MAINTAIN HEALTHY HAIR WHILE WEARING A SEW-IN

Sew-ins are great.  They keep your hair away so you don’t have to style it.  They give your hair a break from the elements.  However, it is not a hairstyle that allows you to be lazy.  Neglecting the hair underneath is a big mistake many women make when wearing sew- ins.  Not paying attention to the hair underneath the weave can leave you with a mess once you take the weave down.  However it’s not that easy to access the hair underneath the weave.  Washing your hair, moisturizing your scalp and of course scratching become ten times harder when wearing a sew-in.  How can you take care of your hair without your weave becoming greasy and product heavy?  I have some tips that may help, especially if you maintain your sew-ins without the help of a beautician.

1. Leave the oils alone.  Oils can be really good for your scalp, but they’re your weave’s worst enemy.  Oiling your scalp almost always leaves you with a greasy weave because they are runny.  There are alternative ways to get moisture to your hair and scalp.  Leave in conditioner is one option.  Lightly push the conditioner into your braids.  Another product I recommend is Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 Miracle Worker.  This is a great moisturizer you can use for your scalp and braids.  It’s very light and it’s a thin cream so it isn’t messy.
2. wash the braids underneath when you shampoo your weave. we don't like washing our hair when we have weave because of the  fear  of our braids getting lose and old but never neglect the health of your hair, for the sake of maintaining  a hairstyle longer
3. Take out your weave. Never leave your weave in for more than two months.  Two months is even pushing it.  At this point your braids begin to matte and tangle and so all that length you obtained while you wore your sew-in will break off when you have to detangle your hair.  Remember your hair will be very dirty underneath at this point also.  It will probably itch all the time at this point because your hair and scalp need a good, real wash.  Don’t hold on to an old weave; when its time, its time.
4. Fix the issues before the next sew-in.  If you’re experiencing a lot of shedding or breaking once you take down your weave, find the source of the issue and fix it.  Getting another sew in will only complicate things further.  Wigs will give you the chance to fix any damage if you aren’t comfortable wearing your hair.  If you use a wig, take full advantage of the fact that it is removable.  Pamper your hair back to health and when you’re at home take the wig off and let your hair get some air.

3 Lessons On Growing Short Hair out

Lesson 1

There’s no need to take shortcuts to see results. You want to give your hair an opportunity to retain length and health without the intervention of methods that may cause side effects that can harm your hair and health. You also don’t want to apply methods that may improve your rate of hair growth but also lead you to false expectations. For example, if hypothetically you’re able to retain one inch one month, you might assume that you will be able to grow and retain a foot of hair in a year.  Set a goal to achieve the healthiest hair that you can, rather than achieving fast growth and I promise you will find your journey more enjoyable and less frustrating.

Lesson 2

Single strand knots, split ends and tangles are not your enemies. Annoying, yes but not the enemies you think they are. Early in my healthy hair journey, I found tangles and knots extraordinarily frustrating because I felt that each one represented 100 more that I had not yet discovered.  However, I eventually realized that other than regular trimming I didn’t need to do anything else to rid myself of these irritating hair nuisances. Again, let me assure you that tangles and small knots have not hindered my hair growth so don’t worry that every knot you detect will hinder yours.

Lesson 3

Protective styles that adversely affect other aspects of your hair health are simply not worth it. If a protective style helps you to grow hair down your back but causes bald spots or thin edges, it is NOT protecting your hair. Be sure to monitor both the health of your hair and scalp if you wear wigs or weaves to be sure that you aren’t unwittingly damaging your tresses.

Common Myths About Moisturizing Natural Hair

Moisturizing natural hair can feel like a “complex art” at times, and moisture-related myths certainly do not help the situation. Here are a few of those myths that I want to debunk today:

 1. Protein conditioners are a no-no Protein conditioners can actually help damaged hair – or even just older ends of the hair – retain moisture. Here is how: Your cuticle layer acts as a protective layer for the inner cortex of your hair strand. When the cuticle layer is damaged – e.g., broken cuticle scales, missing cuticle scales, lifted cuticle scales, etc. – moisture retention becomes difficult. Protein conditioners can help by temporarily patching up this layer, thus helping to “seal” in moisture in a way.

 2. Moisturizing daily is a must Moisturizing daily is not an automatic requirement that comes with being natural. Believe it or not, there are some of us out here who can go anywhere from a few days to a week without re-moisturizing our hair. How long you can go between moisturizing sessions depends on several factors, especially the characteristics of your hair, the style you are wearing (protective vs. loose), AND the effectiveness of your products and method. Moisturizing daily is not a must for every natural.

 3. Hair without shine = dry hair Even though I want to say that this myth has already been debunked, there are still naturals who believe that hair that lacks shine equals dry hair. Truth be told, shine is a function of a few factors, including what products you use and how stretched or straight your hair is. When light reflects off of this “flat” surface, (i.e. the stretched/straight hair) it can cause the shine we see. Oils and other products can enhance this shine even more. Now naturals who have very tight coils and kinks may have sheen – a soft luster – when their hair is moisturized, but not necessarily a shine… and that is not a bad thing. So how can you tell if your hair is dry? Well one attribute of moisturized hair is pliability.

 4. Products that contain alcohol will dry out the hair  … it depends on what the alcohol is. I have heard some people adamantly say, “I refuse to buy a conditioner with alcohol in it,” believing that cetyl alcohol is a drying alcohol. The truth is cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, just to name a few, are “fatty alcohols.” Fatty alcohols are not at all drying like the rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) you would put on a wound. (Actually, many fatty alcohols are waxy.) The inclusion of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol on an ingredients label is usually due to use as one of the following:
 a) a thickener or thickening agent
 b) an emulsifier 
c) an emollient. And guess what? Emollients can help to soften the hair!

How To Grow Out Your Nape Hair

Some of these tips are no-brainers and techniques that we already 
practice. 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. 

Braid the nape hair into a horizontal cornrow and thread the length through the cornrow to protect it.

Spray Bottle is a Healthy Hair Must have.

A Spray Bottle is a Natural Hair Necessity. If you do not have a spray bottle, get one! It is one of the best investments you can make. Spritzing the hair with water is the best way to refresh those curls in between washes.

The spray bottle is used to rehydrate dull curls. It allows you to shape, moisturize, and stretch hair without soaking or re-wetting the whole head.  You can more evenly distribute your moisturize when applying with a spray bottle. Its perfect for moisturizing and re-twisting the hair daily before bed.  You can also use your spray bottle in styling your hair.

LENGTH RETENTION TIPS FOR YOUR HAIR

1. Don’t touch your hair
It can be tempting to play with your new hair growth, but excessive manipulation causes breakage. Keeping your hair back and out of your face (in braids, buns, twists, etc) will help relieve some of the temptation to touch your hair. If you want to keep it, don’t touch it!


2. Lay off the heat
Every time you use heat on your hair, you are damaging it. Try going six months without using heat and see what happens; your hair will be much healthier and you will have better length retention. Cutting back will still make a difference—if you usually use heat every day, try only using it once a week. 

3. Protective Styling
Protective styles are great for length retention—they require little to no manipulation and your hair will be protected from environmental damage. But you can’t completely forget about your hair when it’s in a protective style. Remember to continue cleansing moisturizing your scalp and hair on a regular basis.

4. Finger Detangling
Finger detangling is best for fine hair or hair that’s prone to breakage. But there is definitely a fine line when it comes to detangling—as I mentioned earlier, you want to avoid excessive manipulation. You should detangle as little as possible, while keeping your hair as untangled as possible. Protective styling is a great way to keep that balance, and you should use natural oils or conditioner in the detangling process to avoid breakage. And of course, patience is key!

Reasons Why a Silk Pillow Case Is Good For Your Hair

There are many reasons as to why you should choose a silk pillow case instead of a traditional cotton pillowcase. Over the recent years, silk pillowcases have gained increasing popularity not only as a beautiful and opulent addition to your bed, but also as a beauty product for healthy and great looking hair. Here are the top three reasons why a silk pillow case is good for your hair:

Breathability

You spend a lot of time on your pillowcase at night. There is no other material that your hair is in contact with for so long as that of your pillowcase. Therefore, the properties of the material used in your pillowcase are very important for beautiful and healthy hair. The moisture-wicking property of silk is one of the features that make silk pillowcases a good investment in the beauty of your hair. Silk can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in moisture - which in your case is perspiration - and still remain dry. Moisture will be wicked away from your hair for a comfortable sleep and keep your hair looking great longer.

Non-Irritating

Cotton pillows have a coarser texture that can cause your hair to break and tangle, matt, and get frizzy as you toss your head or rub it against the pillowcase every night. Unlike cotton, a silk pillowcase is made of perfectly smooth fibres. This means that sleeping on a silk pillowcase will cause no mechanical irritation to your hair. More importantly, silk fibres have a very similar structure with that of the human hair, containing 97% amino acids and 3% waxy and fat fibres. This helps reduce hair damage, such as split ends.

No Chemicals

Among the many wonderful properties of silk, you can include its chemical-free composition. This means that your hair will be healthier and happier when you sleep on a silk pillowcase.

Your pillowcase is one of the most important parts of your bedding as it stays in contact with your hair and skin for long hours. What more appropriate material to use for your pillowcase than silk, the most luxurious fabric on the planet? A silk pillowcase is a great investment that can offer you healthy, smooth looking hair, soft and hydrated skin, a comfortable sleep, and, of course, a luxurious feeling that no other man made material can match.