Best Flat-Irons

SO, I’ll admit off the top that I have not, AT ALL, by ANY stretch of the imagination tried all of the flatirons out there. I haven’t even tried MOST of them. But, have traveled quite a bit and been able to speak with several stylists about which flatirons are the best and which are or are becoming industry standard at any given time. I currently own the brand of flatiron that my stylist in Atlanta (shoutouts to Gabrielle Johnson at Takai) and my soon-to-be (Nikki Wright in Los Angeles) use- BABYLISS. The Babyliss flatiron is one of the most advanced irons out, especially in its price category. It is better than the FHI flatiron (except for perhaps the FHI Runway flatiron) and I personally find it better than Sedu. My only concern with the Babyliss iron is for those (like myself) with somewhat sensitive hair. I have found that over time, using the Babyliss flatiron has made my hair quite straight, and I do miss having my nice curl pattern so that I can switch it up into a curly style from time-to-time. For those who perhaps want a less strong flatiron, there is always still both the FHI and CHI brand or flatirons which can give you a good press. I just can’t bring myself to go back to them after being able to achieve close to salon quality home care with Babyliss.

SIlk Hurrr Rollahs.....answer to the curl defeceit ?

Silk Hair Rollers

So, me, myself, PERSONALLLY, I’m not a big fan of wearing rollers to bed at night. Especially because I do not AT ALL think that there is any man out there who finds sleeping next to a woman in rollers optimal. That’s just my opinion, don’t shoot me. I’d prefer my scarf, or my other solution of just having silk pillow cases. But, for the ladies who love their rollers and love to sleep in them, I beg of you one thing- PLEASE THROW OUT THOSE OLD SCHOOL SPONGE ROLLERS!!! First of all, those sponge rollers do exactly what any sponge is designed to do, suck out moisture. The sponge roller will suck the moisture straight out of your hair. And, as we learned with previous posts, all hair- and especially black hair- needs moisture. So, if you love your hair rollers and need them in your life…..PLEASE…..PLEASE…..PLEASE invest in your hair and buy silk hair rollers. They are not that expensive and they will save you from having hair that is overly dry, and in my opinion they also save you from that old school “soulful” (as I call it) curl pattern that is created by sponge rollers- you know the ultra tight church curl? Yes, that one…..Additionally, for ladies who shower in the morning and don’t want too tight of a curl pattern, try actually rolling your hair when you wake up, and wearing the rollers throughout your shower and your process of getting dressed, applying make-up, and whatever else it is that you do to get ready for the day.

Clip-On Extensions

Now that we’ve broken the sound barrier and addressed weaves in general, let’s discuss a newer method of adding hair that is starting to take hold in the AA community, which is the clip-on hair extension. Now, these extensions are not really for those looking for a protective style like a sew-in. When you have clip-in extensions, you are simply adding length (ad possibly thickness) to your hair in a really easy, non-committal fashion. These types of extensions are gaining popularity due to the fact that one doesn’t have to commit to them over a length of time, like with a sew-in and because they don’t require being glued in like fusion extensions. In addition, most stylists say that they don’t tug on the hair and still allow the scalp to continuously get more oxygen than it might get with a sew-in weave. So, if you are a lady who wants a weave just for a quick fix of added length or thickness then clip-ons may just need to be something that you investigate or put on your Christmas (or Kwanza; Eid; Hannukah, etc…) List.

WEAVES

Now-a-days, so many sisters (black and white and everything in between) sport weave that its almost more common to see a hairweave than to see natural hair. Its funny, often times my black sisters get more grief for wearing weave than our Caucasian sisters b/c of the underlying stereotype (false albeit) that black women can't actually grow long hair. SMH. But, at the end of the day, I think weave is a trend that will stay around.....so....To weave, or not to weave…that is the question. But, the bigger question is the purpose of the weave and the doing of the weave. What do I mean? Well, people get weaves for several different reasons. Some people get weaves to take stress off of their hair (i.e. celebrities whose hair is styled to the max with various heating tools everyday or regular women who need to work out or otherwise go through a period of time where they want to avoid the stress that would be put on their hair to keep it how they want it to be at that time), while others get them to enhance (lengthen or give added thickness) to their own hair, and other women simply like to change up their styles according to their preferences or beauty choices. Now to the doing of the weave…If you are a Caucasian woman or a woman with non-African American centric textured hair then you MIGHT be safe getting extensions applied mainly through glue, tips, or other forms of fusing the weave hair to the natural hair. If you are an African American woman or a woman with more of a kinky textured hair, I implore you…..RUN from this type of application of extensions. Your hair will not benefit from it in any way, shape, or form. On the other hand, if you get a sew-in weave where the natural hair is not braided too tightly and the weave hair is not attached or sewn in too tightly, you’re actually on the start to protecting and growing your hair. In addition, when you get a sew-in, you have to REMEMBER your hair underneath. If you want your sew-in weave to serve as a beautiful AND protective style, then you have to keep the natural hair and scalp underneath the weave moisturized, conditioned, and healthy. All too often, women put in a weave and completely neglect their natural hair underneath the weave. My hair tip: use a good braid spray and make a homemade glycerin/water concoction (1:3 ratio or so) to make sure that scalp promotes healthy hair growth and that your hair underneath comes out of that sew-in in excellent condition!

understanding your hair type

There are 4 types of hair (1-4) all with subtypes (a-c). In order to truly understand how to care for your hair and what your hair needs it is important to understand your hair-type and the related elasticity type. For a quick hair type quiz, see below:


1. Does your hair have any type of curl whatsoever? if no then you are either type 1- straight flat hair typical of Asians and Indian womenor 4b- undefined hair that resembles the texture of a cotton ballif yes then proceed2. Is your hair wavy or curly?if wavy then you are type 2 (a,b or c depending on the tightness of the wave) **a being the loosest waves and c being the tighter waves**if curly you are type 3 (a,b or c depending on the tightness of the curl) **a being the loosest curls and c being curls similar to a marker**or type 4a (coils about the size of a crayon/pencil to pensprings).

Biotin, MY FRIEND!

As we said in the first post, hair health, growth, and retention maximization is based on really working from the inside and on the outside to have your hair right. The first supplement we're highlighting on the working from the inside angle is Biotin. Biotin is a supplement in the B Vitamin family known as Vitamin H or B7. Its totally water soluble and known for both its metabolic properties (which helps give you energy) and its health benefits. When used on a regular basis, Biotin is known to help strengthen fingernails, relieve scalp conditions (especially in newborns), and SUPPORT HAIR GROWTH. I have personally been taking biotin as a supplement for over a year and when taking 5mg (5,000mcg) of biotin per day, I have always noticed a consistent and large amount of hair growth. My rate of growth with my hair is approximately one inch per month. Without taking the Biotin supplement, I have more of a 1/2" per month rate of growth. I personally take the NOW brand of biotin but any brand of should work fine as long as you are taking the 5mg dosage. I once accidentally decreased my dosage to 1mg (being cheap and not paying attention to the dosage) and did not see as much growth during that period of time. Feel free to do a google search on biotin and hair growth and hear the various testimonials of others on the topic.

Devil in a little white bottle

Would you wash your hair with laundry detergent? How about dish washing liquid?The answer to such a vetching question is an unequivocal “no”, I’m sure of it. Then, why is it that so many people continue to use products with Sodium Laurel Sulfate and its band of merry degenerative derivatives? Because its cheap to produce!!!! And therefore it keeps profits at a maximum while giving your hair minimum benefits. What has been proven time and again is that in this culture we are inundated with cheap substitutes (like high fructose corn syrup and the like) that are no good for us. They are simply cheap chemical substitutes that are often toxic. A better idea would be using a shampoo that has a more natural soap base. These more natural soap bases include coconut and olive oil. Stay away, however, from saponified versions of these soap bases as they will have come from either sodium or potassium hydroxide. Products with these soap bases will cleanse your hair just as effectively but more gently than any product with sodium laurel sulfate. This is important for all women's hair ,but is even more important for women who have dyed, relaxed, or otherwise chemically-treated hair. The more chemicals we pile onto our hair, especially already weak hair, the harder it is to achieve a healthy, long head of hair. Both Aubrey Organics and Ojon products are either without SLS or use a more gentle soap base. Another coming brand of products which we will feature shortly is also without SLS and therefore will not strip your hair completely of all the natural oils the hair needs.

Welcome

....When you know better; you do better.

Welcome to hair-apy....otherwise known as hair therapy....Our goal is to change the way that black women think about the frontier of possibilities related to their hair through our therapeutic blog sessions.

This blog is dedicated to educating women about hair and helping women (and specifically black women) better care for their hair. The biggest lie ever told is that black women can't have long, beautiful hair; or that black women's hair doesn't grow. Any relaxed haired woman can attest to the fact that she goes in and gets a touch-up every 6-12 weeks. That very action itself, of having to touch up "new growth" is evidence of growth....which then means that the problem must be held in retention. We hope to help the diaspora better understand and better approach their hair and work toward having longer and/or healthier hair by internally and externally working to help the hair grow and helping you grow hair faster and retain that growth. This blog will discuss all things hair...with a large emphasis on health and revamping black women's approach to doing their hair, thinking about their hair, and the products that they believe work for their hair. We will have product reviews, articles, hair regimens, and the like. Stay tuned and stay positive.