Staying Natural

• Condition, condition and condition! Indulge in weekly/bi-weekly deep conditioning treatments.

• Water (as long as it isn't hard water) is your friend.

• Protect it from cold air and sleeping at night. Sleep with a stocking cap or with a satin scarf/pillowcase. I cut the top of a pair of stockings. My scarves always ended up on the floor. :)

• Leave it alone. I know, I know. It's easier said than done. ;)

• Limit your heat usage or cut it out completely.

• Stay away from products that strip or dry the hair. Here is a website that lists various ingredients used in hair products.

• Don't comb dry hair. That's asking for trouble AND frustration. Try combing while soaking wet (or at least damp), covered with conditioner, and with a wide-tooth comb. Work from the ends of your hair up to the scalp.

• For longer hair, try shampooing/conditioning/combing in sections.

• Do not rub your hair when towel drying. Hair is very fragile when wet. Try squeezing instead.

• Take care of those ends! This is the oldest part of your hair. Rub a little oil on them at night.

• Are you experiencing excessive tangles and knots on the ends? That is a sign that you are in need of a trim.

• Get trims as needed. Holding on to split ends will do more damage than good in the end.

• More than likely you may have different textures on your head. Some parts maybe tightly curled, other parts maybe a bit looser. That's just the way it is. The more you get use to your hair, the more you will figure this out and deal with it.

• Experiment, experiment, experiment! The only true way to know how a product works or to create different hairstyles is to use them and practice. Don't wait until the important night comes to try a new product or style. On a day you're staying at home, experiment then tweak as needed. Then you'll know in advance and there won't be any surprises on your big night. :)

• DRINK WATER! It's important to hydrate the body inside-out. Here's a tip. Use a 16 oz. jar and fill it up 4 times a day. Have a glass when you wake up, one before lunch, one in the evening and one before going to bed and bam - you've met your water requirements for the day! Your hair, your body and your skin will thank you...trust me. When you spread the amounts out over the day, you don't go to the restroom as much.

• Lastly, maintaining your natural hair should not be very difficult task. Once you accept it for what it is and learn to do different styles, it will only get easier.

Hair Growth Tips

• The Cycle of a Hair Strand: Hair grows from hair follicles and each individual hair follicle grows a single hair in a cycle. This hair cycle consists of a long period of growth followed by a relatively short period of rest. During the rest period the hair is still attached to the hair follicle, but it is not growing. After each rest period, the hair is shed, and a new hair begins to grow, and the growth cycle starts again. The life of a given hair is measured by adding the growth period plus the rest period.

• Genetics plays a huge role in hair growth. It gives a particular hair follicle a predisposition role to either continue growing new hair, to stay in the resting stage or not grow hair. There is no control over this factor, and there is nothing you can buy to speed up hair growth, but there are some things you can do to prevent your hair from breaking and assist hair growth.

• If you are a healthy woman, your hair is always growing. But if it's breaking, you won't see growth so it will appear as if it is not growing.

• Keep the hair moisturized with water. It helps the hair with elasticity and keeps it hydrated - our hair is very, very thirsty. When natural hair isn't properly moisturized it will get dry and will eventually break off.

• Keep your scalp clean and product-free.

• Products like 'SuperBlackHairGroGrease 2000' marketed towards black women who hair "doesn't grow" will not make your hair grow from the scalp (rolling eyes - lol). And they are usually loaded with mineral oil and or petroleum. Sure it may protect the ends and keep them from being dry, but if you put products like this directly on your scalp, you are going to clog your hair follicles; thus preventing optimal growth. Save your hard-earned money.

• Massage your scalp nightly to promote oil secretion and to increase blood circulation, which brings oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicle. U Use light oils such as jojoba, sweet almond, lavender and/or rosemary. Use your fingers and in a gentle, circular motion all over your scalp. You can do this with or without oils.

• Also to increase blood circulation, try gently tapping all over your scalp or hanging upside down on the end of your bed for a few mins.

• Exercising helps to get blood flowing to the scalp and encourages growth.

• Over the years, many women have informed me that drinking protein shakes and/or taking amino acids has assisted in hair growth. (Note - you must workout if you plan to take these because the body will store the nutrients excess as fat if the body isn't active).

• Take a look at your diet. Hair thrives on the proper nutrients. If you don't eat right, try taking vitamins. Examples: GNC Ultranourishair, MSM, Evening Primrose Oil, Biotin, Flax Seed Oil, Silica, or Pantothenic Acid. Even one inexpensive multi-vitamin such as One-A-Day will do. This type of vitamin contains ample amounts of nutrients that hair likes, such as zinc and biotin. Each person's body is different so result may vary. Don't waste your money on 'SuperLongHairPlusVitamins'. The body absorbs so much and the rest gets flushed out.

• Wear your hair in protective hairstyles to protect the ends from breakage.

• I don't know about this, but I read about a few women who cut their hair according to the position of the moon and they said they had decent results. Check out the link for more details. Here is a link with the dates of the new/full moon.

• If you don't straighten your hair often, don't forget to factor in shrinkage. The first 6 months of being natural I was so frustrated because I thought my hair was growing really slow. I blow-dried my hair for the first time during this time and little did I know I had about 4 inches of new growth! With natural hair, the growth is hard to actually see because of the shrinkage. Hang in there and try not to think about it.

• Lastly treat your hair like a fine piece of silk and hopefully you will see results in time and try to be patient! FOCUS ON THE HEALTH OF YOUR HAIR AND THE LENGTH WILL COME!

• The first thing to do is figure out how your hair became damaged. Overlapping the relaxer/texturizer? Wearing a tight hair bonnet while sleeping? The way you handle your hair may have a lot to do with the damage that has occurred. If so, try the following:

• Use hot oil treatments and/or deep conditioners.

• ApHOGEE Treatment for Damaged Hair. This is a highly concentrated protein treatment that is used with heat after shampooing. This product helps to stop breakage and to repair damaged hair. The protein and heat bonds to your strands strengthening and making them stronger. It makes your hair very hard...don't comb, brush or agitate why drying. Use a moisturizing conditioner afterwards and the results last for 6 weeks. Never use this product often - too much protein WILL cause breakage. You can purchase this from Sally's, but I find the local neighborhood beauty supply store) sell them for less and they have them in sample packages that has the ApHOGEE shampoo, conditioner and the protein treatment sold together.

• L’Oreal Ineral Hair Fixer. This product is used after shampooing (do not use conditioner). It restructures restore elasticity back into your hair. Don't rinse it out.

• If all else fails, go see a professional beautician if the damaged is beyond repair for a haircut and start over. Don't worry, hair does grow back. :)

Hair Tools

1. Widetooth comb: I have two kinds that I love..the K-Cutter comb (for basic detangling) and a "Beach Comber" comb from Sally's this comb hair extra wide spaces and great for those days when I need some extra detangling.

2. "Ouchless" elastic bands for ponytails and buns. These do not have those metal pieces in the band which can cause tangles and breakage.

3. Bobby Pins: I can't say enough about these. They are great for holding my hair back and securing the hair for buns.

4. Spray bottle: I love mixing concoctions up and spraying them on my hair.

5. Barrettes are great for adding that something extra to your look.

6. Headbands in different colors to match your outfits are great as well!

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Getting Bored?

My hair was the most frustrating at the 4-6 inch stage. It was too long to be short and too short to be long. Arrrrrrrgh. But, here are some ways I got over being bored and frustrated with my hair:

• I wore wigs and lots of them. I kept my real hair cornrowed or flat-twisted and wore a variety of wigs. My real hair was protected and my boredom problem was solved.

• I made pretty scarves and bought nice hair jewelry. These made a huge difference.

• Bored with your afro puff? Check out these ideas!

• I wore hats and headwraps to give my hair a break.

• You can try getting braided extension for a while. I didn't go this route, but maybe it can help you.

Encouraging Thoughts

• Don't buy into the natural hair myths. Natural hair is NOT unprofessional, dirty, or unmanageable. If you don't care for your hair, any style will look bad, but embrace the beauty you were born with. :)

• This is easier said then done, but try not to think about hair growth. It's like watching a plant grow. When you're always thinking about growing more hair and constantly measuring it you will get discouraged. The average person only grows up to a half inch of hair per month, if that. Also with shrinkage, it will *appear* like your hair is not growing if you don't straighten it. Spend this time concentrating on keeping your hair well conditioned and moisturized to keep it from breaking and before you know it, the growth will come!

• Speaking of with shrinkage, don't be discouraged with it. It's what makes our beautiful hair unique! With a little length, we are able to make our hair look short or longer without cutting it or adding extensions!

• Rain or humidity in the forecast? Don't worry! Here's another plus for being natural. No running from rain or swimming! In fact my hair seems to look a little better after a brief rain misting. Go on to the club and don't worry about sweating your hair out! Take a shower without a cap and don't worry about your straight hair getting poofy. And there's no need to worry if your "new growth" is showing - because ALL of your hair is new growth!!

• No more burning scalp, lingering "burnt hair" smell from curling irons and flat-irons and no more stinky "freshly relaxed" smell - ya'll know what I'm talkin' about. lol

• No more seeing hair all over the bathroom floor and sink! When natural hair shed, it usually attaches itself to the curl/kink. So when you comb-out, it may seem like a lot of hair is in the comb - this is more likely the reason why.

• When you take care of your hair, you will have softer, stronger hair. The hair strands are not being broken down by harsh chemicals. Natural hair can be fun, unique and oh so versatile! Straight yesterday...curly today...wavy from a braid-out tomorrow! Don't believe me? Take a look at my photos from the past year and a half and visit other wonderful hair journals as well!

• My personal input - Wearing my natural hair makes me more unique, confident, and proud and it is SO FREEING! I don't like being in the center of attention but with this hair, it can't be helped it at times. It feels great not to fight with nature and go with the flow. I also save so much time in the morning and going on vacation is a breeze! I use to pack all types of curling irons, hair products, worry and plan events around my hair...not anymore!) Because of all of that this is not a trend for me, but a lifestyle.