Healthy Hair requires Healthy Habits

Balanced meals, balanced diets, multi-vitamin supplements, and exercise are all a part of wellness.  Similar to reading the tree rings embedded into a tree stump,  our hair strands can tell us which time periods that we had healthy lifestyles and less healthy lifestyles.

When we eat right and exercise, our hair grows in fuller and less vulnerable to breakage from hair chemical processes.  However, bad nutrition will lead to weaker hair growing in which is vulnerable to breakage.

So if you look down a long strand of hair, you will probably find that your hair strand is NOT a consistent thickness.  Some areas will look thicker, and some areas will look thinner.  Similar to the picture of my Sisterlock above, I can tell that the loc started off too large for my curl diameter in that back area of my head.  So my loc balanced itself out into the appropriate size for my curl pattern.

To take things a little further, I also understand that healthier eating habits will keep my new growth coming in strong making for strong, fuller locs.

So watch your diets!  Try meal replacement shakes that have good nutritional value.  Drink more water. Get proper rest. Take dietary supplements to balance any nutrition deficiencies.

Also, remember if you get breakage from a chemical process, then the strand or loc may have broken at a break point that was caused by poor eating habits months and months prior to the breakage.

A new year is coming.  Please commit to healthier living.  Your hair will thank you!

Brainwashed on Bone Straight Hair?

I captured these images from my "Best of Soul Train" dvds. The commercial is for Ultra Sheen Permanent Creme Relaxer. The date is around 1975, and the lady's hair is not "bone straight." Also, anyone familiar with hair texture, can also see that this woman's natural curl pattern is not kinky. She is probably naturally a Type 3 curl pattern.

It's year 2011, and Black women have gotten more accustomed to "bone straight" hair even if it means sacrificing the health of the hair for the style. For the "healthy hair" hairstylists, the "bone straight" mentality has become a challenge because people are so used to the straightness achieved from the ionic flat irons. So Black women are either going completely curly or they want completely bone straight hair. What happened to the midway point? Healthy hairstylists are finding that clients do not want this midway point. Some hair stylists have decided to either make sure the hair gets relaxed really straight or possibly use the flat iron for final finishing.

The finished look from the round brush blow dry service used to be enough decades ago, but now, even the dominican hairstylists are finding people want straighter hair in these modern times.

Literally, I have seen Black women with "heat damaged hair" still go pay for a round brush and flat iron service just because they like the finished look. I cringe when I see this happening, but I have to respect others' businesses. Sometimes this damage is happening on a platform at a hair show. In my mind, I am watching heat damage compound, and I can not say a word. Eventually, after the hair becomes completely fried from the "inside out," it will break uncontrollably. Flat irons heat hair from the inside out versus curling irons heat outside in. Indirect heat versus direct heat. No matter which heat that you choose, you can NOT use heat everyday. Direct heat is safer, but too much heat from any type of iron too often will weaken the hair.

Let's talk about image for a second. The "Sleek" look does carry a certain amount of prestige. People are driven by social acceptance and fame. The more texture that is seen in your hair usually means that you are viewed as "unpolished" in some social circles.

The best advice that I can give is to stay focus on maintaining a healthy body image and completing your educational goals. Most people can control their body image/weight. A fit body image and accessories can play off most any hairdo. Have you seen the editorial covers of some of these major magazines? "Crazy, avant-garde" hair mixed with designer clothes and designer shoes seems to be acceptable!

Do you need direction on weight loss? Jennifer Hudson is on the cover of Self magazine. I believe it is the August edition. She looks great, and her food menu and exercises are very reasonable. You do not have to feel like you need a personal chef and a personal trainer. Everything that she is doing is practical and can be done on your own. I really loved this article.

Choosing Healthy Hair over European Style

This picture was taken July 2011. This is the European, exotic style that the average man on a day to day basis have grown accustomed.
This picture was also taken July 2011. (It is an article update.) So I finally reached my six months without using a flat iron and was comfortable cutting the "stringy, heat damaged" ends off, and I have had quite a few men ask me so "what are you doing with your hair?" So my response is "riding out this heatwave." Their response is that you have a great smile; you can pull off the "motherland" look. It took me about a week to get a regimen down that works for me. Please see my article on "Day 2 is a charm" to learn more.

So of course, I have been struggling with conforming with what is more easily acceptable or choosing a low maintenance look that yells "culture."

By wearing my hair in a more natural looking state, I don't have any extra weight from hair extensions stressing out my scalp. I don't have to worry about it frizzing from humidity. I don't have to worry about sweating out my curls. I don't have to worry about a rainy day. I don't have to worry about the wind blowing it out of place. It can just grow, grow, grow.

Or I can choose to style it in the more socially acceptable way . . .

If I had a million dollar photo shoot, then I do prefer the European look. If had a million dollar presentation to give, then I do prefer the European look.

However, for day to day operations, I am going with a healthy low key routine until I grow it long again. I will continue to texturize as needed and then eventually fully relax it.

So I am choosing health over style for now. In the long run, healthy hair always has style. Patience is a virtue. Within another year, I will have an extra six inches to play with. I am looking forward to the future!

Don't forget to consume your biotin every morning!

For years, women of all races with beautiful, vibrant hair would tell me that they always take their biotin every morning. After reading the benefits of this "vitamin," every woman should be adding this dietary supplement into their daily routine. Apparently, if you are eating restaurant foods alot or eating a lot of packaged foods, then you may be deficient. Biotin helps to maintain healthy hair and skin!

I found a good article at this website: http://www.quality-nutritional-supplements.com/biotin.html