Rehairducation

FAQ: ARE YOU NATURAL?

Hello ladies

Before I jump in I wanted to say a big hello to all the ladies who have just discovered Hairducation. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you feel inspired to take better care of your hair.

 

ARE YOU NATUTRAL?

The question I get asked the most by ladies who see my hair in person is “are you natural” or “how long have you been natural”? Many simply assume I am natural and make statements like “ I want to go natural like you” or “ if my hair was natural like yours maybe it won’t break so much”
My hair does look natural and the fact that I relax my hair only twice or three times a year means I am usually walking around with a lot of new growth.

This blog post is a chance for me to explain that there are different degrees of texlaxing. Some ladies texlax their hair but still retain a high amount of its natural texture, for example their hair may retain about 60 percent of its natural kinks. Some other ladies with texlaxed hair may retain a smaller amount of their natural texture, for example their hair may retain only 20%.
The ladies in the two examples above both have texlaxed hair but by varying degrees. I knew from early on in my hair journey that I wanted my hair to look like natural hair that had been blow dried straight. Over the years I figured out how much oil I needed to add to my relaxers to weaken it and how long to leave the relaxer on my hair to achieve this look. Looking at my hair I would say I have retained 30% to 40% of my natural texture.

 

 

Mini Hair Update

I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and also write a super quick hair update post.
I am currently 18 weeks post and should be relaxing my hair in a month or so. This deep into my stretch my complaints are usually the same, wash day takes longer, my hair tangles more and I have to work harder to keep my hair moisturised.

On a positive note I was more consistent with my hair regimen on this stretch than I have been on previous ones and I honestly can see a difference. My ends have held up well enough and my hair looks healthy and feels good too.

I hope you have enjoyed this FAQ and mini update and that you’ll come back soon for the bun of the month post.

Happy hair journey

X

Lade

 

 

6 MONTHS WITH NAZURI: My Final Review

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I have spent six months with my wig made with the Nazuri Curls Kinky Straight and it is time for my final verdict on this hair weft. I am going to make it a quick one and delve right into the review.

Texture and Blending

This hair blends with relaxed hair or well stretched out natural hair.
In my opinion it blends most perfectly with texlaxed hair. My hair is texlaxed and so many times even my mother wasn’t sure if I was wearing the wig or my own hair. That is how much the texture looks like afro textured hair. There are some parts of the weft which look more like crimped or has a braid-out like pattern but this was certainly not a problem.

 

Weight

You get a lot of volume for very little weight. As a wig maker I have made wigs for ladies who use as many as 5 or 6 bundles of wefts to create volume and this usually means the wig is quite heavy. (I always advise them not to do this but……) With the wig I made myself using the Nazuri hair, I used just two bundles and it is so full/thick/dense looking but is super light weight at the same time.

 

Longevity

I have worn the wig regularly over the last 6 months, I have washed and conditioned it a few times with ease and minimal shedding. The hair is still in very good condition and I can see myself wearing it for at least another year.

 

Styling

I have styled the hair using curling wands and by setting it on bendy stick after wetting it lightly with water.
When I used the curling wand the curls were beautiful but dropped very quickly to my disappointment.   When I wet the hair and set it on bendy rollers however the curls formed lasted all day….actually it lasted for almost a week. The curls had dropped by the end of course and I only finger detangled a little that week to avoid messing with the curls but it certainly lasted all week to my delight.

 

Colour

I mentioned in one of my posts that my sister dyed her own wig and the results were really great. She didn’t like the shade she used initially and dyed some parts of it a second time. Not only did the wefts take the colour really well, the hair is still in good condition despite the two colour jobs. Yes it was s little dry for a while but after a few sessions of deep conditioning it is lush again.

 

Maintenance

The hair is quite easy to take care off. All I’ve had to do is detangle gently after each wear and spray/mist it once a week with water.

 

Final Verdict

Everywhere I wore this wig, whether it was a fancy restaurant or in Balogun market, every single time I wore this wig I would get stopped, pulled aside or sometimes grabbed by ladies and sometimes men (who I presume are hair stylists) asking if it was my real hair quickly followed by “oh it’s not your hair, please what hair is this?”. I love this wig and apparently so does everyone else. I will certainly be re-purchasing the hair wefts in the future.

 

Along with the bun of the month series, I will be introducing another series in which I will answer the most frequently asked questions I get about my hair. Come back soon for the first of my FAQ series.
Happy hair journey

X

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

SINGLE STRAND KNOTS

I used some knitting wool for illustration. Lets pretend that these are strands of hair.

Knots, tangles and matted hair can easily lead to breakage and damage so it is best to avoid them.
A common problem many natural haired ladies complain about is single strand knots also known as fairy knots. Although texlaxed and relaxed ladies can experience this sometimes it is far more common for natural haired ladies.

I am writing this post as an attempt to ensure posts on Hairducation cater to ladies of all hair types. In this post I will discuss what single strand knots are, the effects they have on hair, how to avoid getting them and what to do if you already have them.

 

WHAT ARE SINGLE STRAND KNOTS

Single strand knots occur when one strand of hair folds unto itself and forms a knot which eventually tightens until it forms a very tiny firm knot. They tend to occur towards the ends ( last few inches) of each strand of hair.

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Some strands may have one single knot while others may have several knots of each strand ( see the picture below.

I tend to notice the ones in my hair when I am moisturising and sealing and I feel the tiny knot towards the ends.  The reason they occur more often in ladies with natural hair is because their hair is full of curls, coils and kinks which curl and wind around itself more easily and more often than straight hair.

 

EFFECTS OF SINGLE STRAND KNOTS

Single strand knots can lead to bigger knots and tangles if other strands of hair latch on to the knot. Because the knots tend to become noticeable when it has already become extremely tight, it is often difficult to undo. Most times, they have to be cut out which will lead to thinner ends and shorter hair over time especially if there are loads knots to get rid off.

 

HOW TO KEEP THEM AT BAY

The following are normal parts of a hair regimen which we should be completing. It may not be possible to have hair that is 100% free of single strand knots but if you are notice that you are getting more and more single strand knots in your hair it me be a sign that you are slacking on one of the points below.

1) Keep your hair detangled and stretched
Knots are more likely to form when natural hair is left in its shrunken state. Natural that is well detangled and stretched is less likely to latch on to itself and form a knot. Thorough detangling can be time consuming but if longer thicker hair is what you desire you have to be willing to put in the time and effort it takes to retain as much length as possible. I tend to notice single strand knots in my hair when I’ve slacked on detangling for a few days.

This is a good point to remind us all that fingers are what should be used to detangle not a comb. Your fingers can feel and remove tangles in your hair whilst a comb will simply pull or tear through a tangle. Combs should only be used to smoothen hair after it has been finger detangled.

2) Moisturise and seal regularly
Moisturising and sealing helps to soften hair. The oil or butter which seals in moisture and lubricates the hair thereby reducing friction between the hair fibres. This helps the hair to slide more easily and have less chance of catching and looping round itself to form a single stand knot.

3)Wear protective styles
Styles such as buns, chignons and up-do’s protect our hair from physical and environmental damage but they also play a major role in keeping single strand knots at bay. These styles keep the hair confined so that it is not free to move and tangle around its self. They also help to keep natural hair stretched for longer.

 

HOW TO GET RID OF SINGLE STRAND KNOTS

If you already have single strand knot, what should you do? Cut it off. Some ladies try to untangle single starnd knots but this is usually only possible IF the knot is still a little loose. If however the knot has tightened and is very taut the best thing to do is to cut the knot out using a sharp hair shears/scissors.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and that you found it worth reading.  Have you experienced single strand knots?  What do you think is the cause of you getting them in your hair?
I have my final review of the Nazuri Curls review, another bun of the month pictorial and a hair update coming up next so come back soon ladies.

x

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

MY CONSULTATION CLIENTS RESULTS

Hello Ladies

When I started the Hairducation consultation service I knew it would take a while before my clients would be able to send me pictures of significant changes in their hair.

Even though many of them notice less breakage and more manageable hair after only a few weeks it takes many months before increases in length is apparent.

Over the last year, many of my clients have been sending me  pictures showing off the health and length of their hair so I thought I would share some of them with you. I may have created their regimens but they followed through and put in the work.  Well done ladies

toyos hair

 

af result

afs hair

I do have natural and transitioning clients too but I haven’t yet asked for their permission to share their pictures.  I guess they will be in my next client results post.

If you are interested in the consultation service please send an email to rehairducation@gmail.com.

Happy hair journey!

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

BUN OF THE MONTH SERIES

Hello ladies,

It’s no secret that I love my buns for a whole host of reasons, the first being that I don’t like to spend too much time creating a hair style.
Another reason is that for a lot of black women, protective styling is important if you would like to retain more length. So because of my hair journey, buns became my comfort zone and go to hair style.
The third and most important reason for me is the fact that I genuinely LOVE buns. I think there is a bun for any outfit or occasion.

Over the years I have created and sometimes copied many super quick buns. I decided to start a Bun of the Month series in which I will share my favourite buns and how I created them.

THE CROSSOVER TOP BUN

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HOW I DID IT

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I hope you enjoyed the post. Will you be trying out this style?

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow