Ghanaian Emprezz

As far as my hair journey is concerned, my hair has NEVER been this healthy and because I love it now, I venture out into hair styles that I haven't bothered to do. I bought some gel to slick down my edges. Then, I thought of using it as a hold for twists in order to have some curls. I got this idea from my previous attempts without using a gel for hold where the curls lasted for only a few hours. This time, I knew it could take me through a whole week but I had to wash the hair. Ok, let's move on to how to create yours.

It's been one year and four months since I embarked on this hair journey and I must tell you, it's been full of ups, downs, surprises, joy and unpredictable results.  Let me open up some hidden thoughts. I am not a product junkie not because I can control myself but due to several reasons. I always read everything into details before I take a step.

Image Source: www.rodsbot.com Just an observation I have made from the comments and questions from my fb pals. Because we are accustomed to these terms, sometimes, it becomes a bit tedious understanding what I mean. These are the answers to the questions you asked. The hair dresser calls it steaming= it is deep conditioning. *thonging = it is  flat ironing *steaming cream=it is deep conditioner *small comb=it is rat tail comb *smooth rollers= it is magnetic rollers :) I'll try to indicate the local terms within the post if I use something different. Emprezz

So I one of my best friends asked me if I had heard the Uncle Obama song and I finally heard it this weekend and I was like OMG!!! In the video Sister Deborah goes to the market and saw a guy selling banana and asked if she could buy for her monkey and it goes on on and on...

There's been a debate over whether it's advisable to dc before or after shampoo. Well, JC of  www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com  has written a beautiful piece about this. If am not mistaken, she wrote a similar article years ago and it sparked the debate. Well, the lastest post discusses what to do if you want to shampoo before deep conditioning and if you want to shampoo after deep conditioning. Read Deep conditioning: Dry hair, Wet hair or Shampoo hair? Check out my post on "Do you pre-poo?"

So, this is what I've learnt from JC of TheNaturalHavenBloom -that you can heat your conditioner ie deep conditioner.  She recommends the water bath method. To do this, take a glass container or a heat resistant plastic container. Put the conditioner you are going to use into it. Never heat up the whole conditioner bottle since you will affect the preservatives.

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:

-->  What is the difference between the baggy method and the Green House Effect? Baggying involves using a moisturizer (which contains chemicals) and a plastic cap to help retain moisture and hydrate your hair. The green house effect is mainly to help promote hair growth in a natural way as well as restore moisture.The greenhouse effect encourages your body heat and natural oils to moisturize your hair. These two methods can aid in hair growth and retention. Some women that do this regularly (3-5 times a week) have shown that they get 1 inch of hair growth a month. This method is great for anyone with dry, brittle ends.

--> Hurrayyy!!!! Image Source: kaboodle.com By courtesy of sheabuttercottage, JBCO is now available in Accra. If you don't know the essence of this oil, read these... naturallycurly.com Jamaican Black Castor Oil works for all hair types. It will moisturize, thicken, strengthen and rapidly increase hair growth. It increases blood flow to the scalp, supplying valuable nutrients to hair follicles. Jamaican Black Castor Oil will also prevent hair breakages, dandruff, eczema and dry, itchy scalp. Jamaican Black Castor Oil has crossed over into other ethnic groups, and is now being used widely for some of the same purposes, as well as new found uses including eyelash and eyebrow hair growth and as massage oil... Over the last ten years, it is an established precedent that Jamaican Black Castor oil is more effective than the clear pharmacy castor oil because of the ash content due to roasting of the beans. Therefore, it stands to reason that the more ash content, the more effec

Many people believe that synthetic hair cannot be curled or straightened unless it is labeled heat resistant. However, this is untrue. There is an easy way where synthetic hair, whether its on a wig, weft, or loose hair can be straightened without burning the hair. This method will help you be able to re-style your synthetic hair giving you the same styling options as human hair. Read on...

TGIF!!!You know what goes on here on Friday so let's get CREATIVE! If you are like me and have experienced flat ironing in the hands of a hairdresser, the experience might be quite unpleasant. However, you can flat iron your own hair with help from  crystalroselove .  Watch and learn.

According to treasuredtressesblog.wordpress.com and curlynikki.com , there are several categories for silicones approved for use in hair care products. 1. Dimethicones  2. Low molecular weight cyclic silicones (cyclomethicones)  3. Dimethiconols 4. Dimethicone copolyols  5. Phenyl trimethicones  6. Amine-functional silicones