Want That Oh so Golden Summer Hair???

Curly Gurlies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow so I haven't been putting up posts in forever...life was happening at a fast pace lol. But I'm back!!!!!! Topic of the day!!! Golden hue, or highlights for your summer do...Well this is a can of worms to open up. I, like many other chicas, salivate for that golden look for the summer. There are a plethora of options...Ive gone the highlights route as well as the rinse route...both have their pros and cons. I found that highlights (traditionally done with bleach) was the most effective in getting the color that i wanted, but the maintenance was a hassle. Even with natural hair you find that there is breakage and dryness. While rinses on the other just weren't showing up on my hair! In the summer months quenching thirsty hair and making sure you treat it enough is a full time responsibility.
This summer I have decided to try something new. Ive been doing some research on lightening my super dark hair with hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide is by no means a easy and totally un-damaging process to the hair. All chemical applications to to your hair WILL damage the hair in some way or other if there are no steps taken to remedy damage and prevent further damage. Just keep that in mind! No freebies here...chemical + hair = some level of damage. How you treat that damage is the key. What look am I going for exactly? I want an overall lightening of my hair, as well as a few strategically placed lighter highlights to compliment my visage. How do I plan on attempting this feat? So I 've read quite a bit on people combining lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide in equal parts, or lemon juice hydrogen peroxide and water in equal parts, or all of the above with chamomile tea.... My preferred combo will be hydrogen peroxide and chamomile tea...I'm not trying to be blonde! lol The lemon, is acidic and in combination with the hydrogen peroxide I feel will be too harsh on my hair. I plan on combining the chamomile and hydrogen peroxide in equal parts in a spray bottle and applying uniformally all over my hair then going out into the sun. For the lighter pieces i will use the same combination, but I will apply heat from a blow dryer to intensify the reaction and hopefully come out with lighter pieces. After all of this, what am I going to do ladies? What we ALL should do! DEEP CONDITION! Remember these chemicals are just that, CHEMICALS...they will strip your hair of the moisture it needs to maintain a healthy shine. I will let you all know what the outcome is!!!!!

Laters!
Saranna

Drying Winter winds...

Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The winter is approaching fast and relentless!!!! Our poor tresses are at risk to breakage and dryness. How can we lower or even eliminate that risk? Moisture!!!!!! Moisture is soooo very essential during the winter months, not only for our hair but for our skin as well. Try not to blow dry your hair quite as often. The direct heat on the hair only worsens the dryness problem. Since it is getting chilly out we tend to have the heat on inside and this dries out the air, and thus the hair...get a great moisturizing daily hair lotion, or spray that you can use on a daily basis. When you're going to turn in for the night, sleep on a satin pillow case or with a silky scarf on your hair to minimize the friction from your pillowcase. And as hard as it may be, ease of the hot curlers and flat irons ( I know curls are cute ladies but its a worthwhile precaution) save the curling and flat ironing for a hot date or church!...Again, direct heat when your hair is prone to breakage is a recipe for disaster!!!!!


S

A Splittin Debate

Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Please, please, please do NOT fall for the swindle that a product can fix, or reverse split ends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't say it enough. Once a split end has occurred, the hair has fractured and there is no going back from that. The only true remedy to a split end is to trim it off!!!!! Products that claim to "fix/eliminate" split ends are bending the truth. A lot of these products have silicones in them and these silicones are ingredients in the products that coat the hair strand. They may TEMPORARILY seal the strand and give the APPEARANCE of a quote unquote "healed" split end. But it's only temporary...truly...don't be taken for a fool. Silicones make the hair look shiny and smooth which isnt a bad thing...but its not healing anything....keep it cute ladies....but smart....


S

Did You Just Get Some Sun-Kissed Highlights???

Hey Girlies!!!!!
I don't know about you girls, but I got my sun-kissed highlights to warm up my face for the summer, and I'm sure so many of you girls out there have got them or are gonna get them too. Now highlights are cute,.....really cute, but they can very easily become BIG trouble. Especially for girls that chemically relax their hair or girls that have fragile tresses to begin with. Keeping the hair VERY well moistured is an absolute MUST!!!!!!!! Weekly treatments that boost your hair's moisture content is not just a "treat"ment its a MUST do. Deep conditioning the hair with a once a week oil treatment, coconut milk deep conditioner, olive oil treatments, avocado masks or any other moisture giving goodies will make your hair happy enough to not break off. Balancing protein and moisture treatments are also wonderful. Blow drying the hair excessively as well as using any kind of heat styling can also be very detrimental. Baby your hair after highlighting, especially if you have fragile hair or already chemically treated hair...we all want to look cute ladies, I KNOW, but do it right...making all your hair break off because of hair negligence isnt cute in the least.... Good Luck!!!!!!!!
Just a quick but UBER useful tip...garlic shampoo and conditioner are great ways to battle hair that sheds alarmingly and to stop excessive breakage.....you can usually find it in beuty supply stores....
S

A Summer Tip

Hey ladies!!!!!!!!
I have a small summer hair care tip for you...we all know that its finally hot, and we're at the heart of the summer with the sun beating down on you mercilessly. You feel the heat right? Hot, dry but still wonderful sunshine! Remember ladies as much as we love the sun, it can be harsh on your hair. It dries it out and can be quite damaging to already dry curly hair or fragile processed hair. A simple trick I do is, when putting sunblock on, smear a bit on your hair.... not only can it smooth any renegade flyaway's, but it helps to prevent sun damage... so don't forget to give your hair some of that banana boat protection!!!!

S

Your Shampoo

Hey Ladies!!!!!!!!!!
Today I wanted to drop a note about shampoo's. They are an extremely important part of our hair care routine because they're a part of your cleansing routine. I find though, that a lot of the shampoo's available to us have really strong detergents in them and make the hair squeaky clean which in turn makes the hair super fragile. It is necessary to cleanse the hair and scalp, but stripping away all moisture and natural oils is not beneficial at all! So it would be in your best interest to find a shampoo that will infuse moisture as well as lightly cleanse, especially for my relaxed and curly Girlies...Our hair is dry already! Another note that one should pay attention to is that your hair, like your skin has a pH. Using products that help your hair maintain its correct pH (of between 3-4.5) aids you in the quest for healthy strong hair. Good Luck!

Unbeweave-ably Important

Hey Chicas!!!!
Weaves tend to have a certain stigma attached to them...but in all honesty their a great means to change up your look, or enhance it without to much trouble. BUT, the problem i see is not getting weaves its in their maintenance. Ladies please!!!!! It peeves me to no end to see women with atrocious ratty weaves! First of all weaves can be used to also give ones hair a break from constant styling. It can be a good thing. But it can also damage your hair and scalp. Proper maintenance is key!!!!! When washing if all t he hair is not dried properly mold can develop, damaging the scalp and hair. Not washing at all only creates an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Moisturizing your own hair beneath the weave is also something the ladies need to keep in mind. Out of site out of mind will leave you with brittle, dry and breaking hair post-weave. Using heavy greases will only allow for gross build up in the scalp. Try coconut oil, or jojoba oil in the scalp and braided hair. They are both light oils that are maximally moisturizing. Weaves are definitely fun and allow youv ersatility with your look, but don't neglect your homegrown tresses beneath!!!