THE TRUTH ABOUT DANDRUFF

Dandruff is a common problem that I see in both women and men.They are scaly, white flakes that fall from the scalp. It's simply dead cells that are shedding from the scalp.It is a continuous cycle that occurs usually about every 3 days. It is an embarassing and irritating condition that concern for many people. A more severe case is the oilier,patches that clump more to the scalp and hair called Seborrheic Dermatitis. It is also a very common condition. The truth is it can be controlled with some dandruff type shampoos.

.However, you must look at other factors. Alot of it is caused internally such as hormonal imbalance,yeast like organisms related to fugus,medications,poor diets(including greasy foods),heredity,uncleanliness,and even certain chemicals that are inside the products we use in relaxers,dyes,and topical hairproducts. Mild allergies to these products will inflame and irritate the scalp.If its an extreme case most will go to a dermatologist,and are prescribe shampoos to use on a daily basis,and we all know with black hair thats not happening.

They also recommend to alleviate chemical use.Which does cause alot of the problems that we face with our hair.One thing to keep in mind is some of the prescribe and otc shampoos active ingredients are zinc,salicylic acid,tar, and sulfur to name a few are known to revert relaxers and left the hair dull and dry.

There is a balance in preventing these conditions such as weekly shampooing to remove whats causing dirt,sweat,and fungus. Taking care of your body,eating a well balanced meal(fruits and vegetables),getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of water.
For common conditions I do recommend Design Essential Anti-Itch shampoo and Therapuetic RX leave in conditioner because it contains the needed ingredients to prevent,yet has a great level of moisture for the hair.

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BEWARE OF WEAVES

Even though I am not a huge advocate of weaves I do offer natural sew-in weaves.I have several clients that get sew ins to give their hair a rest from regular styling.During that time i care for their hair underneath.They still come in so that i can shampoo and clean their scalp, tighten any loose tracks, and give it a renewed look. By the time we remove the weave, there hair has grown and given a rest and they were able to look good in the process. This is also a good alternative for workouts, and growing out short cuts.

The downside to all this is the quality of hair out here is horrible! Which goes back to those beauty supply stores that carry walls and walls of misleading,bad quality hair.My personal theory is that most of that hair can't possibly be human hair.Especially since there is a huge waiting list for terminally ill patients to receive human hair wigs from locks of love and other organizations.Yet,there are thousands of beauty supply stores in our area for us for $20.00. STOP BUYING INTO THIS!!!!!

When i have referals call to make appointments for weaves,they are surprised to find out that I only prefer to work with certain brands of hair.The reason being is so you can get your money's worth. I would hate for you to spend the money to get it done,and buy inexpensive hair and expect it to last a couple of months only to last a couple of weeks.I've seen it plenty of times where someone buys low quality weave ,it looks good for a week then starts bunching up in the back, loses its movement,then no matter what the person does to restore it,it never looks the same.Then out of lack of knowledge they blame the stylist for giving them a bad weave.It happens all day long.

The truth is we need to be educated on our purchases.I know that most people simply trust the supply store workers,but they are there to sell their products.So they sound convincing when they say the hair is platinum or premium,or in shinier packages.SO BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!

For people that truely want to wear it for a couple of months, I definetly advise that person to buy a higher quality.A few suggestions I can offer is for:

- Straight Hair -REMI VELVET brand

- Long wavy - Black Diamond (italian wave)

- other brands include Bohemye brand,Princess brand, and Ultima

- Eastern Wigs Co. does carry a full line of higher quality hair ,are more knowledgable and carry these brands.I have also come across high quality hair that you can order on line such as customcrowns.com and maneimage.net.

As I come across more accessible high quality hair,I will continue to expose better options.Remember, you get what you pay for .Leave the $20.00 hair for ponytails.

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ARE YOU REALLY INTO HEALTHY HAIR?

That really is the question. One reason why I put this website together is because I truely would like to educate women on their hair. I often get emails from women wanting to get help to restore their hair. Well, i have come realize that we truely need to reprogram our mentality. I have officially put us in a SERIOUS STATE OF EMERGENCY!!!

Number one it is not going to happen overnight. It takes time, consistancy, and dilligence.When people read my theories and see my work they are ready to jump on the band wagon.That is until I tell them something that they do not want to hear. The reality is, I speak from experience! I am not one of those hairstylist that is just in it for the money, (if that was the case i would charge for this site, or better yet write a book).

If your hair is not in good condition, I am going to ask you about your history and habits because this has everything to do with it. I will even ask you if you are on any medicine or birth control. After all, what goes into body must come out.

We are causing such damage and trauma to our hair. For example,bonding glue can cause a chemical burn that doesn't even show up for years.Relaxing and coloring can also have an adverse side effect that causes permanent scalp damage and hair loss.

Knowledge is power, so we must choose wisely what we do to ourselves. And for the record ladies, weave is not the only answer. A lot of ladies have thinning hair where you can see the scalp and the first thing that they want to do is throw some tracks on top of whats already damaged. WRONG,WRONG,WRONG! or we have alot thats throwing tracks in left and right, because they don't want to take care of their own hair.Get to the root of the problem,don't just cover it up. That is just a short term solution thats going to be worse in the long run.

Its funny when people see my clients,and they posses healthy, beautiful hair. But, those are the ones that listened. Everyone had to start somewhere,and sometimes the trendier styles have to come later, and the hair has to go through its transformation period. SO,WHERE DO YOU STAND?

WHERE ARE THE PRETTY PONYTAILS?

I can definitely say that caring for our little girl's hair is a ritual. It is a special bonding moment that we can all identify with. But it's a bonding moment that we can all look back at and laugh.

As black women, we have very similar experiences. You know what I'm talking about....it usually started Saturday night, either your mother, grandmother, or aunt shampooed your hair - braided it in wet in four plaits, and it air dried overnight.

Come Sunday morning, here came the grueling process of pressing your hair...oh...my...goodness! I can still feel the heat on the back of my neck, being burnt on the tip of my ear (as I felt it bubble up), and crying as I'm told to "be still, it's only the heat"! But we knew the end result would be ultra straight, slicked with grease (Blue Magic, or Bergamot) Shirley temple or mushroomed out curls that we loved as our scalps sizzled down the street to Sunday service. Those were the days!!

As I talk to friends and clients of mine we laugh and think of how different things are now. Have you walked through an elementary school lately these little girls are weaved out, tie -zillions, no edges, gelled up, relaxed and damaged, or have a trillion beads on one braid. Where are the pretty ponytails? I repeat... Where are the pretty Ponytails?

Often times clients ask me about there daughters hair. Well it starts with basic maintenance. I have a daughter of my own and everyday since birth I would brush her hair just so that she would get used to stimulation. It became expected, just like breakfast, she knew it was coming. The next ritual is one day a week is shampoo day.

Since I have a spray hose on my kitchen sink, I lay her down on the counter with her head hanging over the sink. I put a washcloth over her eyes, just in case, and talk and sing songs as I shampoo her hair. The hose comes in handy because I can control the water, and can prevent it from getting into her eyes. I follow up with a moisturizing conditioner. Towel dries her hair and spray on a leave in/detangling conditioner.

I then follow up with pure olive oil (from the grocery aisle only) and moisturizer, detangle her hair with a wide tooth comb, plait it and allow it to air dry. The next morning it combs out easily. I then part it and put it in pretty ponytails. It really is that simple, because it is being trained and moisturized now, when she gets older it will be in great shape if we decides to straighten her hair (not chemically).

Now, this may not be helpful to the parents where the daughters have been relaxed since they were three just because the parent did not want to take the time to nurture their child's hair. Well shame on you and shame on the ones that teach there child that there hair is "nappy'. The ritual that you create for your child's hair is a mental and emotional lasting impression. I know several adult women that are still hurt because there "ritual" was ruined by hurt remarks and being compared to those with straighter hair. Well let's stop the madness now!!!! You and your child must embrace different textures and work with what you have!

My daughter has soft curly hair, it is cute in the morning but by the end of the day, dry, dry, dry (who is that child?). The key to that is moisture, moisture, moisture e-v-e-r-y-day. Sometimes I cornrow it, and fuzzed up the next morning. Well this site offered a lot of solutions to my daughter's hair after all I'm working with completely virgin hair (and it better stay that way...just kidding!)

So definitely check out the recommended regimes and products and remember that healthy scalp is a clean one, create a system that works for her hair type, moisture is the key, use a detangling comb, please stop trying to smooth your child's edges (a fragile part of the hair) it's too much tension and creates breakage. Stay positive during the process, expressing to her how beautiful she is. Most importantly, let go of the chemicals. Children definitely do not need it. There bodies are going through constant change, and a lot of times it comes out in the hair and skin (acne).

Let's make a decision to allow our little girls to be just that. Let's get out the ribbons and bows, hair balls, and barrettes. Lets do ponytails with pretty twists and snake braids (remember those?). Let's get back to cornrolls. (Because the boys are winning at having the best looking braids). Embrace and appreciate your child's texture and don't be so quick to alter it.