Search Results: Ajia Eberhart
Quick styling results is something we all look for. When it is all said and done, we pray our gorgeous strands don’t suffer from heat damage; we will try any possible concoction before accepting the harsh reality of heat damage. There are many ongoing theories and discussions about correcting heat damaged strands. Understand the facts about heat damage, the falsehood of the myths, and the solutions.
What is Heat Damage?
Heat Damage is the result of applying excessive heat from a blow dryer, flat iron, or other heat appliances at high temperatures. Our hair strands contain keratin protein which aids in the strength of each strand; when heat appliances are set too high, above 400 degrees, the keratin protein that gives strength begins to melt. Heat Damage alters the pattern and structure of the hair strands on a physical and molecular level which causes the curl to loosen and eventually become limp, straight pieces of hair.
There’s propaganda in the natural community giving women hope that heat damage is reversible.
I always say the first step to recover is acknowledging the problem; however, many believe in the dozens of home remedies that will bring their curls back to life.
- Myth: Curls that have been loosened or have become straight from heat can be revived by a protein treatments.
- Truth: Curls suffering from heat damage cannot bounce back with the application of a protein treatment because as a result of direct continuous heat, the shaft and cortex are essentially destroyed. Once the strand is dead there’s no revival process; otherwise it would be a zombie hair strand, pun intended. A protein treatment can help with make lightly damaged curls (slightly loosened”> appear to have a little more bounce because of its restoration qualities filling in missing areas of the hair shaft. There’s no promise of complete restoration but it gives your curls a reasonable level of hope for maintaining a regular shape and structure (Essence Magazine”>.
The Recovery Process
Going forward in our hair journeys and our love for the benefits of heat application, we need to make sure we’re going into this potential battle with a plan and some knowledge.
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Discontinue using heat: Sometimes we start out saying we’ll use heat occasionally but that’s easier said than done once you achieve perfect volume that’s giving you life thanks to your trusty diffuser. If you find yourself in a place in your hair journey where you’re using heat more than 4 times a week, regulate yourself by giving your hair a break. Look for alternatives to achieve that same volume that your diffuser gave you without the heat. Make a plan t go at least 3 months without heat application and you’ll notice a great difference in the overall health of your hair.
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Use a Heat Protectant: If you’re absolutely against the the idea of not using heat at all in your hair regimen, using a heat protectant with some silicones. Heat protectants help lower the porosity of the hair to protect the cortex and helps reduce moisture loss from the inside of the hair shaft.
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Increase Protein Intake: During the time that your hair is trying to revive its luxuriousness, increasing your protein intake will allow for the new growth coming in to be stronger and more resilient to damage. Not only will nourishing your body with protein from the inside help with growth but applying protein from the outside will give your curls some bounce, shine, and strength from the outside, according to Bustle.
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Protective Styling: Styling heat damaged hair can be one of the most difficult tasks in hair history; No matter how much gel and product we put on that section of hair for a braid out, it always manages to look like oodles and noodles. Protective styling while suffering from heat damage can make the recovery process easier because it gives your hair the opportunity to be in a at ease while the damage grows out (Ebony Magazine”>. A few important things to remember while protective styling is to moisturize and nourish your hair and maintain a proper trim schedule to rid your hair of damaged ends.
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Patience: Great things come to those who wait and miracles don’t happen overnight. Heat damage recovery could take place from six months to a year; be patient and explore new styles. And if you’re feeling extra spontaneous create your own innovative styles to match your swag.
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Let it go: Be like Elsa! Sometimes heat damage can be so bad that waiting for it to grow out is heartbreaking because you have to look at it every time your wash your hair. The last time I went to a hairdresser she insisted on straightening my hair and when i went to wash it there were straight ends all over. I reasoned with myself that its only hair and it will grow back soon enough so I cut it myself. Realistically holding on to damaged ends doesn’t benefit anything except an ego. Holding on to damaged ends weighs down on the hair which puts strain on it while its growing; cutting away heat damaged ends will allow the hair to grow back in faster because its not carrying the dead weight of damaged hair (bustle.com“>. Make peace with yourself, your hair, and the situation and just let those heat damaged ends go.
In the end, heat damaged hair is no good; not for your hair nor yourself.
If heat is a most use to your everyday life, be wise and use protection to prevent the horrid reality of heat damaged and setting hair goals back of because of a simple mistake that could’ve been avoided. But lastly, always remember healthy hair over damaged hair.
There’s a plethora of curly hair advice and information for topics like moisture, texture, and density–while proteins tend to be the black sheep of natural hair conversations. Most naturals still don’t understand how crucial protein is for the strength of our tresses.
Performing regular deep protein treatments is incredibly important to aid in retaining length as well as helping with moisture levels. In between the 3-4 month gap of each deep protein treatment, the protein balance of our hair needs to be maintained in order to minimize breakage.
Most naturals still don’t understand how crucial protein is for the strength of our tresses.
Maintaining an appropriate protein level in your hair comes from a number of things such as a balanced diet and applying products containing hydrolyzed proteins. First, let’s work our way from the inside of the body, outward.
Protein from the Inside Out
When we exercise and work to build muscle, we know we should eat eggs, meats, and veggies with a high concentration of protein to build that muscle. The same protein we ingest after workouts helps form strong and sturdy hair strands that continue to grow. If our bodies lack protein, that new growth has a weak foundation, is fragile, and is much more prone to breakage. Simply applying a topical protein treatment would help but will not provide hair strands with optimal levels of protein internally that can withstand weekly manipulation from styling.
Protein from the Outside In
Over time, the hair follicle chips away, increasing the potential for breakage. This happens over time with the wear and tear of excessive styling and manipulation. Applying products that contain hydrolyzed proteins allows hair to maintain the results of the deep protein treatment for a longer time.
What are hydrolized proteins?
You may be asking yourself, “What are hydrolyzed proteins?” Hydro=water, meaning that proteins such as animal, wheat, and silk that are broken down by water infusion are small enough to penetrate the shaft of the hair. Hydrolyzed proteins are found in leave-in conditioners, styling products, and other hair care products. Choosing the right hydrolyzed protein for you is based on individual hair needs and hair preferences.
How to find the protein you need
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Keep a schedule: Performing deep penetrating protein treatments on a regular basis is much better than waiting for breakage to occur. Much more length will be retained if the issue of breakage is caught prior to it actually beginning
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Know your proteins: Try two or three products that have different proteins, i.e wheat protein, silk proteins, etcetera; examine which type of protein your hair prefers.
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Know your balance: Get an idea for how your hair feels when it’s at an appropriate protein and moisture balance. Many naturals don’t know how their hair feels in its strongest state which can cause the misleading of diagnosis of potential hair problems
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Be fearless: Don’t be afraid to incorporate salon-grade protein treatments into your regimen; a little goes a long way. They’ll provide all the nutrients and ingredients necessary to bring your hair into its best condition.
When’s the last time you did a protein treatment?
During my freshman year of college, young and naive, I liked a boy and I thought highly of myself as a beautiful young black woman.When I went to tell my friend that I liked him, he said to me, “That’s flattering but you’re just a black girl. No offense but there’s nothing exciting about a black girl.” I was intellectually confused and emotionally unbothered by this because to me black women are intriguing. I thought of his obsession for my roommate and asked myself, “What is it that makes her so sought after by himself and his roommates.” The main reason for their obsession was due to her being of Spaniard-German descent with deep fiery red hair and olive green eyes; not to mention she spoke three languages and knew how to belly dance. It was beyond me how they found every racial mixing attractive but they placed African American women at the bottom of the totem pole.
Recently, Scott Eastwood, son of actor Clint Eastwood, made a statement saying he likes mixed women because “they have a little flavor.”
After this statement and seeing the obsession men have with women that look like Kim Kardashian or women that identify as black and something, its fair to ask the men of the world where they draw their definition of what an attractive woman is; Is it from the example of a woman in your life or from a pure fetish for exoticism. Where does it say that women are only considered desirable if they are Black and Caucasian, Jamaican and Brazilian, or any variety of cultural diversity.If by “flavor” you’re referring to the zeal and excitement of one’s cultural background, there is plenty of that in the African and African American culture; just because two women identify themselves as African American does not mean that their cultural ideals are one in the same. Like any other cultural group there are variances depending on location and other factors. Even with 55 countries in Africa, not every group nor tribe is the same; they all carry their own uniqueness. Lupita Nyong’o displays her “flavor” every time she steps on the red carpet.
Mr. Eastwood and other men alike, do see the attraction and relationship with a mixed woman as a competition for who’ll have the most unique and intricate woman to talk about? Does it boost your ego to brag about your significant other being a woman of the world through her diversity? A woman could be have the most intricate background and be completely ignorant of any aspect that makes her culture unique.
So Mr. Eastwood and all other men alike, my final question and thought to you is, why narrow your perspective of a woman’s level of attraction to her degree of mixed cultural background? In the grand scheme of a relationship does that actually equate to if she’ll be a phenomenal woman and mother?
