Heat 101

There is alot of talk when it comes to heat and its effect on hair. Everyone knows that if you want that shiny, full of body and glamorous style, a heated tool will help you create the look that you desire. Now although using heat makes it a whole lot easier to achieve a desired look, you must truly be careful not to abuse your tools. African American hair is pretty dry by nature, so we shouldn't do anything to dry our hair out any worse. Here are some tips to help you maintain the health of your hair while creating the look you want.

• Always, always always make sure your hair is clean and free of buildup and product before applying a curling or flatiron



• Shampoo and DEEP Condition always before styling with heat tools



• While hair is wet, lightly apply a leave in conditioner or hair serum to add moisture



• Always use a heat protectant on your hair prior to curling or flatironing

Tip: There is alot of controversy about how often to use heat on your hair. I flatiron my hair on an average of every 3-4 months. Some people may have to use some form of heat on the hair either everyday, or at least once a week. If I did use heat on my hair regularly, I would opt for once a week at least, being sure to deep condition and use a heat protectant on my hair.

My Flat Ironing Regimen

1. Shampoo with a moisturizing Shampoo (Keracare or Design Essentials)



2. Deep Condition (ORS Replenishing Conditioner or Keracare)



3. Towel Dry



4. Spray on Design Essentials HCO Leave In (this is a heat protectant for blowdrying)



5. Apply Design Essentials Nutriment Rx very lightly



6. Blowdry



7. Spray Silk Elements Heat Protectant on each section before Flatironing

My Relaxer System

I relax my hair anywhere from 8-12 weeks using a lye relaxer. I use the affirm Fiberguard relaxer system, Loooove it. I use it mainly because it preserves 25% of the hair's natural strength during the relaxing process. The System consists of....

• Step 1: Preservo- This is applied to the entire head of hair including the new growth. This is the process that helps preserve the hair's strength, hence the name, Preservo.
• Step 2:Creme Relaxer- This the the actual relaxer which contains conditioning agents.
• Step 3:Sustenance- This conditioner is applied to hair after all traces of the relaxer is rinsed from the hair for 5 minutes.
• Step 4:Normalizing Shampoo- This is the neutralizing shampoo and the final step.

Relaxing 101

Let's begin. Now, to better comprehend the entire relaxing process, let's go over a few things to help you understand what reactions are actually taking place as you relax your hair. Your natural hair consists of protein bonds. These bonds are what gives the hair its strength. In order to straighten or relax the hair, these protein bonds have to be broken down. This makes the hair more manageable, esthetically approving to some, and even appear longer. But at the same time, the hair is becoming weaker, drier, and even more susceptible to damage. That is why chemically treated hair requires special attention in order to decrease the amount of breakage and damage that will occur if the hair is not properly cared for. In this article, I would like to explain to you how to care for your hair and scalp weeks before and after relaxing, and also how to properly apply the relaxer to your hair.

As stated earlier, when a chemical relaxer is applied to the hair, it breaks down the protein bonds that actually make the hair strong, in turn the hair is weaker after relaxing. But, just because you choose to relax your hair, does not mean it has to fall victim to breakage and damage. At least one week before you relax your hair, treat it to a strong protein treatment. This will help retain more of your hair's strength during the relaxing process. Protein treatments can be purchased from your local beauty supply, pharmacy or grocery store and even online. A protein treatment is simply a conditioner that has a large amount of protein in it. Keep in mind that there are some conditioners that have protein in them that are used on a weekly basis, not to be confused with hard protein conditioners which can only be used once every 6 weeks. Some protein treatments include, Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment, Nexxus Emergencee, and Mizani Kerafuse. If you choose not to purchase conditioners such as these, you can make your own protein treatment from home and get the same benefit. All you have to do is mix 1-2 eggs with regular mayonnaise from the fridge, some olive oil and maybe a little conditioner of your choice. There are no specific ratios, just be sure to add at least 1 egg, an additional egg for longer hair. Shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo. Apply treatment all over your hair, if you will be sitting under a hooded dryer or using a warm towel, place a plastic cap over your head first and let sit for 30 minutes. If you are using no heat, place plastic cap on and let sit for 1 hour. Once the allotted amount of time has elapsed, rinse, and deep condition your hair with a moisturizing conditioner following the same instructions.

Okay, so you've done your protein treatment, and you're just about ready to relax your hair. Remember this should be the last time you wash your hair before you relax. Always wash your hair no sooner than 5-7 days before you relax. Apply some type of natural oil like, olive or castor oil, to your scalp about 2-3 days before you relax your hair and try to avoid combing through your scalp or scratching it the day before and the day of relaxing to avoid burns. Alright, you're just about ready to begin. Base your hairline, nape and ear area with vaseline (petroleum jelly or other petroleum based product). Section your hair into 6 sections , 3 on each side of your head. A good tip to remember when relaxing your hair is to never start at your nape area or your edges. This is the thinnest area of the hair and you should start the process here last. When I relax I begin in the crown of my head, working towards the front and then the back last. If your hair is previously relaxed, be sure to protect it by applying petroleum jelly to the previously relaxed portion of the hair to prevent overlapping the relaxer. Apply relaxer to newgrowth only. Now that you understand how to apply the relaxer you can begin. In order to prevent over-processing be sure to follow the time chart according to your hair type found either in the instructions or on the outside of the relaxer container. It is imperative that you do not allow the relaxer to sit on your hair longer than the recommended time in order to prevent damage. When time is up, be sure to rinse all traces of relaxer from your hair with warm water.It is now time to shampoo your hair. If using a relaxer kit, there should be a bottle of shampoo that is included. If using a lye relaxer, you usually have to buy shampoo separately with these types. Always be sure to use a neutralizing shampoo. This type of shampoo is specially formulated to stop the relaxing process. Shampoo your hair twice, and then a third time. Leave the shampoo on for 10 minutes and then do a final rinse. At this point you will need to deep condition your hair for 20-30 minutes with a plastic cap and heat from a hooded dryer or warm towel.

Maintaining your hair after the relaxing process is very important. The hair tends to be drier after being chemically treated so be sure to moisturize daily!. Deep conditioning at least once a week is also a must. Remember to be gentle with your hair and try to manipulate it as little as possible. It is recommended that you relax your hair every 8-10 weeks.

Visit the following link for a how to video on relaxing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=157rpqfHIvg

My Progress So Far and My Regimen

The picture on the left represents my hair when I first began my journey (October 7, 2008). I had just gotten my hair cut. The picture on the right represents my hair after 3 months of my regimen.

My Regimen

Shampoo 1x a week with Keracare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo (I also alternate this shampoo with So Sexy Shampoo for Damaged Hair after 3 washes)

Deep condition 2x's a week- once with Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner on dry unwashed hair & once with Keracare Humecto Creme Conditioner on my Shampoo day

Apply Cantu Shea butter Leave in Conditioner while hair is wet and let air dry

Moisturize with Organic Root Stimulator Carrot Oil

Seal with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Place hair in Bun or loose pony

At night, I either wrap, or place my hair in a bun and tie with a silk scarf

Hot Oil Treatments once a Month

Learn How to Grow Your Hair

"My Very Own Hair Article"

In order for you to learn how to properly take care of your African American hair, you must first understand it. Hair is basically a byproduct of skin, which is mostly comprised of protein. This protein is what gives the hair it's strength. There are several things that we do to our hair that can cause it to lose protein, therefore lose its strength also. Frequent use of heat and chemical processes such as coloring and relaxing are the main culprits contributing to weak or damaged hair. First off, lets just get one thing straight. Hair is dead. From the moment it erupts from your scalp it has no life. Think about. In order for anything to be considered vital (alive) on your body it would have to have a blood supply in order to receive oxygen. If there was a blood supply to the hair it would bleed when you cut it. The best way to preserve anything that is dead is to keep it MOISTURIZED, not greased but, MOISTURIZED. Another important fact is to keep a clean and healthy scalp, meaning washing at least once a week. Your hair needs moisture so let it thrive. African American hair is normally tightly coiled or curly by nature, causing it to be very dry by nature. Our scalp produces natural oil to moisturize our hair, but because our strands are so curly, this oil has a hard time getting down to the ends of the hair. Causing it to become dry and eventually break. The oil has to travel in some-what in upward direction in order to cover the entire shaft. Somewhere along that line it stops. That's where we come in. It is very important that we moisturize our hair daily, using a water-based moisturizer concentrating on the most neglected part of the hair, the ends. Also our hair needs protein conditioning for strength and moisture conditioning for elasticity. Keep in mind that there is a balance between moisture and protein, you must learn your hair's balance. You're probably wondering what all this means. Protein, moisture and water-based, well let me break it down for you.

Lets begin with the most important part of your hair care, your daily moisturizer. Lets talk about different types of moisture. There are two, water based and oil based, you will need BOTH. Water based moisturizers are those that are based with water. You can tell this by looking at the ingredients list. If the first product listed on the ingredients is water, it is water based. Water based moisturizers actually penetrate the hair shaft, going deep into the cuticle, moisturizing your hair from the inside out. Oil based moisturizers do not penetrate the hair shaft. Instead they merely coat the hair, making it shiny and creating less friction when combing. They either seal moisture in or seal it out. Oil based moisturizers are beneficial to your hair, but not alone. You must use them in conjunction with water-based moisturizers. Apply the water-based moisturizer to your hair first and then the oil based moisturizer to seal that moisture in and create shine. This should be done on a daily basis. Some examples of water based moisturizers are Organic Root Stimulator Carrot oil or Bio infusion Olive Oil Hydrating Hair Creme. For an oil based moisturizer you can just use a natural oil of your choice such as, olive oil, grape seed oil, castor oil, or my favorite, coconut oil. Unlike most oils, coconut oil actually penetrates that hair shaft. Now that you know the difference between water/oil moisturizers, you can choose one that works best for you. Another important part of healthy hair care is deep conditioning. In order for your hair to maintain its optimal strength, you must understand the benefit of deep conditioning your hair on a regular basis. You will need to have two different types of conditioners to deep condition your hair with. One that has protein in it, and one that is a hydrating or moisturizing conditioner. You will need to deep condition your hair weekly or biweekly, depending upon the condition of your hair. I like to deep condition my hair twice a week. Once with a protein conditioner, and a once with a moisturizing conditioner. Some examples of protein conditioners are Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner, or Aphogee 2 minute Reconstructor. A good way to tell if a conditioner has protein in it, is to read the title. If it has either the words "reconstructor", or "replenish" in the title, then it has protein in it. Moisturizing conditioners are very easy to find. They usually have the words "moisture" or "hydrate" in their title. Protein conditioners are important for maintaining the hairs strength, and help to decrease breakage. Moisture Conditioners adds moisture, detangles and softens the hair. You have to balance both of these in order to minimize breakage as much as possible. To deep condition your hair, you will need to apply the conditioner to your hair, making sure that each strand of your hair is covered, especially the ends. Place a plastic cap over your head, and sit under a hooded dryer for 20-30 minutes. If you don't have a hooded dryer use a warm towel.

Now that you know how to properly moisturize and condition your hair, lets talk shampoos. Shampooing your hair is very important. I know many of us have heard the myths about washing your hair too often. Well lets just dispel those myths. In order for your hair to thrive, you need to have a clean scalp. Washing your hair once a week should suffice. When shampooing, make sure your hair is completely detangled before you begin. The only thing worse than tangled hair is wet tangled hair. Use a wide tooth comb to free your hair of tangles and proceed to shampoo. You only need to apply a quarter sized amount of shampoo to the palm of your hand, dilute it with water and apply to your scalp. Massage your shampoo into your scalp. As the shampoo slides down your hair shaft it will pick up any debris or buildup. You do not have to apply alot of product. When choosing a shampoo, make sure you choose one that is for dry, damaged or color treated hair. These types are very moisturizing to the hair. Once you are done shampooing proceed to deep condition your hair, apply a leave in conditioner, let your hair dry and then moisturize focusing on the ends of the hair.

In summary, understand that with the above information you will be able to develop a legitimate regimen specifically tailored to your hairs' needs. Stick with your regimen and be consistent. Don't get discouraged if it takes time to find the right products or even see results, it takes time. Minimize the use of heat on your hair as much as possible. Avoid frequent use of blow dryers, flatiron or curling irons. Let your hair airdry whenever possible. Avoid combing or playing in your hair constantly. Try placing it in a bun or loose pony and letting it stay. Only combing when necessary. Relax hair every 8-10 weeks on newgrowth only. Treat your hair to a hot oil treatment at least once a month, and drink plenty of water to keep yourself and your hair hydrated. Good Luck.

Intro

Hello everyone. I am here to draw your interest with one of the most interesting topics around now-a-days. As women, we all want to look our best and always leave a lasting impression. Though I don't mean to be shallow but looks are very important. Everyone knows that a woman's crown and glory is her hair. Well, if you are interested in getting great tips, advice on not only hair care but healthy hair care, stick around because I am ready to share with you as I hope you'll share with me too. As an African American woman, I never understood why my hair was naturally dry, susceptible to breakage, and always one length. Well, I finally became fed up and I knew that there had to be more to my hair than just throwing on some petroleum based hair grease. So I did all the research and I am continuing to research everyday. Now I am ready to open up, share my information with you, exchange ideas and experiences. The topics doesn't just end with hair, although this is my main interest, if you're into skin care, makeup, fashion, celebs, music, dating advice or whatever, stay Tuned, Lets enjoy and keep it fun-filled!