Kinky style of the week

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Hey everyone.

I have been wearing 7 flat twists going to the right side for a week now and decided to take my hair down and let it out. I did not use any product,  just a twist & define butter that I make. It kept my hair moisturized and had a great hold to it. I just pinned all of the hair up and let the curls hang.

Look at the definition that my product gave me and it had a great hold, but was very soft. Yaaay me.

And that was so simple, the twist & define butter kept my hair in tact, neat and soft while in the flat twists for the week.

Hope that you like it.

 

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Hair care products and the pH Adjuster Sodium Hydroxide – By Chicoro

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Hair Care Products and the pH Adjuster Sodium Hydroxide 

You already know about pH and that most if not all of store bought hair care products are formulated within a specific pH range.

Last time, I mentioned most hair care products have their pH adjusted during formulation.  Many ingredients can be used to adjust the pH of a product.

One pH adjuster of which you may want to be aware is sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is the same component used to relax hair and chemically straighten hair permanently. Sodium hydroxide is in many products. Sometimes it will be written on the back of the ingredients where you can see it and sometimes it will not appear on the ingredient’s label at all.

Sodium hydroxide is very corrosive and can burn and damage body tissue. In hair care products, when used as a pH adjuster, it is considered harmless because it turns into a salt at the end of processing.  Usually, when I see sodium hydroxide in a product, it is either the last ingredient or one of the last ingredients.

Product Ingredient Labeling In the United States

Product ingredients are listed on the back of a label in order of quantity. The ingredient that is the most prevalent will be listed first.  If an ingredient is less than 1%, it may be listed on the product ingredient label, too. The catch is that once an ingredient is less than 1% of the product, it can be listed in any order. Let’s say I have water, oil, amino acids and honey in my product. Water and oil make up 50%. But, my amino acids are .5% and honey is .4%. Although there are more amino acids in this product, I can list honey first. That is because anything less than 1% can be listed in any order. When you look at the back of this product, you won’t be able to really know if there is more honey or amino acids. The order won’t help you.

 

The other interesting thing is that for a product to be considered a relaxer it can consist of 1% to 10% of sodium hydroxide.  In theory, a product could be out there with up to 1% sodium hydroxide, used to adjust pH. Technically, all you need is 1% of sodium hydroxide in your product for it to be considered a relaxer.   Although I am reaching here, it is important to know and understand what is in your hair care products. I personally skip products that have sodium hydroxide in them. But, since it is considered an end product used for processing and becomes a harmless salt, it doesn’t have to be declared or written on the ingredients label. Who knows how  many products may contain sodium hydroxide but don’t state it. Be aware.  Use knowledge, not fear or marketing, to make the best hair related decisions for yourself.

Would you like to know more about the care and feeding of beautiful Afro-textured hair? Stay tuned at BeautifyBitByBitGi.com

Chicoro

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Foods which help grow stronger, longer hair – By Growitlong.info

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Salmon:

Salmon is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid which contains
large amounts of B12.  Both B12 and Omega helps the hair to grow
thicker and more vibrant.  Lack of Omega 3 and vitamin B12 will
result in dull lifeless hair and also less volume.
Nuts:

Nuts are packed with protein which is the building block of your
hair.  Try nuts like almonds, pecans and cashews.  They are also
a good source of zinc which makes your hair smooth.
Beans:

Beans are another source of plant protein which helps to grow
hair.  It also includes biotin, iron, folate, zinc. Deficiency of
biotin may lead to brittle hair.  Because beans are high in fiber
a diet high in beans helps to keep a cleansed system.  A clean
system facilities  better absorption of nutrients into the blood
stream which your hair needs for maximum growth.
Whole grains:

Iron, vitamins B, zinc are the property of whole grains which
play important role to give you long and healthy hair.
Whole-grain products including whole-wheat bread and fortified
whole-grain breakfast cereal gives healthy does of B vitamins,
iron and zinc. From the ingredients list, you can indentify
products of whole grains.
Seeds:

Seeds such as flaxseed, pumpkin and sesame add necessary oils
into your system.  Sesame seeds are known for giving your hair a
rich pigment and more shin.  Flax adds additional Omega 3 and it
is also a complete protein.  Pumpkin adds fullness.  Add these
seeds as a snack to your diet.

 

Vegetables:

Dark green vegetables like broccoli, Swiss chard and spinach
includes vitamins A & C, calcium and iron.  Cabbage also has a
high dosage of sulphur which is also lacking in hair that is
course, dry and brittle.  Add more cabbage daily for stronger
strands.

 

Eggs:

Eggs are high in vitamin B12, biotin and protein however; its
level depends on the way they are cooked. Use little oil or
butter to cook it. Vitamin B-12, biotin and protein helps to make
your hair long and healthy.

It may not always be easy to eat everything you need in the right
proportion that is why the right combination daily is needed to
get maximum results.  http://www.growitlong.info

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Protective style of the week – French braids

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Hi everyone,

My daughter’s father decided to do her hair and it is banging. I love it and it is a protective style that we can do at home. French braids/ corn rows. To begin, I actually had to blow dry her hair, it has been a year and a half since we have used heat on it so it was not that bad. After washing the hair, I did not apply the normal oils because I was going to apply heat, so I used the Jamaican black Castor oil hair food because it is thick and softens the hair for styling.

So he parted the hair down the middle and begin on one side.

 

 

 

 

 

Then he went ahead and finished her entire head. It looks great. I personally do not like french braids straight back, but my daughter does because she plays and sweats and does not like anything in her face. So I added some beads to the bottom to make her look girly and to protect the ends.

The first night we just covered the hair with a satin bonnet because it was tight and I applied Jamaican black Castor oil directly to her scalp. The next day we tied it up with a “du rag” to keep the hair laid down. By hiding the ends of the hair in the beads, it will allow her to retain the length  from the growth, retain moisture and will keep the ends from getting damaged and broken off. You can also braid all of the braids together into one braid and pin the ends up to keep them from brushing against your clothing and the weather.

I am so glad that I do not have to do her hair for about 2 weeks, just rinse and moisturize after her kickboxing classes. Yaaaay!

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Question: Will my hair still grow healthily if I wear it out in an Afro 4-5 days a week?

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Question:

Hello, loving your blog! I have 4c hair. I live in the UK and I really want to start wearing my hair in a non-blown out (as I don’t blow dry my hair) Afro on most days. Say 4-5 days a week. Is this ok? Would it be ok for my hair if I continue to moisturize it and put it in loose low manipulative twists each night? Would it still grow and be healthy if I do this?
Please help

Thank you

Answer:

Good morning lady,
First I want to thank you for loving my blog. I have yet to find someone that focuses on our hair type.
Wearing your hair out in an Afro 4-5 days a week will not be good for your ends, BUT, if you moisturize it and then seal the moisture in with the raw African Shea butter then you should be fine because the Shea Butter will protect  your ends and hair from weather damage.
The more that you protect and hide your ends, the more length you will retain.
 Less manipulation is the best, so moisturizing and then sealing the moisture in with an oil or butter then twisting in low manipulative twists will be good for you if  you want to wear your hair out in an Afro. Just remember that your ends will be exposed while wearing an Afro and since our hair type is so fragile it can get damaged, so try not to wear the hair out in an Afro every week, give it a break and just wear a protective style for a week and then go back to your Afro the next week. Alternate to give your hair and ends a rest to prevent breakage and damage.
You should be fine, just don’t forget to seal the moisture in with an oil or butter.
But to be honest, I retain more length when I wear protective styles and keep my ends tucked away. So it will still grow healthy but you might not retain as much length
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop an e-mail in the e-mail link and I will be sure to get back to you and answer them. I am not a licensed beautician or anything , I just speak from experience.

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How to use rice powder – By longer hair care secrets

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In your quest to grow longer hair you may over look many vital
parts such as your scalp and your ends.  Today I won’t tackle
the ends but I do want to share something that I truly love.
First I do want to emphasize the need for a clean scalp.  A clean
unclogged scalp creates a healthy environment for your hair to
grow, something which is really important especially with black
hair care.
One of the biggest problems we have with our hair not growing as
we would like is the backed up waxes and silicons on the scalp.
A lot of the products designed for black hair have a lot of
inferior ingredients which clog up the scalp.

Your scalp needs to breath. The more your scalp breaths the more
oxygen and nutrients are fed to the roots.
Shampoo alone does not always do it.  There is one thing I highly
recommend to clean the scalp and that is rice flour.  It’s easy
to purchase.  You can get a small bag of rice flour at your local
grocery store.  It’s a fine powder.

All you do is add a bit of water to it so it forms a paste.  Then
parting the hair, run some along the part and gently massage.  Do
this throughout your hair until you have given yourself a good
invigorating scalp massage and scrub.

You can also lightly scrunch it through the rest of your hair, to
get rid of any heavy build up.  Let it sit for a minute or do then
very thoroughly rinse.  Your scalp will love you for it.

By the way rice flour is great as a body scrub as well
and gets rid of blemishes.  If used everyday, leave it on for at
least 15minutes and it will lighten any dark spots and give very
glossy skin.   It’s amazing.

also rice flour and rice powder is the same thing.

http://www.growitlong.info

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Product review – Tropic Isle living Jamaican Black Castor oil Hair food

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Ingredients: Jamaican black Castor oil, Shea butter, Avocado oil, Neem oil, Grapeseed oil, Vitamin E, Candellila wax, Bees wax, Carnauba wax.

Claims: Nourishes and moisturizes hair daily. Use for hair breakage, dandruff, thinning hair, dry hair.

Size: 4oz

Price: $7.99

Directions: Rub into scalp daily & comb hair into any style desired. For adults & children.

Texture: It feels like a really heavy butter, Not grainy though.

Scent: This product smells like Raw African Shea butter

I have used this on hair and scalp. I did not want to try it on my scalp because of the waxes blocking my pores, but I did it anyway and it stunted my growth. I saw the difference in growth because I did not use it on my first set of kinky twists, but did with the second set. I think that this is way too heavy for the scalp, but just perfect for thick, kinky, Afro textured hair. This Jamaican Black Castor oil hair food is very heavy, so if you do not have thick kinky Afro textured hair, I would suggest that you not use this on your hair.

When applied directly to the hair, it instantly softens up and makes the hair moisturized and more manageable for styling. I use it on my daughter’s hair when she likes to wear her puff because the Shea butter and the Castor oil help to protect against the sun, wind and harsh weather. I love this product for softening dry hair to prepare for styling, it does the job. The moisture lasts for at least 2 days.

Final thoughts.

I would have to give this product a 4 out of 5 stars only because it says to use on your scalp and it did not work for me, other than that it really moisturizes and softens the hair. Especially the ends. As far as the price, I think that it is reasonable for the size. I do not use it everyday, so it lasts a while.

If you are experiencing breakage or thinning hair, I would definitely recommend this product to you, but it is very heavy.

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Kinky style of the day – Flat twists with two strand twists in the back

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Hey everybody,

I washed and conditioned and pampered my ends. Then decided to put my hair into a protective style. I just flat twisted the top and two strand twisted the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wore this style for two days and then I untwisted the back two strand twists.

I love how my shrinkage keeps my ends off of my clothes. It shrinks up so much that the ends do not touch them. Yaaay, go shrinkage.

Hope that you like!

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A little something about pH and your hair – By Chicoro

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A Little Something about pH and Your hair  

 

Lots of you are very well versed on pH. Bear with me so that I can bring every one up to speed. The “p” stands for potential and the “H” stands for hydrogen.  The easy way to think of this is that pH measures how basic or acid a solution is.

 

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Water is neutral and is around 7. Below 7 makes a substance tend towards being acidic. Above 7 makes a substance tend towards being basic. Alkaline and basic are used interchangeably.

 

Hair and pH in General

The pH of substances can affect your hair.

  • pH  of 1 or less results in slight decrease in the swelling of the hair.
  • pH of 3-1 results in a slight increase in the swelling of the hair.
  • pH of 4-9 results in a minimum increase in the swelling of the hair.
  • pH of above 10 results in a large increase in the swelling of the hair.

 

If you have the time or interest, obtain some pH strips and test your staple products. Get an average of the pH range of what YOU are using. Record the information in your hair journal.  Every time you add a new staple product to your regimen document the pH of the product. You will likely find with your store bought products that the pH range will be very small if not very close!

 

Using pH as the Main Indicator for Product Selection

The pH of a product can be used to help you gather more information about a product. It should not be the only indicator that you use, though.  What many people do not realize is that store brought products can be formulated using many chemicals. Many of these chemicals can be eye, skin and tissue irritants.  Once these chemical brews are complete, an ingredient is then placed into them to adjust the pH.

 

That’s right! Just because something has a pH range between 5-7 doesn’t automatically mean it is great for your hair.  Yes, you should be aware of the pH of products. I will say that adjusting the pH is a vital part of product formulation. Any cosmetic chemist worth his salt will always test and adjust the pH of commercial products.   Instead of focusing on pH, focus on the types of ingredients in your products.  A potential issue created from a product is not likely to be the pH, but an ingredient within the product.

 

 

Would you like to know more about the care and feeding of beautiful afro-textured hair? Stay tuned at BeautifyBitByBitGi.com

 

Chicoro

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Kinky feature of the week – Anonymous

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Hi all,

I have a kinky feature who would like to remain anonymous, so everyone meet – Anonymous!

Name and where you live: I live in La, California.

How long have you been natural? I have had natural hair all my life.

Why did you decide to go natural?  It is easy to maintain, less money to spend & always healthy looking.

Did you do the “big chop”? If so, how long did you transition for and how did you feel after doing it? My hair was long to my shoulders and decided to cut it all in 2011 then i had dreadlocks for 1year and now I’m rocking it short as i grow it back slowly.

What have learned about your hair?

Just like in your website you have to keep your hair moisturized all the time.

What is your wash regimen and must have products?

With dreadlocks & long hair i washed my hair every 2 weeks. I used to use Treseme shampoo & conditioner because it made it easy to comb.  Now i only use Derm organic shampoo, Kera care leave in conditioner and Miss Jessie’s Meringue.
When is the last time that you straightened your hair?
Last i straightened my hair was in 2010, but i might just do it this mother’s day.
What is your favorite natural oil to use for sealing your ends?
My favorite oil is Derm Organic Argon Oil
How do you protect your hair at night?
I wear a head scarf to bed most nights.
What natural hair styles do you like to rock the most?
I keep my style simple with a pony tail or a just comb it out to a fro.
My tip: Try to stay away from products that have alcohol because that dries your hair. Also keep your hair moisturized.
I’m a female but my husband likes natural hair, most of all he doesn’t like any fake hair on me so no weave, wigs etc. he will take me in a hat on a bad hair day before any other thing.
I would like to mention my wonderful hair dresser who also has worked with different celebrities & is recognized as a black owned business. Attached is her website http://www.taracopeland521.com/
Thank you Anonymous foreseeing your kinky natural hair as being healthy, by taking care of it today!

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