NATURAL HAIR CARE REGIMEN FOR BEGINNERS

Hey hey hey, does the natural hair game seem a bit daunting? ToI many rules, don’t pre poo before your wrap your hair with the golden scarf? etc, etc. Well here is a simple hair regimen for everyone!!

1. Detangle

Lots of hair is usually lost during the detangling process. A poor detangling method can lead to large amounts of breakage.  Detangling should be as gentle as possible. Detangling should only happen a maximum of once a week. Use more of your fingers so you can feel the knots in your hair before using a comb, and only use a wide tooth comb on your hair. DO NOT COMB EVERYDAY, only comb when hair is damp or saturated with conditioner, start from the ends and work your way up to the roots. DIVIDE YOUR HAIR IN SECTIONS ALWAYS DURING THIS PROCESS.

2. Cleanse

Wash hair no more than once a week with a sulphate, DEA, MEA,TEA, UREA, phalates, Paraben, Mineral oil, silicone free , petrolatum etc free shampoo ( just by an organic or natural shampoo) or co-wash. AGAIN CLEANSE IN SECTIONS! Its important to clarify with a shampoo once a month or once every two months if you use a co-wash.

You can also chose to PRE POO with oil, however if you are using a co wash, this may not be necessary. Pre pooing (Pre shampoo) is when you apply oil to your hair and cover your head with a plastic cap and allow the oil to sit for at least 30mins, in order to protect your hair from drying out after shampooing.

3. Condition/ Deep condition

Once you have cleansed your scalp, its important to add some moisture to your strands through conditioning. However, you can choose to skip the regular rinse conditioner step and go straight to deep conditioning, especially if you used a co wash. AGAIN DO THIS IN SECTIONS.

You can use a moisturizing or protein conditioner, depending on your hair needs. If you are using a protein conditioner, always follow with a moisturizing conditioner to achieve a protein and moisture balance. This balance aids hair flexibility and length retention.  Deep conditioners work best with heat, use a heat cap, hooded dryer, wrap your head with a towel to generate body heat, or work out while the deep conditioner is in your hair. DO NOT APPLY CONDITIONER TO YOUR SCALP!!!! EVER! This is because, some conditioners can clog your pores and stunt hair growth.  Deep conditioning should be done twice a month- once a month, especially if a co wash is used, otherwise weekly.

4. Moisturize and Seal

After cleaning and conditioning the next step is moisturization and sealing. Improper moisturisation always causes hair loss and breakage. Dry hair breaks! Please see this post for the difference between greasy and moisturized hair, the two are often confused. The proper way to moisturize is the L.O.C method.

L- Liquid/Leave in

O- Oil

C- Cream (or butter)

Always use a leave in conditioner with water as its first ingredient or just plain water first on your hair. As water is the only true ingredient that moisturizes our hair. Follow with an oil and cream/butter to seal in the moisture from the water or leave in. Oils and butters are sealants, they cannot moisturize our hair, thus applying an oil or butter to dry hair will only leave it greasy.  Repeat this daily or every other day, even when its not your wash day.

5. Protect

The final portion of this regimen is to protect your hair, style your hair in protective ways do braids, weaves, updos etc to prevent dryness and breakage. Sleep with a satin cap to prevent the cotton in your pillow case from dragging at your hair strands and snapping them of. Avoid the use of frequent heat, idealy your hair should only be blowdried a maximum of once a month. AVOID STRAIGHTNERS!!! Trim your ends no more than twice a year to get rid of knots and split ends, after your initial trim, with your new healthy hair practices and products you wont need frequent trims. Do NOT do tight hair and tight buns, they cause hair loss and baldness. Also do not scratch your scalp with your fingernails, this also causes baldness as it kills the hair follicles.

 

Have a blessed evening guys!

 

My night time routine!

  
Hi guys! 

This is just a quick post detailing what I do to my hair before bed. I perform this ritual to keep my hair moisturised and tangle free constantly. After my recent experience with detangling I have learnt that prevention is better than cure!! Every natural both new and seasoned must keep their hair in a manner that prevents it from tangling on itself while you are asleep. It’s necessary to prevent future breakage and hassle. This process takes about 10-15mins. So here is what I do: 

1. I spritz my hair with a mix or rose water and peppermint oil ( this oil is now my new best friend since I discovered it scientifically grows hair, see HERE for that post). That’s why in the video below I kept closing my eyes, the oil stings the eyes a bit. This step is optional and you can go straight to the leave in, but I like the extra moisture it gives.

2. I put my hair in sections, spritz each section with my rose water and peppermint oil, follow with either my Mielle Organics White Peopy Leave in conditioner or My Brazen curls Kiwi creme leave in, both are sold HERE, then I use my Brazen curls growth enhancing oil also sold at the beautifully nappy shop, then seal all the moisture up with Brazen curls hair and body butter. 

3. I twist up each section after moisturizing. Afterwards I roll each section up in a Bantu knot, this step is totally optional. 

As you can see in the video I do light finger detangling and dusting as well, so my hair is nice and tangle free in the morning.

Please see the video below for full details. This is so cool I am easing into doing videos!! Yay lol. 

    

Results this morning!!!

    
    

  

  

 

Valentine Giveaway!

      

  Hello,

In the spirit of the season of love, I have decided to give away this Organic Handmade treat and the Brazen curls leave in conditioner!!! Please click the shop tab to find out the hefty price tag on this product! 

Made with pure Vanilla Butter, Organic exfoliating raspberry powder, kombo butter, raw sugar and fair trade Shea butter!! This exotic scrub is scented with Rose and Vanilla Essential oils. This skin brightening, softening and rejuvenating body scrub also contains olive and jojoba oils! 

Polish your skin for and pamper your hair for your loved one this Valentine. This scrub is filled with vitamins and fatty acids to encourage a youthful glowing skin! Both products are worth over 10k combined!!! 
How  to WIN! 

 1. Follow @beautifullynapy and @brazencurls on instagram. 

 2. Tag as many friends as you can in this picture on the @beautifullynapy page

3. Repost any of the pictures below and #beautifullynappy and #brazencurls 

  
 4. Already follow @beautifullynapy? Follow the Blog, and repeat steps 1-3!! MAY THE BIGGEST TAGGER WIN!!!!

Competition ends of the 5th of February! 
Have fun guys! DATES HAVE BEEN MOVED TO 31st of JANUARY! DUE TO TOO MANY TAGS. GIVE AWAY IS OVER!!! 

Product Review: Brazen Curls Kiwi moistursing shampoo

 

Honestly! This review has been long coming, but I had to wait for the rest of the Nigerian natural community to use these awesome products before I gave my review. Since I sell these products I don’t want to seem biased!!! While the other items in the new brazen curls range are amazing, the shampoo is my very favorite shampoo in the entire universe!!!! To all my followers, you all know that rhassoul clay is my baby, rhassoul clay is the only thing I use to cleanse my hair and it’s the best thing since my healthy naija buns!!! How-e-ver, this shampoo is my new friend!!! I have decided to incorporate it into my regimen and use it at least once a month.

This shampoo is the bomb!!!! It actually lives up to its name and its indeed a moisturizing shampoo. Aside from it conditioning abilities, it strengthens the hair with continuous use.  I have used it several times and it has been great every time. It’s so gentle it’s suitable for children, see my Instagram page for proof.

Its like washing your hair with oil that lathers! It doesn’t strip the hair at all, not even a little, the ingredients are simple and are designed to gently cleanse your hair without stripping the hair of its natural protective oils.

After shampoo WET

After shampoo DRY

The ingredients are; Aqua (deionized water), capryl glucoside, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerin sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, hydrolysed wheat protein, xanthan gum, citric acid, aloe vera leaf powder, and kiwi seed oil. First of all, this is an amazingly short list of ingredients for a shampoo, and that’s a great thing. The simpler a product is, the better it is for us. Our hair has less to deal with, and its easier to do research on the ingredients used.

The shampoo, is considered a luxury shampoo, because of its exotic organic ingredients and love the manufacturer has put into creating this product, and yes its Naija owned! Hand made Nigerian goodness.  So let’s do a breakdown of the ingredients, shall we?

1. Capryl Glusoside: This is an excellent gentle cleansing surfactant, which is made from renewable raw materials, fatty alcohols and glucose from vegetable origin. Its actually described as an ultra-gentle, natural, cleansing and foaming agent, free from impurities and preservatives. The presence of fatty alcohols makes this product amazing for curly hair types, as these are good alcohols that provide sheen, reduce frizz and soften the hair.
2. Cocamidoprophyl betaine: This is generally regarded as a mild and safe ingredient. Its used to replace cocamide DEA (which is more dangerous for the hair and health). It’s a well known conditioning and moisturizing agent. It provides a fatty layer that provides emollience and manageability.
3. Glycerin Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate: This is a liquid preservative commonly used in natural cosmetic formulations. It has a skin friendly P.H value of up to 5.5. This means that this shampoo will not upset the natural PH balance of your hair. Thus, preventing hair loss, irritation, fungi and bacteria in the hair and scalp. This ingredient is derived from coconut.
4. Hydrolysed wheat protein: This in my opinion is the best part of this shampoo!!! Its produced by either the acid or enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat protein. Essentially its wheat protein made small enough to penetrate the cortex and moisturize and strengthen our hair. It actually helps stop breakage, because it performs the dual function of strengthening and moisturizing, it helps the hair maintain a balance between being strength and flexibility thus reducing breakage. It attracts moisture to the hair strand and improves its ability to maintain moisture. So if your hair is suffering breakage this is the shampoo for you! At the moment by post partum hair loss is not smiling at me!!! So this shampoo is by best friend. According to Natural Wellbeing  “It can also help repair damaged hair follicles making hair fuller and softer to the touch”. This shampoo is also great for protein sensitive people, as wheat protein is considered a gentle protein, due to its moisturizing balance.
5. Xanthan gum: This is a plant based thickening and stabilizing agent. Its regarded as safe for consumption and its used in many cosmetics and even in food.
6. Citiric Acid: This is found in citrus fruits and it’s a natural preservative. Its totally safe for consumption and considered mild.
7. Aloevera leaf powder: This amazing powder, aside from its many medicinal benefits, this organic powder made from the aloe vera plant works wonders for the hair. It stimulates hair growth, conditions the hair, soothes and heals irritated scalp, and nourishes new growth.
8. Kiwi seed oil: This exotic oil is now being considered the “wonder fruit”, both by scientists and the natural community. Its helps maintain moisture in the skin and hair, rich in vitamins that the hair and body needs, helps fight dandruff and rough and dry skin and hair. Its high in phytonutrients (naturally occurring nutrients found online in plants), minerals, magnesium and vitamins C&E. It also contains over 60% of Alpha linoleic acid which is especially beneficial for the hair.
9. Deionised water: I didn’t talk about this first, because there is nothing special here lol. As the name implies, its water with all the ions removed. It’s the purest form of water and its best for our hair. Tap water has so many mineral and metals in it, that if it’s used to formulate a product it will actually spoil the product. Also also tap water, will cause buildup on the hair because of the minerals and metals present. However, the use of deionsed water in shampoos, conditioners etc. should be common practice (I hope) . Furthermore, I would like to add here that water is the best ingredient to moisturize our hair, so it should be the first or second ingredient to look out for in shampoos, leave ins, conditioners etc. This product obviously has water as it’s first ingredient.

So there it is, a break down of the ingredients, I am really pleased with this as you can tell from the post lol. It does the job, it truly cleanses and moisturizes and it has such an amazing scent. Oh my goodness! Yes, the scent is natural too, however, the manufacturer has decided to discontinue the use of even natural scents going forward. She cares about the health of her customers, recent research has shown that even natural scents may not be all that great.  So its just essentials oils that will be used to scent the product from here on!

 

Price N5900. You can purchase it from yours truly! Via email: beautifullynappy@gmail.com or via BBM: 584EB6EB

Have a look at what others think about the Brazen Curls brand from The Kink and I and Sotectonic

How to deep condition Part 1

   

 Hey hey, this time I didn’t actually stay away for too long. So the title looks basic right? Its something you wouldn’t think needs addressing……but it does!

Deep conditioning is a very important practice; it can improve your hair or damage it over time. It’s the process of fortifying your hair with either protein or moisture to achieve that protein moisture balance your hair needs to flourish. It important to note that deep conditioners are best as a preventive measure, they have no magical powers to repair already damaged split ends or severely heat damaged hair, the only way to treat dead hair is to cut it of!! Most of the time when serious damage has occurred one cannot retroactively remedy the problem (e.g. when there is excessive heat damage).

 

When to deep condition?

 Generally, a regular moisturizing rinse conditioner should do the trick, and deep conditioning should not occur more than once or twice a month. However, these are the tell tale signs that we need to deep condition:

1. Breaking hair

2. Dull looking hair

3. Highly porous hair

4. Split ends or mid shaft splits (holes in your hair shaft)

5. Loss of elasticity

6. Dry and brittle hair

7. Lots of tangling

 

Why deep condition?

 A good deep conditioner should help your hair withstand wear and tear from styling, cleansing, sun/heat etc. Conditioning should also improve the health of your hair and make it healthier. Conditioning should help you achieve certain goals:

1. Increased softness and bounce

2. Increased hair flexibility and strength

3. Ease of combing

4. Reduction in hair porosity

5. Better shine

6. Minimize frizz and fly away

7. Reduce breakage

8. Improve manageability

 

How to spot a good deep conditioner?

 Just because a deep conditioner is expensive doesn’t mean it would be great (usually a decent correlation though! Lol) and just because a deep conditioner is cheap doesn’t mean it would be crap (also an amazing positive correlation there!! Lol). So you have to know what to look for in the ingredient list! ……. PLEASE CHECK THE INGREDIENTS OF THE PRODUCTS YOU BUY!!! Knowing the right type of ingredients to look for at first glance will really help you chose a deep conditioner that it right for you;

 Firstly, search for ingredients that attach onto the hair, this is because conditioning agents are meant to adsorb into the hair, this means that the ingredients have to attach to the hair. Ingredients that attach to the hair or bind to the surface of the hair are responsible for softness, manageability, reduction of flyaway hairs, detangling and smoothing of the cuticle. Hair carries a negative charge, its important to look out for surfactants with a positive charge (conditioning surfactants) as those will be attracted to the negative charge of the hair and bind to the surface of the hair. Examples of such are Behentrimonium Methosulfate or BTMS, Behentrimonium Chloride and Centrimonium chloride. Also look for emollients like cetyl and cetearyl alcohol, murumuru butter, coconut oil, olive oil, aloe vera (juice, gel, oil or butter), butylene glycol. Also look for cationic polymers like guar gum, some silicones also attach to the hair and convey benefits.

 However, silicones create buildup on the scalp, causing irritation and blocking the hair follicles, thus stunting or slowing growth. Although, it is important to note the type of silicone (although I try and avoid them all together) contributes to the extent of build up. Dimethicone is one of the silicones with high molecular weight, its heavy and very hard to wash of since its not water soluble. On the other hand, Cyclopentasiloxane is water soluble, and very volatile, thus it doesn’t accumulate. At this point, I would like to recommend a natural alternative to silicones like broccoli seed oil, to avoid other negative effects of silicones. You can usually detect silicones as they have names ending in –cone or –siloxane e.g. dimethicone, cyclomethicone, cyclopentasiloxane etc.

 Secondly, search for ingredients that penetrate the hair, especially in your protein conditioners. While it is great to splatter egg on your hair, in the name of protein conditioning, you might not be getting the best benefits. Protein conditioners have ingredients that strengthen, and reinforce the hair structure. They have to be full of hydrolyzed proteins to work, meaning that the proteins have to be small enough to penetrate the hair shaft. Protein treatments work by filling the gaps present on your hair strand and forms a temporary bond. Hydrolyzed proteins are not the right size and simply cannot do this, so your eggs are probably better for your hair when you consume them.

 Thirdly, check the consistency of the deep conditioner, creamy conditioners are the very best, they are usually excellent in detangling. However, please not DO NOT DETANGLE when you have a protein conditioner in your hair, medium to heavy protein conditioners make the hair hard and stiff, its never a good idea to comb the hair while a protein conditioner is in your hair.

 All types of conditioner must contain water, it should be the first or at the very least second ingredient, as water is the ultimate moisturizer for the hair.

 

Protein or Moisturizing conditioner?

 

Protein conditioners are necessary when the hair is breaking due to over moisturization, limp, fine, relaxed, damaged etc. While moisturizing conditioners should be used when hair is very dry, hard, breaking due to dryness etc. It is important to understand that hair need s a protein and moisture balance to grow/retain length. Too much protein makes the hair overly dry, stiff and hard, while too much moisture makes the hair limp, and weak.

In part 2, we would look at the technique for conditioning and how to get the most out of your deep conditioning session.

 
 

 

TRANSITIONING GUIDE 101

Hello all, let me take a few moments to advertise the new health advice tab, please check it out whenever you can. The information on there would mostly be written by an actual QUALIFIED health professional, so its great to get all this FREE health advice. So please please do click on the tab and let’s learn something new every week!!

Alright let’s get to it! I get a lot of questions from people trying to return to natural hair through transitioning, many are afraid of just cutting of all their hair off. Here are a few transitioning guidelines:Trim: Start the process with a good trim! You need to get rid of all the thin, dead and split ends from your relaxed hair. The longer you transition the more brittle those ends will become. Thus, you might as well cut them of.

Avoid all chemical treatments: Some transitioners tell me that they texturized their hair. You should all know that texturizing is a NO NO, they are not natural or healthy for your hair, they are essentially mild relaxers. Texturizers contain similar chemicals as relaxers; sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide (no lye). Thus, it will change the structure of your hair and make it frail. Use of chemical dyes, keratin treatments, texturizers etc. will only prolong the transitioning process and add to the frailty of your strands, which isn’t what your hair needs

Avoid heat: Your hair is already in a fragile state with the two types of hair competing for nutrients. The last thing you need is heat damage from blow dryers, straighteners, hot combs, curling irons etc.

Do natural hair styles: Following from the two points above, if your aim is to return to natural, then do natural hair friendly styles. More chemical treatments and straightening of your relaxed roots will only damage your new roots and stunt growth. I know your hair will start to look weird once the new natural roots become more visible, so do braid outs, twists outs, bantu knot outs etc. to blend the natural and relaxed parts together. Also do protective styles, as the name implies, these styles will protect your hair from the environment, encourage length retention and most importantly hide your multiple textures. DO NOT DO 1 MILLION BRAIDS OR MICRO BRAIDS, recipe for disaster no matter your hair type.

Twist out

Crotchet braids

Do more trims: During the transitioning process, trim your hair at least once a month. The more your trims the faster you will get rid of the relaxed bits. Trimming will also encourage growth and reduce breakage. The healthier your ends are, the easier it is to complete your long term transition. Trim as often as you want until you are fully natural, after which you trim only 2-3 times a year.

Pre poo before shampooing: Your hair will get weaker as you get further into the transition. You will probably experience more and more breakage when you shampoo. Pre pooing is a process of moisturizing your hair before you shampoo for extra moisture, this helps improve hair structure and control breakage. You can use a black castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, a good growth oil without any chemical additives etc., apply it to your hair in sections and let in sit for about an 1hr, use a heating cap, if you don’t have a heating cap cover your hair with a plastic cap and wrap your head with a towel.

Shampoo in sections: Please please don’t scrunch your hair together when you shampoo, make sure you part your hair and shampoo in sections. It helps to prevent breakage and split ends. Always use a SULPHATE free shampoo, and check your shampoo ingredients for parabens, PEG, MEA, TEAs, SLES, etc. Please see here, for a short list of some chemicals to watch out for in your shampoo here, conditioners, hair pomades etc.

Deep condition every week: Deep conditioning is what keeps your new growth and relaxed ends moisturized, as I always say DRY HAIR BREAKS. Your hair is extra dry and fragile in this state, so deep conditioning will keep your hair healthy as you transition. Make sure to get the balance between protein and moisture right. You NEED a good protein conditioner as the line where your relaxed hair meets your natural hair is going to be week. So I recommend you use a moisturizing or a protein and moisture balanced conditioner each week and then protein condition very 6 weeks. The Mielle Organics DC is the only one I know that balances protein and Brazen curls DC is an awesome protein heavy DC.

Protein and Moisture balanced Deep conditioner

Detangle with LOTS of conditioner: Everything is about keeping moisture and flexibility of your strands and of course retaining length. Have your hair in sections and while your hair is damp (NOT wet) apply a good conditioner with lots of slip, allow the conditioner to sit in your hair for a few minutes and use a wide tooth comb, and gently comb from the tips to the roots. These two function as awesome detangles!!! Yes the Brazen curls body body also doubles as a moisturizing deep conditioner and detangler ( but thats another story).

Moisturize! Moisturize!! Moisturize!!!: I can’t stress this enough, DRY HAIR BREAKS!!!, naturally relaxed hair is always dry (it might look shinny, but its dry and weak), and our natural hair gets dry easily too, so in order to maintain hair flexibility we need to moisturize. Water is the only source of moisture for our hair, thus we need to use only water based products or water when we want to moisturize and seal the moisture up with an oil or butter. The proper way to moisturize is to apply a water based Leave in conditioner, follow with an Oil and then seal up with a Cream and pure butter, this is called the L.O.C method. You can go the extra mile a spray your hair with clean water before you begin the L.O.C process.

All products above are sold at the Beautifully Nappy shop, however its not totally up to date yet, you can still order them via BBM: 58A4EB6E or via email: beautifullynappy@gmail.com

 

Have an awesome Sunday, don’t forget to check the health advice page.