Rehairducation

Essential Oils Revisited

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Essential Oils are extracted from plants and tend to be highly concentrated, have a strong scent and are volatile (evaporate very quickly).
They are so potent they must not be used directly, they must be added to a carrier oil before use.  “Normal” oils such as olive, coconut, avocado, grapeseed, almond, jojoba, Castor, etc are called carrier oils because they are ideal for “carrying” (being mixed with) essential oils.

Whilst carrier oils are great for sealing, act as great lubricants for hair and can boost shine, essential oils have a more therapeutic/medicinal function in hair care.

Although essential oils are not necessary for healthy hair care they are certainly beneficial.  There have been numerous scientific studies which show that essential oils have the following benefits:

  • They stimulate the scalp and promote healthy hair growth
  • They help nourish and strengthen hair follicles. When applied to the scalp, they are able to penetrate our hair follicles and impart their beneficial properties more directly.
  • They help wake up dormant hair follicles.
  • They increase blood circulation
  • They can prevent and fight inflammations which sometimes cause severe hair loss
  • Many essential oils contain anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-septic and anti-microbial properties
  • They help fight hair loss and premature greying due to their anti-oxidant properties
  • They promote scalp health

Please note that not all essential oils contain all the benefits listed above but all essential oils posses multiple properties which benefits our hair and scalp. Personally I use essential oils for three main reasons: Scalp health, overall health of my hair fibres and to stimulate hair growth.

 

 

How To Use Essential oils

I have written posts about using oils for healthy hair care which you can read by clicking here and here.  These posts will give you a tonne of helpful information that can make a significant difference to your hair regimen.  For your convenience however, I have pasted parts of the older posts, which show the ways you can incorporate essential oils into your hair regimen.

Pre-poo
A few drops of your essential oils can be added to the carrier oil or conditioner you apply to your hair as a pre-poo treatment.

Mixed Into Your Deep Conditioner
A few drops can be added to your deep conditioner. This will give have a stimulating effect on your scalp whilst you deep condition.  It will also enrichen your deep conditioner.

Scalp Massages
A mix of carrier and essential oils can be applied to your scalp and massaged in for a few minutes.

Please note that pregnant women should not use any essential oil unless they have been given permission by their doctor to do so.

 

 

New Additions to My Essential Oil Collection

Over the last year I have expanded my essential oil collection to 7 by adding Cedarwood, White Thyme  and Laurel Leaf.

Cedarwood
This is obtained from the wood parts of the Cedar Tree and has a woody sweet smell which I really like.  It is fast becoming one of my favourite essential oils and has the following benefits for hair.

  • It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
  • It promotes hair growth by increasing circulation to the scalp and has been shown in studies to help regrow hair and reduce thinning
  • It improves scalp health
  • It has mild sedative effect, so it is super calming and might help you nod off if you have trouble sleeping.
  • It is a natural antiseptic

Laurel Leaf ( also known as Bay Laurel essential oil)
This oil is derived from the leaves of the Bay Laurel tree.  I love it’s fresh and spicy scent and was not surprised to when I found out its use in men’s fragrance is prevalent.  It imparts a wide spectrum of benefits for healthy hair care such as

  • It is antiseptic, anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and also has natural antibiotic properties.
  • It is an astringent and this helps to prevent hair loss by tightening the grip of our hair follicles in the scalp.
  • It encourages hair growth
  • It helps to treat scalp ailments

 

White Thyme
This is obtained from the thyme herb and in my opinion smells like kerosene mixed with tea tree oil.  The scent and the oil itself is strooooooong and must be used in moderation!!!!  I am however able to look past this when I consider the benefits it has for hair which includes

  • It increases blood flow to the scalp
  • It help promote hair growth or re-growth where there has been hair-loss
  • It helps on the control of dandruff
  • It is antimicrobial and helps to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi.

 

 

Ladies do not sleep on essential oils, especially when you consider all the benefits listed above.   Essential oils are relatively easy to find across the US and Europe but for my ladies in Lagos they are not readily available but that will be changing because………. Cedarwood, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Tea Tree, Lavender and Rosemary will be available for purchase at Hairitage Salon very soon.

 
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Do you currently use essential oils in your regimen?  Which ones are your faves and how do you use them?

My next post will be a hair update and my first official length check.  I get asked very often exactly how long my hair is in inches, find out in my next post which also doubles as my texlax update.
I still don’t know how I managed to stretch to 7 months.

See you soon

x

Lade

Lean | Change | Grow

Regular Towels, Microfiber Towels or T-shirts: Which is best for drying your hair

Hello ladies

I decided to write this post after making a hair care related purchase which turned out to be bad for my hair.  The purchase I made was a microfibre towel and in this post I will discuss why we should not use a regular towel to dry our hair, safer alternatives and I will share  loads of microscopic images to back up the facts in this post.

 

Using Regular Towels on Hair

Prior to my hair journey, I always used a regular towel to soak up water from my hair on my wash days and I was surprised to learn that it could be causing damage. How???? The fibres of regular towels are large and rough and will catch or latch on to hair fibres when the towel is rubbed on it.  This results in high levels of friction and damage to the cuticle layer of hair.  Over many months of repeated use, a regular towel will result in frizzy and roughened hair fibres which will be more prone to tangles.  Remember, tangles = breakage.

The image below is of some hair strands that had been wiped on a regular cotton towel.  You will see that the towel fibres are engulfing the hair fibres.

Towel 2

 

Towel

The fibres of the towels are tangling with the hair strands and you can see why the hair fibres would be pulled and tugged and sustain damage in the process of being dried with a regular towel.

An absorbent but much smoother fabric would be much less damaging to hair.

 

Using Microfibre Towels on Hair

Microfibre towels have much smaller and smoother fibres than regular towels.  Despite this they are also more absorbent than standard towels.  This is because of the structure/make-up of the fabric means it has a large surface area that soaks up water very well.  Using a micro fibre towel to remove excess water from hair will result in much less friction and much smoother hair than using a regular towel.

You can see the images below taken of some hair that had been wiped on a microfibre towel, (the same type we use at Hairitage to be specific 😊)  The fibres are not engulfing the hair stands and this shows why it will be less likely to catch and latch on the hair.

good microfibre towel

 

good microfibre 2

So, a good quality Micro fibre towel will result in less damage and less breakage. I can attest to how well the micro fibre towels we use at Hairitage glide on our clients’ hair without causing damage and breakage.  This is what led to me wanting to buy one for my personal use.
The moment I touched the microfibre towel I ordered I knew it was a fail.  I literally said “what the heck is this” when I touched it. Looking at it the fibres were larger than the ones we use at the salon and it did not feel smooth to the touch.  I decided I would still try it out and as suspected, I could feel the microfibre towel catching and dragging my hair.  I could actually hear some of my hair strands pop and break.

 

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The good microfibre towel is on he left, the “not so good” one is on the right. You can see how much smoother and softer the good quality micro fibre towel looks

You can see in the images below how the fibres of the poor quality microfibre towel intertwine and wrap around the hair fibres.  Hopefully, you can see why it will lead to frizzy hair which will be more prone to tangles.

Bad micro fibre 1

Bad micro fibre 2

 

 

The thing is, I have a point of reference to compare to and know that this is NOT how a good microfibre towel should feel like.
The situation got me thinking; what if I was a newbie to healthy hair care, I would have carried on using the towel believing that was how all micro fibre towels felt.  This takes me to the second aspect of this blog post.  Listen to your hair, just because something is labelled and marketed as good does not mean it is right for your hair. The product may not be of good quality or have bad ingredients…or the product may be great quality but may just not be compatible with your hair.

When trying out new products or hair care tools, always be guided by how your hair responds to it after one or a few uses.

 

Using Cotton T-shirt’s on Hair

We get told all the time that sleeping on a cotton pillow cases is damaging to hair and we should always wear a satin scarf or bonnet to bed or sleep on a satin pillow case.  So, it seems contradictory to ask ladies to use a cotton t-shirt to dry their hair.  The cotton used to make bedsheets and pillow cases are rough in comparison to those used to make t-shirts.  Good quality cotton t-shirts are soft and smooth, reducing the risk of damaging levels of friction.  They are also very absorbent.  Cotton t-shirts  gets the job done without causing damage to hair.

I’ve used cotton t-shirts to dry my hair from day one of my hair journey and have never experienced catching and popping or breakage when using it.    Looking at the image below of some hair stands wiped on a cotton t-shirt, you can see the fibres are not tangled or intertwined with the hair.
Cotton T-Shirt

 

 

So it seems my cotton t-shirts are here to stay.  And if you purchase a micro-fibre towel, make sure it a good quality one.  If you choose to use a t-shirt, make sure it feels smooth, does not have any embellishments or decorations that may snag your hair.
Please note that whatever you use to dry your hair, if you handle your hair roughly it will cause damage so go easy ladies.

I hope you have found this post helpful and insightful.

When it comes to hair products, I’ve never really been a product junkie.  I buy what my hair needs and only try new items occasionally.  However, there is an item I have become addicted to buying and I get giddy with excited whenever I get my hands on a new one.  Why??? Because the benefits it has for hair are amazing and I’ve had great results with every single one Ive tried so far.  Any idea what I am talking about?  Find out in my next post. 😊

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Hair Update : 6 Months Post Relaxer Rant

 

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Hi ladies,

Its been a little while since my last hair update.  Somehow, I’ve found myself at 6 months post relaxer again despite saying over and over that stretching this long probably isn’t the best for my hair.  Unfortunately, my schedule meant I kept pushing it further and further back.  However going forward, I am determined to reduce the length of my stretch to 4 months…..okay maybe 5 months

I wanted to share pictures of my hair at this stage, to show that, its not easy and its not pretty.  It’s the usual things I complain about, the tangles and matting, the fact that wash day becomes a major chore, constantly fighting dryness and because I have so much volume at my roots, my ends look rather thin and damaged in comparison.
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I took the pictures in this post about a week after washing.  I was supposed to put it in box braids (with no extensions) day or two after washing but couldn’t because life happened.  I had moisturised and detangled my hair about an hour before taking the pictures and I could already feel it beginning to clump and matt a little which you can see  in one of the pictures below.

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When I have a lot of new growth, my hair tends to matt quite badly if I wear it loose for a few days.  And when I say loose, I mean in a bun or faux bob style, I wouldn’t dare wear it down  or completely loose because I know I’d probably end up with locked hair and a trip to the barbers. I have to be very thorough and gentle when detangling, which with so much new growth, can be ridiculously time consuming, frustrating and frankly, it is not practical for my lifestyle and work load.

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You can see that my hair is beginning to clump and matt/tangle in this picture

Hair with a lot of new growth is very fragile and must be treated with extreme care to avoid breakage.  Also, day to day manipulation should be avoided when deep into a stretch. And this is WHY I need wigs to help me get through my stretches.  I simply refuse to spend so much time on my hair daily.  When my hair is in box braids under my wigs, I can focus on moisturising and sealing and because my hair is confined within the box braids, it no longer tangles.  However, I still spend good time and care detangling when I eventually undo the box braids to wash my hair.  I don’t enjoy wash days at all when I am deep into my stretch, but I suppose I only wash once in two weeks so it’s not too bad.

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So yes, this post is a major rant or vent of how much I don’t like stretching excessively.   Sorry 😊 How long was your longest stretch?  Were you able to manage it well and avoid breakage?  Share your tops for getting through your relaxer stretches.

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My next post will be an educative one about drying your hair.  Micro fibre versus towels versus t shirts and how to use them correctly.  Its going to be a good post.

See you soon

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Hair Health Check by Hairducation

 

 

 

I receive a lot of emails from ladies who tell me they have been caring for their hair for months or years but they are still experiencing a lot of breakage and they have been at the same length for years.
I also notice that when on a hair journey, we often complete length checks every few months to see how long our hair has grown.  We often use length alone to judge the success of our hair journey but how do we know if the health (lustre, body, strength and quality) of our hair is improving?

In both scenarios above, what we should be doing is checking how healthy our hair and scalp really is.

Why you should do it

A hair health check will show :

  • The quality of your hair cuticle
  • Issues with your scalp and follicles such as clogging, dryness, inflammation etc
  • Evidence of heat damage
  • Split ends
  • Fractured hair shaft and other hair shaft disorders

These are not always visible to the human eye and seeing them with the help of a Trichoscope ( hair microscope) will help to flag up what may be lacking in your hair care regimen or adjustments you should make to your practices or product use so that you experience less damage and breakage and maximise your hair growth potential.

A hair health check will also help to identify lifestyle, medical or hereditary factors which may be affecting your hair and scalp.   Identifying what issues there may be is the first step to preventing further damage, reducing and eventually reversing the hair loss where possible.
How The service Works 

The service is a three-stage process which includes:

  • a microscopic examination of your scalp, hair follicles and hair stands
  • collection of information about the internal and external factors that may affect your scalp health and hair growth such as your medical history, hereditary factors, lifestyle and hair care practices.
  • a report on the findings of the analysis and 6 annotated microscopic pictures of your hair and scalp. Hair care recommendations to improve the health of your scalp and hair Further tests with your doctor will be recommended if necessary

 

Location: Hairitage Salon, 2nd Floor Lennox Mall, Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1.  This service is not available online.

Booking: Bookings must be made in advance.  Please send an email to rehairducation@gmail.com  or call  09082474331 for further enquiries and to make a booking

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Update Post on The Differences between Afro and Asian/Caucasian Hair

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Hello ladies,

Our hair is different from that of other races in so many ways.  For our hair to thrive, we have to be intentional in our approach to caring of it.  The fact is that the structure or shape of our hair strands makes it more susceptible or easy to damage.   In other words, we can’t get away with as much of the damaging hair styling practices that ladies of other races do.  Especially with heat and chemical processes like colouring and perms/relaxers.

I was going to write a detailed post about the difference between afro textured and Caucasian/Asian hair and realised that I wrote a rather good one (if I may say so myself) a few years ago.  I strongly recommend that you read it, if you haven’t already.  It will help you understand your hair a lot better.  To read the post click here.

 

hair strand shape

What I would like to add with this short update are actual images which compare the shape of our hair strands with that of other races. In my first post, I drew the images  (which you can see above) to illustrate the point.  Now that I have  my Trichoscope, I compared a few strands of my own hair with hair from one of my wigs made with Asian hair.   The key difference in shape is that Asian and Causcasian hair tends to be more circular and thicker or robust whilst afro hair tends to have a more oval flattened shape.  You will notice this in the image above and the pictures below.

 

Left Image Asian hair with a circular shape. Right Image Texlaxed Afro hair with a flattened tape like oval shape.

 

The impact of this difference in shape is very important and significant.   Again please read the first post, there is so much to learn from it.

My next post will be a hair update, I haven’t done one in such a while.   I better get on with my wash day so I have material for the post.

See you soon.

x

 

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow