Lade January 28, 2015

THE BENEFITS OF PRE-POOING

Hello again ladies

Now this is a first, two posts in one day. I am super tied up for the next few days and decided to crack on with this blog post whilst I have the time.

My wash days always start the same way; with detangling and pre-pooing to before washing. Pre-pooing is simply a pre-shampoo treatment which helps to prepare and protect my hair during the washing process. Pre-pooing isn’t an essential part of a healthy hair regimen however it is a practice completed by many ladies on a health hair journey. There are some ladies however who also have success on their hair journey without pre-pooing. In my opinion the benefits are worth it especially because it is not too time consuming.

I hope to keep things short and sweet in this post. I will share the benefits of pre-pooing, examples of pre-poo formulas and methods of pre-pooing.

Benefits of Pre-Pooing

Applying the pre-poo whilst detangling will lubricate your hair which will make removing the knots and tangles easier. It reduces breakage whilst detangling by softening the hair fibre and making it more elastic.
It helps to soften dirt and debris on hair fibres so that it slides off easier during the washing process
Helps reduce cracking and damage to the hair cuticles. When our hair is being washed, it absorbs water and expands/increases in size. After washing our hair returns to its normal size however when doing so the outer layer( the cuticle) can crack as our hair dries. Applying as a pre-poo can help to reduce how much our hair swells during washing and thereby reduce the risk of the cuticle cracking as our hair dries.

Pre-Poo Formulas – What Can You use to Pre-poo your hair

There are so many various concoctions used for pre-pooing by ladies the world over. It is not possible to list them all but will list a few options

Oil based
Oils such as coconut, olive, almond oil, castor oil etc. can be used as a pre-poo. Some ladies use a combination of such oils. A few drops of essential oil can be added if preferred.

Conditioner based
A light weight moisturising instant conditioner can also be used as a pre-poo. A little bit of oil can be added to the conditioner.

Honey Based Mixtures
Honey is also a popular pre-poo amongst ladies on a hair journey. Honey is usually mixed with some oil. Some ladies even use a mixture of honey, oils and conditioners.

Other natural pre-poo options include eggs, avocadoes, bananas, coconut milk, etc.

Methods of Pre-Pooing

A little bit of your pre-poo can be added to your hair as you detangle it in sections. After detangling, you can keep your hair in sections and apply a generous amount of the pre-poo to your hair. You should then cover your hair with a conditioning cap and do either of the following

Option one
Leave your hair covered with the pre-poo for an hour or more before washing.

Option two
Leave your hair covered and apply heat for 15 minutes before moving on to washing.

Are you into pre-pooing? If yes please share your recipe with us.

The next post will be about oiling your scalp: should you or should you not oil your scalp. Hopefully my schedule will let me have that post up soon.

Happy hair journey ladies

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade November 23, 2014

My Leave-in Conditioners and I

Despite how it looks, I really wasn’t shoving hair products up my nose…….

Hello ladies

How are we all doing? I hope you are being good to yourself and your hair.
I decided to write this blog post because I am often asked when and how I use my leave in conditioners. I may be wrong but I get the impression that ladies who are new to hair journeys get slightly confused between leave-in conditioning and moisturising and sealing and at what stage on their wash day to do either.

I have written posts about leave-in conditioning and moisturising and sealing previously. In this post I will be addressing leave-in conditioning in a more practical way. I will be sharing what my staple leave-in conditioners are, how and when I use them in my regimen. What I hope to achieve by sharing my approach is to give one example of how leave-in conditioning can brought into a hair regimen.

Before I get into it, ladies please note that products which make my hair feel great may have a different effect on your hair and vice versa.
Our hair reacts differently to various products and this is why it is important to not focus too much on what other people are using. It is okay to experiment with recommended products but always be guided by how a product makes YOUR hair feel before deciding on whether to carry on using it in your regimen.

MY LEAVE-IN CONDITIONERS

Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer (Protein)

How I discovered this product

I discovered Aphogee a few months before I began my hair journey. It was during the phase when I was experiencing severe breakage and even my work mates at the time noticed my hair was disappearing. I was talking to one of them about my hair woes and she mentioned that a product line called Aphogee was great for hair breakage. I initially bought the two step treatment and the Keratin and Green Tea Reconstructor. The two step treatment didn’t seem to do much for my hair but immediately I sprayed on the Keratin and Green Tea Recontructor my breakage reduced instantly.
I loved the fact that on my wash days and for a few days afterwards my breakage was reduced.
Although I made some mistakes with this product (mainly spraying on too much which caused my hair to feel extremely brittle) I learnt how to use it correctly and it has been a permanent part of my regimen for over 5 years now.

When do I use this product?
On wash days after shampooing and deep conditioning.

How I apply this product
After shampooing and deep conditioning my hair in box braids, I unravel and detangle one box braid and spray 2 to 3 pumps of the Aphogee on my palms and apply it to the section that I have just detangled. I apply it from root to tip ensuring my ends get a good share of the product.

Why do I like this product
The simple answer is that it works well with my hair. It makes my hair feel strong and smooth. I like that it contains a lot of hydrolyzed proteins. This means that the protein in the product has been broken down so that it is small enough to be absorbed and/or bind to hair cuticles.
It is very light and non greasy so it tends to leave my hair feeling bouncy and fluffy.

What I do not like about this product
Using too much of this can lead to really dry and brittle hair which breaks easily.

Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Cream (mild protein)

How I discovered this product

I had seen a few good reviews of this product across several hair blogs. I was stocking up on hair products and noticed the leave-in on one of the shelves. On a whim I decided to try it. It was love at first application. This product has been a staple of mine for about 4 years.

When do I use this product
I use this on my wash days and during the week for moisturising my hair.

How do I apply this product
On wash days: after applying the Ahpogee, I apply a mixture of the Cantu Shea butter and Luster’s S-curl to the section of hair that has just been detangled. I apply the mixture from root to tip.
For moisturising and sealing – I apply a mixture of the Cantu Shea Butter and Luster’s S-curl to my hair in sections from root to tip and seal with coconut or olive oil.

Why Do I Like This Product
Like I noted above, I fell in love with this product at first application…why??? Because it made my hair feel super super smooth. I like the consistency of the cream, it is light and non sticky or greasy. It leaves my hair feeling hydrated, soft and smooooooooth.
My sister in-law and niece who are both natural love it too.

What I do not like about this product
I initially used the Cantu to moisturise daily without mixing it with any other product but I noticed that by the third or fourth day my hair would feel a little coated and …weird.
When I use this product mixed with s-curl I do not have this problem.

Luster’s S-Curl “No-Drip” Curl Actor

How I discovered this product
Similar to the Cantu Shea Butter, I had seen the product being used by several ladies on hair blogs and decided to try it. I was aware of s-curl before my hair journey but thought it was strictly for people with Jherri curls.
I hated it at first but when mixed with my cantu shea butter I really like it.

When do I use this product
I use this on my wash days and during the week for moisturising my hair.

What Do I Like about This product
I like that it is makes my hair feel very well moisturised.
When I am deep on my stretch I love that I can spray it on my new growth and it softens my new growth really well. I also like its consistency: it is very light and non greasy.

What I do not like about this product
When I use it on its own daily to moisturise and seal, it tends to make my hair feel mushy and limp by the third day. However when mixed with cantu shea butter I do not experience this.

Additional Points

On my wash day after applying my leave in conditioners, I air dry my hair and then moisturise and seal either on the same day or maybe the next depending on what I think my hair needs….and how tired I feel.

I have to emphasise that my way is not the only way. It’s what I have learnt works for me and I would love to know about what works for you. What are your leave –in conditioners, what do you like about them and how do you use them?

I am still planning on uploading a video at some point. I just have to figure out how to overcome a few network issues.
In the interim the next blog post will be about the top 6 changes I made to my hair care habits which helped me “grow” my hair. I hope you’ll come back soon to see what they are.

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

Lade October 27, 2014

HAIR & PRODUCT UPDATE

Hello Ladies

I can’t believe we are almost at the end of October already. I am back from my holiday which I enjoyed more than I intended to. Majority of the work I planned to do just didn’t happen. I am behind on everything!!!! But I am back to reality and have been eager to update the blog in a more helpful way. And that brings me to my next point…..videos!!!!

I was always adamant that I would not create videos for Hairducation because I felt it would be too time consuming and I know absolutely nothing about video editing, lighting, etc. However because I haven’t been consistent lately with blogging I thought I should go the extra mile in making it up to my readers by creating my very first video ever!!!

The fact is some things are better explained by video. I tried to write a blog post on how I detangle and finger comb my hair but realised quickly that a video would be more appropriate. As I am typing this up I don’t even know how to upload videos to Hairducation but I am sure I will figure it out.

(It turns out I cant and have to re-record the whole thing. I had to set up a You-tube page which I did. But the file is too large for me to upload the video to YouTube because the network/signal in my area is soooo poor it just isn’t working. I even went to an internet café and still no joy).
I intend to get on re-recording asap. In the interim please see my hair and product update below.

HAIR UPDATE – WIG REGIMEN MODE

I put my hair in 24 box braids whilst on holiday and I transitioned to my wig regimen.
I wore my Hair By Type 4 “Runway” wig which is a part of the R collection whilst on my break. I used to think the wig was a little on the long side but now that my hair is the same length it feels pretty normal. My own hair is not that thick though ( I wish).

Going to pick up my niece from school but first………

Again I was really slacked with hair care whilst I was away. On this trip I cleansed my scalp with wipes a few times but only moisturised twice in over three weeks…..#badhairblogger

My hair seems okay but it is quite dirty and my scalp is a little on the itchy side. I am about to start unravelling the box braids to wash and give my hair a much needed deep condition. Fingers crossed the neglect hasn’t done too much harm to it.

PRODUCT UPDATE

I had a good stash of hair products before my trip but off course I stocked up a little bit. As you can see I decided that I really like the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner and have decide to include it as one of my moisturising conditioner options.

You may also notice the huge jar of Motions Moisture Plus Conditioner. I mentioned in an old blog post that I would be giving this up and replacing it with Tresemme Nourishing Moisture. Although I still have a lot of “respect” for the Tresemme conditioner, when I was deep on my stretch it didn’t seem to moisturise my hair as well as the Motions did. So for that reason I decided to re-introduce Motions Moisture Plus into my regimen. I think I am going to stop fighting the fact that I like a conditioner that contains mineral oil. I guess it’s just meant to be.

Other products I stocked up on were coconut oil, rosemary and peppermint oils, Cantu Shea Butter leave in conditioning cream and S-curl.
I intend to spend the next few days playing catch upon all your emails, responding to questions and settling back to work.
The next blog post will be about food for growth, ie what we should be eating to help us grow healthy hair fibres and shortly after that the detangling video should be up. See you again soon.

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade September 7, 2014

WASH & TRIM DAY FAIL

Hello Ladies
I washed my hair last weekend and intended trim my ends. It all went a little wrong….

It all started with my moisturising deep conditioner running out. I was out of both my Tresemme Nourishing Conditioner and Motions Moisture Plus. On a whim I decided to try a new conditioner I had heard good things about, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration.

MY WASH DAY GONE (SORT OF) WRONG

I put my hair in 14 large box braids after detangling with a “generous amount of olive oil. I covered the box braids with a plastic shower cap and went to bed.
The next day I shampooed and deep conditioned my hair. I had followed using my usual technique of mixing my protein and moisture deep conditioner together. However I was trying out a new moisture conditioner I did 70:30 mix instead of my usual 50:50.
My deep conditioner mix was 70% of the Hello Hydration and 30% of Vitale Olive Oil conditioner. I mixed in one teaspoon of olive oil. I used this ratio because I wanted to see what effect the Hello hydration would have on my hair.
After washing my hair I noticed that my hair felt a more slippery than normal but didn’t think much of it. I deep conditioned and after rinsing out the deep conditioner I was happy with how my hair felt.

As I detangled and dried my hair I thought “oh wow my hair is really shiny”, then I thought ”hold on, my hair is clumpy”. That was when I realised my hair was actually super oily, limp and weighed down. When it dried and I touched it, it actually left my hands oily.
I wash not a happy bunny. It felt like I had wasted a wash day and I could not proceed with trimming my hair in its greasy state.
I simply cut very tiny bits off my ends and will trim properly next wash day. What I find most annoying is that I am stuck with thin oily hair for a week +.

Would I use the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration again????? Absolutely!!

The minute I realised my hair was oily I thought about want went wrong and quickly realised it was the temperature of the water I used to wash my hair. The conditioner was not the problem.

Normally I shampoo my hair with warm water and rinse out the deep conditioner with cool-ish water.
On this wash day however, I shampooed and rinsed with coolish water. The hot water was a running a little low and I didn’t think washing with cool water would make much of a difference to how my hair turned out. Boy was I wrong. Because the water was cool the olive oil I used to pre-poo did not come off completely. Remember I said my hair felt slippery even after I had shampooed it. Also I don’t think I rinsed out the conditioner well enough.

Despite all my complaints my hair had really good elasticity and felt soft so I am soooooo eager to try it again next wash day. Hopefully if next wash day goes well I may be on to a winner with is conditioner.

Hair Care Technique Update

I try to advise ladies to review and update their regimen from time to time. This is something I did over my last stretch and I believe it helped me reduce tangling and matting tremendously. I definitely credit this new technique for helping me minimise breakage.

What is it??? Sectioning!!! I know I have always been an advocate of working on hair in sections, ie washing, deep conditioning, detangling, moisturising and sealing in sections. What is new is that I keep my hair in sections permanently now.

Previously, during the weekdays, my hair would be in a bun majority of the time, now what I do is keep my hair in 6 to 10 rolls when I am at home. If I am heading out, I let the rolls down and put it up in an up-do.
The key is that I don’t merge the hair into one before styling. I simply shake the hair down and style it. So at the base of the style, my hair is still sectioned.
When I get back home I put my hair back in the rolled sections and because the parts at the base of my hair are still there, it only takes a few minutes to detangle, moisturise and seal and roll up each section.

I hope the above makes sense. When I used to keep my hair in one single bun, I would have to create new parts every time I wanted to detangle and moisturise and seal. Now the parts are created after my wash days and are kept in and re-used through the week.
I find that my hair matts and tangles less. The tangles that do form are easier to locate and detangle. It saves me a lot of time and it my hair seems to be thriving with it. I don’t think this technique is necessary but it seems to work for me and you are welcome to try it out.

The only downside is that this may not be ideal for ladies who like very sleek hair. As I like my hair looking a little messy it works well for me.

Have you had a wash day gone wrong? What happened? Anyone experimenting with a new technique? Do share, lets all learn from each other.
Coming up next, some hair style pictorials and a guide on how I finger comb my hair.

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

Lade June 21, 2014

THE HAIRDUCATION CONSULTATION SERVICE

Hello ladies

I hope your hair journeys have been going well. I am certainly enjoying mine at the moment because I am fully settled into my wig regimen which means less work for me. My hair seems to be doing well and we are both pleased. I will do a hair update post after my next wash day.

This blog post is all about the Hairducation Consultation Service. It is a project that is really close to my heart as I have invested so much time in preparing myself and figuring out the best way to offer the service. In this blog post I will share how the consultation service will run, details of the salon the service is offered within and other essential information.

THE CONSULTATION SERVICE

The service will consist of three consultation meetings and 5 weekly communication sessions to be completed in the following manner:

Meeting 1 – The Assessment
I will carry out a detailed assessment (including some tests) and liaise with the client to establish the client’s hair type, the current state of their hair and scalp, their hair care history, problems they might have with their hair and their hair goals.

Meeting 2 – Presentation of The Regimen and Implementation
I will meet with the client to discuss the client’s hair type and characteristics. I will also discuss pros and cons of the client’s current hair care/styling habits.
I will then present and explain the personalised hair care regimen created for the client. The regimen will be very detailed but easy to follow. Consideration will be given to the client’s lifestyle to ensure the regimen is practical.

Implementation
a) The regimen may be implementation by the client if they wish. I will complete some practical “how to” demonstrations where necessary to ensure the client understands and can complete hair care techniques in the correct manner.

B) For ladies who do not wish to do their hair themselves, the regimen will be implemented by the head stylist at the salon. There will be some very minimal at home actions to be completed by the client. I will carry out some practical demonstrations where necessary.

Weekly Communication – On-going Support
After the second assessment, I will liaise with the client weekly for a five week period to ensure they are following the regimen and to address questions they might have.
For clients whose regimen is implemented by the salon, I will liaise with the client and the salon to ensure the both understand what services are to be completed during the client’s salon appointment. Any questions will be addressed.

Meeting 3 – The Review
The third and final meeting will be arranged to review the progress of the client’s hair, the effects of the regimen, make adjustments to the regimen if necessary and to address any further questions the client may have.

THE SALON – OREOLA HAIR STUDIO

The consultation sessions will all be held at Oreola Hair Studios.

I found the salon when a family member I had discussed the consultation service with told me about a friend who had opened a new salon and might be interested in the service. I met with the owner of the salon and the head stylist and was very pleased with the set up.
I was fortunate and blessed to find a salon that understood the vision of the service I was trying to provide but also met my expectations in terms of quality of service, experience and products.

The salon might be new but the experience is not. The head stylist, Mrs Jolade (who will be working on my clients’ hair) has over 20 years hair dressing experience and has worked in some of the most high profile salons in Nigeria. I met up with Mrs Jolade several times over a few months to review hair products and to discuss and practice hair care techniques. I wanted to be certain she would be able to implement regimens I created.

I am very happy with her skill set and awareness of correct hair care practices. I was relieved to have found a stylist who understood that hair care was more important than hair styling. A huge bonus for me is that she is VERY skilled in working with natural hair as well because the consultation service is open to relaxed, texlaxed, transitioning and natural ladies.

Oreola 2

Oreola Hair studio is located in Fola Osibo, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday (9am to 6pm) and Sunday (1pm to 6pm). The salon operates on an appointment basis. Walk in clients are welcome, however propriety will always be given to clients who have made appointment. The salon uses high end salon products such as kera Care, Syntonics, Affirm, Elasta QP and many brands popular with natural ladies such as As I Am and Miss Jessie’s hair products.

OTHER ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

Please note the following,

1) I cannot diagnose or treat alopecia, other scalp diseases or hair loss caused by health problems, medical conditions/treatments or hormonal imbalances.
The consultation service is designed to help women resolve damage and breakage issues and to provide hair care and hair styling advice to prevent hair loss

2) Please note that for ladies who would like a salon implemented regimen, the regimen should be implemented at Oreola Hair Studio. This is because I have assessed the hair stylist and I have had several sessions with her to ensure she can implement regimens correctly.
Please note that I do not get paid a commission when a client has her hair done at the salon. Therefore my reasons for saying that clients regimens should be implemented by Oreola Studio are not financially motivated. It is to ensure that regimens I create are implemented accurately.

3) Payment for the consultation and support service is made by the client.

4) The service is geared towards ladies who are dedicated to improving their hair and are realistic about the time frame for growing it to longer lengths.

I hope the above information sums up the Hairducation consultant service clearly. I believe some of you may have thought I was going to become a hair stylist but that was never my intention. Not that there is anything wrong in being a stylist, but I simply wanted something different.
My goal was to become a hair care educator or a personal hair care coach as somebody once put it. I literally wanted to convert Hairducation from being just words on a blog to a hands-on advice and support service which I would personalise for each client.
I also wanted a system that would make it possible for clients to enjoy healthier and longer hair without tons of research and with minimal work on their path.

If you would like to book a consultation with me or you know someone who you think may benefit from the Hairducation Consultation service please send an email to rehairducation@gmail.com for further information.
I am really excited about the service and I hope it will make a positive difference for ladies on a healthy hair mission. I am so happy the service is now live and thank God for the opportunity. I hope you think the above structure makes sense and would really love to know what you think.

The next blog post should be a really interesting one. It’s about them and us. Have you ever wondered why our Caucasian and Asian sisters can grow their hair quite easily whilst we have to make “special” effort to grow ours? If yes, please come back soon and you’ll see black hair in a whole new light.

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow