This is why your hair is shedding (Part One )

If you're like most women persistent hair shedding can really do a number on your mood.  What plays with our minds more than anything is not knowing what's causing the shedding.  I've come across  many women who are freaking out due to hair shedding.  I hear questions like: "Is this normal?" Or statements like "I have tried everything", or  "hair comes out every time I touch it".    The first step to understanding  why your hair is shedding, is to understand YOUR hair.    What I have found is that most women don't understand the natural cycles and course of their hair.  In my line of work I've seen  all kinds of scenarios when it comes to hair shed.   I've detangled and manipulated hair that releases as little as 10 strands to a pile that is big enough to make a small wig! No joke.  In every situation there were specific factors related to that person resulting in how much hair was shed.  So you should never look at how much hair someone else is loosing during manipulation verses how much hair you are losing.

First understand that all of us have hair growth cycles and stages that our hair goes through,  and we can all be in different stages of the cycle.  As well as the seasons our cycles fall in.  Becoming familiar with you hair will help you know your shedding season.  Just in case you have never seen the chart of these different growth cycles here is the image below:

I'm not going to go into  detail about each phase.   As the chart indicates,  Anagen is the growth phase, Catagen is where the strand is resting, Telogen is resting and shedding.  There's also another phase not shown here called Exogen where the hair strand is dormant before it returns to Anagen.  

How long your hair strands stay in each phase is determined by your genetics.  For this post we will only talk about the Telogen phase as it pertains to our topic on shedding.   One thing you should remember:  It is natural for your hair to shed.  Some women believe  if they see any shed hair that something must be wrong.  This is not always the case.  Don't stress yourselves out, it is  normal to see some shedding. (Note: If you don't see the bulb of the hair strand, and the pieces are short its breakage not shedding) With Telogen  shedding its important to know when you hair is going through its season. On average it has been reported that most people are in this phase during the late summer and early fall months. So this phase can last as long as 4 months for some.  You most definitely can pinpoint which season you are in during  the Telogen phase if you are use to caring for your own hair on a regular basis.  Pay attention to the times your hair overall tends to  release more than the estimated 50-100 strands a day standard.   My Telogen phase is during the Fall.  I know this because before I starting locking my hair, I cared for my own hair 100% of the time.  My regimen was deliberate and consistent, and I pay attention to the characteristics of my hair year in and year out. This principal will help you pinpoint the reason behind most hair issues, and help you find a solution  before its too late.  If you have a stylist who you trust with your regular maintenance, ask him/her to help you keep track.   

Other factors that can contribute to your hair shedding: 

• Hormones
• Damage
• Low protein diets
• Stress
• Thyroid disorders
• Anemia 

In Part Two of  This is why your hair is my hair shedding I will elaborate on some of  the above factors that could be the result of your hair shed.  I will also point out what you can do to prevent or minimize abnormal shedding.   

Have you ever had a hard time figuring out why your hair was shedding, and finally figured it out? If so, please share the cause and if you were able to remedy it. We would love to hear from you! 

Well, Until Next time for Part Two of: This is Why your Hair is Shedding...Part two! 

Surgery, recovery, and a hair update.... Ladies, it's time to catch up!

So Here's your Latte!  I got mine! : ) 

What's been going on!? It's been a while since I've reached out.  I apologize, so much has been going on since the last time I was here!   You know how that can be, life has a way of taking over and sometimes overwhelming us.   When we last touched base  I was announcing my new micro lock journey, and had every intention of getting back here asap with updates on that, as well as a ton of info to share in natural hair care, growth aids, natural hair issues, concerns,  successes etc.. But every time I would think about posting something I could not get up the energy.   I found out around the time of my last post that I had to have a major surgery.   Having to  wrap my mind around everything with that, building up my energy to continue working, and planning for my 2 month leave of absence from my business was draining.   I will tell you, I have learned a couple quick lessons as it pertains to being an independent business owner needing Short Term Disability pay, 1. There is none  2. Everything is on you, so plan for it!    Seems like common sense but you just don't think about all of that until something happens.  Shoot, I was too busy working like nothing could ever effect my ability "to work."  So new business owners, please  save  or obtain insurance that will assist incase you are not able to work and make money.   If there is one thing I miss about working for someone else is not having to worry about medical insurance, short term disability, and taxes!  I so took all that stuff for granted lol.  I thank God that he has shown me what he can do!  I have truly had to rely on him during this entire time and he's come through for me thank you Jesus!    

I had my surgery about 2 weeks ago, and I am in recovery.  8 weeks total. I've been around here looking like the photo below and worse.  Primarily worse, lol!   I couldn't put too ugly of a photo on here I don't want to scare anybody : )

Thank God I had no hair worries! 

No heels for a lonnng while!  

Me , sweats, socks, and these ballet flats have been really close.. I won't know how to act when I can finally put on "real" clothes. lol.   Now even though my surgery  was 5 hours, yes 5 hours, which ultimately threw me  immediately into menopause  at the age of 39, I am doing well! I am glad that despite the hot flashes, and occasional emotional outbreaks I am encouraged and feeling well. I am moving around great and can't wait  to get back out and live my life,  Cabin Fever is real!  lol.    

As for my hair, I am now, 4 months  into locking and still loving my decision to start micro locks.   They get super frizzy and they are going through a lot of transformations.  Budding, shrinking, some bunching on a few, slippage,  but it all comes with the process of locking.  Glad I did my research and made peace before I made my decision.  I typically wear my hair in braid outs which really mask a lot of the frizzing and craziness that comes along with how your hair looks when you are locking it. Also the braid lock installation method  alone,  helps to mask that as appose to starting with coils or twists.  

So that's where I am with my hair, it is definitely more of a patience lesson with this journey because there is not a lot that you can do to your hair to help it along? You just have to wait!  So I am busying my self with other personal journeys to try and take my mind off of how long this locking process will take.  I am told it can take up to 2 years before they fully look like locks.  So yah? You can continue to follow that journey on my instagram  at chawthorne3.  

The Evolution of my Micro locks 

Well friends, that's whats been going on in my neck of the woods.   What's been going on with you? Have you been too busy to blog, vlog, research, or deal with your hair?   I know I have so much to blog about! I hear so many stories in my line of work regarding natural hair, and a lot of the stories are similar.  If so many of my clients are dealing with it I know some of you may be experiencing a bit of the same.   So stay tuned I'd like to tackle some of that to help you guys out.  It will not take me another 4 months to get back here.  I have another 6 weeks of lock down with my recovery, so I have nothing but time to post!   : )   Well Until Next time, keep your life Happy and Healthy!   

  

My Microlocks Journey!

My Shake n Go Baby locs! 

 Hello Natural Beauties! I hope you are  staying inspired to grow  your best head of Healthy Happy Hair?   I have been trying to get back here to write for 3 weeks now!  I do have a few things to share that should help spice up your natural hair care game, but first, I wanted to share what I've been into! 

  Yah  I know my title gave it away lol.   I've decided to start locking my hair!  It was an option I had been entertaining for at least a year and a half now.  I've always admired locs since year two of my natural hair journey but never thought I could or would do it.  In my research I found that there are several ways to start locking as well as several lock sizes that you could choose from that best fit your personality and lifestyle.   I narrowed it down to Sister locks and Micro Braid locs.  In the end Microbraid locs proved to be the best way for me to begin this journey.   I had 276 my micro-braid locks installed on 4-22-14 at Nappybliss Salon in Desoto, Texas.  

 Will interlocking new growth every 4-6 weeks

Some people were surprised that I decided to go this route, because my hair is/was " SOO Pretty"   What's that suppose to mean?  More on that when I start my new blog highlighting my new journey with microlocs.  But,  if you've actually read my blog posts about my regimen and process lately you could probably see the writing on the wall. lol.     

Love that its already full..I want full mature locs!

What lead to this final decision:  

After being a loose natural for 4.5 years I'd reached a point where I was no longer  enjoying my natural hair care routine/process.  I began to loath my wash days which began to take  3 days to complete from beginning to end(end meaning, my final desired style).  Because of my business schedule I rarely finished my hair in one day.  (And on those in between days, I was always looking crazy trying to conceal "the transformation").    I was spending so much time on my hair the longer it got, that I felt  I was starting to miss out on my life!  I felt I wasn't enjoying my natural hair in its full glory, but more so trying to maintain it and look presentable. Any extra styling flare had been placed on the back burner. My wash days had taken enough out of me.  And while I do natural hair for a living, by the time I got home I had no strength for my own?  I even cut it in February about 3 inches off,  which gave me some what of a fresh wind.... but that was short lived. lol. 

Whenever my hair was styled out it was always gorgeous to me. It's what people see.  But people, there is a process, and you have to be at peace with your process, before and after the style.  (Every person's Hair texture, density, lifestyle, skill level, patience level, and work schedule will dictate what your process is and how long it takes)    Natural Hair care processes are never one size fits all.   I have learned that my quick fix to problem areas are not always helpful to others because of the things I just mentioned, and vice versa.   I had began to complain so much about my process to detangle that I was starting to get on my own nerves!  Nothing I tried was ever good enough for me on saving time.  I was also starting to leave styles in longer and stretching out my wash weeks.  Whenever I did have time to do my hair, I was so tired from working I didn't want to do it. That really wasn't fair to my precious loose locks.   

Final loose hair shot.. hair shrunken from prev style. 

I finally had to admit that I was over my process, not my natural hair! lol.. I love my natural hair:  the texture, thickness, and kinky-curls.  I also love that natural hair can be locked and still look beautiful.

 I've done my research and I know locks are not NO maintenance, but  they are  LOWER maintenance.  I promised my self at the beginning of this year that I would enjoy my hair  and not stress over it but celebrate my freedom to wear my hair naturally, and as I please.  So Here's to my Natural Hair Freedom..

**exhaling**  Peace...I feel Great!   SO!  What recent turns has your Natural hair Journey taken?  

Stay tuned..my next post will focus on proven natural hair growth aides!  

My Top 5 Tips to stop Shedding and Breakage

Helllloo Ladies! How's your healthy hair journey going? Are you accomplishing your goals, is your hair showing much progress?  Well I hope so!  But if not,  today I'd like to offer a little insight to help you along the way. Hair breakage is something many of us face when trying to grow and maintain our best hair.  It can be really  frustrating doing all you "know" to do only to get less than acceptable results. If you are going to have the best hair of your life breakage is something that you will have to get under control first.   When there is unexplained breakage and questionable shedding, not knowing what to do can further thwart your efforts to grow and maintain healthy hair.  Below are my top 5  proven methods to bring breakage and excessive shedding to a screeching halt! 

  

1. Pay Attention: The best way to thwart excessive breakage and shedding is to nip it in the bud before it gets far gone. Pay attention to what's going on with your hair as you handle it on a daily basis, or weekly, however often you are manipulating your hair. Try not to mindlessly go through your hair without watching the sink, your comb, or your hands.  Inspect to see if there are many short broken pieces.  Check for single strand knots, or if your hair seems to be shedding more than normal from day to day or week to week. When you pay attention early, you can adjust what you are doing as it's happening before breakage manifest its self in a large way!  Example: as I finger comb or take a detangling comb through my hair,  I watch my sink to see if anything is popping off. If I see a short piece of hair right away I can determine why that just happened and correct it. Most of the time it was because there was a single strand knot that just popped off and took a piece of my ends with it!  Or it was because I was yanking through my hair  rougher than I realized. I then immediately adjust what I am doing.  I either move slower or take my scissors and snip any knots I see or feel before combing through it.  I always have my scissors close by when going through my hair. That way, if I come across a single strand knot I can snip it instead of just ripping it off which can lead to split ends, more knots, and additional  breakage.


2.  Strengthen your hair: This really is my first tip, but unfortunately most people don't think of this step until after their hair is showing signs of breakage or excessive shedding. As I said, you want to stop all of this before it starts. Protein deep conditioning sessions and or Ayurvedic (Henna,Cassia, Amla etc.) treatments is a great way to strengthen your hair so that it will resist breakage. I strengthen with protein conditioners twice a month and with an Ayurvedic powder treatment every two months.


3. Keep hair moisturized: By moisturize I mean use water, or using a water based product before using an actual oil to seal. When consulting with my clients I  learn that many of them believe that oil alone is an acceptable sole means of moisturizing their hair. It is not. Oil is a lubricant and aids in making hair soft to the touch and  shiny etc. But it is not moisture. Feel your hair on a daily basis to assess your moisture level; this will help you determine how often you should moisturize. Everyone can have a different schedule. By simply touching your hair every day to assess moisture levels you can avoid dry, crunchy, or stiff hair.  Bottom line: Dry hair breaks!  Try not to handle your hair when it feels too dry because you will more than likely get some breakage.  (Bonus: keep heat and  chemical dye usage to a minimum, these things promote additional dryness. If your hair is already prone to dryness you are asking for a hard time in this area.)

4. Be Gentle: I know you hear this ALL the time. But sorry, it is true.  The health of our hair is preserved in the way it is being handled. Just like delicate clothing you can not bunch, wrinkle,overly stretch, or use too much heat if you want your clothing to last. Our natural hair is not as tough as it looks. All of the curls,coils, and kinks make it easy to snap or break when there is too much force applied. Sometimes we don't know our own strength, I am a witness! Work with your hair in smaller workable sections that are moisturized and pliable. Use products like natural oils or leave in conditioners to soften before you handle.

5. Protective style your hair: This tip is very crucial when dealing with our hair. I  personally experience the best success with my hair when I wear my hair protected. I know as grown women most of us want to wear our hair loose and out, in its full glory all the time. But truth is: Most of our hair can not handle that and continue to progress.  This can be controversial for so many naturals. Face it, no one wants to be told they can't wear their hair like they want and keep it healthy. We women always want the best of both worlds. Now if you can  get away with that and still show amazing progress lift your hands and say thank you Lord, because you have been blessed in that area! lol. But for the rest of us frequent protective styling is the best way to see continual progress in  health and in length retention. There are many ways to protect your hair.  Find one that fits you and your lifestyle. Twists and or  braids is what I typically opt for, and occasionally I wear  buns.  You can go a week at a time, weeks, or months depending on what you choose. But the less you handle and go through your hair the less breakage you will have, and the more length you will retain.  


There you have them! My top 5 tips to stop excessive shedding and breakage. Of course there are other things to consider like hormones or medications.  But these 5 basics have never failed me!

So what do you do to keep breakage and shedding to a minimum?


Well, until we meet again!  Keep it Healthy and Happy!

Minimizing tangles,knots, and breakage on Type 4 Natural Hair

Well hello natural beauties!  I pray that all is going well with your journey?  At 4.5 years wearing my all natural hair I am here to tell you that I am still learning. Yah, the journey continues! With type 4 hair many of us know that tangles and single strand knots come standard. I didn't really run  into problems with tangles and knots until about year 2.5. My hair was a lot longer so there was more shrinkage thus more knots and tangles to deal with. I've kept those under control over the years by wearing my hair stretched in two strand twists. They have always been my go to staple style and has helped me to maintain healthy hair and retain a good amount of length. I've worn them protective up to 4 to 5 weeks. And when put in larger up to 2 weeks.

In the last year I sort of strayed away from twists because  the longer my hair gets the longer they take to install.  In my attempt to switch up my styling methods and save on time,  I have been reintroduced to how bad my type 4 hair can tangle, shrink, and knot up! I recently cut off about 3 inches to give my hair a nice shape, and since the cut, I've been wearing my hair in buns and ponytails. Lets just say my hair has reminded me that it does not like to be loose and.or out past 3 days or there is heck to pay! (buns don't stretch my hair in this state, the ends just further ball and curl upon themselves in the bun.)

                                                                                   Shrunken

The above photo is how my hair looked after wearing it out in a pony tail all week that I had been adding moisture and oils to. It was so fun and freeing to wear my hair out all week and not worrying about stretching, re-twisting or plaiting it at night. But hon-TEYS? Never again! With this freedom came single strand knots and tangles for days. It seemed as though every end  I had  possessed a single strand knot on it? And then when I added my pre-poo to detangle all of my ends were popping off where the single strand knot was. This is what slows down growth retention. Type 4  natural haired women ask me all the time why their natural hair isn't  retaining length. After speaking with them I find that they wear their type 4 tightly curled or coiled hair out most of the time, in a shrunken state. And I'm sorry, this is a no go if you want your hair to retain length at a faster rate, or at ALL for some people. I know people who have literally been at the same length of hair for years and its not been on purpose. (If you aren't trying to grow your hair longer then this is definitely not a big concern for you, as you can just keep cutting your ends off?)

Type 4 hair in my opinion is best managed in a stretched state. Meaning if you want to minimize breakage, knots, and retain length its better to wear your hair in a stretched state. Now it is up to you to find the healthiest way and the most convenient way to do that for your hair. Everyone isn't going to adopt all of the same practices when it comes to stretching, but definitely do what you can manage, and work it into your schedule.  Over the years I've always washed, deep conditioned, and plaited my hair to stretch it out, and then after about 90% dry I will add my two strand twists or plaits.  This has been working perfectly for my hair, and then  I had the nerve to not want  to spend 2 to 3 days post wash in my head.. Geez what was I thinking right? lol.   So,  I have been on a bit of a quest to find a quicker but still healthy way to keep my hair stretched.  So I've gone back to exploring the blow dry and or  flat iron heat stretching method.  

Blow out on Medium heat

I washed with a apple cider vinegar rinse, and did a protein "steam" deep conditioning treatment. I also used a silicone "this time" as a heat protectant (I typically use safflower oil or grapeseed oil). I used a silicone serum  because I knew I would be lightly flat ironing it, and wanted to see if it would reduce some of the frizz or quick reverting that I experience.  Although, I love how blow dried natural hair feels overall, it can make my ends feel dry. To counter that some I  saturate my ends in my deep conditioner and add oils. After I rinse, I use a heavy moisturizer, a protein leave in, and oil to seal. (Still trying to perfect the moisture to my ends).  After I blew my hair out this time I decided to run the flat iron through it, mainly out of length curiosity because I wanted to check out my new length post cut. Going forward I will use one or the other to heat stretch not both.

Flat ironed on 375

The flat iron seemed really hot to me even at 375, and it was a lot straighter but my hair seems to fluff out pretty quick after a light flat iron. I know if I want my hair silky smooth with flat ironing the temperature has to be above 400 and I'm not going there to get a tangle free stretch, its not needed.   After my hair was stretched I just threw in some plaits for a braid out.  In the future I will probably throw in some medium size twists to bun up for the week and twist out at the end of the week. And then re stretch the twists with plaits to possibly get another week in before washing again. (I've been using the Q-Redew to help refresh in between styles..will give my review on that soon!)   

It felt great to manipulate my stretched hair without worrying about tangles, because even with air drying my hair in stretched plaits, my texture is still tangley when those come down, and especially at the roots.  This just felt so much better. I loved it! So to manage my hair I am seriously thinking about doing this more often but I have to figure out how often my hair can take something like this. As I said, the ends is something to consider. If you choose to do any kind of  heat stretching on a regular basis you could end up with dry or crispy ends which can lead to splitting and you obviously don't want that either, so be sure to add tons of care to them prior to introducing heat.   There are also many other ways to minimize tangles and knots without heat(African threading,banding,plaiting etc). Also there are treatments like oil rinses,frequent hot oil treatments, and adding yogurt to your deep conditioners, or you can make up a homemade conditioner that includes yogurt.

Ladies, if you don't take anything else away, just remember that keeping type 4 hair stretched "in most cases" is the best way to minimize knots and tangles and to retain length. If you want to wear your hair out, by all means wear your hair out, it's yours and you should enjoy it!  Just know  that you have to be willing to put in the time and care on the tail end of that to avoid breakage.  You also have to know how far to go with that. We all know what our hair is capable of and what the limits are for our hair. If not, just hold on, those strands will be faithful to remind you as mine did! lol.  Until Next time keep it Healthy and Happy!

Loving my new cut! 

 

Hey Ladies, Decided to cut my hair! How is your Natural hair shaping up?

                                                                            Shape Day
       Pre-Cut

Hello ladies have you been natural for a while, and  holding on to length despite the shape your hair is morphing into? I have noticed over the years that many of us are so focused on how much length retention we have that we will hold on to every inch regardless of how it looks.  Last year when I haphazardly decided to enter a length challenge to MBL or Waist,  I noticed the longest point of my hair was directly in the center of my back, placing well past BSL. I was measuring my progress by the longest point of my hair. But, was constantly having to explain to people that, "all" of my hair on the bottom was not there yet.  

Above is my hair blown out and flat ironed in July of 2013

The shape actually doesn't look "that" off because it all straight. Just looks like my ends needed trimming, and I took care of that.  But in it's naturally kinky state my hair appeared to be growing a tail because the longest part of my hair which is the nape, is also a looser pattern.  I never wear my hair straight so I need it to look even, and flow as much as possible back there.  

(Earlier last month) Can you see the tail back there?   

(Last Year sometime) You can really see it here. 

This was starting to get annoying when I would style it. So I decided to abort my MBL to WL growth challenge and get this hair shaped up! The only reason why I was holding on to it is because I didn't want to mess up my length retention progress, but I decided I care more about how my hair looks overall. I didn't have her cut  too much, just enough to get it right!  

I'm guessing 2-3 inches  

(Light blow out and No more Tail!)

Light blow out(Nice and round)

Sorry about this photo quality..but you can see the shape!

I am definitely happy that I went ahead and shaped up my hair. I always want my hair to look nice and healthy. Length retention will always be a by product of healthy hair growth. As long as our hair is healthy we can trust that length will follow, if we want it!  I will never hold on to raggedy ends or oddly shape hair because I'm trying to prove to my self and others that I can grow my hair to my knees lol..Chile it ain't that serious with me. Yaay,  I can't wait to style this!  How is your Natural hair shaping up?

How are you planning to enjoy your hair more in 2014?

What else? At twist out. lol

Well hey there ladies and Happy New Year!!  I hope  you all enjoyed the holidays with your loved ones. I know I enjoyed my time with friends and family, and good food!!  Soo much food, and now it's over time to get back to business! .

 I don't know about you but I am feeling blessed to have made it into the New year. It says to me that God is trusting me, and giving me another chance to make an impact for Him. So I resolve to grow closer to the Lord this year so that we can be in perfect harmony. I know this will cover me in every area of  my life!  

Winter Crochets

As for my hair,  I've been feeling like I want worry free, carefree hair this year? Last summer I can recall setting a goal to grow my hair to Full MBL and maybe even WL, but something happened to me this fall and I'm still feeling it this winter! lol.  I just want to enjoy my hair.  So much can go into continuing to retain long Kinky Natural hair. The longer your hair the more gentle you have to be because the hair on the ends is older. I have  lost some serious patience within the last six months with my hair, and I believe it's my schedule. I don't have as much time to spend on it. So I've decided I better put my precious locks away before I do something I regret! I've been looking at twa's and  short curly bobs a lot more lately. lol.  

I'snt' this cute!?  And it looks easy. 

 I am here to tell you if you want to grow your hair long and healthy you can definitely do it! But remember to set a realistic goal. Not an attainable "length" reality but, being real with how much hair you think you can deal with, keeping it healthy, and enjoy it at the same time.  Lets face it, what's the point of having long beautiful natural hair if you can't enjoy it?  I don't want to constantly think about some of the things I think about in order to have waist length hair. So what am I saying?  I'm saying I just want to enjoy my hair, and without having to spend hours in it on wash day(s).   This doesn't mean that I want to wear it out every chance I get(can't deal with the SSKs) But I  want to let go and let flow and this year, I shall be doing that.  Yes, I would like to "see" my hair just a little longer, but  I  am going to continue to doing the things I know I should to keep my hair healthy and happy. Period. I won't be measuring, and setting length goals for my hair to reach by certain dates. I will no longer be afraid to flat iron my hair more than once or twice a year for fear of heat damage, and I will no longer be afraid to cut off more than 1/8 of an inch when I trim! lol.  I've been natural for over 4 years and I think I'm out growing that. I know my hair can grow and it will eventually be where ever it need to be.  I'm resolving to keep my hair at a peaceable enjoyable length for me.  And on this year we shall find out what that its!  

          As for what's next? Once my Crochet braids come down I will probably get it flat ironed and a really good trim and shape, because I am growing a tail!! lol My hair grows in a V on the bottom, and that V grows pretty fast so I have to get some order in that area!  I  don't wanna look like a sting ray by the head,  when wearing my twist outs!  : ) 

  So, how will you enjoy your hair more on this year?(without damaging it)  What goals do you have set?   Remember, whatever you do keep it healthy, find a balance, and keep your peace of mind! Our natural hair should be healthy, happy, and fun...  

Well Until Next time!!    

Oh one more thing!  I really enjoy all the emails and questions I've been getting from my newly natural ladies, and those who are currently transitioning to natural or a healthy hair lifestyle.  If there are any topics that you would like to see covered that aren't here just let me know in the comments below!  Thanks for reading!