Category Archives: Tips & Tricks

May24

Hair Steamer

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Hair Steamer

by Nia of Ask Nia B

Dear Nia B,

I recently purchased a steam dryer. I researched it & debated it for months. In the end I concluded it is an investment. But how often should I use it? Can I use it too much? Is it true now that I have the steam dryer, I don’t have to pay a lot of money on my conditioners because the dryer is going to do the work regardless? Should I do a pre poo now that I have the dryer? I think that’s enough questions for now :) .

Happy & Natural,
AL
Hi Happy & Natural

Congratulations on your hair steamer purchase! Now let’s get down to business!

How often should you use a hair steamer?
This is a very good question. If your hair is damaged, using a steamer once a week during your conditioning session may be necessary. If your hair is healthy, this level of frequency may not be necessary and twice a month during your conditioning session is sufficient. I’d say start off using your steamer once a week for about a month. The next month, steam twice a month. If you liked the way your hair “behaved” with your once a week steaming, continue with that. If you noticed the same results when you steamed twice a month, then it’s safe to say you’re fine steaming twice a month. You may need to continue to adjust/test the once or twice a month routine until you understand what your hair needs.

Can I use it too much?
I don’t think it would be necessary to use your hair steamer, say, everyday (in which case may be too much!). This question ties into the above one. Say for instance you feel that steaming once a week, twice or even once a month during your conditioning session is beneficial to your hair, then you’re not using the hair steamer too much. When I say beneficial, I mean you notice a positive change in the way your hair looks and feels. But, if you notice your hair is not “right” and seems “off” since you started using the steamer, chances are you’ve used it too much and need to reduce the frequency.

Is it true now that I have the steamer, I don’t have to pay a lot of money on conditioners because the dryer is going to do the work regardless?
Whether you choose to buy cheaper or expensive conditioners is a personal choice. The steamer – along with the conditioner you use, will work together for the benefit of your hair. The warm steam will help open up your hair’s cuticle, which will allow your hair to receive all the beneficial ingredients found in the conditioner. So, in a nutshell, I’d say use a conditioner that will benefit your hair along with the steamer to optimize your results – regardless of cost.

Should I do a pre-poo now that I have the steamer?
Pre-pooing for some people helps to soften the hair and makes detangling the hair a bit easier before shampooing – or whatever cleansing method is used. It also adds an extra layer of oil or moisture to the hair that sometimes gets stripped away during the shampooing process (depending on the product used during this step). So, because the pre-poo step happens before you cleanse your hair and will most likely be rinsed away during the cleansing process, if you’ve been doing a pre-poo, I see no reason to stop. I’d like to add, you have to do what works for your hair. Try doing a pre-poo and steaming; the next time don’t pre-poo and use the steamer. See how your hair responds. If you like the results with pre-pooing, keep doing what you have been. If you don’t notice a big difference, skip the pre-poo and save yourself some time!

Xs and Os
Nia B

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Do you own a hair steamer? If so, how often do you need to use it and when, to get the best results, and maximum benefits?

May15

How I Retain Length

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How I Retain Length

Last week, I mentioned that I was getting quite a few questions about what I do/did to get my hair to its current length. Usually when I get asked that question, I’ll point to my regimen post. But, to be honest, that is ever evolving and what I may be doing or using today may be totally different a week or two from now. So, I started to think about the various Tips and Tricks that I’ve shared over the last year. Then, I grouped them into categories of things that I consistently do to retain as much length as I can.

Right now, my hair is the longest that it’s ever been in my life … not ADULT life … my ENTIRE life. I have what is viewed as a “looser curl” and some assume that length automatically comes with that. However, I was not one of those little girls with a thick, long ponytail hanging down her back until the yearning for a “perm” set-in and destroyed her long, luxurious mane.

Instead, my hair was fine, frizz prone and armpit length was probably the longest it ever was pre- or post relaxer. All this to say that, at 40 years of age and 12 years natural, my hair is the longest that it has ever been … EVER.

Now here’s the disclaimer! LOL! This post isn’t to say that I’ve got this length retention thing down to an exact science, that my methods are the only ones that work, that I don’t have setbacks or that I have a perfect head of hair. I am trying to grow out a shorter, dryer, coarser and more breakage-prone crown, a shorter nape, transition out henna-loosened ends and recover from the amla induced “Great Shed of 2010.” I don’t have a perfectly even, thick perimeter and although my longest areas have reached waist length, not all of my hair has (I’m testing Chicoro’s “Lead Hair” Theory and the goal point method of trimming). So, yeah … my hair is a work in progress and I hope some of the things that I learned and began incorporating late last year will help me to achieve healthier, thicker, stronger and longer hair in the twenty twelve!!

So, without further ado, here are the 3 things that I am doing to “grow” my hair long or, more accurately, retain the length that I grow!

1. MOISTURIZE: Every week (or two weeks at the most), I pre-poo with Vatika or coconut oil, deep condition, apply a leave-in conditioner and seal with an oil. I re-apply a water-based moisturizer and seal between wash sessions, as needed.

2. PROTECT: I’m not just talking about protective styling. I think about protection as everything I do to reduce stress on my hair and prevent “premature” breakage. I finger detangle, use gentle hair accessories and tools, search and destroy to trim knots and splits that can cause “collateral damage” to adjacent strands, sleep on a satin pillowcase, wear a satin scarf or bonnet every night and wear low manipulation/protective styles that tuck away my ends 5-6 days a week.

3. STRENGTHEN: Throughout most of 2011, this element was largely missing from my regimen and I think it resulted in preventable breakage. But, I rectified this in November 2011, learned how to use protein correctly and began incorporating strengthening protein treatments every 2-3 weeks, or as needed. I also use henna. But, as I do roots-only treatments due to curl loosening caused by repeated applications, it isn’t sufficient as a strengthening agent alone. So, it became imperative for me to begin using protein to reinforce the “structural integrity” of my strands.

Here are a few pictures that show my progress from 2008, when I had my hair cut to ear length straight, to present.

Sept. 22, 2008

Feb. 19, 2011 (post 2-3″ trim)

Feb. 5, 2012

Feb. 10, 2012

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 What do you do to retain length? 

 

 

 

May9

The L.O.C. Method

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The L.O.C. Method

by Jackie of Engineering Natural Beauty

Dry hair is a problem for many natural ladies. I suffered with dry hair for the first 11 months of my natural hair journey. I couldn’t go more than 2 or 3 days without having to moisturize. I experimented with everything to try and keep my hair moisturized: olive oil, coconut oil and every type of butter you could think of! It also doesn’t help that I have low porosity hair.

Before

But one day, while perusing the Curly Nikki Forums, I came across a thread for keeping hair moisturized. The women in the thread were discussing using the L.O.C. method and how it helped them keep their hair moisturized for 4 to 5 days! Each letter in the title makes up the steps:

L-Liquid: You first use a liquid on your hair.

O-Oil: You seal the liquid with an oil or butter.

C-Cream: You then put a cream over the oil and liquid.

The purpose is for each layer to seal the layer before it, i.e. the oil seals in the liquid and the cream seals in the oil.

Knowing my situation, I wanted to look into this method more to see if it could work for me. So, off I went to YouTube to find a tutorial and more information. I landed on the Trendy Socialite’s video and decided give the method a try.

via TrendySocialite

I will be honest, I was skeptical. Nothing else had worked before. However, after my first application, my apprehension turned into excitement. It worked!! My hair stayed moisturized for a week … A WEEK! I hadn’t been able to go more than 2 days without having to moisturize. I started using the L.O.C. method in November and I haven’t looked back.

When I first started, the products I used were water, Jane Carter Nourish and Shine and Bioteral Curl Creme or Lacio Laci0! High Shine Leave-In Conditioner. Since then, the products I use have changed as I no longer like Lacio Lacio because it contains silicones and I no longer use them in my hair anymore. Being the product junkie that I am, my products are constantly changing and I’m forever experimenting to find the right combination. I’ve used:

  • Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding and Burnt Sugar Pomade as my oil
  • PuraBody Naturals Murumuru Moisture Milk, Oyin Handmade Hair Dew and Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk as my cream.

The one thing that has never changed is using water as my liquid. Water is always the best moisturizer for hair, so there’s no need to mess with a good thing. But, no matter what I’m using, I always do the L.O.C. method.

Before

After

Love and hair grease curlies ♥!

Apr28

how i retained length - year one

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how i retained length - year one

Reblogged from mightyfinenatural:

Click to visit the original post

hi guys,

so i just wanted to share a few consistent things that allowed me to retain length. even though I would venture to try new things these are the things that i did constantly since I BC’D.

1. Finger Detangling

The only time that I have ever used a comb was when I picked out my hair to find relaxed ends (this wasnt the smartest move because I ended up cutting off a bit of my natural hair =/).Besides that , I have always finger detangled.

Read more… 487 more words

Check out #3. Very interesting! I never heard of diluting conditioner prior to application, but since detangling with conditioner under the shower stream seems to work well (added water adds slip), I wonder if diluting conditioner with water first has a similar effect! Just thought I'd share:).
Apr27

The “B” Word

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The “B” Word

by Sawah of Discovering Natural

I’m talking about “Breakage.” We’ve all experienced this at one time or the other.  But do you know the difference between Breakage and Shedding? I was totally clueless about this prior to transistioning.

When I was relaxed, I would have a lot of hair breakage and over the years, I thought that was normal. I just thought if you comb your hair, you should experience seeing hair left on the comb or brush. I didn’t realize that there was such a thing as shedding.

Let’s understand the differences between breakage and shedding.

What is Shedding?
Hair that has been shed is one that has come to the end of its life cycle. It usually contains a white bulb at the end. This is normal. Research as shown that we shed an average of 50-100 hair strands per day.  Sounds scary, huh? Well, new hair is suppose to grow where the shedded hair was.

What is Breakage?
This is the process of the hair breaking, not at the root, but somewhere in the strand of the hair.  It is not normal because in all cases the hair has not gone through the normal hair life cycle.  Breakage can occur from mishandling of hair, lack of proper nutrients, or excessive styling.

When hair is deprived of proper moisture, breakage can occur. It is very important to keep your hair properly moisturized. Daily moisturizing and weekly deep conditioning will help you with breakage. Try to use water-based products, because these products provide the best moisturizing agents. Don’t forget to seal your hair with some oils or cream.

In addition to moisture, you will need to strengthen your hair strands. This can be done by adding protein products to your hair routine. Protein is known to help rebuild weak hair strands. There are several protein treatments products that you can use. It is important to properly follow the product application instructions.

Mishandling of hair can also cause breakage. I notice less breakage when I do not use a comb on my dry hair.  If I want to comb my hair post wash day, I spritz some water mixed with a little leave-in conditioner and carefully either finger comb it or use a wide-tooth comb. On wash days, I always finger detangle my hair with some oil or conditioning product.

When styling your hair, try not to pull too much at your edges. The edge and nape of your head are more prone to breakage. Keeping hair in a pony tail all the time can cause breakage at the point where the hair is gathered together.

When you understand the difference between hair breakage and shedding, it will help you address the problem and keep your mind at rest in determining what steps to talk to minimize breakage.

How are you handling breakage?

Mar29

Dry Hair: Causes and Solutions

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Dry Hair: Causes and Solutions

by M of Hair and Other Stuff 

After having a recent conversation with a fellow natural about hair care, I decided to do a series on natural hair care and maintenance. The focus of this post  (# 1 in a series) is dry hair. Naturally curly hair is prone to dryness because of the structure of the hair. The natural oils produced by the scalp of those with curly/kinky hair  are not able to travel all the way down the hair shaft because of the twists and turns of the curls. Dry hair is a set -up for breakage and breakage ensures that you will not “see” hair growth! Other problems can also exacerbate this dry state of affairs. Listed below are some common causes and  solutions.

Dry Hair

Possible Causes

  • Shampooing too often
  • Use of products with harsh sulfates
  • Use of products with alcohol which can also be drying
  • Not drinking enough water
  • Sleeping on  a cotton pillowcase or using a cotton scarf, which rob hair of moisture
  • Low porosity hair
  • Not using water based hair products
  • Not sealing moisture in with an oil or butter
  • Improper hair pH
  • Excessive use of products with silicone’s which can cause build up and lock out moisture
  • Chemical Damage such as relaxers or other chemical straighteners
  • Color treated hair (notorious for dryness)
  • Using too much  direct heat (Blow drying, flat iron, curling iron, etc. on a consistent basis)
  • Too much chlorine (from swimming pools or tap water)
  • Salt (as if found in ocean water)
  • General weathering from the elements

Solutions

  • Increase water consumption
  • Pre-poo with an oil that can penetrate the hair shaft like coconut oil
  • Find a product that moisturizes well, then seal it in with a butter while damp or wet
  • Use deep conditioners weekly. Some may need to  apply indirect heat through a shower cap, steamer, hair therapy wrap, etc., while deep conditioning
  • Evaluate if your water is hard or soft and if it needs to be treated
  • Protect your hair, when going swimming, with conditioner and a swim cap or use of a product specifically designed for sun/chlorine/salt, such as Ouidad Sun Shield
  • Determine the pH of the products you use in your hair and adjust the ratios/products accordingly

The take away is  this:  Find out WHY your hair is dry. After you establish this, you can determine how best to combat the dryness. Remember, the goal is to always keep your hair well-moisturized. Well, as best you can anyway. A well moisturized head of hair is a happy one! :-)

Stay Tuned for Part 2 in this series.
~M

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How do you combat dryness and keep your hair moisturized?

Mar28

Finger Detangling

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Finger Detangling

Tips and Tricks: Number Twenty

As many of you know, I’m a fan of finger detangling. I started employing this method of detangling almost exclusively in February 2011 when I joined the Curly Nikki presents Kim Coles’ Grow Out Challenge. Prior to that, I used a wide tooth comb in the shower with conditioner saturated hair. However, last year I started experimenting with finger detangling and just found it to be far more gentle on my fine strands. I definitely attribute part of my length retention over the last year to it.

Finger detangling allows me to “feel” tangles so that I can carefully separate the hair and ease them out. With a comb, unless I hit a major snare that would stop the comb or brush in its tracks, I realized that I had more than likely been tearing through tangles. As I finger detangle now, I wince to think of the damage I was doing in the past with a comb because I didn’t feel the knots and ties. For those with hair of hardier stock, this may not be a problem. But, at the very least, I believe that combing through significant tangles prior to finger detangling disrupts the cuticle and, on the more severe end of the spectrum, causes breakage.

I finger detangle at a variety of stages. During my weekly pre-poo session, I “dry” detangle with Vatika oil and de-shed (remove “captured” shed hair) as I demonstrated in How I Pre-Poo. Dry detangling was something I would have NEVER though that I would do!! But, because my hair is almost always stretched from TnCs, twist-outs or bunned WnG and was well detangled the prior wash session, I am able to gently detangle and de-shed my dry hair with oil. That first finger-detangling session tends to take care of most of the heavy-hitters. Then, I will finish detangling under the water stream while rinsing my deep conditioner and finally after I apply my leave-in. As my hair is pretty detangled once I get to the leave-in step, I will sometimes gently “chase” my finger detangling with a wide-tooth comb. However, I don’t do use the comb regularly. I have discovered that making certain that I do a final detangle after I apply my leave-in results in an easier detangling session the next wash day.

Anywho, here are a few tutorials that show how others finger detangle. As you’ll see, there is no one “right” way to do it. There are a variety of techniques, so you just have to figure out what works best for you!

via HeyFranHey

via MahoganyCurls

via Chery818

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Do you finger detangle? If so, how and why? If not, do you think that you would try it?

Mar26

Growing Nape Hair

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Growing Nape Hair

Tips and Tricks: Number 19

Until a few months ago, I probably would have never thought about this or believed that it was achievable. I mean, nape hair is the same as the hair at our sideburns or like eyelashes and eyebrows, right? In my mind, this hair just had a very short terminal length and was meant to be shorter. Then, I was perusing the Fotki of Zhara after Jasmine aka CurlsDivine told us about her in a GOC update and I came across this picture. Go ahead, look at it and read the caption … I’ll wait.

Are you kidding me? Waist length nape hair? That’s impossible!! Right?!?! Guess not! I started thinking about my own very wispy, fine, thin (density) and tangle-prone nape hair. Could I possibly grow that hair to waist length as well? So, I started to do a little research to understand what others have done to grow their more delicate nape hair longer. These are some tips that I found or think make sense.

Tips:
Some of these tips are no-brainers and techniques that I already practice. Others probably wouldn’t work for me because of the fine and easily weighed down nature of my nape hair. So, I think it’s probably best to pick and choose the techniques that are likely to work for you and modify as needed:

  • Don’t over-manipulate the hair at the nape with brushing and/or combing.
  • Be very gentle when detangling the nape area (finger detangling is recommended).
  • Wear styles that prevent your nape hair from rubbing your clothing as excessive friction can cause damage and breakage.
  • Avoid placing a lot of tension on the nape hair with overly tight weaves, braids, bun and ponytail styles.
  • Protect the nape at night with a silk/satin scarf and/or bonnet ensuring that this area is fully covered. A satin pillowcase adds yet another level of protection in the event that your headgear is prone to “slippage” like mine.
  • If you use commercial permanent colors, apply dyes to the nape last so that it is processed for less time or don’t treat this area at all.
  • If/when you use heat, reduce the temperature and ensure the hair is adequately treated with a heat protector.
  • Moisturize and seal this hair more if hair it is prone to dryness. This applies to using additional conditioner through the wash session (regular conditioner, deep conditioner) and moisture during styling (leave-in, styler, sealing).
  • Massage the scalp to promote circulation and growth. (I use an essential oil mix that has been proven to stimulate growth. I have tried Dr. Miracle’s Temple and Nape Grow Balm to increase density, not length, in the past. I didn’t notice any appreciable difference. However, I admit, I wasn’t diligent about using it every day either.)
  • Braid the nape hair into a horizontal cornrow and thread the length through the cornrow to protect it.

This last technique is the only one that I hadn’t really thought of or applied previously and I found this great “How to” on it on K is for Kinky: Protecting and Growing Out Your Nape with the Braid Method. Now, this may not work for every style, but it looks like a great way to protect the delicate nape when wearing hair down and out as the braid can easily be hidden. I’m thinking that even a simple braid bunned at the nape would work for those with very fine nape hair like me or those who can’t cornrow. So, don’t be surprised if the next time you see me wearing a WnG or TnC, I’m packing a mini-bun under it as I’m on a mission now to grow my nape hair to waist length too!

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Are you growing out your nape? What techniques have you found to be effective?

Mar13

Detangling: Never Underestimate the Power of the Shower Stream

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Detangling: Never Underestimate the Power of the Shower Stream

Tips and Tricks Number Eighteen

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a couple of months now to highlight, share and co-sign on a trick that I read on CurlyNikki long ago, but only started employing more recently. There are several viable and effective options for detangling naturally curly hair: dry with oil, slightly damp with oil and/or conditioner, wet and saturated with conditioner, fingers, wide-tooth comb, Denman, etc. I’m not going to go into the various techniques here, but if you want to learn more, check out this detailed post on CurlyNikki: Detangling Methods for Natural Hair.

So, back to the point of this post. Over the last year and a half, I have mostly finger detangled on dry hair during my pre-poo routine. However, for the majority of my twelve years natural, I only detangled when it was completely wet and saturated with conditioner. Every now and again, I revisit the wet method and this weekend was one such occasion. I didn’t pre-poo, because I was doing a henna/indigo treatment and wanted to apply it to dry hair. So, my detangling process didn’t start until the henna/indigo conditioner rinse.

Let me tell you, putting my head under the shower stream once my hair is wet and saturated with conditioner really helps dissolve the tangles! In the past, I would wet my hair, add tons of conditioner, maybe add a little more water and go at it with the wide tooth comb. I generally only went back under the water stream when it was time to rinse. But the last few times I’ve wet detangled, I repeatedly put my head under the shower stream when I hit snags, adding more conditioner as needed. The water running down the conditioner-covered strands really seems to help melt the tangles down and out of my hair with a little assistance from my “nimble” fingers ;) .

So, if you’ve never tried this and find yourself conditioned up, but needing a little help with a nasty snarl, turn to your new friend, the shower stream. You may be pleasantly surprised by how helpful “she” is!!

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Have you beheld the power of the shower stream?

Feb22

Flaxseed Gel (FSG)

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Flaxseed Gel (FSG)

Early in my discovery of this little online natural hair community, I came across the acronym FSG on a thread on naturallycurly.com. I think I was in search of something to enhance my curls. Anywho, it took a little digging, but I learned that FSG stands for flaxseed gel, a natural and nourishing alternative to commercial gels.

via LiveStrong.com

Flaxseed oil, derived from the seeds of the flax plant, is rich in essential fatty acids, which can be beneficial to your health in a number of ways. In addition to helping with skin disease, cholesterol and digestive problems, flaxseed oil may also assist with hair growth and the replenishment of brittle hair or dry scalp. While evidence supports the use of flaxseed oil to promote healthy hair, there is no solid proof of its effectiveness.

Why Flaxseed Oil Helps Hair

One of the reasons flaxseed oil can promote hair health is because it is rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Omega-3 essential fatty acids are known to support scalp health, while a deficiency can result in dry scalp and dull hair, says Jim White, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, according to “Men’s Health.”

Flax seeds also contain lignans, disease-fighting compounds that may help fight hair loss. But because lignans are found in the shell, whole seeds are a better source than oil.

As an alternative to the oil discussed primarily in the article, you can also make a natural hair gel by boiling flaxseeds and straining them to use the resultant “goop.” To further enhance the beneficial effects of this little DIY gel, you can add essential and carrier oils and/or aloe vera gel and, if you want to enhance your curls, try adding a small amount of  MSG/Magnesium Sulfate (i.e. Epsom salts). However, you’ll want to be careful with this last additive as it can be drying for some, especially if too much is used.

Want to see how it’s made? Naptural85 demonstrates her flaxseed gel recipe and techniques in this tutorial.

via Naptural85 

Not much of a DIYer, but love the idea of a natural gel? Check out this naturallycurly.com thread that piqued my interest in 2010 and led me to the highly sought after FSG made by Botticelli Babe, which spawned her Esty shop, Botticelli Botanicals.

As to my experience with flaxseed gel? Well, I tried making it one time in the fall of 2010 with flaxseeds I already had in my fridge. I think that I boiled the seeds for too long as the gel was very thick and a little hard to distribute. I never revisited making it again … but out of sheer laziness. However, I’ve read so many good things about it that I’ve been thinking about trying it again in late spring/summer for my WnGs.

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Do you use or have you tried FSG? What is/was your experience with it? What’s your recipe?