Summer Hair...Sexy Beach Waves

So all of our favorite magazines are touting the hottest summer hairstyles...I couldn't help but notice that most of these summer styles require heat... There has to be a way to have fabulous summer hair without a whole of direct heat...right??? Well our mission (and yes we choose to accept it...LOL) is to recreate some of these hot summer looks without that NASTY HEAT MONSTER... Now we don't make any promises that styles are going to be exactly the same because we are not professionals but hey it's summer and we figure the only way to know for sure is to try...

So my first attempt at a cool summer style... SEXY BEACH WAVES

here's the magazine looks




it's a good look for J Lo



and Rachel Bilson

an article on how to get the beach waves look

http://beauty.about.com/od/hairbasics/ht/sexywaves.htm

most articles I found on recreating this look suggested using a curling iron and then separating the curls... I have tried that way in the past and it does work... but you need to add oil sheen and polisher afterwards to get a shiny look because your hair is so dry (and please don't forget the heat protectant if you try it this way)

My Challenge:

Okay since I was determined to use NO direct heat for this style.. here's what I did


Washed
Light Protein Treatment
Coffee Rinse
Deep Conditioned
Air Dried
After my hair was dry, I moisturized and then parted it into 4 sections and did a big bantu knot in each section
Slept on it overnight and VOILA (ignore the scowl on my face...I'm feeling a bit under the weather)

here's what you get... be kind...I don't have a lot of experience with bantu knots







All in all I give myself a B+...I would like them to be a little bit cleaner but they are supposed to be tousled... Okay so you all weigh in... what grade would you give me and will you be trying this style out for summer??

Better Hair = More Confidence????

Okay so I realize that some of you may be reading the title and saying "Duh Ke Ke".... But I have to say that I did not realize how much my confidence was actually tied to my hair... Like every human being, I've experienced moments of self-doubt or even felt unpretty but for the most part I'm a pretty confident chica....

Whenever my friends and I have prepared for big events, we've often channeled or compared ourselves to our favorite celebrities... For instance, I am about the same complexion as Halle Berry and even the same hourglass body shape(but I am heavier than she is) so many times when I was considering a style or an outfit, I used her as inspiration... In fact, once a friend and I were planning a vacation and I literally planned all of my outfits based on various outfits Halle Berry was wearing in pics... Yep it was that serious... and before you fall out of your seat laughing you should know that I got compliments on my clothes all week.

So what's the point??? Well a few weeks ago I was having a conversation with some friends and the question arose about which celebrity we'd most like to "be" like... In the past, I would have had a ready answer for that question... While I don't envy her personal life, I've always admired Halle Berry's beauty, confidence, and persistence to pursue her dreams...BUT for whatever reason that day when the question was asked I felt like I was at a loss... I don't envy any celebrities, I thought and really the way I feel about myself right now I don't want to emulate any of them... I'm just so proud to be Ke Ke right now.. and quite honestly, I feel like the only thing that has changed about me in the past few months is my hair...

Maybe it sounds crazy but I really feel like the triumphs I have had with my hair over the last 9 months have instilled a new confidence in me.... I have always known that when it comes to work if I set my mind to it then I could accomplish it but some things I thougvht were beyond my control... my hair was definitely one of those things... when it wanted to behave it did and when it didn't I couldn't do anything about it but pull it back in a ponytail... I no longer feel helpless about my hair... in fact, I feel like I can grow it to any length that I'd like... I love that it is full thick and bouncy...I see myself differently when I look in the mirror... I used to envy women with long hair (especially women of other races) because it seemed like they had "perfect" hair and I just thought that was beyond my reach AND now I know just how great my own hair CAN be... and it's a great feeling...

I have received messages from Black women who say they thought the only way Black women could have long thick hair is by getting a weave or wearing wigs.... the truth is, Black women can grow long hair.... Our hair grows at the same rate as everyone else's...there is no scientific proof at all that our hair grows slower than other races...our problem comes with length retention and we fail to retain length because we don't know how to properly care for our hair... But we can learn !!

Remember even in a world full of chaos, you can achievve a healthy state of hair...

Tea Rinses Reduce Shedding

We get a lot of emails from you guys about excessive shedding. If you follow us at all you know that I suffer from lupus and take various medications to combat this disease. One of these medicines, a very strong steroid, was causing my hair to come out in clumps and me to collapse in tears. I had read several blogs about garlic but it really didn't do much for my hair and I really could not stomach the smell. Fortunately, I discovered a great alternative: black tea rinses.

To accomplish a black tea rinse you'll need to brew up some regular black tea (I like Earl Grey and English breakfast but you can use any black tea you like)... Let it cool, then wash your hair. You can either pour the tea directly over your head, catch it in a bowl and repeat that step 4 more times or you can pour the tea in and immediately cover your head with a plastic bag and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then rinse and deep condition.

Don't try to comb your hair before you DC because the tea will make your hair feel very coarse and combing will lead to breakage. You will notice the results immediately and tea rinses can be done weekly.


Even in a world of chaos, you can have a Healthy State of Hair

Scritching/Scalp Massaging

You've heard me talk about scritching before and probably thought that I just couldn't spell...LOL... but it's not a typo... Scritching is the art of scratching the scalp with an instrument. Some of you are probably looking at the computer screen cross-eyed, for years we've been told not to scratch our scalp. I even had a stylist scold me for it and I thought well what the heck am I supposed to do when it itches. I'm not advocating digging into your scalp with your fingers or even the old fashion scalp scratching that involves vigorously combing the scalp with the teeth of a rattail comb. The problem with both of these methods is that they aren't really controlled motions and you end up breaking the skin of the scalp which can actually lead to infections and/or scalp sores.

Scritching/scalp massaging however, when done correctly are beneficial to the hair AND scalp because they promote scalp circulation which can prevent/treat dry scalp, dandruff and actually promote hair growth.

So I'm going to try my first pictorial (I get a kick out of saying that, pictorial...LOL) to show you all how to scritch/scalp massage

What you'll need:





a metal-less ponytail holder (yes all of mine are stretched out of shape...LOL.. I have a lot of hair)

You can use any of the following 2 items to scritch... I have seen some articles that advocate using a paddle brush with the ball tips but I would not recommend that because it will tangle the hair which will inevitably lead to breakage



a rattail comb






scalp massager (can be bought for about 2 bucks at any BSS)


Steps:

1st pull your hair back in a low ponytail... if your hair is ear length or shorter then brush it all back in one direction



If you're using a rattail comb, push the tail end of the comb through your hair in a zig-zag, back and forth motion





If using the scalp massager, just work in a circular motion until cover your entire head




I usually scritch for about 10 minutes a day 3-4 days a week

Happy Hair journey !!!

NO HEAT STYLES

If you've been following us for a while you know that I have been almost 9 months without direct heat and I feel that it is the reason for my great progress. In September of 2009, I had shoulder length hair and decided that I wanted healthier, longer hair. In May 2010, less than a year later my hair is now bra strap length. Contrary to popular belief, Black hair does grow and although individual hair growth rates vary, on average Black hair grows just as quickly as women of other races . Our problem is with retaining length.

I have received a lot of messages from people stating that they just cannot style their hair without direct heat. I feel your pain because for so much of life I believed only heat and professional stylists could tame my hair. I felt hapless when it came to caring for and styling my hair, and like many of you I was willing to pay almost any amout of money to anyone who claimed they could give my hair that well coiffed look.

The truth is you can style your hair without direct heat and I will prove it to you and even teach you how to do it for yourself.

First up is airdrying..... I'll never forget the first time I tried this my hair was a hot mess... There is just no other way to say it. I swore it off immediately but recently I revisited airdrying and I've found a system that works..

Here are my steps

Pre-poo

Wash

Coffee rinse

Deep condition

Applied leave-ins... I used our own moisturizing leave-in and shea butter moisturizer

Parted my hair down the middle and then ponytailed one section

Using a wide tooth comb to evenly sepaprate the hair I gently combed the section that was not in a ponytail. Take ponytail down and repeat on new section of hair.

The ends dried fairly quickly but the roots were still damp afvter many many hours so I sat under the hooded dryer for about 15-20 minutes on cool.

Afterwards, my hair was still very stiff so I added more moisturizer so that I could shape my hair and return the softness...

Now ya know I wouldn't leave you without pics

this is immediately after



and this is 3 days later...as you can see it got progressively better




Maintenance: I didn't wrap it because lately wrapping my hair has been causing serious tension on my edges. Instead I parted my hair down the middle and did 2 french braids and then slept on my pillow case... In the morning, I take down the braids and shake out...it does leave a little wave pattern to my hair but I like that

Protective style I tried after airdry

Stretching: What is it? How can it help you? Should you be doing it?

Stretching, in the world of healthy chemically treated hair, refers to extending the time between relaxer applications.

For years Black women have told that they must re-touch their relaxers every 4-6 weeks.... The problem with this is that on average the hair grows .5 inches a month (that's the average, your hair may grow slower or faster than the average) so at 4 weeks you probably don't have enough noticeable new growth and you are much more likely to overlap , i.e. putting the relaxer on hair that has perviously been relaxed. What's wrong with that? Putting more relaxer on hair that has previously been relaxed breaks down the previously relaxed hair leaving it weak and prone to breakage.

Most hair care gurus suggest waiting at least 8-10 weeks between relaxer applications to prevent overlapping but we think 10-12 is better.

Don't get me wrong, we undertand that stretching is an adjustment... We're so used to slapping in a relaxer at the first sign of new growth and you'll probably even have some well-meaning friends and family members say, "Girl, it's time for a re-touch" but in the end your hair will be stronger, healthier, and you'll be able to retain length, making it much longer.

You have three choices on how to handle your new growth when you're stretching...

1) wear curly hairstyles so that the different textures aren't that obvious... try braid-outs, bantu knot outs, or twist outs to blend the two textures

2) flat iron your new growth only.... It is healthier to apply heat to unprocessed hair than it is to apply it to chemically treated hair... Don't forget the heat protectant and don't make the flat iron too hot

3) just let the new growth go.... Personally, I've just embraced that my new growth is what it is...my hair... and so I usually roller set through my stretch which tames the new growth some but my hair and heat seem to be mortal enemies so I don't intend to subject them to each other often

More Tips for stretching:
1) Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize.... pay special attention to the line of demarcation between the new growth and the relaxed hair, the new growth itself and those vulnerable ends

2) Only detangle in the shower or when hair is wet.

3) Wash hair in sections to diminish tangles

4) Balance protein/moisture


HHJ!!

Benefits of Hibiscus

LOL... yes I'm talking about the flower.... In addition to being pretty and fragrant, the hibiscus flower also offers a lot of health benefits.

Health benefits of the hibiscus flower include:

Lowering blood pressure... scientific studies have proven what non-traditional medical practictioners have known for centuries... hibiscus tea can lower blood pressure by successfully preventing oxidation of low-density lipoprotein. But don't just take my word for it read about it here: http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20081110/hibiscus-tea-may-cut-blood-pressure or watch it on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wts2HHW1AdM

Packed with vitamin C, hibiscus is also helpful in boosting your immune system and
helping to recover from colds

Hibiscus tea also helps fight cholesterol and CAN AID IN LOSING WEIGHT... yep yep that pretty little flower acts a diuretic and can reduce your appetite. AND it's caffeine free!!!

Now I couldn't leave this blog without telling you all about the benefits of hibiscus on HAIR!!! Hibiscus helps prevent dandruff, HAIR LOSS, and helps prevent split ends... Indian women have been using hibiscus treatments for decades and rave about its ayurvedic powers.

Personally, I have added hibiscus oil to my scalp massage oils and added hibiscus water to my leave-in conditioner.... I also suffer from high blood pressure (apparently a side effect of lupus) and have been drinking the hibiscus tea daily for a week. I'll let you know how it goes after 30 days...