Category: how to shampoo natural hair
4 FroHawks That Will Make Your Mouth Drop
I just love a frohawk!
Why?
Well, it’s easy to do, looks am-a-zing and is perfect for the slightly colder months and the humid months where it’s easy to get frizzed up.
Here are 4 gorgeous frohawks that will leave you in awe.
Check them out below and if you like them, leave a comment below sharing what your favourite hairstyle is.
How to Prevent and Reduce Heat Damage
Most naturalistas have suffered with it at some point. After all, the obsession with turning your tight coils into slick straight tresses is one that most of us have or have had at some point in our lives.
Yes, slick straight hair looks great but there’s a price to pay when you obsess over having it.
Nonetheless, there are ways to prevent and reduce the damaging effects of heat on the hair.
- Lower the heat setting.Rather than straightening your hair at 200 degrees celsius, reduce the heat down by 50 degrees to lessen the chances of any excessive damage.
- Prep your hair before you even begin straightening it. For instance, a good deep conditioning treatment before applying heat can make a huge difference in reducing the amount of damage that heat causes. Also, apply heat protectants so that your hair doesn’t suffer from the burn of a flat iron.
- Opt for wigs as a quick and easy alternative to straighteners. Wigs are awesome if you feel like changing your hair for a few days or want a snazzy style for a special occasion. Rather than ruining your natural curls, try rocking a high quality wig instead.
- Trim off excessively damaged hair the minute you spot it. If you see a kink that’s become limp, snip it off! You’ll save yourself from further damage in the process.
Now it’s your turn. Do you have any hair-saving tips to share? Leave a comment below.
If you liked this post, tweet it and tag us on social media @mycurlsuk.
Till next time x
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Order 2 Curl Smoothie’s and get 2 Cleansing Cream shampoos.
Offer ends tomorrow at 9pm BST. Grab it before it’s gone!
Hair Overwhelm: Has The Natural Hair Movement Has Caused More Harm Than Good?
As much as I love being a naturalista and I’m incredibly proud of how far the natural hair scene has progressed over the past decade or so, I can’t help but sometimes feel very overwhelmed by the amount of information, advice and trends that constantly crop up. The hardest thing is the fact that much of the advice is contradictory.
Some naturals claim that it’s great to detangle with a wide-toothed comb whilst others say that we should abandon combs all together!
Some say that brushes are best whilst others say that our fingers are the only combs we need. Which is it? What do you do?
To comb or not to comb? That is the question!
Then there are the claims about naturals who’ve achieved rapid hair growth through regimens like the LOC and inversion methods.
If you’ve tried either, you might have found a hair growth panacea that works for you or you might have discovered that too much of any regime simply drives you and your hair nuts!
I’ve been natural for several years now and I’ve been following the natural hair movement for probably around 8 years (yes, it’s been that long). Back in the day there were simply a few forums that catered to women who wanted healthier, longer hair but nowadays, there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of blogs, websites, forums, Instagram accounts and Facebook pages that share a plethora of advice on natural hair care.
Whilst it’s great that we have so much more information available, it also has a downside.
Namely, the fact that when there’s too much information, you don’t know where to look or where to start.
It can be difficult.
So this begs the question, how do naturalistas find both balance and clarity in a wold that’s filled with contradictory advice and too many options?
How do we avoid becoming the victims of a choice paradox?
How do we find our own unique path to healthier hair?
What’s the solution?
Now, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the overload in hair care information?
How do you deal with it?
Leave a comment below sharing how you feel.
PS. This might have been my most honest and open blog post yet but I’ve come to realise that honesty and vulnerability are catalysts for personal growth. I hope that in sharing how I feel, I’ll open up discourse for other women who might be feeling the same way.
Here’s to hair happiness,
Victoria xo.
How Often Should Curly Hair Be Washed?
Do you sometimes wonder whether you’re washing your hair too rarely or too often?
As a curly or afro haired girl, it’s important to have a regular hair regimen which will make your hair easier to manage.
Keeping a good, healthy hair regimen will also enable you to look after your hair even when you’re super busy and pressed for time.
How often should you wash curly and afro hair?
So, how often should you wash your tresses?
Firstly, it’s important to remember that there are two types of hair washing.
Shampoo washing (simply washing your hair with shampoo and then conditioning it)
AND
Co-washing (washing your hair with conditioner only e.g. no shampoo required)
If your hair is out (not in braids, weave or plaits), you should co-wash it once a week using a silicone-free conditioner.
Typically, you should shampoo curly hair once a month and co-wash in between shampooing.
However, the looser your hair texture is, the more often you need to shampoo it. For example, if you have wavy textured hair, you’ll need to shampoo either once a week or once every 3-4 days.
If however, you have afro textured hair, you’ll only need to shampoo once a month. If your hair is mixed (e.g. contains a mixture of hair textures that vary from wavy to tightly curled or afro) then you’ll need to do a bit of testing to see how your hair responds to being shampooed less often.
You can then adjust your hair regimen to meet your mixed hair’s needs.
As a rule of thumb, you should shampoo once a month and condition once a week.
Now you might be wondering why shampooing too often is bad. For curly and afro textures, our hair has a tendency to be more dry and vulnerable to breakage. It’s therefore essential that we are cautious with it and handle our hair with care.
When you over-shampoo curly, mixed or afro hair, the hair’s natural oils are depleted which causes dryness, knots, split ends, frizz and tangles! In essence, it’s not good!
In contrast, if you condition your hair regularly, you’ll restore lost moisture whilst also keeping your hair tangle and frizz-free. Conditioning is quite simply one of the best things that you can do to your hair which is why it’s recommended that you condition once per week.
If your hair is in braids, a weave or any other ‘covered’ style then you’ll only need to wash it when it’s out. However, your hair is likely to be dirtier than usual because the dirt in your hair will have built up over time.
How often do you usually wash your hair?
Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Victoria x
Natural Hair Care: How To Get Amazing Curl Definition
How to get great curl definition
How do you get my curls to be really defined?
This is one of the most common questions that I get asked about caring for naturally curly/unrelaxed hair.
Here are 3 ways to get amazing curl definition.
And don’t worry, you won’t need to spend hours on your hair to get really defined curls.
Step 1
Keep your hair clean through conditioning (co-washing) and not through excessive shampooing.
Over shampooing dries out naturally curly hair and therefore it’s best to shampoo your hair approximately once every 2 weeks or once a week at most.
Instead of shampooing all the time, wash your hair with a silicone free conditioner that does not contain parabens or synthetic oils. A great conditioner will transform your hair so it’s therefore best to be selective about which conditioner you use and don’t be afraid to do these two things:
- Read the ingredients on the label of your conditioner
- Invest in a high quality conditioner
Sometimes people think that the cheapest conditioner is the best but that isn’t always the case. It’s therefore wise to spend more money on a conditioner that is filled with high quality ingredients and is therefore slightly higher in price. I always tell customers that an investment in good hair products is an investment in the health of your hair. Think about it, what’s your hair worth?
Step 2
Play around with twist-outs and braid-outs.
These hair styles can give you incredible curl definition and they work on almost any hair texture. One thing I like to do is to braid or twist my hair at night and then unravel in the morning. That way, I end up with gorgeous curls almost every day. Plus, creating twist-outs and braid-outs isn’t time consuming. Try it!
Step 3
Keep your hair super moisturised.
Curly and afro hair are the driest hair types and that means that our hair needs to be moisturised a lot. To get gorgeously soft and well-defined hair, moisturise once in the morning and once at night. If your hair is wavy or only slightly curly then only moisturise once in the day. As a rule of thumb: the curlier your hair, the more moisture it needs.
Follow these three steps and your hair should be more defined, softer and shinier.
PS. For more hair tips sign up to my free newsletter at mycurls.co.uk.
The Top Six Hair Tips And Tricks That Actually Work
The Top Six Hair Tips And Tricks That Actually Work
From family friends to hairstylists, you may have heard some advice about your strands that doesn’t seem quite right. Well, now you can try these seven tips and tricks that actually work.
Don’t Wash Your Hair Every Day
Unless your hair is incredibly oily, you really do not need to wash it every day. In fact, using shampoo on your hair every day can strip it of natural oils. Once you start with this new hair-washing routine, you might start to notice that your hair feels softer. You may wish to consider conditioning your strands each day still. Talk to your stylist about what is best for your locks.
Use Lotion to Tame Frizz
When your strands are filled with frizz, you’ve probably tried numerous ways to bid it adieu. The next time your hair is misbehaving, run some body lotion or hand lotion over your hair. Generally, you want to avoid doing this near your scalp so that your hair doesn’t look greasy, but it can tame frizz elsewhere. Make sure it is already rubbed in your hands so a minimal amount gets on your hair. A little goes a long way with this method.
Low Ponytail to Reduce Frizz
Perhaps you can’t imagine a hairstyle made for sports and quiet nights at home as being one of your biggest styling tools. After you get out of the shower and once your hair is brushed, put it into a low ponytail. This trick can help to get rid of frizz and flyaways so that you have beautiful hair when you take it out.
Don’t Brush Your Hair
As unusual as it sounds, you should try not brushing your hair, particularly if you have curly strands. When you brush curly hair, you are often bringing frizz to the surface and ruining the natural definition of your locks. Use a wide-toothed comb to go through knots and detangle your hair instead.
Go Natural
Wearing your hair as it is might sound like your biggest nightmare, but it can actually turn out to be the best decision that you ever made. There’s nothing wrong with showing off your natural hair color and texture. Throw in a little gel or hair spray if you need to, and you’ll have a sassy style that displays your true personality.
Turn off the Heat
Even if you want to use some products to style your hair and get a certain look, you don’t always need to use heat to do so. Straighteners, curling irons and blowdryers are great for those big nights out, but constantly putting too much heat on your hair can really damage it in the long run.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box a little bit and try some ideas that might have previously sounded strange when it comes to your hair.
This is a guest post written by writing expert Anita Ginsburg.Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO and often writes about fashion, health, beauty and family. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family when she isn’t writing. When it comes to her hair, she personally recommends remy hair extensions to add length and keep your hair looking healthy.
For hair care tips and the best curly hair products, visit www.mycurls.co.uk.
Natural Hair Rules: 7 Commandments Every Curly Girl Needs To Follow
Ever catch yourself look at girls with enviable poker straight hair and wonder what a ball of fuzz your curly hair is? Fret not! Hereís a detailed guide on how to unlock those dread locks and transform into a goddess with a curly and bouncy gorgeous mane and ingredients to use to pamper your lustrous locks.
Oiling your hair before washing it has proved to be a great conditioner. Curly hair responds very well to jojoba and olive oil.
Deep conditioning always helps cases of unmanageable frizzy hair. In emergency situations, when you have to head out for a hot date or that fancy evening soiree, the best thing to do to control your curly hair would be deep conditioning. Find a protein conditioner that suits you and apply a dime size dollop into your hands and massage into your scalp. This keeps it soft and shiny for the rest of the day and also adds an extra texture to your mane. Natural conditioners like shea butter are very safe to use.
Most curly haired girls are conscious about their texture and often resort to styling methods to straighten out their hair and hide that uneven curly and wavy texture. These methods involve heating tools such as flat irons and clampers. You might want to ditch them as heating your curly hair will only make it weak from the roots and brittle in texture, thereby making your hair look like a frizzy mess.
In a hot weather, it is best to use mild shampoos and not ones that have strong chemicals that damage your hair. In case of too much humidity, when you sweat and you feel like washing your hair every day after a long day at work, use baby shampoo. The strong chemicals in regular shampoo makes curly hair all the more difficult to maintain stripping it from its natural oils from the scalp and with an extra frizz added to your hair. Using a mild shampoo for everyday use or in cases when you want to wash your hair more than the regular thrice a week regime, will make it soft and moisturized.
Split with the dead ends. Going to a hair salon and getting a short trim and cutting your split ends will enable your curly hair to grow stronger and make it look luscious and bouncy rather than rough and erratic.
Always use a wide toothed comb. This is not the eighties. You do not want an afro on your head and you know you have to detangle your hair ASAP! But how will you, with your hair getting stuck in those tiny bristles of that comb? So unless you want to indulge in an arm wrestle by yanking your brush out of your hair, detangle your hair with your fingers and a wide toothed comb and use this comb every day to brush your hair.
Applying salon products like hair serums and hair mousse while proving to be helpful could be very tricky to use. You do not want your hair dripping with greasiness for someone to be able soak it with a paper towel. Use hair products with great care and always scrunch them into your curls. Do not layer it all over your hair into a greasy lump. Honey with a tea spoon of milk gives a nice bounce just like a hair product would
And last but not the least, love yourself including those curls. Being confident is the best gift you could give your hair and yourself. You are unique and beautiful that way. Stay gorgeous.
Hot Hair Fixes: 4 Quick Ways To Cure Damaged Hair
As we nearer further and further into the summer, many of us experience damaged hair. Hair damage can take various forms including split ends, single strand knots, hair thinning, frizz and even traction alopecia.
Hair damage can also be particularly frustrating for those of us with curly, kinky and afro textured hair because our hair is dryer and therefore tends to be more prone to breakage.
However, most types of hair damage can be cured. Here are 4 of the best ways to cure your damaged curls.
Use the best conditioner for your hair type and texture. You know your hair best and you therefore know what products on your hair. In order to find the best conditioner you do have to experiment a little by testing different products on your hair. Once you find a great conditioner that really nourishes your hair, hold onto it and make it your go-to co-washing product.
Focus on protection. If you have split ends, lots of single strand knots or hair breakage then there’s a possibility that you’ve been over-manipulating your hair. To reverse the damage done it’s best to keep your hair protected. That might mean parting with your favourite hairstyles (like braids or weaves) and instead, focus on wearing your hair in simple styles that elevate the hair away from the shoulders. Good options for protective styling are ponytails, high buns and twists. Wear your hair in protective styles until it’s in better condition.
Don’t towel dry your hair. Towels and curly/afro hair don’t mix. If you need to dry your hair use a cotton t-shirt because it’s softer, reduces frizz levels and won’t cause your hair to rip or tear. Put simply, cotton t-shirts are amazing for drying natural hair.
Get your hair back to tip top shape. The best way to do this is to make sure you are deep conditioning your hair at least once every 2 weeks until your hair is restored to good health. Make sure you use a good deep conditioning treatment or hair mask that contains natural ingredients, is silicone free and contains good proteins.
If you’d like more advice on caring for your curls join our VIP newsletter list.
Till next time,
Victoria.
Founder, www.mycurls.co.uk
How Do I Get My Curls Back? 3 Steps To Transitioning From Relaxed To Natural
A while ago, I received a message from an aspiring naturalista who was stuck with a problem.
Question: ‘I relaxed my hair five weeks ago but now I miss my curls! Is there a way to get them back?’
For those of us who’ve been natural for a while, it’s easy to forget that going natural is a process. It’s nothing short of a journey that involves learning a lot about black hair and then applying that knowledge into our daily hair regimens. However, for women who have relaxed hair, it can often seem as if it’s easy to go natural and that it can happen over night. That’s not true.
Now to answer this lady’s question. If you relaxed your hair less than two months ago there will be no easy way to go natural. The simplest option is to cut off your relaxed hair and rock a TWA (teeny weeny afro).
However, before doing that, I strongly recommend that you take some time to really figure out if going natural is for you.
Answer these 3 questions:
- Do you know how to maintain natural hair or are you willing to learn about natural hair maintainaence?
- Are you committed to going natural or do you just want a bit of a hairstyle change? If you just want to switch hairstyles up, I recommend trying a natural wig or weave so that you can get the natural look without going natural straight away. Doing so will allow you to figure out whether natural hair is really for you.
- Are you self-conscious about your hair? Natural girls often have to be confident about their hair because natural hair isn’t the norm in most places. Furthermore, no matter how you rock your hair, it’s important to be confident any way.
If after answering these questions you decide that you still want to go natural, go for it!
Start off by doing some research on natural hairstyles, natural hair maintenance and find some natural hair quotes to give you inspiration.
Then consider either cutting off your relaxed ends or growing out your natural hair until you’re ready to cut the ends off at a later date.
Throughout the transitioning journey keep your hair really conditioned and moisturised so that it is in the best possible condition.
Transitioning can be a complex process but if you follow the above advice you should be in good stead to do it with ease.
PS. If you’d like more tips on transitioning don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter where I share advice, tips and hair care treats.
Now, in the comments below tell me how you transitioned to natural. What was it like? Did you enjoy it? What did you learn about yourself while transitioning?
My Curls 