DarkChildLoveThyHair

Hi there,    I hope you had a pleasant weekend. As you know I made coconut oil last week after doing loads of research about the benefits of coconut oil for my natural hair. As I waited for the oil to separate from the rest of the liquid I decided to do a little hairxperiment. Here's what I did:   I scooped up a bit of the creamy milk on top   This is what it looked like      I added a tablespoon of olive oil                                        Then a tablespoon of honey    I mixed them all together and got this runny liquid      I applied it to my hair and covered it up with Clingfilm                 ...

 Hi there,    After reading about the goodness of coconut oil for my natural hair I decided to make my own :-) Here we go:  6 mature coconuts I broke them in pieces and removed the shell I cut them into smaller pieces Shredded them in a food processor All shredded up Blended in batches with warm water Home made filter with a handkerchief and rope Poured the blended mixture through the sieve and discarded the chaff The coconut liquid! I put this bucket in a cool dark place for 36 hours 24 hours later  After 36 hours the mixture looked like this. Where is my oil??!!?? yuck! Thought the oil was supposed to be floating on top? I scooped up the top layer and fried it under medium heat for 20 secs The oil separated from the chaff My oil!!!! with some chaff mixed in though Brought out an old cleanser bottle and prepared to filter filtering voila!! my coconut oil :-)   T...

Hi there,       No black hair forum is complete without the mention of Coconut oil. A lot has been said about the many benefits of coconut oil for the hair especially with regard to nourishing, conditioning, prepooing and sealing. So what makes coconut oil so great for your hair? For one thing coconut oil is the only oil that can penetrate the hair shaft to the extent that it can. According to several studies coconut oil reduces protein loss in the hair. Hair is made of protein but the daily rigors posed on hair in the form of washing, combing ,touching and rubbing against fabric  tend to wear down the fibre of the hair. Coconut oil  penetrates the hair shaft and forms a protective coat which protects the hair from being chipped away over time . This is great news for black hair which is notoriously fragile. Coating hair with coconut oil before we shampoo prevents the hair strands from absorbing too much water which...

Hi there,      One of the most frequently used words in black hair care (both natural and re/texlaxed) is seal. What exactly does it mean to seal your hair? As you well know black hair tends to be very dry and prone to breakage and this goes for both natural and relaxed hair. To combat dryness you have to effectively moisturise your hair and ensure that the moisture remains inside the hair shaft. Sealing refers to the process of locking in the moisture you have in your hair. Sealing is one of the most important aspects of growing healthy black hair. It is not enough to moisturise, you have to keep the moisture in. Imagine you have a poultry and some chickens. To prevent the chickens from leaving the poultry and getting lost or stolen you put in a door and keep it locked right? That's how sealing works, it locks in the moisture. It also locks out moisture and that is why it is unproductive to put oils on dry hair (the only exception is when you are prepoo...

Hi there,    Tangles are every hair's worst nightmare and natural hair is especially notorious for having all manner of knots and tangles. Tangles are dangerous because they can severely damage hair, causing it to break off and if proper care is not taken can ensure your hair never gets to your desired length. Here is the best  method I have found for detangling my natural hair: 1.Part your hair in easy to comb sections. 2.Make a detangling solution. 3.Take one section of hair and spray the ends and then the body of the hair with the solution. 4.Run your hands through the hair several times to make sure it is thoroughly saturated with the solution. 5.Take your wide-tooth comb and then start slowly combing the hair starting from the ENDS. Never ever start from the roots. As you comb the hair out you will feel the tangles coming apart. If you encounter any resistance spray a little bit more and keep gently combing it ,moving up until you get to t...

   In my last post I talked about laziness being an enemy of healthy natural hair. I did not mention that I am sooo guilty of this. I find that some weeks I stick to my regimen of co-washing  and pre-pooing and all that good stuff but for other weeks I give myself a break. This is so counter productive. I decided to create a simple regimen that's easy to stick to and  I'm going to share it with you.    Basically for natural hair to grow and flourish it needs to be moisturised and strengthened. These two steps are so important because for hair to retain length it should be pliant  and not brittle i.e. it should not break off  easily. Always remember that  just like a baby your hair should be "fed" and pampered daily.           A SIMPLE REGIMEN NEEDS A good conditioner for co-washing and detangling Oils for sealing in moisture, hot oil treatments and prepooing A leave-in conditi...

Hi there,    In my last post I talked about laziness being an enemy of healthy natural hair, I'll get to that in a future post. Today I want to acquaint you with some terms commonly used in black hair care. TWA-Teeny Weeny Afro (need I say more? :-) ) Co-wash-This refers to  washing your hair with your conditioner rather than a shampoo. You apply the conditioner, thoroughly massage through while using your fingers or a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair. Then you rinse off. Prepoo- short for pre-shampooing. It involves applying either an oil or oil mix to the hair to protect it from being stripped of moisture while you shampoo. A conditioner can also be used. Hot oil treatment- This involves heating an amount of oil and using it to massage your scalp and also coat your hair strands. This helps to stimulate hair growth, strengthen and condition hair and also helps  repair damaged ends More to come. KimB