Tip of the Month: Reducing Breakage While Detangling

So all signs point to combing as the number one cause of hair breakage.  And for our natural hair this carries a heavier weight because our hair is inherently more fragile, and thus more susceptible to breakage.  The comb is our enemy in this regard but it is also our defense against hair knotting, which our hair is more susceptible to as well, due to its tightly curly structure.  It seems sometimes we can't win when its either having to cut out single-strand and multi-strand knots (sacrificing length retention) or detangling more frequently and risking breakage (again, sacrificing length retention).

I don't have a magic solution.  The one thing I know is that how gently we comb our hair directly affects how much breakage we experience and, believe it or not, how much knots we get (especially multi-strand knots).
So I'm sharing my length retention (and overall hair health) tip of the month:
Gentle combing.
I know.  I know.  It sounds insanely intuitive.  Why am I wasting y'all's time?
I am telling you about this (or think of it as me reminding you) because, although its intuitive - we forget.  It's like shaving.  We know shaving fast leaves more knicks but usually we're in such a hurry.   We're shaving five minutes before our girls' arrive to pick us up for that party, or while our hubby's and bf's are nagging us to hurry up and we don't have time to go slow.

This post is about challenging the way you comb your hair. Tip? -  Go slow, like super-slow.  It even sounds tedious but, trust me when I say, it works. I have noticed a huge reduction in the number of knots I encounter when I detangle - when I comb slowly.  Here is my process:

•  I pick a time to take a detangle when I am not going to be hurried, feeling cranky or feeling too tired.  I detangle in the shower and, honestly, if I am too tired or I am cranky, I skip detangling (of course I still shower!).  Don't detangle while you have food cooking on the stove, or children are screaming/disrupting you or any other thing that'll make you need to rush out of the shower.  I find that if I shower while food is cooking on the stove, I don't relax during detangling because I'm in a hurry to go check on the food.  If I am feeling hurried, tired or cranky, I let the steam get to my hair but I resolve to detangle the next time I shower.  Why?  I don't want my fatigue or irritation to get taken out on my hair during the most important step in handling it - detangling. For this reason, I have reduced my co-washes to several times per week.  I know those of you with longer hair don't co-wash that much anyway but the tip still works.  Do not detangle when you are hurried, tired or in a bad mood!  Re-schedule it if one of these moods reflect how you feel.

• I apply conditioner before I do anything else in the shower and I leave it on while I bathe.  I wet hair with lukewarm water (not too hot because I don't want the water to strip my hair of moisture), apply my conditioner and then allow the steam and conditioner to work its magic soaking into my hair.  The result is that when I'm ready to detangle, there's optimal slip.

• I do not agitate my hair before detangling.  I don't scrub my scalp (or I try not to) before detangling because I don't want to create more knots to comb through.

• I detangle last!  This allows time for the conditioner to soak and allows me to relax when I am detangling because I've done everything else already.

• I get comfortable while detangling.  I literally sit in my bath, lean back on my bath pillow and relax. This way I don't feel any need to hurry my detangling process because of discomfort or anxiousness to get out of the shower.

• I detangle in sections and work comb through hair slowly!  And yes, (in case you missed the bold,  italic font and exclamation mark) I do mean slowly.  I know it sounds super-tedious but if you are relaxed, comfortable and enjoying the steam (and even music and candles if you like to indulge with your baths), it really isn't as tedious as it sounds.  And believe it or not, I have noticed much fewer knotting.  It made me realize that some of the knots I encountered while combing through were actually being formed as I was combing through because I was combing fast.

• I keep a fine-toothed comb and my hair scissors at hand (close to the tub).  This way, if I encounter a knot during detangling, I can use the fine-toothed comb to try and loosen it.  Since the teeth are smaller, sometimes its actually better able to loosen the knot so I don't have to cut it out. And when all else fails, I snip.

• I only work comb through each section once.  I don't see any reason why you need to re-comb the same section if you were able to work through, knots and all. The more you comb, the more you risk more knotting, and pulling - causes for breakage.

• When my scalp itches, I gently rub the spot with my detangling comb, after detangling and while conditioner is still in hair. Doing this while conditioner is still in my hair minimizes risk of me breaking hair while scratching. The conditioner provides slip and I'm not using my nails (which is always tempting).

Cheapie Tip of the Month (For The Thrifty Natural)

Don't pay the usual retail price for the products you love. When you find a product you love, comparison shop online (and remember to google for discounts).

Sites like Sephora  (and even the store) will sell you a product at 'the suggested retail price.' But lesser-known sites (there's one called beautydeals.net) can sometimes offer you a better deal as they are often more eager to move inventory even if it's at a discount and will may even tack on additional discounts  through online coupons.  This is how I bought many of my pricier commercial hair products.

You may be thinking: 'But the shipping...!'
But without realizing it, sometimes we end up paying more in the store just to avoid shipping costs.

Here's what to do: Add the shipping in from the get-go, as though it were a part of the cost, then do the math. You will often find that even with shipping, it works out cheaper.

I have gotten pretty savvy at it, and I will actually search around different marketplace or lesser-known sites and divide the cost each vendor is selling the product at, by the number of ounces I get in total. This way I can tell which one will give me the lowest cost per ounce. I have found that sites like Amazon.com and, I'm sure, ebay will sell multiple containers for a single price, like two for one etc.

Be cautious though.
If you are getting your product from a lesser-known site (that you're not familiar with), do your research. This means looking at the About Us page and making sure they are legit; and googling reviews on their web store. If they have been in business for awhile they should have reviews.
Or, if you're shaky about online shopping in general, go through a marketplace site like Amazon or eBay. Amazon is great because if they don't follow through, you can demand a refund.

Makeup -TWA Pt. 4

Eyebrows

The difference between looking like a crackhead and looking like a diva.

Eyebrows will make or break a twa look or any short look but especially a natural short look. Think about it, your hair is very curled or kinky and very short. It looks like it has a mind of its own (which it probably proudly does), so you want the rest of you to look put together so it looks like you deliberately styled it that way and that you are not a victim of crack-cocaine, fashion-failure or anything else.

I get my eyebrows threaded. Its up to you, if you wax or tweeze or thread. I like threading because its no more painful than waxing and I don't have to worry about my skin being peeled off in the process (happened to me several times) and it looks cleaner to me. I think of those indian women who are masters at making up their faces.

But to keep your eyebrows looking extra-good:

Tools

Eyebrow brush and comb
Eyebrow shadow or filler and applicator.
Wax or butter

Tip

Ask whoever does your eyebrows to trim them with scissors. The person who does mine, combs them upward and trims the longer hairs so they look polished. Don't ever let anyone use a razor on your eyebrows, its a recipe for ingrown hairs and other disasters. Also, the person is more likely to make mistakes resulting in misshapen eyebrows since a razor is not easy to hold.

Directions

1. Comb or brush eyebrows in the direction you wear them.

2. Using a very narrow and small applicator brush, apply wax or butter (I actually use shea butter since I ran out of wax which might even be better because its more nourishing for my skin and eyebrow hairs).

3. Use the brush and butter/wax to smooth your eyebrow hairs in the direction you wear them.

4. Dab the same brush in the filler (usually a matte powder that matches your eyebrow color) and make a sweeping line toward the ends of your eyebrows (inward out) to make a sharp outer edge.

5. Fill in any areas that look sparse, with the filler. Make sure to be light-handed so you don't end up looking like the cookie monster. Even though your eyebrow color looks black, it is most likely off-black or brown so you should probably never use a black filler. A dark brown one when applied multiple times will look black anyway.

And that's all folks. This was exhausting for me, but hopefully this series has been helpful for those of you unsure about what to do to enhance that twa and nstwa. If you have aaannnyy questions, tips for me - anything - please, please let me know. I am always learning.
Later.

Makeup -TWA Pt. 3

Lips

So my lips are my next best feature (remember I said pick two). I play them against my eye makeup for an overall effect. This means if I have alot going on with my eye makeup I keep it light on the lips and vice versa and sometimes I keep it light altogether with just foundation, mascara and a nude/sheer lip color.

In this case, to complement my liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow look, I would do this:

Tools

Lipstick (matte only if you want stronger color) (my fav now since summer is coming is a reddish-orange - mostly orange - color. Its hot!)
Lip salve
Clean face towel
Gloss color (for that extra lip shine if its a nighttime look)

Directions

1. Clean your lips before applying lip color! This way your color won't clump and leave little blotches on your lips - not cute!).

-Dry your lips first by gently wiping with dry towel.

-Dampen a part of the face towel under warm water or in warm milk if you have time and you're in the self-pampering mood. Then, using the damp part, gently wipe your lips again, rubbing to remove dead skin (which will appear whitish). Once your lips feel clean and smooth, dry again by wiping gently with dry side. Be gentle, you don't want to bruise your lips!

2. Apply lip salve. Rub unto lips making sure not to apply too much.

3. Apply lip color. The amount of color you want on your lips will depend on how much salve you added since the salve will dilute the color. If I want alot of color I will actually wipe away some of the salve ((I add the salve to soothe and protect my lips first) before adding the lipcolor.

-If you want subtle color, apply alot of salve. You can use a brush to apply lipcolor, I'm lazy so I just stroke it on, making sure to get the sides and inner parts of the lip as well. If my color is bold (as in the hot pink color I wear sometimes) then lipliner is a must. Make sure to use a lipliner that is similar to but darker than your lipcolor. Again, a beauty consultant can help you choose a complementary lipliner.

4. If I am going for a matte look but not using a matte lipcolor, I will wipe away almost all the salve, then apply the lipcolor and, using a piece of paper (paper towel and tissues will usually leave pieces behind) dab away the shine. You may have to do this applying and dabbing away several times to get intense color without the shine. Be patient and you'll get there. You can also mix lip colors for a unique color, be creative with it.

Don't forget to re-apply lip salve at the end especially if you go matte but the weather is cold, chapped lips with lipstick is not a good look! For a high shine look (great for nighttime looks) skip re-applying the salve and apply a gloss instead. If the gloss is sheer, it should not mess up your lip color.

Nails

Tools

Filer
Cuticle-trimmer
Light oil

Directions

Just shape them, however you like them. You don't have to get them done every two weeks. I almost never get my nails done. I just cut my own cuticles and shape with a filer. When I'm in the mood, I apply a color that pops like orange or dark blue.

I don't leave color on my nails for long because they tend to make them yellow and brittle. But if you do leave them on your nails for long, wipe your nails with pure lemon juice or quickly rinse with apple cider vinegar after you remove the color.

My basic thing, is just making sure my nails are always clean and well-shaped. And now that I use all these amazing oils in my hair, I almost never have cuticle problems, partly the result of HIF (hand-in-'fro) disease but at least something benefits. :)

Next post is the last but definitely not least part of our beauty series....

Hair Goddess Tip - Homemade Chocolate Conditioning Hair Treatment

 Every once in awhile I like to treat myself. It has mainly been homemade skin spa treatments  - I have countless homemade recipes for body scrubs, face masks, and such that have worked on my sensitive skin.
But since this blog is about my hair journey, I wanted to share my latest indulgent treatment and it has my favorite food in it! If you haven't guessed it yet - it's CHOCOLATE !

Mmmmmm!
I loooove chocolate. Actually hold on while I grab a piece of chocolate to snack on while I write this post....
Ok I'm back and since my chocolate bar has now put me in an even better mood...let me elaborate on the reason for making a chocolate hair treatment. (I may just write another post on the benefits of dark chocolate for lifting mood etc.)
 Chocolate has great properties the hair can benefit from. The main one is the same reason green tea rinses and coffee conditioners have become so popular - yep you guessed it: Caffeine.

Now I can't speak for the effects of caffeine on the hair but on the surface of the skin, in this case the scalp, caffeine works the way it does in the body (to a much milder degree of course) - as a stimulant, increasing blood circulation to the scalp.

Chocolate has other great benefits through its antioxidant properties but we only benefit from these when chocolate is taken internally. Antioxidants cannot work their magic when applied externally. I could get into the biochemical reasons for this but we'll keep this light.  :)

I'd love to take the credit but I didn't invent chocolate treatments for hair. Brazilians have been using chocolate as a glossing treatment for straightened hair for years.
And mostly because chocolate is thought to impart shine when applied to hair.

But enough about that, here it is (Remember to adjust for the amount of hair you have. This is enough for a small twa):

1 tbsp honey
1 overripe banana
3 tbsps coconut milk
2 tbsps coconut oil
3-4 tspns melted pure cocoa butter
1-2 tspns jojoba oil (olive oil can be used as a substitute)
1/4-1/2 cup pure cacao (cocoa)  powder or enough to thicken

If you make the mixture too thick it will dry out fast and you don't want it to dry out on your hair so to liquify in case it gets too thick just add more coconut milk.
Mash and then blend bananas with coconut milk first until pureed (if not you will end up with banana chunks in your hair). Add cocoa powder last.

Apply with fingers to clean hair (I shampoo first) from root to ends until hair is saturated then cover with a plastic cap and let sit about 10 minutes. Rinse out with lukewarm water until water runs clear. Then rinse with an apple-cider vinegar-and-water mixture (1/4 cup apple cider vinegar to a gallon of water)  or a mildly clarifying rinse of your choice to ensure any buildup or excess rinses away.

Thats it. Your hair will smell great and feel oh-so-soft.
To finish, I moisturized with a mixture of melted cocoa butter and a light oil (jojoba oil is best but I also alternate with sweet almond oil).

If you try this decadent treatment, let me know what you think.