Clarifications

I think that I need to take this time, before we get to far into things, to clarify a few misconceptions.  This blog is dedicated to anyone who has any form of curly hair. The ideas that I will cover in this blog can benefit wavy hair to super tight curly hair, and (wait for it) even those with straight hair! :O (What! Yes, straight haired girls can get away with more but what I share can help them too.) Regardless of whether or not you follow every guideline I give, i.e., no flat irons, you can still achieve amazing results. Maybe even results you thought would never be possible.  My hope is that through our journey together you will learn how to pamper your hair, and hopefully, find pleasure with the hair type that God gave you. Please, feel free to ask questions and leave comments with regards to any of the articles. I want your input because without you I am just talking to myself.

No-pooing

“Huh? What on Earth is she talking about?” (I know that’s what you’re thinking.) If you read CG, then you’ll understand what I am referring to. If not, no, I am not talking about bodily functions. I am talking about ridding certain kinds of shampoos from your hair care diet. Poo, for our purposes, is classified as any shampoo, whatsoever, that contains sulfates. Stay Away From Poo At All Costs! :) (LOL….) Now seriously, you want to stay away from sulfates because they strip away needed oils from your scalp. These oils help provide moisture to the hair and combine with sweat to create the acid mantle. Overly disturbing the acid mantle is bad because it’s what helps to protect your scalp from the elements and harmful bacteria and fungi. (Protection is a good thing. We like that.) You can however, use shampoos made with very mild, gentle cleansing agents. These do not strip away all of the necessary oils, leaving the acid mantle better intact. Cocamidopropl Betaine,Coca Betaine, Disodium Cocamphodiacetate, and Sodium Cocogl Isethionate name a few of these milder cleansing agents. Beware, these milder cleansing agents don’t lather up as well as the sulfates do. This can be rather disturbing to some people who are hooked on bubbles. Don’t fret, your hair will be clean, although, there may be an adjustment period. (Give it a good month before you chuck the idea out the window.) Another concern that has been made is that you do not achieve the same squeaky clean feeling that you once experienced. My only retort to that, is, squeaky clean hair isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Squeaky clean, is an indication that you have stripped off too much of the acid mantle. The long and short of it is, stay away from poo, and don’t over do it with the milder shampoos. Start to do this and you will be well on your way to a poo free life.

Rain Rain Go Away

Ever have the rainy day blues? Where your hair won't do anything right to save your life? (Those days when you wish that everyone could pull off a bald headed look.) My day yesterday started out much like that. I washed my hair at the gym and to my dismay I found that I had forgot to pack my gel. Not having any time to run home I improvised by putting extra conditioner in my hair and hoped it would help stave off the frizzies. Let's just say, it didn't work so well. All the extra moisture from the rain was drawn to my hair like a horse to a carrot. The resulting effect was not so appealing, if this has happened to you then you completely understand. Luckily, I only had one pressing errand to run. As soon as I was done, I high tailed it back over to my house and remedied the situation. I attacked my semi-dry hair with a spray bottle and scrunched in some of my fabulous gel and; voila, my hair was 100 x's better. Turned out not to be such a horrid day after all. 

Rules

If you did your homework, and you are observant, you probably noticed that some of my do’s and don’ts are different than or just plain contradict the rules found in Curly Girl: The Handbook By: Lorraine Massey ( hereafter known as CG). “Why then”, you ask,” did I need to read CG if she was just going to do her own thing anyway?” That is a wonderful question. My answer is matter-o-factly that I need us to have a similar plane of knowledge on which to begin building your understanding of curly hair. There is plenty to learn and I have a good deal to share with you, but let’s face it, there is only so much I can write at once. In order to get to the meat first, we need to have a common language and share a common understanding. CG is where enlightenment began for many curly heads, particularly myself. While I don’t agree with all that Lorraine Massey has to say in CG, it opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking. That is priceless. Until you can open your mind and transform, it won’t matter what I or anyone else teaches you about curly hair. 

Do’s and Don’ts

Bottom line in this article you learn what to run way from screaming and what to embrace with open arms. Overlooking any one of these can bring on a bad hair day like a twister in a trailer park, and nobody likes that. I am going to start with the don'ts, because I always like to get my bad news first.


Don't:

1. Use any sulfates of any kind (it's a lathering agent that strips hair and scalp of vital natural oils resulting in dry hair).

2. Use any dimethicone, silicone, or anything that contains ONE in it (masks the problem, dry moistureless hair, and does not allow any moisture into the hair; builds up in the hair unless washed out with....a SULFATE! yuck).
3. Even think about using your normal terri cloth bath towel on your hair (texture of towel roughs up the cuticle leaving hair frizzy and at times knotted)
4. Use bad alcohols on your hair i.e. SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, Alcohol denat, Propanol, Propyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol (good alcohols are moisturizing, but these do the exact opposite; use them, and you’ll end up with dry brittle hair.)
5. Brush your hair, with a boars head bristle brush or any brush that has bristles densely packed, while dry or wet (can cause excessive cuticle damage and breakage).
6. Touch your hair until it is completely dry, except when applying gel and scrunching (oils from your hands cause frizziness and too much movement while drying will cause hair to expand).
7. Straighten your hair with round brushes, flat irons, or hair dryers  (harsh, I know, but if you want your curls to emerge from hibernation you have to give them a loving home to come to).
Now that we have the don’ts out of the way, we can move on to what you CAN do! :)

Do:

1. Use shampoos that substitute sulfates with Decyl Polyglucose and Cocamidopropyl Betaine (if used correctly, cleanses the scalp without stripping hair of all its essential oils; derived from sugar and coconut; gentlest cleansing agents on the market).

2. Look for products containing protein (hair is made up of protein and in small doses it can help to strengthen hair from the inside out).
3. Look for products with good alcohols i.e. Lauryl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Myristyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol and Behenyl alcohol (these alcohols add moisture and shine to the hair; they also help make conditioners their creamy consistency).
4. Use products that are rich in humectants i.e. panthenol, vegetable glycerin, sorbitol (helps keep hair moisturized by absorbing water and keeping it in).
5. Use a vent brush with plastic capped bristles or a wide tooth comb (helps to evenly distribute product; gentler to the hair resulting in less damage).
6. Find a soft, old, smooth t-shirt to dry and scrunch your hair; if you need to touch your hair while it’s wet, after applying product, use this (soft, smooth texture helps keep cuticle flat which makes hair shiny).
7. Look for and use gels that contain both PVP and PVP/VA, are colorless and have fewer ingredients (I’ve got nothing to add; just do it).
8. Use a bowl diffuser when drying your hair with a blow dryer and only dry 80% (bowl allows for less movement of hair if used properly, causing less frizzy big hair)

That’s all folks! I am sure I could go on and on; but really, these are the basic got-to-know rules. Remember though, rules can be broken; but first you must learn them and practice them before you start breaking them. How else would you know that a rule doesn’t work for you, unless you have first tried it?

The War

There is a war that rages inside of me. One that I battle with on a regular basis - Curly vs. Straight. And while I have embraced my curls with open arms there are still days when I yearn to return to my old ways. Days of flat irons, round brushes, curling irons and using any professional shampoo, conditioner, or product I wanted to. I know I wasn't happy then and that this desire is not good for my curls. Yet, there are still days when I long to be like everyone else and say "to heck with my curls!" To be honest, I know that my war has been won. The curls won and will not be relinquishing their victory in any future time that I can imagine. Yet the battles still come to test my sincerity. Am I alone or are there others like me?