Quick Guide On Protective Hairstyles.

Protective hairstyles are styles designed to protect the ends of one’s hair- eliminating the chances of damage like shedding and breakage. Protective hairstyles are suitable to all hair types whether natural or relaxed hair.

The importance of tucking away those ends is that the end of your strands are the oldest making it the most fragile part of the hair which means that care and protection is essential.

When you wash, condition, detangle and style your hair it often causes pulling on the hair resulting to weaker hair- however protective styling is a solution to this and incorporating protective hairstyles in to your hair routine keeps your hair away and not to be out loose- eliminates constant manipulation (styling) on the hair.

It is important however to be aware that without careful installation and upkeep protective hairstyles can also cause damage. For example hair that is pulled back too tight can cause tension on your hairline- increasing the chances of the hair becoming weak and breaking off. Protective hairstyles are also aimed to protect all other aspects of your hair.

Too much of anything is not good for you and that goes for protective styles

It is important to sometimes let your hair breathe or change up your styles now and again. It could be from box braids to a tidy bun.

Apart from protecting your hair, other benefits of protective styles is these styles help to grow healthier, longer hair, it is a helpful aid to retaining length, other benefits include reduced split ends, tangling and knots, protection in the cold and dry season, heat damage and even friction (cotton pillows, scarves and jumpers)

If you’re not sure of what protective style to try next I have a few suggestions down below.

Guys don’t hesitate to comment down below what your favourite style is

Updo hairstyles: Buns, Top Knot, beehive, and Pineapple. You can put your own personal [twist] on any of the styles mentioned.

Braids: Box, Cornrows, Fishtail, Yarn twists, Two or Three strand twist, braided down twists, Ghana and Fulani braids- some of these styles can be worn under wigs and weaves

Other styles that can protect the hair include Wigs, Weaves (sew in) Bantu knots and African threading hairstyles

Remember to always moisturize your hair in these styles; do not leave them in for too long, as your hair needs to breathe.

Lastly don’t forget to wear a protective style to bed – even if it is chunky plaits or twists.

Thanks for visiting my page guys , please don’t forget to like this post and share with your friends and family

See you in my next one!

Peace&Love

WHAT OUR HAIR NEEDS: PART II

Hello wonderful people, I warmly welcome back my new and returning readers! If you haven’t already make sure you read my previous blog posts!

In my last blog post ‘WHAT OUR HAIR NEEDS: PART I’ I provided 5 helpful and essential tips that are needed in order to encourage healthier hair and help maintain and improve hair length. In this blog post I will be sharing 6 more useful hair care tips that we should all incorporate in to our daily, weekly and monthly hair routines.

If you have any more tips, please feel free to comment them down below!

6. Moisturize

When you moisturize your hair it eliminates dryness – this prevents breakage and also leaves your hair softer, moisturising also helps in hydrating the hair, it is important to apply water based moisturising hair products or leave in conditioners and then seal in the moisture with a good oil. Avoid using hair products that contain alcohol because it can be drying.

I will provide a short list of the following hair oils that I would recommend for moisturising;

1. Jamaican black castor oil

2. Coconut oil

3. 100% Pure Shea Butter

4. Glycerin

5. Tea tree oil

Let me know if you would like a full review on the products mentioned ALSO what hair oil would you recommend? COMMENT BELOW.

7. Get to know what your hair likes

Although I have mentioned a few oils that have worked well for my own hair and has a reasonably good reputation in the hair community, you need to remember that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. One thing I have learnt on my hair journey is that there will be a lot of experimenting which may lead to trial and error but one thing is, you will never know what your hair likes unless you try , obviously it would be important to try hair products that do cater to your hair type. Also taking your time to experiment with one oil, conditioner, shampoo or other essential products will save money as you really wouldn’t want to buy the whole hair supply store at once now would you ..

8. Satin bonnet, scarves and pillows.

Satin! What a holy grail of mine that is…

When you protect your hair with a satin scarf at bed time it prevents your hair from getting tangled and messy which is a pro when you have a hairstyle your trying to maintain and retain, whereas when you lay your head on a cotton pillow the rough texture causes friction between your hair and the pillow and this leads to breakage and thinning of hair. Satin materials also don’t suck out the moisture in your hair unlike cotton which is a moisture absorbing material.

If you want to save those extra coins just tie a satin scarf to your pillow- I find this helpful on the nights I forget to wrap up my hair or I can’t find my satin bonnet.

You can find satin bonnets in your local hair supply store and you can purchase fairly priced satin pillows on Amazon or Ebay

9. Protective hair styles.

I would recommend protective hairstyles as it prevents damage to the hair- it does this by reducing the amount of manipulation (constant styling) done to the hair and also protects the end of your hair strands this indeed prevents tangling and encourages growth retention, these styles also protect your hair from being exposed to TOO much sun, wind and dry air as this also tends to dry out the hair.
Protective hairstyle also help to reduce touching and fussing… just leave it alone but don’t forget to moisture even when your hair is in those styles.

Some ideas of protective hair styles;
– Cornrows, Twists, Braids, Buns, Natural updos , Weave installations, Wigs, African threading.

Comment your favourite protective hair style down below.

Don’t leave in these hairstyle for months as your hair also needs to breathe.

10. Reduce the heat

When you constantly use heat on your hair, your hair is prone to heat damage, dryness and breakage and thinning. In order to avoid heat damage, reduce the amount of heat on your hair by not allowing it to become a constant routine, if you wash your hair don’t always use a blow dryer instead try the air dry method . Whenever you use a blow dryer, straightener or curling iron don’t use the highest temperature and don’t let the heat sit on your hair for too long.

Personally I haven’t used heat on my hair for over a year and I usually air dry after I wash my hair.

11. Trim those split ends

WHY?

It is important to trim your hair as the split ends of your hair will not encourage hair growth, by trimming off those dead ends it will help your hair to be and look healthier – your ends will also keep breaking if you fail to trim.

I do however believe that you don’t necessarily have to trim on a regular basis but after knowing your own hair you can be the judge of that…

I trim twice a year.

Thanks for stopping by….

Let me know your thoughts on this two part blog post

Don’t forget to hit the share button and share with your friends and family.

See you in my next one

Peace&Love

WHAT OUR HAIR NEEDS; QUICK TIPS PART I

Welcome back to my returning and new readers! In this blog post I will be suggesting some important tips useful for retaining hair length and encouraging healthier hair. Before I get in to that I would like to stress on the statement that ‘black hair doesn’t grow’ is a MYTH!!! I too was guilty of saying and believing that this was true in my younger and naive years but in fact hair grows about half an inch a month which is roughly about 6 inches a year but of course that depends on the person as we are all different. Black hair tends to needs some more TLC than other hair types – it’s just the matter of taking the right steps before you can see results.

Why is this?

Caucasian and Asian hair strands are usually thicker from root to tip, whereas Black hair is often curly and therefore weaker than straighter hair types, this is because curlier strands represent weak points in the hair channel which makes it more likely to breakage, in simpler words afro hair strands are thinner and uneven from root to tip meaning it has higher tendencies to tangle and can break easier as a result of this.

I will now suggest some helpful tips that will encourage hair growth. Hope this helps!

1. Clean Scalp and Hair

We need to make sure that our hair is clean the reason for this is that healthy hair starts from the roots. When your hair is washed it removes dirt and oil- by washing your hair you get rid of build-up which is likely to clog up your hair follicles and by this reduces hair growth. You can use shampoos to wash your hair but be mindful to find the right one for your hair type , if you notice that your hair seems dry or crisp maybe think about changing your shampoo, also because black hair tends to be dry it wouldn’t be recommended to wash your hair everyday as shampoo strips natural oils from your hair but get to know your hair and decide how often you want to wash your hair. Maybe once a week or every other week. After washing your hair with shampoo use your regular conditioner to regain moisture.

2. Protein Treatments / Deep Conditioning

A protein treatment has protein goods that attach directly to the hair follicles- this places a wall around the follicle which protects hair from damage making it stronger and helps to reduce breakage. Deep conditioning allows for hair to gain moisture leaving it softer and easier to manage, giving it life. A very common question asked is “How long should I leave a deep conditioner in my hair for ?” Depending on the condition of your hair it could range from 10 minutes to overnight , it also depends on how often you do it. It is recommended to be left in for 10 minutes as deep conditioners tends to be heavier than your regular conditioner. Personally for me because I only do it once a month I usually spread it over my hair put on a shower cap and leave it overnight- it works perfectly for me. You can deep condition your hair with either shop bought conditioners or home- made hair masks.

Comment below and let me know if you would like me to recommend some good deep conditioners and home recipes.

3. Stop Using Towels

The rough and harsh texture of towel is quite damaging for hair when drying and rubbing your strands with a towel, the friction also causes unwanted frizz and the heaviness of a towel can pull on the roots- a solution is to use a t-shirt instead which soaks up the water.

4. Detangle

Detangling is very important as it helps to remove tangles that causes knots, breakage and split ends. When you detangle properly it will help you not to break off your hair. I would recommend detangling your hair while it is wet by using a conditioner or even just water, this will allow for the process to be easier but if you do detangle while the hair is wet make sure you are gentle as wet hair is delicate. You can use your fingers to detangle before using a wide tooth comb or a detangling brush.

I don’t want this blog post to be too long, so if you want to find out more tips on how to take care of your hair. Stay tuned!

I would love to hear some tips from you guys!

See you in my next one!

Peace&Love x

BIG CHOP: NOT JUST A TREND BUT A SOLUTION

‘A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life’
-Coco Chanel

As many of you may know, the ‘BIG CHOP’ has become a popular trend within the black hair community over recent years- not only can it be defined as a stylish trend, it is seen as a solution.

The Big Chop is when the chemically relaxed ends of hair is immediately cut/ shaved off – in order to transition from chemically processed hair to natural hair, depending on how much new growth you have will determine how low your hair will be after cutting off the relaxed parts.

In my last blog I exposed the main damages that chemical hair relaxer causes (If you haven’t read that post scroll down and check it out)

Now people may wonder “ I don’t want my hair to be chemically processed anymore , BUT what’ next?”

Reminiscing back to over 2 years ago I was at crossroads contemplating whether or not I should go bald and start all over again, for months I read articles and watched videos on the internet about cutting off relaxed hair and hair growth.

Although I had a vision of the targets I wanted my hair to reach (still working on it) I knew I could only achieve that vision of healthier, thicker, stronger hair the second I took that BOLD step. When you refuse to reach outside of your comfort zone it can disqualify you from reaching your goals (this is applicable to any kind of goal in life) Cutting off your hair may seem scary – but you have to remember that hair always grows back, bigger and better. Cutting off your hair takes away all the dead parts and leave your hair full of life.

Scissors isn’t your enemy – the fear is!

After taking the plunge of cutting most of my hair off, I pictured my hair as a seed- cutting my hair was building a fresh foundation – where the new journey began, an opportunity to get to know my hair right from the roots, loving and embracing my curly/ coily hair type, taking the journey taught me how to be patient and it always gave me the chance to experiment by trial and error and appreciate the progress over time.

Okay its time to get cheeky – by trying to persuade you why you should consider chopping off those relaxed parts.