Showing posts with label natural hair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label natural hair. Show all posts

How to Determine your Hair Porosity

When it comes to natural hair, there are so many new terms and technicalities to learn about! One of the things that confused me at the start of my hair growth journey was hair porosity. To save you from confusion, I’m going to make this concept easy for you! Moisture is everything for healthy hair and knowing your hair porosity can help you determine the exact type of care your tresses need.

Hair porosity is a measurement to determine your hair’s ability to absorb and hold in moisture.


There are three types of Hair Porosity: 
Low, Medium and High. 

To determine your porosity, use the float test below!

How to be confident in your new haircut or style

Hair is so personal and it is who we are. I know we're bored as hell and want to do crazy things... like cut or perm your hair. What? ONLY ME? I got tips from a stylist named Lisa (former My Spiced Life contributor) a while back and now would be the perfect time to share it- since we are now entering stage 3 of COVID.


Are you ready to be confident?

Deep Conditioning for Natural Hair

I will admit. This is the first time I've been extremely interested in Deep Conditioners. I have a post about my natural hair coming up soon but let's say- it's been a REAL journey. Deep Conditioners are among the hottest thing right now. I truly didn't seem the gem in them until I did major research.

Deep Conditioning for Natural Hair

Best Way to Dry your 4C TWA Natural Hair

If you’re anything like me, you recently went natural and are rocking your cute lil’ TWA, or “Teeny Weeny Afro”. My hair type is 4C and for me that means it’s DRY and shrinks like nobody's business! I always have to make sure it's moisturized and I try to keep it as stretched as possible. This can be tough because my hair has a mind of its own, but overtime I’ve found ways to keep it in that state without too much effort. I’m a self proclaimed “lazy natural” and I just don’t have the energy or care to be worried about my hair all the time. I make it a point to keep my 4c hair in a moisturized, stretched state with the least amount of effort possible!


For this to happen, one of the most important days is wash day because of the drying process. 

When I dry my hair I keep these four steps in mind: Conditioning Comb Out, Damp Drying, Damp Moisturizing, and Stretch Styling.

Three Protective Hairstyles For Natural Hair To Do At Home

Bantu knots, box braids, weaves, cornrows, you name it, we’re constantly rocking these looks with style and grace! My personal favourite are box braids because they are so convenient. You can get them installed and not have to worry about doing your hair for some weeks! What a relief eh? Especially with the weather we have in Canada, black protective hair care is a must! Plus, it can be an affordable way of protecting your hair. If you’re a naturalista like myself, then you are probably quite familiar with the hairstyles mentioned. I mean, it’s basically a part of our DNA! I thought I would list three black hair care styles that you can try this year to keep your curls healthy and growing smoothly!


3 Hair Oils That Work For Natural Hair

Editor note: There will be a few more posts coming out about Natural hair coming up shortly. Shoot me an email or comment below if there is anything that you want me to cover!

When it comes to our natural hair, we have to be very careful when it comes to choosing the right products. We have to ensure that we are protecting our royal manes every day. I like to add hair pomade and oils to my hair in order to maintain its moisture and promote the hair growth process. My personal favourites are avocado butter, which contains avocado, shea butter and coconut oil. It smells really great and works well too! Usually when I apply the product 2 days back to back, I’m able to keep my hair moisturized until the end of the week. 


All of this depends on the type of natural hair you have of course!

Three easy ways to maintain your braids

When it comes to protecting your curls, it can sometimes be a hassle because you’ll be running around frantically, trying to decide on a protective hairstyle to save you for the coming months. For me, I can definitely relate to this and always opt for the first style that always comes clutch -- box braids.

Box braids are so amazing! They are super low maintenance, don’t require tons of product, and keep your mane tucked away until you’re ready to release it again. Most importantly, it helps to promote growth for your hair -- something that I truly need because my hair has been struggling of late.

I’ve had my braids in for about a little over 2 months now and have been quite proud to have maintained it thus far with the help of three easy tricks! Now, let me drop the tea so that you’ll be able to continue rocking your braids, stress-free!

Hair: Cleansing Conditioners?

To shampoo or not to shampoo that is the question. 
I started my hair journey a few years ago which now entitles me to do 
my own hair 90% of the time.

One thing I can tell about my hair is that loves moisture! There are a lot of talks out there saying that shampoos actually strip your hair moisture and conditioners cannot replace the full amount of moisture that has been lost. I have switched to a cleansing conditioner. Best decision ever! Most cleansing conditioners are really good for the hair because they don't contain harsh chemicals and they really help your hair maintain moisture. I love how soft my hair is after using them.


Click the product below and check some of my favourite cleansing conditioners!




Here is a shot of my natural hair- 
I have combed out my curls after putting in the Pantene damage repair cleansing conditioner ($9.99 CAN).

Do you have a favourite cleansing conditioner?

Extensions that work with Natural Hair

It's important to try different textures when trying out extensions. Now that I have fully transitioned to natural, bone straight hair just doesn't work for me anymore. I was contacted by a Canadian on-line hair store in BC called Go Hair Shop to try out some clip-ins/bundles.

At first glance, I was going to decline because I only saw bone straight textures- which I detailed earlier- not my thing anymore. After doing some research with the owner (Jenia), she suggested I tried the Bohyme Brazilian Wave.

Let me say when buying hair online, it's important to get in contact with the seller to find out what they fully offer. The Go Hair Shop offers consultation on hair type to choose, colour or application method. They have everything from wefts to I Tip fusions to clip-ins.

Back to the Bohyme Brazilian Wave, If you're natural and looking for extra length it may be an great option because the hair has a lot of texture.

Bohyme is the name trusted by top salon professional worldwide. It is the first 100% remi human hair available in the market...each strand of hair is hand selected to ensure the cuticle layers are all aligned in the same direction so no tangle occurs.

The hair shop gives free samples with all orders. In my package, I received a small sample of Jamaican Castor Oil (my favourite).

First impressions out of the pack: 
  • Looks like blown out natural hair.
  • Matches my hair
  • Soft & easily manageable.
It should be noted that once you wash the hair the texture COMPLETELY changes. It's turns into a tight wave. Still very pretty but getting it back to the original state was tricky. This is when products like dry oil becomes your best friend.

Cons:
  • Tangling at root & ends
    This hair is high maintenance. I tried my best not to add product other than Aloe vera gel or water but it still tangled.
  • Matting
    This hair can't be worn the same style for more than three days. Whether it be a twist out or curls- you need to add water product to the hair comb it out and start again.
Pros:
  • Texture was really nice.
    When I did my twist outs with Bohyme- No one knew I had pieces in. My hair matched perfectly.
  • Volume
    Two packs to either make clips ins or sew in is more than enough.

Overall if your natural like me and want to wear natural with a bit of help. I'd recommend the hair but remember it needs a lot of maintenance.

Why you should pay close attention to ingredients in your hair care products


I will admit never use to pay attention to the ingredients in my hair care products. After reading into what prolonged use of Sulfate products can do to your health, I have decided to pay more attention.

I recently received this email and I decided that this was perfect to share with you all. Who knows if this information is 100% but it's good to know what Sulfates can (possibly) do:
  • Sulfates can worsen acne conditions as well as make your scalp to become dry. They can make the scalp to become more permeable. That makes it easier for harmful hair products to be absorbed easily
    by your scalp which may cause great harm in the end.

  • If you use a shampoo that contains sulfates on colored hair, it washes away the color as the ingredient is mainly a cleanser.

  • Some research findings from Germany also state that sulfates may cause hair thinning and hair loss in some cases.

  •  Sodium Chloride, Paraben & Sulfate also cause damage to the hair follicles which causes you to have a weak hair structure and little hair growth.

  •  If you accidentally ingest shampoo containing sulfate and or Paraben you could experience symptoms like vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Similarly if you directly inhale a shampoo that has a high concentration of sodium chloride you can experience irritation in your respiratory tract and allergic reactions such as coughing & difficulties in breathing. 
Ladies, what do you think? 
Do you use hair products with sulfates in them?

Info supplied by The Little Luxuries