Via Cassandre Beccai Sarah asks- “So I decided I needed a trim on my natural hair and thought it would be an opportunity to get my hair straightened. I went to a salon. The stylist used a pressing comb and a curling iron and got my hair straight, but now I wash my hair and in some areas it will not revert back to its kink. It is bone straight in some places an it’s evident that I have heat damage. I’m so upset. The first time I get my hair straightened since being natural and now my hair is damaged. Is there anything I can do to revitalize the curl? Anything? Or am I gonna have to cut my hair again?” – My Answer Hey hon, I hear the frustration in your email and I feel your pain- I really do. I’m really sorry that this happened to you. As you probably already know- the damage is done and the only way to remedy damaged hair back to 100% no heat damage is by cutting off the damaged ends BUT you can do some damage control. I would say if your intention is to retain length (regardless of the fact that the hair may remain permanently straight) then don’t cut your hair and do some serious damage control. Read more here Pic source
Pic source Source K is for kinky writes: do you really know the difference? for a long time i did not. i automatically assumed any hair that ended up in my brush, on my shoulders or on the floor was shedding hair. most of the time, it wasn’t! lot of people think their hair is shedding when it is actually breaking, and some people think their hair is breaking when it is actually shedding. knowing the difference between the two is vital for all hair textures. what is shedding? shedding is in fact just the transition of follicles from growth phase to resting phase. your hair follicles “go to sleep”, to return several months later. hair follicles work in cycles as part of their normal processes. shedding 50 to around 100 hairs a day is considered part of a normal and natural growth process. when a hair is shed, it is replaced by a new hair from the same follicle located just beneath the skin surface. scalp hairs grow about one-half inch a month. shedding sometime happen because of stress, hormonal changes pregnancy, birth control pills, medications illnesses, or just bad maintenance (shampoos, chemicals, etc) that place stress on the hair follicles. shedding is usually temporary unless it’s a result of a serious health problem such as alopecia. if there is any abnormal shedding or infected scalp conditions please consult with a medical professional. what is breakage? broken hairs are not hairs directly from the hair follicle and it’s not a natural process. when your hair breaks, it can break at any point along the shaft of your hair and does not have the white bulb on the end of the hair like a shed hair will. your hair breaking can be the effect of many things but usually it is the result of using bad hair products, harsh chemicals, too much heat, or being rough when styling your hair – i.e. brushing natural hair when it’s dry, combing with too small combs (not widetooth) etc. another cause of breakage is not conditioning and moisturizing your hair properly. if your hair is breaking you will notice short pieces on your comb, floor sink. the strands will most likely have split rough jagged ends. It may be discolored, and fragile. if your hair is shedding you will notice long strands the length of your hair. one way to tell if its a shed strand is by examining the strand. If you notice a little white bulb at the tip of the strand that means it’s safe to say, it was a naturally shed hair. overall shedding and a little breaking is something bound to happen. we can’t prevent every single hair strand from breaking. however, naturals must work to minimize and treat the breakage as much as possible. next week, we’ll talk about how to maximize moisture and minimize breakage as a kinky natural.
Well guys…I hate to say this but my scalp is doing me dirty…literally. As a child I have always suffered with severe dandruff. When I Bc’ed I figured that my dandruff was cured because my scalp no longer itched or had big flakes until last month (December). Now I am not going to rule out the fact that the weather outside is a bit dry and cold which can play a huge part in my scalp’s dryness HOWEVER what’s going on in my head is not just mere dandruff… WARNING if you get weak in the stomach easily please do not continue to read. So back in December I was massaging my scalp and felt a rigid area. I was not sure what it was so I asked my father to look. When he looked he said I had scabs in my hair and then he went on to scratch them out with a comb. Later on my mother (whom is medically inclined) took a look and told me that I need to wash my hair more frequently because I have something similar to psoriasis. Well not knowing what any of that meant, I looked into it and discovered that I may in fact be suffering from something called Seborrheic dermatitis. Now what is that? Well it’s a fancy word for Dandruff but severe dandruff… This is what Pub Med has to say : “Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, inflammatory skin condition that causes flaky, white to yellowish scales to form on oily areas such as the scalp or inside the ear. It can occur with or without reddened skin. Seborrheic dermatitis is thought to be due to a combination of an over production of skin oil and irritation from a yeast called malessizia. Seborrheic dermatitis appears to run in families. Stress, fatigue, weather extremes, oily skin, infrequent shampoos or skin cleaning, use of lotions that contain alcohol, skin disorders (such as acne), or obesity may increase the risk.” So here is my plan…. I am currently going to try to use tea tree oil to solve my issue. Why tea tree oil? Well first and foremost I explain why I choose it a little bit in the video below but for those of you who aren’t inclined to watch tea tree oil is a natural antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-infection oil that helps with problems such as the ones I have now. This oil can be used for things such as your immune system, gum sores, itchy scalp, scabies, laryngitis, sun burn, waxing,,, and the list goes on. I plan on using a few drops of the oil and diluting it with water to spray onto my scalp. Of course I may have to cleanse my scalp first but this should help with my hair’s dandruff hopefully. Although the properties are good for antifungal issues the results and effectiveness are inconclusive but it doesn’t hurt to try right!??? How do you treat dry scalp?
Thanks to K.I.S.S, there has been a list composed of do’s and don’t’s when it comes to preventing breakage with protective styles. *All of the information bellow is via K.I.S.S Your protective style maybe causing breakage ….. To avoid unwanted breakage from protective styling daily…Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts Don’t Wear Tight Ponytails Metal Accessories Rubber Bands Elastics with metal Hairs Clip and Barrettes that can snag hair Buns and ponytails with wet hair…Hair is weakest when wet ( I wait till my hair is at least damp before bunning) Do Loose Buns or Messy Buns (alway cute) Elastic Bands with No Metal Good Day Hair Pins (Sold at Sally’s ) Use 100% Aloe Vera Gel (For Sun Burns) instead of Hair Gel If you know your hair is weak ….I would stick with banana clips or french rolls until hair gets stronger.. I personally bun 90% of the time with no problem…Loose buns are always safe….. How I achieve my sleek look in my buns…I simply….Use my spritz for my edges ( Can use water)…And lightly finger hair or use a soft brush and finger/brush into a pony tail that is not too tight..I apply my Aloe Vera Gel to just the edges then create my bun….After finishing I put on my Satin Scarf until I leave the house…When I remove my Scarf I have slick edges and a neat protective style …Without pulling my hair into tight ponytails…. Posted by Traycee
I may not always categorize myself into a group based on features or assets, but seriously, being a part of a natural hair community has got me thinking. Are we left out?While I was at work a doctor approached me (who also has natural hair), and she asked if there is a place in my state where I purchase my hair products…. and then I began to think. there are not many shops out there who just specialize in hair products for natural hair. Now doing so may have its limitations, and its stigma on catering to just one group, making the natural hair community ostracize others.But C’MON SON! It would be nice to have a store that we could go to just to have our hair questions answered or even to find out which products best help with out hair, as expressed by the Doctor. Yes this may be a controversial topic and I could very well answer for both sides but I just had to let it be known. So if there are any beautiful hair product creators out there that can help with this issue, please step out of your box and open up a store. There is nothing to lose… =) I would but I am not the greatest at conjuring hair concoctions.
To my surprise Today is not only the day where America gained its independence but tis also the National Afro Day! Source After listening to Ria, one of the founders/facilitators of National Afro Day , I am learning that this day is dedicated to the unification of the fro for women all over. It is a symbol of how our hair grows naturally out of our heads.Some people totally disregard this day because they don’t believe that there is a need to wear afro’s…although this was not the intended purpose… Ria continues to enforce the National day to push for unification. Its not another black power or clown look but the pride we have in our hair. Unfortunately Toni is in braids BUT next year I will definitely have it in free form so that I can participate…. unfortunately My Diana ross wig can’t fit over this either. Other than that Happy Independence day!!!
Today curly nikki had a blog post that listed the “criteria” for being obsessed with you natural hair. I couldn’t even get through to the last thing!I laughed so hard because it described me to a Tee! I mean to a T! I believe that most newly naturals might just be in the same predicament. But who’s to say that it isn’t natural. How do you match up?by Tammy of CurlyChics When the love of your natural hair crosses the line to Obsessionville, it may be time to reevaluate some things and reprioritize. The domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc. is the definition of obsession. Here are 7 signs that you are dangerously close: 1. You treat your hair like another human being You often refer to your coils as “her”, as if you are speaking about one of your friends and have even given them a name. “Mahogany and I are spending some quality time together this weekend”. 2. No conversation goes by without mention of your hair Your friends are apprehensive about even mentioning the word “hair” for fear that you will start on a natural hair tirade. You repeatedly chant India Arie’s “I Am Not My Hair” however; your afro almost always ends up being the topic of discussion. You turn something totally unrelated into a dialogue about natural hair. Your friend: “It’s raining outside” You: “I’m glad I’m natural, I don’t have to worry about rain” 3. You spend hour after hour perusing the Natural Hair blogs and Twitter Your entire day is centered around the latest and greatest products or hairstyles for natural hair. You find it difficult to focus at work until you’ve had your cup of joe and done your daily natural hair blog browsing and you can’t wait to get home to your laptop in the evenings to continue. 4. You are always giving unsolicited hair advice You are in line at Macy’s and overhear two ladies behind you talking about how damaged their hair is. You immediately turn around and start testifying about how healthy your hair is because you are natural. You then proceed to tell them that their hair will never be healthy until they make the decision to let go of the creamy crack. 5. You are like Chicago in the movie, “Poetic Justice”, walking around with your hair tool of choice so that at any given moment, you can whip it out and coif your mane. 6. You change your hairstyle several times throughout the day to showcase how versatile natural hair is.At least that’s the reasoning you give but the real reaosn is you just can’t keep your hands out of your hair nor your face out of the mirror. 7. You must publicly display your love for your natural hair by purchasing every natural hair t-shirt on the market. Nothing wrong with a dose of pride about your decision to live life as a naturalista, but too much of anything is never good. BTW, after writing this, I realize I described myself in this post.Source
My dreads are long and flowly and I whip them back and forth… But don’t you dare come by me and scream “rastafri”…I am not Rastafarian! I may rock my puff with bangles…But that does not give you the right to say “all right my sister, with your black panther sign”! So many people take a look at natural hair beauties and thinkg hey, she must be african, or a black activists. Me personally… I rock my hair for me. Not to signify a collective group or to show my “power to the people side” (i do love the peopole though lol). So how do you confront those that think they can judge your character or who you are because of your hairstyle? ‘My name is not extoic sir… but you may call me Felicia’
My dreads are long and flowly and I whip them back and forth… But don’t you dare come by me and scream “rastafri”…I am not Rastafarian! I may rock my puff with bangles…But that does not give you the right to say “all right my sister, with your black panther sign”! So many people take a look at natural hair beauties and thinkg hey, she must be african, or a black activists. Me personally… I rock my hair for me. Not to signify a collective group or to show my “power to the people side” (i do love the peopole though lol). So how do you confront those that think they can judge your character or who you are because of your hairstyle? ‘My name is not extoic sir… but you may call me Felicia’
CIA EDWARDS
Christain Therapist. Trauma Coach, Author. Helping high-achieving women heal past pain, deepen connections and lead with peace
Links
Home
About
Book
Contact
Find us Here
Help Center
Book Appointment
Contact
Contacts
(123) 456-7891 350 Dirch Bark Dr Brick, Old Jersey(NJ), 01234
