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.  

Best type of flat iron for Natural hair

Do titanium flat irons get the hair straighter than ceramic irons?  Should I use one on my Afro curly hair?

YES, they do get the hair straighter than ceramic flat irons. They have higher amounts of heat. 

NO! 
Not if your goal is to keep your hair healthy and wear it natural the majority of the time. 

Yes! 
If your goal is to be a straight hair natural. You are natural but you desire to wear your hair heat straightened most of the time. Titanium flat irons give you a much silkier, smoother finish than a ceramic flat iron. Expect your hair to come out straighter and require fewer passes. Choose a flat iron which has a digital heat setting so you know what temperature you are using. 

The chances of heat damage are greater with titanium plates. Keep that in mind if you choose one. 

Here are some top consumer rated titanium flat irons:
Top Titanium flat iron
Babyliss PRO Nano 
Croc 1.5'
Theorie SAGA 1' 
Babyliss Pro Nano Ultra Thin 1'
HAI Convertable 1.25'

Different ways to straighten your hair

OLD FASHION PRESSING COMB

You can purchase a pressing comb from almost any beauty supply 

store. You place the pressing comb on the stove, to heat it. How straight the hair gets depends on how hot you allow the comb to get. Pressing one's hair is fairly easy to do at home. However, you get better results, allowing a professional to do it. Pressing combs aka hot combs can be dangerous because there is no way to know the temperature of the comb. It takes lots of practice and skill to get a good press and not burn your hair out. This is temporary straightening.  

The chances of heat damage are moderate to high. 

FLAT IRON

This is the most popular way women straighten their hair. Flat ironing is easy to do at home.  You want a flat iron with ceramic plates, and a number temperature setting. Reduce your chances of heat damage by staying under 410 degrees. Always use the flat iron on clean hair, followed by the comb chase method. Those two rules will give you straighter hair. This method is temporary, depending on the amount of moisture your hair is exposed to. 

The chances of heat damage are mild to moderate

Unless your goal is to be  a straight haired natural stay away from titanium flat irons. Those irons get much hotter and puts you at a high risk of heat damage. Titanium flat irons do deliver a smoother, silkier flat iron, but at a cost to your hair. 

Brazilian Keratin Treatment 

This is not to be confused with a regular keratin protein treatment. BKT should always be done by a professional. There are several different types of these treatments. The products used are very strong. This is a permanent straightening method. Large amounts of proteins are used followed by very intense heat. Many times you will be told you can go back and forth between straight and curly hair. Touch ups are done on your new growth only. This straightening method is expensive, but generally does not require as touch ups frequent. 

Expect a permanent change in your curl pattern. This is permanent and equivalent to a relaxer.

Silk press 

This is an upgraded old fashion press, using a flat iron. Your stylists might use different silk press products to help you condition and protect your hair. These products normally include protein rich conditioners moisture and products designed for heat protection. Your silk press should have more bounce and body than the traditional press. A silk press should be light, silky and bouncy. Giving your natural hair the look of a relaxer. Best done professional for pristine results. 

High chances of heat damage

Dominican blow out

The way many Dominican hairstylist straighten Afro hair. It is a combination of silicone products, blow drying using a brush, flat ironing on high heat. The purpose is to get the hair super silky while maintaining lots of body. You have way more bounce than a regular old fashion press. 

High chance of heat damage. 

Not a permanent service but can lead to permanent straight hair. Raking the brush through your curls, while blow drying with high heat is very damaging.  This service gives you 3 stresses on your hair: the brush, blow dryer and flat iron. 

Hair care mistakes to avoid

Heat straightening chronically dry hair

If you've been suffering from dry hair, that is not the time to press or flat iron your hair. Heat straightening hair that is chronically dry is the number one way to get heat damage. Conditioning is more than deep conditioning your hair one time, before a service. In order to properly hydrate your hair you must  consistently condition with moisturizing product over a period of time. Depending on the degree of your dry hair, that conditioning therapy can take between 2 to ten weeks. 

Here is a conditioning boot camp regimen to help prepare  hair for heat straightening. 

Getting braid extension on thinning or balding hair

Your edges are thinning, you found a bald spot or you have extreme breakage. This is not the time to install fake hair. If the hair loss is coming from the hair root then you should not add extra weight to your hair strands. Breakage is usually from lack of moisture and braiding fake hair into your hair will only cause more dry hair. I understand that your hair may not look its best when going through a trauma, so opt for a wig instead. At the end of your day you can remove the wig, so your scalp can breathe. Watch out for the combs which come attached to lacefront wigs. Those combs can cause more thinning to your edges, opt for an elastic band to secure your wig. 

Strengthen your hair and hydrate your hair, then you can install extensions that are not tight or extra small. 

Check the Braid Retain and Grow Method. This method helps you keep your hair while wearing fake hair. 

FLIP FLOPPING BETWEEN NATURAL HAIR AND FAKE HAIR

Many naturals will go back and forth between their natural hair and fake hair. They do so because they are not satisfied with their current length or the way their hair styles. Flip flopping back and forth will continue to dry your hair out. Each time you come out of a set of  braid extensions or weaves, you have to work hard restoring moisture back in your hair strands. This is because the majority of the fake hair is made of  plastic. This plastic sits on top of your hair and dries it out over time. Lots of black women lose way more hair than they should when removing extensions and this is due in part to the hair drying out under the fake hair.  Learn your hair first. Learn how to properly hydrate it and style it. Do not be so quick to hid behind fake hair. Give your hair time to flourish. 

Once you have created a good regimen for your hair and your hair is strong and holding moisture well, then go to the fake hair for style variety. This way you are using the fake hair as a style option and not to hide behind out of frustration. 

7 Hair Care Traps

1)  SILK PRESSES AND HEAT STRAIGHTENING

If you desire to grow your natural hair healthy and long, heat straightening it is not a good ideal. Once a year is okay. But even then it depends on the amount of heat and techniques you use. Stay away from Dominicans salons. Stay away from any heat straightening service which uses heat higher than 410 degrees. Lots of naturals are ending up with irreversible heat damage, due to wanting straight hair. 

LEARN HOW TO PREVENT HEAT DAMAGE HERE

2)  TEXTURIZERS

Some naturals become frustrated with their natural coil. They think that putting a texturizer in it will turn their type 4 hair into type 3 hair. They desire to loosen their curl slightly. A texturizer is just another word for relaxer. You are putting the same chemical in your hair. It is also permanent. Texturizers rarely give people the results they desire. They are unpredictable. The average natural who texturizes their hair, ends up big chopping again. In most cases you will end up with breakage and thinning. Think long and hard before making this permanent choice for your hair. 

FIND OUT WHAT RELAXER CHEMICALS DO TO YOUR HAIR.

3)  BAKING SODA

Some naturals use baking soda on their hair to soften it or help to relax their coil. Baking soda is very damaging to your hair. It is abrasive and will lead to damage. It roughs up your hair cuticle and will turn your normal porosity into high porosity in just a few application. Never use baking soda on your hair. 

4)  DENMAN BRUSHES

Scraping a brush through your hair wet or dry, roughens up the hair cuticle. Brushing on a consistent basis will lead to damaged hair. Hair will become weak and easy to break. Finger combing is best for your natural coils.

5)  RELYING TO MUCH ON FAKE HAIR

Going natural but consistently covering your hair in fake hair is one of the worst things you can do to your natural hair. Fake hair dries your natural hair out. It also makes people really lazy about taking care of their hair. In many cases you are not washing your hair weekly when you have braid extensions or a weave. Your hair becomes dry from the fake hair then dehydrated due to lack of hydration. Those two issues lead to breakage and excess shedding. Using extensions on occasion is okay. Wearing extensions for more than 6 months out of the year is not a good thing for a healthy hair regimen. 

6)  NOT WASHING YOUR HAIR ENOUGH

Hair grows best on a clean scalp. If you are having issues with slow hair growth the first thing to examine is your wash regimen. Hair must be cleaned often. All hair no matter the type get dirty daily. Lots of people with slow hair growth have clogged hair follicles. Clean your hair twice a week or no less than once per week. Washing your hair only once every two weeks or once per month is not a healthy practice. 

7)  NOT HAVING A REGIMEN

The biggest mistake you can make is not having a consistent hair care regimen. No matter what your goal is in life, you need to have a plan, a guide. If you want to have long healthy hair, you need a good hair care regimen. If you are lost and do not know where to begin, then you would benefit from hair growth coaching.

GET HELP GROWING YOUR HAIR SIGN UP FOR HAIR GROWTH COACHING HERE

Common mistakes naturals make (Pt 1)

 
You will frequently see people comment that your natural hair journey is about trials and errors. Personally I want to avoid as many trials and errors as I possibly can. This is not just in reference to hair but my whole life. Why? Because some errors have long lasting consequences. Personally I would want to know if the bridge is out ahead.

As  black woman I have already gone through lots of  trials with my hair, so any future trials that I can avoid, I will. So I have put together a list of errors I see people make in reference to their hair care. Many of these practices cause unnecessary breakage because they weaken the hair.

HEAT RELATED ERRORS

Blow drying or flat ironing the hair in order to check the length.
Afro hair stretches that is one of its characteristics. You can easily stretch your hair to check the length. You are on a healthy hair journey so why add heat in order to check your progress? Blow drying or flat ironing is adding  unnecessary trauma to the hair. If you plan on wearing your hair for a week in a straight style then that is different. Save the heat for when you are actually going to rock a straight style.

Blow drying or flat ironing, in order to get the hair braided.
If your braider cannot braid your hair in its natural untangled state, then find another braider. Afro hair is made to be braided. Blow drying or flat ironing will not make your braids look any better. It will make your hair dry out faster under the fake hair, then it will break off. The second cause of extensions causing breakage is the natural becoming dry and brittle while the fake hair lays on top of it. Starting off with heat is a bad way to start.

Straightening hair during the hot Summer months.
Let's face it we perspire more in the Summer time. Sweat equals moisture and salt. Moisture makes Afro hair coil up. Knowing this why waste your time, money and trauma to the hair. Avoid trying to hold a press in the Summer time. Anti humectants can only do so much. As the saying goes, we cannot mess with mother nature.

Going to a Dominican salon for a Dominican blow out.
The particular blow out they do is very damaging to Afro hair. Yes it is pretty, but at what cost? This service consist of  lots of heat while blow drying with a round brush. Then more heat with the flat iron. The blow drying method is the way many white women get their hair blown dry. It will look good for awhile, but eventually it will thin and break your hair. If healthy hair is your goal stay away from this type of service.

Blow drying the hair before you straighten it.
When you get ready for a flat iron or a press, eliminate using a blow dryer. Why use two stresses on the hair at one time? Remember your goal is healthy hair, so eliminate extra stress where you can. You can put your hair in big plaits and sit under a hooded dryer. To totally eliminate any drying with heat, put the hair in medium plaits and allow hair to air dry.  

Using grape seed oil as a heat protectant, when flat ironing the hair.
No matter what you have read this is not a good ideal. When you get ready to do something as harsh as squeezing your hair between two very hot plates you need to use something strong to protect it. Grape seed oil is not a good enough heat protectant. Choose a silicone based heat protectant. They work the best in protecting your hair. 

Not prepping weeks in advance of  straightening the hair.
Straightening is one of the harshest things you can do to your hair. The main cause of heat damage is using harsh heat on hair that is not properly hydrated. If you are having trouble retaining moisture then do not straighten your hair. Before pressing your hair, you should do a series of moisturizing treatments, to ensure your hair is hydrated enough to take the heat. You should do a protein treatment to ensure your strands are strong enough to take the heat. Always use a silicone based heat protectant when you straighten your hair. 

For a moisture regimen to prepare hair for straightening click here.

Not all errors can be avoided, but avoid the ones that you can.