5 Practices You Should Incorporate For Healthier Hair in 2015!

Happy New Year!!! 

She says. On the 29th of jan....

What the... now it's the 3rd of Feb! Hahahaha! Anywho, better late than never.

Been having a serious case of the blogging-lazies but I have been on my page lots plus I've been fine-tuning my hair regimen. 

I've been doing this natural hair thing for minute now but there are still areas I know need work. Moisture and length retention have been my focus in the last few months and I've been experimenting with a new regimen and these are the things I have decided to prioritise this year:

1. Weekly DCs

just..no

I have the driest hair. Fact. I think the missing link has been my DCs, or lack of. I used to DC on average once a month. Often less. And it was a homemade DC which I don't believe work as well as store bought ones. So I decided to just suck it up and buy some moisture and protein DCs and will be posting reviews soon. DC's are really important for giving your hair a deep penetrating moisture and strength boost and I really feel I have started seeing a difference since I started doing them diligently.

A Lazy Natural's Hair Regimen

I've been neither down, nor out. Just focused on my fitness, which I had started letting slide.

yes we do!

The result? I have streamlined my hair practices. Those who know me know I'm a product junkie. I believe the (marketing) hype. I'm always looking for the Holy Grail. I. Love. Stuff. Love it. But the last three months I've been trying to finish up or give away all the surplus products I've been hoarding. As a result, I've also worked out that I didn't need half the stuff I had. I think I've succeeded in trimming the fat, health wise and hair wise. My hair regimen is now quicker, simpler and easier than it ever was. Leaving me more time to focus on other things.

Texturisers: The other natural hair?

A while back, a friend rocked up at my house sporting a bad a$$ afro and I almost passed out.  I hadn't seen her with her hair out of braids in goodness knows how long and I vividly remember her telling me when I went natural that I'd get bored and return to crack so you can imagine how surprised I was to see her join team kinky. Then she told me it was texturised and I was floored. The texturisers I'd seen before then had all looked just like relaxers but hers looked and felt natural. She was quite pleased with the results as she had been toying with the idea of natural hair for a while.

texturised hair in a fro

Can everyone rock natural hair?

I have been following with great interest a post on a Facebook group about a lady who went to a reknowned Kenyan hairdresser's salon. The lady in question had her hair washed using his own range of products, twisted and dried under a hood drier. When the twists were undone, this was the result: 

ta-daaaa! 

Needless to say the lady in question was displeased and complained. 

The hairdresser's response was as follows: 

9 Reasons Natural Hair is Hard Work

Yeah, I said it.

Many, many people I know want to go natural. I don't think it's a trend or anything. Most have just noticed that, after years and, in some cases, decades, of chemically straightening their hair, it's not as thick or healthy as it used to be. So they stop relaxing and, for those not brave enough to cut it all off, start braiding. And that's where they get stuck. Living in braids and weaves to grow out their relaxers but too scared to wear their natural hair out once they successfully transition. Most of them see natural hair as unmanageable, hard to style and hard to maintain. 'It's just too much work', they say, 'I can't do all those things you do' and, my favourite, 'It's not like I can run around in matutas (three-strand braids)'.

kamatano with matutas

And you know what? I agree. Natural hair isn't easy. Infact, it's bloody hard work!

How to Soften Hard Natural Hair

I get a lot of messages from readers asking for help so I thought I would start answering the most frequently asked questions. This is a question that I am constantly asked and that comes up a lot on many groups and forums.

Q: "Hi, my hair is really hard and difficult to comb no matter how much oil I use.  How do I get it to be soft?'

Source: The Natural Haven

A: I grew up with so-called 'hard' hair so I personally feel a lot of pain when I hear that word used to describe hair. There are three main reasons why your hair would feel hard:

8 Steps to Keep Your Hair Moisturised

Dryness is a problem experienced by many naturals, myself included; during my recent trip to the coast, I struggled to retain moisture in my hair due to constant exposure to salt water and chlorine. Why is it so important to keep natural hair hydrated? More than anything else, natural hair needs moisture to thrive. Well moisturised hair is supple and elastic, which makes it look soft and prevents breakage.  Dry hair on the other hand looks and feels dull and dry. In order to grow long, strong, healthy hair, it is vital for naturals to have a regualr moisturising regimen.

Getting water in your hair is easy. Keeping it there, not so much. So how do you keep your hair hydrated? (aka how many more times can I say the M word). Follow these 8 steps below for shiny hair that stays moisturised and retains maximum length:

Mombasa Diaries: Days 12-15: Holiday Products

It's a wrap. Party season is over! Thank goodness! I don't think my body could take any more. I haven't exercised a single day because it has been unbelievably, unbearably hot. I've eaten two salads and I've barely swam for trying to preserve my hair for nights out. Feeling blergh!

Mombasa Diaries: Day 10: 4 Simple Ways to Remove Chlorine From Your Hair

It is notoriously difficult to remove chlorine from your hair!

This is because chlorine is an oxidant which chemically reacts with your hair, making it  difficult to remove with ordinary shampoo, let alone conditioner. It is therefore recommended that you shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo after prolonged exposure to chlorine. Swimmers' shampoos are specifically made for this but are very drying and quite frankly, I'm not sure you can buy them here anyway. A chelating shampoo such as Kinky Curly Come Clean would work and is locally available via Aunaturelle but, while researching my salt water post, I came across several interesting and slightly amusing tips on how to cheaply and effectively remove chlorine from your hair using ordinary household ingredients. 

I have already done a post on how to protect your hair while swimming so this is additional information useful particularly for those who swim regularly.

Mombasa Diaries: Day 6: The Effect of Salt Water on Natural Hair

Boxing Day is a bust. The only boxing going on is in my head. Damn you sweet, sweet, wine. 

Over the last two days, I've managed to avoid getting my hair in the pool, so I was expecting it to feel much softer than it does. Granted, the scarfless night meant that cotton pillowcase did a number on it but still. It's one night. And my hair was still held up so not too much of it had pillow contact. It really shouldn't have broken the moisture bank. ESPECIALLY considering that I have been spritzing daily land sealing liberally with Kakena's Hair Milk DAILY!  

So I sit down to do some research on the effect of salt on our hair. Because here's the thing. ALL the water where I'm staying, is salty.

Quote of the week: Growing long 4C hair

Genes will get you there faster, patience and a good haircare regimen will get you there eventually..

                                   Wachu Wanjaria

The Curly Girl Method: Part 3: 5 Factors Affecting Your Wash and Go

The CG Method is essentially, a wash and go (WnG) method but not all wash and gos are Curly Girl methods.

Gerrit? :)

Wash and Gos are not as simple as the name suggests. They are really more like wash, condition, spritz, apply oil or buttter, apply styling product, rake/shingle/pray, THEN go!

How well a wash and go works on your hair depends on a number of factors:

The Curly Girl Method: Part 2: Does it work on Kinky Hair?

My answer? Yes, but only with modifications*.

*Disclaimer: this is my own theory; I have no scientific evidence to back this. If you have a differing opinion, please comment below; I'd love to hear it.  

Ok, now that's out of the way...

The CG method, by definition, is meant to enhance curls. Or waves. Or coils. So technically, you should have curls to enhance in the first place. If, however, you are a kinky haired natural, like me, with no curl pattern to speak of, doesn't it mean there's nothing to enhance? I think so. 

So why is the CG method so popular among naturals; kinkies, curlies and coilies alike?

The Curly Girl Method: Part 1: What It's About

The Curly Girl (CG) Method was popularised by Lorraine Massey and quickly became a favourite of curlies worldwide.  This is because it recognises that curly hair differs from straight hair and should, therefore, be treated accordingly. 

Oil travels freely down the shaft of straight hair, and, without regular washing, oil buildup can leave the hair looking limp and greasy. On the other hand, the twists and turns in curly hair make it difficult for sebum (natural oil produced by the scalp) to travel down the hair shaft, making it difficult to retain moisture and leaving it feeling and looking dry and frizzy. 

The CG method, therefore, is a regime designed specifically to enhance curl definition by moisturising curls and encouraging them to clump.

How to do a henna gloss

It's official. I'm a henna head. I loooooove the stuff.  Funny, because I was MASSIVELY skeptical about trying it.  I've said it before, I don't like change. Plus I didn't want to walk around with maroon hair.  Which is what I thought happened to people who hennaed their hair.

But eventually, after much coaxing (and some veiled threats) by my friends, I succumbed.  I thought, 'OK, I'll try it once, I'll hate it, my hair will hate it and I can walk around for weeks with a wounded air of smug 'I told you so' -ness'. Win!

Well, I'm woman enough to admit when I'm wrong.

Why henna?

Henna is commonly used to make hair stronger and fuller; It does this by coating the individual strands. Henna can also be used for adding colour to hair, which can range from red, to burgundy to orange to brown, depending on the type of henna and the colour of your hair before application.  The lighter your hair colour, the more noticeable the result. For a few naturals, repeated henna applications can loosen your curl pattern, so it is important to do a strand test first if you are worried about this.

A henna gloss is different from a full strength application in that, with the application of conditioner and oils to the henna mix, it conditions and moisturises the hair at the same. It is less effective for colour uptake but it makes it easier to wash off and leaves your hair feeling softer than with a full strength henna.

What you need for a henna gloss:

Finger Detangling Challenge

The finger detangling challenge enters its fourth week.  Woop Woop!

Doesn't seem like much but honestly, I almost crumbled on Day 1; it just didn't feel like my hair was ..smooth.  Again with that word.  I admit, I love the way my hair felt after working through it with my assorted combs and brushes.  

If you are squeamish about using a comb, look away now.

From left to right: Wide Tooth Comb, Denman D31 Detangling Brush, Denman D3 Styling Brush

The Easiest Way to Trim your Own Hair at Home

I trimmed my hair myself! *screams!*

This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but those who know me know I'm a length chaser. Yup, I said it. I feel like I'm supposed to be embarrassed about admitting that. Like it means that I've bought into some Eurocentric brainwashing that detracts from the black-power-soul-sista-love thy roots thing that returning to natural hair seems to bring out in many. 

But I'm not embarrassed. Sorry, I'm not sorry. Every time I see a picture of someone with a big a** Afro, my heart skips a beat. I want epic hair. A friend of mine is constantly trying to get me to question the motive behind this. I dug deep but all I could come up with was 'I just want to see if my hair can grow really long'. Thatisall. I am not an onion. There are no layers.

Exercise-proofing your natural hair

I've been asked a few times for tips on how to exercise with natural hair and, to be honest, I feel a bit of a fraud every time someone asks.

Not because I don't exercise; I do. Rather a lot. It's more because my hair is aaaalways in twists during the week. And if you don't know how low-maintenance twists are, well, now you know.

Twists are a great low-manipulation style. (Technically they aren't considered protective as they don't protect your ends). If done neatly enough, they can look very beautiful and stylish.

Model: Judge Joanne of Sakata 4

Twisted by Ethyl of Ashley's Westgate and styled by James of HAIRworld

Photography by Oskavybes

Ten Simple Steps to Swimming With Natural Hair

The sun's out after months in hiding and yesterday I attended the first of many (hopefully) pool parties. Ok ok, not quite as glam as it sounds.  It was actually a children's party and I had pre-pooed my LO's hair with coconut oil and applied a leave-in conditioner in preparation.  Then, five minutes before we set off, I received a text from the host reminding me not to forget swimwear. Wait a second! Do you mean for ME??! My husband was staring at me like 'duh, did you think our 17 month old would be swimming alone?' and i'm looking at him like 'I thought they'd just be paddling around in a little kiddie pool!'

With trepidation, I packed my bikini, wondering what would become of my hair.  There was simply no time to dash into the shower to do damage control; so what did I do instead?

Oil rinsing: The Hows and Whys

Whats all the buzz about oil rinsing??

I  have been having issues with dryness so I decided to try out oil-rinsing a couple of weeks ago after seeing it being suggested on a Facebook group. 

Although I am acting like this is a new discovery, I actually first tried it last year, when I started out on my healthy hair journey, and it was an epic FAIL! I don't remember how I did it or what oil I used on my hair but I do remember how greasy it left my hair, with no seeming benefit.  I probably did it wrong and that was at a time when I was experimenting with different oils but, nonetheless, it was shelved in the never-to-be-attempted-again pile.

Thankfully, I have a short memory and I'm an eternal optimist so, a year down the line, I found myself in the bathroom with a warmed up bottle of coconut oil, ready for round two.

The first time I tried it, I was doing a henna gloss.  My hair loves henna; it feels gorgeously thick after. However, I suffer from dryness and coarseness for the week after, despite the fact that I always do a moisture DC after my gloss.  It could be that my DC just isn't very effective (see my Creme of Nature post) but either way, this was going to be a a real test for the oil rinse.

How to: