FOOD For Thought

Before you go running to your nearest beauty supply store for expensive or even "cheap" hair care products, take a step back and look in your kitchen. Hey, if it's good enough to go in the body, then it's good enough to go on the body, right?! Here are a few foods that you should have right in your kitchen that will work wonders on your hair.

Eggs: Packed full of protein and great for strengthening and adding shine to the hair. You can either whip up an egg and add it to your shampoo or just whip up one or two eggs and put it directly on your dry hair. Cover with a towel or plastic cap, let it sit for 15 minutes then wash it out. Be careful not to rinse the egg out with really hot water or it will cook the egg, giving all new meaning to egg head...

Honey: Chocked full of vitamins, honey is an excellent hair moisturizer. Try mixing equal parts honey and olive oil. Rub in your hair, put on a plastic cap and let it sit for 30 minutes before shampooing your hair.

Olive Oil: As I said with the honey, olive oil is also good for conditioning the hair. It's improves the strength and elasticity of the hair. Warm some olive oil in the microwave, about 20 seconds, and massage into your damp hair and scalp. Put a plastic cap on your head for 30 minutes and shampoo and condition as normal.

Apple Cider Vinegar: It has a tart smell, but it will go away as the hair dries. Once again packed full of nutrients apple cider vinegar helps to balance the pH of your hair and scalp and helps in removing product buildup. Mix 1 tablespoon of ACV with a cup of warm water and pour it onto the hair after shampooing. You can either rinse it out or leave the vinegar rinse on your hair for extra conditioning. As I said the smell will go away once your hair dries.  

Mayonnaise: This is probably the most popular "home remedy" hair treatment. It restores moisture and shine to dead hair. It contains eggs, oil and vinegar which are all excellent for you hair. Make sure you use real mayo and not salad dressing...it's not the same thing. Apply to every strand of hair, cover with a plastic cap and relax for about an hour. Wash and condition as normal.
Now these are just a select few of many other foods you can use to treat your hair. Plain yogurt, molasses, and cornstarch are some others. You can also mix and match them to make a good hair cocktail. Experiment and see what works best for your hair.

TWIST and shout!

Twists are a versatile and popular way of maintaining your natual coils. They are relatively simple to maintain and are a good way to let you hair rest from all the wear and tear of everyday styling. As always, be sure to keep hair moisturized and wrap it up at night.  Here are a few styles that I have done. 
 




Two strand twists can be either worn down or in an updo style. You can also gently unravel them from the ends up for a twist out style.





Flat twists updos are both simple and stylish




Kinky twists are the longest lasting twists style

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KNOT today!

One thing newbies to the natural hair world complain about is being able to detangle their hair without pulling their brains out. It's not the traumatic experience people make it out to be.
Remember that you are not relaxed anymore, so the ability to comb your hair from root to ends is now null and void. You can forget about using a fine tooth comb of any kind, you'll be asking for trouble.
With the hair being in a natural state, knots will become apart of the equation of curly hair growth. With that being said, you may need to change your daily regimen.
Shampoos can sometimes do more harm than good when shampooing the hair. It's capable of creating more knots when you emulsify it through your hair. So try just shampooing the scalp and then pulling the shampoo through your hair.
When detangling natural hair, gently start at the ends using a wide tooth comb and your fingers. Make sure the hair is wet and with conditioner. It makes it easier for the comb to glide through the hair and use your fingers to gently pull the hair apart.
When pulling the hair into a style, it prevents friction and knot creation. Wearing the hair up means the hair is in a fixed state and not forming knots with all the other spiral strands. If you like to wear your hair out, be sure to keep the hair properly moisturized. It will make it easier to finger comb out loose  knots before they form into tight ones.  
Lastly, remember to wrap up your hair at night. Hair that's free during the night is going to be knotted and tangled by morning.

It's not true...hair myths

There are a lot of misconceptions about hair, especially natural hair. Let's see if I can clear some of these up.

1. Natural hair is very strong. This couldn't be more false. Natural hair may look rough and tough, but it is actually very fragile and the curlier the hair, the weaker it is. Each curl and bend serves as a breaking point because the shafts are weak. People assume that natural hair is thick, when most likely the strands are fine and wiry. This being said, natural hair needs to be cared for gently.
2. There's no way I can go natural, I won't be able to get a comb through it. Once you go natural, you have to change your entire mind set. You can't treat your hair as if you still have a relaxer. One thing you shouldn't do is comb your hair dry. Only wet and with conditioner in it, which serves as an excellent detangler. Don't fight with your hair, embrace your natural texture and work with it.
3. Most black women can't grow long hair. Really?? Why would we get exempt from the norm? For all relaxed women, how often do you get your roots touched up? About every 6 to 8 weeks, right? That's because you have new growth. No, it's not the relaxer that causes your hair to grow. ALL hair grows approximately a 1/2 inch per month, depending on the individual. With natural hair, you have to consider the shrinkage factor, looks can be deceiving. Also, remember the fragility of natural hair and it being prone to breakage and with all the blow drying, flat ironing/curling, hair color and chemicals, the hair is bound to suffer and break making it seem as if the hair isn't growing.
4. Products are made for either black hair or white hair. You would think that wouldn't you? Guess what, shampoo is shampoo and conditioner is conditioner. Just because there are products that focus on one ethnicity more than the other doesn't mean it's "made" just for them. Truth is the focus is all about the Benjamins baby! The companies just want your money and they know who is going to buy it. You would be surprised of the number of "black" hair product companies owned by white folks.
5. Trimming your hair will make it grow. Well, trimming your hair is definitely a must in hair maintenance, but your hair is going to grow whether you trim it or not. Regular hair trims is a way of getting rid of split ends or preventing them from splitting, which causes the hair to break. In doing this you will be able to see better hair growth.