10 TIPS FOR YOUR LONGEST HEALTHIEST NATURAL HAIR YET...

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These are the 10 things I wish I knew in the beginning of my natural hair journey. Some things you have to learn from experience and some things you may be lucky enough to learn from other peoples mistakes.

1) DeepPrePoo TM : This is my biggest weapon to obtain a healthy head of hair. If you have problems with tangles and knots try doing a DeepPrePooTM. That's when you up the moisture balance of any basic conditioner. Just add raw honey, coconut oil and 1-2 oils of your choice. Make sure the oil of your choice is a ceremide. Remember coconut oil is one of the few oils that have been documented to penetrate the hair shaft.

UPDATE: I only DeepPrePoo with coconut oil for an extended period of time. I no longer use a conditioner as a DeepPrePoo.

DeepPrePoo

2) Trim: Like most of you, I hate getting trims but that won't stop my hair from splitting if I have split ends. I recently got 3 inches trimmed from my hair, and my hair looked thicker and healthier. Does trimming split ends make your hair grow? No. But it does keep the hair from splitting, which will cause you to trim later if you want your ends to be thick. Trim now or trim later, but eventually you will have to trim split ends. I usually just trim a small amount as needed. When my hair is in twists, I just clip the ends. Girl, just let go...

3) Scalp Massage:

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My stylist gives the best scalp massages in the world. When I used to go to him before I went natural, there were women who went to him just so he could shampoo their hair. He had mastered pressure points and the women loved it. I have to admit that when I went to him my hair was the longest it had ever been before I went natural.

Scalp massages help unclog hair follicles from the dead skin, as well as increases blood flow to the hair follicles, which encourage healthy hair growth. If you don't have a Gideon in your life just take an oil of your choice and massage your scalp in a circular motion with the tips of your fingers.


4) Herbal Rinses : Herbal rinses are when you take herbs of your choice and let them steep in boiling water over night. I have been using Rosamary and Sage as a final rinse on my hair after I rinse my last conditioner out. There are many other herbs out there to chose from, these are just a few.


Benefits:

Rosemary: Purifying, antimicrobial, antiseptic, and stimulating, this aromatic member of the Mint family is a tremendous conditioner for the hair. It also can be used a higher quantities in a rinse to darken the hair.

Sage: This fragrant herb is purifying, antimicrobial, cleansing, and astringent. Like Rosemary, it is a tremendous conditioner for hair.

5) Black Tea Rinses: 

Black tea contains a large amount of caffeine, which is known to block DHT. DHT is the hormone that is responsible for hair loss. Therefore, rinsing your hair with black tea can help prevent abnormal amounts of shedding. I usually add the rinse before I put my final conditioner on, then rinse it off.

6) Eat More Raw Foods: 

There are a lot of hair vitamins on the market that claim to make the hair grow at a faster rate. I'm sure that they are brands that will help increase certain vitamins in our bodies, but I don't believe that a pill will ever have the heath benefits of raw veggies and fruits. As I research how much vitamins and minerals are in a raw veggie or fruit, I'm usually amazed.

If you are deficient, keep taking your vitamins, but don't let that be a crutch. That doesn't mean you can't be cognisant of what you are putting or not putting in your mouth. Spinach, apple, carrots, kale, broccoli, beets, avocados are packed full of vitamins that benefit hair growth. Remember what you ingest or apply topically to your body eventually becomes your body. This is also why I'm a strong supporter of making as many of your own hair products as possible.

7) Misting Ends & Hair : When I got a hair cut a few months back, I realized that I wasn't keeping my ends moist. Our ends or hair should never feel like a Sahara desert, but should have some moisture balance throughout the hair shaft. I prevent moisture loss by misting my hair with a 50% spring water, 40% Rose water and 10% aloe vera. The best moisture in the world is water so since I don't wash my hair every day I make sure to at least mist it at night before I go to bed. This mix is easy to make plus it's easy to store.

8) Sealing Ends : After you mist your hair/ends or shampoo/condition make sure you seal your ends. Sealing is when you use an oil or butter to seal in the moisture that has been built up in the shaft. After a few days you may have to re moisten and reseal because a sealant is a gate not a brick wall. The moisture will seep through the gate as the hair becomes exposed to our environment .

I usually seal with Castor oil, Mowrah butter or a herb rinse. The seal smooths abraded cuticle scales and lock in moisture while creating a brilliant shine.

9) Protective Styles : Protective styles are styles that keep your ends from being exposed and your hair from being manipulated on a regular basis. Like a bun, braids, twists, bagging method, Bantu knots etc. I usually do Bantu knots and twist every week for a few days then bun my hair. When I twist my hair, I usually keep them for 2-3 weeks. This makes me happy because then I can get up and go, and it makes my hair happy because I'm giving it a break.

10) Visit a Dermatologist : After you have tried everything to grow your hair out, maybe science is the answer. A doctor will be able to identify a medical condition that maybe causing your hair loss. A doctor or a dermatologist could help rule out an underlying health condition that could be the root of your hair loss.


Of course these are only a few... So what healthy hair tips have you learn along the years?

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