Snip, Snipity Snip

The topic of Trimming hair is taboo to so many women! The idea of cutting off hair they have worked so hard to grow just does not go down well. My dear dear ladies, the truth is, if you do not trim your hair when it needs it, you will lose the hair through breakage. Every time you wash it, every time you comb it, every time you whip you hair, every time you dutty whine, every time you turn your head to check out a hottie, your hair will break. Give your hair a little trim ladies, you'll be happier for it....trust me, I am a hair doctor. (No not really LOL) 

Trimming is important to remove split ends or small knots that cannot be unravelled.

There are 3 main ways to trim hair depending on the length of your hair, the extent of damage in your hair and how much hair you are willing to take off.

The first method is the Search and Destroy method.

This method is for people who want to lose as little length as possible. Simply take very small sections of hair, seek out any damaged/split strands and carefully snip approximately a centimeter away from the end of the strand. You can do this as often as you need to.

The one small disadvantage to the method is that you might end up with slightly uneven hair but at least what you have left is all healthy hair and you save a lot of length.                                    (that is me actually searching and destroying)

Method number two is Dusting. This is for people who regularly get knots and split ends. The method is to cut off less than half a centimetre of hair regularly (about every 6 to 8 weeks). It ensures that the problem does not get enough time to travel further down the hair shaft. However, if you are forced to dust more regularly, you are probably doing something wrong with your hair care regimen. Change things up. Do some research to solve the problem.

                                                          (that is me pretending to dust)

The final method is the regular trim. This is great to remove old unhealthy ends and is a good base level to start off managing you hair better. After a regular trim, you can then move on to the dusting or search and destroy methods. A regular trim takes off as much hair length as is necessary to fix the problem. Taking hair in small sections, cut off about an inch or more at a time until all the unhealthy parts of the hair have been removed.

NOONE should have to do this regularly.

 

(That is me pretending to do a regular trim and praying to Jesus I do not cut off my hair by accident)

 

Something  to note, Always use sharp scissors.

 

This next tip is for your general hair care.

If you go to salons regularly, do not be afraid to tell your hair dresser what to do! I have sat in fear, saying prayers to God on one hand and convincing myself on the other that my hairdresser knows what she is doing as I had my hair butchered or endured bad relaxers, or somebody combing through my whole hair with a fine tooth comb, or slathering pomade in my hair, or walking out of a salon with stark dry hair, and all manner of abuse. 

If you think your hairdresser is doing something wrong, Speak up! half the time they have no idea what they are doing. It is your hair. 

 

xx

Rapunzel Rapunzel, Let down your hair

Since my last post I have had so many hair related questions. "what is a hot oil treatment?', "how do you do a hot oil treatment?", "what other products can you recommend?". 

I finally decided it was best for all parties involved if I just did a series of posts on what I have been calling "my road to Rapunzel status". In the next few posts, I will be explaining what tools and techniques I have been using on my hair journey and hopefully you will get some good results from them too. 

To get started, there are a few basics any self respecting Rapunzel wannabe needs to own.

A wide tooth comb - This is pretty straight forward. You want to treat you hair as gently as possible. After your fingers, a wide tooth comb is the best tool for detangling hair. Always detangle you hair starting from your ends and working your way up. Patience is key people!

A pair of scissors - You need these to deal with split ends. There are various ways to manage split ends and I will be elaborating in a future post. Just buy some scissors ok?

A shower cap - You will need this for treatments as they generally require some sort of heat (instructions tend to be; 1. Put products in hair 2. add shower cap.). Shower caps help trap in body heat.  

A Satin scarf - I say satin scarf but what I actually use is a satin bonnet. A snug satin bonnet. A snug satin bonnet with strings to keep it tied to my head. I got tired of waking up every morning and literally LOOKING for my scarf! Satin scarves just cannot stay on my head through the night! *sigh*

Natural Oils - You already know about this don't you? Oils are extremely important to keep your hair healthy. Again, more details in a future post.

Moisturiser -  Hair needs moisture and you have to make sure to give your hair as much moisture as it requires. Dry hair is brittle and will break.

Remember to moisturise your hair strands from root to tip. Give your ends some extra loving. They are the oldest part of your hair, and frankly, they need the TLC to stay attached to your head.

Make sure to use a water based moisturiser. If you currently own any petroleum based hair products, please step away from whatever device you are reading this on, walk towards that product, pick it up and put it in the rubbish. Apple hair cream is NOT your friend.

You know a product is water based if the first ingredient on the list at the back of the product is water/aqua.

Shampoo - I dont believe this needs a lot of explaining. You need to keep you hair and scalp clean to encourage growth. A point to note is to avoid shampoos with high sulphate contents. Sulphates strip hair of the natural oils it produces and this my friends, is no bueno. We are looking to clean hair not dishes.

Again, refer to the ingredient list on the back of the product.

You also need to know exactly what the shampoo will do for your hair i.e cleansing, moisturising, volumising, e.t.c and use accordingly.

Conditioner - The only thing worth saying here is that the road to Rapunzel status is littered with conditioner bottles. You will go through A LOT of conditioner. 

Pay attention to if what you are buying is a leave in, rinse out, or deep conditioner all thee types have a place in the healthy hair journey. 

Deep conditioner - Protein is essential to prevent hair breakage. Deep conditioners / protein treatments help strengthen hair and so are extremely important for your hair.

Ok people, that was Rapunzel 101. I know it was a truck load of information but no one said the road to Rapunzel status would be easy. Personally, I am determined to grow this hair atop my head and I hope one or two of you will join in on the challenge. 

xx