Madame Noire | Black Women's Lifestyle Guide | Black Hair | Black Love

By Jessica Dufresne

It’s the never-ending black hair debate: which is a safer option, natural or relaxed? Too often, relaxing gets the shaft, mainly because of the age-old assumption that it’s too damaging. (The moral arguments are a whole other topic.) In reality, the only times when relaxing is bad is when it’s not applied correctly, done too often, or you’re simply not taking care of your hair. Contrary to popular belief, you can have perfectly healthy, strong hair with a perm—as long as you know what and what not to do.

Why not relax?

So is it actually possible to have healthy locks despite perming? “Absolutely,” says celebrity hair stylist Tippi Shorter. “It is a chemical that alters the natural structure of your hair, but there is most certainly such a thing as healthy relaxed hair if you’re using it properly.” Shorter, who works on the healthy manes of Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Jada Pinkett-Smith, among others, says any damage experienced is due to “over-relaxing, using products that are too harsh on the hair, and trying to get an unrealistic finish.”

Just like Shorter, hair stylist Winston Scully, a 22-year hair industry veteran and owner of Hair Vibes salon in New York, contends that when it comes to relaxers, it’s all about the process. In fact, he says what causes damage is when a relaxer is left too long on the hair. Its active ingredient, lye (which comes in the form of different types of hydroxides: sodium, calcium, etc) has—as we all know—the power to break down any substance (remember the scene in Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair, where the soda can melts?)—but that’s only if it’s allowed to sit for an extended period of time. So as long as your perm is washed out when it’s supposed to be, you won’t have to worry about your hair melting off your scalp.

Brand matters

When you do decide to perm, it doesn’t pay to shop around or to assume you know which one to use. Shorter says just like all hair types are not equal, neither are all relaxers. “There are brands that I favor because they contain way more essential oils, they’re gentler, they don’t smell, they don’t irritate the scalp, they have a no-lye version, a sensitive-scalp version, or are compatible with hair color.”

According to Scully, while all relaxers contain a type of lye (the chemical that breaks down the curls), the conditioning agent is what separates the Hawaiian Silkys of the world from the Mizanis. “[when deciding which perm to use] I’m looking for one that contains the conditioning agent that is going to be beneficial to the individual’s hair.”
And how do stylists know which is best for you? Both Shorter and Scully agree that’s determined by careful examination of the hair and by experience. That said, both also discourage women from doing home perms. “I’ve seen so many horror stories,” says Shorter. “I know times are tough financially, but it’s hard for me to recommend or suggest someone to do it.” However, she does concede that if self-perming is a woman’s only option, “ I will try and steer [her] the best way possible.”

Time heals all damage

Overprocessing occurs when a relaxer is applied onto already-straightened hair—so it’s imperative to wait before touching up, or risk damage (and in case you think going natural will solve that problem, Shorter and Scully beg to differ). When you visit a new hairdresser, make sure it’s been at least six weeks since your last touch-up. The exact time to wait will depend on your texture and cut, as some women can go as long as 12 weeks in between touch-ups, while others may need them as frequently as every two weeks. Keep in mind that a good hair stylist will not perm your hair if you don’t need it (no matter how much you think you do).

Keep it tight

Regardless of whether or not your hair is chemically treated, the same maintenance rules apply: regular deep conditioning; trims every six to eight weeks; moisturizing your scalp; and even the right kind of roller set. A good set will leave you with a bunch of rollers on your head, as opposed to a few, which occurs when there’s too much hair per curler (and that volume, says Scully, causes stress on the hair). And, of course, your nightly habits matter: wrapping or roller setting and wearing a silk scarf are highly recommended.

How you choose to wear your hair doesn’t speak to the type of person you are, but how you take care of it does. You can use a relaxer for most or all of your life and, if it’s done right, it won’t cause any damage to your health or hair. The bottom line is there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with chemically straightening your hair, and it’s not a question of being addicted to “creamy crack;” if something works for you and doesn’t jeopardize your well-being, stick with it. There’s an old saying that everything ain’t for everybody and the same applies to hair.

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Me with my natural hair

Ever since I was in 3rd grade my mother had been giving me relaxers.  I was born with a large amount of hair, and for my mother, relaxing it was the easiest thing for her to do for me and my three other sisters.  I never thought about natural hair until Cycle 5 of America’s Next Top Model, when I was introduced to Bre Scullark.  Oh my goodness, her glorious curls were so bouncy and voluptuous that I began to think that if I went natural, my hair would look exactly like that.

So, in May of 2008, I gave myself the big chop.  Cutting off a total of 16 inches off my head I boldly walked around my college campus with a heightened awareness of my scalp.  But, I persevered through the awkward looks, the need to overcompensate by wearing more makeup and jewelry,and admitting to myself that for years I found a security of having… hair my entire life.  Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of support for girls who were going natural where I was.  All of the salons that I went to for help only wanted to straighten my hair, and it seemed like people were comfortable with a girl with long curly hair, or short straight hair.  But having short, curly hair (that didn’t turn out to be the texture that I hoped for) was sometimes looked down upon by people in grocery stores, on the street, or in restaurants.

Having natural hair is hard work, and I thought I would have a texture of “wash and go” like my friend Janea, but I didn’t.  I bought multiple products to help me manage, and ended up returning some, throwing away many, and just rolling my eyes at the mention of others.  After a year and five months, I had the length that I had in the first picture.  I was natural and LOVED it!  I would preach the glories of not being ashamed of “whatever texture of your hair that grows out of your head, but embrace it!”  I didn’t mind spending the $32 a jar for my Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme, and doing a twist out became a welcomed chore.

However, when I got pregnant I developed a type of lethargic-ness that Sleeping Beauty would have envied.  I got my morning sickness from 2 to 5 in the morning, and during the days I worked as a book editor.  My husband and I shared a car (and he didn’t have a license), so sometimes I would have to drive him to work and to help his family complete errands.  I was always mentally and physically exhausted.  The last thing that was on my mind was my hair.  I spent most of my second trimester in summer, so I was always hot and my thick hair actually began to anger me.  It was just so thick and… everywhere;  and no matter where I went, some stranger was always trying to stick their hands in my head (or rub my stomach.  Please strangers, if you don’t personally know a woman who’s pregnant, and have natural hair, at LEAST ask for her permission before you start invading her bubble with all the touching).    All I wanted to do was to shave my head so I wouldn’t be so hot and uncomfortable.

Mother’s Day is here and it’s a great day to pamper your mom and give her a small token of your appreciation. There’s always flowers or chocolates, brunch and a card. But sometimes you want to add a personal touch and give a gift with a bit more meaning. So give the gift of healthy hair!

DIY hair talk is all the rage whether your natural, weaved up or relaxed/straight, but some of our mom’s may be overwhelmed with all the talk and trends, or just stuck in habit when it comes to hair care. Giving a hair care gift is a great way to help them wade through all the hair trends and it’s personal to their hair care needs and style. Nothing makes a good gift like a gift that shows thought.

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Stronger, Longer Hair Challenge

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Take the Healthy Hair Survey

Today, women are embracing their hair texture, more than ever, and opting to wear their hair naturally. At times it can be a challenge, if you are not using products specifically designed to care for natural hair.   It’s important to note that caring for natural hair needs and deserves the same amount of care as relaxed hair. Regardless of the texture, healthy hair is the first step to stronger hair.

Here are a few tips on caring and maintaining healthy, natural hair:

• Start with products that are salon-quality and formulated to replenish, repair and prevent breakage, such as the Optimum Care Salon Collection.

• Always condition hair after every wash using a product that penetrates from the root to the tip line, such as the Optimum Care Salon Collection Deep Conditioning Masque.

• Protect your hair! If you straighten your hair always use a thermal heat protector such as, Optimum Salon Collection Heat Protection Polisher, on hair before blow-drying. It’s a perfect product for achieving sleek and straight looks without harsh chemicals. It is also perfect for transitioning your hair from relaxed to natural.

• When blow drying, always work in sections. Divide hair into manageable sections, starting at the nape of the neck working your way toward the front of the head in 2 to 3 inch sections.

• Styling your Natural Hair – Styling depends on how you want to wear your hair natural, i.e. twists, short natural curly styles or braids.  But in general, always remember that your hair needs Moisture, Moisture and Moisture. Make sure to use products that deeply nourish and condition hair without drying it out.

Tell us some of your natural tips?

Follow Johnny Wright  on twitter @johnny_wright

Johnny is the Celebrity Stylist to First Lady, Michelle Obama, and Artistic Style Director for SoftSheen-Carson Laboratories, a division of L’Oréal USA.  His work has appeared in InStyle, O! Oprah Magazine, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Vogue Italia and on SoftSheen-Carson advertorial campaigns for publications such as Essence, Ebony, Jet and Sophisticate’s Black Hair.

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Join the Optimum Stronger, Longer Hair Challenge! Complete the Hair Survey and share your experience in the challenge by commenting below or tweeting us @MadameNoire with the hashtag #StrongerLonger for your chance to be our weekly winner and score amazing Optimum Care products!.

We are looking for the most engaged users. Participate in the challenge, send us your questions… and we could feature YOU on Madame Noire! At the end of the challenge, three Grand Prize winners will receive a salon experience, tons of Optimum Care product, and the opportunity to serve as an Optimum Care blogger. Join us!

Feel free to e-mail us at HealthyHair@madamenoire.com

By Jouelzy

Source: organicbeautyvixen.com

You’ve spent hours on YouTube, plowed through forum threads and admired all the glossy photos of women with natural hair. Then you took the plunge and jumped into the wonderful world of being a natural haired woman. No more creamy crack for you. You just knew that your natural coils would grow out into thick, shiny curly coils…just like all the images you’ve seen. You’ve bought all the products to moisturize and make your twist out turn into buoyant springs of luxurious curls and then reality hits–your hair is either not so thick, not so lustrous, not as shiny as you were hoping, or the curls aren’t holding like you were hoping. Reality settles in and you are trying to come to terms with YOUR OWN natural hair texture. Welcome to the club ladies. After five years of being natural and trying every product under the sun, I finally came to grips with my no-curl-to-be-found hair texture and found pride in my 4c coils. So here are some simple tips to ease you into the reality of your natural texture and help you find pride (with fly style) in your own hair.

1. Healthy hair is more than skin deep.
Most people go natural because they want healthier hair. Great. Truth be told, if you don’t care for your locks, they won’t be healthy in their natural state, and it doesn’t matter how many topical products you add, because the saying, “You are what you eat” applies to your hair too. Drinking water and keeping the blood flowing through exercise will help with healthy hair, faster growth and keeping your locks moisturized.

2. Washing your hair daily isn’t just for everyone BUT black women.
Okay, so maybe not daily because washing our hair is nowhere near a simple 15-minute process. However, don’t be afraid to wash your hair frequently, about every four days to a week at least. Use sulfate-free shampoos or just co-wash (washing hair with conditioner only) and you will definitely see growth in your hair. Even more so, it will help you train your hair to be manageable. You can even wash your hair with the twists/braids intact. Makes for a much smoother process.

3. The best products are found in your kitchen.
You don’t have to dole out tons of money on the latest hair products. There are definitely great products out there, but beyond a good conditioner, you can craft most of your hair products out of your kitchen. Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, mayonnaise, and eggs are all things I’ve used to create deep conditioners and moisturize my hair. Add some aloe vera juice/gel, glycerin and shea butter to the mix and you can almost create your own hair care line.

4. Patience and an open mind is key.
Really. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Pick up a wide tooth shower comb and take time with your hair. No two strands are alike. No two afros are alike. It’s going to take a minute for you to find your hair flow, but it will come. Don’t dismiss the vloggers/bloggers with a different hair texture. You might not be able to follow them to the tee, but you can take advice here and there to find what works for you. I learned how to braid from a white woman on YouTube and figured out that while twist outs are a definite no go for me, my 3a hair sister showed me that a flat twist out is supreme. Learn to love you and the hair God gave you and it will all fall into place.

Jouelzy offers tutorials on all aspects of Black hair care via her YouTube channel. You can also find her daily hair tips and inspirations on Facebook.

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http://blazeadams247.blogspot.com

My journey to the promised land of natural hair has been a path paved with many trials and errors, shampoos, conditioners, creams and oils. As I am learning to embrace and celebrate my natural hair in all its coil-y glory, I still like to wear my hair in a sleek, straight bob every now and then.

Enter my two BFFs: Hot Comb and Flat Iron.

I wasn’t always on good terms with the hot comb, having suffered scalp burns and trauma caused by many a styling ordeal during my childhood. Over the years, as hair styling techniques advanced and electric hot combs with heat settings became available, I let the hot comb back into my life, albeit slowly. Not knowing the tricks of the trade, I’ve singed myself and my hair more times than I care to remember.

Since I began my hair transition three years ago, I found myself relying more and more on my flat iron. Not knowing what to look for or the best way to use it to get my roots super-straight made styling my hair difficult. Still, I gave it a good ol’ college try and ended up watching my hair break, strand by strand. I assumed the breakage was caused by the heat on my hair.

What I didn’t know was that the kind of flat iron I was using was making matters worse. Over the years, I’ve amassed quite the collection of ceramic, “high-low” two-setting flat irons. I have black ones, blue ones, broken ones…you name it, I probably have it. According to Johnny Wright, SoftSheen-Carson artistic style director and celebrity stylist, the best flat irons are titanium-plated with variable heat settings. Wright recommends the Corioliss Baby SXE. It’s a smaller flat iron, because “it’s small enough to allow you to get as close to the hairline as possible without burning the scalp.”

Ceramic irons were once thought to be good. But if you look at the surface of a ceramic iron under a microscope, the surface was ridged like an orange peel. And that surface would cause friction on the air. The titanium-plated flat irons have a much smoother surface, and can straighten the hair in one pass, rather than the two or three passes it would take with a ceramic flat iron.

Don’t throw away that hot comb just yet. It still has its purpose. The hot comb is good for straightening hair around the perimeter of the head “to give the hair a straighter finish,” says Wright.

All this time I had it wrong. I would use the hot comb to straighten my roots, and then comb it through the hair for good measure (and torture). Then I would go over my hair with the flat iron over and over again until my hair was relatively straightened, or I got tired, whichever came first.

Wright recommends when you wash and blow-dry your hair, go ahead and set the iron on the highest setting your hair can handle. For those, like me, who flat iron their hair every day, turn down that flat iron!

Follow Kimberly Shorter on Twitter at @KimberlyWriter.

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Healthy hair is a product of healthy eating. And while some women can get away with eating unhealthy foods without their hair suffering, others aren’t as lucky. It’s almost a no-brainer which foods are probably detrimental to healthy hair (think the same foods that are unhealthy for your figure). Still, just as there are foods bad for your hair there are plenty that are proven to prevent split ends, retain growth, add luster, and improve texture.

So before you re-up on your monthly hair vitamins try adding these foods to your grocery list and begin implementing them into your diet. They naturally provide all the ingredients of hair vitamins, and usually more.

Ultimately when you increase your intake of these healthy foods, you should try to decrease your intake of those tasty, but unhealthy foods full of sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats. While there are a variety of foods that provide you with the extra nutrients needed for healthy hair, here are seven key foods to get you started.

Photo: Food Network