The relationship with your hair

Bantu Knot Out on Dry Hair

Are you in a healthy relationship? Are you patient, loving, caring, and understanding. When you look around are you surrounded by patient, loving, caring, and understanding individuals?  In all situations, Do you remain balanced? When you take time to evaluate what makes a  healthy relationship,  whether romantic, Platonic, or professional, you will begin to define  the very Characteristics that make a healthy relationship.  The relationship between you, & your hair is no exception

Denman Dilemma

Avoid a Denman Dilemma

  When time is of the essence it can be tempting to take short cuts as you style your hair. Simple styles like a twa, the puff, and buns are easy styles that only require a few minutes.  These styles require minimal manipulation, and keep your  ends tucked away. Another shortcut that reaps positive benefits is the Green House Method to add moisture over night with out recking your style.   The Denman Brush is a very popular detangling tool among the curly community, but when used incorrectly it can have damaging results. 

This Could be Us..... But it's Not

The internet has a way of making everything look great. Social media timelines are filled with perfect celebrations, perfect pictures, and What seems like perfect lives. Well, I live in the real world, and Today I'm not feeling pretty. In fact, I am feeling quite ugly. I thought about slapping on a head wrap, or slicking my kinks into a bun. As I reached for the gel, I realised how I felt, could not be fixed with a handful of gel or a colourful scarf. Bad hair days are inevitable, but negative feelings can be overcome. I share my top "pick me ups" for mind hair and soul.

3 Reasons to Big Chop Today

3 Reasons to Big Chop Today

Tumblr

1.        Transitioning Strands Can Be A Pain.

   I transitioned for weeks while rocking  protective styles. Each time I removed the protective style, I was presented with more and more new growth. I quickly grew bored with braidouts, and twistouts, and began to long for other styles that showcased my curls.

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

TRUE LIFE: I kept an emergency relaxer for 2 years

TRUE LIFE: I kept an emergency relaxer for 2 years, then something changed

A year into my journey I was still stumbling towards healthy hair. Pressing my new growth in an effort to blend the textures, was starting to damage my strands. I was uneducated on kinky curl care, and I was making major mistakes as I transitioned. I used high heat frequently, I manipulated my hair daily, and when it was in protective styles, I would often forget to moisturize. For the 1^st full year, length retention was stunted by my bad practices, regardless, each day I would blame nature for giving me unmanageable HARD hair.

Understanding hair loss from medication

Understanding  hair loss from medication

There are many medications on the market that cause temporary, and permanent hair loss.  Some blood thinners, acne medications derived from vitamin A, some anti-depression drugs, and some high blood pressure medications can cause temporary hair loss. Often times busy doctors will not go over all the side effects of prescribed medications. Be sure to do your additional research on any prescribed medication. For some medications, the side effect of  hair loss is unavoidable.  The good news is

HOW TO | CO-Wash Natural Hair

Depending on the state of your hair, you can choose different ways to tackle wash day. The condition of your curly hair can range from a Tangled mess, to Protective style recovery, just plain dirty. Follow theses fool proof techniques to tame, and hydrate your curls. You can create your own conditioner, or use a store brought conditioner to clean your curls.

Tangled Mess
Hair is shrunken, matted, tangled, with lent, but still has good moisture balance and normal shedding.

Kinky hair is known for shrinkage, constant tangles, and knots. If this sounds like your hair, follow theses tips for a easy breezy wash day with limited shedding.

Hair is weakest when wet. Tightly coiled hair can easily become tangled. This combination can spell disaster for kinky natural hair.

Tips For Curly Swimmers

Sun! Sand! Surf! Summer is quickly approaching. As the temperatures rise,  many are flocking to the beach to catch some sun, or catch a few waves.  As you soak up the sun, and splash in the waves, be sure to take a few precautions to ensure your hair and skin remains healthy all year long.

Sun

From the moment you step outside, the sun’s UV Rays are attacking your hair and skin. Wear a hat to provide coverage from the direct heat of the sun. There are so many cute styles, from stylish fedoras, to  big floppy brim hats.

Whats In Your Spray Bottle?

Whats In Your Spray Bottle?

Check out this list of all the great things you can put in your spray bottle.  These items can be your "Liquid" as part of your L.O.C (Liquid.Oil.Cream) Regimen. They each provide vital nourishment for your curls. If your hair is parched, just spray a bit of this on your curls. Taking out a protective style? Using a water based moisturizer will help with a low shedding take down. Hair itching? Dealing with flakes?  Each of theses home made, and semi home made cocktails will leave your curls happy, moist,  and healthy. I dive into the main ingreditnts, that should be in your spray bottle.  Add your preferred oils to your mix, along with one of these moisturizers:

How To | Take down your Protective styles

Protective styles allow your curls to go weeks without manipulation damage. Even if you have a good moisture routine,  manipulation damage can limit length retention.  For particularly fragile hair types you may  will want to keep your hair in protective and low manipulation hairstyles 70% -80% of the time to allow your hair to recover, and retain length. Instead of detangling with combs or brushes you may want to try finger combing before reachign for a comb.  When installing your protective style,  you have to be gentle with your hair. Take your time, and use your fingers, unless you are sectioning your hair.  The more you comb, style, or touch your hair you are causing damage to it. If you have particularly fragile hair, like 4b or 4c hair, this type of damage is easy to come by  when  your installing your hair style. 

When enoying a portective style, you must make sure to care for the curls underneath the style.   Here are my top tips for having a successful protective style, with minimal sheding. Too often I hear of people complain that a protective style ruined their hair. Follow these tips to save your strands, grow that hair, and give yourself a break from daily styling.

Tip 1 | Give Your Curls Good Vibes

Moisturize                                                Before  | During | After

For curly girls, moisture equals soft healthy hair. Be sure to moisturize your hair prior to styling. Use Hot Oils, or a thick moisturizing condiioner before installing your next style. Before I twist or braid my hair I deep condition, and seal with heavy creams and butters.  I also continue to hydrate my curls, spraying my ends, and/or oiling my scalp every 2-3 days while my hair is protected. In a spray bottle, I mix a leave in conditioner, water, and my preferred oil. Protective styling only gives you a break from styling. You must  still continue a moisture routine with your protective style. Moisture is also the key to a successful low shedding take down. I use my water based homemade mist to moisturize my strand as I take down the style. I also use the mist to loosen and remove any lint tangled in my hair.  Since using water based moisturizer, while taking down my styles I notice less shedding, and easier detangling after wearing protective styles for weeks.

4 Oils To Re Grow Hair

Spring Hair Show

This Past Weekend was the Spring Hair Show in Atlanta, GA. The Internet was buzzing with excitement from the festivities. We look forward to being at next years show. Here is a Summary of this past weekend with

CeCeNaturally

You May Also Like: 

 IC Lifestyle Section

Spring Time Trend Alert | Hair Flowers & Crowns

We Just Love this simple Accessory. Weather fresh, or fabric, a big beautiful flower can jazz up any hairstyle. 

60 Day Protective style Challenge | Struggle Post

With 14 Days remiaing in this 60 Day protective style challenge, I am struggling. Each day, I peek under my protective style, in an effort to gage just how much growth is going on under there. I am currently expirencing classic signs of curl withdrawl.

What a struggle! The only thing saving this challenge, was my ability to change hairstyles every 10 days. If I had to rely on a salon to install my protective styles, I don't think I would have survived this challenge.  I began this challenge with a partial weave. My curls could not blend with the silky weave for more than a week. I refused to apply heat, and using the banding method was not getting silky results.

Big Choppers | DIY Salon Barber

Hey Big Choppers

We asked a group of curly girls where they turned for their big chop. Here is what they said:

• 

  
  

• 

  Indigenous Curls  Where did you Big Chop? Did you go to the salon? Vist a Barber, or do it youself?  I recently shared my big chop story with Total Beauty. Check out the feature on my big chop here. 

•  I went to my hairstylist. She told me to come back when it grows to get a relaxer -___- lol
• I did it myself!!

  
  

6 Questions you should ask

6 Questions you should ask 

Cosmetologist Before Becoming A Client

I went to cosmetology school 9 years ago. After spending over 1000 hours learning to cut, color, perm, relax, and set hair, I was prepared to pass the state board exams. Unfortunately, after all that time,  I still was not prepared to care for my transitioning strands. Cosmetology teaches its students the general theory of hair. It is up to the hairdresser to apply those lessons to their individual clients. Your prospective cosmetologist may have passed the state board exams, but they should also pass YOUR 1on 1 oral exam, before you allow them to touch your crowning glory.

Lay that Natural Hair

Want Your Kinky Curly hair to Lay Down?

Kinky curly hair seems to grow up, and towards the sun. While this unique property gives curly girls show stopping volume, I don’t always want my hair ‘out there’. 

The first year of my journey was a constant battle to tame my kinks, in an effort to make them “Lay  Down” Despite loads of gel, hours with a scarf on, and gentle tugging on my resistant ends. My hair would simply would not comply. No matter what style I rocked, with one gusty wind, my hair would immediately stick up, stand up, Waving in the breeze. This persistent section at the top of my head and along my hairline, left me with only a few options. When your hair is tightly coiled, it is more likely to stick up. These methods stretch your hair, allowing it to hang without damage. 

Set Down

Pinterest

There are various ways to set your curls. However you set your hair, is exactly how it will turn out. Set your curls in

Natural Hair Love at Any Age

One Highschooler was asked to write about her Passions in her Advanced English Class. Here's a snippet of what she wrote....

Loving Your Curls at any age....

Why Did You go Natural -- Hairspiration

    

Weather you Big Chop or transition, going natural is quite a journey. Going natural 

can inspire a healthy lifestyle, A new spiritual connection, a new outlook on life, or simply a

new look. 

We Asked a natural community of over 50 thousand curlygirls

 WHY They Went Natural

Here's what a few had to say:  

      Sensitive scalp. didn't want to relax anymore. Nothing deep or spiritual.

      via mobile · 

 Got burned in the back of my head with a perm one good time. That was enough for me lol.

via mobile · 

 My scalp was hurting from the perms. So one day I just stopped perming my hair.

 via mobile · 

My hair was thinning n shedding. .no one else could tell because it’s so thick but I could....& now it’s healthy!!...9 months later 

 via mobile · 

My perms were not lasting...plus I think my hyperthyroidism was making the perms worst...

 via mobile · 

 Money was tight for a couple of months so I kept delaying my perm. Then I realized that my hair was amazing!

 via mobile · 

The relaxers were damaging my hair. It was dry, brittle and kept breaking. I went natural and all of that stopped 

 via mobile · 

Pretty much hated that relaxer...the process you go threw  all the money you spend. The breakage, the chemicals on my skin (your skin is an organ and absorbs those chemicals)

 via mobile · 

I thought my hair would fall out while on A prescription if I relaxed it since I already had a thin spot on my crown due to burns so I quit. Thought about going back after I got off the medicine 6 months later but I just kept going with the encouragement I received. I have been transitioning for a long time. Almost done. Wish I had big chopped but whatever. Lesson learned

via mobile · 

I have always hated perms, but was not allowed to make the decision to stop until i went to college and started taking care of my own hair. After that, i ditched the relaxers and started learning to care for my own hair

via mobile · 

 Sudden allergy to perms

via mobile 

I honestly don't remember exactly...it was 19 years ago, but I know I was sick of perms, wanted the freedom, but I think it was mostly because I wanted to loc my hair.

 via mobile 

I started to exercise to lose weight and better my health. Along w/ that came the struggle of trying to revive and maintain my daily sweated out relaxed hair. I decided that my health was more important and that it was time to do away w/ some things that I no longer needed.. I bc'd..my weight went down and my confidence went !UP! I'm loving my journey.

 via mobile

For my daughters. They are watching our every move. 

 via mobile

SOUND OFF! Why did you grow out your curls?