Tag Archives: healthy hair

rice water

so what are the benefits of using rice water? you may have heard that rice water defines your curls. it does! so i’ve started to incorporate rice water into my weekly routine. below i’ll go into why and how i use it

WHY-

i started using rice water because i was reading about the benefits of protein treatments and how the proper moisture protein balance really is what will define your curls. so i wanted to incorporate more protein. rice water is a low grade protein treatment- it’s not heavy like the ones you can purchase. i like that because i don’t have to worry about it making my hair super hard. since using it, i’ve had less frizz and more definition.

HOW-

so normally the day before i want to do my hair i put a mix of rice and water into my mason jar. i leave it sitting out on the counter til i use it- i make sure it sits for at least eight hours. OR i’ll boil rice and add extra water and pour it into a cup. from either method, i pour the water into a cup, making sure that there is little to no rice in it. then once it’s cool (if it was boiled). i shampoo my hair. then i pour it into my hair (like a rinse) and then tie it up with a pony and put a shower cap on. i leave it in for 15 minutes, then i rinse it out. I will either then rinse it out with water or shampoo it out (it depends- if feels like a residue is left, just shampoo it) and then i DEEP CONDITION. this is essential!!! it keeps your hair from getting hard. remember the goal is the moisture protein BALANCE.

I then style as normal- i’ll make an update post on my hair care regimen- it’s changed so much.

protective styles

protective styles help your hair grow because they help you retain moisture and reduce manipulation. the biggest question is: how do i choose the right one? for me, I started with braids because I knew braids worked for my hair. as a little girl, I wore braids all the time and it grew my hair out. I always only used my natural hair, so i didn’t consider adding weave to my hair. while i do think weaves are beneficial, it’s just not for me. so I used to braid my hair often, until one of my friends twisted my hair. I barely shed at all and my hair lasted very well. Since then, twists have been my go to protective style. Here are some examples of how I do my hair!

These two pictures are my current hair style! I did three french braids after washing and deep conditioning. I then pinned them up and made it into a halo braid. I’m currently on day 2, and my hair is looking great!

This was my style last week! I washed, deep conditioned then flat twisted my hair. For work, I pinned the flat twists up, into a halo twist.

These last three are results from a flat twist out as well. I always flat twist to make sure my roots are moisturized and catch the curl.

I’ve found that picking a protective style that looks like your natural curl pattern makes the style last longer! I would say if your pattern is looser, try braids and if it’s tighter do twists!

feb 2018 hair care routine

*drumroll* IT’S TIME FOR AN UPDATED HAIR CARE ROUTINE!

Though not much has changed I just want to keep you all updated!

Prepoo-

  • Before I wash my hair I always add a generous amount of oil- normally either shea butter or avocado oil

Washing-

  • Prior to washing, I rinse my hair with warm water to get rid of the excess product and oil
  • I wash my hair once a week using Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo. I normally wash three times; I could probably do two washes and be fine but I like three.
  • Normally when I wash I try to massage my scalp for at least one of the washes. Scratching your scalp can leave your hair tangled, so I try to limit it.

I always use warm water to wash

Conditioning-

  • I always deep condition after EVERY wash. it’s essential to making my hair easy to maintain. I’m currently using Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment mask, but I also really like Eden Body Work’s Natural Deep Conditioner (they just didn’t have it at target when I needed deep conditioner).
  • I section my hair in four parts. I work one section at a time to add conditioner then comb out that part using my denman brush (which is a lifesaver- it defines your curls and makes detangling easier). Then I normally twist the section that I just added conditioner to or use a ponytail holder to secure it. After all sections are done I go over my hair once more with the denman brush
  • I either sit under the drier for 15 minutes (while wearing a clear shower cap) or use an old target bag over my shower cap for about 30 minutes. I like both methods but the bag is easier if you’re trying to do other things while deep conditioning.
  • I rinse out the deep conditioner with warm water then after it’s all out I use cold water to rinse my hair. It seals in the moisture and reduces frizz.
  • I then take a t-shirt and wrap it around my hair to dry it.

Styling-

protective styling is a must, especially in the winter. it helps you retain moisture plus it’s easier to maintain. I need something that’s going to be easy to maintain. Mostly because I’m a little lazy.

  • pick the right protective style- the two most popular styles are braid outs and twists outs. i used to do braid outs a lot until one of my friends twisted my hair and I saw how much less shedding I had. After that, I pretty much only do twists or twist outs.
  • Once a week I wash, deep condition and style my hair. I do twists of some sort. How I style the twists depends on if I’d like to wear it down or not- I’ll do flat twists if I want to wear it down. I like flat twists because the root is twisted so it’s easier to get through.
  • Normally i leave the flat twist in for a day or so then untwist it. I moisturize my hair every day.

Moisture-

Normally I do the LOC method, but I read that doing the LCO method reduces frizz so I plan on trying that out.

  • Liquid/Leave-In- I use water and peppermint oil first (they’re mixed in my spray bottle; Leave-In- I use Miss Jessie’s Leave In Condish
  • Cream- I use Cantu’s Coconut Creme and Camille Rose’s Curlaide
  • Oil- I use OGX coconut milk, shea butter and avocado oil.

my main tips-

  • wash and deep condition weekly
  • protective style
  • drink lots of water! at least half your body weight
  • use satin ponytail holders and bonnets
  • also use a satin pillow case
  • be gentle while combing your hair

this is the amount of shedding I had after eight days of no combing (i don’t comb my hair when it’s twisted, I had it in a twisted style for two days, then wore a turban for three (i put a bonnet on underneath to keep my hair protected from the turban), and then wore it different ponytail styles for three days.

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straight hair care regime 

As promised, here is my hair care regime when my hair is straight!

  • how often I straighten my hair

I actually do not straighten my hair myself. My hairstylist, whom I got to when I go home and about once a month when I am home, straightens my hair. She’s been doing my hair for over two years now, and she’s been doing my mom’s hair for probably like 10 years. My hairstylist is the only person who straightens my hair.

  • why I straighten it

I think straight hair is cute. As my hair has gotten healthier, I love how it looks straight. I also love how easy it to take care of.

  • trims

I only get trims with straight hair because my hairstylist trims my hair. I love getting my hair trimmed straight because it makes it look really nice straight but when it’s curly it looks just as fabulous. My ends always look super clean, no matter if they’re curly or straight.

  • preservation of curls

To preserve my straight hair, I roll my hair. I started using flexi rods, which I really love. They last all day!!! Last time I got my hair straight, it ended up raining and the humidity made it a little curly. So what I do is use Camille Rose’s Curlaide (just a small bit, it doesn’t make my hair turn curly, but it does make my sisters turn curly so I’m not sure about that for everyone). I then wrap my hair, to make it stay straight. But without any rain incidents I just keep rolling it. And I wear a satin bonnet.

this was right after my hair appt. 
this was after rolling with flexi rods

  • products to use
  1. flexi rods- I use the smaller diameter red ones.
  2. Silk by design essentials- this is my go to product. Silk penetrates the hair shaft and doesn’t leave your hair too oily. I just use a little
  3. Curlaide by camille rose- like I said, if my hair happens to get a little curly, I use curlaide to make it straighter
  4. Satin bonnet- I love using my satin bonnet, scarves and wraps. It keeps my hair moisturized

I never put heat on my hair- I’m not a professional and I want to keep my hair healthy! My fabulous hairstylist is the one who does my hair! I think it’s great to have her do it- I’ve never suffered from heat damage or breakage that was her fault (the eczema I have was what caused all of my hair issues).

Let me know if you have any questions! I hope this helps!!

long hair vs healthy hair

i constantly see girls fanning over long hair. i used to be one of them. when I was younger my hair was really long and healthy, so as I got older after the eczema kicked in, I just wanted my long hair back. I quickly understood that long hair was a bonus, but healthy hair was the goal. You see, hair naturally grows. Everyone’s does. The way to see the growth is if you r hair is healthy and you have a high length retention rate. That means your shedding is to a minimum and you can see your hair growing after a few weeks. I want to discuss a little bit more when you need to start focusing on health instead of length.

  • Benefits of Healthy Hair
    • You will see a drastic change in your ability to hold a style
    • lots of compliments
    • it will grow super fast
      • when it grows it will look nice
  • Benefits of Long Hair
    • It’s long
    • can possibly be styled in cute styles (if it is damage free)
    • lots of compliments

As you can see by this short list, long hair really is just long. Long hair is often synonymous with beauty, but it’s not always beautiful. Tons of people have long hair whose hair looks a hot mess. Tons of people have short, healthy hair cuts. Short is a good thing as long as it’s healthy. I think a short bob or pixie cut is adorable, and can allow your hair to grow back healthier than ever. That’s what happened to my mom. Her hair used to be really short (she had it shaved short for a portion of my childhood, then she grew it out, then she got a bob, and now it’s longer). After her bob, her hair grew back super healthy and is super cute. Cuts are a good thing! Just like trims are (one of the most important things you can do is get trims regularly it will change your hair for the better).

At the end of the day, it’s just hair. Just like you would for your body, mind and spirit, focus on your (hair) health!