How to be a smart natural

Trim those bad ends!

If your goal is long healthy beautiful hair, then you must a regular trim schedule. Your first cut should be the removal of all your thin ends, puffy ends and any other damaged looking hair. You want to trim it down so you can start out with healthy hair. After your healthy hair cut, if you practice good hair care practices, you should be able to trim every 4th month. This equals to 3 cuts a year. That is a good trim schedule to maintain healthy hair if you have a healthy hair regimen. If you brush, flat iron straighten, color or comb your hair a lot, you will then need to trim your hair more often. The ends are the oldest part of your hair, and you must work hard to keep them healthy. You want your hair thick from the base to the ends. When you smooth your hair up, are your ends see through? How about when you put your hair in two strand twists, are your ends really thin and uneven? If so then it is time for a good trim. Be a smart natural and maintain healthy ends.

DO YOUR TRIMS ON THE RIGHT DAY EACH MONTH FOR INCREASE HAIR GROWTH. LEARN ABOUT THE NEW MOON PHASE TRIMMING HERE!

Stay away from Dominican blow outs!

Say no to harsh blow outs!!!

Lots of people love the way in which Dominican hair salons blow dry and flat iron hair. Sometimes you want to take a break from your curly hair and go with a straight look. When you feel like this by pass any Dominican salon. The popular Dominican blow out is achieved through intense blow drying the hair as a round brush is being brushed through the hair. Then the hair is flat irons on high heat. The combination of brushing, blow drying and flat ironing is way to much heat and pulling on Afro curly hair. Blow drying the hair with a round brush is actually how caucasions blow dry their hair for lots of body and silky straight hair. No doubt your hair will look good, but the short term damage is not worth it. I have seen people only get it done once and still encounter breakage and some heat damage. Be a smart natural and by pass this service. Flat iron your own hair or do a roller set. Visit youtube for help and practice until you get it perfect. 

HERE IS A REGIMEN YOU CAN FOLLOW BEFORE YOU FLAT IRON YOUR HAIR. THIS WILL HELP YOU REDUCE YOUR CHANCES OF HEAT DAMAGE, HERE!

Stay away from bleach and permanent color!

Color is pretty but it is also damaging. In particular permanent color. When you color your hair you will alter your hair texture slightly. Bleach weakens your hair cuticle and leaves the hair vulnerable to damage. Once you add color you need to change your moisture regimen. Whatever you are doing for moisture you want to triple that. Be a smart natural stay away from permanent color or bleach. Get some colored extensions to help satisfy your urge to color your hair.

MORE GREAT INFORMATION ON COLOR HERE!

Never use baking soda on your hair!

Ummm NO!

Baking soda is used by some to lift the hair cuticle to allow better penetration of deep conditioners and products. However this is a damaging practice. Baking soda is full of sodium which is very drying to the hair. Baking soda is also abrasive to the hair cuticle. Continuous use of baking soda will leave the hair damaged. Be a smart natural and by pass this remedy.

Never texturize your hair!

Just give me curls!

So you have been natural for 18 months and you still do not know how to manage and style your hair. You are frustrated and think a texturizer will be the answer to your hair issues. You think the texturizer will gently relax your curl pattern so you can so call better manage your hair. There is nothing gentle about a texturizer. A texturizer is another marketing word for a relaxer. You see the woman on the front of the box with the relaxer curl pattern and you think, yes that would be nice. But not so fast. First know that a texturizer is a permanent process and you will not longer be natural. Second know that is is very hard to just relax the curl pattern on tightly curly hair. Usually what happens the persons ends up not with loose curls but with straight hair. So now you have an even bigger issue of under processed hair. Under processing the hair means you need to work even harder to keep it from breaking off. Now remember you thought this texturizer would make your hair care easier. But now you have even more work to do and you cannot achieve the natural styles you had before. Your wash and go will not looks the same.  Your twist outs will not have as much volume.  The majority of the people I know who have texturized their hair have regretted it within a week of doing it. So think long and hard before you take this step. Especially if your hair is longer than a TWA. Be a smart natural and by pass the texturizer/relaxer. 

Following a specific regimen:
When we consistently take care of anything it will flourish, and your hair is no different. So have a specific daily, weekly hair care regimen for your hair and scalp. Cleanse and condition the hair on a regular basis. If you have no ideal on how to develop a regimen, no problem. You can start the CoilyQueens Regimen today. Be a smart natural follow the regimen that works. CoilyQueens Regimen here.

Summer care for coily hair

1. Head wraps and hats for sun protection 

Just like your skin your hair also requires sun protection. The absolute best sun protection for the hot Summer days are head wraps and hats. You want to wear one or the other as much as you can in this hot summer heat.

2.  Oils for Sun protection

Sunflower seed oil, protects hair from the absorption of ultra violet rays. In a dark color bottle, mix 1/2 sunflower seed oil, 1/2 grape seed oil and 1/4 cup of unrefined coconut oil. Apply daily during the summer time. Beginning with 1 tablespoon smooth really well through hair being sure to coat all strands. Grapeseed oil and coconut oil also have heat protection properties.



3. Enhance growth and cool down your scalp with coily hair spritzers!!!

Hair growth spritzer

These hot Summer days can leave your scalp hot and sometimes itchy. Hair spritzers  help to cool a  hot and itchy scalp while enhancing hair growth. During the hot months, our hair growth rate increases. You can enhance this growth with Coily Spritzers. 

CoilyQueens growth spritzer

Using a tea ball add 2 tablespoon of good quality green tea to 7 ounces of hot water. Once tea cools add 3 drops of pure peppermint oil and 4 drops of rosemary oil. Shake well and store in the refrigerator. When you come home from a long hot day spray your scalp with this minty cool spritzer. You can also use this spritzer as a wake me up in the morning. Remember to concentrate spritzer on the scalp area this will help stimulate growth. 

CoilyQueens scalp cooler spritzer

Add 2 tablespoons of a good quality green tea to a tea ball. Boil 7 ounces of water. Remove water from heat then place tea ball in hot water until it cools. Once tea has cooled add: 5 drops of sage oil, 5 drops of rosemary, 5 drops of tea tree oil and 2 tablespoons of jojoba oil. The tea tree is antiseptic. The sage and rosemary are anti bacteria and jojoba will help to balance your sebum.

4. Help for frizzy hair and shrunken fros!

Summer time is frizz time if you have curly coily hair. Whether it is a wash and go or a twist out, anytime you wear your hair loose you can expect shrinkage, during the hot months. Our hair shrinks due to the humidity. The hot humidity creates moisture and water makes our curly, coily hair shrink. There are products on the market called anti humectants. These products contain ingredients which help to block the humidity so no moisture settles in your hair. No moisture equals no shrinkage. So when you shop look for the term anti humectant. There are many on the market you have to find the one that works best on your hair. I do not recommend using any anti humectant products if you are experiencing dry hair. If your hair has a hard time retaining moisture an anti humectant will make your it worst. When using an anti humectant apply your leave in conditioner and oils first then apply your anti humectant.

Popular anti humectants:
Aveda Brillant Anti Humectant order here!
Sabino Moisture Blocker  order now!
Bumble & Bumble De-frizz order here!
Anti humectants (made with natural ingredients)
John Master Organic Hair Pomade order here!
Kinky Curly Gloss Pomade order here!

Add some flax seed gel to your regular hair gel to keep the frizz away!

Popular products you should not overuse

While making your rounds on the hair forums you find out that apple cider vinegar is great for the hair.  You find out that doing a final rinse of apple cider vinegar will help your hair cuticle to lay flatter, thus locking in moisture for longer periods. You give it a try and you are amazed how the ACV rinse makes your hair feel. Because of this experience you add apple cider vinegar to your regular hair care regimen, cause you cannot wait to do one again.
 

STOP not so fast!

True organic apple cider vinegar is great for the hair and many other things. However, apple cider vinegar should not be used on the hair, on a regular basis. Think of ACV as a medicine for the hair or better yet a treatment. Treatments are meant to treat the hair for a specific issue until that issue is no longer a problem. If you are experiencing chronic dry hair, then ACV rinses will help you whip your hair cuticle back in shape. You use it for around 4 weeks, then your hair should be able to hold moisture on its own. When your hair is holding its own then you discontinue use. Apple cider vinegar is acidic when compared with the PH of hair. Using a ACV rinse on the final step of  your shampoo regimen helps to balance the scalp and make the hair cuticle lay flatter. Once you have completed several ACV rinses your hair cuticle should start to lay flatter on its own. Going forward simply rinsing out your deep conditioner with cool water should be enough to make your hair cuticle lay flatter.

Always buy organic apple cider vinegar

Dangers of using apple cider vinegar for long periods of time. 

• ACV will change your hair color.
• Your hair will become fragile.
• Breakage will eventually occur.

Remember just because it is natural does not mean you should overuse it and that it cannot damage the hair. Moderation is always a good ideal.

Easy DIY deep conditioner

Other treatments to not overuse

Honey
Adding 1 tablespoon of honey to your conditioner will turn it from drab to awesome. So if you have a deep conditioner that does not perform well add one tablespoon of honey to it. Honey is a natural humectant. Honey leaves the hair soft, shiny and moisturized. Your hair will hold moisture longer when using honey. If you use raw organic honey, then you can use it weekly with no issues. However it you use regular brown honey, it will take some of the color out of your hair with weekly use. The raw organic honey cost more and is cream in color. The processed honey is brown and about half the price of raw organic honey. If you choose to use honey on a weekly basis opt for the raw organic honey and you can use it as much as you desire.

Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is an oil you should always have in your cabinet. It is aniseptic. This is an oil that should be used as a medicine and not for everyday use. This oil is very strong and when used to often can give you a headache from the strong smell.

Castile soap
Many feel because this is a natural soap, it is good for use on the hair. Yes castile is natural but the PH of castile soap is around a 10 or 11. This is way to high. Castile soap should be used when you have buildup because it is so strong. Frequent use of this soap will leave the hair stripped. Stripping the hair on a continuous basis will make your hair dry and brittle.  We know that dry, brittle hair eventually breaks.

Black soap
Black soap in the liquid form normally has a high PH. Only use this soap for clarifying and deep cleanings. Using this soap on a weekly basis can lead to lots of tangles and knots. Hair tangles more when it is out of balance. When you purchase any type of black soap check the PH of it by using PH strips. Purchase black soap that comes in chunks instead of the liquid form.

Protein treatments
Protein treatments are amazing in helping you to strengthen your hair. Protein makes your hair stronger so it can withstand manipulation and not break. A good protein regimen will help you grow your hair to great lengths. The best protein treatment to choose is one which has hydrolyzed keratin protein in the top 3 ingredients. Always follow the directions of the protein treatment you choose.  If your protein treatments says to only use once every 4 weeks then do not reapply after 2 weeks. 

Learn more about protein treatments and how they can help you reach longer lengths here.

The one thing you should never use on your hair!

 

Sodium Bicarbonate aka BAKING SODA!

Baking soda

Have you read of people with low porosity hair washing their hair with baking soda? Maybe you have heard of a hydration method which suggests applying baking soda to your hair to lift the hair cuticle so you can receive deep moisture penetration from your products?   There are people who wrongly believe that water nor moisturizers, penetrates their hair enough to receive adequate hydration. However using baking soda to lift the hair cuticle is very damaging to the hair.  Baking soda is abrasive and it tears the hair cuticle. Baking soda has 150mg of sodium per 1/8 tsp. Sodium is drying to the hair. Anything that is drying is not good for Afro curly hair.  

Whether your hair is high or low porosity water will always penetrate it. Most commercial products are not formulated to penetrate the hair shaft, nor do you want them to. Using backing soda to lift the hair cuticle is not necessary, warm or medium temperature water will lift the hair cuticle. This is why the CQR method recommends rinsing your shampoo out with medium temperature water, this gets the hair cuticle in a position to receive the deep conditioning step. Sitting under a hair dryer while deep conditioning also opens the hair cuticle, so your hair can receive the amazing benefits of your deep conditioner.  Continuous use of baking soda on the hair will dry your hair out and make it break.

Dry brittle hair hey no fair!!!

Some people use baking soda as a natural way to clarify the hair.  Baking soda is a poor choice, for clarifying the hair, because  it does not successfully remove all product buildup. When you need to clarify there are lots of good clarifying shampoos, soaps and clays to choose from. Nikki's Naturals sells an awesome black soap that is great for clarifying the hair and cleansing the body.  As I am products has a good clarifying shampoo that is properly PH balanced for the hair. Bentonite clay or red clay is also great for deep cleaning the hair. The CQR recommends using a clay wash once a month to remove build up and to give your coils a boost.

Order your good quality shea butter and black soap HERE!

For clarifying or removing buildup

Bentonite clay---Order here!

Red clay---Order here!

Black soap----Best black soap here!!!

As I am clarifying shampoo

Shea Moisture black soap shampoo

Castile soap

The dangers of relaxers (a must read)

Women go natural  for a variety of reasons. Those ladies who went natural because it was the "in" thing to do, will often be tempted to relax again. They convince themselves that Afro hair is to difficult and that straight relaxed hair is much easier. Some of them do not like their hair texture and most do not like the shrinkage that comes with Afro hair. At least every other day, I see comments stating,  they are tired and are tempted to go back to relaxing,  When people make the "back to relaxer"  announcement they are usually trying to get people to give them a reason why they should not go back to relaxing.  I will give you the ultimate reason why you should NEVER go back to relaxing your beautiful Afro  hair.

Limp straight hair

Think before you act!

When you apply that relaxer chemical to your hair,  you stand a great chance of permanently damaging your hair follicles. It does not make much difference, if whether you did your relaxer at home or you went to a professional.  There are lots of black women who get in their mid thirties and start to have issues with their scalp. First it starts with itching in a certain area, usually the crown. Then the scalp can become sore to the touch. This itchiness and soreness can stay that way for years, until one day you notice,  the hair has significantly thinned in that area. Many times you will notice a dime size or or quarter size bald spot, which seems to appear overnight. But it has not been overnight, your hair follicles have been dying slowly each day. So what causes this type of hair loss? Inflamed scar tissue under the scalp from past relaxer applications. Yes you can get burns under your scalp from the relaxer chemicals. When the burns heal they leave scar tissue. The scar tissue gets in the way of your hair growth at the root. You hair grows but the scar tissue prohibits it from sprouting from the scalp. Eventually the hair follicles completely close.  Because this condition happens very slowly it is hard to convince many black women that this happens a lot. Think about the fact that by the time a black woman hits 35, she has been relaxing her hair for 25 years at least. She has probably had at least 6 relaxers each year. That is a lot of harsh chemicals exposed to your hair and scalp. It is almost impossible for that chemical to not touch your scalp. This is not scare tactic, this is knowledge so you can make an educated decision on continuing to relax  or going back to relaxing your beautiful God blessed hair.

So what can be done about this condition?

 

Early treatment is crucial!

If your hair itches in a specific spot all of the time go see a dermatologist. If your scalp is sore in one area off and on, go see a dermatologist. Early detection is key. Tell the dermatologist all of your symptoms and be totally honest. He or she will want to know if  you ever used relaxers. The only way to know what is going on under your scalp is for the doctor to do a scalp biopsy. Understand that this can happen from just one relaxer application. It does not matter how many years you used relaxers. There is no cure for this type of hair loss. The doctor will treat it with steroid shots to the scalp. The earlier you seek treatment the more likely the shots will work to stop the progression of the bald area. You may not get back the hair you loss but the shots can stop you from losing more hair. 

So does a relaxer sound tempting after hearing this?

If this does not deter you then nothing will.  Do you want to risk baldness, just for the sake of having straight hair? God blessed you with beautiful Afro curly hair. Learn to love your curls. When you love a thing it flourishes for you. You do not have to destroy the structure of your hair in order for it to be beautiful. There is an abundance of great information available at your finger tips to help you take care of your coily hair. You are currently on one of the best sites that will help you get to know your Afro coily hair. All of this information is FREE, so take advantage of it. 

Wash it and let it FRO! Beautiful!!

Flat twist out!

Flat ironed hair! Beautiful!!

 

Naturally stretched hair.  Beautiful!

Afro curly hair is not difficult. God would not bless black women with difficult hair. Our hair is our glory. Start a healthy hair journey today and watch your hair transform in 3 months. The Coily Queens Method makes it easy for you. You will be amazed!!!

Start your journey here!!!

Growing your hair by New Moon Phase trimming (SEPT)

If you have followed this blog for more than a month, then you are familiar with my monthly posts on New Moon Phase trimming to increase hair growth. For those who are not familiar with New Moon Phase trimming, it is the process of trimming your hair during certain high energy times of the month depending upon the position of the moon. There is no chanting, no spells or hocus pocus involved. We just use the earth to give us direction, the same as we can look out and tell if a storm is coming. One should always remember who made the moon and who placed the stars in the sky.

How I pick my dates

Each month I use spiritual discernment and the lunar calender to pick the best days to trim your hair for increased hair growth. This explains why you may find different dates from different sources. I know that my dates work. I get emails all the time telling me how they used my dates and received lots of increased hair growth. My dates, praise God also work for me. So as long as I continue to get emails of success I will continue to provide the best high energy dates each month. I hope people will continue to benefit from them.

1 Corinthians 1:27

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Why the New Moon Phase trimming did not work for you.

This method is all about good energy. Strong positive energy. This is what you are using to increase your hair growth rate. But if  you are currently in a negative state of mind, then no good energy can enter. You must empty your storage of negative energy. How? Through prayer and fasting, this is the only way I know to get rid of deep seated negative energy. Some do not get results because they are in a depressed, fearful or angry state of mind. So before you start your New Moon phase trim release that negative energy. If you have a negative mindset about your hair release that negativity. If you have a negative mindset about this working release that also. 

Ways to release a negative mindset

Prayer: decide to increase your prayer life or decide to pray at certain times of the day for a certain period. Start a prayer journal and write your prayers down. Pray to God and ask God to take away all your negativity and God will do it.  (cast your burdens on Him)

Fast: You can abstain from solid food, a specific type of food or whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to abstain from. You can do a TV fast, computer fast, phone fast. It should be something to help your Christian walk.

Whatever you are negative about, be real with yourself as to why that bothers you. Pray and ask God to fix it for you. Reading the bible will help you replace your mindset with the mind of Jesus Christ.

Prayer changes things!!!!!!!

When you think you are ready and in a positive place then do your New Moon Phase trim. Do so expecting good results.

To get the New Moon Phase trim dates for SEPTEMBER.

Subscribe to this blog

Send an email request to: newmoontrimming@gmail.com
Response is not automatic so give us time to get back with you.

Put New Moon trim dates in the subject. Once added to our mailing list you will be sent the current new moon high energy trim dates every 1st of the month.


IT WORKS!!!
LET'S GROW!!!!

Common mistakes naturals make (pt.2)

Seven errors related to cleansing and strengthening

1. Using foods such as eggs, avocados etc as a protein treatment.
Protein is meant to stick to your hair strands and add strength. This extra strength keeps your hair from breaking so easily when manipulated. Food is not small enough to adhere nor penetrate the hair strands. Therefore food cannot function as a protein treatment for your hair. Eat your proteins instead, they benefits you greatly by helping you grow stronger hair. When you use eggs, avocado on your hair they function only as softeners and NOT strengtheners. 

2. Not washing your hair weekly.
Hair is apart of your body, therefore it should be kept clean. Daily you collect, sweat, excess sebum, pollutants, dust, germs, products on your hair. Hair also holds an odor from your sweat mixed with pollutants. For these reasons you should wash you hair no less than once per week. Hair grows best on a clean scalp. One of the main causes for slow hair growth is not cleansing it enough.

3. Co washing with conditioner STILL!
Hair conditioner does not clean your hair. Yes it feels good because the conditioner is just building up on your strands co wash after co wash. Unless the bottle states conditioning cleanser or that it can be used to cleanse then it is not a substitute for shampoo. Choose a sulfate free shampoo, conditioning cleanser or a co wash product meant for cleansing. 

4. Not drinking 64 ounces of water or more daily.
Our body needs water. If you want your hair to grow out nice and healthy drink at least 64 ounces per day. Many suffer from hard hair, splits ends, mid shaft splits, this comes from dry hair. To look and feel our best we need water in and water on our body. We need water for better blood circulation. Healthy circulation keeps the blood flowing correctly to the hair follicles, stimulating new hair growth.

5. Being afraid of protein treatments
Your hair is over 90% protein therefore it is not sensitive to protein. Protein on the hair is suppose to feel different. Most people are not applying the treatments according to the instructions on the product. then they blame the protein. So someone says you are protein sensitive and you take it as facts. You must know how to properly deep condition your hair. If your hair is fine or breaking a protein is your best bet in most cases. Do not overlook protein it is vital to growing your hair longer and stronger. There are many different protein treatments you can choose from, look for the ones which say hydrolyzed keratin within the top 3 ingredients. Animal proteins are the strongest when dealing with breakage. Opt for milder protein when you are preventing breakage, before it happens.

6. Not following the instructions on the product.
I often get asked how to use a product I always say follow the instructions on the product unless you are using the product differently than it is intended to be used. The instructions are on the bottle for your benefit. Many complain about certain products without considering they did not use the product according to the instructions. Please take time to read the label, that will keep you from misusing the product.

As I am Curl Clarify Shampoo 5.5 PH balanced for your hair health.

Red clay hair and face wash.

7. Clarifying your hair to frequently
Unless you use lots of grease or silicones, your hair should not require a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying to often will lead to dry brittle hair. Once a month should be enough. Instead of using harsh clarifying shampoos try a mud wash or black soap shampoo. Clay washes deep clean the hair without leaving it tangled and stripped. Clay washes condition as they cleanse. As I am has a PH balanced clarifying shampoo.

Good quality black soap you can create up to 5 times the amount of shampoo by diluting this formula.

FIND AUTHENTIC BLACK SOAP AND GOOD QUALITY SHEA BUTTER HERE