Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
In a Word… NO The myth that you will speed up your hair’s rate of growth by trimming it is one that I have been hearing since my teenage years and even then, it didn’t make sense to me. Here’s the thing: hair growth starts at the follicle and the truth is, what happens at the ends of your hair really has little to do with what’s going on at the follicle level. It stands to reason, then, that trimming your ends has no real bearing on the actual growth of the hair… Why the Common Misconception? Well, it’s like this… as noted in the graphic above, hair may seem to grow faster when it is trimmed regularly simply because any damage that may be present is stopped in its tracks and healthy ends are maintained. Healthy ends are less likely to break or split which means you retain more…
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
Brrr… it’s hat season! Wool is often the go-to option for obvious reasons. Even so, this über warm fabric can cause unwanted damage to your natural hair… While they serve an important purpose, wool winter hats can cause breakage from friction. Have you ever worn a wool turtleneck or scarf pretty often and notice later on that the hair at the nape of your head is thinning out? Yup… friction! Also, much like cotton, wool absorbs moisture from your hair which, as we know, can eventually lead to breakage. So look for hats with satin or silk linings. Now, don’t go throwing out the wool hats you already own to run to the mall for those that are satin-lined! Who has that kinda dough?! If you’re a DIY-er, all ya gotta do is head to the fabric store for a bit of silk or satin fabric (don’t forget to check the…
Toia B.closeAuthor: Toia B.Name: Toia Barry Email: tobnatural@gmail.com Site: About:
Toia B. is a wife, mom and natural hair enthusiast. This online platform has become a resource for positive images of women with textured hair and useful hair care advice. Since going back to natural in the Fall of 2009, Toia’s aim has been to inspire and share what she has learned to help others embrace their natural beauty.
Now, you may be thinking, “Hey! This is baby stuff… basic hair care 101. Who doesn’t know this already?!” Welp, you’d be surprised how many don’t! What’s Wrong With Cotton? Many of us probably own cotton bedding which, obviously, include cotton pillowcases. There are two important reasons why you do NOT want to (a) sleep on that cotton case without anything on your head OR (b) use a cotton scarf to keep your style intact, thinking you’re in the clear. (1) cotton absorbs moisture… which is why we wear so much of it in the summertime. With our kinky/coily/curly hair already prone to dryness, I’m sure you don’t want to lose whatever bit of moisture you’ve worked so hard to maintain. (2) due to the nature of cotton, your hair can sometimes snag on the material thus causing breakage. Add the absorption of moisture to the mix and that’s a…
I’m telling you, if hair care manufacturers didn’t exist, we’d still have everything we need to take care of our hair naturally right here on God’s green earth. Honey is one of those things! Honey is a natural humectant which means that it has the ability to attract and retain the water/moisture in the air. When applied to the hair, it acts as a natural conditioner and moisturizer making it soft and manageable. This may especially be of interest to those of us with kinkier textures where our hair tends to be rather dry, dull-looking and sometimes hard if left on its own. A great way to use honey in your regimen is to do a honey hair rinse. Simply dilute just a bit into a good amount of water- about 1 tsp in 4 cups of warm agua (so it mixes well)- and then pour it right onto your…
Water. I’ve covered this topic a bit like here and most recently here. But since “repetition is the mother of retention”… here we go again. This time, we’ll dig a little deeper into why you should drink water for healthy hair. How Does Water Intake Affect My Hair? The body is composed of about 60% to 70% water. Some of that water is lost throughout the day from things like urination, sweating and even just breathing. Therefore, we need to replace that lost fluid daily in order to stay hydrated and be healthy. If we don’t, we become dehydrated which will have an adverse affect on our hair {and yes, our bodies as well}. Our hair follicles receive their nutrients from our blood which is about 85% water. No water → no nutrients → no healthy hair. But, How Much is “Enough” Water? While many of us may have heard that we should drink…
