Rehairducation – Page 22 – Hair Care for Hair Growth

Lade October 17, 2015

Hair Styling: Making More Effort But Keeping It Simple

Hello Ladies

How are we all doing?

I’ve been rounding things up with my wig regimen as I am preparing to texlax my hair in a week or so. I must say I’ve been having a little too much fun with my wigs of late.
I normally can’t be bothered to style my hair or my wigs for that matter unless it is a style I can create in 10 minutes max or preferably 2 to 3 minutes …….yes 2 to 3 minutes. This is one of the reasons why buns are my hairs best friend.

I do realise however that maybe I should make a teeny tiny more effort in styling my hair ( and wigs). Not every day buns….sometimes something a little more fun is needed. I’ve been doing just that with my wigs recently and I am liking it…a lot.

9 bendy rollers was all it took to create these lush curls on my wig made with Nazuri Curls Straight hair. If you would like to get your hands on Nazuri Curls gorgeous range of hair extensions don’t forget you can still get 10% off using the Hairducation discount code.

Jumbo two strand twists on my Nazuri Hair wig. This took about 5 minutes to create.

Both of these styles were created with minimal effort and took less than 10 minutes so I am winning. As a way to encourage myself to up my hair style game, I’ve been buying a few hair accessories and props for use after I texlax. Hopefully these new toys won’t just end up gathering dust in corner.
I am I the only lazy hair styler out there. What kind of styles do you tend to do with your hair and wigs? What kind of styles do you think I should do with my hair?

The next blog post about transitioning should be up early next week. Come back soon ladies.

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade October 10, 2015

HAIR UPDATE!

Hello Ladies,

My hair has been on a hiatus because I am still following my wig regimen. I took these pictures a day after my wash day and intend to put my hair back in box braids so I can continue with my wig regimen.

I am currently 21 weeks post and I had planned to relax/texlax my hair by now but with a few packed weeks ahead i decided to wait a little while longer.
Freshly relaxed or texlaxed hair need a lot of TLC that I don’t have the time for at the moment. I am simply going to follow my wig regimen till my schedule is a little less intense.

I have a lot of new growth as can be seen in the pictures. You may also notice that my hair especially the new growth looks a little dry. Well yes it is….I moisturised and sealed immediately after taking these pictures.

My hair sucks up moisture a lot more when I am deep on a stretch so I have to make more efforts to hydrate it regularly. Detangling also takes a bit of a while and I have to commit to that.

My ends….I am back to not being happy with my ends. I feel a mini cut coming cut coming on when I texlax. It is needed….raggedy ends have got to go.

I think that’s about it. What is happening with your hair ladies? Anybody else on a stretch?

My next post will be a guide for ladies who want to transition to natural. I may not be transitioning but I hope I can at least be of some help to ladies who would like to make that change. The post will also be very useful for ladies who stretch their relaxers.

Come back soon ladies,

Lade

Lade October 1, 2015

Caring For Your Wig

Hello ladies

This is a very short impromptu post about wig care.
The majority of the time I tend to emphasise caring for our own hair when wearing wigs but the fact is our wigs need love too. I was washing my Nazuri Curls wig and thought it would be a good time to share how I care for my wigs.

Wash and Conditioning

Wigs should be cleaned and conditioned regularly to help preserve the hair fibres and to keep the wig looking good for longer. No one wants a brittle and dry looking wig. A sulfate free shampoo should be used to wash the wig and this can be followed by a light weight instant conditioner. If I am wearing a wig regularly I wash it every 2 to 3 weeks.

How I Wash and Condition My Wigs

Detangle thoroughly
Saturate the wig with room temperature water. Keep the wig hanging straight down as seen in the pictures above or lay it flat in a tub of water.
Apply shampoo to the wig and gently squeeze the lather through the length of the wig. Avoid twisting or scrunching the wig
Rinse thoroughly and apply light weight moisture conditioner
Leave the conditioner on for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly without twisting or roughing up the wig
A very light leave in conditioner can be applied depending on the hair type and your own preferences. I only apply leave in conditioners to wigs that have a tendency to become frizzy and I make sure the products I use are non greasy or sticky.
Air dry, blow dry or roller set. If styling with heat ensure you use a heat protectant.

My wig made with Nazuri Curls hair extensions. After washing, I used 9 bendy rollers, let it dry and voilà….hello lushness 🙂

And there it is. A quick and straight to the point post about wig care.

I am having such a hectic week and I am struggling to find time to wash my hair so I can come back to you with my hair update post. Fingers crossed it I’ll do it tomorrow (I am trying to stop procrastinating….honest)

Come back soon and happy independence day to my fellow Nigerians.

Lade
Learn | Change | Grow

Lade September 28, 2015

Differences Between Natural and Relaxed Hair Regimens

Hello ladies,

I know this post was supposed to be a hair styling post however I made a little mistake when creating the styles so I decided to write this post instead.

I usually get ideas of what posts to write from the questions I get asked regularly. One question I have been asked often over the years is whether the advice on Hairducation applies to ladies who are natural or if I have special advice for natural hair.
Majority of the advice Hairducation does apply to natural hair ladies. Regular cleansing, conditioning, moisturising and sealing and protective styling are practices that help black hair thrive irrespective of whether you are natural or relaxed. Clearly posts about relaxing and texlaxing may not apply however other posts such as how to care for hair in extensions applies to both natural and relaxed ladies.

There are however some aspects of hair regimens that have to be fine tuned or adjusted based on whether your hair is natural or relaxed/texlaxed. I have set out the main aspects to be noted below and I hope you find helpful.

Deep Conditioning – Protein and Moisture Balance

Black hair needs protein deep conditioning for strength and moisture deep conditioning for softness and elasticity. If you are new to hair journeys and don’t know protein and moisture deep conditioning and how to use them please see this post. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

For Relaxed/ Texlaxed Ladies
Protein deep conditioning should be done at least once or twice a month because the chemicals in the relaxer would have broken down your hairs natural protein making it weaker. You therefore have to boost our hairs strength by completing a protein deep conditioner regularly.

For Natural Ladies
Your hair will have most of its natural protein structure intact however daily wear and tear, occasional use of heat and age of the hair fibres will lead to some damage and weakness of your hair so protein deep conditioning should still be completed.
The difference is that natural ladies do not need to use protein conditioners as often as relaxed heads. If you are natural you should use protein deep conditioners every 4 to 8 weeks depending on your hairs need for it. Just as a guide, some natural ladies use protein deep conditioners once a month and moisture deep conditioners 3 times a month.

The Weight Of Your Products

I have to emphasise that many naturals and relaxed ladies use the same products for leave-in conditioning and daily moisturising. However when choosing your leave-in conditioners, daily moisturisers and oils for sealing, you should have some consideration for your hair type when deciding which products to use.

For relaxed ladies
Most relaxed ladies hair works well with lighter products which will not weigh it down. Lotions and hair mists/sprays and popular with relaxed ladies. Light oils like coconut oil or medium weight oils like olive or almond oils are commonly used for sealing.

For natural ladies
Generally, natural haired ladies, especially those with very thick hair strands and full hair tend to use products that are thicker or heavier than those used by relaxed ladies. Creams or thicker lotions may work better as leave-in conditioners and daily moisturisers for ladies with natural hair. Many prefer to seal with hair butters like shea butter.
Please do exercise discretion and always be guided by what your hair needs when selecting your products, for example some natural ladies with very fine or thin hair may find that lightweight lotions and oils popular with relaxed hair ladies works best for them.

Manipulation – Combing and Styling

Black hair whether relaxed or natural should never be combed or styled when it is extremely dry and brittle as this will lead to breakage. Hair should only be combed and styled only if it is well moisturised.

For Natural Ladies
A point to be noted is that natural hair is more flexible and easier to manipulate when it is damp. Many natural ladies tend to spray their hair with a little water or liquid hair spray or hair mist before they manipulate their hair.
Manipulating in sections is also very beneficial to natural hair, trying to pull a comb through your hair as a single unit is a big no no.

The points above are some of the key differences between natural and relaxed hair regimens. As I mentioned earlier in the post please note that the advice is general, you can experiment with some of the suggestions but always see how your hair reacts and then take it from there.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. My next post will be the style post I promised as well as a hair update post. It’s been quite a while since I did one of those so come back soon to see how my hair has been holding up.

Happy Hair Journey

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade September 17, 2015

How To Buy Hair Products: Oils

One of the items we begin to value and use a lot more at the beginnings of our hair journey is oils and butters. Before my hair journey I never ever sealed my hair. I knew natural oils were good for our hair but didn’t use them on my hair.
I realised soon after starting Hairducation that some readers get a little confused about what types of oils and butter they should use.
I have written a post about oils on a hair journey which you can read here but this post will share a little more information and give a lot of good tips for buying oils for use on your hair journey.

In this post I will discuss the types of oils needed on a hair journey, how to use them, the best places to find them and what to look out for when buying them. Enjoy

Types of Oils Needed On A Hair Journey

Petroleum and mineral oils are common examples of synthetic oils. These are okay when used as a sealant however they can’t be absorbed by hair and scalp. It is therefore always better to use natural oils on a hair journey.
There are two main types of natural oils used on a hair journey, carrier oils and essential oils.

Carrier Oils and Butters
Natural carrier oils contains so many nutrients and vitamins which work very well on our hair and scalp and have so many uses on a hair journey. They are usually obtained from the fruit, nuts, seeds or kernels of plants. Carrier oils commonly used on a hair journeys include
Olive, coconut, Jamaican black castor, almond, argan, avocado, grapeseed oils and shea butter. Some ladies also use ayurvedic oils like Amla and Bhringraj oils

Essential Oils
Essential oils are optional on a hair journey. They are not used for sealing. Many essential oils have anti bacterial and antifungal properties; they can also be very relaxing and refreshing and help to stimulate hair growth. They are very potent or strong and must be diluted with carrier oils before use. They should not be used by pregnant ladies without first consulting with your doctor.

How to Use Oils On A Hair Journey

Oils can be used in the following ways

Pre-pooing
To seal in moisture ( essential oils should not be used to seal)
Can be mixed into conditioners
Can be used for scalp massages
As a lubricant to help with detangling
Some carrier oils like coconut oil are great for boosting shine
Can be mixed into relaxers for texlaxing ( essential oils should NEVER be mixed in with relaxers or used in the final week before relaxing or texlaxing)

Where To Buy Oils

Supermarket
Carrier oils are usually best sourced in your supermarket aisles because so many of them are used for cooking. Most supermarkets will have extra virgin cold pressed oils like olive oil and grapeseed oil on their shelves. Look for them in the food aisles not in the hair and skin aisles.

Local Markets
For ladies in Nigeria and Africa in general most local markets will have butters like Shea butter or coconut oil available for purchase.

Healthy Food Stores
These are also a good place to find oils, butters and essential oils. Most carry an impressive range of oils.

Your local BSS or Hair and Beauty Shop
You should be able to oils here as well. A lot of these stores tend to sell mixed oils or blended oils which are okay so long as you buy the ones that are all natural ( no petroleum, petrolatum or mineral oils).
A great thing about a lot of hair and beauty stores is that they are a good place to find ayurvedic oils.

How To Buy Oils- What You Should Look Out For

Make sure it is 100
100% natural that is.
The ingredients should be 100 natural and free from synthetic oils. Preferably there should be only one item listed in the products ingredients.

Keep it Cold and Raw

Try to buy oils that have cold pressed or extra virgin cold pressed written on the bottle. This means the process of obtaining the oil from the plant was done without the use of heat. Oils that are cold pressed and are still raw retain more of their nutrients and goodness in comparison to those created with heat.

Natural Mixes
Some ladies prefer to mix their oils themselves whilst others would rather purchase premixed oils. Some brands of hair oils of greases are premixed and can be quite great.
If you decide to buy a premixed oil or hair grease, look through the ingredients listed and ensure it does not include synthetic oils.

Dark Bottles

Extra virgin cold pressed oils and essential oils tend to be sold in dark bottles as this helps to block sunlight. Sunlight can have an effect of the nutrients and quality of the oil so dark bottles are a plus.
Please note that some great quality oil brands are sometimes sold in clear jars or bottles. This does not mean that they are not good quality. All you have to do is keep oils out of the sunlight.
Don’t Rely on the Front Label
If a hair oil or grease/pomade is labelled as coconut oil, or olive oil, or shea butter, etc but when you look at the ingredients the items listed first are petrolatum, petroleum jelly or mineral oil, put the oil down and walk away.

Special Tip For Buying Essential Oils
100% pure essential oils are usually sold in very small bottles (usually 10ml to 30ml). This is because they are really strong and only a few drops is needed for each use. Some companies however sell essential oils in quite big bottles and label them in large print as 100% of the essential oil, eg 100% rosemary oil or 100% tea tree oil. However somewhere on the bottle in small print will be written “ this is 100% rosemary oil blended with almond oil”.

This isn’t really bad because it is an all natural mix, the labelling of such oils are however very misleading because many ladies buy these type of oils thinking that they are buying a pure essential oil.
I always recommend that ladies buy 100% pure essential oils as this allows them to blend it with their own choice of carrier oils and they can determine how much to blend themselves.

My Personal Favourite Oils

Through my hair journey I have always used the following oils, olive, coconut, Jamaican black castor oils. For essentials oils rosemary and peppermint are my must haves.
I have tried many many many other types of oils but always come back to these five.
What are your favourite oils and how do you use it?

Initially intended to include advice for buying hair gels I this post but it would have been too long so I decided to just talk about oils for now. My next post will be a short and sweet styling post. Now that I have committed myself I hope I don’t end up with epic fails
Come back soon ladies and happy hair journey

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow