Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: Natural Hair Pet Peeves

Hilarious and so true! Her top 3 are my top 3. Plus spending forever and a day trying to do this style only for it to end up looking blah or not like the youtuber who did it. Lol.  Being natural always keeps me amused!

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: Natural Hair Pet Peeves: by Shanti of Around the Way Curls I just want to get some thangs off my chest if I may please. I just have some re-occuring issues that m...

Winter Hair care

Old man winter is here, bringing frigid temperatures and blistering winds with it. For those of us on the east coast, we may have forgotten what winter is supposed to feel like in the middle of what has been one of our most unseasonably warm November & December months to date.  Now that we are gradually being reminded, what effect does this weather have on your hair?

The winter cold is not "hair friendly," just as much as it isn't skin friendly. Think about how much more you have to fight against ashy legs and chapped lips when the temperature drops. That's because the frigid air is both drying and harsh, as is the heat that you are often using to combat it. To add to that, not only does your hair have to deal with the brutal elements of mother nature but also the drying cotton scarves and wool coats upon which it rubs, as well as the moisture sucking cotton hats which it sits under. So, as you can see, winter is not your hair's best friend.

What can you do to make your hair happy this winter?

1. Increase the moisture: You may notice that it takes more for your hair to stay moisturized in the winter. You may have only needed to moisturize 3 times a week  or only deep condition every other week in the summer. But now, that doesn't seem to cut it anymore. Consider increasing the frequency of moisturizing. 
2. Use a different moisturizer: Some people have to use a heavier moisturizer in the winter time. That light weight leave in might not cut it for you as it does during other times of the year. Maybe you need heavier products; might be time to pull out those butters or to seal more frequently with an oil. Or maybe your moisturizer is heavy on the humectants such as glycerin or honey but isn't as effective in the winter time because of the lack of moisture in the air (Humectant?What?  and List of humectants?). Keep this in mind. 
3. Pin up your hair: One of the worst things for your ends during this time of year, besides the actual weather, is that wool coat & those sweaters. Wearing your hair down allows those fragile ends to rub on these less hair friendly articles of clothing,  thus setting it up for breakage. Keep your ends pinned up as much as possible, even if it's just until you take off your coat when you reach your destination. And if you do want to wear your hair down, consider using a silk fashion scarf to wear around the collar of your coat. 
4. Minimize wearing bone straight hair: Of course you might want to show of your hair at times and leave it out and flowing. After all, this is the perfect time of year for people who want to straighten without worrying about their hair quickly reverting back to a fro.  Cool! But try to limit wearing your hair down every day during this season. As mentioned in point 3, there are so many elements that work against your hair to limit retention during this time of year. If you're going to wear your hair in a "straightish" style, consider rolling the ends of your hair  or bumping the ends under. This limits the direct friction on the ends that you would get with your hair completely straight. 
5. Protective Style: The best thing you can do for your hair during this season is to PROTECTIVE STYLE. Braids, cornrows, wigs, weaves, buns, twists.....whatever you choose, this is the best time to do it. In many of these styles, your hair is protected from the elements, your ends are hidden, and your hair retains moisture better. Then in the spring, you can reveal the fruits of your winter hair hibernation. 

With these tips, old man winter won't have the chance to put a damper on your healthy hair dreams. 

Happy holidays! And Happy Growing, 

Love, 

B

Quick Tip: Decreasing the Shine of Weaves/Wigs/Extensions

We have all seen fake hair that gives itself away due to its over the top shine factor. To "dull out" the shine and provide a more natural looking finish, try any (or all) of these methods: 

So....I got a haircut- First Salon Experience Since Going Natural

On October 31st, I went to Great Clips to trim the last of the frayed ends that I've been gradually trimming off over the course of the year. I straightened my hair two days before and, as expected,I was still APL due to the evening out that I had been doing. I chose Great Clips because I heard that they, as with other similar places like Hair Cuttery, show you what they are cutting as they are cutting it and it's affordable (I paid $13 for the cut). None of that spin you around at the end nonsense.

Hair Growth Chart

Someone posted this cool picture on LHCF to show all the hair growth milestones. It provides a great visual for all of you who wonder what NL, BSB (=below shoulder blade. Some people use this instead of BSL/ bra strap length, because of the variations in how people wear their bras), WL, etc look like.

Just in Case You Didn't Hear: Black Love is Alive and Well

We've all heard and seen how the media has painted this bleak image of "black love."

Black women aren't marriage material. Black men are all in jail or marrying women of other races. There are less and less married homes with black couples.

If we digested all of this information, we would think that our hopes of having a married home with two successful, loving, black spouses is nearly impossible in this day and age.

Regimen Update

Making a few changes to my regimen.

No more twists....I really feel that twists are wrecking havoc on my ends and thus limiting my retention. So, I will be focusing on doing other styles (rollersets, braids, cornrows, etc).

Weekly protein....It's official. My hair needs protein on a regular basis. I used to think that it was protein sensitive but it's really about using the right types of protein. I've started incorporating a weekly protein treatment with Rusk Cure Vitamins & Protein Strengthening Treatment (found at Ross; I think it's been discontinued). 


I will be getting a professional trim in two weeks after straightening for my graduation pics:-) 


Wash and moisturizing methods still remain the same. 




Hoping for better retention next year with these changes. 


-B

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: 5 Hair Care Mistakes Most Naturals Make

Check out this article that was posted on Curly Nikki. I agree with all that was said (and I've been guilty of at least one).

Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Curly Hair Care: 5 Hair Care Mistakes Most Naturals Make: source: Le coil by Jarmelia of DIY Hair Care Blog

Minestrone/Italian Sausage Soup

Click to enlarge

The weather is slowly cooling down which means time for soup!! There's nothing like a warm, hearty bowl of soup on a cool fall day (even better on a cold winter one!). I adapted this soup from this recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/Italian-Sausage-Soup/Detail.aspx?prop31=5 with my own modifications of course. As I've mentioned before, I don't measure. I study recipes and then do my own thing. So, as I provide meal ideas,
I'll often give you a link to my inspiration (if there was one) or just tell you all the things I used just to give you an idea. My main goal is to get you thinking about meal ideas.

Ok, what I used for this lovely minestrone: 

Decoding the Technology of Heat Styling Tools

Using the right tools for you hair can make a world of difference. As you go about your healthy hair journey, it is important that you pay attention to what things you use in your hair. This is particularly important if you are using heat.
I'm sure you've wondered what all those names that seem to be thrown around on the blowdryers, hooded dryers, flatirons, and even vent brushes, mean. Well, to summarize, the technological advancements that are present now, weren't available in the past.  Those heat tools from before were extremely drying and damaging, often leaving people with dry, brittle,  damaged hair, because of the nature of the tools.
Today, we have a lot more at our disposal. Although too much heat is still damaging overtime, the latest technology does more to slow the process and to add some benefit to the hair. Therefore, if you are opting to use heat, it's best that you use a tool that utilizes some of the latest technology.

Here is a summary of the different technology on the market.