Search Results: Shellie Reneé

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If you happen to be an avid reader of our site—and hopefully, that is indeed the case—you might’ve read the title of this and thought to yourself, “I think I’ve seen something similar to this before.” And yep, you would be right. Earlier this year, we published “These Are the Top 10 Herbs for Hair Growth” that included more commonly-known herbs like rosemary, lavender and ginseng.

This time, we are putting a twist on this. For one thing, this is going to be a list of herbs that specifically address hair loss-related issues. If you’ve been losing hair due to hormonal imbalance, a poor diet or your scalp not being as healthy as it should, these are the kind of herbs that will help to restore your system. And secondly, other than maybe a couple of ‘em, I’d be shocked if you already have these particular herbs in your home. The reason why I say that is because while they are super-effective, at the same time, they don’t typically come up whenever herbs are mentioned.

Still, if you’re ready to get pamper any thin or balding spots that you may have, adding these herbs to your daily regimen can definitely restore any hair that may be thinning out.

Bitter Apple

Bitter apple is great, thanks to all of the antioxidant, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antilipidemic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that it contains. It is actually a fruit-bearing herb that is heavily used in Ayurveda medicine. There are studies which support that it can help to prevent cancer, inflammation that’s associated with osteoporosis, and that it even has anti-diabetic effects. The reason why this herb is great at treating hair loss is because it is the type that contains glycosides; those are compounds that have a good reputation for initiating hair growth.

It should go on record that the potency of this herb makes it a little controversial as far as the FDA is concerned. So, if you decide to take it as a supplement, speak with your doctor (and a homeopath”> before doing so.

False Daisy

False daisy may have an odd name, but it’s definitely the kind of herb that should be in a cabinet in everyone’s home. It’s found in Asia and South America and its abilities are amazing. It purifies the liver and kidneys, promotes oral health, reduces stress, relieves pain, treats urinary tract infections, lowers blood sugar levels and strengthens immunity. Hair-wise, this is an herb that is proven to strengthen the hair follicles that you already have while “triggering” the growth of follicles that may have been dormant. False daisy can relief dandruff too.

One way to get this into your system is to consume it as a tea. Probably the best way to take advantage of this particular herb, hair-wise is to apply Bringraj oil (another name for false daisy”> directly onto your hair and scalp.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a plant that hails from Western Asia and the Mediterranean. It’s something that I take regularly in supplement form because it’s got a reputation for regulating blood sugar levels, soothing skin inflammation and keeping breasts healthy-looking too (if you’re a mom, fenugreek can also help you to create more breastmilk”>. Another bonus of fenugreek is its ability to boost your libido. As far as it being another great herb for your hair, it’s good because it’s high in protein and nicotinic acid. This combo not only relieves dandruff, but can also replenish hair in areas where there are indications of thinning and baldness.

You can take fenugreek as a supplement, make your own hair gel, sprinkle some of the seeds over a salad or even soak the seeds in some water overnight, remove the seeds and then drink the water directly (make sure to thoroughly rinse the seeds first if you decide to go this route”>.

Amla Berry

Amla berry is one of the most powerful sources of Vitamin C that there is. As a direct result, it’s an herb that is loaded with antioxidants that can keep your immune system in great condition. This herb will help to improve calcium absorption, remove unwanted toxins in your system and even fight off free radicals that lead to age spots and wrinkles. It’s a hair favorite because when C is in your system, it helps to produce collagen; when collagen binds to your hair, it makes it stronger, more voluminous—healthier overall.

As far as how to take it, consuming it in powder form (in water, juice or a smoothie”> is (probably”> best.

Rhodiola

Rhodiola is a wonderful natural remedy for improving mental health. It relieves stress while helping to reduce symptoms that are related to anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. There are also studies to support that, when taken regularly, it is able to treat a low libido, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and ADHD. Since Rhodiola is so great at combating stress and hair loss can be a result of stress, this is why it’s an herb that made the list.

You can take this as a supplement; however, because it is an herb that has stimulating effects, try and take it in the morning rather than before turning in at night. Or, if you just want to use it for what it can do for your hair, you can purchase a shampoo that has this herb in it.

Jatamansi

Jatamansi is another herb that is big in Ayurveda medicine. It’s got the reputation for being “the women’s herb” because it reduces bodily inflammation, improves gut health, contains antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that keep UTIs at bay, purifies the blood and evens skin tone. Something else that makes Jatamansi extra special is it balances out the production of estrogen and progesterone in your system. Since imbalanced hormones also play a significant role in hair loss, you can see why this herb is recommended. The properties in this herb will not only promote hair growth and reduce premature greying, it also heals alopecia if it was caused by chemotherapy.

You can take this in powder form. As far as your hair goes, you will get the most benefits of Jatamansi if you soak its root in sesame oil (the vitamins B, E, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium and protein in the oil is great for overall scalp and hair health”> overnight and then apply it directly to your thin or bald areas three times per week.

Silica

Silica is an herb that is responsible for helping to both build and strengthen bones in our body. Silica also keeps the connective tissue in our muscles, joints and even our brain healthy. Some people find it to be one of the best natural remedies for anti-aging because it has a remarkable way of boosting collagen, reducing wrinkles and “tightening up” loose and saggy skin. Silica is also a winner for thinning hair because it provides a mineral that increases blood circulation and strengthens blood vessels so that your hair follicles are able to receive the nutrients that it needs.

Silica can also be taken as a supplement. It’s just one more herb that can get your hair back to being healthy, full and longer while maintaining your overall health in the process.

Did we miss any of your favorites? Share them with us in the comments!

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Did you know what you have a whopping five million pores on your body? Out of all of those, 20,000 are on your face alone. As far as your scalp goes, there are also approximately 100,000 hair follicles on too. Knowing about these numbers is what inspired me to pen this particular piece because, the reality is that, the key to having healthy skin and hair is to take care of our pores and hair follicles. That begins by making sure that they do not get clogged up with sebum and debris and that they stay hydrated and nourished.

A way that you can accomplish both of these goals at the same time is making your own spritz—the kind that will be just as beneficial for your hair and your skin.

Spritzes are awesome because they are easy to make, portable to carry (you can put a 4 oz bottle in your purse”> and super refreshing with each spray. All you need to do is set aside an hour or so to make a quick run to your local health food store (or you can order what you need on Amazon, if you’d prefer”>. Before you know it, you’ll have a great way to pamper your skin…right in the palm of your hand.

7 Wonderful DIY Hair and Skin Spritz Recipes

Witch Hazel and Lavender Oil

Something that I really like about witch hazel is even though it has so many powerful medicinal properties in it, it goes on very gently and doesn’t dry out or irritate my skin. Between the antioxidants, gallic acid and tannins (which are basically anti-inflammatories”> that it contains, witch hazel is great at treating acne, removing scalp flakes and soothing your skin overall. If you add to it, a few drops of lavender essential oil, the lavender will kill harmful bacteria and relieve any irritation that your scalp or skin may feel without drying it out in the process.

Fill your bottle halfway with witch hazel, add 3-5 teaspoons of distilled water and 10 drops of lavender oil.

Rosewater and Aloe Vera Juice

First of all, rosewater smells good. It’s very soft and feminine. But that really is the icing on the cake when it comes to all of the goodness that it is able to bring to your skin and hair. On the skin tip, rosewater helps to keep your skin from over-producing sebum (oil”> while maintaining its pH balance. Rosewater also has the ability to slow down the aging process, thanks to all of the antioxidants that it contains; some have even said that it has reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. At the same time, rosewater is good for your hair because it’s a wonderfully light hair conditioner and, applying it to your scalp can help to get rid of any dandruff. Aloe Vera juice is able to relieve dry skin, heal scars and, thanks to the vitamin C, E and beta carotene that’s in it, this juice is also able to keep your skin fresh, youthful and glowing. Also, due to the proteolytic enzymes that Aloe Vera juice contains, your hair will be deeply conditioned as the enzymes repair the dead skin cells that are on your scalp.

Mix one-part rosewater with one-part Aloe Vera juice in your bottle. Store in a cool dry place.

Chamomile Tea and Coconut Water

The next time that you decide to make yourself a cup of chamomile tea (an ultimate de-stressor and a great remedy for period cramps, by the way”>, let one more cup of it cool so that you can turn it into another kind of natural beauty spritz. Chamomile is awesome because its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antispasmodic properties help to heal psoriasis and eczema. Also, the antioxidants in it can even out any skin discoloration that you may have over time. Chamomile even has a great reputation for reducing the appearance of dark circles. Hair-wise, chamomile tea promotes a healthy scalp by reducing inflammation and helping to keep hair follicles clear. Coconut water offers amazing hydration to skin and hair. And, because it’s such a great moisturizer, a lot of people like it because it reduces hair breakage over time.

Pour one-part cool chamomile tea and one-part coconut water into your bottle.

Side note: For the following spritzes, because the recipes call for a blend of two oils, it’s good to fill your bottle up halfway with distilled water and the other half with one-part one oil and one-part the other. That way, the oils will be diluted and will have a lighter feel on your skin. Also, if you want to a couple of drops of essential oil to these recipes, pomegranate (for the collagen boost”>, geranium (to keep your scalp healthy”>, tea tree oil (it smells strong but it’s a powerful antiseptic”>, bergamot (it encourages hair growth”> and/or eucalyptus (it treats acne and strengthens hair follicles”> are all great DIY spritz additions.

Grapeseed Oil and Jasmine Oil

One of the best things that you could ever do for your hair and skin, is to put a little bit of grapeseed oil on it! Since it’s the kind of oil that is literally extracted from the seeds of wine grapes, grapeseed oil has a ton of antioxidants in it. The linoleic acid that it contains will help your pores from getting clogged up, the proanthrocyanidin its got will protect your skin from UV rays, and its fatty acids and Vitamin E will moisturize your skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines and lessen any inflammation that your skin may have. Hair-wise, grapeseed oil is able to deeply condition your hair and lock in moisture without making your tresses feeling greasy in the process. Jasmine oil contains properties that will help to prevent skin infections. It also is wonderful when it comes to treating dry skin, sensitive skin and reducing the appearance of scars; especially acne scars. If you put a little jasmine oil on your hair, it will remove tangles, get rid of dandruff and even add a hint of sheen. We wrote more reasons why we love jasmine oil here.

Marula Oil and Myrrh Oil

If you’ve never heard of marula oil before, hopefully this will convince you to give it a shot! Between the monounsaturated fatty acids and Vitamin C it has, plus its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory properties, along with its ability to regenerate cells, you can see why I absolutely had to add it to this DIY spritz list! This is the kind of oil that deeply penetrates your skin to make it uber-soft. It also reduces the appearance of stretch marks (if you happen to want to make an all-over spritz”> and, at the same time, thanks to the oleic acid that it contains, marula oil won’t cause breakouts. Marula oil is also good for your hair because it’s able to protect it from UV ray damage while significantly reducing the amount of frizz that you may have. And myrrh? Its astringent properties will remove irritants from your skin and scalp. It will also heal any small sores that you may have while killing acne-causing bacteria on contact.

Camellia Seed Oil and Pink Grapefruit Oil

Another name for camellia seed oil is tea seed oil (not to be confused with tea tree oil”>. It’s awesome because it’s got everything from 80 percent oleic acid to Vitamin E, calcium, potassium and more. If you tend to have dry patches on your skin, this is the kind of oil that will hydrate and lock moisture in. And your hair? Camellia seed oil is praised for strengthening strands, preventing breakage and split ends too. Add to this some pink grapefruit oil so that it can keep greasiness on your skin and hair at bay and remove any bacteria while increasing blood circulation to your hair follicles.

Palma Rosa Oil and Lemon Balm Oil

Palma Rosa oil is another kind of oil that doesn’t nearly get as many of the props as it deserves. Although it smells a lot like rose oil, it has many more medicinal properties than rose oil does. It’s great at healing skin and scalp infections while also helping your skin and hair to retain its proper moisture balance at the same time. Meanwhile, lemon balm oil contains eugenol to protect your skin’s cells, humulene to reduce any inflammation on your skin and scalp and linalool to encourage the production of Vitamin E in your system. Skin that has Vitamin E on it looks younger and hair that has Vitamin E in it feels soften and looks much healthier. Another oil combo that can easily turn into a hair and skin-affirming DIY spritz!

If you try one, let us know! And share any recipes you have with us in the comments as well!

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Maybe, in a perfect world, we would never use hair dryers. Although I must say that when I first decided to grow my own natural hair out, it was actually once I began to blow it out on my wash days and then braid it up on the days in between (in order to retain length”>, that I started to see the most hair growth results.

My point? Personally, I don’t believe that blow dryers are of the devil. Like most things in life, I believe they are problematic either because we don’t use the right one for our hair or we go overboard and use them too often.

Besides, whether it’s due to time, the weather (it’s harder to let hair air dry during winter months”> or a particular style that you have in mind, at some point, you’re going to want to blow dry your tresses. The key is to do it in such a way where your natural hair doesn’t get damaged in the process.

Here’s how to make that happen.

Invest in a good dryer. The #1 cause of dryer-related heat damage is usually using the wrong kind of hair dryer to begin with. If you want to keep your natural curl pattern but you want something that will be gentle to your hair and also reduce frizz, the Jinri Professional Infrared and Negative Ion Ceramic Hair Dryer is a good option (it’s affordable too!”>. If you’d prefer to straighten your curly hair, a fan favorite that also reduces frizz and results in less damage (and also comes with a pretty impressive price tag”> is the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Styler.

Deep condition your hair. There are all kinds of benefits that come with deep conditioning your hair on a regular basis. It deeply moisturizes your hair, promotes elasticity, reduces breakage and split ends and, it also gives your hair loads of shine—all of the things that your hair needs in order to remain healthy. There are some cool deep conditioners on the market, but if you’d like to make some at home, we’ve got some pretty impressive DIY recipes right here.

Use a T-shirt to remove excess water. A lot of us damage our hair because we fry it by drying it while it’s too wet. If you use a T-shirt (or microfiber towel”> to sop up any excess water that your hair may have, that will also help to keep heat damage at bay. Just so you don’t tangle your hair up in knots or cause any breakage to its already fragile state, avoid rubbing or scrunching your hair with the tee or towel. Wrapping your hair up in it and gently ringing it a couple of times is best.

Apply a heat protectant. Blow dryers (especially the “wrong” ones”> have the ability to strip your hair of all of its natural moisture. When that happens, your locks become dry and brittle and pretty susceptible to breakage. This is why it’s so important to apply a heat protectant (a spray is good for fine hair; a cream is best for thick hair”> before blow drying your hair. Make sure that your hair is not soaking wet when you do. Also, it’s best to you apply it from root to tip. Some great commercial brands are Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Moisture Thermal Protect Set & Hold Spritz and Flawless by Gabrielle Union Blow Dry Cream or, if you’d prefer to go the 100 percent natural route, try refined safflower, refined avocado or grapeseed oil (although my recommendation would be to blend the oil and heat protectant together in order to get the best results”>.

Section your hair off and don’t hold the dryer too close. The obvious way that your dryer can damage your hair is with heat. But another way it can do it is by yanking your hair out. This is what tends to happen if you don’t section your hair first and you don’t blow dry from root to tip so that there are less tangles. So, make sure to use a wide-tooth comb to section your hair and then de-tangle from the tips to your roots. Once you turn your dryer on, use low-medium heat and avoid running the dryer directly over your hair strands. To protect your hair from top to bottom, try and hold your dryer 4-5 inches (at least”> away from your head the entire time. That should reduce heat damage too.

Dry from front to back instead of back to front. Believe it or not, the front part of your hair is typically the hardest part to manage. That’s why it’s best to start drying that part of your tresses first, making sure to “dry down” so the air from the dryer flows in the same direction of your hair’s cuticles. If you start with the back or even the sides first, your hair may be dry and frizzy by the time you reach the front which results in you spending more time focusing on that area; this means you’ll be applying more heat and, well, you know. Oh, and when you’re done, give your hair a once over with cool air. It will help to seal your hair’s cuticles and that also decreases damage.

Finish off with a blend of lavender and sweet almond oil. Once your hair is as dry as you’d like, give it some sheen by applying a blend of lavender essential oil and sweet almond oil. The lavender oil contains antimicrobial properties that will fight bacteria. Plus, lavender oil has a great reputation for promoting hair growth and reducing any scalp dryness or inflammation that you might have. As far as sweet almond oil goes, it increases blood circulation (which keeps your hair follicles healthy”>, strengthens your hair and also seals in moisture too. The combo is light enough to not feel greasy and the smell creates a calming effect that is second to none, making it the best way to end your blow drying regimen. Enjoy!

Know of some other ways to protect your tresses when drying? Share with us in the comments!

Image Source: Getty Images/Deagreez

You might’ve heard (or read”> somewhere that any time you put heat on your hair that it’s automatically damaged on some level. The truth is, that’s not always the case. While it is a good idea to try and keep heat usage down to a minimum, if you’re using styling tools below 450F or so, your locks should be just fine.

The problem is, a lot of us don’t know this or worse, we don’t too much care. At the time that we’re pulling out our blow dryer, flat iron or curling iron, all we can think about is the hairstyle that we currently want—we take on the “style now, repair later” mentality. The problem with this way of thinking is, no matter what a hair ad may tell you, once your hair is heat damaged, there is no going back. You’ll basically need to trim your damaged parts and start over.

Split ends are the most telling sign of heat damaged hair, but there are some other ones that aren’t quite as obvious. If you’re wondering if you’ve been having a string of bad hair days or if your tresses could possibly be a bit more heat damaged than you initially thought, here are the signs you should be on the lookout for.

Your curls don’t “bounce”. First up, how do your curls look? Is your natural wave or curl pattern just like it’s always been, or does it suddenly seem limp or like there are parts of it that are semi—if not completely—straight? If your curls are leaning more towards Category B (and your hair is clean of product residue”>, that’s a pretty telling indication that you’ve got some heat damage going on.

Your hair feels “funny”. I personally think that a not-so-subtle indication of heat damage is how your hair feels. When your tresses are doing well, they tend to feel smooth when you run your fingers through them. When they are heat damaged, they will feel dry, rough and even singed. You’ll also notice that your ends aren’t all even. There will be spots that are a lot thinner than others (some call them “straggly ends””>.

Your tresses lack elasticity. Hair is designed to have some elasticity to it; it’s another one of the telling signs of how healthy it is. But if when you’re styling your hair, you notice a lot of breakage, that means it’s snapping off too quickly. When hair is in good condition, you should be able to gently tug on a strand of it and it will return to its original shape. If yours breaks, it’s too dry due to a lack of moisture that’s probably because of heat damage. (By the way, if it’s too mushy, it could probably stand to have a protein treatment.”>

Your hair isn’t shiny. Here’s something that you may not have known. Were you aware of the fact that once your hair is freshly washed and conditioned that it should look shinier than it did before the water hit it? If yours looks duller, that is a subtle sign that it may have some heat damage to it. This is especially the case if you give your hair an apple cider rinse (to remove any residue”> and there still isn’t any change.

Your curls are shedding more than usual. Hair shedding is a natural part of life. On average, we shed somewhere between 50-100 strands on a daily basis. But, if we use a lot of heat, sometimes that can affect not just our hair but our hair follicles. As a result, our hair at the roots will become weak and we’ll lose more than we should. So, if you see tons of hair with a small bulb at each end in your brush or on your bathroom sink (or bedding”>, that means your hair is shedding at an abnormal rate and you should let up on the heat and give your scalp some TLC (scalp massages, healing oils like clary sage and rosemary essential oils too”>.

Your hair is hard to color. Depending on how much you want to lighten your hair, you may need a developer. The reason why I’m saying that is because sometimes dark (or natural”> hair is hard to color from a box brand alone. But if, no matter what you do, it seems like your hair is not becoming the hue that you’re after, it usually is a sign that you need to see a professional (which is always best when it comes to color-treating your hair”>. The next red flag is that your hair is porous due to heat damage and that is what’s keeping your hair from being the color that you want or holding it for long.

Your hair feels dry, no matter what you do. All hair needs moisture. It will get it if you drink lots of water, condition your hair and apply a light oil to it every couple of days. But if, no matter what you do, your hair stays dry, this is another sign that your hair has some heat damage. This is especially the case if it has lots of tangles and is super hard to style.

When it comes to all of these signs, if you have them, does it mean that you have to pull out your clippers and start completely over? My recommendation would be to see a professional stylist to get their take on what exactly is damaged and what you should do moving forward. Either way, the good thing about reading an article like this is you know what signs of heat damage to look out for in the future. The sooner you are able to recognize them, the sooner you can get your hair back to a healthy state, right? My thoughts exactly.

Check out these useful articles on heat damage, too!

Image Source: @naturallycurly, of @newtexacali

Back when I was in college, my late fiancé did something that was semi-daring at the time. The south side Chicago in him got sick of seeing the Nashville girl in me with relaxed hair. So, he took out his clippers and shaved my tresses off. All of it.

My mother had worn her own hair extra super short, basically since I could remember, and she was always dope, so it didn’t take me long to adjust to the style. Clearly I liked it because, for the most part, I wore it in some variation of a TWA for most of my adult life.

There’s just one thing. I wouldn’t exactly say that what I rocked was natural hair. Although sometimes I wore a fade that was au naturale, most times, I had a mild texturizer in my hair too. And let me tell you, after this journey that I’ve been on with his head of mine for the past couple of years, if there’s one thing that I am sure of, a texturizer is a relaxer. No doubt about it.
Here’s why I say that.

Texturizers are “less potent” chemical relaxers. It’s funny to me that some people want to debate whether or not a texturizer is a milder form of a relaxer. The way to put the conflict to rest is to read the back of the labels of both. Usually, you’re gonna see the same ingredients, although texturizers may have less of certain chemicals than relaxers do. The reason why is because the goal of a relaxers is to completely straighten your natural curly texture while the aim of a texturizer is to loosen the texture up so that your curls are bigger and more manageable. Either way, your hair is not going do that (sans heat”> without chemicals. So, the fact that a texturizer is able to alter the structure of your hair, that means that chemicals were used to do it. This also means that however “safe” a relaxer is, that’s about how “safe” a texturizer is as well. (Read CNN’s “Could African-American Beauty Products Pose Health Risks?””>

Texturizers still have the ability to damage your hair. On the heels of all that I just said, something that a lot of us don’t seem to want to hear is the lengths that we take to straighten our hair—heat styling tools and chemicals—on some level, we are damaging our hair to get the results that we desire. That’s because for naturally curly hair to become straight, the strands have to be weakened (we explained this fact in depth here“>. So, if your goal is to have a head of strong and healthy hair, a texturizer is going to be working against, not for, you.

Texturizers don’t really make transitioning easier. What about if you want to use a texturizer in order to transition from a relaxer to your natural texture? Yeah, I’m not so sure how it’s going to help you to achieve that goal being that, again, it has chemicals in it too. If by “transition”, you mean that you want to spend a little time with a loose curl look before letting all of your natural soul glow, a texturizer might help you to achieve that goal. But if you’re looking for a way to retain length, eventually, just like you’re gonna have to cut out your relaxed hair, you’ll have to get rid of your texturized tresses too. Yeah, texturizers are not exactly the best things for obtaining length retention.

Texturizers work best on shorter hairdos. Like I mentioned earlier, I rocked a texturizer for years and years. And, if I must say so myself, I was C-U-T-E. Still, the styling options of a texturizer limited me because if I wanted to grow my hair out and I applied the texturizer to all of my hair too often, eventually, the ends would become straight which looked C-R-A-Z-Y. Plus, I’m not sure exactly why but texturizers have a tendency to give off a Jheri curl effect once you have more than a couple of inches of hair on your head. So, if you’re looking for it to complement longer locks, my personal opinion is that you’re going to be sorely disappointed.

Texturized hair IS NOT natural hair. Several years back, while I was rocking a pretty impressive Afro (if I do say so myself”>, I said to my boyfriend at the time, “I love this natural hair of mine.” He paused and then said, “I like your Afro too, but I wouldn’t exactly call your hair ‘natural’.” After I looked at him strange and then asked him to expound, he said, “To me, hair that has any kind of chemicals in it isn’t natural and you dyed yours red.” I mean, he has a point. Although there are natural hair dye options (herbal tea, coffee, henna, etc.”>, any time chemicals are added, it does prevent our hair from being authentically natural. And that’s right where I’ll end this—if you do decide to get a texturizer in your hair, make no mistakes about it, it’s cute and convenient. But if you try to pass it off as being your “natural hair”, that’s not the actual truth. Your natural hair is what’s growing out of your head before you put any chemicals in it. It’s the hair Mother Nature gave you. Anything that’s chemically altered can still be beautiful…you would just need to use a different adjective to define it. No harm, no foul.

What are some experiences you have had with texturizers or relaxers? Let us know in the comments!

Personally, I’ve never been one to do the whole transition thing. When it came time for me to go from relaxed hair to my natural texture, some clippers came out, my head was shaved bald and the process was done. But I do have quite a few people in my world who did go the transition route. When I asked them why they didn’t just take the TWA plunge like I did, what most of them told me was that while they were ready (or at least semi-ready”> to let their hair chemicals go, what wasn’t up for negotiation was losing length. And so, transition was the compromise. I totally get that.

Image Source: @naturallycurly, of @jadenikaylah

What they discovered (mostly the hard way”> was when your hair is in the process of going from one texture to another, in many ways, it’s at its most fragile. This means that if it’s not handled with extra tender loving care, you could look up and realize that doing “the big chop” may have been the better bet.

Hey, I’m not telling you all of this to scare you. I’m just giving you the heads up that transitioning requires quite a bit of forethought and effort in order for you to maintain the length you do have and to eventually gain a few more inches.
If that’s exactly what you want but, it seems like no matter what you do, hair breakage abounds, it’s probably due to one or more of the following things. The good news is, now that you know, you can get your transitioning tresses back on track.

You don’t get enough trims. Most of us have a really weird relationship with hair shears. There are plenty of blogs, articles and YouTube videos that let us know that hair health requires hair trimming, but there is still something in the back of our minds that would rather hold onto dry straggly ends than to cut them off. And when transitioning is going on, letting hair go is even more difficult! But here’s the deal—if you don’t get regular trims (every six weeks or so”>, your hair is definitely gonna break off at some point because having two extreme textures of hair at one time typically results in breakage. For the record? Trimming is not the issue. Getting a stylist who knows the difference between trimming and cutting is. For this very reason, choose your stylist wisely.

You manipulate your hair too much. Even when our hair is just the way that we want it to be, it’s pretty hard to keep our hands out of it. Trust me, I know. But when you’re in the process of going from chemically-straight to naturally curly, it’s important to accept that 1″> sometimes there are gonna be bad hair days; 2″> you’re gonna notice “poofiness” at the roots (and that’s perfectly normal”> and 3″> your hair is not gonna look like it used to because it’s in the process of becoming a totally different texture. On the days when dealing with the transition is too much to bear, put the styling tools down and, put on a (non-wool”> hat, wrap your hair up in a scarf—or, even better, try a protective style. This actually brings me to my next point.

You leave your protective styles in too long. Protective styles are dope. I currently have a head full of medium-sized box braids as we speak. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because braids, twists, Bantu knots or even a wig or weave is making the whole transition process easier for you that you need to pretend that it’s your actual hair. While you’re transitioning, your scalp and hair need to breathe, be pampered and not have the tension of faux hair and extensions all of the time. If you’re not removing your protective styles every 6-8 weeks (max”> and then giving your own hair a 1-2 week break before getting a new one, sorry to tell you this, but your protective style is doing you more harm than good.

You don’t deep condition enough. Us curly girls? Our hair is always gonna need moisture. That’s a fact. Plus, if you’re serious about length retention, something that should be a part of your weekly hair routine is deep conditioning. This is especially the case if you’re in the middle of transitioning because if there’s one thing that will help to reduce breakage as you go from one texture of hair to another it’s moisture that will penetrate deeply into your hair cuticles and, ultimately, your hair shaft. If you’d like some recommendations on which deep conditioners work best, we’ve got a few right here. Oh, and if your hair is feeling mushy and lifeless, it might be because you’ve been over-conditioning it. The remedy? A protein treatment.

You don’t detangle properly. If you don’t retain anything else from this article, please hold on and hold on tight to this one! Even though a lot of us go into complete denial of what I’m about to say, relaxed hair is hair that’s in a damaged state (if you don’t believe me, check out this study“>. This means that, off top, you have to be extra careful while handling it. Guess what? So is the case with natural hair. Although it is healthy hair, don’t think that just because your curls might be extra tight that they can take any kind of treatment that you give it. So, in between handling damaged hair and fragile healthy hair 1″> there are bound to be tangles and 2”> you need to be super-duper careful when you’re trying to get them out. If you go slowly and work from the bottom up, a wide-toothed comb may work. But honestly, probably your best bet is going to be your fingers as much as possible. That way, you’ll feel how much pressure to apply and where.

You apply too much heat. I’m not the person who says that heat is the devil when it comes to natural hair. I’m actually someone who’s seen more length retention since I decided to blow my hair out (with low heat and with heat protectant”> on wash days and then braid it up in between. But what I will say is if you don’t have a really good dryer (read more about that here and here“> and if you don’t make sure to take the “less is more” approach to heat, breakage will abound. During the transitioning phase, you’re gonna be tempted to use heat—especially flat irons—a lot to make your hair appear all one texture, but try and fight the urge. The last thing that you want to do is end up with irrevocable heat damage to your natural hair which would result in you having to cut it all off and start all over. Ouch.

You’re not taking your vitamins. As your hair is going from one texture to another, your hair follicles are going to need all of the nutrients they can get. Vitamin A is great for cell growth. Vitamin B strengthens hair follicles. Vitamin C fights off free radicals. Vitamin D helps to reduce the chances of experiencing alopecia. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is proven to improve hair growth. If you’re wondering what kind of herbs aid in hair health and growth, we’ve got a comprehensive list here. Oh, and don’t forget water—your hair and scalp always need plenty of that!

Again, hair that’s in the middle of transitioning tends to be hair that’s in its most fragile state. So, I’m not saying that, even with these applied tips, you won’t see a bit of breakage from time to time. But what I can assure you is if you do these things regularly, the season of transition will go by quicker, length retention will happen faster and not regretting your choice will be so much easier.

Check out these articles on transitioning as well!

A few years back, I decided that I wanted to wear my own version of a mohawk. I told myself that in order to pull it off (especially during the summer months”>, I was going to need to bite the bullet and put a relaxer in my hair. Although using a texturizer (which is nothing more or less than a mild relaxer”> was nothing new to me, it had been a long hot minute since I had worn my hair bone straight.

The look? It was cute. Super cute. But the scalp irritation, the little thinning spot on the side of my head that the relaxer (or the combo of it and the texturizers”> caused and always remembering in the back of my head that pregnant women are advised against using relaxers due to all of the chemicals that are in them (question—if a pregnant woman should be leery of what Sodium Hydroxide can do to her health and the health of her baby, shouldn’t we all?!”>—whew! Eventually, I knew that I had to let “white crack” go. Again. Hopefully this time, for good.

I shared that little tale of mine to be an aid of support if you happen to be someone who’s had relaxed hair for years (decades even”> and now you’re ready to go natural. If that is indeed you, first read this article. Then get a copy of the book Nappily Ever After (or you can watch the movie version“>. And then, take the plunge.

Image Source: @naturallycurly, of @tylauren

I won’t lie to you—going from chemically-treated hair to your natural locks will be an adjustment. You’ll learn more about yourself than you probably have in a really long time. But after the transition process is over, I’d be floored if you didn’t look back and realize that one of the best things you ever did (especially for your long-term health”> was leave those relaxers alone.

Why are you getting rid of your relaxed hair? It’s amazing, the things that we are able to accomplish in life when we know WHY we are doing it. When it comes to getting rid of your relaxed tresses, what’s your motive and reason? If it’s because natural hair is currently “in”, it might be harder to stick with the transition phase because trends come and go. But if it’s because you know that natural hair is better for your long-term health (and it is“> or you feel like you’ve been afraid to let your natural light shine and you’re ready to do just that, then it will probably be easier to get through the challenging times.

Is your plan to transition or big chop? Once you know why you want to stop relaxing, the next thing you need to think about is the approach to your hair that you want to take. Would you prefer to transition your hair (keep your length as you go from chemically-straight to naturally curly”> or do the big chop? There are pros and cons of both. The pro of transitioning is that you can “ease into” having natural hair; the con is you will probably have many frustrating days and nights as you try and make the adjustment from one texture of hair to another (especially if you discover that, like most curly girls, your natural head of hair has more than one texture to it anyway”>. The pro of the big chop is that you can get rid of all of the straight hair at once and start with a fresh slate; the con is if you’ve never worn super-short hair or you’re not planning to rock a wig or weave, the first week or so can be its own form of culture shock. Personally, I’ve never seen a TWA that I didn’t like because once a woman big chops, there seems to be a boldness and different approach to her style that comes out. But, either way, this is another question you need to be prepared to provide an answer to.

If you want to texturize your hair, are you aware that it’s also a relaxer? I’ll raise my hand in this class and admit that while, for most of my adult life, I haven’t had a relaxer in my hair, to a certain extent, that’s not entirely true. Although texturizers are a milder form of a relaxer (much in the way that “kiddie perms” are”>, make no mistake about it—a texturizer is a relaxer. It’s just that, rather than straightening your hair all the way, it loosens the natural curl pattern that you’ve got. Now that I have gone completely natural (no relaxer or texturizer”>, I see that years of texturizing did a real number on my scalp and is probably a part of the reason why I have some premature greying in areas. Plus, texturizers have their own way of causing irrevocable damage to your natural texture which means, when you’re ready for some length retention, you’ll probably have to cut the texturizer out…and that puts you right at square one all over again. So yeah, if you’ve been thinking about letting your relaxer go and, what you’ve been saying to yourself is, “No problem. I’ll just put a texturizer in it”, that is something you should definitely think really long and hard about.

Do you have a natural hair stylist to assist you through your transition? Moral support. You just might be amazed by how far it will take you. This doesn’t just include having loved ones who will rally you on concerning your decision, but also a hair stylist who specializes in natural hair care. These kinds of professionals are experts when it comes to understanding hair texture and porosity, scalp care and how to cut and style your hair in a way that makes your natural tresses look absolutely amazing. If you wanna see how much of a difference a natural hairstylist can make, check out this video, this video and this video.

Are totally committed to the process? If a professional hairstylist was putting your relaxer in, hopefully, they were taking good care of your scalp in the process. But either way, I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that when you go from chemicals to natural, you’re gonna notice that your scalp had at least a little bit of trauma. You will probably need to exfoliate (a combo of brown sugar and olive oil are great”> it and massage it (lavender and peppermint both stimulate hair follicles”>. You will need to be committed to deep conditioning now more than ever. Regular trims and tying your hair up at night with a silk or satin scarf is a must. Research will be important (YouTube has a really strong natural hair community; just put “natural hair” in its search engine”>.

Bottom line, as you go from relaxed to natural hair, you’ll need to be totally committed and it will probably take a good year to really “feel out” what your tresses need—and don’t need. But if you are willing to take all of this on, as someone who has finally figured out my own natural hair needs and am seeing the fruit of my labor, you won’t regret making the switch. You really won’t.

Check out this article on transitioning as well.

One way to determine how healthy your hair is—as you’re in the process of gaining length retention—is to check its elasticity. In a nutshell, elasticity is what makes it possible for you to take your hair into your hands and stretch it, then let it go and watch it return back to the length it was before you pulled it. If your hair is in a healthy state, it should be able to stretch about 40-50 percent when it’s dry and around 20 percent when it’s wet without breaking or shedding. You can check your hair’s elasticity by gently tugging on it while it’s wet. If it stretches and “bounces back”, it has high elasticity (good”>; if it breaks or doesn’t bounce back, it has low elasticity (not good”>.

Image Source: @naturallycurly

Image of: @curlsfirst

If when you do this lil’ test, your hair sends the message to you that it could use some help in the elasticity department, we’ve got some tips that can get your curly tresses exactly to where they need to be.

Deep condition regularly. Between the environment, your styling tools and the day-to-day wear and tear that happens to your hair, it’s important to deep condition your locks no less than twice a month. It will give your tresses the moisture that they need, improve their texture, add shine and luster and increase your hair’s elasticity. Although there are plenty of good deep conditioners on the market, some all-natural ingredients that work very well include sunflower oil, argan oil and olive oil.

Apply a protein treatment. Sometimes our hair doesn’t have the kind of elasticity that it should because it doesn’t have enough protein in it. The way to remedy that is to apply a protein treatment to it. It will make your hair soft, strengthen its shaft and also make it possible for your hair to stretch without breaking (yes, improve its elasticity”>. Just make sure to avoid giving your hair a protein treatment more than every six weeks. Otherwise, it could become too hard and you could experience extreme breakage.

Use an apple cider rinse. If you are a self-professed product junkie, you definitely need some apple cider vinegar (preferably the kind that has “the mother” in it”> in your life! Apple cider vinegar is one of the most powerful and potent kind of hair clarifiers. Not only that, but it also keeps your hair’s pH balance intact. A good pH balance will result in keeping your hair’s cuticles closed so that they can have more elasticity. It’s best to mix a half-water, half-cider solution and apply it to your hair after shampooing it in order to get the most effective results.

Air dry (or use a steam dryer”>. Heat is one of your hair’s elasticity’s greatest enemies. Keep heat at bay by allowing your hair to air dry as much as possible. Or, if you must use a dryer, try going with a steam dryer; it will dry your hair while still making sure that it retains moisture.

Massage with jojoba oil. Every once in a while, treat your hair to some jojoba oil. It regulates the amount of sebum that your scalp and hair produce, it promotes hair growth and it’s an oil that deeply conditions your hair. The really great thing is it’s kind of oil that makes your hair soft without it feeling too oily in the process.

Try some honey. Honey is a natural humectant. What that means is it has the ability to pull moisture out of the air so that it can absorb into your skin and hair. Honey also contains antibacterial and antiseptic properties to keep your scalp in good condition, along with properties that will keep your hair follicles healthy and antioxidants that will reduce the chances of your hair experiencing hair damage. Another great thing about honey is it’s an awesome hair conditioner. As we’ve already discussed, tresses that are well-conditioned are the kind that tend to have a good amount of elasticity to them.

Drink water. One more. If there’s a running theme throughout this article, it’s that dry hair ruins elasticity while (a good balance of”> moisture helps to maintain it. Although all of the other tips that we offered will help you to care for your hair from the outside in, hands down, the best way to improve your hair’s elasticity is to moisturize yourself from the inside out. An effective way to do that is by drinking plenty of water. If you want to add some nutrients to your hair follicles, take things up a notch by drinking some homemade infused water. Your hair’s elasticity—and just about everything else tied to your system—will thank you in a mighty big way!

Know of any other tips for improving hair elasticity the natural way? Share with us in the comments!

No matter how much or how little melanin you have in your skin, it’s important to apply sunscreen. It’s what helps to protect it from UV ray damage; especially during the summer months. But did you know that when it comes to shielding yourself from the sun, it’s not only your skin that you should be concerned about? Your hair could use a little sunscreen too.
Why? Because when our hair spends a lot of time in sunlight, UV rays can start to do a real number on it as well. Ultimately, that can lead to protein loss, a change of hair color (which can also cause dry and brittle tresses”> and even exposure to free radicals.

Recently, a study shared that sunscreen can enter into our bloodstream in as little as 24 hours. And while many medical professionals claim that shouldn’t deter us from applying sunscreen, if you’d like to take better “sun care” of your hair this summer, but you want to avoid as many chemicals as possible, we’ve got some DIY recipes that are quick, affordable and super easy to make.

Grapeseed and Rosewater Hair Sunscreen Recipe

If you want to see your hair grow faster, try applying some grapeseed oil to it. It’s high in Vitamin E, proteins, minerals, and the linoleic acid—all of which will strengthen your hair’s roots, protect your hair’s cuticles and even help to prevent frizzing.

Since being in the sun can zap your hair of much-needed moisture, add some rosewater to the grapeseed oil to replenishes your locks. Thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties that are also in rosewater, your scalp will experience less sun damage and dandruff. Plus, rosewater has a way of increasing blood circulation to your hair’s follicles, so that it can get all of the nutrients that it requires in the process.

• 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
• Spray bottle full of rosewater

All you need to do is fill up a spray bottle with rosewater, leaving enough room for two tablespoons of grapeseed oil. Spray your hair before going outside and you’re all set! (For the record, you can put all of these recipes in your spray bottle, if that’s what you’d prefer.”>

White Tea and Lavender Hair Sunscreen Recipe

There are a few great things about using white tea on your hair. For starters, it contains an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate; it not only stimulates hair growth, it also works to prevent premature hair loss too. White tea also has a great reputation for protecting hair from the sun by providing what it needs to keep your tresses moisturized, soft and shiny. Another great thing about white tea is it has EGCG in it; that’s an antioxidant that enhances hair growth.
Lavender is not only soothing to your scalp; it’s also a wonderful deep conditioner that contains antimicrobial properties to prevent an itchy scalp. As a bonus, it also has the ability to heal skin and scalp inflammation too.

• 2 white tea tea bags
• 5 drops of lavender oil

To make this particular kind of hair sunscreen, steep two white tea tea bags and let tea cool completely. Then pour it into a bottle, add the five drops of lavender and shake. Then apply.

Coconut Oil and Lime Hair Sunscreen Recipe

Coconut oil has been all the rage when it comes to natural hair care for a while now. It’s also pretty popular as it relates to applying some of it to your skin during the summer months. The ingredients in coconut oil work to condition your hair, soften and moisturize your it while preventing breakage. Something else that coconut oil does is tame frizz and seal your strands so that heat damage can’t easily get to it. And lime? The Vitamin C that’s in it also protects your hair from sun damage while stimulating hair growth.

• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of water
• A dash of lime

In order for the coconut oil to blend well with the water and lime juice, zap a tablespoon of it into the microwave for just a couple of seconds. Then mix everything together and put the sunscreen into a plastic bottle and store at room temperature. If the coconut oil starts to solidify, put the entire bottle into the microwave for about five seconds. The warm solution will feel great when you put it onto your hair and scalp.

Zinc Hair Sunscreen Recipe

Distilled water is simply water that is in its purest form. Non-nano zinc oxide is a natural and non-toxic way to protect your hair from UVA and UVB light rays. Argan oil contains vitamins A, C and E, antioxidants, omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid that all works to tame frizz, make your hair more manageable and protect your hair from both the sun and heat-related styling tools.

• 6 oz. of distilled water
• 1 teaspoon of non-nano zinc oxide
• 1 teaspoon of argan oil

Mix all of the ingredients together and apply directly to your hair.

Aloe Vera and Honey Hair Sunscreen Recipe

If you want an all-natural way to give your natural curls more definition, Aloe Vera is the route to go. Aloe Vera also has proteolytic enzymes in it that will repair any damaged skin cells that you might have on your scalp while deep conditioning your locks and promoting hair growth. Sea salt absorbs oil, prevents fungal growth and increases blood circulation to your scalp. Honey is a humectant that keeps your hair moisturized while also providing your hair with the nutrients that it needs to prevent breakage too.

• 8 oz. of water
• 1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of honey

Fill a plastic bottle with all of these ingredients, shake it up well and then apply.

Raspberry Seed Oil and Avocado Oil Sunscreen Recipe

If you decided to do some online research on the health benefits of raspberry seed oil, what you’re going to constantly see is just how powerful it is at blocking UV rays, boosting collagen and fighting free radicals. So, of course, we couldn’t pen a piece on hair sunscreen recipes without including one that has this particular oil in it!

If you add avocado oil to it, your tresses will get oleic acid and monounsaturated fats in it so that your hair’s shaft will get deeply penetrated and conditioned. And rosemary tea? It strengthens hair and boosts hair growth as well.

• 2 tablespoons of raspberry seed oil
• 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 1 rosemary tea bag

Steep the rosemary tea bag. Let it cool and pour the oils in. Stir and then pour it into a plastic bottle. Apply it to your hair and scalp and it will be sun-protected-ready!

Have any recipes of your own to share? Let us know in the comments!

Image Source: @sika.no

Although I’ve always known that my hair has a few different textures to it (I’m mostly 4a but there are a few areas that are 3c and one patch that is 4b…sometimes”>, being that, for years I wore super short hair, it didn’t really matter all that much to me. But y’all, now that I’m on this journey to grow my natural hair out without the “assistance” of a relaxer? My hair, including all of these textures, have been having it out!

So much in fact that I’ve semi-recently come to the conclusion that the reason why I was having bouts of not gaining length retention is because I was treating all of my hair like it was just alike when that simply isn’t the case. Just like a lot of us have a foot that is slightly larger than the other or even a breast that is a bit bigger than the other, most of us have head of hair that has multiple textures to it. And you know what? That is OK.

The key is to stop fighting against this very real reality and figure out how to work with our hair instead. Through some trial and error, I’ve figured out how to do just that. In the effort to hopefully make things easier for you too, I’ve enclosed some suggestions that have been working for me below.

Be strategic when you’re deep conditioning your hair. Anyone who is being intentional about growing their hair out knows that deep conditioning is an absolute must. It’s what provides our hair with extra moisture so that the risk of it becoming dry and brittle in between wash days is significantly less. That said, when you’re about to apply your deep conditioner to your locks, make sure that it stays on longest on the areas of your hair that are the kinky/curliest. It’s the coils in your hair that need extra special attention; not the parts of your hair that are on the straighter side; those typically only need conditioner on them for one-third of the time of the rest of your hair.

Image Source: @devacurl

Use a diffuser when needed. Keeping heat out of your hair is ideal. Although I’ll be the first to say that my hair has grown more since I’ve blown it out on wash day and braided it the rest of the time (if I want to stretch it out”>. Anyway, if you’re like me and you do use low heat about once or twice a month or you’ve got a special engagement coming up and there’s no time for air drying, on the parts of your hair that are extra curly, consider using a diffuser on them. It gives you more control over how your curls end up during the drying process.

Make sure your fingers are your biggest styling tool. Styling tools on curly hair. I don’t know about you, but what I’ve discovered is they are more like a foe than a friend most of the time. This is especially the case when I’m trying to use a comb or even a vent brush on certain parts of my hair. While on the 3c parts, it works like a charm, I can almost hear the pulling on the 4b areas. That’s why I really have come to accept that the best way to style my hair is to use my fingers as much as possible. I can feel my way through all of the different textures and alert myself of what parts need more pressure and what parts need less.

Image Source: @naturallytemi

Wear protective styles. Right now, even as I am typing this out, my hair is in the first set of braids that I’ve had since, shoot, I was a teenager (I’ll be 45 in June”>! Aside from how awesome it is to get up, day after day and—other than spray a little oil on my scalp or when I need to wash it—not have to think about my hair or all of my textures at all? It’s a real dream. Not to say that protective styles dismiss me from maintaining my natural hair, but every once in a while, it’s a great way to give it all a bit of a break.

Braid the “kinkier parts” at night. You’ve probably read that if your natural hair has some length to it that you should put it up into a pineapple at night and, no matter how long it is, you should wrap it up with a silk or satin scarf. I won’t argue with either of those points. I will add something to them, though. If all you do is tie your hair up, the parts that are kinkier/curlier than others have a greater chance of becoming tangled and/or matted overnight. You can keep them stretched out by applying a little oil to them (some sweet almond oil or avocado oil should do the trick”> and braiding those areas up. That way, when you wake up in the morning, they’ll be elongated so that you’ll have less styling to do.

Relax. Relate. Release. Even with the tricks that I just shared, the reality is you’re gonna have some days that are easier to handle than others. The less you stress over how many different textures you have and the more you accept and embrace this fact, the easier it will be to figure out how to make all of your textures work in harmony with one another. Besides, what would you rather have—different textures or no hair at all? Exactly.

How do you care for your multiple textures? Share with us in the comments.

If you went to your favorite search engine and put “how not to damage your hair” in the search field, you’d find a countless amount of articles. But something I bet you won’t see is what the word damage means as it directly relates to the health and condition of your hair.

Dry and brittle. Split ends. Lack of moisture. Chemical weakness. Too much dye. What all of the things do to your hair is create the kind of injury and harm that makes your hair less useful than its actually supposed to be. Gee. When you look at it that way, that makes you want to do all that you can to take better care of your curls, doesn’t it? One way to do that is to be aware of what you could be doing to damage your hair, whether you realize it or not.

I’m pretty sure that some of the things I’m about to share with you, you’ve heard of before; take those as simple reminders. But the red flags that you’re not familiar with, why not be intentional about avoiding them for the next couple of weeks or so? If you start to notice that your hair strands have a smoother texture, that there’s less shedding, minimal breakage and your curls are shinier with more elasticity, you can be sure that you are well on your way to avoiding hair damage and keeping your hair in really great condition in the process.

Brushing too often. Back in the day, your probably heard that you should stroke your hair with a brush, 100 times a day in order to evenly distribute your scalp and hair’s natural oils so that your tresses can stay nice and strong. For the most part, that’s a myth; especially if you have naturally curly or even naturally dry hair. Brushing too much can actually damage your hair’s cuticles over time. That’s why it’s best to use a detangling comb (or even your fingers”> as much as possible. If you want to achieve a sleek ponytail or some baby hairs, plastic bristles are oftentimes “kinder” to your hair than natural ones. But whatever you do, avoid brushes that have metal prongs, absolutely do not brush your hair while it’s wet and make sure to wash your brushes no less than once a month (the gunk that collects in them can damage your hair too”>.

Using a shampoo with sulfates in it. What exactly are sulfates? They are the ingredient in our shampoo that gives that fun-n-super-fluffy lather effect. While sulfates play a role in cleaning your hair, what they also do is totally strip your locks of their natural oils. Plus, they tend to be particularly harsh on sensitive scalps and color-treated hair, not the mention the fact that they’re typically what cause your eyes to sting too. The remedy is to look for a sulfate-free shampoo. Although this used to be somewhat difficult to find, now it’s fairly easy to track down shampoos that say “sulfate-free” right on their packaging. Trust me, you’ll feel the difference after your very first wash.

Failing to “freeze” your conditioner. You might’ve heard somewhere that it’s a good idea to rinse your hair in cold water after shampooing and (deep”> conditioning it. If you’ve ever wondered why, it’s because while warm water opens up your cuticles (more on that in just a sec”>, cold water seals them back together. If the mere thought of putting your head in cold water totally turns you off, the happy medium is to keep your conditioner in your fridge. That will keep it cold and ready for when you’re ready to moisturize and seal those locks of yours (you can do this with your regular conditioner or your leave-in one”>.

Forgetting to “steam” your hair. Everything needs water, our hair included. One way to make sure that your curls get the moisture that they need is to steam them. You can easily do this, with or without a plastic cap, every time you take a shower. Just stand in hot one for about 15 minutes. That will give your cuticles enough time to open up, moisturize and prepare for the next thing that not nearly enough of us are doing.

Not using a light oil. Just because it’s not a good idea to put grease or petroleum on your hair (and it really isn’t; it’s too heavy on your curls and can ultimately clog up your hair follicles”>, a little bit of light oil can go along way in the moisture, sheen and growth departments. Some great oils that will get this particular job done include jojoba, sweet almond, argan, lemongrass and pomegranate seed oil.

Also, not checking the tips of your barrettes, bobby pins and hair clips. Perhaps one of the most underestimated ways that we can damage our hair is by not making sure that our hair décor is “safe”. Before putting anything in your hair, look to see if some of the prongs are missing, if it lacks a safety coating or if it makes you think that it is going to snag your hair in any way. No matter how cute a barrette or even headband may be, it’s not worth yanking out some of your hair as you try to put it in or take it out.

Trying too many products too often. Most of us have fallen prey to being a product junkie at least once in our lifetime. Not only does that put financial pressure on your wallet, but it can also weigh your hair down, damage it, irritate your scalp or all of the above. You’re not really gonna know if a particular product is working or not unless you give it a month (give or take a week”>, so try and be patient before rushing out to get something else. Also, as a word of caution—don’t assume that just because your favorite hair blogger or vlogger is in love with a product that it’s gonna work for you. In my experience, less is definitely more. Oftentimes, DIY combos are even better.

Avoiding a nighttime braid. If your hair is long enough to get into a braid, it’s long enough to get tangled up while you toss and turn all throughout the night. Moral to the story? Take a moment to put your curls into 1-6 plaits before going to bed. It’s a great way to reduce tangles and frizz while protecting your ends in the process. Truly, one of the easiest proactive ways to avoid hair damage that there is!

Are you guilty of one or more of these, or do you have some other ideas of common ways curlies damage their hair? Share with us in the comments!

Image: Getty images

If you’re someone who loves to cook at home (and if so, good for you because not only is it healthier but cheaper too!”>, chances are, you’ve got a kitchen shelf or a spice rack that is loaded with a variety of seasonings. Aside from how great they make your dishes taste, you’ve probably heard somewhere that so long as your spices are fresh, they come with a lot of health benefits as well.

Here’s something that you may not have been aware of, though. Did you know that there are certain spices that can help you to have strong, shiny and beautiful naturally curly hair? As crazy as that might sound, here are seven that can make your hair look and feel just about as good as they make your food taste!

Cumin

Cumin comes from the plant Cuminum cyminum. It’s typically used in India curry dishes. Some of the best things about it is it’s able to aid in making digestion easier, it contains phenols and flavonoids to fight off free radicals, it’s able to lower cholesterol levels, it reduces body fat and it is even attributed to assisting with overcoming narcotic dependency.

Hair-wise, cumin’s great because it can strengthen hair follicles; especially ones that have been damaged due to chemical damage. Cumin is also an awesome hair moisturizer and keep dry scalp flakes at bay. Mix cumin powder with some henna powder, add a little water so that it becomes a paste. Apply it to your clean hair, let it sit for 30 minutes and shampoo, condition and style as usual.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice that is packed with antioxidants and amino acids as well as vitamins A, C, E and K. As far as your health goes, it’s great for reducing inflammation, protecting your heart, keeping your blood sugar levels balanced, fighting infections and reducing tooth decay.

As far as your hair’s health goes, if you apply some of it directly to your scalp, it has a remarkable way of stimulating your hair follicles and speeding up your hair’s growth. Just mix cinnamon with a little honey and warm olive oil; the mixture will also serve as a soothing-yet-tingly scalp exfoliant that removes product build-up and dandruff flakes. Apply the mixture to damp hair, gently rub it on your scalp for 10 minutes, then thoroughly rinse out with warm, followed by cool water.

Black Pepper

Black pepper definitely has a way of spicing things up. That’s not all, though. The compound in it known as capsaicin is what gives black pepper the ability to fight cancer cells, improve digestion, aid in weight loss, slow down aging and lessen the effects of skin conditions like vitiligo.

Something else that black pepper does is stimulate the blood flow to your scalp so that more nutrients are able to get to your hair follicles. Not only does this result in faster hair growth but less shedding and breakage too. If you want to detox your scalp while lessening the amount of hair that you naturally lose on a daily basis, combine a little organic coconut oil, black pepper and Jamaican black castor oil. Apply everything to newly washed hair, let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly and style as usual.

Basil

If you’ve never put some basil leaves or sprinkled a little basil on an Italian dish (including a slice of pizza”>, you’re totally missing out! Not only does it make food that much better, it also contains antioxidants and antibacterial properties that reduces stress, kills bacteria, reduces fever, soothes pain and helps to prevent diabetes too.

It’s another kind of spice that increases blood circulation to your scalp. And, if you apply a few drops of basil oil to your scalp a couple of times a day, it can help to restore any hair loss issues you may have. Or, if you’re trying to get rid of a few grey strands, grind up a few basil leaves and add some amla powder and water to it. Let the solution sit overnight and wash your hair with it the next day (follow up with shampoo and conditioner afterwards”>. After a few washes, you should notice a difference in your hair’s hue and appearance.

Image: Getty images

Sesame Seeds

If sesame seeds are more your thing, the iron, magnesium, zinc and iron alone make this a great addition to just about any recipe. It’s been proven that the seeds are able to remove plaque, improve digestion, stabilize your blood pressure, increase your bone health and even fight symptoms related to stress and depression.

Your locks will love the seeds because not only are they extremely high in copper (which means sesame seeds help to fight premature greying”>, the omega fatty acids will strengthen your hair’s roots and fight off hair damage too. If your hair is particularly dry, ground about a half cup of sesame seeds. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of plain yogurt and one tablespoon of organic honey. Apply it to your hair, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then shampoo and condition as usual.

Thyme

Thyme has the reputation for being a “healing spice”, thanks to its antibacterial, insecticidal and antifungal properties. If you consume this spice on a consistent basis, it can help to prevent breast and colon cancer. Not only that, but thyme also has the ability to prevent yeast infections, food-borne bacterial infections and high blood pressure. Some people rave about how it’s been a go-to remedy for treating diarrhea, arthritis and a sore throat as well.

If dandruff flakes are what drive you up the wall, you’ve got a few thinning spots or your hair and scalp are particularly dry, it’s thyme to the rescue! Create a hair rinse made out of the spice by combining a half tablespoon of dried thyme and a half teaspoon of rosemary to two cups of boiling water. Let the combo steep for 20 minutes, strain the liquid and then put the mixture into a glass container. Apply the rinse after washing your hair. Do not rinse out and condition as usual.

Garlic

Garlic isn’t the best smelling spice in the world, but whew—it sure does taste good! And the powerful medicinal properties that garlic contains? It definitely makes it one of the spices that must be in every spice rack in every house on the planet. Garlic contains manganese, vitamins B6 and C along with selenium, copper and potassium. All of this makes garlic a way to cut your common cold’s time (at least”> in half. Plus, garlic will increase your athletic performance, can remove unneeded metals from your body, improve bone health over time and can even increase your longevity too.

Thanks to the antimicrobial properties that are also in garlic, it effectively kills the germs and bacteria that infects your scalp and inhibits hair growth. The Vitamin C in it will also boost collagen production so that your curly locks are strengthened and its elasticity is improved. Just mix two tablespoons of garlic, one tablespoon of honey and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply the mixture to your hair and scalp, gently massaging it all in. Let it sit for 20-25 minutes then wash with a mild shampoo. If you do this once a month, your follicles will be stronger, your curly will be softer—and thanks to the honey and lemon, the garlic scent will be gone in no time.

As you can see, there’s more to your spices than what meets the eye and your taste buds. Try it on your hair and scalp and see how delicious they are for them too!

Whether you’re striving to have long hair or just a healthy head of it, if you’re anything like me, the stumbling block that probably gets on your nerves the most are split ends; especially if your hair is curly because that can make it look really frizzy over time.

Ugh. If anything is a blaring reminder of just how fragile hair is, it’s that. And (sorry”> no matter how many products promise to heal any split ends that you might have, the reality is once they sprout up, they are irreparable. Sure, there are some hair products that are able to temporarily seal them, but it doesn’t last for more than a couple of days. If you want split ends to be gone for good, you have to trim them.

That sucks when you’re trying to gain length retention. That’s why, the best thing that you can do is avoid getting them in the first place. This means you have to keep heat to a minimum (and make sure to use some sort of thermal heat protectant before blow drying or flat ironing your hair”>. It also means that you should not brush your hair when it’s wet; you should get your hair professionally permed, relaxed or color treated (all of those processes change the structure of your hair and can make it a lot more fragile”>; you should apply hair sunscreen, especially during the summer months (it protects your hair from UV damage”> and you shouldn’t over-brush, you should use a wide tooth comb and you should dry your hair with a T-shirt instead of a towel. (Whew! All of that was a lot but trust me, it’s worth it!”>

And even with those tips in tow, there are a few other proactive things that you should put into the mix.

Use a Detangler

When it comes to damaging the structure of our hair strands, probably nothing does this quicker than improper detangling. This includes everything from using the wrong hair tools when our hair is wet to not making sure our hair has enough moisture while we’re styling it.

The best way to combat both of these issues is to wash your hair with a detangling (sulfate-free”> shampoo and/or you can follow up your wash routine with a homemade detangler. All you need is 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, ½ cup of distilled water, one teaspoon of sweet almond oil and a 3-5 drops of lavender oil. Put it all into a spray bottle and then spray it on your damp hair.

As far as the wrong tools go, follow this step up with our second tip.

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Always Use a Wide Tooth Comb

Hair is a lot like silk in the sense that it is strong and fragile at the same time. That’s why it’s important to be extremely gentle when you style it. One way to do that is to avoid constantly brushing your hair (it could start to break down your hair’s cuticles over time”> and to definitely not use small tooth combs (like rattail ones; use them for parting instead of combing”>. Small combs have a tendency to tear your hair and even rip it out at the roots.

Instead, go with a plastic wide tooth comb. It will get out the knots and kinks without damaging your hair in the process.

Deep Condition Your Hair

Aside from the fact that having curly hair make it harder for our body’s natural oils to run down the length of our tresses, there are other things that can dry our locks out. Using a shampoo that has acidic level or sulfates, using excessive heat too much (more than a couple of a month”> and mistaking styling products like gels and custards as an actual hair moisturizer tops the list.
Something that you can do to keep your hair full of moisture so that it avoids being dry and brittle is to deep condition your hair 1-2 times a month. There are plenty of deep conditioning hair masks on the market. Just make sure that you use one that has little to no protein in it (protein treatments shouldn’t be done more than every 6-8 weeks or so”>.

Something else that you can make your own deep conditioner. A great recipe consists of mixing one avocado with two tablespoons of honey and one tablespoon of olive oil. Apply the conditioner to clean damp hair. Put a plastic cap on your head and let the conditioner sit for an hour. Then rinse thoroughly and follow up with a light conditioner for extra protection.

Seal Your Ends

If your hair is like mine and, no matter what you do, it seems to drink moisture up, something else that can help to keep your ends from becoming dry and brittle is to seal them. It might sound like a complex process, but it’s really not. It’s all about locking your hair’s moisture in while it’s wet.

All you need to do is wash and condition your hair. Then, while your hair is still damp, apply some oil to the ends of all of your hair. If the porosity of your hair only requires a little oil, organic coconut oil should be fine. But again, if you’re like me and you know your hair needs a thicker coating in order to penetrate your hair’s shaft and ultimately reach its cortex (which is the thickest part of your hair”>, go with some Jamaican castor oil or even some shea butter instead.

You can seal your ends in any hairstyle. But I must put on record that it does tend to be the most effective if you do it before you twist or braid your hair (even if you just keep it in that hairstyle until your hair totally dries and the oil from the sealing process totally sets in”>.

Apply Cedarwood Oil

Every strand of your hair has a protective sheathing that keeps it from experiencing a lot of environmental, chemical or even heat damage. The sheathing is oil-based. One type of oil that you can use to reinforce your hair’s protection is cedarwood oil.

Cedarwood is awesome because not only does it stimulate your hair follicles so that your hair grows stronger and faster, it’s also great at treating thinning hair too. As a bonus, if you add it to the castor oil that you seal your hair with, it can make your locks thicker too—from root to tip. The thicker your ends are, the less likely they will be to split.

Use Temporary Color Instead of Permanent

I’ve kind of already touched on this one, but since so many of us love to color treat our hair, it’s worth mentioning again. Although there are some permanent hair dyes that are ammonia-free that aren’t half-bad (like Garnier’s Olia and Shea Moisture’s Color Crème“>, there’s still a chance that permanent dye could lead to damaged tresses, including split ends (especially if you choose to lighten your hair”>. That’s why the better route to go is temporary options like semi-permanent color, henna or even DIY options such as coffee beans or herbal tea (for safe and natural hair highlights”>.

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Trim with Sharp Shears

Some stylists will say that you should get your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks. Through my own trial and error (and doing some Q&A with other women”>, I think it depends on how well you take care of your hair. If your hair is dry or frizzy, it could be due to damage or split ends and yes, you probably need a professional trim. But if your hair still looks healthy after a couple of months, all you may need to do is dust your ends until your hairstyle loses some of its shape or your hair is not holding any curl as well as it once did.

Just make sure that you use a pair of sharp shears. If they are dull, they could tear away at your ends, ultimately leading to a variety of different looking split ends (click here to see what I mean by that”>.

Give Your Hair Protein

Since hair is made up of 65-95 percent protein (keratin”>, it needs protein in order to thrive. How can you know if your hair is lacking the protein that it needs? If it lacks elasticity, has a gummy feel to it or breaks off a lot (for the record, healthy shedding is when hair comes out from the roots; breakage is when pieces of hair strands are coming off, excessively so”>, those are your cues. If any of this happens, split ends are almost inevitable.

Something that can help to correct the issue before it gets too out of hand is to give your hair a protein treatment. There are protein packets available at your local beauty supply store. Or, you can make your own by beating a couple of raw eggs or mixing some plain yogurt and a ripe avocado together and applying it directly to your hair for 20 minutes and then rinsing out the homemade protein with cool water.

It’s also a good idea to consume protein as well. Foods that are loaded with it include poultry, almonds, broccoli, whey protein, fish, pumpkin seeds and quinoa.

Eat Foods High in Zinc

What you eat plays an unbelievably relevant role in how your h air looks and feels. Although it’s a good idea to get a good amount of protein into your diet on a daily basis (because our hair is made up of protein, after all”>, something else that you should consume is zinc. Why? Zinc is what keeps the oil glands that are around each of your hair follicles working well. Zinc is also essential as it relates to your hair’s growth and repair.

What types of foods are high in zinc? Some that top the list include eggs, whole grains, chicken, yogurt and oatmeal.

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Image:@fanmdjanm

Wear Silk or Satin Scarves (protect from pollutants and friction”>

Remember how I said that I was going to provide tips on how to protect your ends that don’t include protective styling? This final tip is probably the only one that is an exception. Hopefully, you’re already wrapping your hair up at night with a silk or satin scarf so that it won’t dry out in the middle of the night and your pillows won’t cause too much friction. But as someone who absolutely adores how a well-placed scarf looks on my head in the daytime, don’t knock it as a fashion accessory too!

Silk and satin scarves are able to make quite the style statement while giving your hair a styling break and protecting it from the outdoor elements. For tips on how to tie one of your headscarves a myriad of ways, check out this video. You’ll be amazed by all of the things you can do with one of the scarves in your collection and you’ll love how it can also keep you from having split ends.