Protective Styling

Like most naturals, I don't like doing my hair on a daily basis. I have to wear a protective style or I will get extremely lazy. Since November of last year I have been wearing various protective styles. I have done random length checks but protective styles have saved my hair. Between work, school, personal and family circumstances I have not have time to style my hair free.

Why protective styling? I have 5 good reasons for protective styling.

1. Low Maintenance
2. Retains Growth
3. Time Savers
4. Keeps Hair Soft
5. Versatile

The three styles that I have been going to are: high buns with Marley or Kanekalon braiding hair, Senegalese Twists, or sew ins. Ask of these styles allow my hair to grow naturally without all of the pulling, straining, bobby pins, headbands, or all of the other things is natural sistas like to use in a daily basis.

Not only do these styles save me time and save my hair, they're very easy to maintain. With the bun I take it down and wash my hair once a week or once every two weeks and put it back up. With the Senegalese twists I clean my scalp with with a water and tea tree oil mixture. Some people wash their but I personally don't like to because mine get really frizzy. With the sew ins I wash it every two weeks just like my own hair. With all of the styles I oil my scalp with my oil mixture.

Here are a few pictures of me wearing my protective styles!

Co-Washing Is Your Friend! Here's Why...

Co-Washing (conditioner washing) is simply washing your hair with conditioner. Instead of using a shampoo, you use a conditioner. You may have heard that it is not healthy to co-wash your hair; however it can actually be very essential to taking care of your natural hair.

What are you co-washing for?

Co-washing is very good for all types of hair. Many shampoos (commercial shampoos) have sulfates in them. Sulfates are what cause the soap to foam once it is in your hair. These are also what strips our hair of oils. So when you wash your hair, switch to sulfate-free shampoos. In addition to using conditioners for the purpose of conditioning, they also have cleaning agents in them. So you can actually use your conditioner as a 2-in-1. Co-washing will the moisture back into your hair and will also make the detangling process much easier.

What type of conditioner should I use?

The main problem that people have with co-washing is that their conditioner causes alot of product build-up in their hair. The reason this happens is because conditioners contain silicones. Silicones are the agents that allow conditioners to give your hair its shine and slip. The best conditioners are those that are water soluble (non silicone). These conditioners will wash easily from your hair and will not leave it feeling gunky!

So, how often should I co-wash?

Honestly, it is completely up to you. I co-wash 1-2 times a week depending on how much product I have used in my hair throughout the week. Then I will wash my hair with shampoo once every week to 10 days, but that works for my hair. Many naturals co-wash 3-4 times a week or even daily! You have to establish what is best for your hair. If your prefer to wash wish shampoo and then conditioner, and have decided that works best for you, do not change your regimen. I will recommend to those who have not adopted a co-wash into their natural hair journey, to substitute their shampoo for conditioner.

Although co-washing does cleanse your hair, I will not recommend cutting out shampooing altogether. You should do a thorough cleanse to prevent build-up. 

.....Co-washing is not just for naturals!!! VERY highly recommended for the relaxed sistas as well, especially since the relaxers are so harsh. I hope this helps those who may have any questions about co-washing. XO-Andrea

A Few Non-Silicone Conditioners (& Many More)

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat conditioner

Alberto V05 Creamy Citrus Healthy Shine Conditioner

 Carol’s Daughter Khoret Amen Shea Butter Hair Smoothie

 Giovanni Direct Leave-in

Day 1--Summer Natural Hair Challenge

So today I did my first twist-out and I am VERY pleased with the results. Admittedly I was very nervous as I was twisting it last night. Below is the process as well as the products I used. After that, pictures of the end result follow. Enjoy! XOXO--Andrea

Products Used

1. Creme of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
3. Carol's Daughter Monoi Hair mask
4. Shea Moisture's Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Conditioning Milk
5. All Natural Raw Shea Butter
6. Organic Roots Lock & Twist Gel

Procedure

1. Wet hair, comb out, and section
2. Mix conditioning treatment and a bowl with one capful of EVOO together.
3. Apply mixture to each section of hair and comb conditioning mixture through hair & massage into scalp
4. Leave conditioner in hair for 15-20 minutes (for a deep conditioner, place a plastic cap over hair and sit under dryer)
5. Rinse the conditioner out and apply the hair mask to each section.
6. Comb hair mask through the hair and let it sit for 5-10 minutes
7. Rinse hair mask out.
8. Detangle hair with wide tooth comb and section hair 
9. Apply conditioning milk to each section and comb through
10. Twist
11. On each section use a small amount of twist and lock gel and Shea butter (be sure to only use a small amount to prevent product residue/buildup once dry)
12. Allow to dry, untwist, and style

Pictures (Before, After)

Summer Natural Hair Challenge

Hi all! So I'm no stranger to being natural but I am a stranger to natural hair styles. I am addicted to extensions and a major plus is that I am a trained hair extension specialist so I install them myself. While that has been so convenient over the years, I feel as though I need to embrace my natural hair. This comes at a good time too. Since I have been natural, I've never done a twist-out or braid-out or any of those gorgeous natural styles. I simply wear my hair straight. Okay, the purpose of going natural is to not damage it...well, although the relaxer is not in my hair anymore, I have thermal damage (heat damage). SO...I'm getting rid of my flat iron.

This challenge is going to allow me to experiment with various natural hair products as well as get my hair back to its pre-heat damage state. I will be creating various styles in my hair, using different products, and providing/receiving helpful natural hair tips.

For the entire summer I am challenging myself to neither install any of my virgin human hair extensions (gosh I love them so much) nor use my Babyliss Nano Titanium Pro flat iron (if anyone has yet to find one, this works wonders on natural hair). This is definitely going to be a test, but I'm up to the challenge. Anything that will allow my hair to grow and get healthier.

If anyone has any suggestions or just wants to offer support, please feel free to post!

--XOXO Chic Sista

                           Good-Bye Straight, Flat Ironed Hair