Braids, braids!!

One of the best treatments and style options for the hair that is weakened by heat, relaxing or over abuse are braids.  What's more, the styles are endless and you can create a look that is uniquely yours with just a little imagination.

Let's investigate some of the care and styling choices available.

Braids and you

Hair that has been abused needs to be given a chance to rest and recover from the damage, whether it be a relaxer, heat via straightening combs, flat iron, curling irons or blow drying.  All these methods of abuse have a tendency to dry out curly hair.  Further, afro-textured or curly hair has a tendency to be dry due to the curl or kinky pattern of the hair (the oils secreted by the scalp don' t reach the ends of the hair due to its intricate curl pattern). Also, the sebum secreted doesn't have as much lipid as other textures of hair. So the abuse tends to cause more damage. (This is also why it is good to massage the scalp for distribution of oils and well as for circulation). This has lead to the incorrect belief that textured hair doesn't grow.  All hair grows approximately one-half inch per month, but breakage makes the hair appear to remain at a stand still.

Braiding styles are fun and healthy for the hair, provided that they are not too small and not too tight.  Both can cause breakage and damage.  It is wise to make the stylist aware of the fact that the braids should not be too tight.

Moisturizing you hair

I have been finding that mixing and blending your own  hair moisturizer is best as many commercial products have chemicals and preservatives that are unhealthy. Such as propylene glycol, methylparaben, propylparaben, alcohol, petrolatum, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate and many others. Some of these oils not only contain dangerous chemicals that can affect overall health, but contain substances that can further dry out the hair such as alcohol, or the surfactants in shampoo.

For curly hair the problem is magnified since women with such hair commonly contain petrolatum which has a tendency to clog pores and further dry the hair.  Yup, it's a vicious cycle. Regular use of petrolatum containing oils can actually dry and break the hair.  You can avoid that problem by mixing healthful essential oils: almond oil, tea tree oil, etc with vitamin E or another  personal choice.

Stay tuned for some recipes to prepare your own  hair moisturizer.