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My Moisturizing and Sealing Routine for Harmattan (2017)

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It's just fair that this dry weather is met with serious moisturizing and sealing routine.  Moisturizing has to do with using a water based product and sealing is done with oils or butters. I follow the liquid, cream, oil routine (L.C.O) as I find that to be a better option during this harmattan weather. To effectively moisturize your hair, you definitely need to apply moisture first. Using oil first is like wearing your trousers before your underwear. You block out any moisture loss when you seal with oil that us why you need the water first before sealing.  For each month of 2017, my moisturizing and sealing will be planned for the month for effective routine. For January, I planned my hair routine ahead of time to reduce the amount of time spent on organizing my thoughts Lol. Spray the hair with rose water  Apply a bit of Mielle organics avocado hair milk Seal with my oil mix.   I do this at night because my morning schedule is whack! I try to sleep with a bonnet to main

5 Tips When Washing Your Face

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Use a clean towel/Tissue  to remove make up and also clean excess water. Disposable wipes are also a good option when removing make up. Don't forget to clean the eye area too. Use cleansing milk or Micellar water after your make up wipe to take off left over make up.  Cleansing and scrubbing go hand in hand. After washing the face, a scrub does a better job of removing dirt stuck in the pores than just the cleanser. These two will contribute to a healthier skin.  Get a good moisturizer to restore moisture just as you do for your hair. It's advisable to apply a moisturizer as soon as possible prevent dryness. Moisturizing face is like the hair; moisture has to be retained at all levels of cleansing. Use products appropriate for your skin type. This is related to the third point.Find skin care products that will work for you. Be mindful of DIY products so you don't exacerbate your skin issues.  Facial Serums come before moisturizer so you can incorporate vitamin C serum, reti

3 Tips For Moisturizing and Sealing

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Because the weather is pretty much dry, moisturizing and sealing is essential at this time of the year.  Last night, I co washed and went to bed with the wet hair. This morning, my hair was dry and crunchy and couldn't understand why. I skipped leave in conditioner and applied dark and lovely amla legend  oil moisturizer and then the cantu sheabutter hair lotion and sealed with coconut oil. Now, my hair was crunchy prior to the products and it was a not damp after using the lotion so I couldn't style it. It took about 10 minutes for the products to soak in but my hair was so soft and moisturized. The water from co washing had hydrated the hair before the moisturizing. My hair feels very thick and smooth and as a result I've learnt three tips that will take your moiayrizong game to another level. Moisturize and seal as soon as you wake up to give your hair time to absorb the products.I intend using a shower cap to facilitate the absorption. The products will be absorbed befo

5 Steps To Caring For Your Hair

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I'm sharing these five steps in caring for your hair for all the new ladies who have decided to embark on a healthy hair journey. These tips are meant to giude you as you take the initial steps. Get the basic products such as shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner, natural hair oils like coconut oil and olive oil, as well as deep conditioning aka steaming products like dark and lovely cholesterol. Begin shampooing your hair once a week, follow up with a deep conditioner, rinse it out and apply leave in conditioner and hair oil. If you are relaxed, allow the hair dry a bit before combing. Apply a moisturizer ( not the oil moisturizer) about twice a week and follow up with the oil. You don't have to stop going to a salon. Just guide your hair dresser to do the right things you've learnt. Read about the dos and don'ts about your hair. If you are natural, there are some practices that will sabotage your progress. The same applies to relaxed hair. When you read about the

Don't Dilute Your Jamaican Black Castor Oil

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At least not too much with other oils. A major complaint with using Jamaican Black Castor Oil is the thickness of the oil. The oil is so thick that some people mix or dilute with other oils to thin the castor oil out before use. Others also find their  scalp too itchy when the Jamaican Black Castor Oil is used directly on the Scalp. Well,  every product is made to operate at its optimum best thus when you dilute it,  you tend to reduce the potency. After making this discovery,  it's better to rethink about how to get the most out of the Jamaican Black Castor Oil.

What Might Be Causing Your Dandruff?

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Today's post is dedicated  to dandruff, a common hair woe that most of us battle with. If you are an exception, then you must count yourself lucky! So what is dandruff? Dandruff is a scalp condition that causes the skin cells on your scalp to flake and itch. Although it's not contagious, it is sometimes very irritating and quite embarrassing. What causes dandruff? The direct cause of dandruff is a rapid renewal of the skin cells on the scalp. The human skin is composed of layers. The epidermis which is the outermost layer sheds off as new skin cells grow. As this process continues, the old skin cells fall out and  die off. This physiological process produces an amount of flaking which is normal and is usually invisible to the naked eyes. However, in certain people, this process is exaggerated and leads to excessive shedding of skin cells that accumulate on the scalp and clump together with the natural hair oils. The result is unsightly visible flakes that hover their way down t

Ways To Protect Your Hair This Harmattan Without Protective Styles

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If you are like me and don't see harmattan as the time to wear wigs and weaves nor braids  then,  you have to develop a regimen that can provide you with moisture and fortify your hair against the  harsh winds and weather.  The first thing I recommend is decide on how you'll protect your ends from the harsh  weather. You can wear buns or roll and tuck in styles. You can also do halo braids with or ponytail with extensions to keep the ends from breakage.  You should also increase the moisture routines such as deep conditioning twice a week and sealing the hair with butters. Another way to protect your hair without weaves and wigs is to do green house effect or baggying about thrice a month.  My intention is to stop braiding when I can pull the hair into a good pony so if that  happens by December, then,  I definitely be weave and wig free for the harmattan like I used to do. 

How To Prepare Your Hair For Braids

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I did a post on preparing your hair for weaves a while ago and today, I want to specifically touch on how to prepare your hair for braids especially for this harmattan. Basically, the routine for the preparation doesn't differ from that of getting a weave on. 1. Detangle your hair before going to the salon so the stylist doesn't mishandle the hair or use the wrong comb to detangle. This is especially crucial for natural hair. In addition to that, you have to also stretch your natural hair before getting to the salon because experience has shown that some stylist can't stretch your hair without charging extra or even creating more mess by using a hot tool to stretch without proper protection. 2. Deep conditioning before braids will provide the moisture your hair needs. Since your ow hair is going into hiding, it's best to give it a lot of moisture. 3.Choose the correct braid size for your hair. If you have thin hair and decided to get large plaits, you

Protect Your Hair Before Swimming

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If you happen to love the beach side or pool side, then, you may have had salty or extremely dry hair after taking a dip in the water. To protect your hair from the chlorine in the pool water,  you can use sheabutter or petroleum jelly to  prevent the water from getting into the strands - the kind of protection you give your hair prior to a touch up.  I prefer Vaseline since it's very thick. I put some in  my supplies and add a rinse out conditioner. This is to wash the hair after swimming  before getting home.  There are swimmers conditioners too -  saw some at max mart and other shops at the malls. How do you protect your hair before swimming even when wearing a cap? 

HOW TO USE ALOE VERA FOR HAIR GROWTH

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Aloe vera  is a short stemmed, succulent plant mostly found in tropical and subtropical climates. It has thick spiky leaves with a gel in the center.  Aloe Vera  is a household name that has gained so many accolades in the beauty industry. It is popularly known for its numerous benefits on health, skin and hair. Aloe vera, apart from  being made of 99 percent of water, is rich in amino acids, minerals and vitamins needed to aid hair growth and prevent breakage.  Aloe vera gel cleanses, nourishes, conditions and strengthens the hair. It hydrates the hair by trapping in moisture (humectant). Glycoproteins found in this miracle plant help speed up healing by stopping pain and reducing inflammation. It is therefore helpful in battling scalp inflammation. Its antifungal and antibacterial properties help improve scalp health, help control dandruff and reduce hair fall. If it's harvested at home in its natural  form, prepare a quantity that will be used right away and keep any leftover fo

How To Prepare Your Hair For Harmattan

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I have a post on the best protective styles for harmattan and 3 tips for harmattan. In today's post, I rather want to focus on how to prepare your hair for harmattan so you won't have any need to stress over your hair. These tips are what I also intend to do though some are applicable to those with longer hair than mine.  Baggying your ends at leat three times a week will provide the ends with moisture. My hair isn't long so I rather fold the ends into the pony to protect it. By December, I'll be using the baggying method too. You can also use green house effect to provide moisture for your hair. The  September 2016 challenge is green house effect so join it. I'll be wearing  cornrows beneath my wigs but will still make use of Green  House Effect for optimum moisture.  Get your moisturizing and sealing game on right  now ! I've discovered the Cantu sheabutter gel oil as a very moisturizing oil for my hair so I won't be dependent on the Cantu sheabu

How To Finger Detangle Relaxed or Natural Hair

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Detangling shouldn't be a hassle if you know how to use your fingers to aid you. I often talk about this technique and so decided to demonstrate it. Apart from  using conditioner and oils in the detangling process,  your fingers will not only guide you to remove knots quickly,  they will also help you separate the intertwined strands.

3 Tips For Extremely Dry Hair

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As we make our way into harmattan, I'm sure we are going to see the resurrection of weaves, Senegalese twist, braids, wigs and more which will mean the battle against dry hair will begin. Eventually, it's going to be the battle with extremely dry hair. Extremely dry hair can  be the worst nightmare the quest for long hair because it leads to breakage and thereby causing loss of length. If this habit of extremely dry hair isn't curbed , you'll end up cutting off all your hair! In the video,  I give you some tips to help with extremely dry hair. These are tips I'll also be using at when I get to wear my hair out in a couple of months time. Yes, my hair is going to be hidden for the rest of the year. More on that later.

How To Treat Relaxer Burns

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When you relax your hair and get relaxer burns , what do you do? Allow the hair to be, wash it again or just complain?  In today's video,  you'll know the immediate steps to take when you get a relaxer burn,  the products to apply and how to treat the  sore.  

10 Ways To Use Hair Oils

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There are a variety of hair oils one can use on the hair to achieve healthy hair. From Coconut oil, castor oil, grape seed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, Avocado oil, and also essential oils. In the video, I share 10  Ways you can use your hair oils and derive maximum benefit.