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!

Wanna know how I was able to reduce my rollersetting breakage?

You guys may remember but, not too long ago, I decided to take my journey to the next level with regards to my hair's length. Nothing would make me happier than to have low-mid back length hair. I understand, though, that I'm at somewhat of a disadvantage. Unlike others who are focused on gaining and retaining a length, I am a self-professed non-protective styler. Everyone knows that ever since the days of Wanakee, the general rule of thumb regarding healthy hair is to protect the ends from the elements.

Since I don't consistently hide my hair, I have to overcompensate with an intense weekly wash and set ritual. While my wash routine does wonders to re-create the moisture/strength balance in my hair, there are also aspects of my routine that frustrate the heck out of me. The most concerning step for me is the roller set. While I love rollersetting and the wonderful results that comes with it, I'm not at all happy with the amount of hair I lose during the process. Sometimes after a rollersetting session, I'm puzzled at the size of the ball of hair staring at me.

So this week I took some time to sit back and contemplate what I was doing wrong with regards to my roller setting practice. Better yet, I really wanted to find a better way to complete the process without experiencing as many casualties as I had in the past.

I'm happy to say to you that I've made a slight modification to my rollersetting routine the other day and the results were a huge improvement! This past week I lost 1/5 the amount of hair I normally do during the roller set and all I did was make a slight modification. So let me share with you my secret.....

For as long as I can remember, my rollersetting routine has been as follows:

1. Step out of the shower

2. Apply creamy leave-in

3. Take a section of hair.

4. Spray water/leave-in on section

5. Comb section with wide-tooth comb

6. Comb section with small tooth (if needed).

7. Roll hair

8. Repeat steps 3-7

Last week, however, things were different because I was reminded of one of the golden rules of healthy tresses:

"hair when wet can lose up to 50% of its strength."

What I realized was that I was manipulating my hair the most when it was the weakest. Once I made this realization, I immediately knew something had to change. There was no way I could continue to put my hair through such a tramatic process week after week. One thing you should know is that I have a hard time producing a decent result when air drying so that was not an option. What I decided to do instead was to shift the steps of my process to look like this:

1. Step out of the shower.

2. Apply creamy leave-in

3. Allow hair to begin to air dry under silk scarf

4. Remove scarf when hair is 70% dry.

5. Take small section of hair.

6. Comb section with wide tooth comb

7. Apply water/leave-in (to moisten the already detangled section so it can lay smooth against the roller).

8. Roll section

9. Repeat steps 5-8

So if you look at the two variations of my routine closely, you'll notice that I allow the drying process to occur before I start the heavy manipulation. For me, hair that is slightly damp is so much easier to detangle than hair that is soaking wet. By only making that small change in my routine, I was able to cut down the time it takes me to rollerset. Not too mention that I was all smiles when I checked out the amount of hair lost during the process. My sligthly damp hair withstood the combing so much easier than my hair soaking wet. I've only used this process once but I can't imagine going back to trying to detangle soaking wet hair...it's just to risky.

This slight changed produced a pretty dramatic change for me. I can imagine the thickness and length I'll preserve if I am able to continue this trend of only losing a small amount of hair each wash. I thought I'd share this little tip in case any one else is battling with excessive breakage during the roller set.

Thanks for listening.

Looking for Ceramide Products? Take a look at this...

If you've spent some time browsing through the topics on this blog, you may already know that I am a fan of Matrix's line of Biolage products. More recently, I've fallen in love with their fortetherapie line of conditioners containing the all important ingredient, ceramide. As a person who's hair responds somewhat adversely to high-protien strengthening products, ceramides are just what the doctor ordered.

Knowing how much ceramides have benefited my hair and countless others, I've made a conscious effort to seek out products with this amazing ingredient. This new mindset has also make me look at my current product stash so I can validate how much of this valued ingredient is currently available in what I already have, including my beloved Biolage products. So I go back and review the ingredient list on my Biolage conditioner. Much to my surprise, I don't see the word "ceramide" listed anywhere amoung the ingredients.

My next course of action was to promtly locate their customer service number and inquire about the seemingly missing ingredient. On the other line, I'm greeted by a rather friendly customer service representative who tries to help answer my question. I was placed on hold as she asked several individuals how to identify ceramide in their products. Finally, the rep returns to the line and informs me that she wasn't able to receive the information required to answer my query. She then asks for my name, number, and advises me that I will receive a call-back with a resolution. The amount of time needed to obtain a response, she tells me, could range from a couple of days to a few weeks.

That was a few weeks ago. Today I'm happy to announce that I did receive my call back from Biolage with the answer to my question. The ingredient(s) in question appearing in either Biolage conditioner and Biolage Cera-Repair are: 2-oleamido and 1-3 octadecanediol. I thought this was an important piece of information to share with everyone so you can actively seek out products that may have this ingredient but not actively advertise ceramides on their labeling or in their branding message. A couple of other brands with this key ingredient are Mizani's line, some of Redken products and Softsheen's Optimum Care Anti-Breakage relaxer. For those of you who like to add a little color in your life, L'Oreal hair color creams also contan ceramides. Keratase products are another ceramide containing brand. I'm sure the list goes on.

My intention for this blog entry is to open up the world of ceramides to all of you. For some, getting their hands on professional products like Biolage may be somewhat of a challenge but perhaps you can find a pre-poo conditioner containing ceramides on your your local Target or Wal-mart shelf. Now that my eyes have been opened to this new term for "ceramide," I feel empowered. This piece of information will definitely make a positive impact on my hair care going forward. Now go, and live your lives with this newfound piece of knowledge and may your hair enjoy the wonderful fruits of your labor.

....peace.

Detangling: Can you really expect a miracle?

It's that time again for another head-to-head product showdown. This time, I'm putting two products to battle against on of my hair's greatest arch enemies...tangles. A few weeks ago, I was sporting a head full of new growth that was shedding uncontrollably. Constant shedding plus low manipulation normally equals a plethora of tangled hair so I knew I had to go hard and utilize whatever I had at my disposal to detangle while minimizing the casualties.

Prior to pre-pooing, I sat down, detangling comb in hand, ready to face my knots head on. I'd like to paint a clear picture of what I was dealing with. Although I was only 3 months post, I had quite a bit of new textured hair growing in. As I shed, the coils would wrap around the straight hair creating a bundling effect. So one shed hair could wrap around several other hairs at once. I'm then left with tangled chunks of hair that I have to carefully unravel. I painted this grim image for you just so you can see what kind of detangling power my hair desperately needed.

To the left of me I had a 10 oz bottle of It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In treatment. I was first introduced to this product via an overwhelmingly positive review by Essence Beauty Editor Tia Williams. Check out what she had to say about the product.



Moments after hearing what she had to say about the product, I immediately began seeking out where I would find this "miracle in a bottle." A day later I had a 10 oz bottle that I paid around $30.00. This stuff is not cheap! My Mane 'n Tail detangler, mean while, only cost me $4.49. Let me also mention that Mane 'n Tail was readily available at my local Sally's or pretty much any beauty supply store. It's a 10, however, was a little harder to get a hold of. I had to purchase at Ulta. So if I had to compare the price and availability of both products, I would say the Mane 'n Tail definitely wins this round.

Next we'll look at what the products claim to offer us for their value. Obviously, both products claim to effectively detangle the hair. But It's a 10 alleges that it can also do the following:

• Repairs dry, damaged hair
• Adds shine
• Controls frizz
• Seals & protects hair color
• Prevents split ends
• Stops hair breakage
• Creates silkiness
• Enhances natural body
• Heat protectant

I can't say for sure that this product can immediately deliver on each promise but I have to give it to them for attempting to create an all in one product that does more than most people normally expect from their detangler.

Finally came the moment of truth. How well does it work? To be honest with you, I wasn't impressed with either product when I first use them. Sure, they helped in the detangling process but I really wanted something that made them tangles beg for sweet mercy. When I first used Mane 'n Tail, my experience was acceptable but not remarkable encourage me to use on a regular basis for my detangling needs. Even my first experience with It's a 10 was mediocre. But looking back, I understand why I wasn't so pleased with the "miracle" product. Unlike Mane 'n Tail, It's a 10 is thick with a similar consistency to a conditioner. I'm so used to watery leave-ins that I was sorta turned off with the change in texture. The thickness of the product made it a little difficult to spray so I easily became frustrated with the whole process.

This time, I was willing to forget the past and start fresh with both products. My hair was in such a state that I couldn't afford not to reap the benefits, even if it were only minimal. So I start off my experiment by spritzing a little Mane n Tail on dry hair. Again, the moisture helped a little but I really couldn't see the extraordinary difference between using this product and a normal leave-in to detangle. Next came the It's a 10. As I sprayed the product on a tangled clump of hair, the first thing I noticed was the ease in which my detangling comb glided thru my hair. Section after section, the same result. It wasn't long before I set the Mane 'n Tail aside and proceeded to quickly (much more quickly than I expected) finish detangling my hair and moved on to the pre-poo. I could not believe how well the product worked for me! It was just as Tia described it in her video testimony.

Why did this product work so well this time and not the first? As I think back to my first experience with It's a 10 miracle leave-in versus this time, I can tell you that my hair was in two different states. The first time I used it to help roller set wet hair. Honestly, I just didn't like the texture to help create a great roller set. I'm so used to using a spray bottle with water that I felt like this product would weigh my hair down and alter my end result. Maybe next time, I'll dilute it to see how it works. On dry hair, this product worked like a dream. So for me, using it as a leave-in wasn't as promising as utilizing it as tangle eliminator! I didn't spray it all over my hair and scalp. I located tangles, sprayed the product, and combed thru with ease. I expected to spend several hours painstakingly working my hair section by section. That was not the case.

So, my pick for a superior detangling experience absolutely has to go to It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In. Yes, it's pretty expensive but, take it from someone who's suffered many a setbacks from not properly addressing tangles, this is well worth it. I should also mention that they offer smaller sizes of this product at a lower cost. Honestly, I feel that I'll have my 10 oz bottle forever using the search and destroy method versus spraying this product all over.

So ladies, I think we have a winner on our hands. It's a 10 miracle leave-in takes it! Thank you it's a 10. My hair now believes that miracles do happen!