined with all kind of products I hoped would work some sort of miracle on my hair. I did a bit of research before I Big Chopped but it mostly involved stalking and obsessing over black women with long glorious nappy hair, haha.

So I tried different products without fully understanding or knowing what my hair needed. I wish I had known earlier on that as a nappy haired woman I couldn’t just pick up any product off the shelf. That my hair was different and special (fragile and breakage prone)

“I battled with dry hair, split ends and SSKs (Single Strand Knots)”

In the first year of my natural hair journey, I battled with dry hair, split ends and SSK’s. Split ends were mostly on me because I used to pull out those annoying SSKs with my hands, but why was my hair dry and why did I have so many SSKs?? I was deep conditioning after shampooing & conditioning weekly, and I was doing the LOC method, so I knew I was doing the right things to keep my fibres looking healthy but it was all to no avail. So I went back and did some real research..lol.. and I realized I needed to change my hair products. Many nappy haired women out there don’t know that most hair products out there contain a lot of chemicals that is neither good for the hair nor body. Nappy hair already has fewer cuticle layers than straight hair type, so you can bet that it will be less resistant to cleansing chemicals that straight hair can more easily endure.

The best products for nappy natural hair are the ones that are mostly made with natural ingredients. Once I started using products designed specifically for natural hair, my hair started to thrive! So my nappy folks, here are some of the list of harmful chemicals to avoid when choosing products for your natural hair. When choosing a product for your hair take a look at the ingredient listing, as a rule of thumb the first five ingredients listed should not contain any of these chemicals listed here, and if they do it should be closer to the end of the list. Manufactures by Law need to list their ingredients from the highest it contains to the lowest, so if you have stuff like sulphate or minerals oils next at the beginning of the ingredient listing, you’re buying yourself a bottle full of chemicals that will most probably leave your hair dry


SULFATE

Sulfates also known as (Surfacants or Detergents) when dissolved in water has the ability to remove dirt from surfaces. SulFates range from harsh to mild. The most common sulfates used in hair products are SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS) & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES).

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)– SLES is the alcohol form (ethylated) of SLS. Both SLS and SLES can enter the blood stream. They may cause potentially carcinogenic formations of nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. Sulfate-based surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate has been found to be significantly irritating for the scalp and drying to the hair. Steer away from SLS and SLES and  instead look for products that contain milder sufacants. It easier to just buy a totally Sulfate free Shampoo.


MINERAL OIL

Mineral Oil is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons produced from the distillation of petroleum. It is a mix of Hydrogen and Carbons. Mineral Oils  can be advantageous and disadvantageous for nappy hair. It deposits on the surface of hair strands and forms films that are sufficiently thick to mask irregularities in the cuticle structure. It can offer good detangling benefits and minimize frizz by preventing penetration of moisture into the hair in humid conditions. The clause with mineral oil is that because it clings so tightly to the hair shaft it can prevent the flow moisture in either direction, that means no moisture is going out, neither is it going in! So let's say you put something like Vaseline on you hair for your first week after deep conditioning, the next week your hair is feeling dry and you’re thinking oh ill just take my spray bottle and spritz my hair with my water and conditioner mix, ……..??………. You get the picture? If not go back and read from the top. Black hair is already mostly on dry side and needs as much moisture it can get. Whether it’s from the shower steam or your spray bottle. Blocking all access to moisture with Mineral Oil is not a great idea.

I would raise my eyebrow if it was on the first five ingredients on my leave in conditioner or shampoo. There are better oils with great conditioning benefits that can be used in place of mineral oil.


SILICONES

Silicone is a mineral oil. It is an ingredient commonly used in hair care products.It can give slip and shine and help smoothen hair. But it is not a natural ingredient and its side effects are not nappy friendly. Silicone is almost like rubber and/or plastic. It is used as a sealant against water and even air. It prevents moisture from penetrating the hair shaft and becomes like a magnet for dirt and other ingredients. Most Silicone are not water-soluble, so they will prevent moisture from getting into the hair shaft. For us curly-kinky-nappy haired girls this can be disastrous because we already have dry prone hair. If there should be any silicone at all in your hair product, it should be water-soluble silicone, this means that it is able to dissolve in water. Water soluble silicone is easy to wash out of the hair and doesn’t leave a heavy build up.


ALCOHOL

Short Chain alcohol like isopropyl alcohol, cause the hair to be dry and frizzy, this type of alcohol is usually found in sprays and gels. Fatty alcohols like Benzyl or propene glycol, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol can help to condition nappy hair to make it soft and manageable.

Avoid: Isopropyl alchohol,Ethanol,Propanol,Chlorine, propylene gylcol.

Good Alcohols are; Behenyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Isocetyl alcohol, Isostearyl alcohol, Lauryl alcohol, Myristyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, C30-50 Alcohols, Lauryl alcohol.


SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE&COLORS

Perfumes for use in hair products are often dissolved in mineral oil bases with a small amount of preservative. Synthetic colors are believed to cause cancer. If a product contains them, don’t use it.   Some of the problems caused by these chemicals are headaches, dizziness, rash, hyperpigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting, skin irritation. Synthetic fragrance ingredients can cause itchy, scaly, painful skin, and potentially worsen asthma. Even high concentrations of certain natural ingredients including tea tree, lavender, and citrus peel oils may cause such symptoms. Most of us do love our hair to smell good because it makes us feel good especially when we are complimented on it but again check that Fragrance closer to the end of the ingredient listing.


PROTEINS

Yes, I said PROTEINS! It is very easy to get caught up in the DIY syndrome. You want to get into loving, pampering and caring for your hair, so you trying out every egg, yolk and cassava recipe you find on the internet (jokes). I tried to put honey and egg mixed on my 4c hair one time it wasn’t funny! My hair came outta that deep condition looking like it was fried! It felt very strawy

A Protein called keratin is the building block of hair. There is a phenomenon known as “PROTEIN OVERLOAD”, we identify this when your hair feels dryer than normal. There is a difference between normal dryness verses extreme dryness that protein overload causes. Lack of moisture is usually the biggest challenge for coarse hair (type 4hair), and it also tends to be sensitive to protein. It is important that naturals with coarse hair generally avoid protein and ensure that their conditioners and deep treatments are instead loaded with plenty of moisturizing emollients. So If you have coarse hair and the you find words like Amino acid, hydrolyzed keratin or wheat hydrosylates or hydrolysed collagen, peptides, keratin and silk protein in the first five ingredients of your product I would be worried. The key is to find the balance between moisture and protein


If you feel you are doing all the right things but your nappy hair still feels dry and breaks off you might want to take a look at the ingredient listing of your hair products, this maybe the issue. Take your time to research the ingredients you hear about a new product that is the rave of the season. Everyone is different, a product that works for one person may not work for you. Remember that ingredients listed first in a product have more potency than the one closer to the end of the list.

We are all humans and we will make mistakes. Trial and Error is good, because we learn from it. It might take a while before you find a product that your hair loves.  Remember to listen to your hair.

Black Hair grows!  You just gotta Love and treat it right... in Bob Marley's voice

Source: @keturahariel

What are your favourite hair products and what ingredients do you usually avoid? Let me know in the comments!


Love and Nappiness,

Ese

Top 10 Tools for Natural Hair Care after the BIG CHOP!

Today I would like to share with you the Top 10 Tools and Things you need for your natural hair after braving out the biggest step of your natural hair journey! The BIG CHOP! If by now you don’t know what a big chop is you are on a loooong thing o. Download NappyHair by Ese e-book and get yourself familiar with all the natural hair terminologies.

Big Shout out to my baby sister, Khanya Mlilo And Olaoluwa Showemimo on their Big Chops! Whoop Whoop! Welcome to the Natural Hair family!!!

Right! In no particular order of importance the Top 10 Tools &Things you need after your BC are as follows;

1. SPRAY BOTTLE

So I went the extra mile and did a lil photoshoot for y'all

Y’all know how much I stress about moisture! It was honestly one of the first things I got into my brain when I started my journey. The key to length retention is Moisture!! Textured hair loses most of it moisture because of its fewer cuticle layers and tends to get dry quick! And no better way to have moisture handy than in a spray bottle. You can mix your favourite conditioner with water and just spray your strands every night before bed.

2. NATURAL OILS

These are some of my personal faves in the pic above. Right after you moisturize your hair with water, best believe you’re gonna be making sure that moisture stays in. To prevent the moisture we just applied from evaporating into nothingness, coat your strands with some oils or leave-in butter (remember LOC?) to save the moisture in your strands. Different Oils work differently and the key is trying out some and figuring which works best for your hair. We shall discuss this extensively in another post.

3. OLD TOP/SHIRT

Time to ditch your towels ladies and gents! Lol.. at least when it comes to your hair. There is no more walking outta the shower sexy with you hair wrapped in a towel in front of Bae, neither is there rubbing your hair vigorously with a towel. Towels cause breakage and split ends! A better way to dry your hair out is to dig into your wardrobe for an old cotton Tee-shirt. A tee-shirt is smoother, with less friction which will mean less breakage and split ends. So the next time you wash your hair, wrap your hair in a clean tee-shirt for 10-15 mins, it will dry quicker, with less frizz and probably a bit less shrinkage! Never rub your wet hair vigorously! Gone are those days, rather pat it to soak it out or wrap it.

4. SATIN SCARF OR SATIN PILLOW CASE

Time to pamper your hair! Our Goal is to keep our fibres looking healthy and to retain length. This means minimizing any sort of friction. Satin Pillowcases for sleeping! Not only are they soft and shiny and make you feel like royalty, they are a good investment because cotton pillowcases will absorb the moisture we’ve worked so hard to maintain in our strands, Satin ones DO NOT. Its smooth material allows for your strands to glide smoothly as you sleep, we’re talking less tangles, split ends, you know the usual.  Same applies to the satin scarf or bonnet. Its important to always protect your strands before you sleep. I personally prefer the pillowcase to the scarf even though I have both, because I feel freer and sometimes Bae you know.. hahaa

5. HAIR SHEARS

This tool is vital! You can't be a natural hair sista and not have a scissor specially for trimming your ends. If you watched my natural hair journey video, you’ll remember I confessed to not trimming my ends in the first year of my journey because I wanted to retain my length. Wrong move! I literally just walked myself into my 2nd BIG CHOP. Unfortunately in this world we will in atm, there is no permanent cure for split ends, be mindful! Because a lot of products out there will claim to be able to get rid of your spits ends. What these products only do is temporarily fill in the the chipped or split spaces but you can be sure once the product fades out your back to ground zero. So be wise and trim your straggly ends. Un-trimmed split-ends will travel up the hair strands and destroy the rest of it. So its best to stop the damage ASAP, not only will you get healthier looking strands, but you will retain your length in the long run.

6. PLASTIC SHOWER CAP

Deep Conditioning your strands should become one of your weekly or at least monthly regime if it isn’t already?? What a plastic bag does, it traps the heat radiating from the scalp or blow dryer, hereby causing the outer cuticle layer to open and for the strands to deeply absorb the products you have put on your hair. You can also just use a plastic grocery bag, but I would recommend to invest in a shower cap because plastic bags can easily melt from a blow drier. Make sure to deep condition for at least 15-30mins.

7. APPLICATOR BOTTLE

The applicator bottle is a good tool to have handy if you’re a natural that likes to protective style with weaves. It is very necessary to keep your scalp from drying and when you have your hair under protective styles. Ladies slapping and scratching your weave like there is a roach in it is not sexy at all (most of us have been guilty of this at some point, me included) It is NOT OK .When your scalp feels itchy, it means your scalp is dry and is in dire need of moisture! The applicator bottle has a pointy and small nozzle for control which makes it easier to apply products/moisture directly into your tracks and your scalp


8. BUTTERFLY CLIPS

As your hair grows longer, you are going to start trying out lots of different natural hairstyles, like Bantu knot outs, twist-outs, etc. Butterfly clips will be your life saver during styling. These babies are ideal for keeping your separated sections in place, even during detangling and Shampooing. They are great tools to have.


9. HEAD BANDS

Hair bands come in different shapes and sizes. They are great tools for styling nappy hair in Updos and also for stretching out your hair!

10. BOBBY PINS

Bobby Pins save lives yall, most especially if you’re a 4chairck, and your hair is the most defiant of all hair types to gravity. Always keeps a handful around. They are great for keeping styles in place.

So there you have it, these are my Top 10 tools every nappy haired folk should have, regardless of your hair type.

Love&Nappiness,

Nappyese

Why You Should NOT Trim Your Hair?!

Hey there!

We have all heard advice over the years about how trimming your hair (natural, relaxed, texlaxed, no-laxed, all-laxed) is important in your hair care regimen. The reason why we are told to get our hair trimmed is usually because of split ends. The hair on our ends are the oldest on our head and have been more exposed to the elements - weather, friction from clothes, hand-in-hair syndrome, etc. This also means that our ends are more vulnerable to damage like tangles, knots and split-ends. When your hair splits at the ends, it is very likely for the split to keep growing upwards, towards our roots. This is one of the main reasons why we are advised to get our natural hair trimmed at regular intervals, or when you notice you need a trim.

However, I saw this video last night on Youtube where the vlogger has a new theory about trimming your hair. She advises NOT to trim more than maybe once a year. Her reasoning is this: your ends are the oldest part of your hair and if you cut them off, you expose your healthier hair to friction, tangles, knots, etc. In her opinion, she would rather not have the healthier parts of her hair deal with those elements.


What do you think? Do you agree with her? I think that while everyone's hair is different, there are one or two things that apply to most people's hair. I know I need to trim maybe two or three times a year - maybe even more, if I'm being totally honest. How often do you trim your natural hair?

Berry Dakara.

To read more from me, visit my personal blog here.

How Hand in Hair Syndrome might be killing your hair

The inner surface of your fingers are not exactly smooth. In fact, the print lines in them make them more dangerous to our hair than the cotton pillowcases and other cotton surfaces we stay away from. It's already bad enough that we have to use our fingers to rub the surfaces of our hair all length long when we are doing styles like weaving and flat twists. But at least our fingers are most likely a bit oiled by then, but it's worse when we indulge in playing with our dry hair with equally dry fingers every single moment we can get our hands free.

Here are a few ways hand in hair syndrome will kick our hair growth

1. Hair breakage
This is not rocket science. Our hair strands are not as strong as we think they are. They mouth be coarse but they are potential breakage points at each twist and bend. Playing with your hair regularly will only make these breakage points give away faster

2. No edges
Playing with you ends closer to your scalp will put your edges under so much stress. Many people have thinner hair at their edges than in the middle of their hair. Playing with your edges can cause your edges to be practically non existent.

3. Traction alopecia
No edges without you realizing why you have no edges might mean you continue fiddling with the hair left. So as this continues to happen, you hair begins to feel the tension on it, causing it to recede further and further, thereby leading to traction alopecia.

4. Stunted growth
Breakage at the ends+no edges+traction alopecia = stunted growth. Stunted growth here doesn't mean your hair won't grow.  It would grow but the ends will equally break off at the same rate at which is growing. A more appropriate term for this is zero length retention

5. Hair thinning and weak/damaged ends
One reason ends might be weaker than the root is because they have undergone too much rubbing and manipulation from your fingers. The continual friction on the hair cuticles (the outer layer of the hair strands) can damage it and make it non existent, leaving your ends weak, exposed and damaged

6. Other mild or serious scalp conditions
Continually playing with your hair might cause you to introduce foreign bodies into your scalp. If the scalp surface has been previously broken, a foreign body like germs, dust, allergens, etc might lead to some irritating conditions on the scalp making you feel itch and discomfort for a period of time, something you might not get away with until you see a trichologist

I hope with these points of mine, I have been able to convince you and not confuse you that hand in hair syndrome will slowly kill you your hair.

So get those fingers off

When your long natural hair stops growing

It is very common for us to slip into our comfort zone in the journery of hair growth, especially if you have successfully grown our hair long.

We become guru in our own eyes, and stop putting effort into our hair care routines. The same lady who would carefull detangle her hair and spend 7 hours every week pampering her hair would now hardly find 1 hour in 3 weeks to do anything. We get away with this habit for sometime, and then it hits you. Your hair is no more growing… in fact, it might be a little bit shorter than it was last year.

This is the bane of hair care for many long time naturalistas, and I have experienced this myself.

So what do you do when your long hair refuse to grow longer.

1. Know that things have changed.
The things you used to do when you just started your natural hair journey might not work for you anymore. This is because your hair is longer, and its needs have differed. This should not be surprising, seeing that the only constant thing in life is change. That leads me to my second point.

2. Try switching up your regimen.
Since we are not statues, we have the power to move away from things that are no more working. If your regimen is no more effective, change it. You can change from LOC to LCO, change from oil prepoo to deep conditioning before wash, change, change, change. Just listen to your hair’s needs, and respond to it.

3. Incorporate a protein treatment.
Your hair is longer now, so your hair is weaker, and more prone to breakage that when your hair was shorter. It is at this point that you need to do a protein treatment once to make your weak ends stronger, making sure you are not overloading your hair with protein, which might cause them to be very hard.

4. Don’t manipulate
Avoid styles that require you touching and retouching your hair every day. You can also start taking advantages of props like hats, turbans, etc. Not every bad hair day have to end up in bad consequences for your hair.

5. Hide those ends
The ends of your hair are older, and not as strong, so incorporate a lot of protective styles in your practices. Styles such as bantu knots, twists, braids, updos, etc will do you well. Just make sure you keep those ends from being exposed too much. They reduce the risk of wearing out, and them snagging on other things

Other things you can do include: avoid playing with your hair, eat a healthy diet (or incorporate supplements in case of illness), reduce heat drastically or completely eliminate it, avoid harsh hair tools, simplify your hair regimen.

If you are having this issue, try these tips above, and see how it turns out for you. Let us also hear other suggestions from you or the description of your issue in the comment section