Rehairducation

Detangle, Style and Massage- My review of the Savvy & Chic Comb System

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Hello ladies,

I hope you are all well.  I don’t think I do review posts often enough and plan to do a whole lot more of them going forward.  I am really excited about the items in this review because they were created by a Nigerian brand.

Naija hair can grow is one of the top hair care blogs in Nigeria which I first came across when thinking about starting my own hair care website.
Daboju (or Dabs as I like to call her) the creator of the blog is also the founder of Savvy & Chic Beauty Hub, a healthy hair care salon. I am such a huge fan of Dabs entrepreneurial spirit, her lovely personality and most importantly by how hard working she is.
I was really impressed when she announced on her Instagram that she had launched a 4 step combing system and knew immediately I would be purchasing them for personal use, to support a fellow Nigerian entrepreneur and also for review on Hairducation.

As always, I purchased the system with my own funds and intend to give my honest opinion about it.

I decided to purchase 3 out of the 4 items. The item I did not buy is a brush that I knew I would probably never use because I don’t tend to go for the super sleek look. I also knew I probably wouldn’t be able to give an accurate review of the brush as someone who never really uses hair brushes in general. On that note, I will get on with my review of the 3 items that I did buy

 

Edge Slick & Tame Coil Comb

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In all honesty, I bought this comb out of curiosity.   It is rather distinct looking and I was curious to see the many ways I could use it. At first touch, I was impressed by and loved how sturdy it felt. I had expected it to feel flimsy.

The comb is designed to create smooth edges and can also be used for creating comb curls and locs in natural hair. As I mentioned above, I personally don’t bother to sleek down or lay my edges but I tested this comb on my hairline and it worked really well. If you are fed up of using a toothbrush to smoothen your hairline, this works very well. It can be used by relaxed, texlaxed and natural haired ladies.

I could not test the combs ability to create coils or locs because my hair is relaxed but I have seen such styles being created in salons so I know this comb will be ideal for those purposes. It is also great for creating parts which is how I use it majority of the time. I think ladies who like their edges sleek and smooth will have greater use of this than I currently do.

 

Tangle Ease Detangler Comb

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The comb is described as an anti static comb with a firm grip guard which gently detangles knots and prevents hair breakage.
Again I like the sturdy feel of the comb and for some reason I really like the size of the comb too. The teeth of the comb is well spaced out so it is able to smooth hair enough without causing breakage like fine tooth combs often do.

The only negative thing I have to say about this comb is the way it is described, a lady who is new on a hair journey may be led to believe that this comb can be used to remove all knots and tangles and this isn’t correct. If you have loads of tight knots and tangles in your hair, you should always finger detangle it first. You can then follow up with the detangler comb to remove any loose knots or tangles that may be left in the hair and further smoothen the hair.

I have used this comb several times and I can say that after finger detangling first, it did a really good job of finishing off the detangling process and smoothening my hair without catching and snagging on my hair like some poorly manufactured combs do.

 

Ultimate Grow Scalp Massager

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According to the description on the package, this item is for optimum blood circulation to the scalp and hair follicles and will promote hair growth.

I was surprised by this item, surprised by how much I liked it. I thought i would be indifferent to it but I really enjoyed the tingling feeling I got when I used it. Some ladies may find this massager a little bit uncomfortable to use but for me it was fine.

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Please note that it should not be dragged through your hair as this would cause breakage. I used it by pressing it very gently on one spot and moving my scalp (not my hair) with it in a small circular motion. I would then lift it from my scalp gently and use it on another spot. Again I really enjoyed how it made my scalp feel. I haven’t used it for long enough or consistently enough to tell whether it will boost hair growth but It certainly got blood flowing to my scalp.

 

The three items I purchased cost under N3000. I would certainly recommend them for ladies who want good quality hair care and hair styling combs. Well done Dabs!!!!!!!

I have a few more posts cooking and hope to upload them really soon.

x

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

 

Why Using Water Alone As A Moisturiser Is Not A Good Idea

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Water is nature’s best moisturiser. All good quality hair products that claim to be moisturising usually have water or aqua listed as the first substance on its ingredients list. Water softens hair and helps keep hair flexible and elastic which is essential for fighting breakage. Knowing the information above, many ladies find it surprising when they are told that water alone should not be used as a hair moisturiser. In this post I intend to explain why.

 

What is PH

The first thing I need to explain is what is known as PH. PH is short for Potenz Hydrogen. To avoid over complicating this post I will simply state that there is a scientifically established PH scale which ranges from 0 to 14. Many substances have been scientifically tested to establish what their PH is. Any substance that has a PH reading of 0 to 6.9 has a low PH and is classed as acidic. Any substance that has a PH reading from 7.1 to 14 has a high PH and is classed as alkaline. Please see the image below which shows the PH of some substances including water, hair and skin

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From the image above, you can see that hair and skin has a PH of 4.5 to 5.5, this means that hair and skin can be classed as acidic. You can also see that water has a PH of 7 which means that it is more alkaline than our hair.

 

PH, Water and Hair Product

The best leave in conditioners and moisturisers for hair are those that have a PH that is the same as that of hair and skin, i.e. 4.5 -5.5. A leave-in product that has the same PH as hair helps make hair feel smooth and look healthy.

Water has a PH of 7 which is higher than that of hair and skin. So although water is a great moisturiser, water alone is NOT ideal for moisturising hair. It is not acidic enough.
Leave-in moisturising products from good hair care brands tend to be formulated to have a PH that matches our hair and this is why it tends to become smoother, shiny and lush when we moisturise our hair with them.

As a mini science experiment, I have some PH strips I bought a while back from Amazon. These strips change colour when you dip them into water based liquids. You can then compare the colour to that provided on the package of the PH strips. This will help you identify what the PH of the product is.

I took three strips and dipped one into water, one into a protein leave-in conditioner and one into a moisture leave in conditioner. The one dipped into water changed into colours that matched PH 7. The ones dipped into the leave-in conditioners changed into colours that matched PH 4 to 5.

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These strips come in very handy for ladies who mix or make their own natural hair products. The homemade products can be tested using the strips to ensure that it has a PH of 4.5 to 5.5. Many ladies, especially those who have natural hair tend to mix water with aloe vera juice or aloe vera gel, glycerine and oils for use as hair mists or spritz. If you make these sorts of homemade products then you should get yourself some PH Strips.

I hope you have found this post helpful. My next post will be a bun of the month post.

Happy hair journey, come back soon.

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Bun of the Month : The half-up half-down top knot bun

Hello ladies

Ive been slacking a bit with keeping up with the bun of the month series. Its not that I havent been doing them. I just havent been posting them as scheduled.   I will keep trying to do better.

Last months bun is what is called either minnie mouse buns or space buns. It can be really cute. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen this already, but for those who don’t, I though I should post it here as well.

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The October bun of the month is the very popular half uphalf down top knot bun. This style has been around for quite a while now but I’d never tried it on myself. Although this style is very easy to create, I don’t think I did it well. For some reason I just couldn’t seem to get the bun part straight. It looks a little bent to one side. Is it just me or do you see it too?

 

 

I think I’ll have a second attempt at this sometime soon.  Have you tried a new hair style lately?

My next post will be an educative and practical post on how to manage your hair on wash days when you are deep into your stretch.   See you soon.

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Quick Tip: Read This If You Make Your Own Products Or Mix Commercial Products

When making your own natural hair products, (e.g. avocado, banana and honey hair masks, etc) or when altering or mixing commercial products, (e.g. mixing protein and moisture conditioners or adding water, oils or glycerin to your leave in products) it is always best to make very small batches that will be used on the day or for only a few days.

Why?
Because the lack of preservatives or alterations in the levels of preservatives may allow bacteria and fungi to grow in the product.

 

Fresh Aloe Vera is often used for homemade hair and skin products such as hair gels or face masks

In all natural homemade products there are usually no preservatives added so the chances of bacteria and fungi growing quickly in them is high. If you do make a natural hair product and have more than enough for one use, put it in a container, store it in the fridge and use within a week.

Preservatives are added to commercial products to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi until the use-by or expiry date of the product. Mixing two commercial products together or adding other ingredients to them will alter the preservative levels in a way that may allow bacteria and fungi to grow.
If altering commercial products, makes small batches that you can either use on the day or be used up within a week. These should be okay if kept on the shelf because there is some preservative left in them but if you want to be extra careful you can store it in the fridge.

I hope you’ve found this Quick Tip post helpful. The next blog post will be a bun of the month post.

Happy hair journey

x

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

 

Grapeseed Oil: You Should Try It!

Hello ladies

I am so sorry for the mini hiatus.  Its been a busy month and honestly I have been slacking a little but I am trying to catch up with everything including blogging.  I hope I am forgiven.
So I unintentionally began to use grapeseed oil on my hair a few months back and now that I realise how great it is, I am surprised it is not used as much as coconut or olive oil by ladies on a hair journey.
I hope that this post will encourage you to try it.

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What Is Grapeseed Oil and Why It Is Good for Hair

Wine is made from grapes and the seeds of the grapes are usually unwanted by wine manufactures.
Grapeseed oil is obtained from these unwanted seeds.  Because grapeseed oil is a by-product of the wine making industry it tends to be relatively cheap.
Grapeseed oil is  rich in Vitamin e and ceramides.  It is light weight and does not have a strong odour.  Some of the great things that grapeseed oil does for hair includes

  • The ceramides helps to smoothen the cuticle layer making hair look less frizzy.
  • It blesses our hair which a shine!!!!
  • It is a very good at keeping moisture sealed in but does not weigh hair down like many oils tend to.  It not sticky or greasy
  • It has antioxidant and contains fatty acids which some research has claimed promotes hair growth, strengthens hair strands and minimise thinning.
  • It helps in the fight against split ends.
  • A little off point but its great for your skin too.

 

How To Use Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil can be used as a

1)      Hot oil treatment

2)      Sealant

3)      Scalp massage oil

4)      Oil rinse

 

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My Experience with Grapeseed Oil

I used to use olive oil as my sealant and although I liked it I felt my hair was a little weighed down by it.
I switched to using coconut oil for a few years and although it had a lot of benefits I did not think it helped me seal in moisture for long enough.  I decided olive oil was better and went back to it.

I actually purchased grapeseed oil for use on my skin but I tried it on my hair when I ran out of both olive and coconut oil.   My, my, my……the difference I saw in my hair that week made me a convert.

My hair retained moisture a lot better but my hair was not weighed down at all. It honestly made my hair look more vibrant and it felt smoother too.  Over time I noticed that my hair strands felt better.
I have been using grapeseed oil as a sealant for about 6 months now and my final verdict is that it has made my hair a better version of itself. I honestly wish I had tried it sooner

I should say that I have been more consistent with my regimen and have been drinking more water for a few months now and this probably also contributed to the improved state of my hair.

What do you use to seal the moisture into your hair? Have you tried a new sealant lately?

The next post will be a bun of the month post.
Come back soon

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow