Search Results: Maria Loggins
Protective styles are the go-to for most woman relaxed or natural. We use them to retain and gain length, minimize fairy knots (aka single strand knots”>, let our hair rest, and the list goes on. Even though your hair is up and out of the way, there are so many things you can do during this time to get the most out of wearing a protective style. I am going to share how to care for your hair and scalp prior to installing your protective style, during, and post protective style.
Pre-protective style
How you treat your hair and scalp prior to installing your protective style is just as important as what you do when wearing a protective style.
- Detangle to make sure all shed hair is removed and all tangles are removed.
- Follow with a hot oil pre-poo treatments for great moisture retention.
- Shampoo to ensure your hair is clean. Skip the co-washing, as it will only add additional product buildup.
- A protein treatment is great way to strengthen hair prior to any prolonged style
- Reinforce moisture with a deep conditioning treatment.
- Trim if necessary.
During protective style
Incorporate scalp massages using castor oil or Jamaican black castor oil to help stimulate the scalp. Also, create your own DIY brown sugar scalp scrub to remove dead skin cells, which promotes hair growth. A healthy scalp primes for healthy hair. For supplements, add B-Complex, Omega 3, 6, and 9 to your regimen. The B-complex will lower stress levels, balancing your mental state, also has the components needed for healthy skin, hair and nails. The Omega 3, 6, and 9 are healthy fats are a must for healthy hair. Consider Barlean’s Fish Oil and Flax Oil and Udo’s Oil. Hair growth supplements are optional and can be very helpful.Read more: You Need These Good Fats for Healthy Hair
For a healthy diet you want a minimum of three healthy meals a day. Since breakfast being the most important meal, I like to eat my bread/carbs in the morning to assure I burn them off by days end. Great healthy snacks include nuts, vegetables, salsa, hummus, and avocado. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day and forgo the soda, fast food, and fried entrees. Be mindful of your mental and physical healthy by walking, practicing yoga, doing cardio, weight training, and your choice of meditation.Post-protective style
- Be patient. Don’t rush the take down process. Start when you have time and you are well rested.
- Detangle starting at the ends and work your way upward to removing all shed hair. This is honestly the most important step. If the shed hair isn’t removed properly it can cause massive tangles similar to locs.
- Pre-poo to soften the hair. You must apply after removing shed hair.
- Shampoo to remove all the buildup and deep condition to restore moisture and close the cuticle.
YouTube
There has been a silent stigma among stylists that being on YouTube as a professional hairstylist is totally faux pas, but if you are not utilizing YouTube then you are missing a whole new level of branding yourself as a professional. I have had other hairstylists tell me, “I have to be paid to share my knowledge” and I reply, “it is not free, it is an investment.” YouTube has not only brought me new clients from all over the country, it has also gotten me exposure to brands we as stylists work with daily. Brands love the concept of a professional being on YouTube. In addition, your prospective clients will get an instant boost of confidence seeing your work in action. Just think, your client is a walking billboard and your YouTube channel as your global billboard.
if you are not utilizing YouTube, then you are missing a whole new level of branding yourself as a professional
If video creation is not for you, there are several other options. Instagram is a virtual gallery right in the comfort of your hand. Starting a profile on Instagram and using simple hashtags, you have created an easily accessible and shareable portfolio for the world to find you. Visual art is what we create, so why not take before and after photos of your clients (with their consent”> and place them on a wildly popular platform free? This is the age of audacious self-promotion. People are constantly relocating and the easiest way for them to see your work is through social media. Of course word of mouth helps, but people love exploring their options.
Facebook is another amazing and free social media tool you should use. Having a business fan page separates your brand’s social media from your personal life and creates a cohesive space for your work, clients, and fans to see updates and engage with you.
Collaborate
Now let’s touch on working with other content creators or social media influencers. Working with people who have already done all the footwork is brilliant. Being able to work with influencers, who are not licensed, to help them learn and teach their already loyal following some helpful tips on how to care for their hair equals is a no brainer. This will extend your exposure as well as garner you new clients and build a buzz around how open and collaborative you are. So don’t shy away from working with influencers, as they can expose you to more people than you could imagine.
Quick tips
- Start using social media to promote your brand as a hairstylist
- Keep your social media pages for your brand about your brand
- Be consistent with posting
- Sharing is caring
- Share what you feel comfortable sharing
Do you follow your stylist on social media? Do you wish more curly stylists used social media?
There are three hair treatments that all naturals should do post heat styling. These treatments add moisture back into the cortex of the hair strand, fill in any missing gaps in the cuticle, and increasing the hair’s elasticity.
Pre-poo
You might be thinking, why pre-poo my hair is straight and I do not have to detangle? Well, one of the main objectives of this process is to add moisture so when you shampoo all of the oils from the hair are not stripped. These are the key ingredients you should look for in your pre-poo:
- Water
- Daily conditioner or other products with emollients
- Humectants such as honey
- Oils
Protein treatments
Your hair is made up of a protein called keratin. Whenever heat is used on your hair it can remove keratin. A protein treatment can temporarily replace the bond, which is commonly described as filling in the gaps on the hair cuticle. In order for a protein treatment to be effective, it must contain hydrolyzed proteins. The size of the protein must be small enough to attach to the hair shaft. There are four types of protein-enriched treatments:
- Light protein treatments – Use on slightly damaged hair or routine treatments
- Protein packs – Use on slightly damaged hair or routine treatments
- Deep penetrating treatments – Use on moderately damaged hair
- Reconstructors – Use on severely damaged hair
This step is very helpful but not always necessary for all naturals. If you are protein sensitive, you can skip this and proceed to the next step. Listed are example of each types of protein conditioner.
- Light Protein Treatments: Aubrey Organics GPB and TreSemmé Keratin Smooth
- Protein Packs: Nutress Hair Moisturizing Protein Pack and Palmers Coconut Oil Formula Deep Conditioning Pack
- Deep penetrating treatments: It’s A 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin, JessieCurl Deep Conditioning Treatment, and DevaCurl Heaven in Hair
- Reconstructors: Enjoy Instant Reconstructor , Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor, and K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor
Deep conditioner
Deep conditioning can restore and maintain the elasticity of the hair. They are classified as deep due to the active ingredients ability to penetrate the cortex of the hair. Most deep conditioners require additional steps like longer wear and application of diffused heat from a hooded blow-dryer. The time required for the conditioner to be left on the hair and the additional heat increases the penetration of some ingredients into the cortex while helping other ingredients adsorb to the cuticle. Here is a list of ingredients that penetrate the cortex:
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Hydrolyzed silk protein
- Centrimonium bromide
- Panthenol
- Coconut oil
In most cases simply placing a plastic processing cap or grocery bag over your head while deep conditioning is enough heat to active these ingredients. Note that hair is dead and does not regenerate. Therefore, all protein treatments can only temporarily repair the hair shaft to help prolong the hair’s longevity before eventually needing a trim or cut.
Read more: Does Natural Hair Need Proteins?
Understanding heat and its effects
Before delving into heat damage prevention, let’s address what heat does to the hair when the proper precautions are not taken. When hair is exposed to heat higher than 130 degrees Celsius (about 265 degrees Fahrenheit”>, your hair can respond in many undesirable ways. Here are three of the more common effects of heat damage:
- Breakdown of the cuticle of the shaft—this leads to split ends and major frizz
- Removal of internal moisture from the hair – this leads to dry and brittle hair
- Breakdown of the hair’s cortex—this is where the hair’s pigment and elasticity lives
So, if you have ever noticed stiff hay-like or flat lackluster hair that breaks with ease (and those ungodly split ends”> after heat styling your hair this post is for you.
Applying heat to wet hair in 7 steps
Now that we have covered heat and its effects, here are seven steps to take before applying heat to your hair:
- Shampoo your hair with a cleansing shampoo, rinse, and remove as must water as possible.
- Apply conditioner and rinse.
- Remove as must water as possible with a t-shirt and then add leave-in conditioner
- Let your hair air-dry for a few minutes. Allowing your hair to dry a little prior to applying heat helps the cuticle to close, trapping more moisture inside of the hair’s cortex. Type 2 hair: let air dry hair to 60-70%. Type 3 and Type 4 hair: braid and or two-strand twist your hair into 4-6 sections and let your hair air-dry in those braids/twist until 50-60%. This will elongate your curls and help in the stretching process.
- Apply your heat protectant from roots to ends—this should be done for each section. Apply heat protectant to each section. Applying heat protectant to damp hair also acts as a filler and sealant to the hair’s cuticle, resulting in more protection for the hair shaft.
- Blow-dry your hair with a nozzle attachment in small, easy-to-work sections. This will control the hair and prevent damage from tangles and getting too rough. Repeat until you have dried all of your hair.
- Conclude with a cool blast to ensure that the hair does not start to prematurely revert. Cool air on hot hair seals the bond that was created when blow-drying allowing the blow-dry to be more effective. Now you can proceed to style.
If you are going style your hair with a heat tool like a flat-iron or curling iron apply a styling based heat protectant.
Many are unaware about the benefits of using heat protectant prior to flat-ironing or curling our hair with a heating tool. It is equally important to use a heat protectant before blow-drying. Heat from a blow-dryer is just as intense and can cause damage equivalent to a heating tool.
Read more: Heat Protectants: This Buildup Actually Works
While seven steps may look laborious, think of it as investing in your hair. Like all things in life, it is always best to use heat in moderation. With these steps I found that my clients experienced less heat damage and had longer wear of their heat styles.
How do you reduce the risk for heat damage?
