Dry/Damaged Hair? Protein Treatment Straight Out The Kitchen

When you are just stepping into the natural scene you tend to go through these dry periods as you learn to moisturize your hair. I remember when I did the big chop. My hair laughed at the conditioners and moisturizers I used. Water rolled right off my hair. That is so not funny but it is the honest truth! Who knew food right in my kitchen could actually help my chemically-damaged hair shaft. My hair went through chemical shock. It did not want water or a leave-in conditioner it wanted that creamy crack and I refused to give in! So after much research, I realized I had exactly what I needed to help this dry, brittle hair in my fridge. I needed protein. Not a steak or chicken but eggs, yogurt, and olive oil! Yes, protein fortifies the hair shaft, making your hair less brittle and reduces breakage.

Top  Ingredients for Hair Protein

Eggs: The yolk, rich in fats and proteins, is naturally moisturizing, while the white contains bacteria-eating enzymes and removes unwanted oils.






Avocado: (Probably the last thing you will find in my fridge) The oils of the avocado, with its nutty aroma, works wonders on hair. It adds shine and luster to hair as well as preventing hair loss and promotes growth.  Did you know, that the oils in avocados more closely resemble our own skin's oils more than any product on the beauty isle (Ok, I need to broaden my horizon...off to Whole foods I go!).





Yogurt: Styling products (as well as air pollution) can leave a film that saps moisture and dulls shine—but dairy products like sour cream and plain yogurt can help reverse this damage.

Olive Oil: To fight flakes—brought on by poor diet, stress and climate, among other factors—try a lemon juice and olive oil mixture in your hair. "The acidity in lemon juice helps rid your scalp of any loose, dry flakes of skin, while the olive oil moisturizes the newly exposed skin on your head.

 

 

 

Working the Magic

Here are a three typical recipes:

1. Eggs are combined with yogurt, olive oil, mayonnaise or honey to create a conditioning protein treatment for damaged hair. The ingredients can be mixed in a bowl, then worked into damp hair.

2. Try combining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1 egg yolk and 1 cup of warm water, or 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon of almond oil.

3. Daily Glow recommends making an easy protein treatment by combining egg yolks and plain yogurt.

Shampoo your hair, then gently towel dry to remove excess moisture. Detangle hair with a wide-tooth comb, then work the protein treatment through your hair from the ends upward, focusing on the shaft and ends of the hair rather than the roots. Cover your hair with a plastic shower cap or plastic wrap. Leave the protein treatment in place for at least 30 minutes or as long as 90 minutes. Rinse your hair with cool water and follow the protein treatment with your preferred conditioner.

I am so glad my hair is now soaking up oils and moisturizers. My hair is now soft and manageable. If you are just going natural give one of these recipes a try and let us know what your results are!

Wash Day......HURAAYYY!!

I was once told I was a "hair guru." Not sure how I feel about that but I do know that I have battled, loved and struggled with this head of hair and for this moment, I feel like I may have let it down. For now. Because in a few short months, I will have to redo my routine to battle the death grip of the southern summer!! 

But for now, here is my wash routine!!

Typically, I don't wash my hair weekly -- I know...Natural Hair blasphemy!!

 I recently challenged myself (I didn't want to call it a New Year's Resolution but it kinda was) to be more proactive and do a weekly wash day...with two small children, a spoiled dog and a husband, that hasn't happened just yet. I have, however, ventured into some new products and I hope it will give me a little more enthusiasm about washing my hair weekly!!

1. Rinse hair with lukewarm water. 

2. I usually wash my hair with either Shea Moisture Curl and Shine Shampoo OR a black soap bar. I suffer from extremely dry skin on my scalp and these have been the ones that work best for me. Neither have any sulfates or parabens and contain all natural products. I typically wash only once...both of these make a rich lather and once is usually enough (unless I have been super slack and I need a little more "suds" to clean my scalp). As a part of my New Year's resolution to wash my hair on a more regular basis, I also will be incorporating co-washing into my routine. I will have to save that for another blog post as that can spark quite the debate!!

3. I try not to rub my hair too much to help prevent tangles and fairy knots. T-shirt drying and patting with paper towels can help with that as well. I squeeze as much excess water off my hair as possible because I don't like sopping wet hair when I'm trying to add conditioner. 

**As you can tell, I do not use a conditioner in my routine. Because I use the LOCS method, I didn't see a need for it BUT (as you will see at the end of the post), I will begin to incorporate one pretty soon to see if my results are different. 

4. I have been using the LOCS method religiously lately and I LOVE it. LOCS method (if you don't know) is a method that is meant to retain moisture. L=liquid, O=oil, C=cream based moisturizer, S=sealant. Here is my list for the LOCS method:

L=Creme of Nature Argon Oil Leave in Conditioner

O=Coconut and Olive Oil (I use any kind but I made a trip to Trader Joe's right before Christmas and stocked up)

            

C=Aunt Jackie's Knot on My Watch Instant Detangling Therapy 
Once I add this to my hair and comb it out, i will section it off into 6 sections, twisting each section, to make it easier to manage. I recommend always separating your hair into sections that you can work with. Many people will say 4 sections but sometimes that can be overwhelming and difficult to manage...especially in the back of your head that you can't even see!! 

S=Shea butter with Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil and Vegetable Glycerin

*I melt them all down and mix them together for sealant as well as to promote hair growth. I use the vegetable glycerin in the winter mostly to add moisture to my hair because the dry winter air tends to make my hair drier than in summer months when the humidity is much higher. I add this to each section and saturate my ends with most of it. 

           

I focus on my ends a lot when I put on sealant. The ends of the hair is the oldest part of the hair so they need lots of TLC to prevent breakage and split ends. 

5. Since you already have your hair sectioned off and twisted in chunky twists (which can dry into a style itself), you can go an many different directions. Many times, I go for protective styling because it saves me a lot of time in the long run. My go to style is the two strand twist and I have recently ventured into learning the three strand twist that offers more definition to my curls. I don't add a lot of product and I have recently begun using As I Am Twist Defining Cream and it is AMAZING for definition. Since I already have my hair sectioned off, I typically will just break those sections down a little more and do either a two strand or a three strand twist for a couple of days and take it down after it has completely dried. And yes, it can take a couple of DAYS for my hair to dry!! I also use a little Ecostyler gel with Olive Oil for a a little more hold on my twists. Oh yeah, and get a small color application bottle from your local beauty supply store and put some oil in it to oil your scalp...just a quick run through will go a long way. A little scalp massage will also wake up those nerve ends and can promote healthy hair growth!! 

    

This is just my routine (for now) that has been working well for me. Like I mentioned before, I am a slacker at washing my hair...it can get bad ya'll!! I'm working on it though...

Stay tuned...I have also just recently purchased a Trader Joe's conditioner that I will be adding to his regimen as well. 

The Big Chop Frenzy

The BIG CHOP can be scary for some. But for me, it was so liberating. I tried to do the transitional styling for about one month and I was just done with the two different hair textures.  So I grabbed my phone and called my hair stylist and said I'm coming to chop all this perm out this week. She thought I was kidding all the way up until I sat down in the chair and said "Let's do this". After it was all done I never for one minute felt like a part of me was missing. I felt like a part of me was coming alive.  I new I was fly but at that point I could say I was Naturally Fly and it felt amazing!

Here is some inspiration for the ladies who are considering to do the big chop but might be scared to take that step, or maybe you've already done that and need to be reminded that you too are NATURALLY FLY!

Look at these naturally fly beauties!!!

Now throw that fear in the trash and chop away if you feel its time to move forward with your natural journey. We have your back!     

Wash Day…..How Dreadful!!!

Washing a toddler's hair can be an act of Congress and can literally be an all day affair.....trust me. I have two heads to do along with my own. Here are a few tips to help that process go a little smoother, and hopefully with fewer tears!

1. Co-Wash: Using a co-wash like As I Am Coconut Co-Wash will not only prevent soap in the eye but will aid in the detangling process, too.

2. Use the LOC Method: I like to use a liquid leave in conditioner (L), Coconut oil (O) and a cream based detangler (C). During winter months I also use a Shea butter sealant after detangling.

3. Detangling: Always detangle wet hair. It's much easier to manage!! Separate the hair in sections. I usually work from the back (which seems to be the roughest areas of my girls' head), to the sides and then to the top and front. Twisting in large sections after detangling.

4. Seal Those Ends: Just like with an adult's hair, the little Naturalistas need those ends sealed to prevent breakage, too. Using a little shea butter will do the job.

5. Style: Most Naturalistas know that protective styling is very beneficial to reducing hair breakage. The same goes for the mini naturals!! Braids, twist sets, buns, pony tail (with no rubber bands), cornrows, and etc, are all protective styles that will keep the hair from breakage. AND, most importantly, keep momma (or daddy) from having to do their child's hair every day!!!

These are just a few basic tips for the infamous "wash day" for our little naturals. Keep in mind that just like adult hair, it is important to find the right products that work well in your little one's hair. Paraben/sulfate/mineral oil-free washes and conditioners are likely to have the best results and leave the hair nice and nourished.

Enjoy wash day....and make sure to remind the little divas that natural hair is FLY!!!

How do you wash your child's hair on wash day? Share your tips!

Dry Winter Hair Remedy: LOC Method?

For years, I had a love hate relationship with my hair.

On wash day, seeing my coily hair pop thanks to a great shampoo and conditioner: LOVE.

On Day 2, suffering with angry, parched hair that looks like a Brillo pad: HATE.

It took forever for me to realize that I wasn't adopting a method of moisture retention. Deep conditioning - for my hair anyway - is not enough to maintain moisture. If only you knew how many times I wanted to just hack all my hair off or go back to perms out of sheer frustration over this issue!

It wasn't until I came across the LOC method that my life was forever changed… 

So What Is LOC? 

L: Liquid

O: Oil

C: Cream

The concept is that you wash and condition your hair. Your hair is wet, so you'll sop up all that natural liquid moisture by sealing your hair with an oil. The oil helps those pesky water molecules stick to the hair shaft, apparently. And to be totally sure that that moisture ain't going nowhere, let's throw in a cream or a butter. It may sound excessive but for those of us with thick, porous hair this works….WONDERS.

For the winter, I've been sticking to a specific regimen and have been quite pleased with the approach. For my liquid, I rely on water and an effective leave-In conditioner like Biotera Moisturizing Leave In (Yea, it's the cheap stuff from Sally's Beauty Supply). I top that off with virgin olive oil and then finish it all off with a Shea Butter concoction I made with shea butter, coconut oil and aloe vera gel. I two-strand twist with this recipe and let it dry overnight.

By the next morning I have naturally shiny (not oily) hair. Each day after that I repeat the LOC method, I just don't use nearly as much product just a little bit for retouching. 

The LOC Method worked for me, but what do you do to combat dry winter hair? And what's been your experience with the LOC Methods? 

About the Author

Jessica is a co-founder of Naturally Fly Wilmington. When she's not blogging, she's working as a fashion stylist or trying to assess the status of her hair.

[Get this widget]

New Year, New Hair Resolutions!

It's a new year, and by default we're all expected to have New Year's Resolutions. So why not vow to create some better hair habits? No head is alike in the world of natural hair, but some principles should be staples in your hair care regimen. Here's a few resolutions that will surely lead you to growth and retention.

Create a Regimen

We're not talking some complicated madness that includes extensive pre-pooing, deep conditioning with steamers with mayo and olive oil. Well, then again, if that's your thing, then fine. But training your hair on a consistent, regimen of cleansing, detangling and moisturizing is a great way to start the year and your hair will thank you for it!

Try a Protective Style

Two-strand twists, braids, Havana Twists, whatever. If you haven't taken that time to try a style that will protect your precious ends and keep your hair safe from the elements, now may be a good time to try it out. There's nothing like switching it up a bit and letting your hair rest, too.

Just Say No To Bad Hair Habits

You know what I'm talking about: sleeping on cotton pillows with no satin scarf or bonnet, wearing a pony puff all day, everyday - much to the chagrin of your edges. Habits like these, for some naturals, can cause excessive breakage. Sure, being lazy with your bedtime rituals or styling can be justified with the typical busy lifestyle of today's woman. But having split ends and a traveling hair line due to poor hair care isn't as easy to excuse.

What New Hair Resolutions are you adopting for 2014? 

About the Author

Jessica is a co-founder of Naturally Fly Wilmington. When she's not blogging, she's working as a fashion stylist or trying to assess the status of her hair.

[Get this widget]