Hair Talk with Jennifer

Posted on: 8th May 2013 by CFYH

Hiya Everyone ! I’m Jennifer from London and I’m so excited to be able have the opportunity to be featured in the Care for your hair blog.

 

 

 

 

Have you been natural all your life? If not why did you choose to return back to your natural tresses?

 

Yes, I’ve been rocking my natural hair since birth.

 
Do you have a haircare regime, if so what does it consist of?

 

Unfortunately I don’t have a set regimen as I’m still experimenting with different products and techniques that suit my hair type. At the moment this is a basic overview of what I currently do and will continue to do until I’ve found the best technique:

 

 

 

 

Wash my hair with the ‘Herbal Essences hello hydration moisturizing shampoo’ when necessary , and then apply the ‘Aphogee balancing moisturizer’. To finish it off I put my hair into twists while it’s still wet. I prefer doing this routine in the evening so that my hair can air dry throughout the night. By the morning I can add Shea butter, take down my twists and rock a defined twist out, which sadly always fails so I just end up rocking one of my go-to styles instead.

 

 

3 of your favourite hair products?

 

 

Shea Butter
Spray Bottle Mix: I’m not sure if this counts but I find it so useful when handling my hair.
Coconut Oil

 

 

 

Your go-to hairstyle?

 

 

I have two go-to styles as a matter of fact! If I’m not wearing one, I’m wearing the other. The first one consists of 2 cornrows and the rest of my hair tied up into a bun either high or low , and my second one is two cornrows around my head and secured into a bun… if that makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Have you made any mistakes/faced any major challenges with your natural hair? If so what? and what advice would you give to other naturals?

 

 

 

 

 

Yes , quite a few in fact! Before I started taking care and looking after my hair which was late last year I often went to bed with my hair out and woke up in the morning with a frizzy, untamed and uncontrollable mane. When in a rush I wouldn’t even think of detangling it, I would just pack it up and leave it like that.

 

 

Satin scarves were not on my to-do list before I went to sleep which wasn’t good as I lost a lot of moisture through my cotton pillow case.

 

 

I also used A LOT of heat , my blow dryer was always on my hair set on the highest setting .I used the blow dryer after I had finished washing my hair, when I took out my braids, after a rainy day out, basically any chance I had. I felt that it made my hair manageable and easy to control but I could gradually feel my hair drying out.

 

 

 

 

I took no notice which was the worst part and just applied any moisturiser to cover up the dryness, which obviously didn’t and wouldn’t work. The ends felt so horrible and dry, I came across so many split ends and every time I washed my hair there would be some straight strands which was so annoying, as I didn’t know they were heat damage I just thought they were stubborn strands of hair that wanted to do their own thing.

 

 

It came to a point where I was so fed up with feeling my dry unkempt hair every day. It wasn’t until early last November that I decided ‘enough was enough’, I had delayed cutting my hair for way to long and so I just went to the bathroom with my scissors and chopped a whole pile of my hair off! I’m just so happy and grateful that I made the choice to cut my hair at the right time and it feels and looks much healthier than before. :)

 

 

Quick word of advice -Try to minimize the amount of heat you use on your hair and sleep with a satin scarf/Satin pillowcase.

 
Any words of encouragement?

 

 

Experiment around and see what works best for you just keep in mind that we are all different, so just because someone has been able to achieve bra strap length 3 years after their big chop doesn’t mean the same will apply to you. Why? Because everyone is different. It’s solely up to you to find out what’s best for you.

 

 

 

 

Everyone has beautiful hair natural or not, so embrace and love your tresses with confidence !!

 
Where can we find you? 

 

Twitter : @jennyoteng
Instagram : jenniferoteng

 



Darren Scott Salon – Treatment & Straighten

Posted on: 5th May 2013 by CFYH

A few weeks ago I was invited to Darren Scott Salon for a treatment, so I booked it to coincide with when I take out my twists. Treatments/deep conditioners are a must for me once I take down braids/twists.

 

 

My hair was in need of moisture as it had been in twists for 4 weeks. So James (one of the lovely hairdressers) applied the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme – “a pre-shampoo treatment that instantly delivers replenishment, hydration and nourishment ”.

 

 

 

 

Once this was applied I was then under a hooded steamer (not dryer, steamer lol) for about 15mins. After that time had passed, James rinsed off the Elasticizer Exteme and applied their own  Custom Blend Treament to my hair and I was back under the steamer for another 5 mins. My hair felt soooooooo soft and moisturised after this.

 

 

 

 

Once all the treatment was done…my hair was then washed and conditioned with Philip Kingsley Moisture Extreme. If you don’t know, now you know – Darren Scott Salon give the best shampoo/head massages ever! Lol the first time I went I fell alseep.

 

 

 

Theeen, It was time to blowdry! The Label.M Relaxing Balm was applied to my hair (nothing to do with a relaxer/perm ladies lol) as well as Mizani Thermasmooth. My hair was blowdried with a round brush – I need to get the hang of this man lol.

 

 

 

 

The most exciting part of this salon trip was having the new L’oreal SteamPod Straigteners used on my hair – definitely going on my to-buy list.

 

 

 

 

“L’Oréal Professionnels’ ground breaking straightening and smoothing device has only just been launched and is designed to produce sleek results on a variety of styles with a beautiful, shiny-looking finish.

 

L’Oreal’s Steampod treatment uses a specialised straightening iron to deliver a localized stream of high pressure steam to the hair shaft, deeply hydrating the hair without causing heat damage or drying it out to deliver a high gloss finish.

 

The Steam Pod will produce beautifully sleek and manageable tresses with a glamorously  gloss, smooth finish and can be used to create a wide range of finishes from smooth and supple looks to soft, tumbling waves.”

 

 

It also comes with a removable comb for even smoother results – perfect for those of us with curly/kinky hair.

 

My hair has never been so silky smooth before, love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just like my previous trip to Darren Scott Salon, I had a pleasant time. I love that all of the stylists are experienced in working with all hair types & that they are very much concerned about hair care as well as it looking good.

 

At night I put my hair in 4 bantu knots so it could have a little wave & body to it today.

 

 

 

 



Hair Talk with Sumetra

Posted on: 20th April 2013 by CFYH

Hey ladies! Today’s hair feature is with the beautiful Sumetra. I came across one of her amazing flat-twist pictorials a while back and I just had to find out more about how she consistently gets such amazing results.

 

 

 

 

So Sumetra, have you been natural all your life, if not why did you choose to return back to your natural tresses?

 
No I haven’t been natural all my life. I wish I would have stayed natural. Honestly, a health condition caused me to start losing my hair around my edges and in the front/crown area. I felt like the harsh chemicals weren’t helping the situation. My little sister went natural the year prior and I noticed how thick and healthy her hair was. So I decided to stop relaxing my hair just to see if I could do it. I transitioned for 10 months and then BIG CHOPPED! Best hair decision I’ve made. August 20th will be 3 yrs since I big chopped. My hair is thick, full and a lot healthier now.

 

 

 

 

 

How did family & friends react to this decision?

 
That’s an interesting question. I got mixed reactions. My family is full of naturals so they were pretty excited. Others told me that it would be cute and wanted to know when I would go back to a relaxer. One friend told me she wouldn’t advise me to go natural because I had way too much hair and it would be too much to maintain. My husband was the funny one. He LOVED when I big chopped. It was that in between growth period that disturbed him LOL. He would often ask me “so how long is this going to go on?” I think he thought it was more of a fad. Now, if I straighten my hair, he always asks me “when are you going to have the big hair again? It reminds me of sunshine!” (He LOVES my big hair styles!)

 

 

Straightened Hair:

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a hair regimen, If so what does it consist of?

 
I wash weekly using Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration. I recently tried Shea Moisture’s Moisture Retention Shampoo and I was pleased with it. I condition my hair using Giovanni Smooth as Silk for Damaged Hair. It really works great with my hair. I deep condition at least once a month or as needed. I also pre-poo weekly which really helps me to prevent breakage. For a leave-in, I love Cantu Shea Butter or Kinky Curly Knot Today.

 

 

3 of your favourite hair products?

 
Those who follow me on Instagram know that my staple MUST HAVE product is Cantu Shea Butter’s leave in conditioner. I love raw coconut oil to seal in moisture. My favorite conditioner is Giovanni Smooth as Silk.

 

 

 

 

Your go-to hairstyle?

 
Flat twist out is my go to style. I have recently been dubbed the “flat twist out queen” which I think is super cute! Also Flat Twist Updos are my staple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hairstyle you seem to be most known for is your fabulous flat-twist outs…what useful tips would you give other ladies looking to achieve this style.

 
First tip would be to practice, practice, and practice! People don’t believe me when I say that I just learned how to flat twist within my first year of being natural. Since I have various textures and patterns, I was determined to find a way to achieve a more consistent look and have the volume I wanted; the flat twist out gives me that! Second tip is more of a recommendation. I get asked how I achieve good definition with my flat twist outs and the answer is I twist on damp hair and allow it to FULLY dry before I take it down. The last tip is to find a really good leave in. This helps to have soft and shiny results.

 


 

Have you made any mistakes/faced any major challenges with your natural hair? If so what? and what advice would you give to other naturals?

 
Oh yes! The first major mistake happened early on in my journey. While I was transitioning and even after I big chopped, I was always getting my hair straightened. This caused me to really mess up my natural curl/wave pattern. My advice for those that are transitioning is to avoid using heat all the time. Wear braids and other protective styles to achieve the look you desire without having to use heat. The other mistake I made was not doing my research. I heard that protein was good for your hair so I started using a protein cream and shortly after using the cream on a consistent basis, I started to experience a lot of breakage. I later discovered that if you don’t have a protein deficiency, using too much protein can do more harm than good.

 

 
Any words of encouragement?

 
Be patient. Your hair is actually growing faster than you think. That’s why it’s good to take pictures so that you can see the progress. Also LOVE YOUR HAIR! Everyone’s hair is different and unique. Just enjoy the versatility of being natural!

 

 

 

 

Where can we find you? (blog/twitter etc)

 
I can be found on Instagram, Twitter & Tumblr by searching SumetraReed. I can be found on YouTube by searching Natural Metra

 



Keeping my hair moisturised while in Braids & Twists

Posted on: 20th April 2013 by CFYH

 

 

 

 

I previously wrote a post on how I look after my twists here and for my braids, I pretty much do the same thing. Here’s another post but with a few more products I like using.

 

It’s hard to get to each strand of your hair while it’s in braids so beforehand I always deep condition & moisturise my hair- this goes for any protective style I do. Doing this before helps ensure your hair is in the best state before you put it away for what could be anything from 4-6 weeks.

 

While my braids are in moisturise when needed with a leave in conditioner, my go-to has always been Jane Carter Solution leave in –  it’s nice, light, and will cause minimal buildup over time. You definitely want to stay away from heavy creams & greases – they’ll cause more dirt and will weigh down your braids. Overtime I’ve also found a few other products that work so well in providing moisture to my hair while in braids.

 

 

 

 

*Curls – Quenched Curls, a daily leave in conditioner – I reach for this when my hair feels super dry! Although it’s a liquid spray leave in, its pretty thick and provides great moisture. (Can be used as a curl refresher too)

 

*Lee Stafford – Detangling Spray. I’m sure you’re thinking, but this is a detangling spray…yes it is and an excellent one it is in fact. However I’ve found it also works well as a leave-in. It’s lightweight and smells Ah-mazing!

 

*Paul Mitchell – Lite Detangler - This is also a lightweight leave-in conditioner and is great for shine!

 

A NEW recommended leave-in spray is also the Root 2 Tip Honey Rain Juice! Ah-may-zing!

 

 

 

Furthermore, to ensure my scalp isn’t dry I like to alternate between using light oils such as coconut oil/olive oil & a heavier one like castor oil…and that’s it! My hair stays moisturised with minimal use of product…you really don’t need to pile on product upon product.

 

I always also get asked about washing braids/twists, I personally don’t wash mine as I find my scalp gets really irritated but there are many videos on YouTube for those interested in washing theirs.

 

*For more on great deep conitioners – click here

*For more about how to keep your hair moisturised – click here

Posted in Hair Tips | 9 Comments


Hair Talk with Maci

Posted on: 12th April 2013 by CFYH

Hey ladies, today’s Hair Talk features Maci of Transformed By Love

 

 

 

 

Have you been natural all your life, if not why did you choose to return back to your natural tresses?

 
No I haven’t been natural all of my life. I chose to return back to my natural tresses in 2010 after spending many years dealing with my relaxed hair that would constantly go through a cycle of growing to a certain length and then breaking off. During this never ending cycle, I finally got frustrated and decided to do some research through YouTube on how to take care of my relaxed hair at the time. As I was searching, I came across the Youtuber BlackOnyx77 who in one of her videos had a big beautiful afro puff that I had never seen a women wearing before. After finding her videos, I instantly fell in love with all things natural hair and wanted to see my own! I then decided that day that I was going to transition for 5 months and then go natural, but due to my impatience my transitioning period only lasted 1 month and then I Big Chopped on September 6, 2010!

 

 

 

 

 

 
How did family & friends react to this decision?

 
My family and friends reacted a little bit of every way from negative, to positive, to having mixed feelings when I told them that I wanted to go natural. But for the most part, I think that my family and friends were just skeptical of my decision at the time because they didn’t understand what it meant “to me” – to have natural hair after I had spent most of my life having relaxed hair in a society that deems that having straight hair is more acceptable. My mom was the first person who I talked with about wanting to go natural. That day we ended up having an eye opening conversation, as I had made it known to her that I had never seen my natural hair before because I started getting relaxers at such a young age. I believe that in that moment my decision to go natural really was set in for me and it also showed my mom that this was the decision that I was making and that I knew what I was doing for the most part. My mom afterwards, was pretty much on board with my decision to stop relaxing my hair and even helped me to do my Big Chop! The rest of my family didn’t really care much about my decision, and when I did get some negative feedback from them or other people I just shook it off and kept moving forward lol.

 

 

 

Do you have a hair regimen, If so what does it consist of?

 
The regimen for my 4a/4b hair consists of a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, a moisturizing leave in conditioner, a light oil for smoothing my hair, and then a heavier oil to seal in all of the moisture that I have added to my hair. For shampoo and conditioner I normally use the Suave Naturals line in “Almond and Shea Butter”. For a leave in I swear by “Cantu Shea Butter –Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream”. For a light oil it depends on my mood. So sometimes I use anything from Coconut Oil to Almond Oil and recently my hair has been loving Avocado Oil! For a heavier Oil to seal my hair, I use Cold Pressed Castor Oil! These are my basic staples that I use on wash days.

 

 

3 of your favourite hair products?

 
3 of my favorite hair products hands down would have to be Cantu Shea butter, any type of oil for smoothing or sealing moisture into my hair, and Henna because it keeps my hair strong, shiny, and adds a beautiful red tinge to my hair that can only be seen in the sunlight!

 

 

 

 

Your go-to hairstyle?

 
My go to hairstyles are twist outs and braid outs when I’m not protective styling!

 

(Maci in one of her fab protective styles – wigs!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you made any mistakes/faced any major challenges with your natural hair? If so what? And what advice would you give to other ladies?

 
I think that the biggest challenge that I have with my hair is single-strand knots. My 4a/4b hair has very tight coils, squiggles, and spirals etc. lol that get caught onto each other and can cause split ends and cause breakage to my hair. I now always keep my hair in some type of stretched state because of this if I am not protective styling. My advice to minimize single-strand knots or fairy knots is to keep your hair well moisturized and stretched whether in braids or twists or some other type of hairstyle that doesn’t allow shrinkage. Also to minimize split ends and breakage remember to dust your ends whenever you feel it is needed to maintain the integrity of your hair!

 

 

 

Any words of encouragement?

 
My encouragement to anyone who may be reading this is to get to know, love, and have fun with your hair. It doesn’t matter if you decide to rock a beautiful afro puff or if you want to pursue healthy relaxed hair. No matter what you choose, make sure that it is what is best for you. And lastly, always remember that you are worth more than the state of your hair. Be blessed! *:)  -Maci Okwuoha

 

 

 

 

 

Where can we find you? 

 
You can find me on Tumblr at www.TransformedByLove.tumblr.com and on Instagram @MaciOkwuoha



Guest Post: African Threading

Posted on: 12th April 2013 by CFYH

Over on facebook a few days ago, I posted a few pictures about African Threading as a style option for little girls. This is a great alternative as it looks good and also helps in stretching your hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After posting this Nicole of Kinks, Curls and More shared her post on using African Threading as a means of stretching her hair and cutting out excessive use of heat.

 

 

Guest Post:

 

 

How to stretch hair without heat:
Since I’m on a ‘heat ban’ I’ve been having to use other ways to stretch my hair. I’ve been using braid outs and twist outs to do this, but I don’t always want a ‘curly’ look, so I went on the hunt for another method.

 

YouTube is a God send, I swear. The amount of natural hair tutorials on there makes it so much easier to find out new styles/methods. On my YT search I found a video on African threading by GirlsLoveYourCurls. The theory is that you wrap the thread around your hair tightly and it holds your hair in a stretched out position, so when you take them down your hair stays stretched. The closer together each coil of thread, the more stretched your hair will be. Its pretty simple really.

 

All you need is: Thread, scissors and something to part your hair with (or use your fingers)

 

I’ve actually had African threading done before and my mum told me she used it back in the day before straighteners to stretch her hair, but I completely forgot about it. I used it as a style rather than a stretching method when I had it done before – My mum used to thread my hair up really tightly and bend each section into crazy shapes for ‘Wacky Hair Day’ at school.. yep, I won the wacky hair competition everryyy time :D . It doesn’t have to look crazy though, they can look really nice when done/styled well!

 

 

 

I tried it out on a freshly moisturised old braid out, so my hair was kinda stretched out already, but not as much as I’d have liked. I did 4 sections on each side of my head and then tied them back like in the video. When I took them down my hair was definitely more stretched out, and the waves from the braid out were virtually gone . I threaded my hair up again the night after because I wanted a more stretched out look, but I did more sections that time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Results:

 

Its like achieving a blow-dried look, but with no blowdrying involved #winning

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a few kinky bits because of the way I wrapped the thread the second time. The coils were a bit too far apart so they created some waves – oh well.

 

The method is actually simple, but on the first couple of goes it can be a bit tricky, until you get used to it. Practice makes perfect! My thread was a bit too far down my hair so the roots weren’t as stretched as they could have been, but I’m going to work on that. The tricky part is getting the thread to stay in place at the start of each section and to stop it unravelling at the end. BUT I found another video from GirlsLoveYourCurls for that too! She shows really clearly how to begin and end each thread braid, so its a must watch if you want to try it out.

 

I’m definitely going to be using this method again. YAY I’m so happy I’ve found a good way to stretch my hair besides braid outs and twist outs. I’m a little sceptical about how well it will come out on freshly washed, un-stretched hair but I’m going to try that out too anyway.

 

I’d recommend giving it a try if you want to achieve a blow dried look without heat!

 

 



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