Dee AKA's guide to Afro Hair Care

It's been a long time!!!!

2010-06-15T19:54:00.003-04:00

I shouldn't have left you. LOL.

Seriously folks, a lot has happened since I last blogged. I gave birth to a precious little boy named Adam on March 25th, 2010 and life hasn't been the same since. But since I'm getting back in the swing of things I decided to start blogging again.

As far as my hair is concerned, I have been checking for any signs of post-partum shedding but so far it has been minimal. To ensure that I do not become a victim of this, I have been washing with Garlic shampoo, doing my Aphogee Protein Treatments, Clarifying (I will do a separate post later on what this means) monthly, and Deep Conditioning weekly.

I don't have any recent pics because I have decided for the summer it will be back to co-washing again on a regular basis. Thursday, I am going out after work so I decided I will do a Bantu Knot set the night before. If it comes out decent, I will post a pic.

Remember my goal for this time was bra-strap length but I will not be doing any length checks until mid-August around the time of our annual BBQ.

Until then......

God Bless,

D AKA

Announcement!

2009-10-02T20:03:00.003-04:00

OK, since I am past my first Trimester (14 weeks to be exact) I think it's time to make the announcement that I am PREGNANT!!! I know this is a hair blog, but I thought I'd share this piece of information with you guys.

I had to purchase a few maternity pieces (my job has a dress code) and it has become a challenge trying to still look cute. As far as my hair is concerned, I am stretching my relaxer to almost 3 months. I know some people who don't relax at all while pregnant, but at least I waited until my 2nd Trimester!

I have been rocking alot of braidouts and ponytails lately but I think I will be getting a Dominican blowout Monday because I have an interview for a promotion on Tuesday. I will keep you guys posted.

FULL ARM-PIT LENGTH

2009-08-24T20:42:00.004-04:00

This is a pic that was inadvertently taken of my hair at a wedding reception. I don't always get a chance to take pics of my hair and rarely do I ever "really" see the back to know the true length so I am glad my soror took this pic of the back of my head. (Thanks K !)

I think I reached a milestone. I was aiming for full arm-pit length by about this time (Summer 2009) Hurraayyy!!!!

The next milestone is bra-strap length. Touching the very top of my bra clasp. I give myself by next summer. Do you think I can do it? Only time will tell.

Miami Braidout

2009-07-12T16:35:00.002-04:00

It's been "braid out" city so far for me this summer. I wish I had a closeup pic of this braidout done while I was in Miami. I have been stretching my relaxer trying to go to 3 months. I have a wedding to go to in August and we are having our annual BBQ so I want my hair to be in "full force" by then.

Let's get it!

Dee

I'M BACK

2009-05-15T20:18:00.003-04:00

Hey guys, I am back from my little hiatus. I have gotten into sort of a rut as far as my hair is concerned. I am trying to stretch my relaxer three months this go round. Nothing in my regimen has really changed. I still conditioner-wash once a week and do a braid-out or bun and wash/deep condition and roller-set once a week. When it gets hotter I may increase the conditioner washes to 2 times per week. We'll see how that goes. My goal is to have my hair touching my bra-strap by the fall. I will be posting pics soon when I do a braidout.

Smooches,

Dee AKA

Salon-Style products vs. "Cheapies"

2009-02-10T20:20:00.007-05:00

There is an ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of expensive salon-style products vs. cheap "drug-store" products. I use both for different things.

In my stash, I have both V05 and Suave conditioners. I use these mostly for "conditioner washes" Occasionally, I have also been known to use Pantene, Sunsilk, and Garner Fructis. I am happy with all of these products.

For my deep conditioner, as stated before, Nexxus Humectress is my staple. This conditioner has never steered me wrong. I also often purchase conditioner packs such as Organic Root Stimulator from the Beauty Supply Store.

Aphogee is also a staple for Protein Treatments. This should be done at least once a month to curb breakage. This can also be done with eggs or mayonnaise. (More on that later)

Often, I add honey, salt or oils to my deep conditioners.

In my opinion, because Afro-textured hair is so delicate, it should be treated like a delicate flower. It needs water (moisture) in order to thrive. I currently conditioner wash my hair once a week and wash with shampoo and deep condition once a week.

I would've never though for a minute that I would ever let water touch my hair more than once a week but my hair has thanked me for it. I would recommend anyone to try it. You might like it.

Winterize your hair!

2008-12-21T16:57:00.003-05:00

I have noticed in the Winter time my hair is so much drier. I never thought that I'd be doing braid-outs in the winter, but since I am nearing relaxer time I have been doing them at least twice a week. If I am not doing braidouts I am using rocking a bun or some sort of twisted updo.

It is important to spray your hair at least once a day to add in moisture. Cathy Howse has a good one named "The Dew". I also use Frederic Fekkai, or Care Free Curl Gold. Or, you can make your own. Here is a sample list of ingredients:

Water (of course)

Glycerin or Aloe Vera Gel

Jojoba or Coconut Oil

You can also use these products while baggying. More on that method in a later post.

Stretching relaxers

2008-12-09T18:57:00.003-05:00

Currently, I relax every 8 weeks. That is a big stretch for me because when I began this journey I used to relax every 6 weeks. In my younger days, I even relaxed at every 4 weeks. That is totally ridiculous! You should try to stretch your relaxers at least to 8 weeks to prevent from overlapping the already relaxed hair. In my opinion, the ability to stretch depends on the texture of your hair. Coarser textured hair is more difficult to manage than looser textured hair because of the vast difference between the two textures. Furthermore, often the hair begins to break at the demarcation point, which is the point where the two textures meet.

How do I manage the new growth you may ask? Well towards the end of my relaxer cycle, like after the 4th week, I do a lot of braidouts. Moisture helps me with maintaining the new growth. At this time, I do a lot of conditioner washes. After the conditioner wash I apply a leave in and braid in sections. I then let this air-dry overnight. In the morning, I combine Aveda Brilliant moisturizer with S-Curl and apply to the hair.

I will post pics of a successful braid-out in a later post.

Care Free Curl Activator

2008-11-26T19:47:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, this is one of my staples. After co-washing my hair, I apply a leave-in conditioner and air-dry overnight in a ponytail with the ends braided. The next morning, I unravel the braids, mix a quarter sized amount of this with my moisturizer (Aveda Brilliant is one of my faves) and run it over my hair paying special attention to the ends. I then seal with coconut oil. I also use the Care Free Spray for moisture also. It is also good to use these products with the plastic cap for an added moisture boost.

Trust me, these products are the truth! Remember back in the Jheri Curl days everyones hair was long. That moisture is the key. It makes your hair stronger and more resilient thus allowing you to maintain the length. Less breakage equals longer hair. It's not rocket science ladies.

Protective Styling

2008-11-15T20:05:00.003-05:00

Afro hair does grow, if it didn't there would be no need for relaxers every 6-8 (or more) weeks. The problem is that our hair is very dry and breaks so we are unable to retain the length.

One of the keys to growing Afro hair long is to keep the ends protected from the elements and from rubbing against our clothes.

Protective styles such as the donut or sock bun at the left (that's not me in the pic) are key to helping protect the hair.

It is good to use a moisturizer and seal the ends with oil prior to placing the hair in a bun. Be sure to change the position of the bun to prevent from breakage.

Oils

2008-11-08T16:50:00.004-05:00

Oils are very beneficial to afro-textured hair. I combine a few of these oils and use on my scalp daily. I also use these oils to seal in the moisture in my hair after using moisturizers such as Elasta QP Mango Hair Butter and Aveda Brilliant. Beware of using oils in the hair when wearing hair out as it can make the hair look stringy and oily. I only use oil on the hair when I am wearing hair pinned up in a bun or in a ponytail.

Oftentimes I do an "honey-oil rinse" after shampoo or conditioning. This is simple to do, just mix equal parts honey and oil, (coconut or olive is good. Also Profectiv Mega Growth, (pictured here) is good also) work through hair, then rinse. Honey is a humectant and the oil seals in the moisture from the honey. After this, you can style as usual.

I sometimes add oils to my deep conditioners. Olive, Castor and Avocado are good for this. My new favorite oil is Coconut Oil, it is so light, and is not heavy on the hair at all.

Product Review-Nexxus Humectress Conditioner

2008-11-01T18:27:00.005-04:00

This product is the "Ultimate Moisturizing Deep Conditioner". It may be a little pricier than most but it's "the truth". I sometimes use it as a pre-poo, but oftentimes I use it when I want to add moisture back into my hair, i.e. after a protein treatment like Aphogee (more on that product later)

I use it after shampooing, with a plastic cap alone or sometimes with heat. Either way, you can not go wrong with this product and it is one of my staples.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

PREPOO

2008-10-27T19:08:00.008-04:00

Preshampoo Conditioner:

A "Prepoo" is good to incorporate into your regimen. Prepoo's are left in the hair sometimes 15-30 minutes, sometime overnight. This is done prior to shampooing. I have attached a picture of three of the products I use to Prepoo. You can also use any cheap conditioner such as "Alberto V05". Some people also use oils such as Coconut or Olive Oil.

Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk, Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment, Aveda Sap Moss.

OK, I'm ready to share the knowledge

2008-10-26T21:36:00.007-04:00

When, I began my hair journey seriously back in 2006, I never knew exactly where it would take me. When I began dating my husband, he stated to me that he was into hair and looked at me with my ear-length hair (that I had just chopped off) and asked, "so what are you gonna do about it"? "What am I gonna do about what?" was my reply. "My hair, only grows to a certain length (just grazing the bottom of my neck) then it breaks off" "Why?" was his reply. "I don't know, that's just the way it is!", I answered.

In actuality, the last time, I had a long head of hair, I probably was about 9 years old. That was back in the days of the good old press and curl. My Aunt Pyzou (r.i.p.) would wash my hair, do a hot oil treatment and press the hell out of my hair. At that time my hair was about the length it is now (it is now grazing Arm-Pit length I have to upload some new pics). But when my Aunt moved down to Florida, and I stayed in NY with my mom (who had no clue) my hair went down south too. LOL!

There was a few times in my adult life when I have acheived a decent lenghth of hair. Back in 2002, I grew my hair to shoulder length. At that time, I was religiously going to the Dominicans. Now, I have learned so much that I only go to the Dominicans every two months for a relaxer. Other than that, I do my own hair. In this economy, I am sure a lot of ladies are looking to do the same.

To that end, on this blog, I will show various hairstyles and what I've done to acheive these styles. Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Happy Hair Growing!