My Loc Length at 3 years 10 months

Yes, it is all mine!!!  3 years 10 months later!

I will probably always direct my back length toward my front profile.

Medium manicured and embracing my gray hairs that are increasing!

My Client: Before and After Retightening

I started my clients microlocs in May 2014.  She came in for her retightening with some curls. About four hours later with hourly breaks we finished tightening her roots.

Microlocs by Benita Blocker

Her curls were more controlled and organized after retightening the roots.  It was a lesson for me because I feel like I have a hard time holding curls, but I do not keep my roots evenly retightened.  This may be a reason why.

The Heat Solution for Fine Hair

The Electric Marcel curling irons supply plenty of heat for fine hair or even gray hair.  I have found the traditional stove and conventional marcel irons are just not the best fit for sensitive and/or aging hair.  Even with the heat tester, I feel the electric version of the curling irons with adjustable heat control are safer. I have six sizes to choose from.

The client's hair can be blow dried or flat wrapped prior to the electric curling of it.

Grey Hair is the new 2015 Hair Trend

photo credit:  www.360nobs.com

photo credit: pinterest

The platform artist has Grey/Gray Braid extensions.  (Long Beach, CA 2015)

Grey natural hair - East Coast 2015

This model said she started out with blue hair, and it faded to grey. She says she still gets compliments!

Thinking about going grey, gray, or metallic grey?  2015 is the year!!!

November 2014 Honorable Mentions

1.  Avlon Industries - makers of KeraCare and Affirm have launched a new hair maintenance line in response to the diversion challenges of the KeraCare line.  I have not tried the Affirm MoisturRight products yet, but the shampoos are sulfate-free.  Hopefully, you heard this announcement from me first!  Smile.

2. Please be careful with facial cleansers.  They can cause additional dryness around the hairline resulting in breakage.  You may want to wear a sweat band to protect your hairline when getting facials and/or cleansing your face at home.

3. Facial hair on women can happen as women age.  As a woman's female hormones lessen, unwanted facial hair may appear in the chin or jawline. i.e. chin wax

4. The hair on top of your head is not the only hair on your body that goes gray.  Eyebrows, underarms, private areas can become "salt and pepper" as well. Don't you love the aging process!  Ha Ha Ha

5. There are more metallic haircolors available now to mimic gray hair for those who want to become a "silver fox."

6. The NuDred sponge has even more competition now.  I have seen the knock-off version of it in the beauty supply store.  I first introduced the NuDred sponge in January of this year.  Please see separate blog article for more information on the original NuDred sponge.

7. Those in love with raw organic coconut oil, do not forget the cold weather may lessen the benefits of it because it will solidify on and off the hair. Please consider a different hairdressing for the winter months such as My Honey Child Sophia's Old Fashioned Hair Grease.  Please see my separate blog article on My Honey Child products.

8. Some natural women are finding that the conditioners that you usually rinse out work well as a leave-in styling agent.

9. Some of the towering large afros that you may see are actually wigs, but not all of them.  The real afros may get the assistance of a blow dryer.

10. Design Essentials Honey custard can be layered on top of the Almond and Avocado Detangling Leave-in Conditioner to lock in the style without any extra residue.

This is all the tidbits that I wanted to address for now.  I look forward to posting my "Best of" list by December of this year!  

Anti-Aging Hair Products- Important or Not?

For those who took my latest online quiz, you  know that all hair is dead . . .  so comparing anti-aging skin care products to anti-aging hair care products - there is no comparison.  Skin is alive.  Hair is dead, but the scalp is alive.

When I think of aging, I think of
1) gray hair and trying to keep those hairs colored
2) prescription drugs and their side effects
3) stress from the job, teenage children and aging parents.

Anything else, you can think of?

Well, I have clientele from ages 14 to age 84.  I myself will be age 43 this year.  I can tell you that all the crazy chemicals and colors that you experiment with at a young age can be done at any age, but if something goes wrong, your "recovery" is a little longer as you get older.

Also, many people are forced into double processing (permanent color and relaxers or permanent color and curly perms) due to graying.  Two chemicals compromises the integrity of the hair at any age.

I personally think that our scalp recovers from decades of abuse, but I will also say by the time you reach age 40, full recovery from relaxer burns and haircolor irritation may not happen.

If you are interested, you can research about DHT hormones and genetic balding which is a totally different discussion.

As far as retired individuals are concerned, I suggest discontinuing as many chemicals as you can if you do not have a corporate job to impress.

I also suggest that if your corporate job is stable and your manager is in agreement, "micro-locks" and "natural hair" should be considered as you approach age 40 or whatever age where you find that you are taking more prescription drugs.  For some people, that age is younger than age 40 and for others - well past age 40.

In addition, if you notice too much thinning, and you are age 24 - that is a clue that you are doing too much to your hair.

At the end of the day, your age is "nothing but a number."  If you have a drug-free lifestyle and try to stick to  healthy lifestyle choices most of the time, then you can be age 50 and double processed  and still recover quickly from some lazy hair days and too much curling iron usage for a week. I have seen it.

Your hair will stay as youthful as your body feeds it unless family history of genetics are beyond your control.

The Silver Fox Look

A quality gray wig is a great way to see if you can pull off the "silver fox" look!  This is one of Raquel Welch's wigs called Voltage in a gray hair color.  Retails for $225.00  

I had to ditch the yarn unit for a minute!  Also, I didn't feel "scalped" with my last retightening by my new Sisterlocks consultant so I think that I am going to do fine for the summer without any help!  By the way, my white shirt has gathers in it making my chest look huge!  I should have cropped this photo! LOL!

Shaven Legs: Learning about Hair Growth

Have you ever shaved your legs and felt stubble by the next day?  That's proof that your hair does grow.  If you are fighting gray hair, then that would also explain that the new growth of gray hair is a never ending battle to keep covered.

Now, let's take the discussion even farther, if you never shave your legs, would you grow a ponytail full of hair on your legs?  No, for some reason, the length does stop growing on the legs based on individual genetics.

Most stylists will say "cutting your hair" does not make it grow, but I have found that if there is a patch of hair that is not growing; if you cut it back, then it does spawn hair growth.  Hair on your head can reach unlimited length without regard to hair type.  One has to learn to work with their hair versus against it.

Also, for many, the side or patch of hair that you want to grow out is on the side that you do not want to lose any more hair length. So a good cut is usually a great idea if you want to try a shorter look, but it is not an option for someone longing for length.  Adding some hair extensions to support the style may be a good option.  If the hair is growing, but it is breaking at the ends, then one must determine what is causing the breakage in order to gain length.  Cutting breaking hair may help with style, but it will not resolve the breakage problem.

Identify the breakage factor, cut the hair into a healthy style, and either wear new look or add  hair extensions to enhance the old look.

So that's a lot to learn from shaving legs . . .

Gray hair: Conventional vs. Electric curling irons

So you decided to embrace your gray hair/white hair?  You periodically run a violet shampoo or voilet conditioner through to keep it "Paula Deen" or "Anderson Cooper" vibrant?  So you want to keep in it from looking yellow or discolored, right?

According to my research, Paula Deen just blowdries, round brushes, and finger styles with styling wax to achieve her "edgy" look.

As for Anderson Cooper, I am going to guess  that he would have a similar regimen followed by a hair polisher.

So what if you do not fall into the Paula Deen and Anderson Cooper "blowdry only" regimen?  So which curling iron is best - electric? or conventional (to be used with a stove)?

The answer is:  the electric curling iron with an adjustable temperature gauge.  Why?  Over the years, I have found that even after testing the conventional marcel curling irons before using them to curl the hair, some white/gray hair that is finer is subject to discolor slightly.  Medium to coarse gray hair does not make as much of a difference, but to be on the safe side, I suggest grabbing the electric curling iron with adjustable temperature control set to low to medium in order to keep white hair white.


A constant temperature from the electric curling iron takes the guesswork out of curling finer hair.  Just start at a medium to low temperature and work your way up as needed whether you are working with grey hair or not.
Example of both finishes:  Conventional stove and marcel iron versus Electric curling iron.

Hair by Benita Blocker (above, conventional marcel curling iron finish)

Hair by Benita Blocker (below, electric curling iron finish)

Both look great!  But one is a harder press than the other. The choice is yours . . .

Retired Clients, Relaxers, and Color!

 Hair by Benita Blocker.  This client is retired and fights the "gray."  About every 10 weeks, we relax with Paul Mitchell relaxer- regular strength because gray hair can be a little resistant.  We also use the Jazzing Coffee Bean color at her roots only.  It gives her a highlighted effect.  Amazingly, each relaxer service actually lifts the previous color deposits to a nice highlighted color.  The "previous color deposit" is dark at the start of the relaxer service.  So there is "white" new growth followed by "dark hair" followed by highlighted-looking hair.  But by the time we relax, there is very little dark hair left so when I re-deposit the Coffee Bean color at the roots, then you get what you see here!  Love it!

Hair by Benita Blocker.  Hair was curled with marcel iron #40 which is the same size as a aqua color magnetic roller.

Product Review: Gray Away As Seen on TV

My client brought me the "Gray Away" product to try, and I like it! You have to shake well and spray close to the roots for the darkest application, and hold the can away from the roots to get a lighter color. My client and I experimented with it before the shampoo process to see how it looked. Then we shampooed and styled and used the "Gray Away around the hairline and in the part area only. The spray is supposed to stay until the next shampoo.

Short Curl Pattern in SisterLock World

I found another gray hair. I believe that the curly portion of this grey strand is non-relaxed, and the straighter areas are probably relaxed.

In SisterLocks World, the diameter of the curl in the curly portion of this strand is considered "short." So this hair type is called a short curl pattern. The short curl pattern is usually the easiest curl pattern to lock minus the relaxed portion!

Temporary Gray hair coverage

This grey hair coverage tip is compliments of one of my clients! I introduced the "Tween Time" cover stick to give temporary gray coverage around the hairline. I also introduced the "Total Transformations Edges" product to smooth edges down. However, I never introduced the two together. Actually, I fell out of love with the "Smooth Edges" product and discontinued selling and using it.

Well, over the years almost every black hair company has introduced their version of the "Smooth Edges" product/cream gel. So I picked up this one pictured by Silk Elements. It has a lot of glycerin in it. I liked the ingredients overall.

So how should you combine these two products? Well, apply the color stick to the hairline where you need gray coverage first, then apply the "straight edges" cream gel to seal and keep the color stick stain from rubbing off overnight and to keep the edges straight.

I have not put this combination into practice yet, but my client swore by it. Hopefully, the brand will not make a difference. I tried it on my arm, and it seemed reasonable. I will keep you posted on my client feedback on this tip in coming weeks.

Wrapp-It Styling Strips: Black versus White

These wrap styling strips come in handy for wet wrap molding of short hair and keeping the hairline molded for longer length wet wraps while under the platform hair dryer.

Typically, the wide styling strips come in the colors of black or white. So when do you choose the black color versus the white color? If the client has gray hair or light colored hair, then the white color is best. The black strip could possibly bleed into the hair thereby staining it.

If all else fails, buy the white strips. They can be used on everyone regardless of hair color.

Safe Gray coverage on relaxed, type 4, resistant hair

As promised, a healthy solution to gray coverage on resistant, relaxed, type 4 hair. Also, those who have color allergies, consider this semi-permanent hair color option.

As stated in my previous article, gray hair /white hair is missing all colors. So all the primary colors need to be added back into it in order to get coverage and allow for the colors to cancel each other according to color theory.

I have chosen Nairobi TruColors Semi-permanent color for its intense pigment deposit. Also, they have a professional coloring guide to follow. In order to create a "Cognac" light brown color, I had to mix #4 Mahogany (reddish brown) with Marigold (yellow gold) as well as #2 Indigio (blue black). The percentage is mostly Mahogany followed by Marigold then Indigio as needed. Test the color mixture on a white paper towel, and you are ready to apply to resistant White hair.

There is no peroxide. There is no mixing with any activator nor lotion.

Dudley's Semi-permanent color line could also be used. I do not know the corresponding color names to achieve the same light brown color, but I do know that their semi-permanent haircolor does deposit a lot of color pigment as well.

For those who want Black semi-permanent color on their resistant, relaxed white hair but have found that the Nairobi color #1 Pure Black semi permanent haircolor only stains the hair. I am going to suggest using all three semi-permanent colors to cancel each other out therefore going dark. When you add medium heat, you should get a black color to deposit.

The individual bottles of Nairobi Tru Colors semi-permanent haircolor work great on pre-lightened hair such as bleached hair or on "sun kissed" hair. However, if you are fighting gray hair and need a corporate neutral black or brown, a medley of color bottles may need to be used.

Achieving Gray coverage on Resistant White Hair

I learned a new way of getting excellent gray coverage in less time during my last Chi Hair color class for curl patterns Type 1 to Type 3. (Not for relaxed, Type 4 curl patterns.)

Most colorists already know that a "N" on the color tube stands for "neutral," and that it is necessary for gray coverage. So this information is not new. Thinking about how the neutral series relates to color theory may or may not be new, but let's review anyway!

So the "neutrals" contain all three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. White hair is missing all of these colors and therefore, the white hair must be filled. In addition, all three primary colors cancel out each other netting a darker color.

On resistant white hair, even after using the "neutral" color, I found that I was not getting great coverage. It seemed to fill the white strands but not cover it so I would have to finish the color service with a low-level demi-permanent color. So it was a two step process for resistant gray hair.

Then in the Chi Color class, the instructor mentioned adding an additional "warm" color to balance out the "coolness" of the White or Gray hair. So if you combine the level N plus a level "G" for gold, then "Voila" great coverage of resistant hair in ONE step! (i.e. less time!)

Reds or golds should both work depending on if your client is going for blonde or redhead. "Black hair color" typically would not need any secondary help for gray coverage.

Even my non-resistant gray clients can tell when I add an extra "gold" to the color formula. It gives a little lighter results, but great gray coverage. Many clients like lighter haircolor to soften the gray as the new growth starts to come in.

On a separate note, I have found that the "rinse water" from a color service seems to cause damage to hair extensions. The protective coating on the hair extensions can be broken down by products with alcohol as well as water with chemical residue in it. When I speak of "damage" to the hair extensions, it means causing it to tangle especially if longer lengths are being worn.

In addition, clients with relaxed, type 4c curl patterns should not use permanent color nor demi-permanent color. Use "No mix" colors only. I recently pre-mixed three semi-permanent color together and acheived a nice brown color that seems to absorb into the gray hair without any peroxide worries. Please stay tuned for another article for gray coverage on relaxed, type 4 hair. If you are a type 4 curl pattern without a relaxer, then permanent color and demi-permanent color is safe to use.

Gray Hair: Relax or Color First?

Typically, the rule for highlighting hair is relax first then two weeks later, receive the creative color service. However, for gray hair, a client may find haircoloring is needed once a month to maintain grey coverage. Clients that are receiving color services every three or four weeks, will typically receive two color services before each relaxer service. For example: Week 3 and Week 6 may be color services and Week 8 may be a mild relaxer service. So the rule of relaxing before coloring does not apply when the client is fighting white/gray/grey hair coverage.

So what hair rules do apply or do remain the same for this situation? Use only "MILD" relaxers such as Fiberguard Affirm Mild or Mizani Mild. Even if the client thinks that they need something stronger, do not go past a mild strength. Relaxer lines such as Design Essentials and Straight Request do not offer mild strength relaxers. So be cautious of clients who color their hair at home, if you suspect haircolor, then reach for a mild relaxer and make sure that the hair's integrity is strong enough.