Mid-Year 2014 Hair Quiz

Periodically, I have hair tips that are too short to compose a whole article so it's time for another hair quiz!

See if you know the answers to these questions:

1) Roller set question: Does your hair have to be soaking wet going onto a roller in order to create a smooth roller set?

2) Hair color question: Can semi-permanent squeeze bottle hair color stain the hair permanently?

3) Natural loose hair question: At what phase in a thermal straightening hair service can hair be determined to be resistant or not?

4) Braiding question: Which area of the head can suffer ripping hair from the follicle if locs or hair is overtightened or braided too tightly?

5) Loc question: What is a good checkpoint for making sure a loctician is giving you even parting sizes?

6) Salon question: How do you determine if you have a high quality client draping/capes?

7) Can mildew form within your hair or your locs?

8) How can you tell if your headwrap or headscarf is allowing enough air flow to your scalp for breathability purposes?

Answers:
1)  Yes, the hair needs to be soaking wet.  The way that the wet hair looks on the roller before rolling the hair up is how the hair is going to dry.  So keep the hair very wet so that it can cling onto the roller and set smoothly when dry.  If you have too many revolutions around the roller, then that is a different problem.  Either use larger rollers or smooth the hair out using heat after it is dry.

2) Yes, semi-permanent, no mix, squeeze bottle hair color stain can still become permanent if the client is receiving a lot of hot iron services.  The heat from the irons can seal the "rinse" into the hair. Usually, over time, the heat pushes the stain deeper into the hair.  Roller sets do not press the color into the hair like a hot iron will.  This is another reason not to hot iron "dirty" hair.  You do not want to press dirt deeper into the hair shaft.

3) If your "blow-dry phase" is a "bear" then yes, you have resistant hair!  20 minutes is an average blow-dry time for relaxed hair and most natural hair that is not resistant.  If your hair requires 40 minutes to blow-dry, and you still have an afro to tame, then yes, your hair is resistant. Straightening this type of hair goes completely against this hair's natural behavior.  Interlocking may also introduce breakage because the interlocking technique actually straightens natural hair by uncoiling it. Traditional comb or finger twisting is probably the healthiest option for this type of hair.

4) The nape area is the most likely place to rip hair out because as we move our head up and down, our skin in the nape area stretches the most.  Have you ever had a new hairstylist to sew a weave track below the occipital bone in the nape area?  Once you bend your head down with a twist and a turn, you can hear hair ripping.  Same thing with locs at the nape, if interlocked too tightly, you can hear the hair ripping.  I have experienced both circumstances myself personally. So say "no" to tracks below the occipital bone and "no" overtightening of locs period.

5) Find your center part and count the rows along the hairline on each side of the center part.  The count from each side should match. 11 on one side and 11 on the other side.  If you have recounted twice, and you still get one or two rows less on one side then there is a good chance you have different size locs on each side of your head.  If the loctician does not pre-part your whole front ear to ear area before starting the locking session, then there is a chance that you are NOT going to get consistent loc sizes.

My Sisterlocks consultant that installed my Sisterlocks did NOT pre-part my hair nor did she count my rows.  So I have different sizes and a different row counts on both sides of my head. Ten versus Eleven rows.  It makes a difference, but a big chop to start over was not an option.  So be aware of this tip for those considering locs.

6)  Believe it or not, I just recently realized that my capes have loops to hang the capes by.  What an aw-haw moment!  It helps to visit other salons and see how they do things.  LOL!

7) Have you ever left wet clothes in the washing machine too long?  Mildew smell - right?  Well your hair is the same way!  You seal off wet hair or wet locs in a ponytail or a headwrap for a day or so, mildew may grow.  Just like you can smell when your clothes "sour" then you or your stylist can smell when your hair "sours."  You only need this to happen once to know that you need to be responsible when handling wet laundry.  So the same urgency is needed as it applies to your hair!

8) If you are ever curious if your hair and scalp is breathing properly, just smell your headscarf or headwrap.  If it smells sour, then "something" is not working.  Find a headwrap that allows more air flow.