Clip, Snip, Pow!: How often to should you clip your ends? (Requested Topic)

I was asked to discuss my thoughts on clipping ends and how often to do so. I think the first thing to do is to understand the reason people clip their ends in the first place.

Why?

We know that the ends of our hair is the oldest and most fragile area of the hair. This makes the ends most susceptible to damage from manipulation, weather, heat styling, friction from clothes, etc. This damage will causes breakage, split ends, single strand knots, and so on. All of these can spread leading to more breakage, rough ends and hard to manage hair. To stop the spread of damage you have to cut it out. 

How?

Now that we know why we should cut damage out we need to talk about how to do it. There are several ways to cut the ends, but I've found three pretty common techniques among naturals; Search and destroy, dusting, and trimming. 

Search and destroy: Is literally what it sounds like. You would divide your hair into workable sections and examine the ends of each section, clipping any split ends, knots, and rough areas. 

Dusting: Is when your take your hair while in twists and snip off the tiniest bit on the very end. 

Trimming: Is taking hair in sections and clipping a set length off of each section, anywhere from a quarter inch or more.

When?

This is where the debate comes in. On one end, it is suggested to trim every 6-8 weeks, to keep ends without any damage and as strong as possible. This may however stunt the noticeable growth. On the other end it is suggested to trim less frequently about twice a year to maintain length. This is likely to result in more severe damage and more cutting. I like to take on an approach in the middle of the spectrum. I like to trim about a quarter inch every 6 months. In between I dust my ends every 8-10 weeks to prevent knots and plits from getting worse or traveling up the shaft of my strands. 

How often do you trim? Which method do you use?

Blow Drying/Heat Styling: My Technique (Requested Topic)

Stephanie, a friend of mine requested that I share my technique when using heat, so here goes...

I always follow a few key steps before I apply any heat to my hair; always start on freshly washed hair, beware of heat damage, and prepare to devote the necessary time and labor for best results. 

Blow Drying

1. Wash, condition, and detangle as normal. 
2. Apply a leave-in conditioner and twist hair in 4-6 sections. 
3. Allow hair to partially dry. (about 2 hours) 
4. Take down one twist and detangle again if needed.
5. apply a heat protecting product of your choice. 
6. Use blow dryer on low heat setting with comb attachment.
7. Start and the ends of the hair and work your way up to the roots.
8. Apply a light oil and lightly re-twist.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 on each section.
10. Untwist each section and style.

Flat Ironing

1. Wash, condition, and detangle as normal.
2. Apply a leave-in conditioner and twist into 4-6 sections.
3. Allow hair to dry completely. (For me this is 10+ hours so plan accordingly)
4. Take down one section.
5. Apply a heat protector.
6. Take a small piece of the section and use flat iron on lowest setting for desired results.
• Bone straight hair will require higher temperatures.
• Try passing the flat iron only once or twice on each section.
7. Repeat steps 1-6 on each section.

Low/Medium Heat
11/2012

Low/Medium Heat
8/2011 (before second big chop)

Medium Heat
9/2012

Medium Heat
7/2012

Lowest Heat
8/2013

Tips:

• Never use temperatures higher than 450 degrees
• Always work with clean hair and clean tools.
• If your ends are split and damaged it will effect your results. (consider clipping before using heat)
• Always deep condition after heat use.
• Use heat sparingly, even at lowest temperature you may sustain heat damage if used too frequently.

Do you use heat? How often? What is your technique?

Length Goals, Rentention and Obsessions

I'm sure most of you have some sort of goal you wish to reach with your hair.One of my goals is waist length hair. For most people, hair grows about 1/2 inch per month. This means about six inches of growth per year. The key for growing hair to long lengths is to retain as much growth as possible. Some ways to aid in length retention are; protective styling, low manipulation, and safe handling while washing. 

Protective Styling: This means wearing your hair in style in which the ends are tucked away and protected from things such as weather and getting caught in clothing. Some ideas include buns and tucked up-dos. Here are some examples. (These are not my images).

        

Low Manipulation: This means when you do style your hair, handle it as little as possible. Try finger combing instead of using an actual comb to detangle or make parts, use a scarf to smooth edges instead of a brush and wear your hair in the style you choose until you need to wash again.

Safe Handling while washing: This means choosing shampoos and conditioners that work for you but are not too harsh. Products that cause drying will lead to breakage and split-ends,  Also be mindful of when you detangle. I usually suggest a detangle session before your wash. This will make your wash session much easier. If your hair is very tangled and matted use water and some conditioner with good slip. Once you begin to wash, keep hair in sections to prevent tangling. 

My personal growth: So as you all know I have been completely natural since 2010, however due to some bad choices I did another big chop in July of 2012. Here are some pics right after the cut:

      







And her are pics of my hair now:

         

This is about 10 months of growth since the cut, which should be about 5 inches. 
For those of you with hair goals, I would recommend only doing length checks every six months or longer. That way you will be able to notice the growth. Anything less than this will mean less than three inches of expected growth and will be harder to notice. I used to do a check every month and became absolutely obsessed, pulling out tape measuerers, rulers and everything else. Try to leave your hair be and just enjoy every stage of growth. Before you know it, we'll all be team #LongHairDontCare! 

Confessions of a Recovering Product Junkie

Like many new naturals I got sucked into the notion that certain products were needed to achieve hair goals. I had to use specific shampoos, multiple conditioners, moisturizers and styling products depending on the season and how much definition I needed, oils the covered the alphabet and a few supplements because my hair needed a boost in growing. I had the idea, but I was a little off. 

Now every product does have a specific purpose, however that does not mean it is absolutely necessary in order to get the results you are looking for. Let's examine each category:

Shampoos: The purpose of a shampoo is to cleanse the hair and scalp removing any product build-up that has developed from the previous wash. As long as your shampoo is doing this it is doing its job. Some people like to avoid sulfates in their shampoos as they are credited with "over-cleaning" and causing dry hair which can lead to breakage. Even in this case, there are many brands catering to natural hair that offer sulfate-free options at affordable costs. 

At home alternative: apple cider vinegar and water 

Conditioners: The purpose of conditioners are to return your hair to its normal pH level after washing. This helps fight frizz, tangles, split ends and breakage while also adding some shine and moisture. If you'd like there are pH strips available to test the pH levels of products you use. ( I personally don't have the time and just go by the feeling of my hair to choose a good conditioner.) Some people avoid silicones as they can cause a build-up on hair and scalp and prevent proper moisturizing. Again there are several options available at varying cost. 

At home alternative: There are several that I will discuss in a later post.

Hair supplements: Supplements are meant to replace any nutrients that are necessary in growing hair. These are vitamins and minerals that we all get from foods we eat, however if you have a deficiency the supplements will help. With that being said, if you do not have a deficiency the body does not store a large amount of vitamins and minerals and any excess vitamins will be excreted in your urine.

At home alternative: balanced diet and WATER!!! 

Styling products and moisturizers: The purpose of these are varied. Mostly to lock in moisture or aid in creating different hairstyles. Many times these types of products have multiple uses. A good moisturizer will eave the hair soft and manageable. A good combo product will provide the benefits of a moisturizer as well as some hold to keep styles in place. This will vary on personal preference and can become a trial and error phase until you find what works for you. I would recommend trying sample sizes or travel sizes as they are less expensive and if you do not like the product there is not a bunch left over.

At home alternatives: natural oils, avocado, honey and flax-seed gel. 

After going through months of trying every product I saw in the drug store, hair store or online I realized after I had a few things I absolutely love, I didn't need a bunch of products to maintain my hair and achieve growth goals.

Are you a PJ (product junkie)?
How do you go about trying new products?
Have you made any of you own products?
What are your staple products?

My Wash Routine

I usually wash my hair with shampoo once per month. (Co-washing weekly). Here are the steps I follow:

1. Section hair into four sections for easy handling. 

2. Take down one section of hair. Spritz lightly with water. Detangle from ends to root being sure to remove any shed hairs. Repeat on each section. I have been finger detangling to prevent any unnecessary breakage, but I am not against using combs.

3. At this point I combine sections so that I have two for washing. Either one in the front and one in the back or one on the left side and one on the right. Wash each section separately. I apply shampoo to my scalp and massage. As I rinse my scalp the shampoo will run down the shaft of my hair and cleanse it.

4. I dry the excess water from my hair using a tee-shirt. With my hair still two separate sections I apply my deep conditioner. Cover with a plastic  cap for about 45 minutes.

5. Rinse the deep conditioner. 

I usually style my hair while it is wet so I don't towel or air dry. How do you wash your hair? 

The Beginning

Who am I?

My name is Zaakirah (Zaaa-Kir-ah), I'm 21 years old, a Philadelphia native and a natural hair fanatic.

Why I hated my natural hair:

One day in third grade a classmate said to me "tell your mom to fix your hair because its getting nappy." A boy next to me overheard and laughed so hard the teacher heard him. She asked why he was laughing and of course he announced to the entire class that he was laughing at my nappy hair. Most embarrassing moment of my life to date. After school, I marched right home and told my mom what had happened and demanded she do something. That weekend I got my first relaxer at age nine. I went to school on Monday feeling like a million bucks and no one dared called my hair nappy again.

Why I decided to go natural:

After years of getting a relaxer every 6-8 weeks and then turning into a lazy bum and relaxing whenever I felt like it my hair began to suffer. Dry, brittle, split and broken! One day in my senior year of high school I was fed up and decided I had enough. I was kickin' the crack and leaving relaxers in the past. I did not know at the time but this was the first step in my natural hair journey. 

The Struggle:

In my senior year I had no idea what it meant to be natural. I had no idea there was a huge online community equipped with video tutorials and How-to guides. I was transitioning alone. And hated every minute of it. The breakage got worse, more split ends, and on top of that, in the depths of my disgusting relaxed ends, I was once again dealing with my dreaded nappy hair. 

Revelations:

My first year in college was one of many discoveries. This included the world of natural hair. within a few months I was an expert. I  even learned new vocabulary like TWA, protective styling, co-wash, etc. I was in love. This is when I also met one of my close friends, Michelle. Like myself she was also transitioning to natural hair. I think I was very lucky to have someone who was going through exactly what I was with my hair. We shared advice, challenges, new things we loved about our hair and something even more important.

Big Chop:

One morning Michelle came banging on my dorm room door with soaking wet hair, conditioner and scissors. I was shocked but I knew what was happening. she pulled a chair in front of the mirror and just started cutting her relaxed ends. I stared in amazement, but said nothing. Watching her transformation was a thrill. I was high from excitement. When she was almost done, she looked at me out of the corner of her eye and said "You know you're next, right?" I started to panic inside, but just smiled and said "oh, I guess so." she finished and it was my turn. I took the scissors, but I couldn't do it. I wanted to do it but I was being a big baby as usual. Michelle took the scissors and started cutting my hair for me. I was in shock. It didn't help that the door was open and everyone on my floor was waking up and walking by. Some people even came to the door and watched. When it was all done I absolutely loved it. I couldn't stop touching it. Michelle changed my life! 

How did you journey start?