Sunday 11 September 2011

Wave Nouveau

Yesterday I had my second Wave Nouveau Perm. three months ago I had my first. The best decision I made was to stop relaxing my hair last year. I grew out my hair for a while then I did the big chop when my regrowth was 1 and 1/2 inches long. I was not confident to go to work with a small afro so I plait my hair and wore a wig. Earlier this year I stumbled onto a video of a woman with a Wave Nouveau Perm. This inspired me to do the same. Here is the video that I saw:

Saturday 11 December 2010

Coconut Cream Natural Hair Relaxer - 1

Did you know that you can use coconut cream and yogurt to make a natural relaxer that will loosen your curls. It will save you money and is good for your hair unlike chemical relaxers. To see how to do it take a look at this video:

Saturday 16 February 2008

How to Care for African American Wigs


How to Care for African American Wigs



How to Care for African American Wigs
By Anne Clarke




Proper African American wig care is very important if you want your wig to look good for a long time. Of course, proper wig care depends on what type of wig you have – whether or not you have a synthetic wig, a human hair wig, a dreadlocks wig, etc.



General African American wig care:





  1. Wash your wig after you have worn it around 8-12 times. In truth, though, you may be able to go longer without washing it, or you may have to wash it much sooner – this depends on the humidity and the air quality. And, for instance, if you go to a smoke-y bar, you may want to wash that smoke-smell out of your hair that night, even if you washed it just a few days ago! Be your own judge.

  2. Use a towel to gently blot your wig dry – again, be gentle! Do not wring out your wig!

  3. Now add a conditioning spray.

  4. Allow your wig to dry. You can use a Styrofoam head, but it could stretch out the cap. You may, instead, prefer to set your wig on top of something like a vase or a towel-covered hairspray bottle.

  5. Do not brush your wig unless it is fully dry.

  6. Do not leave your wig out in direct sunlight to dry.

  7. If you decide to cut your wig, make sure that you are wearing it for the best results.

  8. When not wearing your wig, leave it on a wig stand so that it can keep its shape and not get tangled.

  9. When traveling, carry your wig in a wig box – you don’t want it to be flattened.

  10. To wash your wig:



  • Use a wig brush to brush through your wig.

  • Be sure to use a wig shampoo. It is important that you do not use regular shampoo, it can damage your wig.

  • Fill up a sink with cold or lukewarm water and add the wig shampoo (generally about a tablespoon… read the shampoo bottle for precise directions).

  • Place your wig in the water and gently swish it around – be gentle! Do this for about a minute.

  • Rinse your wig in cold running water until thoroughly rinsed.



African American wig care for synthetic hair includes not using a hair dryer or any heat-source stylers like curling irons – these could actually melt and frizz your synthetic hairs. Use only your fingertips or a wig comb/brush to style the wig. Also make sure that you keep your wig away from excessive heat like opened oven doors, fireplaces, and barbecues.



Also, most synthetic wigs should not be worn in a swimming pool unless otherwise stated. It is also very important that you do not use brushes made for human hair – they can stretch out the synthetic hairs, damaging them or frizzing them or breaking them. And do not try to color or bleach your wig.



Wig care for human hair wigs is actually very similar to that of synthetic hair. The main difference is that you can treat a real hair wig more like you would treat your own hair.



You can use hot tools – blow dryers, curling irons, etc. – to style your human hair wig. Of course, if you have a skin-like plastic cap, you need to be aware that the plastic could melt when under high heat.



An important note about wig care for dreadlocks wigs is that both dreadlocks and spiral curl wigs should not be combed or brushed. Doing so could undo the dreads.




Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching, gardening, and fashion. For more of her articles on wigs, please visit africanamericanwigs.net, suppliers of high quality Wig Care and African American Wigs .



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Clarke
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Care-for-African-American-Wigs&id=438121






How to Grow Long Black Hair?


How to Grow Long Black Hair?



How to Grow Long Black Hair?
By Wasuk Jones




This is a question on a lot of people's minds. These days the products and myths that claim to do just that are quite incredible.



But the bottom line is this:



If your natural hair does not seem to grow, then something is NOT right somewhere.



Your hair should (naturally) grow up to or more than 6 inches in ONE year. That's more than half an inch a month! That may not seem like a lot to most people, but just get a ruler and check how long six inches is.



Hair Growth - The Basics



In order to know how to grow long black hair, you need to first understand how it behaves and what makes it flourish.



Black hair as with any other hair needs plenty of nutrients pumped at the base of the hair follicle in order to grow. The more nutrients you give the hair follicle the longer your hair will grow. For years, people have done all kinds of things in order to stimulate hair growth - remember the hair pulling or brushing to get more blood flow to the base etc.



The idea behind hair growth is to stimulate the scalp enough to encourage the blood vessels at the bottom of the hair follicle to deliver more blood than usual to the follicle so that the follicle can get the nutrients from the blood that it needs to make your hair grow. That’s the simple explanation and it works most of the time.



The only time this will not work is if the follicle has died and can no longer produce any hair, no matter what you do. If it is still active but had been a little bit slow because of diseased etc then this process will always produce a result.



This is all well and good but it is important to get the right types of nutrients to the hair follicle! This part most people tend to ignore. What you eat plays a vital role in the condition of your hair.



Which nutrients work best for maximum black hair growth?



One of the best ways to get your hair to grow faster is not just to eat food rich in amino acids, vitamins and other minerals like zinc but is also to use hair products that contain amino acids in them.



The reason's very simple, hair is made up of a protein and proteins are made of amino acids. When you give your hair more amino acids, it can't help but grow.



Here is an example of the types of foods rich in protein:



Protein
Eating food rich in protein will help your hair grow faster because hair is made up of mainly protein. Foods that are rich in protein include:



• Brewer’s yeast

• Eggs

• Soy milk

• Wheat germ

• Liver

• Fish

• Low fat cheese

• Lecithin granules

• Tofu

• Beans

• Yogurt



Brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, liver and lecithin granules are also rich in vitamin B, which is very important for hair growth.




Wasuk Jones is the owner of http://www.oh-my-hair.com a website which discuses the different ways to grow hair.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wasuk_Jones
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Grow-Long-Black-Hair?&id=368765






How To Look After Black Hair


How To Look After Black Hair



How To Look After Black Hair
By Gary Heron




The typical hair and hair follicles of those of African descent are tightly curled, thus producing hair that spirals. Black hair also typically has a larger diameter than Caucasian hair and retains less water, thus its relative “kinkiness." The many styling methods utilized on Black hair cause concern with hair loss. Black hair is very strong, fortunately so because Black hair styles cause a great deal of Stress on the hair and scalp.



For example, using a hair pick to pick the hair up to a bushy style is a very damaging process due to the constant pulling causing stress on the hair shaft as well as the follicle. In fact, combing Black hair in general can create high stress on Black hair and cause breakage, which perpetuates dryness. Conrowing and braiding are methods of hairstyling that pull the hair tight, and this can cause a great deal of stress on the hair and scalp resulting in hair loss. Braiding that results in the hair being pulled very tight can cause traumatic alopecia, a hair loss that is caused by trauma to the hair and scalp. Traumatic alopecia is usually reversible with proper hair care.



Hot combs and relaxers used to straighten hair can cause a great deal of heat and chemical damage to hair and scalp, which can also cause traumatic alopecia, and over time can cause permanent hair loss. This becomes especially true when the heat or chemically processed hair is pulled tight by rollers or a hot curling iron.



Hot oil conditioners are excellent for Black hair, as hot oil treatments contain proteins and polymers vital to repairing the hair cuticles. Hot oil treatments involve heating the oil and putting it into the hair and scalp, then covering the hair with a plastic cap to allow the oil to soak in. Follow the recommendations on the treatment you are using for the amount of time you should leave the treatment on the hair. This process can heal breakages and shinier stronger hair will be the result.



Consider that hair relaxers commonly used on Black hair contain lye or similar chemicals that break down the hair shaft. Left on beyond the recommended time, these chemicals would eat right through the hair and cause it to fall out in clumps. This is why these same products are used in products like Drano® to clean clogged drains which often are clogged by hair. No-lye relaxers are very popular today, mainly because it leads people to believe that the product is not caustic. This is far from the truth. The combination of calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate are combined to form guanidine hydroxide, which could just as easily clean a sink. Repeated use of such products can cause some degree of hair loss, and if scarring occurs while using these chemicals, the hair loss can be permanent in that area of the scalp. One must ask themselves is it wise to place such caustic chemicals in the hair on a regular basis for the sake of desired appearance? The question must be answered by each individual, however the facts should be known.



There is little that can be done to alleviate this syndrome without changing the typical hairstyles of African Americans. There is a catch-22 concerning relaxing Black hair, since combing natural Black hair causes so much stress and breakage of hair, while chemicals cause so much harm to the hair and scalp as well. There are a few hair-relaxing products on the market that use chemicals and are somewhat less harsh than sodium hydroxide (lye) or its popular equivalent in “no-lye" relaxers: calcium hydroxide (quicklime) mixed with guanidine carbonate. One such product is called Natural-Laxer® and Sahara Clay® by Baka ProductsTM that has been on the market since 1990. This product is all natural and because it does not contain many of the harsh chemicals of commercial relaxers and actually contains only a finely ground plant called Daphne Gnidium and clay from Africa it is figured to be relatively safe. Of course this product does not straighten hair in most instances the same way as commercial relaxers, however it does tend to make Black hair more manageable. There is yet another product on the market that is reported to be 92-96% natural which is called Naturalaxer Kit In A Jar™ that does not require the applicant to comb through the hair during the application, which results in a lot less damage.



Of course the bottom line is once again, if you can leave your hair in its natural state then you will experience less stress and damage to the hair and thus prevent at least one cause of hair loss. There is a growing segment of the Black population that is becoming comfortable with wearing their hair in natural styles. One such style is dreadlocks. There are many rumors and myths concerning dreadlocks, as there is little proper information available concerning this style, and as with anything that is misunderstood many myths arise around it. Dreadlocks can and must be washed; otherwise they will smell badly like any other dirty hair. The best process to use to wash dreadlocks is to use a residue-free shampoo. Most commercially made shampoos leave residue and can cause hair not to lock, lending fuel to the rumor that hair had to be dirty to form dreadlocks. Clean hair actually locks much better than dirty hair, as dirt is a residue in itself that will inhibit hair from locking. For best results one should use a fragrance free, conditioner free shampoo. Dreadlocks do not react well to oily and greasy substances, yet there are many good substances that are on the market today that will assist you in forming dreadlocks.



Dreadlocks are formed through a process, not simply by not combing or brushing the hair. Generally, one should start with hair about two inches in length, and the hair should be separated into even squares of hair and twisted gently together using a bonding or gel substance. Many use natural beeswax containing no petroleum, while others use loc and twist gels specifically formulated for locks. Once the hair is separated and twisted into small locks, it is important that they are left alone and allowed to bond naturally. The length of time it will take to lock will depend on the coarseness of your hair, but one can normally expect to wait several months before locks begin to form. While the hair is locking, it will need to be washed. Here is where washing should be extended for a while if possible, so that the hair can be allowed to lock for two weeks to about a month without manipulation. When you do wash your hair, use a stocking cap or “do-rag", and low-pressure water to make sure that the newly forming locks do not come loose. It will be necessary to rinse for a much longer time than you normally do, because of the lower pressure of the water and the lack of direct manipulation of your hair with your hands. The water is good for your hair and locking process, so this is not a problem. It is also imperative as indicated before that you use a shampoo that does not contain a conditioner and leaves as little residue as possible. A little research on your part will be necessary here; your health food store should contain a variety of natural shampoos. Have a skilled professional or a friend re-twist the hair gently, reapplying the twist gel or beeswax that you used previously. Repeat this process every two weeks to a month, the longer you are able to wait the better, and within a few months your hair will begin to lock.



Again, if you have a fine grade of hair rather than a kinky grade of hair, a beautician skilled at forming locks (“locktitian") or a friend who is very familiar with the hairstyle should be consulted. Even though dreadlocks are mainly a hairstyle for Blacks, there are other races that have people that enjoy the hairstyle. In general, it tends to be a style of hair that in the long run will give the hair and scalp needed rest from the rigors of chemical and heat treatments and rigorous combing and brushing, and therefore can contribute to longer life for your hair.




WWW.THEWESTMINSTERPRACTICE.COM



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Heron
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Look-After-Black-Hair&id=481489






Sunday 3 February 2008

Test

Test