Blow Drying The Hair Using The Tension Method

How I blow dry my hair, this video was recorded WEEKS & WEEKS ago. I was 8 weeks post at the time. Finally sat down and edited it. I don't like long videos and try to keep them under 6 minutes. This one is under 4 minutes long & straight to the point. Enjoy!

Hair Care Tips For The Fall And Winter Season

Want to keep your hair healthy during the winter months?

I wrote this blog post on a joint blog a few years ago and decided to share it here since we can all benefit from it.

We agree that patience and consistency are key to a successful healthy hair journey, but we also have to remember the other factors that change our routines and regimens.  As the weather changes, we need to adjust to it by the way we dress and what we do.  And for the hair, it should also be the same too.

I love the Fall season with a passion! But let us discuss hair and some of the ways you can maintain it to keep it beautiful and healthy.

Deep Condition
Many of our workplaces, schools, homes are heated with artificial heat and can therefore dry the hair along with the cold brisk air outside. Our hair thrives when it is well moisturized. Shampooing less and Conditioning will keep the moisture the hair needs to withstand the changes to the environment. After shampooing, sometimes there is a stripping feeling to the hair where you will definitely need to follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.

Wash-N-Go’s 
Many love the Wash-‘N-Go’s or wearing the hair slightly damp and it is simply simple, especially for those who have natural hair. My daughter has natural hair too.  Let us remind ourselves that one can get extremely sick by wearing their hair wet while being outside in the cold. Another reason why you would not want to do a Wash ‘N Go would be the experience of the hair freezing and easily breaking. So Wash 'N Go's, in my opinion should probably be a no-no. I would suggest doing twist outs.

Hair Breakage 
During the winter we wear scarves, hats and sweaters that are made with fabrics such as wool. For example, wool tends to dry out the tresses and also pull on the hair causing slow breakage. The areas that tend to get affected the most are the edges and the nape of the neck. To avoid these types of problems, you can line the hat with a satin or silk fabric as a barrier to protect the hair. If you’re not crafty, you can simply tie a scarf around the head prior to putting on the hat. Putting the hair up while wearing a scarf will also aid in keeping the hair healthy. The more protected the hair, the less damage.

Protective styling
With protective styles, the hair is usually up and away from the shoulders and it will not rub as much on the sweaters that will cause hair dryness. Tucking your hair ends away during the harsh weather season will keep your hair from damage while staying moisturized. Not to mention that they are beautiful, you can also have fun with different styles to enhance the beauty of your hair.  If you decide to have your hair down, be sure to moisturize the hair a tad bit more.

Oils
We massage certain oils on their scalps, mix it with their shampoos and/or conditioners and use it as a daily moisturizer to help seal in the moisture the hair needs to stay healthy. Not only do oils moisturize the hair and body, but different ones do have several beneficial factors. Research the oils to see what best fits your healthy hair and skin needs. My favorite oils are coconut, olive, castor and tea tree oils.

Hair Products
In some cases, you may have to use a product that will do a lot for the hair this winter season. Something that may have been a bit too much for the summer most likely will be great for the winter. Be sure it keeps your hair well moisturized and it does it's job.

Using less heat to NO heat
Using heat will help the cold air cause more dryness to the hair. Especially DIRECT HEAT. Direct heat constitutes using a flat iron directly on the hair.  Roller sets are okay since the heat is indirectly used and not concentrated on the hair like an iron to a shirt.

Moisture, moisture and moisture 
Moisturizing the hair is not just limited to the summer, but also recommended for the winter too. As mentioned before, between the extreme temperatures of the indoors and outdoors, moisturizing enough will help the hair to stay protected.

Stick to what works for you
There are several ideas when it comes to hair care. But remember to always stick to what works for you! Your hair will be happy and stay healthy.

Notice a theme here: MOISTURE!!!!

Feel free to share what has worked for you, or something I did not mention here that we can all benefit from during the colder months.

We'll chat soon!

Revising A Hair Regimen

We have always heard the phrase, "If it isn't (ain't) broken, then don't fix it."
True.
I had always advocated about using what works for you as long as the technique implemented helps with your hair journey.

Over time, we may feel the need to tweak our hair regimen because:

*we found something better
*our hair doesn't respond the same any more to a product we have been using for several years
*we just want to try something different/new
*we saw or heard someone else talking about a product and we must try it - "jumping the bandwagon"

I just recently revised my hair regimen.  Not much at all.  Too give you some background info, my hair regimen has been the same for several years.  I may have let go of a product or two and also started using a product again.

But me, trying to use it myself...I'm surprised I still had hair!  So let us fast forward, I moved to Atlanta and I still had two bottles of the ApHogee Two Step Protein Treatment, several large containers of 100% Shea Butter that I purchased for $1.00 each working near NYC from an African store.  I was on a rampage, cleaning and clearing things out, that I threw those products out...thinking I would never use them again.

I had purchased the ApHogee products way before my hair journey...spent nearly $100 on all of the products because someone told me about the hair care line.  I really didn't know how to use them.  I wasn't knowledgeable about proteins, and proper moisturizing.  My beautiful sister is a hair stylist back home in Jersey, and I was her guinea pig when she started working at a salon, and it was also an opportunity for her new boss to see her skills.  She followed the instructions carefully and did my hair resulting in a bouncy-full of body, roller set.  Although I didn't have the balancing moisturizer with me, she did deep condition my hair with a moisturizing conditioner.

When I started my hair journey a year later after moving, I smacked my forehead reading and following hair journies with the products I threw out!. Mad and upset!

Anyway, as a protein treatment, I have always used eggs. Now, It is time to let the eggs go and make room for the 2-Step Protein Treatment along with it's partner, the Balancing Moisturizer which works as a pair.

I already have been using two ApHogee products for years, so they were always staples for me (Keratin & Green Restructurizer, ProVitamin Leave-In Conditioner).

I also went back to my old relaxer only because I always loved it and had nothing else but good results for so many, many years.  The Alma Legend, for me...was a great relaxer and I have nothing negative to say about it in regards to my personal experience.  I was fortunate enough to not to feel any burn - it did process a bit quicker in my experience, the product required no mixing either and it smelled amazing....yes, for a relaxer, it smelled awesome.  It was sent to me for review months ago and I did make the choice to try it out.

So what changes have you made in your hair regimen? Was it a good thing, bad thing, or still working on it?

So check out my hair regimen, and feel free to ask questions!

***My Hair Regimen