Feature Friday – Reneo

Hey loves!

I know, I know! This installment is late, but believe me it’s worth the wait. Today’s feature is the stunning Reneo. I’ve been so excited to write this Friday Feature! She big chopped and I’m amazed at how fast her hair grew out.

Her hair in September:

And now after 4 months of growth and her first time using heat:

Her hair is beautiful! It’s thick and curly and grows quick (lucky lady). No pills or anything. This also serves as a lesson; LESS IS ALWAYS MORE. This Friday feature is extra special because not only did she take time out to explain what exactly she uses for her hair;

V05 Moisture Milks, Strawberries and Cream shampoo and conditioner and Coconut Hair Oil

But she’s 100% willing to keep us updated on hers and her baby’s natural hair journey.

Watch out for future posts featuring Reneo. Sorry for the late post💜

Peace and love,

Annie.

Feature Friday – Mwila

Mwila big chopped in November 2013, after being on the creamy crack for a bit. She has since grown her natural ‘fro out and I must say, it is sheer awesomeness.

Doesn’t she give you that Lupita Nyong’o vibe? Her hair is beautiful because a big chop takes courage and exuberates so much confidence. Say what you will but big chops are a big deal! Mwila, we love what you’re doing with your hair and we are looking forward to following you on your natural hair journey. Keep us updated boo.

That’s it for Friday features this week, stay tuned for my next post.

Peace and love,

Annie.

Feature Friday – Chishiba

Hey loves, I know it’s a Saturday but I have this late post and one more before feature friday is done for the week.

She’s the co-founder of the Black Afro Hair brand and she’s my bae. I often joke about wishing I had luscious good hair like she does. She’s been narural since forever, never had a relaxer and her dedication has paid off. Her hair is the type to make you wanna go back to the drawing board with yours lol. Here she is with a bantu knot out.

Chishiba your hair is beautiful because it embodies the purpose of our blog. When we first started out, we set out to embrace our natural hair and make this blog a testimony of our love for the ‘fro. Your hair journey inspires me and many others; as it should. I love you babe. (and I hate you for how much more stunning your is than mine, lol).

Thank you guys once again for your support.

Peace and love,

Annie.

Feature Friday – Victoria

Or Vicki as I like to call her ;). B’s mommy is transitioning and her go to style is having her sides shaved. Her hair and style are edgy and we cannot wait to see how it looks when she’s all natural.

Check out her twitter.

Do keep dropping by for Fabulous Feature Fridays (do not shy away from sending your pictures for a feature) and loads more. Thank you for the support.

Peace and Love,

Annie.

Feature Friday – Toni Canham

She’s a hilarious friend with a huge heart, a model, an honors in Psych graduand, an absolute beauty inside and out, with a delicious mind (check out her blog here) and she has a headful of natural afro.

Toni’s natural hair is beautiful because she rocks it with such elegance and confidence, it fits her and her personality so well. It just works. I absolutely love it.

Come back for other Friday features and more…

Peace and love

Annie

Officially Back

I’m back. New content to get the ball rolling.

As usual I have a lot of info for you guys but I’ll kick the reopening with feature Fridays. If you wanna get featured on the blog, don’t be shy. Come on by. My first set of features are ladies that have blogs on here. Stay tuned for Feature Friday.

Peace and love,

Annie.

Hair Growth and Maintenance – OVERVIEW

Hey guys, last week I finally wrapped up the ‘Science of Hair’ series. In this article, I make attempts to demonstrate how I organise my thoughts around ‘Hair Growth and Maintenance’. I have spent the last couple of months researching this broad topic and maybe just like me, you guys often get confused because of the amount of conflicting information out there. In the beginning I had no intention of creating this blog. But I soon realised that blogging about it is probably the best way to learn. This will only serve as a general overview for now. Details will come in future articles.

Let me begin by pointing out that factors that affect hair growth and maintenance are both INTERNAL and EXTERNAL.

INTERNAL FACTORS AFFECTING HAIR GROWTH

GENETICS: How appropriate that genetics come first on the list considering that genes map the way we look and how our bodies function. Our hair types, growth cycles and hair loss (such as balding patterns with age) are among many diverse genetic functions.

HORMONES: A lot of research has been devoted to the way hormones affect hair and nails. Hormonal changes that take place in the body such as during pregnancy or while taking certain forms of birth control have been closely examined to reveal how hormonal activity can affect your hair growth cycles.

NUTRITION: Your hair and nails are the last in line to receive proteins, vitamins and minerals from your food. The body is so efficient that it will forego the vanity of your hair to ensure your other vital cells are being fed. Watch your eating habits. It is one thing that your hair receives left-over nutrients from the body, it’s another thing that it receives insufficient or unhealthy left overs.

EXERCISE: This is probably the least utilised and most underrated factor in general wellbeing and hair growth. Exercise increases the flow of oxygen in your blood and promotes circulation. It releases endorphins and also helps to regulate the adrenal glands that are vital for the body’s response to stress.

STRESS: Stress can affect everything I have listed above. Stress constricts blood vessels and has the capability of signalling a single strand of hair to stop growing and it is just a matter of time before that hair is shed from the scalp. You can experience excessive hair shedding from an episode of stress that occurred from 6 weeks up to 4 months ago.

EXTERNAL FACTORS AFFECTING MAINTENANCE

SCALP: How many times has someone parted your hair and lifted the dandruff from the scalp with a comb by way of scratching? I know, a lot of us have done this or had this done to us. The thing is this practice does more harm than good. So what’s the proper way to handle dandruff and prevent it? Also, should you oil your scalp or not? I’ll probably talk more about that in later articles.

WASHING: How should you wash your hair? How often should you wash you hair and with what should you wash your hair?

CONDITIONING: Same questions apply; How? How often and with what?

MOISTURISING (WATER & NATURAL OILS): So you don’t like water because of the shrinkage you experience? But really, we need to spritz our hair with water for moisture on a daily basis and seal that moisture in with an oil based sealant. What do I mean spritz? Lightly spraying the hair with water, not to make it wet, just to dampen it a little. Still confused? Don’t worry I’ll explain this soon!

DETANGLING, STRETCHING AND STYLING: When your hair is tangled and coiled it is impossible to maintain. So how do you keep your hair looking good every single day?

PROTECTIVE STYLING: This is an important factor for maintenance. When talking about protecting the hair I ask questions like what are you protecting the hair from? Why are you protecting the hair? How do you protect the hair? When do you protect the hair?

TRIMMING: And finally, how appropriate, at the end to talk about trimming. Trimming is not as straight forward as a lot of people tend to think. We all have different opinions on whether to trim or not to trim? And if you do trim, how do you trim it? How often? And why or why not trim it?

And there you have it, my big picture for understanding hair growth and maintenance. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and I hope you’ve learnt something and that you’ve gotten an idea of what to expect. Now this is just an outline and a work in progress, if you have any suggestions for me, feel free to leave them in the comment box. I would love to read what you have to offer. As always, thanks for reading, until next time, stay blessed!

THE SCIENCE OF HAIR– PART THREE (pH Balance: So Effective and yet So Delicate)

In the previous article, we covered the basics of pH balance. We know that the pH of hair is between 4.5 and 5.5. In this article, I will talk about how we sometimes, unknowingly, take the pH of our hair on a roller coaster ride.

What is the Ideal pH Range For Our Hair?

We already know that the pH range of hair is 4.5 to 5.5. This pH is based on the natural oil we secrete from our scalp (sebum). Hair and skin have the same pH.

What is in Sebum?

This oil on the surface of our skins is a complex mixture of fatty acids, glycerides, wax esters and cholesterols, etc., that we produce internally.

Sebum has the following functions:

• It reduces water loss from the skin surface

• It protects the skin from infections by unwanted bacteria and fungi

The Ideal pH range to keep our hair and skin in is between 4.5 – 5.5, this acidic pH helps to close our cuticles, hence holding moisture in our hair. It also wards off unwanted bacteria and fungi on our scalp.

When alkaline solutions are placed on our hair and scalp, the exact opposite happens!

The cuticle layers are lifted. In the case of hair relaxers or hair dye, it is necessary for the cuticle layer to be open in order to change the protein structure of the hair.

For Afro textured hair, a relaxer with a pH of 11 or higher is usually required to make our hair permanently straightened.

This alkali pH lifts the cuticle layers wide open and also breaks and then reforms some of the disulphide bonds in our hair (disulphide bonds give our hair its shape). This process can be damaging, especially when done incorrectly.

After the hair is disrupted, it is neutralized with a very acidic solution to close the cuticle once again and stop the alkali chemicals from working.

This is a roller coaster ride for our hair. The pH is taken from 4.5 up to 8.0+ and then back again, usually within minutes. Bringing the hair back to its acidic pH doesn’t change the fact that you’ve disturbed the hair in the first place.

The baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar Method:

Some people have sworn by the use of baking soda as a natural method for washing our hair because they think it is better than shampoo. Kim Love explains how this is far from the truth using the following scientific facts and NOT OPINION:

1. Baking soda, which has a pH of 8.3 or higher (even when diluted with water), is more alkaline than our hair. Like all alkalis, it takes our hair and scalp in the opposite direction of the ideal pH range.

2. This alkaline nature lifts our cuticle layers and has the potential to temporarily disrupt the bonds of our hair. People who use baking soda to wash their hair often say it gives them a looser curl pattern and softens the the hair. That is what an alkaline does. By disrupting the bonds in our hair, alkalis make the hair more unrestricted and ready for any new reshaping, hence the softness.

3. After rinsing with baking soda, to stop the chemical reaction, an apple cider vinegar rinse is used to bring the hair back to an acidic range.

Similar to relaxers, this does not undo the disturbance done to the hair and scalp. Our scalps are naturally acidic to prevent bacteria and fungi from infecting the skin. Lots of dandruff problems and scalp conditions are aggravated and sometimes caused by high alkaline solutions.

Usually, when the apple cider vinegar is introduced, a burning sensation is felt. Even though it burns, the cuticles have opened up and the hair must now it must be neutralized to close the cuticles and re-form those hair bonds. Sound familiar?

In the next and FINAL article, I will explain how pH balancing can be applied and used properly in your hair care regimen.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5532B6CD987E1D88

• THE SCIENCE OF HAIR – PART ONE (The Basics) (blackafrohair.wordpress.com)
• THE SCIENCE OF HAIR – PART TWO (Superb Chemistry: Closed Cuticles, Happy Hair) (blackafrohair.wordpress.com)

Yo, what’s with your natural hair?

So, I decided last month to be unashamed of my natural hair. I let it loose everyday. BUT, I get questions everywhere I go… Am I missing something? Is it wrong to just want to have an afro?

This one lady from across the street kept asking me questions everyday. “Your hair is natural? Why?” “You don’t like relaxers?” “Have you tried stretching it? Industrial blow?” “You went to church with that hair?” “You’ve come from town with that hair?”

Her last question was “You want to make dreads?”. I felt like she’d asked me 1 million questions, I smiled and said calmly (In the nicest way I could) “NO, I JUST LIKE MY NATURAL HAIR THE WAY IT IS.”

Bet she wont be probing me about my hair anytime soon. hehehe

THE SCIENCE OF HAIR – PART TWO (Superb Chemistry: Closed Cuticles, Happy Hair)

In the last article, I covered the basic structure of hair and explained what part of hair helps in retaining moisture. This part of hair is called the cuticle and it has an overlapping tree like structure that can either be open or closed. Take a look at the image below.

I left you guys asking, “just how do I encourage my cuticles to lay down or close?” and this article answers your questions. After lots of research, I came across a video series by youtube natural hair guru, Kim Love! (Kim, thanks so much for this multitude of information). If you ever have the time, check out her series on the structure of hair: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5532B6CD987E1D88. You will not be disappointed.

So, I know of 3 different forces that the cuticle responds to:

1. Temperature: Heat causes the cuticle layers to expand/lift open, whilst the cold causes them to contract/close. This is why frequently blown out or straightened hair, ends up damaged and in the winter our hair breaks because our cuticle layers are closed shut, not allowing moisture to enter the hair shaft.
2. pH balance: Alkaline solutions cause the cuticle layers to open, while more acidic solutions causes them to close.
3. Surface treatment: Running your hands downwards closes the cuticle layers. Also, sticky products like silicons or oils can manually close the cuticle’s layers. CAUTION! Even though silicons close the cuticle’s layers, they are not good for the hair. Yes, they seal moisture in the hair, BUT they can also keep well needed moisture out.

Of the 3 methods, pH balance is the most effective and yet least harmful to the hair, WHEN USED CORRECTLY.

Basics of pH Balance

In Kim’s basics of pH balance video, she tests the pH of different solutions using pH testing strips. Note that, water has a neutral pH of 7. The 3 solutions tested were vinegar, apple cider vinegar and baking soda. Both types of vinegars are known to be acidic solutions, whilst baking soda is known to be an alkali solution.

The test results revealed that:

• Vinegar has a pH that falls somewhere between 2 and 3. Which is an accurate result because vinegar has a well-known pH of about 2.5.
• Now, you may think that all vinegars are the same, but apple cider vinegar is slightly less acidic and has a pH of 3.
• The baking soda was dissolved in a bit of water to make a solution (you can only test the pH of liquids) and when tested, it revealed a pH of 9. Baking soda is a well-known alkali, it usually has a pH between 8.3 and 9.

Hey, what happens when you mix an acid with an alkali? You create a solution with a neutral pH of 7. Confused? Don’t worry, I’m about to explain the science behind it.

What does pH mean? It means potential of Hydrogen or power of Hydrogen. The scale used for measuring the potential of hydrogen ranges from 0 to 14; 0 being the most acidic, 14 being the most alkali and 7 being neutral.

As I said earlier, when an acid and an alkali mix they make a solution that has a pH of 7. How exactly does this work?

• Vinegar, an acid, contains a lot of hydrogen ions, charged and eager to attach to something. Baking soda, an alkali, contains many hydroxide ions (hydroxide is made up of an oxygen molecule attached to a hydrogen molecule).

When you mix an acid with an alkaline, you take these substances from their extremes and bring them together, ending up with two of hydrogen and one of oxygen. H20?

• So basically, you form water when the hydrogen and hydroxide connect. In essence, you neutralise them.

How does pH balance affect your everyday life?

• Take a look at this colourful scale below, representing the pH balance range. As you can see, battery acid is one of the strongest acids in our environment.

• Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, used in hair relaxers, is one of the strongest alkali.
• Both extremes destroy almost anything in their path (I will elaborate on this point later).
• In the mean time, please take a moment to look over the scale. Notice where some of your household items and bodily fluids are located.

Human hair has a pH range of 4.5 to 5.5. From Kim’s research, this range can refer to the natural oil (also known as sebum), which we produce from our scalp (in other words, sebum has a pH range between 4.5 and 5.5) OR when hair is dissolved, it has a pH range between 4.5 and 5.5. Notice how our hair is more acidic than water?

Please note that these colour bars are a little misleading. You may think that one step up is not a big deal. pH balance is actually measured on a logarithmic scale. So, for every step you must multiply the number by 10. In other words, sodium hydroxide is 10 million times more alkaline than water. Battery acid is 10 million more acidic than water.

Remember I said these extremes will destroy almost anything in their path? Here are the verbs commonly used to describe the way acids and alkali destroy things differently. Both extremes are harmful to your hair.

People in the natural hair community have experimented with baking soda and apple cider vinegar on their hair. The next article will explore some of the effects these products have on our hair and answer whether it makes sense to use them. Also, do you want to know what the ideal range of pH for hair is? Stay tuned for part 3!

Source:

1. The Structure of Hair (2010), video, < http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5532B6CD987E1D88 > [07 July 2013].