No Heat Damage and How you can prevent it!

Yay! Very happy to have my natural texture back! 

 Hello ladies! I am happy to report that there is not one strand of heat damaged hair on this natural head of mine!   I can't say that I wasn't a little nervous because my first flat ironing experience a couple years ago was not as successful.  As I've said before, flat ironing your natural hair is always risky(when keeping your natural pattern and texture is important!)  I was  confident in the condition of my hair going in for my service but there was still an element of fear because I wasn't the one flat ironing it.  Although I am no pro at flat ironing or preventing heat damage, yet! I can definitely share some tips that will  lessen your chances of  crippled curls!  

•  Don't have your hair flat ironed on a whelm.. Prepare your hair 1 to 2 weeks in advance
•  During prep week(s) do a strengthening treatment on your hair (you can do Henna or a mild protein  conditioning treatment) &  do a Deep Moisturizing Conditioning treatment. 
• During  prep week Moisturize, Moisturize,Moisturize(you can wear wash n goes, or increase co-washes, never flat ironed dry brittle hair)
• If you're seeing a stylists, book a consult in person first to discuss their process and your expectations
• The day of your service make sure your hair is clarified or cleansed well(you can opt to deep condition again if you choose)
• Don't blow dry soak and wet hair on high heat. Use low to med heat or you can put in chunky twists and let it stretch dry up to 85% or sit under a dryer
• Add a Heat Protectant before using direct heat
•  Blow dry your hair the rest of the way, I would use a med setting. (Some people can skip blow drying all together)
• Use a ceramic plate flat iron with a temperature gauge (Avoid the marcel stove irons)
• Flat iron small pieces of hair; no more than one or two passes 
• To up keep, do not add any more heat, use natural styling(bantu knot outs, Bun outs etc.)
• Also, try to limit flat ironing to no more than twice a year if your natural texture/curl pattern is important to you

What temp should I use?  On Temperature I personally would not go over 400 degrees f on the iron. But everyone's hair is different and it would be smart to start off as low as you can and work your way up in heat as needed to get results you are comfortable with. Also, if you have textures throughout your head that are looser than others, I would lower the temp to avoid heat damage in those areas because they typically don't need as much heat to get straight.       

ONE LAST TIP! When I was ready to wash my natural hair back in I used Hydratherma Naturals Amino Acid Protein conditioner first, as a deep treatment(over night).  My texture bounced back gloriously!  

  

Well, until Next Time!! 

How Healthy is your Hair?

Do you stress over the health of your hair?  I've been on this journey for a while, and I've finally learned not to stress over every little imperfection entangled in my mane.  So what is Healthy Hair? I use to believe  it was hair that is free from splits ends, knots, or breakage..in a word PERFECT.  But, one fact keeps me grounded when it comes to what I should expect from my efforts is that hair is NOT alive. It is a fiber similar to an article of clothing that we have to preserve to keep it looking nice.   I liken it to my favorite blouse or my favorite pair of jeans; no matter how expensive, or how well I take care of it, that piece of clothing can and will become damaged or aged over time.

Wash Day..Post Henna

The simple act of washing your hair can  damage it! The constant expanding and contacting due to water entering your strands can cause your hair to become fatigue, but you can't stop washing your hair?  Just like you can't stop washing your favorite blouse or having it dry cleaned.  Am I saying throw everything to the dogs and stop putting so much into preserving your hair? Of Course Not!  But what I am saying is  lets not stress over it so much.(And stress cause breakage too! ) Healthy Hair is hair that is well preserved, and a healthy head of hair can experience split ends, breakage and knots, but it doesn't mean that your hair is all together unhealthy.   


If you experience split ends or knots, trim them off? Some are forced errors and some are just a fact of life, aging hair splits, and splits will happen whether or not you use heat or chemicals. (heat does increase your chances though!)  But my point is, if you are doing everything you know to maintain healthy hair, and you are still experiencing occasional knots, splits or minor breakage. Don't Stress over it! Damage happens. Our hair will not be perfect all the time, because it is a fiber that can only be preserved. So don't be so hard on yourself.  If you are not experiencing massive hair loss or major hair breakage, but you're still annoyed; just take the time to examine what may have changed in your hair care routine, correct it, and move on. 

Two Strand twists.wearing for 2 weeks

Here's to preserving our Healthy Happy Hair! 

Amla Powder in the spotlight!

I love using Ayurvedic powders in my healthy hair care regimen. I started my experiment with these wonder herbs almost 3 years ago and have not looked back! I've found that there are so many wonderful healing, conditioning, and strengthen  properties in these eastern herbs that they are must in my healthy hair care regimen.  There's so much information out there about Henna, and a tad  bit about Cassia, but you rarely hear people raving about the benefits of Amla Powder. So I wanted to do my part and rave about it, because I think it deserves a lot more praise in the world of natural hair care. The benefits are amazing, and I can't see not adding it to all my other herbal treatments for optimum results!  So here's a very brief rundown of it's benefits... 

                                                             

Amla powder is created from a gooseberry plant. With this powder you can make a paste that makes hair glossy, dark and Luxuriant! (Just add warm water to make the paste.)

Amla Paste

 (Post rinse: very dark and lush, my hair is not naturally black)

  Amla controls hair loss, stops hair fall, and prevents scalp infections. It also enhances waves and curl patterns in naturally curly or coily hair. (This is a plus for coily-curly haired naturals, and especially to those who have experienced  heat damage and loss of curl) 

Noticeable curl enhancement after 1 treatment, after years of flat ironing & heat damage

 Amla strengthens the roots of your hair and promote healthy hair growth.   Amla also prevents premature graying of the hair.  This is an amazing herb, for women or men with fine or medium density hair looking for more bulk,  because it keeps the hair strong at the roots,  the hair is resistant to unhealthy shedding.  

Fine to medium density( heat/color treated hair) post Cassia & Amla treatment

Fine to Medium Density hair..Post Amla

(The women in the above photos have very fine  to medium density hair, and often use Amla powder in their regimens. They enjoy fuller hair with more density and textured hair.) 

Most of my clients say they can see a noticeable difference after one treatment. You can use  Amla  as often as you like(however pay attention to how your hair responds of course and judge based on that) I use it once a month, along with my Cassia Obavota treatment.  Because the paste is pretty thick I always mix it in with my Cassia Obavota treatments since I do those monthly as well. (If you find the paste is too thick add more water and your favorite oil to loosen it up some.)   So that's my 2 cents!  If you can benefit from any of these properties, I'd suggest you give it a try. : )

For more information on Amla  powder visit Hennaforhair.com

Until Next time, keep it Healthy and happy!

  

Product Usage/How to use heat: Chan Said Q/A Series

Heeey, Healthy Happy Hair enthusiast!..So, I'm really excited about this post.  It will be the first of many Chan Said: Blog Posts.   I came up with this post name through an inside joke that my friends and I have going.  Most of them have come to me for hair advice throughout their natural hair care journey, and whenever they share with their spouses or other people  in their lives what I've shared, It's Chan Said, this or that..  

a few of my natural friends

One of my friends said it became so frequent that her hubby start to make fun at her by saying.. Chaaan Said, Chan Said.....meddling her...funny right?   And then some of my other friends shared they were guilty of the same thing.. So it actually became quite funny in our circle of friends every time someone would say Chan Said, when sharing natural hair care tips.... I thought it was quite funny..  and since I'm ALWAYS getting asked so many questions, GOOD questions about hair care, I figured I'd start sharing what I said, with you! : )   So, I'm starting this sort of "Ask Chan" Blog Post series....

Other natural friends

  Most questions on healthy hair care, I feel I have solid supported answers for, and when there's an area I'm  not sure about, I research and give "my opinion."   Overall most people find the information helpful and I'd like to share their questions and my answers with you.  My answers will be comprised of personal,professional, and scientific data that I've collected, researched, and experienced.   But, most of us know that the best way to figure out what our hair like and does not like is to safely experiment with it, my info should always be taken as a loose guide, no natural hair police here! Do what your hair responds best to..period...SO with that being said, lets get started with my first  Chan Said:  Blog Post!


Anonymous:  " Hey Chan, What natural hair care products do you use, and when using heat, what temperature should  you set your flat iron to when straightening your hair out?"

Chan Said:  Hey Anonymous, My product selection, I use a lot of things.(because I love trying products)  But my favorites are:  Aubrey organics conditioners, Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie & their deep treatment mask, and Shidnaturals Moisturizer..(I love Bee Mine also but Shida's is more cost effective for me)    

Heat Styling Temps:

That is a tricky question because it depends on each person's hair, (and their hair's current condition). But do know: that your hair should be clean and very moisturized before heat styling. Let it air dry first-(stretched, instead of blow drying to lessen the heat exposure).. use a heat protectant and try a very low heat first to see how your hair responds. Start with 300 degrees Fare. or 140 degress Cel.. If your flat irons don''t have these ranges just go round about or set to the lowest possible temp. The bonds in the hair start to melt at 233 C or 451 F(source: The Science of Black Hair)    I would not use a flat iron that does not have a temp gauge.. Also, if you are trying to transition to natural hair, it's best not to use flat irons to straighten your roots because it can affect your hair texture and maybe even damage it.  (Another great tip that I recently received from Anthony Dickey of Hair rules, is to wear wash a goes every day for a week leading up to a heat styling session to make sure the hair is extremely moisture conditioned)


I hope this Q & A session was as helpful to you as my Anonymous reader,

Until Next time beauties! Keep it Healthy and Happy!

If you have any probing questions, don't hesitate to send me a quick note: Your question very well may end up in the next Chan Said:  Blog Post!!