Ghanaian Emprezz

By Audrey Sivasothy Chemical relaxer stretching is often promoted as the key to any healthy hair regimen that involves the regular use of chemicals. Unfortunately for some, stretching chemical relaxers can become a hair breakage nightmare. If stretching is executed incorrectly, or with techniques that just don't suit the stretcher's hair, hair breakage problems can crop up during a relaxer stretch and end up damaging the hair more than helping it. Read on to learn more about what causes hair breakage and hair loss during relaxer stretching and what you can do to prevent the downfalls of stretching! Read more

--> Image source: cbtamale.blogspot.com Now, it is this time that you find the rush for braids and weaves hoping to avoid breakage. The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March (winter). The temperatures can be as low as 3 degrees Celsius.( wikipedia.org ). I lived in the Northern Region for a long period and I can boldy say that this season can bring out the worst in you; cracked lips, feet, bleeding nose, etc. The season also comes with dusty weather. Looking at the duration, it's safer to plan ahead of time. Here are few guidelines for the season:

--> Image source: ghanatravels.wordpress.com Image source: /blackethics.com Palm oil (the one you use in preparing ampesi) is one of the cheapest oils on the Ghanaian market. This oil is obtained from the fruit of the palm tree. The palm fruit can be used in the preparation of soups eg abe kwan (palmnut soup). After using mango and yogurt deep conditioners, I searched for another home grown recipe for deep conditioning. 

-->   Image Source: wikimedia.org Phyllanthus emblica (syn. Emblica officinalis), the Indian gooseberry, or aamla from Sanskrit amalika, is a deciduous tree of the Phyllanthaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name. Ayurveda practitioners use amla oil for its conditioning benefits and pigments. Benefits of Amla Oil Apply the oil to your hair after shampoo. *Restore shine and soften hair texture with daily application of amla oil. *Those with oily hair should apply the oil only twice per week to limit oil build-up. *Decrease the effects of harsh shampoos by adding amla oil to the shampoo or applying to your hair prior to shampoo. Several commercial shampoos and conditioners contain amla oil. *Apply amla oil to the scalp to combat dandruff or soothe an inflamed scalp. The vitamin C present in amla acts as an anti-inflammatory. *Apply nightly if you suffer from a chronically itchy or sore scalp. Massage the oil into your scalp using circular patter

--> TGIF!!*doing an azonto dance** When you want that extra swag to your look, rock this style. It can be done on either natural or relaxed hair.    My Version

It's fair to say caring for relaxed hair is not as simple as my fellas think. It's not about sit, slap the relaxer on, wash and see you in 4 weeks time for another rendezvous. These are the few things I've learnt about relaxed hair. Protect your ends with conditioner, oil or grease. The rational behind this is that in the process of washing out the relaxer, the water definitely runs over the already processed hair. As this increases, you eventually have the already processed hair becoming weaker and also causing overprocessing. The protector can be applied a day before the relaxer or right before the relaxer. I use sheabutter.

  Shampoos may be purchased for specific purposes. Let's examine some of these shampoos and their functions.thebeautybrains.com classifies these shampoos into four main groups. Chelating Shampoos Conditioning Shampoos Baby Shampoos Anti-Dandruff shampoos Cleansing Shampoos These shampoos are designed to get gunk off your hair and scalp. (produced as: volumizing, clarifying, balancing, oil control, or thickening). Clarifying shampoos are meant for deep cleansing.If you see things like Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-7 or Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, on the label, the formula will probably deposit conditioners on your hair that you don’t want if you’re trying to clarify.(The beautybrains.com)  Chelating shampoos: A chelating agent can chemically bind with minerals and keep them from depositing on your hair.This type of product has most application to areas of the country where there is hard water. Soft water already has the minerals removed. Look for products with the

We are aware that we deal with both the rainy and harmattan seasons. However, treating natural hair in these seasons will vary depending on: The products you use Your regimen How you style your hair Even though there are a lot of naturals, most naturals assume that all you need to cater for the hair is water and sheabutter. These products are good for moisturizing but when it comes to other aspects of the hair care journey, most naturals are ignorant or too lazy to care. They complain and nag about not seeing any length as well as facing difficulties in caring for the hair in general. If you are reading this post, kindly note the following dos and don'ts to save you the headaches. The points provided are based on what I know and what I've read: Never, ever,ever comb natural hair in its dry state: For 4b hair like mine, you can't even get the comb through it. Yet, ladies will attempt combing the hair and worse off, with small tooth comb. This causes major breakage

image source: shampoostyle.wordpress.com Most of the questions I get from my facebook pals have to do with how to choose a shampoo from the lot. With the  kind of attendants at most cosmetic shops in our markets, it is always safer to know the exact product you are looking for (see an encounter in Gossip Train5#Shopping Time ). From what I've learnt, depending on your hair needs, there are several considerations in the choice of a shampoo. I will discuss two categories; choice based on component / ingredient and selection based on purpose / function .We are going to use a bit of science so buckle up! According to thedailybeast.com ,Paula Begoun, author of Beautypedia.com states that only the first five or six ingredients of shampoos impact the formula’s effectiveness.  Thedailybeast.com lists them as follows: