Gleau Nourishing oil blend

About a year ago, a friend and I were having a conversation about our intentions for the new year. My intention was to seek out and bring together the most nourishing oils I could find, in one bottle to create one effective fusion. Yes, I am aware that technically oils don't moisturize, but I specifically looked for plant oils that have moisturizing qualities. What I mean by moisturizing qualities is the ability to effectively lubricate the hair. I wanted the oil to not sit on the hair and weight it down, I wanted the blend to help the comb glide through the hair. I wanted instant shine, but not the "I got a bunch of oil in my hair" shine. After using the oil, I wanted my hair to be more lustrous and appear healthier overall.

That was a year ago. Today I finally arrived at the place where my intention has now manifested. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you Gleau.

Gleau (pronounced glow) is a blend of 8 different oils each unique in their ability to impact the hair. Included among the oils is Moroccan Argan Oil, Camellia seed oil from Japan, sweet almond, two types of jojoba, two types of wheat germ, coconut and more.

I first mentioned this blend earlier this year when I talked about how I gave a sample to my mother in law to take back with her to California. Soon after, I received some emails from you asking about ingredients and such. It was then that I decided to provide some samples to you guys so I can get some much valuable feedback. My thanks to all of you who tried it and gave me your honest opinion. I was overwhelmed with the amount of positive feedback I received. So now I'm at a place where I'm ready to bring Gleau into the marketplace. For those of you who are dying to try a bottle, you can visit the website at
Gleauhaircare.com

You can also check out the link below to read customer reviews on Amazon.com

Maximum Moisture Part III: Keeping the moisture in

We're charging through the Maximum Moisture series which is a critical topic of discussion. Especially for those of us with chemically treated hair. So far my discussion has been focused mostly around the weekly wash and set. Now it's time to move on to styling and beyond. I strongly believe in using the wash and set as a major way of injecting moisture back into the hair. Most of your focus during the weekly wash should be around the intention of impacting moisture levels (as well as strength) in preparation for the week ahead. Why? Because of the simple fact that your hair will be exposed to air. Yes, the same life-giving air we live in and breathe is the mortal enemy of our hair's moisture.

My heart nearly sank years ago when I was reading Wanakee's informational hair care booklet as she articulated the dangers of constantly exposing the hair to elements. As you may know I am a self-proclaimed non-protective styler who struggles constantly to keep my hands out of my hair. I love detangling with my fingers, or examining the ends for strength, or just playing in my hair for no apparent reason whatsoever. It's a problem I've been dealing with since I was a child after notifying my mother, at the age of 10, that her hair styling services would no longer be needed because I would be doing my own hair going forward. It was then my love affair with my hair began.

I fail miserably every time I attempt to hide my hair for weeks or months at a time. I knew this was a lost cause when I got my hair braided back in high school. Back then everyone was rocking extension braids and I wanted them badly. So, like others, I paid good money to have one of the best recommended braiders work her magic on my hair. Two weeks later, the braids were removed and I was rocking my hair like nothin' happened. It's just something I'll have to live with. So, as you can imagine, dryness is the achilles heel to the health of my hair. I am still seeking ways to impact moisture levels day after day. But I'll share with you some of the steps I take today to give my hair a fighting chance.

Just recently, within the last several weeks, I decided to air dry. No, I'm not talking about the normal air dry where you use no styling methods to dry the hair. I'm talking about air drying my roller sets. Setting my hair on rollers is pretty much a part of my weekly routine. This past month, I experimented with "normal" air drying where the hair isn't dried on a roller or with a styling tool. I failed miserably at this attempt because I had two things working against me:

1. I am three months post.
2. I'm shedding like a dog.

Put those two together and, for me, you have a recipe for insane tangles. So I decided after a few weeks of trying, that I'd have to roller set no matter how much new growth I had. I thought about sitting under a hooded dryer on maximum heat which didn't sit right with me. Fall is upon us and the amount of moisture in the air is minimal. Drying every ounce of liquid from my hair with hot air was no longer appealing. So last week I air dried my roller set, which I haven't done in a very long time. There's certainly great benefit in air drying. I'm now combining the moisture preserving aspect of air drying with the styling options available with roller setting.

Ok, so what do I do to maintain moisture after the style is achieved?

I've had two experiences that I'd like to share with you today.

In scenario 1, I wash, condition, roller set, and style. What's important to notate in this scenario is after I've finished styling, I take advantage of my fresh hair do by wearing my hair down for a majority of the day. What happens by night fall? My fabulous curls start to drop and I begin to see signs of frizziness and lackluster.

In scenario 2, I wash, condition, roller set, and style. What's important to notate in this scenario is after I've finished styling, I tie down with a silk scarf. Again, I'm not a fan of hiding my hair but I can not deny the power of preserving moisture with a silk scarf especially after the wash and set. This is the perfect opportunity to seal in and protect all of your hard work.

I've lived both scenarios and I'm committed to only living out scenario 2 from this day forward. Every little bit counts. There's another daily habit that I've just implemented to help with moisture but I feel like I'd make a bigger impact if I explain it via video. It's nothing major but it's worth mentioning. Perhaps someone will benefit from it. I'll be working on that video shortly for official release.

Until then, I should also mention that I rarely use moisturizers. Even though I know it's a necessity for the health of the hair. I am in no way condoning the elimination of moisturizers from your routine. If your hair is thriving with the help of moisturizers, the last thing you want to do is remove that step from your regimen. That could be disastrous. For me, it was more about looking for other ways to moisturize aside from just the help of product. There is one product I use, it's a blend of oils that combined in varying quantities. My goal, when I blended these oils was to create a formula that would help promote softness and shine on a daily basis. I also wanted to act like a moisturizer on the hair. What I mean by that is that the oil would not only make the hair look good, but it would also make it feel just as good. That was probably six months or so and I've been using it ever since. Just one product.

I'll wrap up this post for now but I will say that there's so much more on this topic that I'd like to discuss. I don't think we can ever exhaust this topic. By the way, if you've got some great moisturizing tips you'd like to share. Or even if you've got a bomb moisturizer you'd like to recommend. Leave a comment.

Deep Conditioning for Maximum Moisture

Deep conditioning, ah yes, the holy grail of our hair care practices. Deep conditioning is where we enlist the powers of our fave product(s) to bring about glorious results. The strength of your hair for the week to come relies on how well your deep conditioner was able to get the job done. Because of the crucial nature of this process, we need to make sure we get this step right.

In order for this to be a well rounded discussion, I feel that we need to first cover the basics of deep conditioning. Let's talk fundamentals:

First you'll need.....a deep conditioner. Notice that every conditioner is not a deep conditioner. What you're looking for is a conditioner specifically designed to work even more instensely with increased time/heat. Take a look at the back of your current conditioning product, is it instructing you to rinse a minute or two after application? If so, then your product not working deep enough. Damage to the hair can occur deep below the surface layers so your product needs to get at least that deep. What you're looking for as you inspect your product label is the requirement that the product remain in the hair for more than 2 minutes. Anything 2 minutes or less is not likely going to have a dramatic impact on the hair.

I'm not going to specifically name or recommend products in this post. We all know that not all conditioners are created equal. What I love may work just o.k for you. Because of this, I'll keep my discussions at a higher level. I will tell you that when I deep condition, I rarely rely on the strength of just one product to get the results I am seeking. Most often, you'll find me blending a variety of products each with its own specific purpose.

Although strength should be a major objective of deep conditioning, I almost always layer my need for strength within my desire for moisture. I've tried several different methods of deep conditioning only to find that, for me, I can rarely ever go wrong if I first focus on moisture. So what I do is seek out thick moistening conditioners that coat the hair heavily. I don't have the time, nor the money, to allow even a small percentage of my product to run down my back and into the shower drain. I need my product to stay where I need it the most, on my hair. So thickness is key.

Along with thickness, my deep conditioning products have to soften the hair the minute its applied. I'm not waiting all the way to the rinse step to know for sure whether the product has softened the hair. I've been disappointed one too many times by deep conditioners leaving me less than impressed after rinsing. If I can't get slip from my deep conditioner, when is it gonna happen?!

Softness, slip, and strength. How can you get this from one conditioner? If you've got a conditioner that fits this description, then more power to you. I find that I get more of the result I want when I combine several heavy hitters to make one phenomenal conditioning concoction. There is no exact recipe involved in this creation. Only the mixing of moisture heavy conditioners coupled with strengtheners to create a delightful masterpiece. Prior to selecting my favorite conditioners for the mix, I made sure to measure their pH levels with my testing strips. Adding this step makes me feel a bit more confident that I wasn't just mixing for the heck of it. My creation also landed in the desired pH range where the hair most benefited (quick tip: Porosity Control boasts of a low pH. This is perhaps the reason why this product added to conditioners makes them seem more effective somehow). The final product looks something like this: 80% moisturizing 20% strengthening. This percentage only arises out of the fact that my hair doesn't deal too well with heavy proteins. If your hair can flourish with a 50/50 mixture, then have at it! I find that if I am able to create balanced enough conditioning mixtures of strength and protein, I don't have need to set aside certain weeks where I've got to barrage my hair with an intense strength treatment because I've been overlooking that aspect of my regimen. Same goes for the moisture aspect.

Ok, so once I know that the product going on the hair is impactful, my next area of focus is in maximizing the conditioner with the application technique. Once upon a time, my conditioner application consisted of me, standing in the shower, while rubbing a single conditioner into the length of the hair. As you would imagine, there were several problems with this technique:

1. By remaining in the shower, I was unable to accurately keep track of time. I always had this false impression that more time had passed than realized. In the end, I was robbing my hair of precious and much needed repair time.

2. Another fatal flaw in my technique was my lack of attention to detail during application. I AM CERTAIN this is the reason for the areas of damage my hair suffers from today. I wasn't taking the time to gently part my hair into multiple sections before applying. I did this thing where I'd apply all over the parts of the hair that were most visible to me. The result was long thick hair in the front and sides while the hair underneath struggled to maintain strength levels. I head my head in shame when I think of it.

3. Finally, I have to also admit that when I followed this technique, I rarely did anything more special than placing a plastic cap over my head. There was no additional heat for deeper penetration. No warm towels, no sitting under the hair dryer, nada. Honestly, I don't know how I expected to have healthy chemically treated hair deep conditioning the way I did.

But now, my friends, I am in a different place. Deep conditioning is no longer executed poorly. I now put in an adequate amount of time thinking about ways to improve on what I do, even if its only a slight adjustment. No change is too small.
There will probably be a video from me in the near future discussing the virtues of deep conditioning the right way. Until then, I hope this post was helpful in your quest for moisturized hair.

I'd love to hear your comments.

What does your shampoo do for you?

Normally, when I think about ramping up moisture levels in my hair, rarely do I spend more than quick minute thinking about the shampoo step. Why? Well because when I think of shampooing, I normally equate it with cleansing which usually involves removing, not adding. For the longest time, I'd spend countless man hours contemplating how I can increase moisture levels during the pre-poo, deep condition, and styling phase of my routine. Little did I know that I was missing a huge opportunity by not adjusting my shampoo to work with, not against, my overall moisture regimen.

So how do you get your wash to be more moisturizing?

Well first and foremost it begins with the pre-poo.. By the time you are stepping into the shower to wash, you should always be working with a head of pre-conditioned hair. I cringe when I think of those days long ago when I'd get into the shower with dry damaged hair while rubbing in a harsh clarifying shampoo to start off my routine (yeah, I know it's pitiful). By the time I was done, my hair would have formed one hard mass that I prayed to God the conditioner would reverse. I also look back on the days when I'd feel a sense of pride every time I'd work up a crazy lather in the shower like I wash shooting an Herbal Essence commercial or something. The foamier that lather, the better (or so I thought). In hinsight, cleaning the hair with a sudsing shampoo wasn't entirely bad considering how much of a product junkie I was and all the experiments I was putting my hair through.

So now my wash step has evolved. Today, shampooing is in lock step with everything else I do on wash days. Much of my gratitude for this new way of washing is directed at my new favorite shampoo of all time: Hair One Conditioning Cleanser!

Yesterday, I just picked up the most recent copy of Allure Magazine which had this to say about the conditioning cleanser.

"A hit with beauty bloggers, Hair One Olive Oil conditions, detangles, and adds shine without damaging detergents or harsh chemicals. It's the only hair care item you'll want."

I've reviewed the product in the past so I won't go into too much detail about how amazing Hair One is. What I will say is Hair One does it's purpose of cleansing the hair without working against my overall goal of conditioning the hair. When I pre-poo, I load the hair up with a concoction of heavy conditioners and oils. Hair One is able to cleanse the hair of all that without undoing all the good. I'm so glad hair one came into my life.

Ladies I urge you to spend a few moments considering your current shampoo and responding to this question. What does your shampoo do for you? Sure it cleans the hair but at what cost? We know your shampoo takes away dirt but does it also add value? If your answer to this question is not an overwhelming yes, then your shampoo isn't the One.

Hair One Olive Oil Cleansing Conditioner

Burt's Bees Avocado Give-Away one 'mo time!

I interrupt my regularly scheduled posting to announce another Burt's Bees Giveaway. In my overzealous reaction to the wonderful results I was experiencing with Burt's Bees Avocado Pre-poo, I stockpiled several bottles in case of unforeseen emergencies. I gave one bottle away a couple of months back. Now I'm ready to give away another. I was really excited about the number of people who emailed me requesting to be considered for the random giveaway. I just couldn't hold on to this bottle knowing there's so many people out there who are dying to try this.

Here's the good news. Those of you who sent me an email to relaxedhairhealth@gmail.com are already entered for this second giveaway. If you didn't enter the first time, here's your chance!

Best of luck!

Pre-pooing for Maximum Moisture

It wasn't too long ago when my pre-poo only consisted of rubbing in some conditioner a few minutes before I jumped in the shower to wash my hair. I figured, "as long as I did something before I washed, I was in a pretty good place." That was before I got focused and decided to target specific areas of my wash routine for maximum effectiveness.

I know that achieving the moisture strength balance is the holy grail of healthy hair. This past year, I focused much of my attention to strengthening the hair. You might remember my hair fixer series and my posts on Asience as an example. It wasn't long before I realized that I was neglecting the moisture element of my routine. Sure I deep conditioned faithfully week after week, but since I was so intent on increasing strength, my deep conditioning did little for my hair in the way of moisture.

Which came first, the moisture or the strength?

Now that I look back on my routine modifications over the past year, I kinda wished I focused on moisture first then strength. Why? Because I believe that proper moisture levels can impact some of the breakage we're plagued with. Sure, I do believe that damaged hair needs additional protein, but some of us are treating our dryness with protein believing that protein is the end all to all of our hair issues. May I ask you to consider what happens to pretty much anything that has been dampened by water. What happens to it? Yes, it becomes moist but I'd like you also to think about its level of elasticity. Pretty much anything that has been fully permeated by water becomes more pliable and resistant to breakage.
For this reason, I have spent countless man hours contemplating how I can raise, and maintain, the levels of moisture in every strand of hair from this day forward.

Ok, let's get back to the pre-poo. Today, my pre-poo step is the most elaborate of my entire wash day routine. This is because I believe that a proper pre-poo sets the stage for moisture throughout the entire process. Not too long ago, I analyzed the amount of hair I would loose during my wash day process from start to finish and determined that it was excessive and unacceptable. That's when I decided to break down each step and look for improvement opportunities. I saw my biggest opportunity in the form of my pre-poo. I was doing it as a necessity but really couldn't identify it's true benefit to my routine. I had to think about this long and hard because I felt that my results from the deep condition were far superior to my pre-poo.

Then one day things changed. I made the decision that my pre-poo was going to lead the way with regards to results. I determined that if my pre-poo step was A.MAZ.ING, then every thing that came after that would be like icing on the cake. My pre-poo has evolved greatly to what it has become today. I won't go into great detail but now it includes steam, quality conditioners, oils, and other products. I demonstrate this step in my latest video that you can see below.



So what have my results been from amping up my pre-poo routine? Let me just say that I step into the shower (before I wash my hair) feeling like I've just done an intense deep conditioning. I no longer have to wait until after the conditioner to experience the feeling of having intensely nourished hair. Since my pre-poo is all about moisture, I know that I've addressed dryness right from the get go. That way, if I'm using a strengthening deep conditioner, I no longer have to fear excessive stiffness from hair that hasn't been moisturized properly. You guys have all been there, you're trying to repair your dry damaged hair with protein, only to find out that you end up with dry stiff hair after using your conditioner. Not a good place to be.

So the take aways from this first lesson in moisture is to assess your pre-poo and begin with the end in mind. If your intention is to bring about moist, supple hair, shouldn't you try to create moist, supple hair right from the start of your routine? Take some time to reassess your pre shampoo step. Are you using products that impact the hair, or are you just trying to get through that old bottle of conditioner that didn't work for you in the first place? Do you get the same feeling of excitement when you rinse out your conditioner as you get when you rinse before the shampoo? These are some questions to seriously think about as you continue to inch your way to hair perfection.

Stay tuned, for lesson two in our Maximum Moisture series entiled: What can your shampoo do for you?

Maximum Moisture Series for Dry Hair Part I

As I take a step back and assess the state of my hair, one thing I can say pretty confidently is that my moisture levels are fairly good. That's saying a lot for someone who isn't bunning 99.99% of the time. In fact, if you remember my regimen video, I pretty much wear my hair out more often then I style protectively. My refusal to bun constantly has created an even greater desire and need to stay two steps ahead of the two worst culprits to textured hair...dryness and breakage. What's even more amazing is that I don't use a bona fide "moisturizer" in the traditional sense of the word.

Over the next several posts, I'll be detailing specifically some of the little tips and tricks I've implemented into my routine to help impact moisture levels significantly. Some of the things I do you may have heard before. Some of them you haven't. Either way, I just want to put it all out there for you so you and your lovely head of hair can benefit.

We'll start this series off by talking philosophically more so than practically. My philosophy on perfect hair is to constantly work to improve those hindrances to your moisture/protein balance. I now also believe that though products are a great tool to helping you achieve the hair you want, the true actions that truly makes a difference is your overall strategy. What I mean by this is that you must think intently about ways to make noticeable impact, not just which product you should buy. You need to know the impact you want to make before you attempt to make it. And you must measure your results against your intentions.

When I first began to implement my strategy, I new that I would be using overwhelming force to get the results I wanted. This meant, I would be injecting moisture into every step of my process. My pre-poo would focus on moisture, my shampoo would focus on moisture, my conditioner would focus on moisture, my set would focus on moisture, my styling product would focus on moisture. Moisture was the only option available. There... would... be... no... other... choice.

So ladies join me, would you, as I recount the steps I took to get to where I stand today in the series entitled : Maximum Moisture, how I am beating the battle over dryness day after day.