Hot Oil Treatment

Hot oil treatment helps to moisturize damaged or dry hair  which could have been caused by change in weather or temperature, coloring, blow-drying, straightening, or other styling factors (brushing or combing). It most often makes hair look more healthy and conditioned.How it works: Hot oil treatments for hair can be generally used once a week. The oil is heated in a bottle by putting the bottle in hot water until desired temperature is reached. This conditioning treatment provides more strength and body to the hair. The hot oil can help repair damaged and weak hair as every strand gets the treatment it needs instantly when the oil is applied. The procedure is simple & inexpensive but highly effective method for very dry hair.

How to use it: Once the oil is heated you can message it into your wet hair. Ensure that you massage all the oil thoroughly in the hair so that all the hair will be able to be exposed to the hot oil. Usually people do not make sure that all their hair is exposed to the oil and this can cause weakness to those areas of the hair. After this is done, cover hair with a cap. Leave it in your hair for at least 1 hour. Rinse and proceed with a very mild shampoo(non-sulphate)  to avoid losing the benefits of treatment or even better co-wash your hair.

Oils that I use: Olive oil, Almond oil, Jojoba oil, Coconut oil, Castor oil & an liltle bit of Honey.

Old Habits Die Hard

NO SUGAR COATING IT! 

CHEATING! Doesn’t mean you have to kiss, meet or have sex with a third party. The moment you find yourself walking out of the room to answer a phone call or deleting texts and e-mails so your partner wont see them, you are already there. Its like a cancer it develops slowly but you will surely feel the pain when its fully grown. The funny thing is most of the times, people try to search for what they already have because they don’t just appreciate what they have. Remember the grass may look green on the other side but what if you could just invest time and energy by watering the one that you have. Wouldn’t the world be a better place to be today? Can you imagine how strong your relationship would be if you would not waste your energy, resources and time on things that have no future. Secret, small, hidden relationships are like ticks they suck all the good things out of your marriage or relationship and makes it unstable. It will take you more effort to repair what you would have damaged and the sad thing is sometimes those wounds might never heal.

If you cannot change before, Is there hope for after?

A man or woman who cheats on you before marriage will more likely cheat you in marriage. Yes, people fall, repent, change and start over. But a habitual cheater should never be trusted with your heart. A habitual cheater will not suddenly become faithful after marriage. Faithfulness is a habit that starts and is developed before marriage; in school and in college during courtship. Fidelity doesn’t suddenly start the day one says “I do.” The marriage certificate does not make a cheater become faithful. If your lover is a habitual cheater thank God that they have shown you their true colors before it’s too late. This will give you a chance to make a lifetime decision that you will have to live with. You can either work through it and risk the same thing occurring again in the future or end the relationship and run for your life. You cannot ignore this warning and not regret in the future. You cannot disregard this and not get hurt. Your heart is too precious to be broken carelessly. You want to be loved and appreciated; not just tolerated.

A woman is fully capable of being faithful. Temptations to cheat may not be her weakness. But a lot of men don’t take time to notice that all she wants is love, attention, honesty, and loyalty. Before she cheats she will whine, cry and complain about all the things that make her unhappy. A warning before destruction. Men pay attention! Never make her feel disappointed or she will act as such. With this said, for a man to stand up and treat a woman in a special way,women must sit down and lower their voice as women should.a woman who shouts down a man,who nags and quarrels, with her man should not expect any better from a man he so treats.but a woman who respects a man and recognize him as the head of family will get everything from such a man.

JUST REMEMBER TO WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOU DECISIONS EITHER GOOD OR BAD.

What’s the big deal about natural Kinky hair?

I have faced many mental struggles a young black woman,accepting my natural hair being one of them. But in the last 4 years I have learnt to love and embrace my roots through my natural kinky hair. To me I would consider this as a blessing, although other black women would consider this to be a curse.

Of course, there have been days were I struggled with my natural hair routine, tangles, knots, and breakage and most importantly perfecting my natural hair styles. However, my hair has been my trade mark for the last few years and has defined the type of person I am.

Few facts about kinky hair:

• Kinky hair grows upward and away from the scalp instead of downward like looser textures.
  Because of it coils, kinky hair is more susceptible to breakage.
• It coils also make styles such as braids are easier to achieve because the curl pattern is easy to interlock and tangle hair.
• Natural hair can be straightened in many ways using blow dryers, flat irons (when in contact with the hair grease you usually hear a sizzling sound like frying an egg and smell of burning hair), or hot combs. However, these processes need to be repeated every-time the hair is washed or affected by humidity as water has a habit of reverting kinky hair to its natural state.
  
• Permanently straightening hair using chemicals such as per or relaxer are other forms used to bypass pressing hair with flat irons. With this said, hair treated with chemical relaxers cannot revert back to its coily texture  and the chemical will need to be applied every 4-6 weeks to treat the new growth.

My hair type is 4c. Whats yours?

Natural hair typing is a term that most  fuels discussion among women with natural hair as  some believe that that it separates us. But personally i believe that  the system does have its flaws but overall the classification has helped me to learn and understand the type of texture my hair is and ow to keep it healthy and the best products to use on it. Andre Walker’s Curl Typing System classified hair into four main categories: Straight (Type 1), Wavy (Type 2), Curly (Type 3) and Kinky  (Type 4). these categories were placed into subcategories – a, b, c – within the texture classes.

On the other hand, LOIS hair typing system takes into effect the classification of the curl size, cotton, silky, spongy, or smooth texture, and low porosity, high porosity, and normal porosity, in addition to the individual curl patterns. This typing system has increasingly become popular among naturals because the system advocates for healthy hair as well as a healthy mind set towards hair.

Useful examples of Type 4 hair:

Tea Rinse

Tea rinse is good method used to help prevent Shedding and are known to benefit all hair types. Shedding occurs when the hair has reached the end of its growth cycle and fall of from the root. Shedding and breakage differ, where shedding  is identified with a little white bulb n one end of the hair and with breakage hair breaks of at any point of the strand.

So how does tea come into it?

The hormone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)has been known to cause shedding. Well, Caffeine in tea acts as a DHT blocker and has many benefits such as:

• Aiding with thickening the hair shaft and making hair appear fuller.
• With black tea being a natural astringent, it penetrates the pores of the scalp and dissolve excess oil produced by the glands.
• Green tea stimulates hair growth

With this said, you cannot limit your rinses to green and black tea only, as nettle and burdock are also known to be great aswell.

Hair Tea Rinse Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3-4 regular teabags
• 5 cups of water

Directions:

1. Place teabags in hot water. Let steep and cool.
2. While the tea is cooling, wash and detangle your hair.
3. Lightly squeeze dry your hair naturally (I normally use microfiber towel).
4. Pore the tea on your hair making sure that the whole head is covered.
5. Massage scalp and and cover hair with a plastic bag or satin bonnet and leave it in for up to an hour.
   
6. Because Tea Rinse make hair hard and stiff, I always follow this with a moisturizing deep conditioner.

Transitioning from Relaxed to Natural Hair

Transitioning is a rewarding challenge of growing out natural hair texture prior to cutting off the chemically processed or damaged hair. This journey is not easy but it is certainly worthwhile. Learn about it!

• The most important step is to get educated on natural hair care by watching youtube video or looking at blogs. Personally, my the best advise I would give you is to make sure that you do not rely on research that someone else did but rather do your own research and read journals.

Natural hair transition can be one on the most challenging and rewarding hair moments. If you are thinking about going natural or if you are currently in the process please don’t give up, just stay positive. It is a long journey that is worthwhile and yes, I can say this as I have been natural for a while.

This year will be my third year being natural but it has been over a year since I started looking after my hair properly. The first year I was uneducated about caring for natural hair and I realised after a while that my hair has not grown as much as it should have. I wasn’t keeping my hair moisturized at all, I was using wrong hair products and I was unaware of how I can protect my hair from the sun or the cold. I finally decided that I need to make a change and YouTube became my main motivator. I started searching for videos of people who have transitioned and Learnt a lot on how to take take of my natural hair using the right products and various protective styles. It was more apparent to me that there is more to being natural than just having a big chop and  living to kinky. Now I aware that our hair is made of three layers–the cuticle (outside layer protecting the cortex), cortex, and medulla. It is important to condition and moisturize your cuticles in order for your hair to become more manageable during your transition.

Quick Transition tips for hair care: Conditioning and shampooing.

Condition hair at least twice a week by co-washing your hair. This is the same processing as shampooing but it requires application of conditioner to hair, rather than using shampoo. If you do shampoo your hair make sure it is sulphate free and does not contain these ingredients: ingredient: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lareth Sulphate (sulfate) and Myreth Sulphate (sulfate), as sulphate tends to make your hair dry and tangled. Co-wash is an excellent method I use to make my hair feel so silky and smooth. Would also recommend using a sulfate-free shampoo if possible two or three-times a month to wash out product build up.

Silicones in conditioners are one thing to look out for as they result in build-up on your hair and scalp and it will cause your hair to be dull. There are many natural conditioners on the market that do not contain silicone. However, beware that some conditioners maybe silicone free but may also contain ingredients damaging to your hair. Always make sure you read the ingredients fully before purchase. The two silicones to watch out for are Dimethicone and Cyclomethicone these may cause your scalp to get unwanted build up.

Detangling

The period of transitioning depends on individual preferences but the longer your hair get the more challenging it is to detangle. The process of detangling natural hair with a wide tooth comb or a brush requires patients:

•  Separate the hair into sections, and wet or apply conditioner to each section.
•  Always start from the ends of the hair and work your way to the bottom, while your hair is wet or conditioned. NEVER attempt this on dry hair.

It is important that you detangle your hair correctly. Failure to do so leads to hair breakage and may cause the hair to matte. the best way to detangle your would be using your hands.

Quick tips for a smooth transition:

• Use sulfate-free shampoos when shampooing
• Detangle from ends to roots and ensure that hair is moist.
• Wear a satin head scarf or use silk pillows.
• Style your hair with protective styles
• Do not flat iron or press the hair
• Deep condition every other week especially right after a shampoo.
• Keep the hair moisturized with a water based product.
• Never comb your hair when its dry as this may cause split ends and damage hair.
• Stay away from products containing petroleum or mineral oil as the first ingredient.

Stay Positive and always remember your roots. Being natural makes you beautiful and don’t let ignorant people stop you from embracing that natural beauty within you.

Sweet Almond Oil

SWEET ALMOND OIL (prunus dulcis): This oil is nut based oil that is very mineral rich.

• It is a carrier oil that oil is soothing, nourishing and invigorating.
• Contains vitamin E in abundance helping promote circulation of the scalp. It also contains vitamins that improve hair vitality such as Vitamin A, B1, & B6.
• Acts as a sealant and locks in moisture and penetrate well into hair shaft making it great for dry hair.
• The moisturising components within sweet almond oil not only combats dry skin but also maintain the skins normal PH level.

Uses on hair:

• Pre-poo
• Deep Conditioner
• Before blow drying
• Appling to dry ends