Showing posts with label Transitioning. Show all posts

How to Moisturize Hair Properly(When Not Protective Styling)


Imagine this scenario: Take some amount of leave in conditioner, rub it all over hair, then seal with oil.

And that's all for moisturizing? Really?

Getting as much moisture as possible is really important for the well being of our hair. Most people go about the wrong way when they add moisture to their hair.

This post is focused on moisturizing hair when it isn’t in protective style but running wild and free.

Try this the next time you’re moisturizing:


  1.  Section, section, and section: Dividing your hair into smaller sections is key. Moisturizing hair in smaller sections gets more moisture to the strands than doing so in bigger sections. You could section it into 4 parts or more.
  2. Take down each section, one at a time, and apply the conditioner from root to tip, concentrating on the ends.
  3. Please don’t be stingy with the conditioner, be generous and distribute it evenly by combing hair after applying.
  4. Now it’s time to seal in all that moisture, to prevent the moisture from evaporating from the hair shaft. Use your preferred oil or butter to seal in.
Tip: You could put the conditioner in a spray bottle mixed with a little water, for easier application.
Hair Care My Regimen Natural Hair
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Natural Hair Tip #19

PROTEIN CONDITIONING


Doing a protein treatment to your hair? Protein conditioning makes the hair harder and is usually accompanied by deep conditioning to soften hair.  Usually, protein conditioner is added to hair,  hair is put under a shower cap for some minutes, then rinsed out before a deep conditioner is added to conclude the process.

To spend less time doing both, just mix the protein conditioner with the deep conditioner and apply at once!
Hair Care Tips Transitioning
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Transitioning To Natural Hair | 5 Mistakes To Avoid


You might know what to do while transitioning but do you know what you should avoid doing? These are common mistakes made while transitioning.

 1 | LISTENING TO NEGATIVE COMMENTS
Don’t expect everyone to cheer you on this journey. There’ll always be some peeps around that’ll say negative things about your hair and will even try to talk you into going back to relaxers, just because they think your hair will look better or more presentable. While you don’t have control over what others may think or say, you do have the power to ignore it. Knowing what you want and setting goals to achieve it makes this easier. The truth is, sometimes people tend towards being negative when they don’t have an understanding of things. Try educating them if necessary, you maybe surprise at the outcome in some cases. Besides, when you become 100% natural and they see you rocking your natural curls, they’ll come to appreciate it more. I had a lot of naysayers when I started transitioning but after my big chop they started liking my hair more and respected me for sticking to my decision. Some even went natural at the end of it all.

2 | EXPECTING A CERTAIN CURL PATTERN
Are you expecting the old curl pattern you had before you started relaxing to do a come back? Then you maybe in for a big disappointment. Don’t expect your new growth to look like that. Years and years of having your hair chemically processed alters your curl pattern. Guilty of this one. I kept thinking my hair will go back to being very soft and curly, as it was before I started relaxing. How very disappointing!

3 | HIDING YOUR TRANSITIONING HAIR
You always hide your hair in protective styles just because you think it’ll require less maintenance or because of negative comments. While protective styles like wigs, braids, extensions etc are great for retaining length, don’t overdo it. Let your hair breathe sometimes, play with your hair, try out other styles such as two strand twist, bantu knots, flat twist, roller sets etc. Too much of protective styling might result in further breakage. And of course never think that protective styling is a ticket out of taking care of your natural hair. Your hair still needs all the TLC it can get while in protective styles!

4 | TRYING TO GUESS YOUR HAIR TYPE
Okay, I was quite obsessed with this. When I realized I could never get back my old curl pattern, I started trying to guess my hair type with the new growth. The curl pattern you have right now isn’t your true curl pattern. And yes, I guessed my hair type wrongly! Take a chill pill! Avoid guessing what your hair type is, until you’re completely natural.

5 | TRYING OUT EVERY PRODUCT (PRODUCT JUNKIE)
Oh, you heard a good review about this product or saw your favorite hair blogger/vlogger use that product and it came out bomb on her hair. Maybe you just can’t resist buying most products you come across. Most times new transitioners or naturals spend tons of money trying out new products. As much as you want to try out products and discover what works for your hair, you don’t have to break the bank or become a product junkie doing so. Like I always emphasize, before you buy any product ALWAYS read through the ingredient list, make sure the ingredients you want to avoid aren’t contained in the product.

To figure out if a product works on your hair do a “controlled” experiment by using the product for a while, say at least a trial period of a month before drawing conclusions. You can also try it with other products and see how the combination comes out. If it doesn’t work out for your hair after these, it’s ok to move on to a “next” product.

Hope this post helps you avoid some mistakes I made during my transitioning.

Please do let me know if there are other mistakes transitioners make.
Featured Articles Hair Care Transitioning
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Deep Condition | Part 4

HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR DEEP CONDITIONER?

Hey fam!

I know looking for a good deep conditioner that matches your hair needs hasn’t always been the easiest. Sometimes we might even buy a deep conditioner based on good reviews, thinking that it’ll always work for us. But then we tend to forget that there are different hair types and textures out there and what works for one hair may not work for another. So how do you know that a deep conditioner is actually working for your hair and it’s a keeper?

  • Retains moisture and hair is softer

One of the main purpose of a deep conditioner is to leave the hair feeling moisturised. Moisture should be able to last for a few days, making the hair feeling softer to touch.

  • Easier Detangling

After using the deep conditioner, your hair should be fairly easy to detangle, or comb through. If your deep conditioner is failing in this, it’s bad news.

  • Less Breakage

Another main purpose of a deep conditioner is to replenish lost nutrients in the hair strands, therefore strengthening the hair. Your hair should be able to stretch without breaking.

If your deep conditioner lives up to the above then it’s a winner!
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Deep Condition | Part 3

INGREDIENTS TO AVOID IN A DEEP CONDITIONER


Knowing what ingredients you are putting in your hair and the effect of using them can give an entirely new edge to the health of your hair. In my previous post under this series I shared some of the common good ingredients you should look out for.
In this article I’ll be sharing some common ingredients you might want to avoid in your deep conditioner. These ingredients may not serve any purpose or may even be harmful health wise.

 1.  BAD ALCOHOLS
Names like isopropyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, propanol alcohol, isopropanol alcohol, SD alcohol etc, are bad news for natural hair. Our hair needs all the moisture it can get and these alcohols do the exact opposite. They cause the hair to become dry.

 2.  PARABENS
Parabens are preservatives widely used in cosmetic and beauty products to prevent microbes from growing. Therefore they make the product shelf life longer.
Studies have linked parabens to breast cancer. Cancerous cells were found to contain parabens, although it haven’t been conclusively said that parabens causes cancer.
Some examples of parabens are: butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, methylparaben etc.
Given the fact that parabens are widely used in lots of beauty products, it will be advisable to avoid it when one can (starting from your hair products maybe) to be on the safer side. Try looking for paraben free products.

3.  SILICONES
Silicones are great for detangling and combating frizz. To identify silicones look out for ingredient names with “cone”, “col”, “conol”, “xane” or “zane”. When it comes to silicones one has to know the one that’s good to use (water-soluble) and the one you might want to avoid (water-insoluble).

Water-Soluble
These silicones do not cause build up and can be washed out of the hair with only water. Examples include: cyclomethicone, dimethicone copolyol.

Water-Insoluble
These ones tend to cause build up and is difficult to remove. It can’t be removed with only water, one has to use a clarifying (sulfate) shampoo. So unless you want to subject your hair to sulfates (more on this later) you should avoid water insoluble silicones like dimethicone.

4.  LANOLIN, MINERAL OIL AND PETROLATUM
These ingredients may react differently according to hair type and textures. Although some with natural hair use them for sealing and taming frizz, they can clog your pores and hinder hair growth if used on the scalp aside the fact that they aren’t moisturising in anyway. If you’re absolutely sure that you want to use these ingredients, make sure you use them on your hair and not directly on your scalp. The best alternative still remains using moisturising sealing ingredients like natural oils.

 BOTTOMLINE: It’s best to do a little research before buying your deep conditioner. Check the ingredient list. The higher the ingredient is on the list, the higher the percentage of that ingredient contained in the product.

DO NOT forget to always choose what works for your hair and is  healthy for you!

What ingredients do you avoid in your deep conditioner? Please do share.

 Watch out next for tips on how to know your deep conditioner is really effective!

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Deep Condition | Part 2




WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE GETTING YOUR NEXT DEEP CONDITIONER


Here comes the second article in the deep condition series. If you missed the first article, you can get all the scoop here!
When it comes to buying a deep conditioner choosing the right one really matters. There are lots of brands out there and it could get quite confusing to make the right choice.

A deep conditioner that’s beautifully packed or one with the nicest fragrance doesn’t always equate a good one. We also do not want to splurge on a deep conditioner, only to find out it’s not as effective do we?

I’ve found that the trick to identifying a good product is by looking at the ingredients list at the back of the product. I first scan through for ingredients that may  not be good for my hair before looking for the goodies that could penetrate my hair shaft so as to get the desired effect. For the sake of this post though let’s start with the goodies!

Basically a deep conditioner should contain ingredients that falls under these categories:

  • MOISTURIZERS
Water/Aqua is the first ingredient you should find on the list and it’s the most moisturizing of all moisturizers. Other moisturizers include: Aloe Vera, Panthenol, Glycerin, Fatty/Moisturizing Alcohols (Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol)

  • CONDITIONERS
These ingredients help condition the hair, making it easier to detangle and comb through. Examples of some common conditioners: Amodimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Propyl Glycol Dicaprylate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine.

  • HYDROLYZED PROTEIN
The word “hydrolyzed” simply means the protein molecules has been broken down to smaller particles to make them more penetrable. A protein deep conditioner should contain one or more of these proteins: Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Wheat  Protein, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein.

  • SEALANTS
Deep conditioning treatments don’t last for a long period, sealants are required to help make the hair stay strong and moisturized for a while. Your deep conditioner may contain some of these sealants: Lanolin, Shea Butter, Phenyl Trimethicone, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil.

While there are tons of other ingredients contained in a deep conditioner, I tried not to go all chemistry on you and summarized it as best as I could. Never been a fan of chemistry anyways.
At the very least, the next time you go deep conditioner shopping you’ll have this trick up your sleeve.

Upcoming post! The next post under this series will be the ingredients you should be wary of.

Until next post.

xx

Uloaku.
Big Chop Hair Care Natural Hair
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Natural Hair Tip #6

BLENDING TEXTURES


 Transitioning?

Use rollers, rod sets or straws to wrap the ends of your twists and braids to prevent unraveling and make the straight ends curly, so as to blend in both textures.
Natural Hair Tips Transitioning
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Deep Condition | Part 1

KNOW YOUR DEEP CONDITIONERS


Deep condition. Deep condition. Deep condition often! This is on the list of the natural hair mantra as it should be. Deep conditioning is packed with many goodies for the hair. From providing intense moisture, cutting down on frizz to strengthening hair etc.
In this series I’ll be sharing post on all you need to know about deep conditioners/conditioning.

Let’s begin shall we?

First you need to know the major types of deep conditioners and how to identify them.

TYPES OF DEEP CONDITIONERS
It can be categorised into two.

1.     Moisture Deep Conditioner
No matter how good your moisturiser/leave-in conditioner is at keeping your hair moisturised, it just gets to a point where you need to cleanse all that build up and replenish all the moisture your hair lost due to manipulation, weather, colouring, heat styling and so on. This is where moisture deep condition comes in. It infuses the hair strands with nutrients and boost the moisture content, making it flexible and manageable. It also keeps breakage at bay.

To identify moisture deep conditioners look out for ingredients such as water, panthenol, behentrimonium chloride. It may also contain some Aloe Vera juice.

2.     Protein Deep Conditioner
It comprises of  ingredients like hydrolysed silk protein, hydrolysed wheat protein, hydrolysed keratin etc. Our hair is made up of protein, but general wear and tear break down the protein in our hair structure making it weak. Protein deep conditioners help to temporarily rebuild the sections of the strand underneath the follicle, making the hair stronger.

In the next post under this series, I’ll be sharing the ingredients you should look out for in a good deep conditioner. 
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Transitioning? 8 Things You Need To Do


Transitioning your hair back to your natural roots doesn’t have to be a rough process. A smooth transition can be achieved with minimum frustration, if you do right by your hair.

1.     Start By Saying Goodbye To Chemicals
Giving up chemicals that permanently change the natural curl pattern of your hair or negatively affect it by causing breakage is a must. Relaxers, texturizers, dyes and the likes should be avoided.

 Tip: Well, you might have told yourself that you are definitely going to stay away from these chemicals but you still have them laying around somewhere. It’s best to either give them away or throw them out, so as not to give into the urge on some frustrated bad hair days.

2.     Reduce Heat Usage
Minimize the use of blow dryers, flat irons etc. Throughout my transitioning process, I stayed away from heat styling and this made my hair really healthy. The only heat I used was body heat (using plastic cap) when deep conditioning. Try air drying all of your styles instead, in order to maintain healthy hair by significantly reducing breakage.

 Tip: Occasionally using heat won’t do much damage, if you take good care of your hair during this process. Endeavour to use appropriate heat setting for your hair.

 3.     Treat Your Hair With Care
The weakest part of your is the line of demarcation (where the natural hair ends and relaxed hair begins). You have to be gentle with it. Take time to detangle. Do not over manipulate. Keep your hands out of your hair!

4.     Wash Hair In Sections
Keeping your scalp clean is great for hair growth and washing/co-washing in sections is the way forward. This may sound really time consuming but trust me it will save you a lot of breakage and shedding.

5.     Deep Condition Often
This is very important if you want to properly nourish those strands of yours and keep them healthy. It’s crucial to balance your hair with moisture and protein. Moisture deep conditioning restores internal hydration and provided intense moisture to the hair. I do mine on weekly or bi-weekly basis. You also need to restore the protein in your hair that you loose through manipulation. Your hair needs protein replenishments in order to maintain its strength. I did my protein treatment every 3 months and it worked for my  hair.

Tip: It’s all about balance for hair moisture and protein. Try experimenting with application intervals. Protein conditioning can be done between 1-3 months. Adding too much protein makes hair brittle and too much moisture makes hair limp. Find out what works best for you. Deep conditioners should be applied in generous amount to get optimal benefits.

6.     Keep Your Hair Moisturized
This is the key to combating dry hair. Dry hair is easily prone to breakage and for transitioning hair the line of demarcation is at a bigger risk. Make sure hair is well moisturized to retain strength.

Tip: To moisturize hair, lightly spray with water. Followed by a leave-in conditioner and seal with natural oil of choice.

7.     Trim Your Ends
On a regular basis you need to get rid of all those dead hair and split ends, it’s not like you were going to keep the damaged ends anyway. This prevents excessive breakage.

Tip: How often you want to trim depends on you. It can be often as every 6 weeks – 3 months, until you become a full natural.

8.     Protect Your Hair
Put your hair in protective styles sometimes. Choose styles that are simple to maintain and blend in both textures. Avoid styles that put too much tension on your temple and the nape of your neck. Always tie your hair up with a satin scarf or cap when sleeping, better still get a satin pillowcase.

Tip: Find the go-to transitioning style that blend the two very different textures. Examples of these styles are: Bantu knots and knot out, 2 strand twist and twist out, flat twists, flexi rods, braid out etc.
2 strand twist and twist out is my all time favorite.


Doing these things will not only give you a smoother transition but will prepare you for when you become a full blown natural.
Hair Care Transitioning
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Basic Products Every Transitioning And Natural Hair Needs!





After making the decision to go natural either by transitioning or big chop, your healthy hair journey begins. You may find out that the products that worked on your relaxed hair aren’t working anymore.
This means getting new products that promote healthy scalp and beautiful hair.

These are the basic hair products you’ll need for taking care of your hair:


Deep Conditioner: Yes! This takes priority over other products. Our natural hair has the tendency to dry easily, so deep conditioning is a must! The benefits of deep conditioning are numerous. It restores internal hydration to the hair, provides intense moisture, balance the pH of the hair, cuts down on frizz, helps maintain internal moisture balance, promotes elasticity, adds shine and luster, strengthens hair,...should I keep going on the benefits? I could go on and on. I’m sure you get how important deep conditioners are now.

Leave In Conditioner: It adds extra moisture to the hair. It improves manageability of the hair making it smoother, more flexible and makes detangling easier.

Shampoo: Getting a good shampoo (preferably sulfate and paraben free) is an important step to remove buildup from hair.

Rinse Out Conditioner: After shampooing comes conditioning. You may want to try some below. Rinse out conditioners aids in detangling hair during wash and can also double up as co-washers for days when your hair is slightly dirty or when you don’t want to shampoo.

Natural Oil: They are used to seal your ends after moisturizing to lock in moisture for the hair.

Wide Tooth Comb: This helps prevent much breakage when detangling hair. Small tooth combs are terrible for detangling hair, they cause a lot of breakage. You shouldn’t use them unless you have a teeny weeny fro.

Satin Bonnet or Pillowcase: Wrapping your hair in a satin bonnet or using a satin pillowcase helps protect your hair and prevent pulling and breakage while sleeping.

Other products that may not be very basic: 

  • Hair Curlers (rollers, flexi rods, perm rods, curlformers etc) can be used to achieve curly hairstyles without heat and blend in different textures for transitioners.
  • Stylers, like holding gel, edge control and setting lotion or mousse, can help from your wash and go, to twist or braids. The right products won’t make your hair stiff or contain drying ingredients that can affect your hairline.
  • Hair Accessories like bobby pins, hair bands etc.


Here I made a short list of hair products you may want to try out. Keep in mind that what works for one hair,  may not work well for another. We all have different textures.

Deep Conditioners

  1. ORS olive oil replenishing conditioner
  2. Shea moisture raw shea butter  deep treatment masque
  3. Soft and beautiful botanicals deep condition repair masque
  4. ORS hair mayonnaise
  5. Cantu shea butter deep treatment masque


Leave in conditioners

  1. Africa’s best organics olive oil moisturizing growth lotion
  2. Dr. Miracle’s leave in conditioner
  3. Profective mega growth daily leave-in strengthener
  4. Elasta olive oil and mango anti-breakage leave-in conditioner
  5. Shea moisture strengthen, grow & restore leave in conditioner


Shampoos

  1. ORS olive oil creamy aloe shampoo
  2. Dr. Miracle’s conditioning shampoo
  3. Alberto vo5 shampoo
  4. Creme of nature Eden hydrating shampoo
  5. Shea moisture coconut and hibiscus curl & shine shampoo


Rinse out conditioners

  1. Vo5 moisture milks
  2. Gentelle hair fruits coconut conditioner
  3. Herbal essence hello hydrated and totally twisted
  4. Aussie Moist
  5. Suave naturals ocean breeze


Natural Oils

  1. Coconut oil
  2. Olive oil
  3. Castor oil
  4. Almond oil
  5. Jojoba oil
  6. Grapeseed oil

Are you transitioning or a natural? What products works for you?
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Are You Pre-Transition Ready?



When I said goodbye to the creamy crack, I couldn’t bear to do the big chop because I’m the biggest fan of length and I didn’t want to come out looking really odd with it. So transition it was for me.

The transitioning process can be quite daunting, especially when compared to the big chop.
For me, the transition process wasn’t as daunting as people claimed or maybe it was just me excited about staying away from relaxers and trying something different.

Here are a few tips to make this process less daunting for you:

1.    Positive Attitude: Why are you transitioning in the first place? It maybe hair damage caused by dyes, heat, relaxers or... just plain seeing someone rocking their natural hair and it looks good, so now you want to return to your natural roots. Think about the positive side. You are on a path to a healthier hair. Thinking of the positive, makes it more exciting.

In my case the hair damage and relaxing issues was the major reason I decided to transition. This was exactly what I needed! The excitement of trying out something different for my hair kept me motivated for this process.

2.    Do Thorough Research: Spend time researching on this topic before going headlong into it. You need to get your information right. Thank God for the internet! There are tons of reliable sources online. If you have friends that have gone natural, it’s an added bonus, ask them questions.

3.    Have The Right Mind Set: This is going to be a game changer! The fact is you will be making some big changes in your hair routine from now on. Unless of course you had a pretty good routine before now. You are going to be spending more time, probably more money and giving your hair some TLC. So you have to be prepared.

4.    Be Patient: Try cultivating some patience, okay? Now there will be longer wash days, co-wash days, dealing with two textures, trying out new hairstyles and so on. It could be quite tedious. Be patient, as you continue in this healthy hair journey, you will get better at this. There will be a few tricks to pick up about what works best for your hair and some needed shortcuts for time saving.
Transitioning
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After The Natural Decision, What’s Next?



You have finally made the decision to go natural. Kudos!
So, now what’s the next move?
Well, you have a few options:
OPTION 1: THE BIG CHOP
Big chop is the process of cutting off the relaxed, permed or damaged ends of your hair and growing it out from its natural state.

This option although it is more daring or dramatic, is the fastest and most simple way to go back to your natural roots.






OPTION 2: TRANSITIONING
Transitioning is the gradual process of going natural from a chemically straightened or heat damaged hair. Over a period of time new growth appears and the ends of the hair are cut off. You could start trimming the ends slowly before doing the final big chop or just keep growing your hair to a certain length and do the big chop at once (without periodic trims).

How long you would like your hair to be before cutting off all the ends solely depends on you.

I opted for the transitioning method, because I wanted to keep my length as long as possible.

So which option are you going for, the big chop or transitioning?
Big Chop Transitioning
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