"Taking down your braid extensions"

Step five of the Braid, Retain & Grow technique

 .

  

It's time to remove your braids.

 If your goal is to grow long healthy hair, then never leave your braids extensions in your hair longer than 10 weeks and never make the braids micro small.

 




This is the second most important step within the BRG-Step five technique. If you mess up your extensions removal process all of your hair growth and hard work will be destroyed. Thousands of black women have achieved great length while wearing hair extensions, only to be left with thin, scraggly hair, because they did not remove the hair extensions correctly. You do not have to be one of those women; read this article in its entirety and gather all of your tools before removing your single braids, twists or cornrow extensions.

Braid, Retain & Grow-Step five will show you how to eliminate breakage when removing your braid extensions or cornrow weave base; it will also show you how to reduce the shedding which occurs during the removal process. Before you begin taking down your braids, realize that on average, you shed between 70-100 hairs a day. When removing braids which have been in for weeks without any manipulation, you will experience lots of shedding. This shedding is natural, this is the hair that would of come out on a daily basis if you hair were not braided up.

Grapeseed oil

Before you start your braid extensions removal process, you will need the following items: a thick conditioner, seamless medium teeth comb, a plastic sandwich bag, hair clips,  grapeseed oil, manicured fingernails free of snags and plenty of time and patience. 

 



1. Be sure your fingernails are freshly filed and oiled. Your fingers will do most of the work when removing your braid extensions. If you have any hangnails and snags in your fingernails this will break your hair, so give yourself a manicure before your begin and oil your fingernails really good.

Add oil to braid if your natural hair sticks to the extension hair

2. If your hair is short and you are absolutely sure where your natural hair stops in the braid, then cut your braids one inch below where you know your natural hair stops. This will save you several hours in removing your  braid extensions. Only cut your braid extensions if you are sure where your natural hair stops. If you are not sure, then start at the end of the braid extension and using your fingers unravel your braid or twist. If you find that your natural hair has matted or stuck to the extension hair, then apply some of the grapeseed oil to the your hair as you are unraveling the braid. If you come across a snag or knot do not tug or force it, stop apply some of your thick conditioner to the knot then continue to slowly unravel the braid carefully.

TreSemme is the recommended conditioner for braid removals

3. Once you have removed the extension hair from your natural hair, apply a generous amount of conditioner to that piece of your hair. You will do this after each extension that you remove. Allow the conditioner to soak into your hair for about 7 minutes. You will repeat removing the next extension and adding lots of conditioner to the section for about 5 braids, then go back to the first braid you removed and start to untangle each section of your hair.

4. You will use only your fingers to untangle your natural hair and remove all knots or tangles from each section of your hair, using as much conditioner as you need. Many times you will feel a  knot where the hair extension was attached and sometimes you will see an accumulation of lint and dust. You want to gently unravel this slight knot, this is where most people loose the most hair in removing this tangle. Start by gently pulling your hair horizontally, continue until you feel the hair is untangled, then start to untangle in a  downward motion. You will do this for each section of your hair until it is tangle free. Once you have untangled 5 braids then clip that hair out of the way.  Once you get a larger section untangled then add more conditioner and grapeseed oil and put that section into a big twist, so your hair stays untangled as you finish your entire head. 

5. When you have removed all of the hair extensions, and

Soak each section in conditioner.

you can run your fingers through your hair fairly well, then you can comb your hair (if desired) using a seamless comb. A seamless comb is a comb which has no lines on the teeth of the comb, so it does not snag and break your hair as you comb it. The CoilyQueens regimen recommends that you do not use a comb at all but that you use your fingers, but if you must use a comb invest in a comb which does not break your hair.

6. After you have shampooed and deep conditioned your hair and allowed it to air dry to style, all of the shed hair should be removed by now. If your hair is still breaking or shedding after you have shampooed and deep conditioned, then you may want to try a black tea rinse to give your strands a little reinforcement or if it has been 6 weeks since your last hard protein treatment now is the time to give yourself one before you experience to much breakage. Remember braid extensions of any type should not be kept in for longer than 10 weeks, keeping them in longer will result in unnecessary breakage.

7. This is the hair extension removal process for the Braid, Retain & Grow method, if you would like to know the entire regimen to ensure that you receive maximum growth benefits from your braid extensions, read here about the whole method,  Miss Vee's Braid Retain & Grow method.

A fabulous Twist n Curl!

Gorgeous, Beautiful,
Twist&Curl on Coily hair!

This is Princess Kimi and she is a part of the CoilyQueens court. She has added extra length to her hair by doing the "Gain an inch in 30 days" hair growth challenge, twice. And as you can see her hair is very juicy and healthy. 

You Rock Kimi!!!

How did she do it? 
Clean and DC hair was 2 strand twisted in small twists while leaving several inches of hair loose on the ends. Perm rods were used to roll the ends.  Once hair dries, remove rollers, pull the twists apart, but do not separate anymore. There you have it, very easy style.

What did she use?
She cleansed her hair with As I am cowash and deep conditioned with Tresemee naturals for 20 minutes using heat. When it was time to twist and curl, she used the always fabulous....drum roll please! Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie! I love this product! If you are not using it, what are you waiting on?





Any questions for Kimi leave them below.

Check out Vee's Twist and Curl, right here!

Get more information about the Gain an Inch in 30 days hair growth challenge. This challenge is seasonal and limited to 25 members. Subscribe to this blog for the first chance at securing a spot in the next GAI challenge.

Can't wait on the GAI challenge to come back then sign up for One on One Hair Growth Coaching. Here!

Double your hair growth with Mineral Rich liquid vitamins

Mineral Rich is a liquid multi-vitamin supplement. It is not specifically marketed as a hair growth supplement, however one of the added benefits I and others have found with taking this supplement is an increase in our normal hair growth rate. This liquid vitamin comes in two flavors, Aloe Vera and cherry flavored.  I currently take the cherry flavored one, and with great results.

The benefit of taking a liquid vitamin as oppose to a pill is that the liquid absorbs better into your system, therefore giving you better results.  A vitamin can have all the right ingredients, but if it does not absorb into your system, then it will not benefit you at all. This is one of the reasons why many people take supplements and see very little results. Their body is not absorbing the nutrients effectively into the bloodstream, that will give them that extra added benefit of  increased hair growth.

Two things need to happen in order for your hair to grow longer and stronger. You need good blood circulation, not just okay but good healthy blood circulation. You get this from daily exercise and from scalp massages. Once your follicles are stimulated from the good blood circulation, the blood then distributes nutrients into your hair roots. Now if your body does not have adequate nutrients from a good diet, what do you think will happen? You will suffer from weak, brittle and slow hair growth. Your body must have nutrients that get supplied throughout your body, to help the body function at optimum health. So you need good blood circulation and the right amount of nutrients in you body.  When you do not have enough nutrients in your system you hair will suffer, you body will supply your vital organs with nutrients first and your hair will get what is left. It is always best to get your vitamins and minerals from good healthy clean food, but the average person does not eat enough clean foods, on a daily basis, for this reason they need help and you get this help from vitamin supplements, such as Mineral Rich liquid vitamin.  

Tips for getting the most out of your beauty supplements

Always take your supplement with food, it absorbs better this way.

Do not take more than the recommended amount stated on the bottle. 

Always drink a full glass of water when you take your vitamins.

Drink 64 ounces of water daily

When taking single supplements find out what other vitamins you should take with it. There are many vitamins which need another vitamin in order to work properly. For this reason it is best to take a multi-vitamin supplement.

My 3 month review of the Mineral Rich liquid multi vitamin supplement.

I started taking mineral rich January 2013, the recommended dosage is 2 tablespoons per day with food. To date, I am currently still taking this supplement. As of my  April length check I have gained almost 2 inches. This may not sound like a lot to some but my normal hair growth rate is 1/4 inch per month, so in 3 months I would normally gain 3/4 of an inch, but with mineral rich, I gained,  1 plus 3/4 of an  inch. Mineral Rich has doubled my hair growth. Thus far I would say this supplement does increase hair growth as well as being an all around great liquid vitamin for the whole body. 

3 month results with Mineral Rich

 Length of bangs on Jan. 2013
8.25

January 27th, my bangs measured 8.5 inches

Day 55 of taking mineral rich bangs measure 9 inches

Bangs are chin length here .

From chin length to 1.5 inches pass chin length.

On April 7th, my bangs had grown to 10 full inches. In 3 months I gained 1 and 3/4 inch of new hair growth. On average my hair grows 1/4 inch per month. So far Mineral Rich has increased my average hair growth rate by one full inch. I will continue to take Mineral Rich throughout 2013




 

 Bangs are now chest length

Bangs stop at top of  "B"

May and June length check for Mineral Rich liquid vitamin. My bangs now touch my chest area. In the above previous picture they are not touching my chest although the picture looks as though they are.

My bangs now measure 11.5 inches.
For April 7th-May 7th -June7th-July 7th=3 months. My normal hair growth rate would give me 3/4 of an inch of new growth in 3 months. But taking the Mineral Rich liquid vitamin during this time helped me to gain 1.5 inches of new growth. Again my hair growth rate has doubled. 

My hair growth for July/Aug is 1/2 inch thus far. Now my bangs measure 12 inches long. If you notice they now reach pass the middle of the letter "B" but in my prior photo they only touched the top of the letter "B".  So Mineral Rich liquid vitamin is still keeping me above my normal slow growth rate of 1/4 inch per month. Even considering that I took a break from the supplement for a little while. I plan to continue to take the Mineral Rich at least until October, then I may try something else to see if it will give me even more growth. Have not decided yet, but do stay tuned for my updates.

Hair cut: I did take several inches off of my bangs so they now measure 9 inches instead of 12, but watch how fast they grow back and more!

 
If you are reading this and you are a slow hair grower, then I would invest in this vitamin or a liquid vitamin rich in B vitamins. This supplement will double your hair growth rate when taken consistently.

Side note: During parts of July I took a 30 day break from the Mineral Rich, so I can measure how much this vitamin is helping me.

ORDER YOUR MINERAL RICH LIQUID HERE!!!

Understanding your hairs porosity

All hair is porous, meaning that products, in particular water, can penetrate its surface. Some peoples hair is more porous than others, and hair on the same head can be overly porous one day the next month less porous. Products, hair care habits and elements greatly effect our hairs porosity. If you are on a journey towards growing longer healthier hair your first step should be to get your hairs cuticle to open and close properly. The goal is to have normal porosity, this is when your hair cuticle closes when it should and opens when it should.

Understand that overly porous or under porous is not a hair type, it is a hair condition. Unlike hair types, conditions are subject to change. Most people have overly porous hair due to their improper shampoo habits or using products which are not PH balanced for the hair. Most women think this is just the way their hair is, and adopts being overly porous or under porous as a hair type, when it is a hair condition. Again the goal is to have a healthy working cuticle that closes when it should and opens when it should. This goal is easily attainable, by following a specific regimen for 30 days. Remember this is the first thing you need to do when starting a healthy hair regimen.

30 day correction for overly porous hair:
Products needed: PH balance strips, non sulfate PH balanced shampoo, organic apple cider vinegar, a deep moisturizing conditioner, plastic caps, hooded dryer, bottled or filtered water and a leave in conditioner.
Steps to take:
Shampoo your hair twice a week with a non sulfate shampoo. Be sure the shampoo has a PH b/n 5.5 and 6.0. (purchase PH balance strips to test all of your products this is the only way to know for sure)

1. After you shampoo and deep conditioned your hair. Always rinse your shampoo out with warm water, this ensures the cuticle is opened to receive the moisturizing benefits of your deep conditioner.  Once you rinse out your deep conditioner you then need to do a ACV rinse.
Apple Cider Vinegar rinse recipe:
1/4 cup of ACV
2 cups of filtered or bottled water

2. Pour this ACV rinse over all your hair/scalp saturate really good. You should use at least 1/2 of your mixture or all. Allow to soak into your hair for 3 minutes then rinse for 3 minutes with the coldest water you can stand.

3. Apply your leave in conditioner and style. Do not use a blow dryer or any type of heat during the 30 days. Let your hair air dry.

1, 2, 3 that is it! 

Shampoo your hair again in 3 days after your first shampoo/ACV rinse
But this time do not use the ACV rinse, but remember to ALWAYS RINSE YOUR DEEP CONDITIONER OUT WITH COLD WATER.

Shampoo again after another 3 days this time you can use the ACV rinse. 
Following the above instructions.

 You will do a  ACV rinse every 6 days.

After two weeks of this regimen you will notice that your hair retains moisture better and you will not have to apply  a leave in conditioner everyday, so you will start to save a lot of money.

Your steps in 30 days: Easy, inexpensive and simple to follow!
Day 1: Shampoo, DC follow with ACV rinse
Day 4: Shampoo, DC rinse out DC with cold, cold water. Skip ACV rinse part
Day 7: Shampoo, DC, follow with ACV rinse
Day 10: Shampoo, DC rinse out with cold, cold water, Skip ACV rinse part
Day 13: Shampoo, DC follow with ACV rinse
Day 16: Shampoo, DC rinse out with cold, cold water, Skip ACV rinse part
Day 19: Shampoo, DC follow with ACV rinse
Day 21: Shampoo, DC rinse out with cold, cold water, Skip ACV rinse part
Day 24: Shampoo, DC follow with ACV rinse
Day 27:  Shampoo, DC rinse out with cold, cold water, Skip ACV rinse part
Day 30: Shampoo, DC follow with ACV rinse

Remember no direct heat for 30 days. Only heat you will use is when you sit under a hooded dryer with a plastic cap for 20 minutes twice a week. No blow dryers, flat irons or curling irons. For best results. Remember to rinse shampoo out with warm water, but rinse deep conditioner out with cold water.

Join the hair growth 30 day healthy hair bootcamp

Gain and inch in 30 days by joining and successfully completing this challenge! 

Click this link to sign up! https://www.facebook.com/missvee.holistichaircare?ref=tn_tnmn
 Send your email request for the 30 days hair growth challenge.

As of this date there are 10 spots available!

Help my scalp is sore!

A sore scalp is common occurrence  amongst all people, at one time or another in their lifetime.  The average person  will have a sore scalp on occasion but usually it goes away after a few hours or 2 days. A constant sore scalp is not normal and should be looked at by your doctor, to ensure that the sore scalp is not indicative of a underlying serious health condition.  Some people keep a sore scalp and label themselves as tender headed and think nothing of it.

There are many causes of a sore scalp some common ones are: allergies to products in particular sulfates, hair pulled to tightly from styling, sinus issues, inflammation of the scalp, tense tired scalp muscles, older age and more. Whatever the root cause, know that if a sore scalp persists more than 3 days, then you should tell your primary care doctor.

Sore scalp solutions:

• Eliminate products which contain:  sulfates, alcohols and parabens .(these ingredients are strong and many have allergic reactions to them and do not even realize it)
• Be sure there are no bad teeth in your mouth, so it could be time to a dental checkup. (wisdom teeth, impacted teeth and cavities can create all sorts of extra pain within your body)
• Do not braid, twist or pull your hair to tightly.(extension braids should be able to be bent back and forth without your cringing the first day of your style. If you have to take a pain pill and cannot bend your extension back and forth without pain then they are to tight, remove them ASAP or spray your scalp area with a warm water solution to try and loosen them up)
• Drink 64 ounces of water daily (water helps to keep inflammation out of the body) 

Two natural remedies for a sore spots on scalp

 
Ice pack on sore area for 15 minutes only, then you can wait an hour and do another 15 minutes until the pain stops.
Massage scalp for 10 minutes twice a day, concentrating more on the sore areas

                       

  Sore scalp oil mix:

 One tablespoon of pure jojoba oil

 2 drops of  pure tea tree oil

 4 drops citronella essential oil

 3 drops of pure argan oil

 Jojoba oil improves the texture of  your skin while removing excess cholestrol from your scalp. The tea tree is anti bacterial while the citronella and argan act as the inflammatory agent.

Mix these oils together in a bowl and apply to the sore areas first, and with your finger pads (not your fingernails) massage area as deep as you can stand it) Apply oil mixture a little at a time all over the entire scalp. Massage for at least 10-15 minutes, concentrate more on the sore areas of your scalp. You can also hang your head over the sink (as though you were going to wash your hair) and massage it this way, this will encourage better blood circulation. If you are able to hang your head off the side of a bed that is even better. Caution if you use either one of the last two techniques only do them for 3 minutes and stop if you get dizzy or feel weird in any way.

Test your scalp

The scalp contains muscles and muscles become tense and sore.  A healthy scalp moves very easily. Test your scalp, palm you head as you would a basketball, then with your hand firmly on each side of your head move your whole scalp back and forth. How easily did your scalp move?  Did your scalp feel loose or tight and tensed?  When you do this test you want your scalp to move back and forth easily and loose, not tight and tensed. Hair does not reach its full monthly growth potential if the scalp is tight.  Practice daily massage with  natural oils to keep the scalp loose and to stimulate  healthier blood flow.

Baggying 101

Baggying:  the process of applying a plastic cap over your hair and allowing it to sit from 20 minutes to overnight, with or without product. 
 by Vee

Baggying done correctly can be a great way to impart much needed moisture into excessively dry brittle hair. Baggying also creates a steam effect on the scalp, which stimulates the hair follicles to produce better hair growth. Steaming your hair removes toxins, improves elasticity and unclogs the hair follicles. Using an actual hair steamer or receiving a professional steam treatment is much better than baggying, however for those who cannot afford a hair steamer this is an inexpensive alternative.

You can baggy with product or without product. Some people baggy without applying

Change clear conditioning caps after each use

conditioner or oil because they are trying to stimulate their hair follicles to produce more natural sebum. This is good for people who have a very dry scalp due to low sebum production. Understand that poor diet and age can greatly decrease sebum production. Healthy hair needs adequate sebum production, not to much and not to little.

Baggy method #1
After you have shampooed and applied your deep conditioner cover your hair with a plastic conditioning cap and sit under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes. If a hooded dryer is not available, leave conditioner and plastic cap on while doing household chores. You body will create its own natural heat from moving around doing your cleaning, this heat allows the oils to penetrate down to the hair root. The goal is to create as much natural heat as possible in the absence of the hooded dryer.

*Silver conditioning caps

Baggy method #2
Aka the GHE method: You massage  a stimulating oil or growth oil into your hair and scalp, cover with a plastic conditioning cap, add a scarf and leave overnight. The ideal is to use your body heat to create a steam effect on your scalp, getting the stimulating oil to penetrate and stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles. Some people add a extra beenie over the scarf, the more heat your create the better the blood flow.  Better blood flow distributes the nutrients to the hair follicles and this increases hair growth. For this reason your body must have good nutrients present in order to feed the hair follicles, thus a healthy diet is mandatory. This technique should only be done 3-5 nights per week. The next morning after doing this method your hair should be damp and moisturized. You remove the scarf and plastic cap, allow your hair to dry a little then style as desired

Baggy method #3

You can put your hair into a ponytail and only baggy the actual ponytail itself. With this method some are able to maintain their daily style better. This also helps those who seem to only experience dryness on the ends of their hair. Note, this method does nothing for the hair roots to stimulate growth, it only helps to moisturize the ends and helps you keep your style a little better. 

Baggy method #4

At bedtime very lightly spritz with water add no extra product to your scalp (however your hair should have some oil or conditioner on it from earlier in the day) cover your hair with a plastic cap and tight scarf. This method creates the steam effect on the scalp, increases blood flow to the scalp which stimulates the sebaceous glands. This method is for those who wish to correct their sebum production. One must also improve their diet to have healthy sebum production. Healthy sebum production produces better hair growth. 
The silver conditioning cap is recommended for this method

Baggy method #5

COILYQUEENS SAUNA METHOD
This method will double your hair growth if you are one who only receives 1/8 to 1/4 inch per

month of hair growth. This can be done on wet or dry hair 3 times per week . Apply a leave

in conditioner to your hair strands only, cover with a plastic conditioning cap and sit under a hooded dryer for 7 minutes. The heat from the dryer will open your hair follicles to receive the growth oil. Before you sit under the dryer take your stimulating oil and warm it inside a bowl of hot water for about 3 minutes. You oil should be warm not hot. After siting under hooded dryer for 7 minutes massage the oil into your scalp for 7 additional minutes. Massage holding your head down, starting with the nape area. Heat a towel in hot water, cover hair with towel and reapply the plastic conditioning cap, then tie down with a scarf. Relax for at least 15 minutes. You can leave the oil on your hair or rinse it out. If you choose to rinse it out then rinse with cold water to close the cuticles. If you choose to leave it in then remove the wet towel and plastic cap and sit under dryer on cool setting for 5 minutes.

*Silver conditioning caps for color are self warming caps that work better than clear plastic or saran wrap when doing any of the methods overnight and not sitting under the  hooded dryer



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Using grocery bags is a no no!
It may be cheap but never use a grocery store plastic bag over your hair. Why?  Because these bags have been treated with chemicals and they were not made for the purpose of covering your hair. You do not want this to sit on your hair over night Yes they carry food but remember the food is in packages. Love your hair more, purchase the clear plastic conditioning caps.

A no no!

So do you baggy?

What baggy method do you use?

If so, leave a comment.

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