How to blow out your hair with no damage!

Lots of naturals prefer to blow out their tightly coiled hair. This enables Afro hair to show more length.  The most common way naturals stretch their hair is by blowing it out with a blow dryer. However, blow dryers are very damaging to Afro hair.

Two reasons blow dryers are bad for your hair

1. Blow dryers suck all the moisture from your hair. This makes your already dry hair worst.
2. They cause split ends, thin ends and breakage.

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO GROW YOUR HAIR LONG AND STRONG STAY AWAY FROM BLOW DRYERS AND ELECTRIC BLOW DRYING BRUSHES. 

The smoothest healthiest blow out you can get, is to set your hair with magnetic rollers

Magnetic rollers come small to jumbo sizes. 

HOW TO STRETCH HAIR ON MAGNETIC ROLLERS

1. For the best stretch choose large, extra large or jumbo size magnetic rollers.


2. Apply leave in conditioner to soaking wet hair. Next apply a styling mousse then seal in with oil. 

3. Take skinny sections, and roll hair snug and smooth onto the roller. Allow hair to air dry  for the healthiest set. 

4. Once your hair has fully dried, remove rollers and you will have a nice crisp blow out. From this blowout, you can create your styles and expect more hang time. 

Retwist nightly to maintain stretch.  Do not add anymore water based moisturizer to hair.  The water in the moisturizer will cause your hair to shrink.

Never blow dry your hair!

In order to maintain healthy growing natural hair, you must have a routine that keeps your hair moisturized. Using a blow dryer is counterproductive to keeping your hair hydrated. Many naturals use a blow dryer to quickly stretch their coily hair. However, in the process of giving your hair stretch, it sucks all the moisture from the hair. This is the main reason that you should never ever, ever. ever, ever use a blow dryer on your hair. 

When I get my hair braided, my braider uses the blow dryer to stretch my hair. What do I do about this?
Afro hair is perfect for braiding in its natural state. A good braider should not have to blow dry your hair in order to braid it. It should look just as good being braided in its natural perfect state. Always shampoo, deep condition, detangle and moisturize the hair before getting your hair braided. 

Two all natural heat free ways to stretch hair

1.  Braid your hair in  5 to 7 loose plaits, and let it air dry. Your hair will have a very nice healthy stretch. 

2. Roll hair on magnetic rollers, using slim sections. Let hair air dry. Your hair will have awesome stretch, superior to that you get from blow drying.
  

So what is the problem with blow drying the hair,  before getting braid extensions?

As previously stated, blow dryers  suck all the moisture from the hair. Then adding the fake hair on top of your natural hair dries it out, even more.  Fake hair is made up of a type of plastic.  As this plastic lays on top of your hair, it sucks more moisture from your already scorched blow dried hair. The combination of the blow dryer and the plastic fiber is not conducive to keeping your Afro hair hydrated. 

When you remove the fake hair after wearing it for several weeks or months, you lose more hair than you should.  This is due to your coils drying out under the extensions.  As the weight of the fake hair swings back and forth  week after week, your hair begins to weaken. Thus when you remove the extensions, that weakened dried out hair breaks easily. What you think is shed hair, also ends up being breakage. 

What about when I deep condition?
When a deep conditioner tells you to use heat, they are not referring to the harsh heat of a blow dryer. You use a heat cap, steamer or sit under a soft bonnet dryer. Invest in one of those items, for your healthy hair journey.

Christmas gift list:  steamer, heat cap or bonnet dryer.  

Blue Magic Twist Outs

For the last 15 years black women in large numbers have stopped relaxing their hair. We have decided to embrace our natural curls. Many have also given up using cheap products, that contain bad ingredients. Grease is one of those ingredients most naturals stopped using. 

Petroleum has become a taboo ingredient on most natural forums and hair sites. It is commonly believed that petroleum clogs the hair follicles. Thus greatly making your hair grow slow. This is not true. 

SIGN UP TO DOUBLE YOUR HAIR GROWTH!

Despite grease being taboo by most naturals, there is still one grease that remains popular. You guessed it! That old Blue Magic! This grease is an oldie, but goody for some. On youtube you will find dozens of naturals, testifying about how much they love blue magic hair grease. They say, that blue magic gives them the best twist outs ever. Water plus blue magic makes their twist outs pop!  

THE ORIGINAL

SHOULD YOU USE BLUE MAGIC HAIR GREASE?

If you are satisfied with your styling product, I would say, no. But if you have tried several good styling products, for your hair, and you are still not satisfied, this is a good option to try. Petroleum does not clog your hair follicles. The molecular structure is not big enough to clog your hair follicles, nor prevent moisture from getting into your hair. 

HOW I RECOMMEND USING BLUE MAGIC

Apply some Shea butter to freshly washed and conditioned hair. Apply the grease on top of the Shea butter, then create your twists. This should be done on wet hair. Let hair set until dry. You should noticed great definition, more elongation and shine.

Petrolatum, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Lanolin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Buxus Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaves (Japanese Green Tea), Tocopheryl Acetate, Apocynum Cannabinum Root Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Extract, Echinacea Angustifolia Extract, Trigonella Foenum-Graecum Seed Extract, Cola Acuminata Seed Extract, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Fragrance. 

I would not apply it to the scalp, although some swear by it on the scalp. I say stick with more natural oils on the scalp. The Blue Magic grease has several not so great ingredients. The unnatural fragrance, green 6 and yellow 11, just to name a few.  Those are the reasons I would not use it on my scalp. I think this product is okay for the hair, when used sparingly. Once you set your twist out or style, you do not reapply the blue magic for at least 3 days. Doing so will help prevent build up from the grease. 

Although blue magic grease is a popular grease, due to its large size and cheap cost. My favorite grease is Indian Hemp by Kuza. I use it when I straighten my hair. It is a thick grease filled with herbs and good ingredients. It is the only product which helps to keep my curls when I do rollersets or flat irons. 

This is a flat iron with curls set bantu knot style. I used the Kuza Indian Hemp grease. It gives me amazing sheen, hold and keeps my curls from frizzing. 

Black owned product you can find at CVS, Walmart, Target and most Beauty supply stores. Great for shin and sealing in moisture.

How to fall in love with your natural hair

We commonly concentrate on finding that perfect product and perfecting our style technique. But we spend little time on dealing with our mindset concerning our natural tresses. This is one of the biggest mistakes some women make when returning back to their natural hair. For most it is discovering their natural curls for the first time. I divide the hair journey into 3 parts. It is 25% the products you use, 25% the techniques you use and 50% your mindset towards your hair. One can see how not addressing such a huge part of your journey can be hindering. 

Not being honest about how your truly feel about your hair many times leads to setbacks. Either the person returns back to the relaxer, continuously rocks fake hair or they experience breakage from bad hair care practices. 

Below are some very common negative mindsets black women have towards their hair. Along side each negative mindset I offer some solutions for you. I want you to have the hair you desire, minus the setbacks. Therefore I offer help via some solutions I have seen help ladies tremendously. 

My 4C curl pattern. Smoothed back into a bun by using curls control passion fruit paste by Curls

NEGATIVE MINDSET #1
"After going natural for a year, I hate my curl pattern"

SOLUTIONS:

• Be sure you are seeing your true curl pattern.  Until your hair is hydrated, consistently you will not see your real curl pattern. Work on your hydration. 
• Do a moisture fusion treatment (Nine day moisture therapy)
• Be sure you are following a consistent healthy regimen.
• If you are continuously rocking fake hair, that will mess up your hydration. Thus lay off the fake hair until your hair is healthier hydration wise. Take a 7 months break from fake hair. 

NEGATIVE MINDSET #2
"I do not like how I look with short hair and my hair appears to grow slow."

SOLUTIONS:

• Examine your cleansing regimen. How often are you cleansing your hair?
• Are you following a consistent healthy hair care regimen with natural products?
• Have you measured how much your hair grows each month?
• Is your shrinkage blinding you to how much your hair is actually growing? For some motivation set your hair on magnetic rollers, for a nice stretch. 
• Are you breaking your hair off by doing bad hair care practices?
• Sometimes you need extra help. Sign up for hair growth coaching and start growing the hair you desire.

NEGATIVE MINDSET #3
"I cannot get past the amount of shrinkage I have. "

SOLUTIONS:

• Want less shrinkage use less product.
• After day two of your style, stop applying any type of water or water based product on your hair.
• Use bands to stretch your hair
• Stretch your hair using magnetic rollers, before you create your styles. 
• Allow your hair to air dry, 70% while in big twists. Then set your twist out, on 70% air dried hair. You will have more elongated styles.  

NEGATIVE MINDSET #4
"I love my hair but it takes so long to achieve styles I love."

SOLUTIONS:

• Perhaps it takes you a long time due to tangles. If this is the issue then work on your hydration to reduce your tangles. Do lots of pre poo treatments to combat excessive tangles. 
• Re-evaluate the styles your are trying to achieve. 
• Work consistently perfecting one style. Afro hair is like memory foam, the more you mold it into the same shape, the easier it molds. 
• Examine areas of your style regimen in which you are making them more lengthy than they need to be. 

NEGATIVE MINDSET #5
After I spend hours creating a style, it frizzes up so quickly. So I rather wear fake hair, it is easier. 

SOLUTIONS:

• Pay attention to the weather. Do not try to compete with mother nature, most likely you will lose.
• On  high humidity days or misty days, wear your hair in a puff, bun, ponytail or roll tuck and pin. 
• Invest in some anti humectants. Anti humectants contain ingredients which help the hair to hold its style longer by blocking out the humidity.  Pomades do this very well. 
• Get use to how your frizzy shrunken hair looks.  Fall in love with the truly natural you. 

TRANSFORM YOUR MINDSET TAKE THE 30 DAY CHALLENGE.

CHALLENGE A:   Rock your hair in it's shrunken undefined state for a whole day. Be sure to leave the house. This experience is liberating for those who do not normally wear their hair in its Afro state. 

CHALLENGE B: Rock your natural texture for 30 days. Make journal entries as to how you feel about your hair experience. It will transform how you see your hair. Concentrate on how you feel not what you think other people are thinking. 

5 ways to add Aloe Vera to your hair care regimen

SCALP SOOTHER PH BALANCER

Got a dry itchy, tight or irritated scalp? Aloe Vera is very healing and will help to restore the PH balance of your scalp and hair. Aloe vera will soothe and heal scalp irritations.  Anti bacterial, anti fungal & anti inflammatory. Tea tree heals minor scalp irritations and keeps infection from forming. 

1/2 cup ALOE VERA GEL
1/4 cup SPRING WATER
 1tsp TEA TREE OIL

GROWTH SERUM

Massage this serum onto your scalp every other night. It kills bad bacteria and fungus. Cleans our your hair follicles. Removing these issues will allow the hair to grow at optimum speed. 
1/2 cup of aloe vera  
1 tablespoon Jojoba  
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
1/8 tsp tea tree oil

ALOE VERA SPRITZER

RESET AND REFRESH YOUR HAIR,  mid week with this spritzer.  Mix 1/2 cup of aloe Vera gel with 1/2 cup of spring water. Use this aloe spritz to reset your style at night. Use it alone for light moisturizing or over your moisturizer to lock in moisture. You will notice how vibrant and defined your style is. 

DYNAMIC DETANGLER

Spray hair lightly with warm water. Smooth a handful of aloe Vera gel onto your hair strands. Use your fingers to gently remove tangles. You will notice that your tangles melt to the touch. Your tangles are easy to separate. For even better detangling, cover hair with a plastic cap and scarf and let it stay on overnight.  

CUTICLE Strengthener SMOOTHER

Smooth  through out your hair strands after washing and conditioning. Follow with a leave in conditioner if needed.  
1/4 cup of aloe vera
2 tablespoons jojoba oil
1 tablespoon cold pressed avocado oil

Fabulous twist out on 4C hair

 Totally terrific twistout on tightly coily hair!

Shampoo day

Products used:

Green tea, red clay & ACV scrub,

toothbrush used to lightly exfoliate scalp,

Shea Moisture Thickening Shampoo,

Dr. Miracles deep conditioner,

1 pack mixed with 1 teaspoon of red clay

Leave in: Karen's Body Beautiful

Sweet Ambrosia leave in.

Clean hair is two strand twisted into about 25 twists and rod rollers are applied on the bottom 3 inches of each twist.

Leave in conditioner: Karen's Body Beautiful sweet ambrosia leave in.

Hold product: My personal mix which gives my hair awesome definition and hold.
Scalp and shine: half and half mix of EVOO and grape seed oil.

Hair after rollers are removed.

Applied EVOO and grapeseed oil to scalp and twists

Check out the shine and the definition!

The ends curled nice.

Finished style!

Hold!

Definition!

Shine!

Hair is firm but not hard! Has bounce!

What more could a coily queen ask for?

Leave in conditioner used

This is my first time using this leave in condiitoner or any product from this line. I have heard good things about this conditioner. My first impression: it did not work as a detangler but as the leave in that it is, it provides good hold on my tightly coily hair. My hair cuticle is smooth and it did not conflict with my style product. No flaking! This conditioner is 15.99 for 8 ounces and I had to use a generous amount. The price is more than I like to pay for a leave in. I will continue to use the whole bottle, but because you have to use so much and of the cost per ounce it will not make my gold star list of products. 

First day of the twist and curl style

The twist and curl is an excellent style choice if you are transitioning from relaxed to natural. You can 2 strand twist each section and leave the relaxed ends out to be rolled with perm rods, flexi rods or sponge rods. Apply setting lotion to the relaxed ends before rolling. This style not only looks great but lasts over a week. You can get several different looks from one twist and style.

Day two

Day 2 after sleeping in a satin bonnet. There is no twisting at night or rolling. Using the setting lotion on the ends helps the hair to keep the roller set.

Day three

Day 3 the hair is still looking great but I am ready to see what other look I can create with this twist and curl.

Day four

Day four, I separate each twist one time and this creates a fuller look which is my favorite look. I can wear this look for another 3 days and it will still look great, still no twisting or rolling needed at bedtime.

Twist and curl side updo