Open letter to my readers: How do I create healthy hair while living overseas?

One of the most amazing aspects of producing content on the internet is the connection I get to make with people all over the world. Most recently, I received a question from via a youtube viewer from Germany. This person, who I'll refer to as "Katie" seemed to be in a place where she really truly wanted to create a healthy head of hair. She's right around ear length and wanted to achieve healthy bra-strap length hair. The only thing holding her back, she thought, were the lack of available quality products we here in the states are so lucky to get a hold of.

Instead of responding via private message, I thought I'd share some tips to creating healthy hair even if quality hair products are not readily available here for everyone to see. Prior to writing this post, I aked myself, "if I couldn't just whip out my debit card and purchase pre-poo treatments, intensive deep conditioners, or nourishing oils any time I wished, what would I do?

TECHNIQUE

My first thought was that if I couldn't rely on products to save the day, I'd focus on my technique and on mastering the basics. Although I didn't ask her about her relaxing routine. My very first piece of advice would be to try to stretch out the time between relaxers. Start small by waiting just a few weeks longer than normal each time you relax. Once you get the hang of it, try to extend your stretch a little longer the next time. This will result in less over-processing which will help promote retention long-term.

The next thing I'd incorporate into my regimen a scalp massage on a regular basis. There's nothing like a good scalp massage to create a relaxing night not to mention the insanely huge benefits your hair and scalp will receive. I can tell you, Katie, from personal experience that scalp massages absolutely effect the rate of hair growth. There are parts of my hair that I routine massage even without thinking. What I realized is those areas always create thicker, longer, new growth than the rest of my hair. Just the practice of massaging alone, even without any hair products whatsover, will positively impact your hair.

Although protective styling ain't my thing, if I were on a mission to create lengthy hair without the help of amazing products, I'd bun, braid, etc 95% of the time. Even before I knew what protective styling was, I knew that everytime I'd wear sinthetic braids, my hair would seem to "grow" faster than normal. Truth is, my hair didn't grow faster, I just experienced less breakage while my hair was protected under the braids. By the way, I wasn't one of those people who wore braids for months at a time. Because of my hands in hair disease, the longest I would allow braids to remain in my hair was 6-7 weeks tops. If I could benefit from wearing braids for such a short amount of time, why not try this or other protective styles and see how your hair progresses?

Next on the list of techniques would be tools I used for grooming and styling. You should seek out the biggest/widest tooth comb you can find and only use this comb when styling. No small tooth combs allowed......ever. If your hair isn't fortunate enough to experience high quality products, it may not be strong enough to withstand the stress of using a small toothed comb. I also want you to go in your bathroom drawer, locate your curling iron (if you have one) and throw it away. If you don't want to let it go just yet, I want you to let a friend or relative store the iron for you until a later time. Until you start seeing some significant progress, you are not allowed to use any sort of heat styling tool on your hair. Excessive heat equals dryness and breakage. It's not something your hair needs right now. Trust me.

Instead of heat, I want you to consider other means of curling your ends. Check out videos of the pin-curl method of creating curls. It works pretty well.

All though Germany may not have many beauty supply stores around, my guess is that you probably can get a hold of supplements that support the health of your hair. Make sure to look for nutrional superfoods that give both you and your hair a ton of benefits. First see if you can find some hair, skin and nails vitamins. If not, go for a multi-vitamin in liquid form. Liquid vitamins are superb because they go right to the blood stream and begin feeding the body instantly. Therefore, your body absorbs more nutrients per dose. This is one of those things where you won't see immediate results. It's important to stay consistent 'cause that's when good things start to happen.

Now let's talk about products. Although pickins are slim in your area, you should try to avoid or replace any unproductive products from your regimen. Specifically, I'm talking about hair grease. See if you can replace commercial hair grease (loaded with petroleum or mineral oil) with oils like coconut oil jojoba oil etc. See if you can locate a natural food store in your area and stock up on any natural oils they carry. If you absolutely can't find natural oils locally, do a search online and pay a little extra for shipping if you have to. Once you have those oils in your possession, you can take the other steps in your routine to the next level. Now you have a healthy hair ingredient you can add to your deep conditioners and your pre-p00. You can also use the oil as part of your night-time treatment and dap on a little during the day as your hair needs it. Even without commercial grade hair products, you can still seek out natural ingredients you can incorporate into your hair routine. Eggs, honey, coconut milk are just a few of the readily available ingredients you can mix with your current conditioners to make them even more powerful. Simple things like popping vitamin e capsules into your conditioner can make a big difference.

Lastly, my friend, I leave you with these three important phrases to remember as you travel in your hair journey: be patient, stay consistent, and always improve.

Finally, my chance to try WEN Cleansing Conditioner is here!

Ever since the early days of this blog, I've sang the wonderful praises of Hair One Conditioning cleanser. For those of you who aren't in the know, Hair One is a cleanser that doesn't lather and strip the hair like conventional shampoos. I've received emails from some of you asking about how to increase moisture levels in the hair. For me, Hair One was a huge addition to my overall moisture regimen. Once I started using a conditioning cleanser, I was finally able to sync every step in my routine to focus on creating/maintaining moisture.

Even though I'm head over heels in love with the results I get with Hair One, I still can't help but consider if I'd get an even better experience by using WEN products. You guys may have seen the informercials featuring various women with lustrous hair thanks to the help of WEN Hair Care System. I've put it off for long enough and I feel I have to finally give in to my curiosities and give WEN a shot just to say I did. Not to mention the fact that my hair could benefit if WEN is indeed a superior product.

So one of the pluses of Hair One is the accessibility and, of course, the price. Any local Sally's store stocks up to four varieties of the conditioning cleanser. And at around $11.00/bottle, Hair One has a huge cost advantage over WEN. Amazon or QVC are pretty much your main source for WEN products. A 30-day supply kit will run you around $30.00. Not knowing if WEN was superior enough to Hair One to justify the price, I never took the plunge. That is until now......

I seem to have stumbled upon a really amazing offer to purchase the same 30-day supply which includes the cleansing conditioner, styling creme, and Intenstive Remoist Hair Repair Mask for just $5.99! Yes, you heard me right, I said $5.99 (plus $5.99 shipping and handling). You should also know that this is considered an introductory offer which automatically enrolls you to receive the 90 day supply shipped to your home every three months for $29. 95 a month. Of course, if you are not happy with your product, you can contact their customer support line and let them know you would not like to continue with the 90 day enrollment program.

I don't know about you guys but this offer, to me, just seems to good to refuse. Finally, I get a chance to try WEN for myself so I can really see if Hair One really is the one. Of course you guys know this experiment will lead to a "Battle of the Cleansing Conditioners" post at a later time.

UPDATED:  You can check out my "Battle of the Cleansing Conditioners" post here!

Your hair is what you eat. The connection between healthy foods and fabulous hair.

Lately in my hair journey, I noticed a shift in my focus from supplementing my routine with traditional vitamins to supporting my hair with powerful nutrient-rich foods. Eating is one of those things where the act itself has many purposes. We eat for pleasure, we eat for survival, we eat to maintain or create our weight. I like to also think of eating as a way to promote optimal health, beauty and vitality.

Don't get me wrong, you'll still see me from time to time, munching on a bag of Miss Vickies Jalepeno chips, some Chik fil-A waffle fries, or enjoying something that pacifies my sweet tooth. That still doesn't mean that there aren't ample opportunities to fit in some ultra-nutritious foods into my lifestyle. I know there are countless overall benefits to injecting super-foods into our daily eating. For the sake of this discussion, let's just focus on the impact to our hair.

I have an unproven theory I'd like to share with you. I like to believe that when we eat foods comprised of the normal American diet, our bodies don't necessarily receive what it needs for operating optimally. If our diet is lacking in value, we only provide enough fuel for our body to survive, not to thrive. Let's look at it another way, think of the nutrient amount in your foods like a paycheck. If someone is making close to minimum wage, there's only enough money to pay for the most basic of essentials, living expenses, food, and other absolute needs. A person making a six figure income, however, can cover basic needs and allow for an extraordinary life full of luxuries beyond the bare minimum. Most often, it's easy to see the difference between someone making six figures and the person making minimum wage. I like to make the same comparison with our eating to the health of of hair. If we are consuming a "minimum wage" type diet, our body will function. Adding super foods to our diet is like adding pay bonuses to our check. The more we do it, the more increase we have available to create new possibilities. Just like the person earning more money, nutritional abundance in our diet will allow our bodies to go beyond the minimum needed to just keep us alive but to create beautiful skin and ultra healthy hair.

Eating a diet made up of 100% healthy foods is not only challenging, but somewhat unreasonable with our fast-paced lifestyles. So what I've decided to do instead, is supplement my diet with super foods so I know I'm getting what I need to thrive every day. When I speak of super-foods, I'm referring to food that provides an extreme level of nutrition even when consumed in small amounts. I'll give you some examples of these foods from my diet:

• Flax seeds
• Sea weed
• Chia seeds
• fruit/veggie juice
• Brewers yeast
• Wheat Germ
• Fish oils
• Cell food
• Spirulina/Chlorella

Obviously, there are many other super foods out there available to us. This is what makes it fun. With all the options available, you can take your pick based on taste and preference. I like to incorporate these foods into my already existing diet. For example, I'll add a spoonful of flax seeds, wheat germ, and/or brewer's yeast into a cup of yogurt and suddenly my snack turns into a nutritional powerhouse. Even a bowl of your favorite cereal can transform to an excellent source of omega-3 power with the help of a little chia and flax.

Some of these foods may sound a little foreign and uninteresting to you. That's alright. I started my journey here by first selecting healthy snacks. For example, instead of a sweet mid-day snack, I'd munch on some sliced almonds. Little by little, I'd add healthy foods here and there. The more my mind was open to the possibilities, the more I'd find foods that offered higher potential to my overall health. So how has all of this affected my hair? One of the most obvious, for me, is the quality of my new growth. Prior to including powerful foods, I touched up every 8 weeks. Not because my hair was growing so fast, honestly, it just seemed like my hair was wiry and untamable. Now, I stretch twice that long because my new growth is supple and healthy. My hair feels more like it's flourishing rather than just growing. It's the difference between living on $8.00/hour versus $150,000 a year.

Prior to incorporating super-foods, I toted around a myriad of vitamins pills. If I missed a day or two here and there, I'd beat myself up mentally about missing my promise to take my supplements. With nutritional foods, I just mix a spoonful with what I'm eating at the time. Best of all, I'm taking in foods that support my entire body versus scoping out supplements specifically and solely for hair for growth. This has opened up a whole new world for me. If maintained the mindset of only seeking out hair pills, I may have missed out the the amazing benefits of chia seeds, macca root, or whatever else is out there I haven't discovered yet. So, in all honesty, I wanted to share my experience with powerful foods because I'm sure there's benefit to each one of you. Do any of you have any recommendations of your favorite healthy foods? I'd love to try something new.

How a $2 item revolutionized my scalp routine.

Normally, I would dread this time of year. You guys all know the feeling of finding tons of your precious strands on the floor, in your comb, in the shower. Yes, I'm talking about seasonal shedding. Not too long ago, I took the time to trace my most recent setbacks to the root cause. After careful thought, I determined that my root cause was linked to my hair's roots. More specifically, the health of my scalp.

Excessive shedding, for me, consistently created a chain of events that worked against the health of my hair. Case in point:

heavy shedding ->>tangles ->> breakage as I would try to remove tangles ->> thinning of hair based on amount of shedding experience.

In my case, the shedding I experienced was not seasonal. I had to deal with this issue month after month because of an unhealthy scalp due to scalp condition I have called sebhorric dermatitis. It's like dandruff on crack. You guys may remember a previous post where I shared pictures that really opened my eyes to the ills of an unhealthy scalp. I really got serious about my scalp health once I realized how thinning and an uhealthy scalp are inter-related. All the deep conditioning in the world couldn't help me with this one. I had to find a solution to help deal with the problem once and for all.

When I sat back and analyzed my behaviors and routines, I realized that I have a pretty good system to treat my scalp (with ACV and dry scalp shampoos) on wash days once a week. The problem was I would find myself scratching my itchy scalp just days after I treated it. I had to find a solution. Since my schedule doesn't afford me the opportunity to wash more frequently, I had to figure a way to "cleanse" my scalp between washes. My salvation can in the form of tiny $2.00 spray bottles!

I can't tell you how long I've been looking for a spray bottle that truly produces an extra-fine stream. I wanted to spray my scalp without dealing experiencing run-off down my neck. These sprayers are absolutely perfect! Sally's sells them in a pack of 2 for $1.99. So once I got the min-sprayers in hand, I got a bunch of scalp healthy potions that I could spray directly to my scalp using my nifty sprayers.

So far I've experimented with:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Eucalyptus Oil
• Peppermint Oil
• Tea Tree Oil
• Neem Oil

Many of the essential oils listed above are quite strong so most people recommend you dilute them in carrier oil. It's been several weeks now since I've created the habit of spritzing my scalp one or twice a week (between washes) and, I've just gotta tell you all how positive my experience has been. Not only am I dealing with less itching throughout the week, I now can wear black without fear of sporting flakes on my shoulders. I'm also lovin' the feeling of a tingly scalp after applying the essential oil. But the absolute best result I've experienced, without a doubt, is the dramatic reduction in shedding. So now my scalp experience looks something like this:

light shedding->> minimized tangles->> easier detangling->> controlled breakage levels->> thicker hair->>increased stimulation->> healthier growth.

So now I eagerly wait for "shedding season" to begin. So far I see no signs of it. I'm crossing my fingers together in hopes that this method will be effective enough to impact the cycles of nature. In the mean time, I'm enjoying every second of this new experience. I feel like my hair has been given a second chance now because of the healthier condition of my scalp. Of all the oils I've experimented with, so far my favorites are the eucalyptus and peppermint. After applying the oil, I'll sometimes finish up by using my trusty scalp massager to help distribute the product throughout the hair. So far, this routine has worked for me beautifully.

Hopefully this will help someone out. Do you guys have any healthy scalp tips to share? I'd love to hear about it!

Juicing for beautiful hair....

I've been keeping this a secret but I can't hold it in any longer! Juicing is my new favorite pastime. Today, I'll share a drink recipe that tastes delicious and is ultra healthy for the hair!

How to make your setbacks be a thing of the past!

For as long as I can remember, it seems like I've constantly battled setback after setback. In fact, on my way out of a set back as we speak. This time however, I really fell strongly that this will probably be my last setback ever (at least I hope so). I feel confidently about the state of my hair going forward because I've learned some really valuable lessons along the way. Today I'll be sharing with you some of the learnings that will keep me away from future setbacks. Hopefully, you too can apply some of my experience in your hair journey.

Don't get discouraged. Whenever I find my self dealing with damaged brittle, breaking hair, I lose any and all sense of complacency and get determined to make changes. It's really important, if you're going to change your hair situation, that you refocus yourself to implementing specific actions that will bring about the results you desire. Just remind yourself "my hair is still growing regardless. My job is to make sure I maintain the health of my hair while it continues to grow."

Figure out what causes your setbacks. Although it may seem like it, damaged hair doesn't suddenly appear out of no where. It's a result of our daily or weekly actions. You have to take some time to reflect on what is the cause of your dilemma. I was able to narrow down several of my past set backs to the following:

Thinning hair

• Too many visits to the Dominican Salon. The excessive heat, along with, the hair lost during the manipulation of the round brush left me with a thinner head of hair with every visit. If I continued to keep this as a part of my routine, my hair would suffer dearly.
• I also realized that my poor detangling methods were also contributing to the thinning of my hair. Every wash I would lose so much hair with improper detangling. If I kept loosing loads of hair week after week, my hair would be see-thru in a few months.

Damaged Sections

• For me, damage begins to appear in certain sections. This can be both good and bad. Good, because I don't have to deal with a whole head of damaged hair all at once. Bad, because this means that one area is not receiving what it means to thrive. If I don't act quickly to get the damaged area back to health, the damage will spread to other areas. Next thing you know, I'll have to cut healthy hair just to make it even with the struggling areas. That is something I never want to do.

Breakage. Breakage. Breakage.

• My absolute arch enemy. What more can I say about hair breakage? Unless it's addressed - fast, my hair is in deep doo doo. I literally inspect each lost strand to determine if it's lost or broken. Too many broken hairs causes my anxiety levels to rise. Because my hair doesn't enjoy being bathed in protein treatments, I can't wait for the breakage to become excessive. By the time it's excessive, I'm know I'm headed for a setback. This is why I have to formulate all my actions to support hair strong, resistant, hair.

Identify. Remedy. Prevent.

I'm confident about my ability to avoid future (major) setbacks because I've identified the major causes to the hair damage I've experienced in the past. After identifying the issue, I think long and very hard about the absolute best and most effective way to eradicate my hair's malady.

That's when I begin to remedy the problem. The remedy usually involves incorporating a new step or product into my routine. One realization I had to make was that whatever I was doing for the past few weeks, months, was contributing to what I was experiencing at the moment. This meant that something had to change. Either what I was doing to my hair or what I was using on my hair. The worst thing you can do when you've suffered a set back is to keep on the path of insanity that created your result in the first place.

When you're thinking about remedying the problem, the question you must ask is "what is causing my breakage, thinning, etc?" One piece of advice I'd give you is not to accept the first answer that pops into your head. You also have to sit back and reflect on your habits. For example, when I have a lot on my mind, I tend to start playing with my hair. So basically, I'm manipulating my hair without even thinking about it. Doing this once or twice isn't a big deal, but if I do it day after day (which I did), I end up with areas thinner than the rest of my hair. The longer you think about about the cause of your hair situation, the better your chances of really getting to the root cause and eliminating the problem once and for all.

Prevention is really the final step of coming back from a setback. To be completely honest with you, the only way to get to the prevention stage is to make sure you've mastered the remedy to your problems. You'll know if you can move on the the prevention step only if you are seeing consistent, real, progress from your actions. If you're not seeing progress, then don't move forward. Currently, I'm in the prevention stage of my setback cycle. I feel that I've effectively addressed my shedding and excessive breakage. I know this because I see that I'm retaining length in areas that once struggled mightily. My job now is to continue on this path so every centimeter of growth is capitalized. I also know that a fine line exists between prevention and remedy. There's a delicate balance of maintaing a strong routine while adjusting ever so slightly if the signs of damage begin to reappear. Even though my hair is in a good place right now, I still know better than to step into a Dominican Salon for a very, very long time. Even the thought of using a flat iron right now gives me the creeps. Now is the time to make it all happen. Now is the time to gain the length, thickness, and health I so desperately desire.

So those are some of my thoughts on addressing setbacks. My prayer is that a year from now I can really see the fruit of all the this hard work and contemplation. I also hope that you too can see your setback as only a temporary glitch that can easily be overcome. Some of you have already found yourselves on the other side of a set back. I'm curious to also hear from you on what you did to make it happen.

Leave a comment....

"I love Pantene" contest winner shares her healthy hair secrets!

The other day, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the lucky winners of the recent "I Love Pantene" contest. The minute I saw Brooke's amazing hair, I just knew I had to talk hair with her. Very rarely do you see a head of relaxed hair as fabulous as Brooke's. Length, thickness, health, her has has it all. You can imagine how excited I was to get a glimpse into her hair routine.



Much to my surprise, Brooke is a non-protective styler like me. In fact, most of the time you'll find her with hair down. So my first question to her after she shared that with me was "how do you keep your hair moist between washes?" Most of the credit for keeping her hair fabulous between washes goes to Pantene's Relaxed and Natural moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. According to Brooke, the products contain enough moisturizer to last her hair pretty much until the next wash. After her washes she allows her hair to air dry loose. Once completely dry, she flat irons with her Maxiglide iron and she's on her way. Brooke attributes the health of her hair to minimizing heat to only on wash days which usually happens every two weeks or so. At night she wraps the hair with a satin scarf to help keep the straightness and bounce. Her moisturizer of choice is Pantene's Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer. Her ends remain full and thick because she trims on a cycle of about every three months.



Believe it or not, Brooke wore her hair in it's natural state until about 10 years ago when she decided to relax and venture into the world of doing her own hair. She's a self relaxer who touches up 2-3 times a year with a mild lye formula. She keeps a very consistent routine of washing with her staple Pantene products, air drying, and using a Maxiglide iron which straightens the hair with the power of nourishing steam. Moisturizing Pantene products, plus airdrying, plus an iron that hydrates while it straightens seem to make up the bulk of her beautiful hair process. Oh, and I have to also mention that Brooke also supports the overall health of her hair by drinking lots of water.

What I learned from speaking with Brooke is how important it is to be consistent throughout. She doesn't struggle much with dryness because she's using moisturizing Pantene products, air drying to help keep in moisture, then finishes it off with a steam flat iron. It's no that wonder her hair's able to retain moisture. Add the fact that she uses a mild relaxer only sporadically and you've got a formula for healthy hair. I'm impressed that someone who has been natural pretty much all of her life has now ventured into the world of chemical relaxers while still maintaining health thickness and vitality. When I asked her about the difference between her natural hair and relaxed, she responded by saying the only difference was that her natural hair would sometimes feel stringy when pressed because of the amount of product used during the process. Now she minimizes the product usage which helps produce fuller looking hair.

My thanks to you Brooke for becoming a hair inspiration for me. I love full, thick hair and you make it look so easy. Thank you Pantene, for creating products that help support beautiful heads of hair like Brooke's. For years I've drooled over the heads of hair I've seen on Pantene commercials. I've used Pantene products years ago and now I find myself eager to re-introduce my hair to Pantene once again. I loved their Relaxed and Natural Mask and currently I'm enjoying the Damage Repair Ampoules (review coming soon).

I'll leave you all with more inspiring pics of Brooke's fabulous mane. Enjoy!




Brooke was one of four winners of the "I love Pantene" contest where Pantene searched for four African-American women through an online casting call and at the New Orleans Essence Music Festival with beautiful, healthy hair who used Pantene products. Brooke submitted her photo online with the encouragement of her friends. Brooke and the other winners will also be featured in magazines nationwide!