Ghanaian Emprezz

Buns are the easiest but usually the least used protective style. Most hair styles make use of extensions which put a lot of strain on the scalp. Do you know you can equally use buns as protective styles to grow your hair long and healthy?  I've an article on using buns here as protective styles and I'll add a few more tips on utilizing this style. [1] Always moisturise the ends of your hair before you throw the hair into a bun. This will keep it from getting dry. [2] Moisturise the ends of your at night to reinfuse moisture into it. [3] Don't use rubber bands eg those used to wrap money. Opt for ouchless bands - ones without metals on them.  [4] You don't have to use gels to sleek down your hair. [5] You can take down your buns every night and restyle in the morning. Be sure to also sleep im a bonnet or on a satin pillow case. 

If you have short relaxed hair, I can relate to your struggles! [Check out our instagram page @emprezzglamhub].  Now, how do you grow short relaxed hair faster?  Not easy wearing your hair so braids can be your default styles for about a year or more. 1. During this time, try to moisturize the hair using braid spray.  2. Be sure to moisturise the hair even in its short state. That hair will become the ends as you grow out your hair so begin to care for it whilst you can. That will minimize the damage and help retain length better.  3. Still deep condition the hair irrespective of the short nature. Giving it the right treatment from the onset will nourish that hair as it grows out.  4. Stay away from  too direct heat: I know the struggle of air drying short hair! It's easy to blow dry weekly but if possible, use a heat serum every time and lay low with the flat iron!  5. Still detox your hair and scalp for optimum growth.  6. Growth oils and vitamins do accelerate the growth process

It seems I haven't mentioned hair butters on this blog nor in my wash routines. That might linked to my earlier readings about how mineral oils clog the pores, weigh down the hair and leave the hair dry. That perception has changed though  . There are  butters that are beneficial for our hair, especially, for us in Ghana. Ghee butter Mango butter Muru muru butter Cupuaca butter. Avocado butter Cocoa butter Chebe butter Sheabutter  How To Use Hair Butter Butter as a hair mask : This is essentially a prepoo mask. Ghee butter is noted for being an amazing butter for prepoo treatment. It is applied on dry hair and left for about 3 hours. Similarly, you can use chebe butter as a prepoo treatment too. As a sealant : For hair that easily becomes dry, butters are great as sealants. You can apply butters even after your oil, especially if you use coconut oil to seal. The hair absorbs the coconut oil and hence a heavy product like a butter will add an extra layer of protection. In addition,

The usual advice I offer is to allow a hair dresser do your hair. As you get familiar with the products and regimen, you can then makw efforts to do your own wash. What are some mistakes we can make during the wash? ... Not shampooing properly: Depending on how long you go between washes, using the shampoo once won't suffice. ... Too much deep conditioning. You may get protein overload or moisture overload. Doing weekly deep treatment may work well for those with Bra strap length and beyond because they have a lot of old ends to handle. Even that may not necessitate weekly deep conditioning.  If you have anything below that length, twice a month should be enough. ... Not knowing the right washing method that works for you. If you choose to use the salon, you'd still ought to know which detangling technique works. For most part, flowing water in the downwards direction makes detangling easier. Also, washing in section creates minimum tangles. This is one thing you shouldn't

Twists styles are the most versatile if you want a stress free natural hair journey. No matter the length of your hair, you can use it as a protective style. How can you use twists to grow your hair long? [1]Find a good stylist. From parting to combing to twisting, care needs to be taken in order to minimize breakage. You should know how to handle your own hair so that you can guide the stylist to treat your hair with care. [2] Use a hair mist and light oil to keep the twist moisturised. However, don't use too much to avoid unraveling them. Twice a week moisturising and sealing will be enough. [3] Find the styler that gives you a good hold. Curl creams, custards, twist and lock gels, styling gels and a host of styling products may have to be tested to find what works for your hair texture. This might be difficult one but once you do find that product, you'll be able to effortless maintain your twists.  [4] Protect the ends. If your hair is long enough to fit into a bun, it'

Rice water rinse seems to have booked its place in the hair care world and it's here to stay. However, in as much as we want fasy growth, there are some precautionary measures to take in order not to achieve the opposite effect. [1] Know your hair: does your hair tolerate protein? If it does, how much of it? Start off with once a month treatment to see how your haie responds and also be sure to observe changes oe otherwise. [2] If you wish to use rice water as a leave in, start off with weekly usage and observe your hair. Also, have a moisture based leave in conditioner on hand to balance the hair. [3] Try several ways of using rice. There are already made products you can choose from or even prepare a hair mask with it. You'll be able to choose what fits your needs [4] Do it long term. Use your rice rinse for some months, at least 3 months to determine its effect on your hair. However, if you experience any dryness, pause and switch to moisture products . [5]  Have realistic e

I want to share six ways you can use apple cider vinegar in your hair journey. Most of us know the components/ingredients so we will skip that.  1. Pre shampoo rinse: Dilute one one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with half cup of water. You should, however, consider the length of your hair in deciding on the quantity.  2. Post shampoo rinse : When you are done with your wash, you can use the diluted acv as a final rinse to close the cuticles.  3. Scalp rinse : Some also focus the rinse on their scalp than the hair. What you can do is to apply with applicator bottle.  4. Post relaxer rinse: Again, acv can be used after washing out your relaxer. It should be the final step. Leave for a couple of minutes and rinse out.  5. Braids scalp maintenance: Dilute the acv, use a cotton to apply and rub your scalp to remove dirt.  6. Together with Ayurvedic herbs: ACV can be used in your henna treatment to facilitate dye release. It can be added to clay treatment too to detox the hair and scalp. 

For the naturals that choose to big chop, it's easy to get overly excited about your mew hair journey. However, there are some pitfalls to avoid. 1. Don't expect t curls if your hair isn't naturally curly. I can't count the number of times naturals request for curling creams to makentheur hair curly as if these creams contain magical ingredients to create such a result. Type 3 hair naturally has curls and using a curl cream enhances those curls. For type 4,especially, 4B and 4C, you will be setting up yourself for failure and disappointment! Instead of curl creams, invest in deep conditioners. Even as short as your hair is, right from the onset, regular deep conditioning means that as your hair grows, it will stay more hydrated. 2. With short natural hair, there's not much you can do in terms of styling. That also means you tend to comb daily. This may cause breakage if the hair isn't moisturised first. In addition, there is no need to reapply butters or oils of

Let's tackle washing natural hair and some key steps to take. [1] Prepoo: Pre shampoo treatment is not limited to just coconut oil. You can use aloe vera or mixture of both to prepoo your hair. You may also choose store bought ones like the African pride pre-shampoo. [2] shampoo: After the pre-shampoo treatment, section or part the hair into about 6 and twisted up. This allows you to move to the cleansing step, using a shampoo, with minimum tangles and knots. You may shampoo more than once depending on how dirty the hair is. You may use a detangling shampoo at this step to take out shed hair as well as knots and tangles.  [3] Conditioner: You then use a conditioner after rinsing off the shampoo. Other naturals detangle their hair at this point using the running water from the shower as they rinse out the conditioner.  [4] The leave in conditioner: Next comes the leave in conditioner. St this stage, you may use a detangling leave in to untangle and remove shed hair. Keep in mind to

Once you decide on how long you want to stretch your relaxer, you need to really plan your weekly routine in order to minimize tangles, knots and of course, dryness and breakage at the point of demarcation. One essential addition to my hair oils is Hemp oil. Hemp oil is a ceramide oil - Ceramides are lipids (oil) that naturally occur in the strand. Their main purpose is to act like the glue that helps the cuticle layer lay flat and remain intact. Although ceramides occur naturally in the healthy strand, we impact normal levels when we undergo a chemical process, use excessive heat or even by the simple act of combing or washing the hair. Another product with ceramide oils is the Mielle Rosemary mint scalp and hair strengthening oil. To support and repair the hair, I decided to switch to ceramide oil and then some other ceramide based products. These are products such as conditioners, leave in conditioners, deep conditioners etc that contain ceramide oils like safflower oil, wheat ger

The longer your hair gets, the more you ought to protect the older parts because they tend to thin out so easily and break off more. The first step is fortifying the hair. Fortunately, new technology has allowed us to have a mirad of choices especially for bond menders. Olaplex No. 0 or No. 3 and Creme of Nature have great bond menders can be applied along with your Vaseline to buffer the hair against relaxer run off. Secondly, the relaxer application itself can make or break your effort. I've had several complaints about thin hair and for the most part, it has to do with the hair dresser using fine tooth comb to pass the relaxer through the hair. This moment is extremely crucial if you want thicker relaxed hair. Know your hair texture before you allow them to use that comb. Personally, when they pass the relaxer through the hair and comb through, I make them rinse off immediately. I DON'T sit and wait again for the cream to process. My hair becomes straight enough! If with all

OLAPLEX restores damaged and compromised hair by repairing from the inside out with our patented single ingredient, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate.  Once all the bonds are intact and in alignment, you have healthy, beautiful, shiny, touchable hair.  OLAPLEX repairs all types of hair damage. Thermal factors: High levels of heat from curling irons, blow dryers, flat irons etc. Chemical factors: Colors, perms, relaxers & keratin treatments.  Mechanical factors:  Brushing, friction, tugging & pulling on wet hair. Environmental factors: UV damage from the sun, humidity, extreme hot/cold weather conditions, pollution, etc. Aside Olaplex No. 1 and No. 2 which are meant for professional use, the rest can be used at home. How do you use the Olaplex system? No. 0 This is a pre wash treatment. The first to use if you have the No. 3 too.  It bonds, strengthens and protects hair integrity. Use as the first step in a two-part system with N°.3 Hair Perfector. Scientifically Proven: 68% mo

Prekese aka Aiden Fruit is well known as a spice for palm nut soup but do you know you can use it in your hair routine too?  If you're surprised, don't be! It has antibacterial agents that can help with your scalp. PREPARATION  1. Put your water on fire and add 1 prekese. You may choose to also use the powder form.  2. Boil for about 10 minutes, let it cool down and strain.  3. Use as a mid wash step, that's use after shampoo and before conditioner.  You can use this rinse once a month to strengthen your hair as a protein rinse.  If you want to use as a hair mist, use it about only two times a week to prevent protein overload!  As a mist, pour your rinse into a spray bottle and store in the fridge for use.  To subscribe to the blog (so you receive new article notifications,) enter your email address in the subscription box. Check your email after that to verify your subscription. Thank you! 

Has your hair really stopped growing? Well if your answer was a resounding YES, let me disappoint you. Hair actually never ‘stops’ growing. The problem is that, you're losing hair (through shedding / breaking ) at the same rate that your hair grows. What you’re experiencing is known in the hair world as a hair growth plateau . A growth plateau is when, due to breakage /shedding, your hair doesn’t retain length as it grows out, giving the impression that your hair isn’t growing. If you believe you’ve hit a growth plateau, here are some tips to increase length retention. TRIM No I don’t hate you. Most likely, you’re shedding more than you originally should. This could be as a result of split ends that have travelled up your hair shaft. It could also be because your hair is knotted at the ends and thus, when you detangle/comb, innocent hairs follow the shed ones. A trim basically is saying ‘let’s start afresh’, where you’ll have fuller, knot & split free ends. This can do wonders

In the first article about growing from thin to thick relaxed hair, I mentioned doing stretches among the tips. In this article, I'll be adding more tips I've gained over the past few months. 1. Relax only the new growth! That's the easiest way to maintain thick relaxed hair! 2. Check that small tooth comb! During relaxer application, the combing can thin out your hair. What I do is to either let them use only fingers to apply and massage or when using the comb, they do a few passes and I don't sit down again for the hair to process. 3. Relaxer run off! When washing out the relaxer, whatever touches the already relaxed hair during the rinsing out can still relax the hair and cause dryness, breakage and thinning! This is even more of a problem for those with longer hair. 4. Incorporate ayuverdic herbs like amla, Brahmi and others to help with the thickness. Every Ayurveda herb has its benefits and rotating them in your regimen will enhance the benefits! 5. Diet! You are