This weeks LUUUUST!

(*swoon*)

(*even more swoon*)

(via tumblr.com)

Protective Styling

Sorry I’ve been M.I.A for a minute. I had to run to South Carolina for my aunt’s passing and when I got back it seemed like I missed 2 months of school! I was so behind! So now that I’ve pretty much caught back up I’m ready to keep the post rolling!

Last Friday the weather in DC was over 70 degrees!!! That’s craziness for mid- February. Like most in the DMV we were completely swindled when we were faced with 2 to 4 inches of snow yesterday! This climate change affecting the weather is NO BUENO. Right when I was about to get super excited about wearing light cardigans, dresses, sandals and wash-and-go hair styles, mother nature hit me with the, “Fooled ya chick!” and the protective styling was back in full effect!

So about these protective styles… Many naturals seem to swear by them. And I can see why. For most of us on this healthy hair journey our goal is length retention. Sometimes it seems like our hair isn’t growing and it’s stuck in one particular length forever! There could be many solutions to that, but one of the simplest is the protective style (PS).

As a strand of hair grows out of your scalp the strand begins to die. The nutrients that you feed your hair are not absorbed through the strand but through the follicle within your scalp. Because the strand does not take in nutrients the ends of your hair are the oldest and weakest part of your hair. Any type of manipulation to your hair puts it in danger of being damaged or breaking off. The easiest way to stop excess strain on your ends is by leaving them alone and protecting them with protective styles.

Some examples of these styles are braids, twists, buns, weaves, wigs, hats and more. Basically a PS is a style that allows you to keep your ends tucked away and hidden from the harsh elements and temperatures (like this weird temperature jump) as well as everyday manipulation (combing, brushing and letting your hair rub against your clothing.)

And it’s not just for naturals. Those who are transitioning and even relaxed can benefit from PS too! As a transitioner it helps when you have no idea how to manage the two textures of your hair. It will help keep the point where you’re relaxed and natural hair meets, at its strongest. And for those who are relaxed keeping your hair in PS can help elongate the time between relaxers. Most people identity that as “stretching”. (stretching the time between your relaxers.)

I love wearing PS because as a commuter to school and back, I don’t have to waste time going through the entire routine of my hair every day. Not to mention the first time I took my kinky twist out as a fully natural I was in awe at how much my hair grew!

(kinky twists)

(sew-in)

(crochet braids)

Some tips/quick reminders when it comes to PS…

*Most damage to the hairline/edges is due to excess stress and pulling from styles. Make sure that whichever PS you chose to wear, your hair is not being pulled taught or tight causing reverse effects of the PS. Opt out of micro-braids and super tight cornrows because major damage can be caused to not only the hair strands but the hair follicle leading to permanent damage and “bald spots”.

*DON’T FORGET TO MOISTURIZE! It goes hand in hand with PS. Keeping your hair as well as scalp moisturized will decrease breakage and add life to dull and lack-luster hair.

*make sure you keep your scalp clean! Even if you’re not big on shampoo use, Co-washing (washing/cleaning your hair with just conditioner) is a good option when it comes to PS. Most protective styles can be washed with the styles still in them like, braids and twists. Keeping your scalp clean and moisturized will help with your overall growth and healthiness. Remember: A healthy scalp is a happy scalp, lol =D

*When you sleep remember to use a silk or satin bonnet/scarf/pillowcase. Allowing your hair to rub on the fibers in cotton as well as other fabrics will cause your hair to snag and break. The point of PS is to keep your hair from brushing against anything that can cause damage. Using silk or satin at night will allow your hair to glide over a smooth surface.

Regimen/Routine Building

When I’m with some of my fellow newly naturals and especially those transitioning to natural, I’m always asked what regimen/products/styles do I like to use. So I thought it was good idea to share my personal regimen with those who are going through some of the same trials I did. These tips can be used for those with relaxed or natural hair. And I have click-able links to where you can buy the majority of the products listed below. I hope you find it useful, and if you have your own regimen or advice make sure to comment! It’s not a competition it’s about us all being on the come-up! We should help and support each other as much as we can!

The things that’s important to remember when building a healthy regimen is that its purpose is to help reach your personal hair goals. For most of us our goals include healthy hair and retaining length. To meet these goals it’s important to develop a routine featuring these steps:

A Pre-Poo treatment: Because the ingredients in shampoos can be harsh and strip your hair of the natural oils that your hair needs to stay healthy.

Cleanse: Washing out the build-up from the products you use daily.

Conditioning: helps to restore nutrients that may have been stripped from your hair during the cleansing step. Also helps with detangling.

Detangling: So you can prevent knotting and excess pulling on your stands.

Deep Conditioning (DC): Penetrates the strands deeply. DCs Adds nutrients for strength, shine and softness.

Moisturize/Seal: Because African American hair tends to be dryer than other ethnicities it’s important to add as much moisture as possible so your hair maintains softness and less breakage. It is also important to use natural/essential oils to help lock in that moisture.

Style (protective): Use your favorite styling products to create your favorite hair styles. Also try to add protective styles to your regimen. They help protect the ends of your hair which will help you retain length!

My Current Routine:

Every other Saturday or Sunday…

• I first thoroughly saturate hair with water and then divide my hair into 4-8 sections.

• I use a mixture of olive, castor and coconut oil as my pre-poo (also known as a "oil rinse"). I apply the mixture to each section and then cover my hair with a shower cap and keep it on for 30 min. to an hour.

• I then rinse the oils out of my hair (while they are still in sections) and then apply my shampoo (Dr. Bronner’s Magic Pure Castile soap, Carol’s Daughter Tui Herbal Shampoo), and work it through each section.
• I rinse the shampoo out of my hair (while they are still in sections).
• I apply conditioner (Yes To Tomatoes Nourishing Conditioner, Aussie Moist) to each section and using my tangle teezer or a wide tooth comb I carefully detangle my hair starting at the ends and working my way up to the roots.
• While my hair is still in sections I rinse out the conditioner and then add my favorite deep conditioner (Curl Harmony Intensive Deep Conditioner, Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner). I place a shower cap on my head. Depending on how late it is and what I have in mind for styling, I let the DC stay on my hair from 1hr to overnight.
• I then wash it out and add my leave-in conditioner and moisturizer (Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Leave-in Conditioner, Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream, Carol’s Daughter Tui Herbal Leave in Conditioner, water/conditioner mix) evenly throughout my hair.
• I seal in the moisture using either coconut oil or vatika oil. I seal my ends by adding my own shea butter mixture (which I’ll share with you all in a later post!)
• I then style my hair as follows:

-Bantu Knot-out: (Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue)

-Two-strand Twist-out: (Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie)

-Wash and gos: (Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Eco-Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel, Homemade Flax Seed Styling gel, Smooth ‘N Shine Polishing Super Shine Conditioning Gel)

I hope this gives a little insight on regimen building. Don’t feel as if you have to use the same products or exact same steps as I do. Find what works for you! You can only do that by experimenting and playing around with different things. Once you do, let me know your routine/regimen. I’m always looking for tips and better techniques!

This weeks LUUUUST!

Hola everyone!

After listening to lots of people’s encouragement and tackling my own fears, I’ve finally decided to start a blog on healthy hair practices!

After deciding to take the natural route 7 months ago I dived deep into the natural/healthy hair care community. I’ve learned so much from fellow bloggers/youtubers/websites/ research and just plan trial and error.....and now that I think it's a good time to start sharing my findings with all of you. Keep in mind that I am no way an expert and what works (and doesn’t work) for my hair may not yield the same results for you. But hey, we are all here to learn, experiment and have fun with our hair goals. So let the journey begin! I hope you enjoy.

=D