Lade August 21, 2013

RELAXER UPDATE !

Compare where my thumbs are in this picture and the picture of my last relaxer ( March 2013)

So I relaxed my hair last weekend and it went really well.

My last relaxer was on March 15^th, 5 months ago!!!! I originally intended to stretch for 4 months only however I was so busy in July that I kept postponing it.
As you may know, I relax my hair myself and I know the havoc relaxers can cause when applied incorrectly so I DON’T PLAY on my relaxer days. It takes forever to properly prepare and relax my hair so if I don’t have the time to relax, I postpone until I have time to do it.

So here’s what I did on relaxer day:

1) I detangled my hair and applied castor oil to my entire scalp and to hair that had been relaxed previously. I was careful to avoid scratching or irritating my scalp.

2) My sister applied the relaxer to the back and when she was done I applied relaxer to the front section. The application process took 15 minutes.

3) I waited for 2 minutes, rinsed out the relaxer and neutralised my hair. I neutralised 4 times. I normally neutralise 5 times but I was crazily tired and the shampoo lather was white so I knew the relaxer was completely out of my hair.

4) I deep conditioned with a mixture of protein and moisture conditioners for approximately 40 minutes.

5) I rinsed out the conditioner, detangled, applied my leave in conditioners and blow dried on the warm air setting.

It took hours o! But I was sooooooo happy with the result and my new length. My hair has now a little past waist length. I was loving it and shaking it up and down the house………….

THE BACK

THE FRONT

TEXTURE & SCALP

THE PONY

But………I will not be holding on to this new length. My hair is thinner at the ends because the ends are old.

Hair of any race tends to be thinner at the ends, this is normal. However as I continue on my hair journey, I am getting better at minimising breakage and my hair is remaining thick. So I plan to trim my hair and keep it at waist length until all the thin ends have been cut off and my hair has the same thickness from root to tip.

It seems the greed monster has stuck again and I’ve decided that my NEW goal length is now lower back length. The moral of the story is that long hair can be addictive, well for me it is. The more I grow the more I want…….

I hope your hair journeys is going well. Anyone relaxing soon?

X
Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade August 13, 2013

CLEARER PICTURES

Hello Ladies.

I’ve been meaning to address the clearness of pictures on the site. At the time I took majority of the photos on the site, they were taken for my personal use only. Starting a blog was not on my agenda at the time so I didn’t mind that the photos were not very sharp.

Having started Hairducation, I decided to get a new camera and hope to improve the picture quality going forward.

Testing testing

Off to deliver a client’s wig! I was drawn to the colour yellow that day.

I hope you can see the improvement.

x

Lade

Lade August 13, 2013

5 THINGS THAT CAUSE DAMAGE

Forgive me for the mini hiatus, my laptop and my fast-link refused to work together. My laptop has now been exorcized and I can update the blog at last.

So on with the post……..

In my teens, I washed my hair with anything that produced lather, I thought deep conditioning was just extra wahala for those who had the time, I would spend hours creating hairstyles with curling irons just for fun, I blow dried on the highest heat settings, the list goes on and on. The fact is when you don’t know, you don’t know. I did not know what good or bad for my hair.

So I thought I should do a post setting out some of the common things we do to our hair without realising that it may cause damage and breakage.

CONSISTENT USE OF DIRECT HEAT

Heat can be a friend or a foe to a black woman’s hair depending on whether it is direct heat or indirect heat.

INDIRECT HEAT

Heat applied for deep conditioning and steaming are examples of indirect heat. Indirect heat is beneficial for our hair because it assists with product penetration. Roller setting is also regarded as indirect heat.

DIRECT HEAT

Heat from hand driers, hair straighteners and curling tongs are examples of direct heat.
Direct heat appliances work by evaporating the hair’s internal moisture rapidly and temporarily re-arranging some of the hair’s internal bonds. This is why blow drying dries hair quickly or curling irons creates curls in seconds.
With consistent use and improper preparation, direct heat can greatly damage our hair by increasing its dryness making it more prone to breakage.

I would advise that you cut down the use of direct heat as much as possible. For example:

Try to air dry instead of blow drying, or if you blow dry, use the coolest setting on your hand dryer.
If you intend to use a straightener or curling tong, ensure your hair is clean, deep conditioned and a leave in conditioner has been applied, prior to using the heat appliance. Also choose the lower temperature settings when using such tools to minimise the risk of burning.
A heat protectant hair product should also be used before applying direct heat.

I am not saying don’t ever use direct heat, my message is that it should be used very minimally in a healthy hair regimen.

NEGLECTING YOUR HAIR

Our hair like other parts of our bodies will not take care of its self. We regularly take care of our teeth between visits to the dentist; you wouldn’t go for a facial and then completely ignore your skin till the next appointment. Many of us however completely neglect our hair between salon visits.
This is something I used to be very guilty of before I started my hair journey.
There has to be some degree of at home hair care between salon visits. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to read the how to care for black hair section of this site. This will give you some guidance on what black hair needs to thrive.
So for example, if you are leaving your hair out, are you moisturising regularly? Are you wearing a protective hair style, is your hair covered at night when you sleep? Etc.
If your hair is in extensions, how are you keeping your hair and scalp clean? Is your hair being moisturised? etc.
A post of how to care for your own hair when wearing extensions will be on the site soon. So please stay tuned.

AGGRESSIVE HANDLING

Damage I caused to my hair at beginning of my hair journey. I used to be very aggressive when combing the middle section of my hair and this is the result.

Many of us are convinced that our hair is stronger than that of other races, that it is tough and can withstand aggressive pulling, the weight of extensions, can go for months without being washed, etc. The opposite is true. Our hair is delicate. It is more fragile than that of other races and must be handled with care. From cleansing through to styling, at every stage, be gentle with your hair. Give it some TLC. Treat it like fine silk, not like khaki!

BROKEN HAIR TOOLS

Ensure your hair care tools are in good shape.
If your comb or hair styling accessories are broken or cracked, throw it away. The sharp edges of the broken part will damage your hair cuticles and can tear your hair.
If you use your fingers to detangle your hair, ensure your nails are smooth so they don’t snag or break your hair.
So take a second look at your tools and accessories (and those used at the salon). Ensure they are good condition.

RELAXER ABUSE

I have addressed relaxers and how they work in a previous post. However I thought I should reiterate on this post that hair should not be relaxer more frequently than every 8 weeks. Also it is essential for correct procedures to be followed when hair is being relaxed to prevent severe scalp injuries and hair loss. Please see this post for a step by step guide on procedures to be followed when relaxing.

I hope you find this post helpful and that it encourages you to be more cautious with your hair.

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade July 27, 2013

RELAXERS & HOW TO MINIMISE THE RISK OF HAIR LOSS WHEN RETOUCHING ( PART TWO)

For a complete grasp of relaxing and minimising hair loss from relaxing, please ensure you have read part 1 of this post.
Preparing black hair for relaxing should commence a week before the relaxer date. This is especially important if your hair has just been removed from extensions. Hair should be removed from extensions at least a week before relaxer day.

ACTIONS TO BE COMPLETED THE WEEK BEFORE RELAXING BLACK HAIR

1) Wash and deep condition with a protein conditioner
Hair that has a lot of new growth and hair that has just been removed from extensions tends to matt and tangle when being washed. For this reason I would advise that the hair is thoroughly detangled and then put into 6 to 8 box braids (calabar with no extensions).
The hair can be washed and deep conditioned in the box braids as this will decrease the risk of the hair matting. A detailed post on how to do this will be up soon.
A protein conditioner will give the hair the strength it needs to undergo the relaxing process. A moisturising leave-in conditioner should be used to restore protein/moisture balance.

2) Avoid scratching or irritating the scalp
Avoid scratching or irritating the scalp during the week. Also your hair should be put in a simple style that will not require a lot of pulling and combing to achieve. The style should also be easy to maintain or recreate during the week.
If you need to comb your hair during the week divide your hair into four sections, and comb through gently with a wide tooth comb. This way you do not disturb your scalp. A scratched or irritated scalp has a high risk of burning and becoming damaged during the relaxing process.

3) Moisturise and Seal
The hair should be moisturised and sealed a few times during the week to prevent it from becoming excessively dry.

A STEP BY STEP GUIDE FOR RELAXER DAY

relaxer2b

1. Part hair into 4 or more questions
Your hair should be parted into 4 or more sections. I part my hair into 5 sections, 3 at the back and 2 at the front. Because I relax every 4/5 months, I have loads of new growth so parting my hair into 5 sections for relaxing makes it easier to access the roots.
You can keep the sections separated by using a hair clip or hair band. When you are at the salon, ensure the hair is kept in those sections throughout the relaxing process, for ease of access.

2. Detangle each section
Detangle each section gently with your hands. This can be followed by a wide tooth comb if necessary.
This is ESSENTIAL. Do not apply relaxer to hair that has knots and tangles. If the tangles are left in the hair, if will cause bigger tangles and knots when the hair is being washed. These will be very hard to remove by hand and will cause major damage if they are combed out.
To avoid this ensure your hair is thoroughly detangled before relaxing. The salon may not be willing to spend that much time detangling thoroughly or gently enough. I advise you to detangle yourself at home before going to the salon.

3. Protect your scalp
Oils like pure olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, etc should be applied to the scalp whilst detangling to protect the scalp.

4. Protect hair that has been previously relaxed
Hair that has been relaxed previously must be protected to prevent over processing. To do this, apply either an oil or conditioner to previously relaxed hair to protect it.

5. Protect your hair line and perimeter
Ensure oil or hair grease is applied to your hairline and your ears to protect them.

6. Apply relaxer to new growth only
Relaxer must be applied to natural new growth only, it must not be applied to previously relaxed hair. Applying relaxer to previously relaxed hair will cause over processing. Over processed hair will break gradually over the following weeks and months.

relaxer2c

7. Avoid combing through hair when there is relaxer in it
The back of a rat tail comb may be used to smooth in the relaxer or hands can used to pull the hair straight. Combing through can lead to damage and may also irritate the scalp

8. Rinse after time recommended by the relaxer brand
The direction provided on the relaxer jar or box will specify how long the relaxer should be left on for. Do not wait for your scalp to start burning before rinsing out the relaxer.

9. Neutralise at least 3 or 4 times.
After the relaxer has been rinsed off, the hair should be washed with a neutralising shampoo a minimum of three times.
During the second or third wash, the shampoo lather should be left in hair for about five minutes to give it time to penetrate the hair shaft and fully neutralize. Personally I neutralize 4 times, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

10. Deep Condition
After neutralizing, your hair should be deep conditioned with either protein or a mixture of protein and moisture conditioners.
If you use a protein conditioner alone, ensure you follow up with a moisturising leave in conditioner to help restore protein and moisture balance. Your hair can then be roller set or blow dried gently.

11. Well done
If you have followed all the instructions above, then you will have greatly minimised the risk of hair loss from the relaxing process.

Early 2013- My hair after a successful but tiring relaxer day

HAIR CARE FOR THE FIRST 2 WEEKS AFTER RELAXING

Do not install braids or weaves in the first two weeks after relaxing your hair.
Hair that has just been relaxed needs a lot of TLC and cannot withstand the tension of extensions. After the two week period, ensure your hair is washed and deep conditioned with a mixture of protein and moisture conditioners before the extensions are installed.
Ensure you take care of your hair in those two weeks, i.e., moisturise and seal regularly, wear protective hair styles, etc.

I hope the above guide has not been too daunting and I hope your next relaxer sessions goes really well.

Learn | Change | Grow

x Lade

Lade July 24, 2013

PROTECTIVE HAIR STYLE – PICTURE TUTORIAL

pictorial7

I thought I should start with a reminder that a protective style is a hair style that does not require heat or too much manipulation (combing, pulling) to achieve.

It should keep hair off the shoulders and protect the hair from exposure to the elements, especially at the ends. This basically means that the ends of the hair which are the oldest and weakest parts of our hair should be tucked away or hidden to prevent it from getting dry by exposure to the sun and wind, or from getting damaged from rubbing on your shoulders and clothes.

I created the above hair style when heading out for lunch with a few friends. Please see the pictorial below which shows how you can recreate the style.