Shedding VS Breakage

Shedding VS Breakage

Each day, you are losing hair. As your hair goes through its cycle of growth, you will lose 50-100 strands of hair a day. With thick tightly coiled hair, it may be tricky to tell if the hair in the sink is normal shedding, or a sign of something more serious. There are a few things you can do to help you determine if your hair is shedding or breaking.

Detangle

Low Manipulation Hairstyles

 Low Manipulation Hairstyles

 These Cute styles allow you to limit manipulation damage to your curls. A good Low Manipulation hairstyles must do 3 things:

• These styles tuck your ends away, thus increasing length retention
• These simple styles can limit the amount of hand to hair contact, thus decreasing manipulation damage
• Limit Tangles because the hair is either stretched, or gathered together

 Let’s face it,  with super soft hair,  it can be  hard to keep your hands away. Each time you touch your hair, you can cause a little damage.  The daily rigors of detangling, and styling can leave your strands in need of a break. Check out our top Low Manipulation styles for type 4 curls! 

Adorable styles like a Bun:

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Trimming Natural Hair

When to trim?

When I relaxed my hair, I would trim my ends every 6-8 weeks, along with my relaxer touch ups. I was told that trimming often will keep my hair healthy, and promote growth. Since going natural, many ‘hair care rules’ I once lived by, have been revamped.

Saves Thin Hair, and Grows Thick Curls

Ginger

A Cure for Slow Growth, and Thin Hairlines?





A healthy scalp is the foundation for healthy hair. I have tested Ginger powder and pure Ginger by stirring a teaspoon into a deep conditioning masque, and hair oils. I have found ginger powder aids in scalp circulation, the immediate tingle wakes my scalp up! The moment the warm masque was applied, I could feel the  A pinch of pure ginger powder may be able to benefit those with thinning hair, and slow growth issues acting as a fertilizer to help give hair a natural growth spurt! 

Fresh Ginger root contains magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and vitamins, that help in making your hair stronger, healthier and shinier. One way to extract the goodness of fresh ginger is to warm the chopped, or grated root in olive oil.  I have mixed this ginger oil and used on my hairline. I belive the combinitation of JBCO and this Ginger oil has helped me to re-grow sparse areas, and strengthen my delicate 4c strands. 

Oil Rinse for strength & shine

What is an Oil Rinse?

An Oil rinse (Pre Poo)  is yet another way to help your strands retain moisture. Users rave about the frizz busing qualities, and shiny results. Here’s how you do it:

1-Wash your hair with shampoo. If you are only co-washing, rinse your hair ensuring it’s completely wet.

2- Part hair into four sections (or more depending on hair’s thickness and length).

3- Saturate hair and scalp with the oil of your choice. Don’t be fooled by fancy products and packaging, take it back to basics with natural products from the pantry like jojoba oil, meadow foam seed oil, avocado oil, amla oil, argan oil, and coconut oil, which are all great mixed together or used singularly. (You can use a bottle if you mix multiple oils together.)

4- Using the tips of your fingers gently massage the oil from root-to-tip stroking in a downward motion.

5-Cover hair with a plastic cap and leave the oil on hair for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour (You can decide on a longer length of time at your own discretion.)

6- Detangle hair using a wide-tooth comb, your fingers,  or a Denman brush and rinse the oil with warm water

7- Follow-up with your regular conditioner. Rinse out with cool water to remove oil, and lock in shine.

Here are a list of oils you can use. Many of these oils can be found in local beauty supply, grocery , and health food stores.

Lavender Oil: It is a good treatment for dandruff and itching, helpful in controlling hair breakage and improving hair growth. Most widely known to treat alopecia areata, a condition where you lose excessive hair in patches. Daily massage with lavender oil has proven to help significant re-growth and gives you the results in a few months. Lavender oil blends well with many other essential oils including jojoba, rosemary and tea tree oils.

Chamomile Oil:  chamomile is known to  soothe the nerves  and it does the same for your hair and scalp, in fact it is the most soothing of the essential oils for the hair and scalp. Chamomile helps to retract skin cells that have been inflamed from chemical procedures, and harsh weather conditions and helps with itching scaly scalp and dandruff.

Peppermint Oil: helps to stimulate blood flow to the root of the hair. 

Rosemary Oil – The oil is derived from the rosemary plant and is very useful for dandruff problems and flaky itchy scalp. 

Tea Tree Oil: is a great moisturizer for the hair, it helps to keep the scalp free of bacteria and fungal problems. Tea tree oil unblocks the sebaceous glands and encourage the flow of the scalp’s own moisturizing oils while clearing away dead skin cells. 

Lemon Oil:  helps with the treatment for dry scalp.

Myrrh Oil: helps with the treatment for dry scalp, dandruff problems and under-active sebaceous glands. Use instead of lemon oil if your hair is not oily.

Fragrant Oils For Hair

Fragrant Essential Oil Suggestions:

Rosemary,

Lavender,

Sandalwood,

Jasmine.

great for Scalp Massages: Put 3-5 drops on your fingertips and lightly massage into scalp.

Carrier Oils

Another type of oil for hair is called carrier oils. Carrier oils are also known as base oil or vegetable oil they are usually derived from seeds or nuts. Carrier oils are best used as natural and unadulterated as possible 

List of Carrier Oils and Their Benefits To Hair

Jojoba Oil – The debate is whether jojoba is the king of the carrier oils. Jojoba is great for all hair types and has an ability to inhibit excess activity of the sebaceous glands making it the perfect choice for people with oily scalps that still need conditioning. Likewise it can be used for dry hair as it helps to moisturize your hair properly.

Olive Oil – Only olive oil that is labelled “extra virgin” guarantees that the oil has been cold pressed from freshly harvested olives and does not contain chemicals. 

Coconut Oil - Coconut oil consists of more than ninety percent of saturated fats Vitamin-E and Vitamin K and minerals such as Iron. Coconut oil is considered one of the best natural nutrition for hair and is in contention with olive and jojoba oils as the king of the carrier oils..

Castor Oil – is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean. Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no/low odor or taste..

Vitamin E Oil -  Vitamin E contains valuable antioxidants that help to keep the immune system up and improves circulation to all parts of the body, including the scalp. When added to homemade products it can extend shelf life!

Avocado Oil- is extracted from the king of the ‘hair’ fruits avocado. It is full of vitamins that your hair needs like vitamins A, E, D and potassium. If you want a super deep conditioner treatment without having to buy a commercial preparation, you can add avocado oil to the other carrier oils and you will definitely feel and see the difference. 

Where to Turn for Your Curl Questions?

When you have a problem, it seems like everyone has a solution.  Going natural, you will run into questions, and issues along your journey. If you're on the receiving end of advice, ask the person about their success (or failure) with the suggestions they're giving.P

Now, you don't want to be rude ("How did it work for you?" is more polite than "Oh, yeah? Prove it!"), but asking about their situation allows you to separate hard-earned experience from idle guesses.  Asking the right questions allows you to learn more about their perspective and figure things out for yourself:P

This simple change uncovers the usually hidden backstory of your advisors’ opinions and also allows you, as the listener, to benefit from their experience by drawing your own conclusions rather than feeling bullied, misguided or overwhelmed by their recommendations.P

Ideally, you'll get the best advice from those who have similar hair type and porosity, & have already achieved what you want in your journey. Unfortunately, there are people out there who love to help, but are barely able. Either because their hair is completely different from your own, or because they just simply give bad advice, not enough details, or depth behind the tutorial. By diving deeper  into the stories behind some advice, you may be able to separate the wheat from the cliché analogies and platitudes, and poor curl advice. 

Save your self a headache and be sure to do the following when seeking curl advice.

1. Are your strands similar? Both Type/texture and Porosity. 

2. Is their hair healthy?

3. How can I apply this to me?

4. Is this advice best for my hair?

5.  Be sure to constantly analyze advice and discontinue anything your hair rejects. 

6. Listen to your hair, she is constantly speaking. Be sure to answer with nourishment and kindness. 

4 Trimming Methods for Curly Hair

Keep Those Ends In Check!

1.  Blow Out Hair and Trim Dry-  Cut the hair when it’s straight (or at least stretched with the heat of a blow dryer). This technique is  highly recommended for a proper trim by many stylist. The Stylist can accurately gauge full hair length and extent of split ends. This should be done 2 times a year to minimize tangels, knots, and breakage. 

2. Clipping Curly Hair Wet – Some prefer this technique because the hair is flexible and can be stretched and detangled for trimming.  The downside is that you can’t see ends that need to be removed or the actual shape of your hair.  Curly hair is ribbon shaped. Depending on your curl pattern this technique may work best for you. 

3.  Dusting – There are many Youtube tutorials on this technique.  The hair is plaited in two-strand twist and the ends of the twist are cut.  I use this method every 3 months. Not only is it impossible to see what you’re cutting but your hair will be different lengths.   This is the best way to get helmet shape hair where the hair is flat in the back and lacks movement.  I don’t recommend this as your only method of trimming your ends, But it helps in between trims, keeping ends healthy and knot free in between major cuts.

4. Dry Cutting- which is cutting your hair while it is curly and dry. This method is for shape-styling curly/coily hair. Some believe is the best method if you always wear your hair in its natural curl pattern state. This method is great if you are looking to cut those perfect curly bangs. 

happy trimming curlies! 

Trichonodosis | How To Avoid this Length Killer!

Affecting Strands Across the Globe 

Trichonodosis

How To Avoid this Length Killer! 

Trichonodosis  (knotted hair) A trauma induced knotting of the naturally curly/wavy/coily hair. This traumatic knot can cause breakage, and lead decreased length retention. These Single strand knots are usually found on the lower part of the hair strand. The knots fracture  the cuticle and expose  the cortex where these knots form.  So now these knots are weak points on the hair strand since the cuticle layers are now bent into a knot shape, making detangling natural hair even more complicated. These single strand knots can reduce your length retention. 

These knots are weak points on the hair strand since the cuticle layers are now bent into a knot shape, they simply intertwine with itself or other strands of hair, making detangling natural hair even more complicated, they are normally on one strand of hair, or more than one strand all together in one knot. 

Because tightly curled hair is not oval or round, like straight hair, but ribbon-shaped and does not lie flat, it creates spirals which when pulled and released may lead to entangled hair forming knots

Half-hitch knots have a pattern and possibly could be detangled if they are not tight.

Shed hair, before leaving the scalp, tends to tangle with other hairs forming knots on its way down the hair strand.

 

How to Save Your Tresses

Wrap up your hair at night. Hair that's free during the night will be tangled and knotted in the morning. Use the pineapple or the mini pineapple method to preserve curls, and reduce tangles. 

Wash and detangle hair in sections

Rock Low manipulation/protective styles

Keep your natural hair in a stretched state as often  as possible

Styling should prevent friction and knot creation. Wearing the hair up means that hair is in a fixed position and is not forming meet and greet knots with all of the other spiral hair strands. This is a hard one because I like wearing my hair out and intend to do so when it gets to my desired length. However, because I know when my hair is out it means that it’s freely moving around tangling with other hair, I keep it moisturized  and  finger comb out any loose knots before they form into tighter ones.

If you find yourself with a Single Strand Knot, use a safety pin and put the needle right in the middle of the knot and gently loosen your damp stands. I also unravel loose knots with my fingers using my Home Made Detangling Mist & Lotion For Curly Hair 

Sometimes, when none of the above works. I cut these knots with a pair of barber’s scissors if the knots are close to my ends. If they are too high up on my hair strand, I don’t cut it, I  just can’t bare to. 

Since making adjustments to my styling and detangling, I notice less SSN (Single Strand Knots)  I do not straighten my hair often so the knots close to the root don't bother me.

Keeping your hair moisturized and  your cuticles closed will also cut down on the single strand knots. 

My Curls Smell Like Cookies! And Melts in my Hands!

My Curls Smell Like Cookies! And Melts in my Hands! 

I washed, conditioned and detangled my hair, rinsed and plopped dried my hair. I applied this to my hair in sections. Immediately my hair was softened and I could feel that my hair loved everything about this stuff. Section after section my hair felt amazing and the smell... Mmm heavenly, like my favorite cookies! I left this on overnight and rinsed in the morning. 

My hair felt soft, and smooth. It rinsed out clean and didn't leave a residue feeling. My type 4  curls were  hydrated and frizz free. And I could feel that it had penetrated my hair. I noticed a bit of a strengthening affect because there was less shedding when I was styling my hair afterwards. The packet was 2$. And I'm glad I decided to go with this out of the other options.  I am very pleased with this, will buy again and would suggest this to anyone who likes macadamia oil, needs a moisturizing treatment or just want to revitalize their hair. 

My only gripe... I just wish they made this in a jar or bottle size, it would just make it a bit more convenient. 

What it promises: Macadamia oil hydrating deep conditioning hair treatment with keratin, is an ultra-restorative, moisturizing treatment that will rejuvenate dry damaged chemically treated or over processed hair. Macadamia oil, native to Australia, is known for its absorbing deep penetrating and cuticle sealing qualities while leaving even the most damaged hair soft and nourished for incredible shine. Treat you hair with this nourishing treatment. I have a feeling Australian’s know a thing or two about curly, frizzy hair.