Postpartum shedding

This is by far one of the biggest shockers that I got after having my baby. Besides having to deal with the struggles of sleepless nights, the fact that breast milk does not always come automatically and the endless buzz of advise from all sides of society including the security guard at the gate, I was definitely not prepared to see chunks of my hair in the drain of my shower!

I had my baby in March of 2017, and the first time I noticed that the postpartum shedding had begun, was 2 months after baby arrived. I installed crochet braids, and upon taking them out, ALL my edges followed... This was the first mistake I made.

Here is a photo of how my edges looked like...

I had never not had a hairline/ edges in my life, so getting used to seeing myself without edges was quite something, to say the least. I quickly took out my laptop and started reading about postpartum shedding in more detail. This is when I realised that there were some things I could do to reduce the shedding and breakage, but the shedding was here to stay until my hormones got more balanced.

So I prepared this post for all the mamas who are struggling with postpartum shedding, or the soon to be moms who want to know how to prevent it. The sad news is, you cannot prevent it! Postpartum shedding occurs as a result of hormone changes after birth.

During pregnancy, your estrogen and progesterone levels are much higher than normal, and this is necessary to sustain your pregnancy. As a result, your hair might grow thicker or faster than you are usually used to. For me, I did not experience any crazy hair growth, so this will not always happen.

Once you have delivered your baby, your estrogen and progesterone levels will go back to normal, and so will your hair growth patterns. HOWEVER, your hair will also go into its "resting phase", which happens after the extended "growth phase" that you might have experienced during pregnancy.

The resting phase of hair is also associated with shedding, and this is when postpartum shedding kicks in.

Here are a few things that you can do to reduce the amount of shedding that you will experience:

(1) Continue taking your prenatal vitamins/ folic acid.
(2) Eat healthily. You really do not need to take a whole lot of carbs and starch to be able to produce breast milk. Try your best to have a balanced diet, it will go a long way in keeping your hair and your scalp healthy.
(3) DO NOT install any protective hairstyles that will pull on your hair. Styles like crochet braids, single braids, will only increase the chances of your hair falling out once you remove the styles. Your hair follicles are already in a sensitive phase, and pulling on them will not make things any better - it will most likely increase the rate at which you lose hair.
(4) Try gentle protective styles such as wigs or buns.
(5) Keep up with your wash days, so that you can keep your scalp clean and healthy. It might be terrifying to see all that hair in the drain, but you will be doing your hair a favour by taking care of what is left on your head
(6) See a specialist like a trichologist, if the hair loss does not ease off after 12 months of having your baby. If you have a known hormone condition such as PCOS, see your OBGYN and discuss on possible treatment to help balance out your hormones. The hair loss is really just a result of your hormone changes, and if your shedding is not reducing, most likely your hormones are not at the right/ balanced levels.
(7) Avoid using heat on your hair, such as blow dryers and flat irons.
(8) Try using tea rinses and coffee rinses once a month on your wash days.
(9) Relax, enjoy the moments with your baby and know that this is only a phase which will pass. The amount of hair loss that you will experience is far outweighed by the experience and journey of motherhood :-)

If you have gone through postpartum shedding and you have any other tips to share, please leave them in the comments section :-)

0

Relaxer Day: Full Relaxer Video

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen the clips of my recent relaxer results. This time I went to a salon, after realising that the box relaxers (no-lye) that I used over the past 2 years did more damage than good and dried out my hair. I felt that I needed a professional to handle my hair, and I looked for one who was willing to listen to how I wanted my hair done.

These are the steps that the stylist took to get my hair relaxed:

1) Applied Mizani Protective Pre-Treatement
2) Followed with Butter Blend butter base
3) Applied the relaxer for 17 minutes
4) Did a corrective relaxer application on my previously relaxed hair that was under-processed. This took another 13 minutes
5) Rinsed my hair with Mizani phormulating shampoo
6) Olaplex treatment
7) Blow dried and flat ironed and tadaaaa!


Finally, I have just uploaded my first Youtube video, on the entire process above. If you are wondering how to relax your hair in the right way, have a look at this video for additional tips that you can apply or show your stylist.

I am really excited about starting this part of my blog on Youtube. I am hoping to be consistent with at least 2 videos a month - starting slowly but consistently.

See the video below, and enjoy :-)

0

The Wash Day Series: Step 4 - Deep Conditioning Part II

How do you know what your hair needs in terms of protein vs. moisturizing deep conditioner?

There are a few signs that indicate what your hair needs or lacks

1) Your hair is crunchy/ brittle and dry: This could possibly indicate that you need to add moisture to your hair

2) You hair breaks very easily: Add a deep moisturizing conditioner and follow up with moisturizing and sealing your hair daily thereafter

3) Your hair feels mushy and overly soft: You need a protein conditioner to restore balance to your hair

4) You have not deep conditioned your hair in a long time: Ideally this should not happen but if it does, you could do a pre-poo with a protein conditioner and follow up with a moisturizing deep conditioner.

Getting the balance between moisture and protein can take a while, but the easiest way to restore balance is through your deep conditioning sessions.

If you are yet to get the hang of it, try a month or two of weekly deep conditioning so that you can better understand your hair needs and how it reacts to different types of deep conditioners.

As a follow up to our last post, here is a guide to 10 protein conditioners that are under 10 Dollars! Yes, affordable and available locally. I have tried 3 out of 10 of these conditioners (No 1,2 and 4), and they have worked reasonably well on my hair.

Currently, I use ApHogee 2-minute Keratin Reconstructor when I need a protein boost, but my all time favourite is the Parnevu Hair Mayonnaise because it also adds some softness to my hair after using it.

What's your go-to protein deep conditioner?

0

Rice Water Challenge: 3 months

Hi healthy hair fam! A further update to my plan over the next 3 months:

I have experimented with a mild version of rice water over the last 2 weeks, and the results have been really good! I thought that rice water works for naturalistas only, but after seeing @itsmellabella's video on her rice water experience, as well as the convincing from my friend to try it out, I decided to give it a go!

Besides losing much less hair on wash days from shedding and breakage, my hair feels stronger and balanced. To be honest, I have not seen a length improvement, and I measured my hair before the start of the challenge. I will do a one-month check-in to see if there has been any length, like all the rave reviews that I have seen on the benefits of rice water.

Currently I am using a very mild form of rice water, as my hair is protein sensitive and I do not want to try anything that will make it overly loaded with protein. I suggest that you try a mild version of rice water before using the more potent fermented forms of rice water:

With 1/2 cup of rice, I:

1) Rinse the rice from the starch and pour out the water
2) Add 1 cup of distilled/ purified water to the washed rice and leave it to soak for 6 hours
3) Strain the rice and pour the water into a bottle
4) Add a drop of peppermint/ eucalyptus oil to avoid the ricey scent of the rice water
5) Keep refrigerated and spray onto hair until damp (NOT wet), focusing on scalp every day.
6) Keep the rice water for 7 days and make a new batch after the 7 days has passed.

I started my challenge two weeks ago, so I plan on ending it on 20th September, in line with the other hair challenge that I am participating in (see previous post).

Let me know what you think about rice water. Have you used it before? What were your results?

0

10 Affordable Moisturizing Conditioners Under 10 Dollars!

By now you know that I am all for moisturized hair, anytime!

One of the most effective ways of infusing moisture into your hair is through your deep conditioning sessions.

A good moisturizing deep conditioner can go a very long way in helping you to achieve your hair goals. So I did some research and put together a list of good moisturizing conditioners that are FREE of bad ingredients like sulfates, mineral oils, etc.

All of the moisturizing conditioners below can be found at local beauty cosmetic stores in Nairobi.

Here you go:

1) Beautiful Textures Rapid Repair Deep Conditioner 425g. Price: KSh 895/ USD 9. Available: Super Cosmetics

2) Aunty Jackie's fix my hair masque 426g. Price: KSh 1,055/ USD 10. Available: Jumia Online, QuickMart Lavington

3) Mosara Deep treatment Masque 500g. Price: Ksh 700/ USD 7. Available: Jumia Online

4) ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner 362ml. Price: KSh 695/ USD 7. Available: Super Cosmetics

5) Creme of Nature Intensive Conditioning Treatment 354ml. Price: KSh 920/ USD 9. Available: Super Cosmetics

6) Saru Organics Hair Growth Masque 200g. Price: Ksh 600/ USD 6. Available: Jumia Online

7) Creme of Nature Moisturizing Dry Defense Conditioner 355ml. Price: Ksh 1,165/ USD 11. Available: Super Cosmetics

8) Sheba Deep Conditioner 200g. Price: KSh 800/ USD 8. Available: Sheth Naturals (Instagram)

9) Elasta QP DPR Deep Penetrating Remoisturizing Conditioner 426g.  Price: KSh 895/ USD 9. Available: Super Cosmetics

10) Cantu Deep Treatment Masque 340g. Price: KSh 999/ USD 10. Available: Craving Yellow (Instagram)

0

The Wash Day Series: Step 4 - Deep Conditioning Pt I

The essence of a successful wash day is in the deep conditioning (DC) step.

There are a few things that definitely make or break my deep conditioning sessions, and I have learnt to ensure that I follow these general principles:

1) Choose between a protein or a moisturising DCs: My choice usually depends on how my hair feels. Generally, I have dry hair and therefore use moisturising DCs far more often that I use protein DCs.

However, I still make sure that I use a protein DC on my hair at least once a month, and then follow up with a moisturizing DC. This keeps my hair moisturized (from moisturizing DCs) and strong enough to keep breakage at minimum levels (from protein DCs)

2) Use heat, ALWAYS: I cannot remember the last time I deep conditioned my hair without heat.

Deep conditioning with heat opens up your hair cuticles, so that your hair can receive all the good stuff and nutrients that are in the deep conditioner.

3) Deep condition for at least 20 minutes: If the instructions of your conditioner indicate that you only need 3-5 minutes to condition your hair, then it is probably not a deep conditioner. All the good deep conditioners that I have used recently, indicate that you need to keep the conditioner in for at least 15 minutes, with a recommendation that it can be used with heat or a conditioning cap.

4) Add oil to conditioner for an extra boost: I try to add at least one teaspoon of an oil of my choice, to give my conditioner an extra boost. This also helps in fortifying your hair with the additional nutrients that it needs to strive. And with the added heat, your hair absorbs the nutrients from the oil much easier than it would, without heat.

5) Use one conditioner at a time: Initially in my hair journey, I mixed conditioners almost all the time. The problem with this was that I never knew what worked and what did not work. It is only when I stoppped mixing conditioners that I figured out which deep conditioners actually kept my hair soft and moisturized.

6) Always check the ingredients before buying a deep conditioner: I cannot stress the importance of this step. This is also why I spend at least 30 minutes at a beauty cosmetic store whenever I visit one.

There are general ingredients that you should avoid that make a DC less effective and potentially harmful to the health of your hair and scalp. Some of these ingredients include mineral oils, parabens, sulfates, etc.

Also, as a general rule of thumb, the first ingredient for any good deep conditioner should be Aqua/ Water. This indicates that the deep conditioner will penetrate your hair strands much easier than a deep conditioner that does not have water as its first ingredient.

7) Apply your DC to your cleansed hair in sections: Focussing on the length of your hair is key, because this is the hair that needs the deep conditioner the most. On most days, I apply my DC using a spatula, sectioning my hair as I go. This ensures that the conditioner is applied evenly to all of my hair. I apply extra conditioner to the ends of my hair, which are the oldest and dryest parts of my hair.

Here are a few good moisturizing conditioners, that are below KSh 1,000/ USD 10 in local stores!

0

Hair Update: 2 Weeks Post Relaxer

Hi there

I have been working on my regimen for the next 10-13 weeks, as I wait for my next relaxer day.

I plan on having a very minimalistic routine, just to give my hair a break from continuous manipulation.

My goal over the next 6 months of the year is to retain at least 3 inches and get to armpit length. Currently I am at Shoulder length, but I am going to baby my ends to
So here we go:

1) Wash and Deep Condition every 1-2 weeks
2) Dust my ends every 6-8 weeks
3) Protective style most of the time with wigs or halo braids/ twists
4) NO Heat, except for blow dry every month to keep my new growth stretched
5) Join a hair growth challenge
6) Take a healthy hear vitamin daily
7) Cover my hair at night with my satin bonnet

What are your hair goals for the remaining part of the year?

1

The Wash Day Series: Step 3 - Shampoo

This is probably the step that anyone who has ever been on a healthy hair journey, would know about.

There are so many shampoos out there, and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which one you need. Here is a list of types of shampoos:

1) Chelating Shampoo: While similar to a clarifying shampoo, a chelating shampoo helps in removing metals, minerals and chlorine that get deposited in hair due to hard water. This is the kind of shampoo that swimmers often use.

2) Clarifying Shampoo: A clarifying shampoo is formulated to remove product build up from the hair and scalp. However, these shampoos tend to be harsh and therefore need to be followed up with a moisturising conditioner.

3) Sulfate free Shampoo: A sulfate-free shampoo, however, has no soap alkaline base. Since sulfates tend to dry your hair out by stripping it of moisture and cause rough brittleness, a sulfate-free shampoo is good at keeping your hair’s natural oils intact and texture oh so soft.

4) Neutralising Shampoo: A neutralizing shampoo helps restore balance and the normal pH level of your hair. These shampoos must ALWAYS be used to rinse off a relaxer, as they ensure that the relaxer process stops.

5) Volumizing shampoo: A volumizing shampoo works by opening up the hair cuticles to encourage growth

6) Dry shampoo: A dry shampoo is for days when you don’t want to wash your hair but still want it to look less greasy and more fresh. Dry shampoos can be liquid, powder or come in an aerosol spray. All you need to do is take a small amount and spread it through your roots to clean your hair and absorb excess oil and grease.

I typically use sulfate-free shampoos a maximum of once per week. When my hair and scalp feels like it has a lot of buildup, I use clarifying shampoos for a thorough cleanse.

I have never had to use a chelating shampoo, as the water in my area does not have any minerals or chemicals that make hair hard.

I ALWAYS use neutralising shampoos on relaxer days, and more specifically, I prefer the colour-coded neutralising shampoos which turn to pink if the relaxer has not yet been washed off completely.

Cleansing hair with shampoo strips out alot of your hair's natural oils, so it is important to use shampoos sparingly. Apply the shampoo to your scalp and let the lather flow down to the length of your hair - this will minimise the harsh effect of shampoos on your hair.

Which shampoo do you use most often, and when did you last use one?

Source of info: poxpo.com

0

The Wash Day Series: Step 2 - Pre-Shampoo

Have you heard of the term "prepoo"?

I had never heard of it before starting my healthy hair journey, but since I started incorporating it into my wash days, it has definitely helped improve the health of my hair.

I especially like this step, because it protects my hair from the shampoo process, that tends to strip your hair of its natural oils and sebum, even when using a gentle shampoo that is free of harsh chemicals like sulphates.

Here is an infographic that gives more details.

My favourite pre-poo's are hot oil treatements - I feel like it is a special treat to my hair and the massaging process is also relaxing to the mind :-)

Do you do pre-poos? What are your favourite types of prepoo treatments?

0

The Wash Day Series: Step 1 - Detangling

Here is everything you need to know about detangling, in one page :-)

I always try to plan my wash days when I have 3-4 hours to concentrate on how I am handling my hair. The steps below may seem over the top, but they have definitely helped me in minimising breakage, especially after taking a protective style like braids or cornrows, out of my hair.

0

The Wash Day Series: 7 Essentials to Starting a Healthy Hair Journey

Wash days are what I would say are the backbone to a healthy hair care regimen.

Without wash days, you would not be able to keep your hair and scalp clean, hydrated and strengthened.

Before I share my detailed steps for wash days, I think it is important to share the essentials of a healthy hair care journey so that

A) You do not go on an unnecessary shopping spree
B) You appreciate that products can only take you so far. Your consistency and technique is far more important.

You really do not need to complicate your healthy hair journey. All you need are a few essentials to get started, and you can slowly build up on the rest.

You can have the best products in the market, and have unhealthy hair. But it is unlikely that you will have unhealthy hair when applying consistent good healthy hair practices, unless the products you are using are awful (e.g. have chemicals like parabens, a lot of sulfates, etc).

So here are my 7 Essentials list, let me know what yours are if you have already started your healthy hair journey:

1.) Wide tooth comb
2.) Shea Oil OR Avocado Oil
3.) A sulfate free shampoo
4.) Satin scarf
5.) A protein conditioner
6.) A moisturizing conditioner
7.) A spray bottle with water

• I would mix the oil, conditioner and water to make a moisturizer
• I use a satin scarf DAILY without fail. This is a very important part of my routine, as it keeps my hair moisturized when I am asleep (which is a good 6-8 hours a day)
• A wide tooth comb is necessary for detangling especially when deep into a relaxer stretch and you have lot of new growth that easily gets detangled.
• A shampoo is needed to keep your scalp clean on wash days
• Both Moisturizing and Protein conditioner are a a yes-yes to keep your hair balanced between moisturer and strength, depending on how your hair feels each wash day. If it feels dry, you probably need some moisture. If it feels too mushy and very elastic, you probably need some protein.

What are you 5 essentials?

0

Guide to picking the right comb for your Healthy Hair

Starting my hair journey, I had never ever gone more than a day without combing my hair, unless it was in protective styles.

So going 2 or 3 days and even a week, just on finger detangling, was one of the hardest but also one of the best habits I learnt.

Ideally you should not comb your hair unless you need to straighten it or detangle it because it has a lot of knots or is matted. Our ancestors used their fingers to detangle their hair, and it worked for them... BUT, different hair types react differently to this approach.

If you are the type who gets a lot of single strand knots and matted hair, it might be better for you to keep your hair stretched and detangled as much as possible, while minimising the use of combs and brushes which also cause a lot of manipulation and damage to our hair strands.

Other tips for combing your hair:

• Never detangle dry hair. Apply oil or a detangler or spritz it with water so that it is easier to run your comb through your hair. Do not make it too wet, hair is generally at its weakest point when extremely dry or wet.
• Finger detangle first before you run a comb through your hair.
• Do it in sections. Depending on the length of your hair, 4 – 8 parts is a good idea. You can use butterfly clips to secure each section.
• Comb your hair through when you have the time and patience for it.
• After combing each section, twist, and pin before you move on to the next section. Do not try to comb a huge amount of hair at once. You will lose a lot of hair this way and cause split ends.

Here are a few types of combs and uses, which you obviously need to assess based on what your hair needs:

1) Tangle teezer: Works for thick hair types that tend to get knotted or matted in between washes. Brushes knots out easily. Useful for transitioners who get a lot of single strand knots during the transition from relaxed to natural hair.

2)  Seamless comb: Works for straightening the hair when blow drying.

3) Ceramic Bristle Brush: Achieves Faster blowouts, smoother hair and big curls when blowdrying.

4) Afro comb: Useful for undoing cornrows.

5) Wide tooth comb: Detangling during and in between wash days.

6) Denman brush: Smoothing hair after detangling with wide tooth comb.

7) Rattail comb: Parting hair and smoothing down hair when flat ironing.

I use my widetooth comb most of the time, and my Denman brush to smooth out my new growth.

Remember, combs cause manipulation = breakage.

The smaller the spaces in between the teeth of the comb, the more likely you are to damage your hair. So use rattail and afro combs sparingly and use only when necessary.

Personally, I comb my hair twice a week with a Wide tooth Comb and I smooth my new growth with my Denman brush on wash days.

Which is your most used comb?

0

Olaplex Treatment: Review

So eeeveryone has been raving about this product of late. When I first came across it, I thought it was a new product, only to find that it has been in the market for a while. I think the hype is because more and more women of colour have realised that it can work for their hair too.

What is Olaplex?

It is a treatment that works to build the bonds that have been broken from chemical processes such as relaxers, bleaches, etc you name it. It also builds bonds that have been broken from thermal and mechanical processes such as flat ironing, blow drying, combing etc. Basically anything you do to your hair that increases the chances of breakage.

From Olaplex.com: Olaplex is a patented active ingredient that works on a molecular level to seek out broken bonds in the hair that are caused by chemical, thermal, and mechanical damage. You can use Olaplex to restore compromised hair, or add it to another service to provide the ultimate breakage insurance.

This is how a strand of your hair looks like under a microscope. The more split ends and breakage you have, the less smooth your strand looks.

Why I went on the Olaplex bandwagon?

Honestly, my hair was in ICU 2 months ago. I had been experiencing a lot of breakage caused by stress and a vegeterian diet that I went on without gradually allowing my body to adjust to the new diet.

I was in desparate need of getting a product that would control the breakage. I tried protein treatments, mixed protein and moisture, heavy protein treatments etc but none of them worked. My ends were always damaged. I trimmed a total of 6-8 inches over the last 6 months which was not necessary if I did not have the breakage that I was experiencing.

So when I heard about Olaplex from some of my favourite healthy hair bloggers, I thought it was worth trying...

How it works?

The initial Olaplex set consisted of  a 3-step treatment, of which the first 2 are meant for salon use only. After washing hair Step 1 is applied and is meant to stay on your hair for some 10 minutes. Step 2 is applied on top of Step 1 and I waited longer on Step 2 as the hairdresser (check my Instagram post for more detail on this salon visit) recommended so due to my excessive breakage.

Note: The entire range is not a protein conditioner, you would still need to continue with your usual wash day steps and incorporate this in between. I applied it after shampooing my hair and before my deep conditioner step.

Step 3 is an at home treatment, which I have been using the same way I use a moisturizing treatment, with a heat cap to just get an extra level of punch out of it. 

I applied very little of the Step 3 product to my hair (a little goes a long way and it has some slip to help with that), and 1 bottle will probably last me 3-4 applications.

Where to find it?

This one is a bit tricky because according to the Olaplex customer service agent that I chatted with on the website, they can only confirm the authenticity of products that are distributed through their approved salon network. Personally, I took the option of finding an approved salon and performing the treatment there.

I got the No 3 treatment, which is an at home treatment, from an approved distributor as well that is based in SA (ohmybeauty.co.za).

You can find the products on Amazon, but you would need to be really careful about the authenticity of the products that you are buying - maybe get them from a company where Amazon despatches the items or read the reviews before selecting the seller.

Price

No 1 and 2 treatment: Check Amazon for price details. 

No 3 at home treatment: USD 35 

The Verdict

It definitely did what it promises. to do Since my first application, my breakage has reduced significantly so I am very happy about that. My hair also feels very smooth after washing the No 3 treatment out. However, to be honest, the smooth feeling does not last long. The hairdresser had informed me that the product wears off after some time - I guess like any other product. 

It is expensive, so I do not intend using it every week as per recommendations. I will probably use it every other week and on my relaxer day. 

I am definitely incorporating this product into my regimen!

Have you used Olaplex? Did you like it, love it or naah?

0

How to start a Healthy Hair Journey on a Budget!

Yes ladies, it is possible to start your healthy hair journey on a budget as low as USD50!!!

You do not need fancy OR expensive products that you would need to save up for months on end. All you need are basic items to help you get the most out of healthy hair techniques.

When I started this healthy hair journey, one of the biggest mistakes I made was experimenting far too soon on different products, which I ended up giving away. So instead of going this route, you are better off getting products that generally work and then with time, you could experiment and try other products (ONE AT A TIME).

You are actually far better off practicing good healthy hair techniques than having the best hair care product range.

So here are the bare minimums of what you need, based on my experience so far. All products are available at Super Cosmetics/ Best Lady Cosmetics.

Tools:

(1) Wide tooth comb: KSh 500/ USD 5
(2) Hair sectioning clips: KSh 700/ USD 7 for a pack of 8 clips

Products:

(1) Sulfate free shampoo: KSh 750/ USD 5 (Creme of Nature)
(2) Clarifying shampoo: KSh 550/ USD 5 (ORS Clarifying Shampoo)
(3) Deep conditioner: KSh 500/ USD 5 (Saru organics hair growth masque)
(4) Protein conditioner: KSh 550/ USD 5 (ORS Hair Mayonnaise)
(5) Oil from home Olive/ Coconut oil: KSh 450/ USD (Kentaste Coconut Oil)
(6) Detangler/Leave-in conditioner/ Moisturiser : Ksh 900/ USD 9 (Marini Naturals)

Total cost KSh 4,900/ USD 50

The cost above might seem too much, but you can easily save this up by reducing your salon trips and going only when you really need to.

Other things you could do that can help save more pennies:

- Try out DIY recipes for conditioners & detanglers (e.g. avocado and banana hair masques as a protein treatment). Please start by trying out on a small piece of your hair, you do not want a disaster experiment happenning on your beautiful locks! You could save an additional KSh 1,050/ USD 10 by using DIY conditioner recipes.

- Maximise on water! Drink it, and use it on your hair as a pre-moisturising step. Just don't soak your hair with water, as it might cause tangles and unnecessary breakage.

- You could rent a hairdryer from a salon in town - simply pay a small fee to use their dryer - that way, you do not have to spend a lot of cash on hair equipment.

- Little at a time: Experiment on new products ONE AT A TIME and only when you have gotten a working regimen. I spent too much time & money experimenting the latest product in town, and ended up giving a lot of these products away :-(

- ALWAYS prepare a budget before you go to the store and stick to it. The next product on the shelf is not thaaat much better than what you have, stick to what you have if it works for you.

I hope you found this post helpful! Please let me know what other topics or information on healthy hair you would be interested in, that I could share on this blog :-)

0

5 Healthy Hair Methods that I ditched

The truth is, not ALL healthy hair methods and practices will work for you. The hard part is figuring out what works and what doesn't. I learned the hard way - after lots of breakage that I could not understand, but finally figured it out, and I am still learning.


So here are 5 Healthy Hair methods that I no longer practice, they simply did not work for me or my lifestyle:


*DISCLAIMER* - The list below may or may not work for your hair, this is what has not worked for mine.

(1) Long-term relaxer stretching: This is when you stay long periods of time between getting your hair relaxed/retouched. My new growth tends to be quite chaotic and I realised that keeping it for long was causing more breakage than relaxing it more often. I now try to keep to a 13-14 week relaxer stretch, down from 18-24 weeks.

(2) A selection of some protective styles, e.g. crochet braids, singles: These protective styles caused havoc on my hairline especially after having my baby. They were too heavy for my hairline, and the fact that the cost makes it difficult to keep these for anything less than a month meant that I was not able to care for my hair the way I would have wanted.

(3) Washing my hair twice a month: Now this may or may not work for you just like everything else on this post, but certainly did not work for me especially now that I exercise on average 2-3 times a week. I now wash my hair every week, and when plaited, I co-wash it.

(4) Combing my hair once a week: I now comb my hair 2-3 times a week to keep it detangled. I found that my hair fairs better when it is detangled than when it was those dreaded single stranded knots stuck in there somewhere. The hand detangling method just does not work when I have a lot of new growth...

(5) Moisturizing and sealing my hair daily: Although I try to keep up with this, sometimes it is just not possible. So at the very least, I moisturize and seal every other day and on the days when I do not do this, I spray my hair with water and followed my an oil mixture. It also does not do my hair any good, when I moisturize and seal daily when I am past 8-10 weeks post relaxer, because that would mean detangling my hair and my new growth, and that is also some manipulation so I found a way around it - using water and oil sprays so that I keep the manipulation at minimal levels.


What healthy hair methods have not worked for you?

0

Hi, Welcome Back!

Hi everyone!

This is just a short post to say that I am back to blogging now! Had definitely missed it, and missed engaging with all of you through my blog, but being a new mama and having a demanding job left me with no time to blog... Kudos to all the mamas who have been able to do all these things and still keep up with their blogs, youtube channels etc!

I am looking forward to the remaining part of the year, and would like to change things a bit on the blog with some new content. My blog will focus on

-> Hair care (Off Course, this will remain the primary focus of my blog, so don't leave just yet if you are wondering whether the new topics below are relevant for you)
-> Skin care - with all the hormonal changes I have experienced over the last 2 years, I would definitely like to take you through my journey to a better looking face
-> Mom's corner - talking about all things motherhood. I am not an expert here so this content will focus on MY experience and learnings.

Stay tuned for new blog posts, every Tuesday!

Becca

0