Ms. Tina Knowles Lawson Posts A ‘Bed Head’ Selfie That Has Everyone Talking

Tina Knowles tried to break the internet this morning with a makeup free selfie showing off her crown and glory free of curls. To be honest before today I did not even know that Ms. Lawson had her own Instagram, where have I been? The only reason I came across the selfie was because everyone, Click to continue...

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The Moment My Sister Told Me She Would Prefer My Hair Straight At Her Wedding

As of 2 months ago, my older sister is newly engaged! She is the first out of my mom’s 3 children to be engaged, so this is pretty exciting, for everyone. For me especially, because I am going to be one of her bridesmaids, and I’ve never been in anyone’s wedding before. So, the wedding Click to continue...

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Would You Remove Your Braids If Your Job Asked You To? Woman Loses Job Over Braids

Another day another ‘discriminatory’ act based on hair. We see these headlines all the time…. so and so was asked to leave because her hair was too, poofy, braided, curly or just plain ‘out’. Lara Odoffin is the latest woman to experience this when the Bournemouth University graduate was offered a job only to have Click to continue...

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How to Tell if Your Natural Hair is Damaged

 glam idol, Kish!

by Sabrina Perkins

Do you know what damaged hair looks like, feels like, and even acts like? Often, we get used to the way our hair behaves (or doesn’t) and ignore the signs of true damage. Bald patches, clumps of hair falling out, or thinning edges — these are easy to spot. But what about the other, less-obvious signs that your hair is in serious trouble?

If you comb, brush, shampoo, chemically straighten, or use heat-styling tools or permanent color, the fact is, you are in some way or another harming your hair. Even pulling your hair into a ponytail too often can be destructive. Before you throw your hands up in the air and surrender, know that it is possible to prevent this damage. You just have to know what to look for.

Split Ends

Easily mistaken for frizz, split ends are the damaged tips of the hair shaft that have split into two or three fragments. The ends are the oldest part of your hair and tend to grow increasingly porous over time, which is why many naturally curly girls emphasize oiling their ends. If your hair looks full and voluminous at the roots and much thinner at the ends, your ends are probably damaged. Getting a trim and focusing on moisturizing hair care are crucial to staving off further issues.

Lack of Elasticity

Hair is elastic, especially when wet, but one of the biggest problems with elasticity loss is that it can sometimes be hard to diagnose. Healthy hair has a high level of elasticity, and this is what gives hair its body, bounce, and texture formation. Elasticity is what makes hair styling possible and is a telltale sign of hair health.

To test if your hair has lost its elasticity, stretch a strand while it's wet. If a strand breaks with little to no stretching, it may need more moisture. If it stretches a bit and then returns to its natural state, you have normal elasticity. If it stretches more than usual and then breaks, or feels limp and mushy between your fingers, then it needs protein. It’s important to have a balance of moisture and protein in our hair, and the best way to do this is with protein treatments. (Ideally, have yours administered by a professional, as too much protein can also cause damage.)

High Porosity

Porosity is how easily hair (like a sponge) can absorb moisture and chemicals, and damaged hair is more porous than healthy hair. Chemical treatments like coloring, chemical straighteners, and heat applications can cause hair to become overly porous. If you dye your hair, then you may have noticed the dye absorbing or processing more quickly on hair that is damaged than on the healthy parts of your hair. The flip side of that problem is that the color may fade more quickly in the highly porous sections every time you cleanse.

The best way to prevent this damage is to decrease the chemicals and heat-styling products in your life. Since damaged hair is more vulnerable when wet, try styling or manipulating it when it’s dry and consider damp detangling to cause less damage. Incorporate protein treatments to add strength to the hair and temporarily close holes in the hair’s cuticle. Deep-condition and consider using apple cider vinegar and aloe vera to restore the hair's pH balance. Then,seal with an oil to help retain as much moisture as possible.

Dry, Brittle, Lack Of Moisture

Healthy hair is soft and supple and should never be dry and brittle. Not sure why your hair is dry no matter what you do? Consider these questions:

1. Are you deep-conditioning after cleansing? You should.

2. Are you protecting your curls at night by using a satin scarf or satin bonnet or sleeping on a satin pillowcase? You should.

3. Are you drying your hair with a blowdryer on high heat? You shouldn’t.

4. Do you incorporate oils into your regimen with pre-poos, hot oil treatments, or sealers? Maybe this is the time.

Pick up a couple strands of your hair and run your fingers through it from root to tip. If it feels rough, that is a sign of dryness and possible damage. Do this test the day after washing your hair, as dryness can also be an indication of product buildup. Sometimes, dryness can be caused by the weather, hormone changes, or even medications, but often it’s simply too much heat, chemical treatments, or not properly moisturizing and conditioning your hair.

Unruly Tangles

Textured hair is more prone to tangling than straight hair is. If you are doing all the right things in your detangling session and are still wrestling with unruly tangles, then your hair may be damaged. This is a sign that you’re likely dealing with a few of the issues above; dry hair with roughened cuticles and frayed split ends is likely to snag and form knots. And, if your hair lacks elasticity, it will likely snap as you attempt to remove those knots. This calls for more frequent deep-conditioning and is potentially a sign that it’s time for a trim. Even if you want long hair, you can’t reach mermaid status by holding onto damaged strands that need to go.

You know your own hair. If it was soft and full before and now it’s dull, thinning, tangled, and will not hold a style, then you know something isn’t right. If it feels different, looks different, or your old products just aren’t doing the trick, investigate to see if you have any damaging habits — and then stop doing them! Your hair will thank you.

How can you tell when you're dealing with damage? 

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4 Natural Hair Hair Myths We See All The Time, Busted!

by Victoria

If you’re new to your natural hair journey, you may feel overwhelmed by all of the new information that you come across online through social media, blogs, and vlog. Every news source comes from personal experience, so you don’t know what to trust and what not to trust.

Well, the truth is that some information has gotten distorted after being shared and tweaked from naturalista to naturalista.

So if you were wondering if that hair tip you got from your co-worker is valid, check the list below! Also, leave a comment with some of the hair myths you’ve heard!

Don’t need to wash hair
I remember when I first studied abroad, I had about two naturalistas that I could ask for tips. One washed her hair every month, while the other cowashed and washed her hair every few days.
The girl that washed once a month had dry, dull hair that could barely be managed. The one who cowashed and had a more frequent regimen had shiny, bouncy curls that you actually wanted to touch!

Moral of the story is, don’t wait so long in between washes. And please don’t let someone tell you that you don’t have to wash your hair.

Otherwise, product buildup and dirt can actually hinder and prevent your hair growth. If you decide to go natural for whatever reason (less maintenance, want to stay away from chemicals, etc), please note that you still have to care for your hair. You have to wash it, have to detangle, and have to care for it if you want to see growth, hair health, and overall progress in your hair journey!

It’s cheap / expensive

The next myth is that returning to natural hair requires a certain amount of money. You can hear women saying that it’s cheap compared to getting relaxers every few months and compared to buying weaves and hair extensions. You might also hear women saying that it’s too expensive because of buying or trying a whole bunch of products.

The truth is that the cost of being natural depends on you. It can be a little more expensive if you decide to get it done professionally often, if you consider yourself a ‘product junkie’, or if you invest in a ton of expensive hair tools. Returning to natural hair may be cheaper than getting a relaxer and maintaining it every few weeks, but quality products may be a little more costly than some brands that target themselves for ‘natural hair’.

Products can ‘change’ your curl pattern 
There is a big world of natural hair products these days – it’s like everyday someone else is creating another product and claiming it as their own. And with a little creative marketing, all of these products begin to sound like they’ll work wonders on our tresses.

The truth though is no product will truly alter your curl pattern (other than a chemical process like a relaxer or texturizer).

Even if a product is marketed as a curl enhancer, curl cream, etc, it will not alter your curls further than styling (doing a twist out, braid out, etc).

So if you have 4c hair, no product will magically make your curls change to 3a hair, or vice versa. Learn to love the hair you have, and take it from there!

Heat Training / Use heat to blend transitioning hair
Making the change from chemically altered to natural hair can be a little bit of a culture shock, especially if you’re transitioning and if you haven’t had any experience with your own hair.

Some newer transitioners may say that they blend their two hair textures (curly and straight) by using heat. Also, other naturals have said that they train their hair and get a looser hair pattern by using heat consistently.

The truth is that every time you use heat on natural hair, it becomes more damaged, whether you can see the damage or not. Heat is actually not recommended for curly hair.

By using heat constantly on our fragile strands, we may begin to notice that our hair no longer holds the same curl, is permanently straight, or is much thinner than usual. Instead of using heat to blend two textures, experiment with different styles like bantu knots and rod sets. If you want straighter or stretched hair, you can stretch overnight.

You’ll grow x amount of inches in a certain time period

If you’re addicted to social media like I am, you come across a bunch of photos of other women that have had AMAZING hair journeys, growing TWAs out to waist length in like 3 years. So, by obvious deduction, we think our hair is going to grow at the same pace, then get discouraged when we don’t meet those expectations.

The truth is that everyone’s hair grows at a certain pace, and in its own time. There are different factors that go into hair growth, like genetics, regimen, products, diet, etc. Instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, or giving your hair unrealistic goals, actively track or measure your hair growth so you know what’s normal for you. And take comfort that your hair will grow (and retain its growth) as long as you care for it!

These are some of the most common hair myths. What do you think? Comment below with any other hair myths you usually see. 

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Three ways to better retain moisture this fall/winter season

Just a few weeks ago, I was boasting about how amazing it will be to enjoy lower humidity weather.  All I thought about was how freeing it will be to not have to deal with frizzy hair.  But, I almost forgot about the dark side of drier air.

I hate to admit it, but high humidity helped me maintain moisture levels.  And, now that it's gone, I notice the void.  No sense in crying about it, instead, lets take some quick action and adjust our regimen accordingly.  Without moisture, it's almost impossible to retain length.  So let's reflect on what we can do to keep moisture in our hair longer.

Clarify
If it's been a while since you broke out your clarifying shampoo.  Now might be a good time to deep cleanse.  If yo keep reapplying product to no avail, your hair may not be properly absorbing.  Do you ever notice how light and healthy your hair feels after a visit to the stylist?  My guess is part of the reason has to do with that intense scrubbing at the shampoo station.  A decent clarifying shampoo will do the work for you without the excess manipulation.  In the end, your products will better penetrate and your strands will retain moisture longer.

Baggy
Other times, my hair is so dry that it needs a little bit of extra help.  That's when I employ the baggie method.  It's like creating an incubator to heighten moisture levels.  The two most common times when I baggy my ends are:
1. When my hair feels EXTREMELY dry and need an instant infusion of moisture.
2. After applying moisturizer and oil to further increase the effectiveness of the products.
This method has never let me down.

Rehydrate
I used to do a full head baggy, until I learned of the Fulani Method.  If you will recall, this is where you dampen your satin scarf before wearing.   This moistens the hair in such an effortless way.  One reason why I prefer the Fulani Method over placing a plastic cap over my entire head is because the latter will sometimes over saturate the hair, creating unfavorable results.  The Fulani method has a level of control to it that I really appreciate. And it works like a dream.

Drink water
Don't ask me how it works, but the consensus of women on their journey is that increasing their daily water intake also has the potential to impact their hair.  Here are of testimonies of three different experiences for you to enjoy:
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1.] Thanks for the challenge ladies! I will continue to consume as much water as I possibly can, my goal is 120 oz. a daily, for as long as I possibly can. My results from the challenge were awesome: I ate alot less, esp. of sweets, always felt hydrated, my skin is glowing, and my hair is holding moisture alot better. This was a great challenge and I hope all of you ladies had great results.

2.]Is anyone else noticing a difference? I slacked off on my water for about a week and my hair is breaking like crazy. Nothing else has changed so I'm guessing that it would have to be the water. Needless to day I'm back on doing all of my water each day

3.]Working on my water intake right now ladies(woke up a little late this Sunday morning).
ETA: I can say that this water is helping to keeping my hair moisturized/cooler(this was mentioned by a member as being a sign of moisturized hair) and I am beyond thrilled about it. Also, my skin is glowing and it much clearer.

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Don't forget to include other moisture enhancing techniques like steaming in your deep conditioner or experiment with frequent wash days.  Lots of options are available to you if you are dealing with moisture issues.  My suggestion for you is to experiment with various options to see what your hair loves the most.



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5 Solutions to 5 Common Natural Hair Problems

There’s a reason why there are so many resources catered for natural hair. The truth is that, if there aren’t any problems, there wouldn’t be a need for someone to come up with a solution for the problem. So in today’s post, I will be sharing 5 common issues that many Naturalistas face on a Click to continue...

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