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.
Protective styles can be a great way to give your hair a break and maximize the chance of retaining length. But that's only IF you're sure not to make these protective style mistakes!
Our resident natural hair care professional Simeko Watkins-Hartley answers… “My hair seems to be thinning, can you help?” Although hair loss is a normal process that we all will experience at some point in our lives, excessive hair loss, much like excessive hair shedding (see this post for more details) can be caused by a number of different factors and recommendations would depend on the underlying cause. However, keeping your scalp/hair clean and well-nourished with natural oils can be helpful start. Another very important factor is getting your daily intake of vitamins. To get a better idea of how vitamins can help with preventing hair loss, here’s a breakdown: Vitamin A– Aids in stimulating the follicle and making healthy sebum in the scalp Vitamin Bs– Aids in stimulating hair growth. Also may help to reduce stress which may cause hair loss Vitamin C– An anti-oxidant that helps to maintain healthy hair Vitamin D– Plays an important…
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…
Our resident natural hair care professional Simeko Watkins-Hartley answers… Do you have any advice on shedding? Remember the adage, “out with the old in with the new”?! Well, that pretty much sums up the process of shedding. Old hairs fall out so new hairs can come through. In technical terms, this process is the telogen stage in the hair growth cycle and lasts about 1 to 4 months. When should you be concerned about shedding and what can you do about it? Generally, hair sheds about 50 to 100 strands per day and anything in excess of this may potentially be a cause for concern. Excessive shedding can be the result of a number of things such as stress, hormonal imbalance, crash dieting, deficiency of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and protein, certain medications, anemia, thyroid disorders and the list can go on and on. In essence, when the body goes through…
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…
