So, you’re thinking of or decided to go natural. Now what? The hardest part of going natural is changing your mindset. Once you've got that straight, there are three important steps to a smooth transition: Moisture, Strengthening & Protection.
The point of a protective style is to maintain the health of your hair. How healthy do you think it’ll be with constant stress put on your edges or other parts of your hair if that style is done too tight? You’ve seen it: your girlfriend comes skipping out of the braid shop with a fresh set of box braids or cornrows that look AMAZING! You go to take a closer look and she winces “no, no… don’t touch!” Upon further investigation, you can tell that your buddy has just gone through a face lift via super tightly braided baby hair. *sigh* Hold on, maybe this “friend” was actually YOU! *gasp* “Neat” ≠ tight ladies and gentlemen! But wait, I’m not just talkin’ braids! I mean weaves too… sew-ins to be exact. Think about it: your stylist wants to make sure your Remy lays nice and flat so she may give you a…
This question comes to us from @phemonawoman on Instagram. Our resident natural hair care professional Simeko Watkins-Hartley answers… When you wash and condition, should you blow dry and style or let it air dry then style? Answer: It all depends on the style/look you are trying to achieve, as well as the condition of your hair. As we all may know by now, natural hair tends to be dry so the less heat we use on our hair the better. However, blow-drying the hair on a low/medium temperature, once in a while, to accomplish a style/look should not cause any major damage to the hair if it is relatively healthy. When the hair is blown out it appears to be longer and less frizzy. So when styling the hair in a set style (rod, roller, bantu knots, twist/braid out, etc.), blowing it out prior, will aid in achieving a more smoother, elongated…
Have you incorporated scalp massages in your hair care regimen? I’ll admit, I always start out strong and then fall off at some point but I’m making a concerted effort to be regular for best results. Why Scalp Massages Work It’s rather simple: massaging the scalp with the pads of your fingers improves blood flow and circulation to the scalp. This increased blood flow helps carry essential nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles which (TADA!!) stimulates growth. Pretty cool, I think. Scalp massages also have emotional and overall health benefits, helping you to relaxing and de-stress… much like a good ole back rub or spa massage. How To Do It Use your carrier oil of choice (Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, etc.). Apply to your fingers or directly on the scalp- you don’t need a whole lot. Using just the pads or tips of your fingers, massage your…
Our resident natural hair care professional Simeko Watkins-Hartley answers… Should you sleep with conditioner in your hair? Answer: You shouldn’t, as this can be potentially harmful by having an adverse effect on the hair. Let me explain but first let me ask you this… If you were experiencing symptoms of some sort and the doctor prescribes medication, would you follow the instructions given by the doctor or would you take more than what was prescribed in hopes that the symptoms go away faster? Would you not agree that by doing the latter, you may cause more harm than good?! Well, likewise with deep conditioning your hair. If the manufacturer states to leave the product on the hair for a certain period of time, it’s most likely because through tests and trails, they were able to determine the amount of time it takes for the product to absorb and penetrate into…
