BONE STRAIGHT

(What you got... "bone straight" over-processed hair. Sad...) 

(What you wanted... Sleek hair with body. Sassy!)     

No worries. I am here to help you!

Now, many of us have had our hair relaxed so long we don't really remember what our natural hair texture looks like. If you were to ask the average African American woman about her natural hair she would give an account of sitting for (or crying through) hours of torture while momma (or grandmomma/auntie etc.) struggled with their long thick hair. They would tell how they couldn't WAIT to get a relaxer and how all their lives were magically easier.

Now from these accounts you would think that the average woman has "nappy" unmanageable hair. This is just simply not true. First of all... we ALL had thicker hair when we were younger. Face it, we are not spring chickens anymore; and as a result we have experienced some natural thinning. 

Below is a chart of the different natural hair curl patterns. 

STRAIGHT TO MINIMAL WAVE TYPE I OPEN WAVE Loose S-shaped curves TYPE II WAVY Distinct S-shaped curves with uniform wave pattern TYPE III CURLY Defined, mixed curl patterns: loops to spirals; ringlets to corkscrews TYPE IV

VERY CURLY Defined curl with S-shapes forming into coils TYPE V COILED Loose afro-medium coils close to the scalp TYPE VI VERY COILED Tight afro-distinct, springy coils closer to scalp TYPE VII ZIG-ZAG COILED Extremely tight afro-interlocking coils and zig-zag patterns TYPE VIII

Most of my clientele fall in between curly and coiled. Most of my clientele also feels that their hair is "nappy"... Depending on our hair texture, there are different strategies we have to use in order to achieve the looks we want. We have been programmed to think that our hair as black women is unmanageable and that we NEED a relaxer. This simply is NOT the case.

(If you can see through your hair..
 it's over processed)

This brings me to the title of this blog, BONE STRAIGHT. Bone straight hair is actually over-processed hair. This is how we have been programmed to relax. To grab a box of relaxer, slap it on and leave it on until our hair is "bone straight". Even A LOT (and I stress a lot, far too many in 2012) of stylists still relax all the texture from the hair.

The problem with this is that when you take away the curl you also take away the body & the strength. Your hair is left limp, dry & prone to breakage and splitting... Then to put ANY type of permanent color on top of that is a recipe for "follicular homicide"! (I made that term up btw.. love it)

(Those colored ends are hanging
on by grace & mercy.
It's only a matter of time
before they all break off...)

Think about the term "RELAXER". When you relax it is because you are too tense, too wound up. You need to unwind a little; but there is a distinct difference between being relaxed and being lackadaisical. We want to relax hair not beat the crap of it. We want to loosen the curl pattern while still maintaining the hair's strength and integrity. 

Very coiled or zigzag coiled hair can be very dry and resistant. Because the cuticle is so tightly closed conditioning agents just sit on top of the cuticle instead of going inside of the hair follicle. A light texturizer or a permanent color will open up the cuticle some to allow conditioner and moisturizers to penetrate. This will make the hair softer and more manageable while leaving the hair in a natural looking state.

May people these day are considering going natural, but the idea is overwhelming to them because of their childhood flashbacks. When deciding to go natural there is no other way to go from "bone straight" to natural without breakage other than chopping it all off. Because over-processed hair is weak and natural hair is in it's strongest state & the point where these two texture meet the hair will break. It's survival of the fittest. The strong will prevail while the weak will fall off. 

If you are thinking about going natural but you still want to maintain your length, it is best to texturize your hair at touch up time. This means using a milder strength of relaxer than you would usually use. This will allow you to get used to working with your hair in a more natural state, while creating a medium ground between your relaxed and natural textures.

By relaxing the hair according to our needs, we give ourselves versatility. We allow ourselves a greater range of styling possibilities. It gives us the opportunities to be able to get those bright or bold high lift colors without compromising the health of our hair. Relaxer is a TOOL not a CRUTCH. An OPTION not a NECESSITY. 

(Toya gets a texturizer so she can have the versatility to wear
her hair straight without it swelling or curly when she wants to)

I do not advise my clients to do any type of chemical application at home. I have had clients call and ask, "I don't have the money to come to you. What type of relaxer/color do you recommend?" None. I don't use products that you can purchase in the beauty supply store. I use professional products in the salon. Relaxer is a chemical and can be dangerous if not applied professionally. Do you know how many clients I see with irreversible hair loss because of improper styling and chemical application? Once you have damaged you hair to that extent there is little to nothing you can do to bring it back.

(I see so many clients like this.. Yrs of home relaxer application)

There is much more to chemical application then following the directions on the box. There is much more than what we as stylists learn in hair school. 10 years of trial and error, continuing education and experience have taught me everything I know. My clients do not pay me to follow the directions on the box. They pay me for my expertise. They trust that I will keep their hair healthy! That is my promise to you. I am a hair care specialist because my primary goal is achieving and maintaining healthy hair.

I hope you learned something & I'll see you soon! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Peace out!

Nia (Your New Stylist)

What You Need To Know About Braids...

Braids are easy, and fun, and GREAT for hot weather. However, braids should not become long term plan. ESPECIALLY if you are trying to grow your hair out. Have you noticed that people who have been braiding their hair up for years trying to get it to grow, STILL don't have long healthy hair?

First of all, the tension of the braids is damaging to the hair especially if you are pulling them in a ponytail all the time. Not only are the braids tight, but now they are also pulled back in a ponytail causing further tension. Each section used for one braid is supporting the weight of double, triple, quadruple the amount of hair.

Let's say you have 20 strands supporting the weight of 40 strands of added hair. Your hair sheds daily and and by the time you are ready for the braids to come out there may be 10 or 15 hairs left supporting the weight of those SAME 40 strands. Constant tension on the scalp causes what is called traction alopecia. Under tension the hair follicles become inflamed (which is why sometimes you see bumps). That is why a lot of people have very thin, short or non-existent hairlines. If you keep damaging the hair follicles. By constantly wearing braids, your scalp won't get a chance to heal and those spots will develop into scar tissue. They will become smooth & hair will stop growing in those spots.  Once you have alopecia, even with cortisone shots and scalp treatments there is a very slim chance that your hair will ever grow back the way it was, if at all.

      

(These three women have permanent hair loss from years of wearing braids...)

(This baby is bald already from tight ponytails & braids)

Alopecia is not the only thing that you have to be mindful of when you have braids. Many people get braids (esp. for their children) because they want to swim all summer and not have to worry about their hair. The water not only makes your hair heavier (heavier=more tension=more breakage), but the chlorine builds up in your hair making it brittle. Chlorine is a mineral. In order to get it out of your hair you need to use a special deep cleansing shampoo and then follow up with a deep conditioner to replenish the moisture. AND YOU KNOW you're not doing that every time you get out the pool... if at all.

I'm not saying DON'T get braids ever (because I do get braids occasionally... and I don't want anyone to assassinate me when they see me on fb or in the streets with my individuals lol). I just want to give you some precautions.

1. DO NOT GET BRAIDS (ESPECIALLY INDIVIDUALS) WITH SYNTHETIC HAIR!!!! The hair is soooo much heavier than human braiding hair; and again the weight will break your hair and damage your scalp. Also, the tension of the braid itself and the rough texture of synthetic hair almost slices your own hair throughout the length of the strand; giving it that permanent crinkled look. But if you must, DO NOT keep them in as long as you regularly would. Maybe like @ weeks TOPS.

2. If you come out of braids and want a relaxer, you need to wait 24 hours between taking out the braids and your touch up. Otherwise your scalp will probably be too irritated for you to get a successful relaxer.

3. You need to comb all the dead hair out before you relax or shampoo! Think about how much dead hair you have on your head. Your hair sheds daily but it can't fall off your head because it was braided up. If you don't comb ALL of that hair out, when the water hits it, it's gonna turn into a huge dreadlock, and it's EXTREMELY difficult to comb that out without breakage or cutting it all off.

4. Do not wear your braids in tight ponytails or cornrowed styles.

5. Do not keep your braids in months at a time. I would recommend keeping your braids in NO LONGER than 4- 6 weeks. It's not healthy for your scalp anyways to go that long without shampooing your hair. (See my post about "Greasing Your Scalp"). 


6. Take a break in between and let your scalp recuperate.

7. Examine your scalp regularly!!! If you see any signs of breakage or hair loss.... TAKE THEM OUT! Abort mission!!

(Unacceptable... She knew her hair was bad when she put these
braids back in!!! She has braids hanging by threads... SMH)

I hope this helps! Have a great summer and see you soon!

Love,
Nia

Stay Away From Those Dominican Salons!

(Bad hair day...)

Bad hair day. You have a hot date tonight and cannot get an appointment with your regular stylist. Darn. You pass this Domican salon all the time and so today after work you decide to try it out. See what all the hubub is about. 

You go in there and they can take you right away, just hang up your coat. "Wow." you think, "I don't even get seen by my own stylist this fast." You get shampooed and roller set. After your hair is dry you sit in the stylist's chair and she round brushes you. "OMG, my scalp is on fire." You think to yourself. "Does she have to be so rough? Does the blow dryer have to be so hot? I do have some roots though, so." You endure it silently, with a couple of occasional flinches. She may flat iron your hair afterwards to add some finishing touches...

(Why so much heat??)

Before you know it, it's all over. She spins you around and VOILA! Your hair is shiny and bouncy and light. "Wow." Then you get to the receptionist desk and she tell you that you owe $25. "Excuse me?" You ask in disbelief? Then you pay her and leave quickly just in case the receptionist realizes she has made a mistake. But she didn't! You are just too impressed at this point. You run out and tell all your friends. You cancel your appointment with your stylist and tell her you'll reschedule later.

That Dominican Salon becomes your new go to place. Your lifestyle is so hectic anyways. This is so convenient, cheap and they do a GREAT job! Now I can go every week! Maybe I'll only go to my stylist for relaxers... Then one day you let them do your relaxer too; and it also is fabulous!

Fast forward 60 days. You look in the mirror and notice that your hair is all broken in random spots. Every time you brush your hair your bathroom sink is covered in hair. It won't really hold a curl anymore either. It's shedding like crazy and there is a strange greenish/grayish cast. Frantic you make an appointment with your faithful stylist. "ASAP! Anytime you have available!" You say.


You sit down in her chair and explain what's going on. She looks and your hair and says, "You have been DOMINICANIZED."

"What?"

Let me explain. You may have been ok, up until the point when you sat in the chair and the stylist picked up her weapons of mass destruction... The Round Brush, Blow dryer and the Flat Iron. See, the Blow dryer is set on HELL. That metal brush scraping your scalp intensifies the heat. They are going over the same small sections of hair multiple times to get it straight, especially if you have new growth. Then they are flat ironing it! MORE HEAT.

One thing about heat damage. It's irreversible. No matter what heat source whether it be pressing combs, flat irons, or HELL blow dryers once your hair has been damaged by heat it will NEVER be the same.

(A strand of heat damaged hair. Only a matter of time before it snaps.)

Many pressing comb clients used this term that I LOATHE, "trained". They say that after getting pressed for a while their hair has become "trained"; but in actuality their hair has become damaged. Elasticity is the ability of your hair to stretch and return to its original form, like a rubber band. If you stretch a strand of hair and it breaks off instead, there is no elasticity and your hair is severely damaged. 

If your hair is curly/kinky when wet, you can get it blow dryed, pressed or curled; but EVERY TIME you shampoo it, your hair should go back to its natural curl pattern. If after a while you notice that your hair has become straight, as if you got a relaxer; you are a victim of heat damage. Because of the high heat, the hair has been "burned" into a permanent straight form and the elasticity has been compromised.

(Extremely heat damaged natural hair)

If your hair has no elasticity when it is pulled by anything even a comb it WILL break. Now imagine all the pulling and tugging from a styling process. Now not only is your hair damaged, but now it is breaking off too. 

A strand of hair is supposed to have 3 layers. The cuticle (outside layer), the cortex (middle layer) and the medulla (innermost layer). Most African Americans do not have a medulla. (Why? Cuz we just don't.) However, a lot of Domicans, Asians and other races who have very strong thick hair have medullas. Their hair can withstand more than African American hair can. Then think, many of us have relaxers and or color. Just pair that with a little heat damage and we have a perfect cocktail for "baldheadedness". 



The only remedy for "Dominicanization" is a haircut. I understand that you had hair past your shoulders, I do; but now 1/2 of it is just split ends. Don't cry. Would you like the truth or a lie? Now we can cut it off all now or by gradual trims; it just depends on how severe the damage. Now a Keratin Reconstructor may help stop some shedding; but until all that dead hair is cut out, your hair will never be the same. 

Don't expect to see any growth for about a year, AT LEAST. Because every time your hair grows an inch we are gonna cut at least an inch off so we can get rid of the damage. The goal at this point is HEALTH not LENGTH. It's better to have shorter healthy looking hair than limp, lifeless, broken-looking long (ish) hair.

Ok, so what have we learned? Stay away from the Domicans! Make an appointment with your REGULAR stylist (or your new stylist, me). XOXOX

(Don't monkey around.. okay?)

Your New Stylist, 
Nia

"Greasing" Your Scalp (A brief look into flaky scalp & treatment)

(I love bacon. Just FYI)

Let me just put this out there. 


I hope NO ONE reading this is still slathering green, blue, or coconut flavors of Blue Magic hair grease on their scalp. Many of us were taught that in order for our hair to grow or if we had flakes we had to "grease" our scalp. This is FALSE.

(This is 2012 ppl. Madam C.J. Walker has gone to glory...
Absolutely not!!!)

Let us think about grease in general. It clogs up our arteries if we consume it too frequently. It clogs our drains if we pour in down the sink. It also clogs our hair follicles over time when we are consistently putting it on our scalp. The main ingredient in many of these products we call grease is either petroleum or mineral oil. These products build up over time and can slow or even stunt hair growth.

Underneath our scalp we have sebaceous glands which secrete oil automatically. We don't need to add any oil (or grease) to our scalp. In fact, many people who have self proclaimed "dandruff" really don't. They have an excess of oil on there scalp that comes off in the form of flakes. Only making it worse because thinking they have dry scalp, they consistently turn to the oil; only to become frustrated because the problem never goes away. The answer for them is actually to LEAVE IT ALONE!

Psoriasis is a common disorder associated with an extremely dry flaky scalp. It is caused by a weakened immune system. Your body has t-cells which help to protect you from getting sick. When your immune system is weak the t-cells activate and make everything go into overdrive to compensate.

Skin cells are shed every 28 days, but when you have psoriasis of the scalp your body sheds skin 7 times faster. It's like baking 7 cakes in the time it would take to make 1, there are bound to be some mishaps. Because of this rapid growth, the skin cells are not formed correctly and thus we have our psoriasis of the scalp.

(Above) Psoriasis of the scalp

Seborrhoeic dermatitis (Below)

 
[This is why it is sooo important to take your vitamins (including biotin, the vitamin that promotes healthy hair growth), drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, exercise and steer clear of stress!! It effects your health, which also effects your hair!]

Seborrhoeic dermatitis is caused by yeast and it affects the greasy parts of our body including areas such as the scalp, eyebrows, the corners of the eyelids, inner cheeks and sides of the nose. People with seborrhoeic dermatitis of the scalp have big greasy yellowish or whitish scales. The scalp will also be itchy, inflamed and may start off in one area but can spread to the whole scalp if left untreated. Just like bacteria, we have yeast on our skin; but certain factors such as excessive sweating can cause the yeast to morph into a nasty problem. Dandruff is a form of eczema but in a milder form.

To alleviate the symptoms of these problems there is a killer cocktail, salicylic acid and pyrithione zinc. Salicylic acid helps to loosen thick layers of dry skin and/or oil that has built up on the scalp. Pyrithione zinc has antifungal and antibacterial properties (so it's good for the yeast). It also is an anti-inflammatory agent so it helps to get rid of  scalp redness and swelling.

IN ANY EVENT, none of these problems can be solved by a notorious scalp oiling regimen! If you feel you have any of these symptoms, call me to schedule an appointment for a treatment so we can start you down the road to having a clean healthy scalp.

Feel free to ask me any questions or to leave a comment. Your feedback is INVALUABLE! You can also email me @ niaphillips@yournewstylist.com.

:) Nia