The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Hey guys, Its been ages seen I've posted. I seem to have to start every post with an apology.
So .. What's been going on in my hair world. I would love to come tell you that its great and my hair is growing like a weed, but that would be far from the truth. When Mide and I started this blog I thought it would be a great way to inspire my fellow Nigerian, African and Black woman. And while I still want this blog to be a source of inspiration, I don't think it would be right to only let you guys see the good times. This blog is about our hair journey, the good the bad and the ugly. And this post is just that ... the ugly!
So just what would make me call this an ugly hair period... my hair is falling apart! Over that last 6wks I have been going through so much stress at work that I haven't been able to do a thing to my hair. No steaming, pre-pooing, moisturising. . Nothing! The result . Is dry frizzy hair that's breaking. And to add insult to injury, I flat-ironed my hair on Saturday :'(
I haven't been able to do anything with my hair but put it in a ponytail for this whole period.
So just what am I going to do about this. Well over the next three weeks I'm going to take an aggressive stance with my hair in hopes of getting it to its proper state. Here's what I'm doing:

• Deep Condition and Steam: As soon as possible I'm going to run to the salon and do a proper steam session. Hopefully this will help put back in some of the lost moisture. Im still trying to find the perfect conditioner, so if you have any ideas please share in the comments!
• Trim / Chop: During this bad period the dryness and heat have caused me to have some serious split ends. These have to go! Split ends may give the illusion of length, but in the end they do more harm than good.
  Split ends cause hair to split along the shaft causing the hair to split and break. And just like a partially broken nail .. The only solution is to cut off the damaged bit and grow the rest out.
• Protective Style: My hair is going to need to be hidden from the world while it recovers from the horrid things I've been doing to it. While I haven't figured out what this should be yet, its something that needs to be done. So stay tuned to know what it is.
• Vitamins and Water: I hate taking pills, so God knows this is going to be a hard one. I've been reading up and trying to figure out what would be the best regimen for me. I'll do a post when I decide so be sure to subscribe to get the recommendations
• Get back on the regimen!!!Thia is perhaps the most important. Alot of people think when they fail it's time to give up. And for a while I was thinkung about it too. But then I realised that I actually really want great hair and I don't want to let you guys down. So as they say "Onwards ever, Backwards NEVER!!!

I hope I can stick by this new regimen, I'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes!
Make sure you subscribe to get all the latest updates! I'll be posting my vitamin regimen and my protective style of choice!
As always. .. Let's grow Naija Hair!

Relaxer Update

Hi guys, sorry I've been away! Had my appendix taken out( ouch!!!).

So last time we spoke I told u I was on a journey to stretch my relaxer to 16wks. I regret to say I could only do 13wks. This is because while I was in hospital I could not care for my hair properly and was experiencing breakage at the back of my head. I think this is because I kept lying on my back. So there was too much pressure to that area of my scalp. So I decided to relax my hair as soon as I got out of hospital.

Ok so I hope that's a good enough excuse for not reaching my goal lol! Now to the results of my relaxer and what is my impression on stretching relaxers.

My hair definitely grew about an inch and a half. The new growth was thick and very healthy. I also noticed that the texture of the relaxed new growth was thicker , more shiny and definitely smoother and softer compared to my previously relaxed parts. I from research i realized that relaxing my hair every 6wks was damaging my hair follicles so they could not produce healthy strong hair. Relaxers actually damage ur scalp if done frequently. Thus  my hair was getting over processed. I knew this bit of science was true cos the difference between my newly relaxed new growth and my previously relaxed hair was so much that now I understand why people stretch their relaxers now!!!

Now that was the PROS of stretching my relaxer. The CONS were Since I was not taking proper care of my hair during the later part of my stretch I lost quite a bit of hair and my hair dresser had to do a trim. She trimmed of a whole inch! I was so sad! But I prefer healthy hair than just long hair so I quickly cheered up!.

So now I have done a lot of research on how to successfully stretch ur relaxer and also care for ur hair during stretching. My sister and I discovered this nigerian girl who is currently on a hair journey and her hair is waist length. Yes u guys heard me WAIST LENGTH. Amazing. In my next post I will be putting up her hair regimen and how she did it.

I have decided to follow her wig regimen and stretch my relaxer to 20wks. I am currently at 2wks post relaxer. This is a challenge I'm taking up and who ever is willing to go on this challenge with me pls leave a comment and send us an email with before pics. We will be giving out a really cool prize to the person with the best results at the end of this challenge. Before and after pics would be required.

So my conclusion is stretching ur relaxer not only protects ur hair follicles from damage , it gives u thicker hair. But to reap the full benefits of stretching u must protect ur hair during the stretch.

 

Sooo come on guys let's grow naija hair!

Hair Over-Manipulation ... How to Protect your Hair When Stretching Relaxers

It seems obvious that we shouldn't over-manipulate our hair, but for me this is one of the most difficult rules to obey. It’s not a problem after a fresh relaxer but once I get into my stretch period not touching my hair is hell!

I did some research and used my own personal experience to come up with some tips tricks and tools to help prevent breakage. Here are some of the things I came up with:

1.       Get a GREAT brush
I cannot stress this enough. A good hair brush will save so many strands. If there's only one tool you can invest in, my personal pick would be a good detangling hair brush. So how do you know a good hair brush? It’s not that hard to tell a good brush. A good brush should have bristles made of SMOOTH material (usually plastic). If you run your finger along the spines they should have no rough edges, that is, nothing for your hair to catch on. The bristles should also be evenly and widely spaced so that you hair glides right through. If you brush your hair and see too many strands … it might be a good time to change your brush.
I personally recommend the Denman brushes. I’ve used them for years and they are great. I’ve never seen them in Nigeria, but I have in Ghana).In Nigeria, I use the AirHedz brushes that you can find in Casa Bella, they’re good brushes but of late they haven’t lasted.
 I’ve also been hearing good things about the Wet Brush so I might try them out when I get the chance.

2.       Protective Styles
Looking good is essential, but you want to make sure that your chosen style isn’t doing damage to your hair. There are lots of styles that are easy and super cute. Here are a few of my faves:

a.       Spiral Curls
Get out your flexi –rods before bed, get your hair into 8 (or as many as you can manage) chunks and roll them up lengthwise to give you spirals. Take them out in the morning for a soft bouncy look. This is also a great time to moisturize your scalp

b.      The Bun/Ponytail
The almighty bun, how could I ever live without you…?  Simple and with perhaps the least manipulation of all. The bun is classic. Just ask Audrey Hepburn. As for the ponytail… my ultimate dream is to have an anime style ponytail that’s long, full and flows in the wind. Both these styles are super easy but you have to keep three  things in mind:

                                                               i.      Only use ponytail holders that have no metal and don’t catch hair

                                                             ii.      Don’t pack your hair too tight… this can put unnecessary stress on the hair and makes it more likely for you to pull out strands when taking it out.

                                                            iii.      Learn to let go … don’t overuse your ponytail holders. I’ve found that the older the band gets the more likely it is to pull out hair. Learn to throw them away!

c.       The French Braid
Also known as didi, braiding your hair inwards is a great way to protective from the elements. I love these because you can keep it in for more than a day. I like to braid up the back and spiral roll the front for a chic look.

d.      Cornrows/Weaving
Just like French braids, weaving your hair keeps you from touching it and lasts a while. One of the best things about cornrows and weaving is that it gives you access to your scalp, which means that this is a great time to add in all your favorite oils :D
And if you can’t tolerate walking around looking like a primary school student, slap a wig on :D

e.      Braids
I know when we started this blog we said we wouldn’t do braids or weaves but I don’t think my hair can last without them. I’ve read a lot of blogs, posts and message boards and most say that large braids are ok. Here are the “rules” of braids:

                                                               i.      The thicker they are the less likely they are to not take out your hair

                                                             ii.      DON’T LEAVE THEM IN TOO LONG… braids are heavy and can weaken your hair from the base. Leaving them in for too long makes it almost certain that your hair will break (this is why people lose their edges)

                                                            iii.      Keep your hair healthy… just because you have braids doesn’t mean that you can completely ignore you hair. Make sure to keep it moisturized, wash when you need it and generally do what you usually do to keep your hair healthy.

3.       Combing & Brushing with Care
Your hair will get tangled, rough and scattered. This is something you can’t avoid. The best way of dealing with tangles is to start from the tip and work your way backwards from the root. This will help loosen knots. NEVER EVER EVER COMB YOUR HAIR FROM THE ROOT, this just makes knots worse and encourages breakage. Be gentle with your hair. I’ve found that a fair amount of breakage is caused by bad combing and it can all be prevented by using a good brush and combing with care.

4.       Night Protection
Keeping your hair protected at night is a great way to protect all those precious strands. . Cotton absorbs moisture so sleeping on a cotton pillow strips out moisture and can catch strands of hair. Use a silk or satin scarf to cover your head. Wrap it, flexi-rod it, pin-curl it or just use a satin pillow. I like satin pillows because it means I can be lazy at night and don’t have to worry about covering my head.

5.       Drying Properly
Your hair is the most vulnerable when wet. Getting hair from dripping to cute can be very stressful when its dew but in order to save each strand you need to be very careful.  Here are some tips I use:

a.       Dab Dry … DO NOT RUB DRY.
Towels are made of cotton… it makes sense, since it is one of the most absorbent materials on the planet. But unfortunately cotton is also great at catching strands of hair. When drying your hair, pat with a towel in order to minimize the catching

b.      Air Dry if you can
Easier said than done. It takes hours and is best done when you don’t have anything to do for the next 12 hours. But it leaves your hair full, soft and healthy so it’s well worth it.

c.        Don’t Over-dry
If you must use artificial methods to dry your hair, make sure that you don’t stay under the heat too long. Over drying will dehydrate your hair, leave it crispy, take out all your moisture and make your hair more liable to break. Make sure to keep checking your hair while you dry and time it if possible so you can get a feel for how long you can stay under the dryer

That’s it! Those are my simple rules for protecting your hair from over-manipulation when stretching your relaxers. Remember every strand is precious!

Phew… that’s a lot of typing, I hope I’ve given you some good information. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or comment and remember… Let’s Grow Naija Hair!