Design Essentials Quinoa And Bamboo Hair Repair Collection Review.

I had been rocking these absolutely gorgeous kinky twists (if I may say so myself) for a little over 3 weeks and I was in love and not having my usual withdrawal symptoms of missing my own hair. Then of course something had to come in between me and my beloved twists -breakouts on my face!!! Anytime the extensions I have on begin to get old AND touch my face, it's a wrap.

Happens EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I had to take them out. I would rather deal with bad hair than bad facial skin - FACT lolll. I can't shout.

Anyway, I took them out Sunday morning and I had no time to detangle much less wash the hair - I had a full salon work day ahead of me! So I applied Natmaine's Pre Poo butter which leaves my hair soooo soft and shiny; and then put it into bun and went to work.

 I was mentally contemplating what I would do with the hair and knew I would have to wash it  - but the thought of detangling, washing, doing a henna treatment for strength and then a moisturizing deep conditioner was exhausting in and of itself! I knew my hair needed some strength and nourishing particularly as I'd just taken out synthetic extensions which weaken and dry out hair.

I then remembered we had these Design Essentials Quinoa and Bamboo Hair Repair collection kits which offer a simple 3 step routine to stronger hair, more body and shine. I was definitely digging that. Best of all, it says on the box ' No heat required. 30 minutes or less' I was definitely sold at this point!

I used it last night and have come to share my experience, my thoughts and most importantly how my hair felt then and feels now. So here goes!

Hair Not Retaining Length? A Few Tips To Help.

Source: Thirstyroots.com

I have spoken about this a few times in the past but it always helps to re iterate.

The most recurring complaint I get when I speak to naturals is 'My hair is not growing'!!! or 'My hair has stopped growing'! And I always say, barring any medical conditions or medication that may truly be stopping your hair from growing; hair is ALWAYS growing. HOWEVER, if your hair is breaking off at the ends at the same (or faster) rate at which it is growing, then it is only logical that it remains at the same length and feeds your belief that your hair is not growing or has stopped growing.

The ends are the oldest and most fragile part of the hair and so need the most (and gentlest) attention. If you treat them right, they don't break off and sabotage your length retention goals. If also you invest a ton of money in hair growth products or vitamins, you will be wasting that money because hair grows from the roots but breaks off at the ends. So if you're increasing your growth at the roots but you neglect the ends, you'll still end up at the same place you started!

Let's Talk Length Retention.

Source: blacknaps.org

I'm revisiting this topic because I still get a lot of  worried 'my hair is not growing' pleas from a number of ladies. The concerns include:

- I'm using all the 'right' products but nothing is happening
- When I first went natural my hair grew very fast in the first year and now it's stuck
- My hair has stopped growing

First thing I'll say is - hair is always growing. Everyone's growth rate is different and sometimes your rate may slow down (due to hormonal changes, age, diet etc) but typically hair will always be growing. What determines whether you'll see this growth is how you treat your hair (particularly the ends which are the oldest and most fragile).

I'll address each concern listed above and then throw in a few tips afterwards:

Quick Length Check

Somehow I neglected to do a length check at the end of the 2014 so I thought I'd do a quick one here. I remembered that I have these length check T Shirts and it's definitely a better and more accurate way to track my progress and see what my hair is doing in terms of length retention.

Anyway I wore the T Shirt over my dress and had my brother take this picture - I clearly had forgotten that's what I did because when he showed me the picture on the camera to confirm if it would do, I literally freaked out because I saw what looked like colorful vine tattoos on my arms! He was like what are you on about??? and then I looked down and sheepishly started laughing at my silly error.

So, it seems I've retained about 3 inches in the past 8 months. I've concluded that my growth rate is a little under half an inch a month - that plus a few trims in that period and while I could have done better, I'm not doing too bad I guess.

Here's to healthier hair in the coming months of 2015!!

Dry, thirsty hair? Green House Effect (GHE) to the rescue!

For some reason, in the last week my hair has been feeling dryer than usual - I suspect my constant need to be in air conditioning (because of this heat wave we've been experiencing) has something to do with it. My hair was feeling rather crunchy two nights ago while I was trying to moisturize and seal and I'd just clarified and deep conditioned the day before so I didn't think it was due to product build up

Anyway last night I decided I'd do a super duper moisturizing deep conditioning treatment today and remembered that I could also do something called 'The Green House Effect' which helps to moisturize hair.
Essentially how it works is you apply some oil to your hair, cover with a shower cap and then tie it tight with a scarf or two or three :)  (the objective is to trap as much heat as possible in your hair which will in conjunction with the oil, help moisturize your hair and also allow the sebum from the scalp, nourish the hair)

Plans for the New Year including Incorporating the Crown and Glory Technique.

It's that time of the year again when (I hope) we reflect on the year just gone past, pat ourselves on the back for the progress we made, identify and understand the mistakes we made and the reasons why we made those mistakes, and take deliberate steps to improving ourselves. I'm not referring to just hair here, but everything that concerns our person - professionally, spiritually, financially, personally etc.

This year was a very bitter sweet one for me - I lost a lot but gained ground in other areas and have had to learn that sometimes, some of the most beautiful things will grow out of the ashes that remain from our fiery trials: KL's Naturals/KL's Natural Beauty Bar is my beautiful thing and I am most grateful to God.

 I have also learnt that regardless of how bad a situation seems, it is your perspective of that situation that determines whether you are drowned by it, or strengthened by it. The last 2 lines of the poem 'Invictus' have stuck with me:

'I am the Master of my Fate,
I am the Captain of my Soul'

I have made this my mantra and no matter how hard I fall, I will get up, dust myself and with an even greater determination, strive to achieve my dreams.

Hair wise, I realize that in my attempt to be a walking advertisement for the Salon, I have been over- manipulating my hair - particularly in the last 3 months. Furthermore, getting so busy with setting up the store and salon and trying to make sure everything runs smoothly has left me with less time to pamper my hair the way I am used to. I live by and love structure so not being able to be consistent with my regimen (Sunday Wash, Wednesday Ayurvedic deep conditioning and co wash) has often left me frazzled and my hair, none too happy with me.

Hair Growth, Length Retention and Good Hair Regimens: A Three Way Love Affair!

"I want something that will make my hair grow longer " is probably one of the most popular requests I get when people come into the store. With a smile, I always say to them that our hair is always growing so if you're not seeing length, the issue is not that the hair isn't growing but that length is not being retained.

Even if there was some magic pill or potion that would make the hair grow 3 inches or more a month, if the hair isn't being properly taken care of  and it is breaking off at pretty much the same rate at which it is growing, then it would seem like the hair isn't growing at all!

Building a good hair regimen is key in getting hair past any length plateaus one may have experienced in the past and also in getting hair healthy and strong. It's just like trying to get that dream body - no matter what miracle diet or pill is being touted, ultimately one discovers that a CONSISTENT regime of burning more calories than is being consumed is healthier and more sustainable.

Our hair grows on average about half an inch per month which means at the end of the year, we should be rocking 6 inches of extra length - thing is most times, we never get to see those extra inches because we either have no healthy hair regimens that ensure that our length is being retained or we have regimens that are actually counterproductive to our hair goals.

My 'Accidental' Transition from Relaxed to Natural Hair.

Accidental because it really wasn't planned (cross my heart). As I'd said in my last post, I stumbled upon a video which opened up my eyes to the immense growth potential 'black' hair had - eroding years of doubt and unbelief in my own hair's potential.

I was also at a point where I needed something to consume my mind and this discovery couldn't have come at a better time.

When I discovered Sunshyne at Hairlicious and consequently various hair blogs, forums and sites; my hair was about neck length, scraggly, had broken bits all over, was overly porous, and was just a right old mess really. I was determined from the pictures and videos I'd seen, to make a 'magical' turnaround with my hair and so, armed with the information I was feeding my mind with, my master card and all the excitement of a 5 year old at Disneyland, I got to work.

Now, the one point that was stressed over and over again in pretty much all the blogs et all was 'stretching' your relaxer i.e. extending the time frames between touch ups. This really wasn't  a problem for me as I'd already cut down on my touch ups till I was doing them about 4 times a year.