Hair tips for August

Happy healthy hair!!!

Common myths about black natural hair

Growing up there were many myths that at the time were hard core truth, mainly based on believes that are passed on generation by generations. However I have since learnt that these were utter MYTHS, not true and came about from a lack of knowledge. Now I know why they say knowledge is power!

The following are the myths that are widely spread in the part of the world where I am from, please comment and share your side of the world's myths about black hair.

1. Water is not good for our hair/stay away from rain,swimming and any water. Even shower water. This is not true: in fact black hair needs basic moisture in the form if water more than other hair types. Due to the curly coil shape of the hair, black hair tends to easily lose moisture and often it isn't easy for the moisture to travel along the strands from the root to the end of the hair. So one has to constantly spritz a water based moisturiser to the hair, even using distiller water in a spray bottle is good for moisture.
2. Natural hair is hard work. Personally I believe natural hair requires more care and delicacy but once you get a good regime going, it isn't hard work. I actually enjoy my hair more now that I am in touch with it and don't opt for the easy/quick way out.
3. Afro/natural hair is stronger than other hair types. No, natural hair isn't necessarily the strongest. It could appear fuller when it is actually thin and thus more sensitive. Not every girl with natural hair has strong hair so ladies, stop abusing that hair thinking it can endure all the strain!
4. Hair products can grow hair, so always be on the look out for a cream,oil,or product that can give you amazing growth in a short period of time.   There is NO hair product that grows hair, longer and healthier hair comes with good hair practices, AKA regime. A good hair regime helps you nature your hair and retain length, so the growth comes with the regime. Plus we all have different rates of hair growth, if you measure yours per month then you will know whether you are retaining length or not.
5. Plaiting hair grows the hair long especially when the braids/wool/cornrows are very tight. This isn't true, when you have natural hair, plaiting it stretches it, therefore gives you the true length by unravelling the coily shape. So your hair hasn't necessarily grown because of the plaits but it has been stretched. And plaiting hair too tight isn't good, long term it damages your hair and even results in the common 'bald' look on hairlines. 
6. Trimming hair makes it grow longer than usual. This isn't true, trimming hair gets rid of split ends and therefore leaves you with more healthier strands than before the trim. Split ends can travel down towards the root of the hair, thus making it easier for your hair to break off easily, but to also break off a longer piece of the hair. 
7. Natural hair is sore to comb. This can be true but only because the traditional ways if combing black hair in its natural state are wrong. Methods that work for white or straight hair were adopted without question. For example thin teeth combs are a no no for our hair. The teeth tend to cause more tangling/knots and more breakage. The tangling occurs due to the coily shape. Secondly, combing dry natural hair will definitely be painful. I suggest moisturising the hair and either finger combing or using a very wide teeth comb. Then when combing start from the ends of the hair and work towards the root. Don't ever push a comb from the base/root of the hair to the ends - it will break!  
8. Natural hair is like a 'skirr-poto'. Very hard and course like velcro. If your hair is as hard as a skirr-pot or Velcro it is simply because it is DRY. Like I said our hair needs the most moisture compared to other hair types. You need to figure out how to moisturise it, preferably with water, followed by a good cream and oil so that you lock-in that moisture. I use shea butter as my cream, and different oils such as coconut oil or castor oil.
9. Natural hair is for people who want to make a political statement and are fighting for a cause. Not everyone who has natural hair is a hippy or a soul sister or a dagga smoker. No! This is just a stereotype. 
10. If you have natural hair you tend to have a low self esteem and aren't beautiful. My opinion on this is if you are quick to slap a relaxer on your hair and convince yourself that you aren't beautiful then you have deep issues you need to resolve. If you none of your friends know how you look like without a weave or relaxer then maybe you also have issues. Or you are plain lazy and are choosing an easier way out. I know that I can confidently look at myself in the mirror with my Afro and feel beautiful and confident. I know who I am. A former colleague of mine once told me a local radio station was speaking about a study from the US that says girls with natural hair have a low self esteem and was quick to want to tell me I also do because I'm a natural. My response was that yes it is possible to have low self esteem due to the constant pressure from the media, the constant promotion of sleek relaxed hair. I also asked her a few questions such as, "don't you think opting for the easier way out by being the first to relax your hair could mean you are the one with a deeper sense of low self esteem" and "if it was such an issue to be a natural would I not just get the quick fix which takes literally 10 mins to convert my hair and then overnight gain the self esteem?". She continued senselessly arguing that I have a low self esteem because I'm a natural but I realised she was a stubborn mule who misinterpreted what she heard. I even told her "why would I blog so much about natural hair if I hated it and wasn't confident about it" and she gasped in surprise saying "oh you blog about it" and I said "yes I do and obviously you don't know how passionate and sure of myself am I about our natural coils". 
11. If you are a natural hair girl, you cannot wear a weave as that is contradictory and hypocritical. No people, no! Just because I have an Afro doesn't mean I'm committing a crime when I wear a weave. Is the problem the fact that the weave is straight? To me, the weave is a form of a protective style similar to braids or yarn/wool. When I choose to not relax my hair, it is because I would rather not burn my scalp from the toxic ingredients in relaxers such as sodium hydroxide. Also, I choose to still care for my hair through my regular regime even when my hair is in a weave or braids. Unlike some ladies who wear weaves for periods of a month to two months without washing the hair underneath, conditioning it and moisturising it. 

Status update: my hair's response to the castor oil challenge

In my last post at this link, I mentioned that I was taking part in the intermediate level of the castor oil challenge. As you may know, castor oil has many benefits such as:

• Promoting healthier and thicker hair strands
• Regrows edges and helps with a receding hair line
• Moisture sealing and conditioning of hair
• Does not clog pores
• Controls dry and itchy scalp
• Improves scalp circulation which in turn promotes hair growth

How has the challenge been so far?

I have been faithful in applying the oil to my scalp twice a week. However I am in a protective style and was only able to properly use the oil as a sealant before plaiting my hair. I also have succeeded in using the oil in my daily spritz,which I apply to both the cornrows and the twisted braids of my hair. When I take down the protective style next week (it will be 4 weeks then) I will use the oil in my deep conditioner as well. So far my hair is loving it and there's a significant amount of growth I am seeing as well as lesser itching. Here are some pics:

Castor Oil hair challenge

This post comes from http://hairequest.blogspot.com/2015/06/blog-post.html and was written by a lady who inspired my healthy hair journey, i.e. Ms Fatima Yikona. The following words are to her credit and I am not claiming any ownership to the written piece. I have chosen to do the intermediate castor oil challenge. Now, let's get to the story:

Everyone wants beautiful, healthy hair but unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with the hair we desire. The second Hairequest Castor Oil Challenge is here and it’s bigger and better! This isn’t just a challenge focusing on the use of castor oil but basically a hair journey boot camp where one gets to intensify their entire hair routine. One not only has to be consistent with the use of castor oil during this challenge but be consistent with their hair journey for maximum benefits. Apart from motivating each other this exercise will give us an opportunity to learn new techniques and practices which could be beneficial to our hair. Read how I use castor oil here.

Benefits of Castor Oil

·         Promotes healthier and thicker hair

·         Regrows edges

·         Stops receeding or thinning hair

·         Can be used for natural or chemically treated hair

·         Excellent sealant and conditioner

·         Does not clog pores

·         Controls dry and itchy scalp

·         Improves scalp circulation

  This challenge will run from 5^th July 2015 to 4^th October 2015. Any type of castor oil can be used as long as it is plain castor oil. These include cold pressed castor oil, pharmacy castor oil ( Link Pharmacy carries a good brand), Jamaican black castor oil (Tropic Isle, Sunny Isle, Simply Organic), etc. Brands such as Blue Magic are not pure castor oil as they contain other ingredients hence not getting the full benefits of castor oil. Pure castor oil is what is encouraged.

  During this time, protective styles such as braids, wigs, buns, ponytails, two strand twists, updos and other hair styles are encouraged to help retain length. Track any changes in your hair regardless of whether good or bad. Below are the Challenge levels:

Basic

·       -  Apply Castor Oil to your scalp twice a week. Make sure to massage well. Do not be heavy handed. Less is more.

·       -  Use castor oil to seal your strands after moisturizing your hair. Remember, castor oil is quite thick so mix it with your oil of choice to enable easy application.

Intermediate

·         - Apply castor Oil to your scalp twice a week as in the basic level

·      -   Use castor oil to seal your strands after moisturizing

·       -  Add a few drops to a tablespoon of castor oil to your deep conditioner.

Ultimate

   -  Apply castor Oil to your scalp atleast three times a week

·       -  Use castor oil to seal after moisturizing your hair

·       -  Add a few drops to a tablespoon of castor oil to your deep conditioner

·         -Use castor oil in your prepoo mix or on its own as a hot oil treatment. Read more about prepooing here.

 Some people may be concerned about moisturizing hair while in protective styles such as braids and weaves. Simply make a spritz of your own which can consist of water, a little leave in conditioner and your favourite oils including castor oil.

My pre-entry photos(AfroMoriri)

How to wash natural hair that's braided

Many people are of the notion that hair cannot be washed properly while it is in braids, and from my observation this idea exists both in the natural and chemically processed (relaxed) hair community. However it is a false believe that requires a new way of thinking about hair care!

Why should you wash braided hair?

• To keep the scalp clean and promote hair growth.
• Prevent product and dirt build-up that causes hair strands to lock and therefore cause breakage when the braids are taken off. There tends to be a lot of build up at the roots, especially where the main knot of installing the braid is.
• To maintain the routine of your hair regimen and thus not interrupt your hair's healthy habits.
• Aid the process of conditioning your hair - obviously before conditioning you have to wash your hair first. 

How to wash your hair while in braids

• Get a spritz bottle and add shampoo and water to it. Start off with little water till you reach a point where the shampoo fully foams, i.e. the bottle is full of lather.
• Work you way sequentially along the lines/rows of the plaits and apply the foamy shampoo to the scalp.
• Once you have the foamy shampoo on the scalp use your finger tips (not nails) to gently rub along the lines in order to remove dirt and product build-up. Also massage your scalp while doing so. Remember to avoid using your nails!!
• Focus more on the hairline. I find this area to attract lots of build up.
• Stand under the shower using luke-warm water to rinse the shampoo off.
• Don't worry about shampoo-ing the hair strands as they will be washed automatically by the water that will run from your scalp downwards the braids while you are under the shower. But if you'd like you could also spray the foamy shampoo along the braids till the point where your natural hair length ends then gently squeeze while under the shower.
• After this apply hair conditioner from the roots of your hair till the point at which your natural hair strands end and sit for few mins while the conditioner does its magic(15mins or more).
• Wash off the conditioner and air dry. Once 80-90% dry apply a water based moisturiser (I use a hair spray) from the roots of your hair, all the way through the length of your hair (stop where your natural hair's length ends). If you want you can use a small amount of a light hair oil to seal the moisture (e.g jojoba oil or grapeseed) by applying along the braids up till where your natural hair ends. Personally I don't seal the moisture with an oil, rather I moisturise religiously every morning (sometimes evenings as well if I'm not too lazy).
• DO NOT rub the braids while washing them as this will result in horrible frizz!

Some pictures illustrating the washing instruction above:

24 photos of how I style my natural hair/Afro hair

Natural hair doesn't have to be boring, there are so many ways of styling the hair. Here are some pictures from late 2014 till about 2015 March. Some are protective styles (braids and weave), some show my hair straightened using heat, in some cases I have stretched the hair through African threading and in other snaps I am just wearing my hair unstretched. Yes I am one of those naturals who deffo embraces shrinkage ;-)

How to style braids(singles/box braids)

This winter I am enjoying a protective style in the form of braids. Here in South Africa we call them ''singles" but in America I think they are commonly known as box braids.

Here are some of my favourite hairstyles:

Style 1: a bit of a messy bun

Style 2: a French braid and bun at the back

Style 3: front twist swept to the side

Style 4: what I call fishtail!