Natural Hair Do's and Don'ts: Over-Conditioning Vs Conditioning

If you have naturally curly hair, you may by now be aware that moisture is key to healthy, happy hair. Deep conditioning is essential in order to add that much needed moisture that our curly tresses crave. Dry and brittle hair may be a sign that you need to increase the number of times that you moisturize on a regular schedule. 

I deep condition every 1-2 weeks with a variety of products. If you want a good homemade conditioner, check out my "Arid Territory" blog post :). 

Mositurizing is key but are you aware of the dangers of OVER-conditioning? Yes, there is such a thing. I believe I was in the first two months of transitioning when this happened to me. I was so overwhelmed with all there was to know and learn about going/being natural that I spent my entire days just browsing YouTube nonstop. One thing every video had in common was moisturizing your hair one way or another. My hair was already dry and brittle from the chemicals and heat so I began to deep condition for hours every 2-3 days. I was loving the new vitality of my hair and the results so I continued with this process and repeated the deep conditioning so often that my hair passed the point between "healthy" to limp. I didn't realize what I was doing because transitioning was something I basically thrust upon myself with no one in my life to learn from (besides YT ofcourse). 

Adding too much moisture can be just as detrimental as not adding enough. You know your hair is too dry if you can tug gently on your hair and have it immediately break off in your finger. You may even see tiny pieces of hair stuck on your clothes or pillow that have just snapped off. This could be the reason that you hair "just can't grow any longer" or "stops growing". Don't be fooled: Your hair is growing, you just aren't retaining length! 

Adding too much moisture can be just as detrimental as not adding enough. My hair began to feel "too soft". Yes I know, hard to believe there is such a thing. It was lifeless and super stretchy. I could pull one strand of relaxed hair to almost twice is length (mind you, it is already straight) and it would stretch and stretch and STRETCH until it would snap off. This is a clear cut sign of over moisturizing. 

Healthy and properly moisturized hair lives between a happy medium of "stretch factor". You should be able to gently pull on a strand and have it stretch (while still feeling strong) before it snaps off. Snapping off too quick or not quick enough is not where you want to be. 

If you are already at the stage where I was at, the first thing you have to do is stop conditioning as often, then you want to do a protein mask to toughen up your hair and add some more strength back into the strands. This is what I had to do and in no time, I reached the happy balance of moisture in my hair. 

Has this ever happened to you? What is your favorite conditioner?Leave it in the comments, I would love to read it!

Next time we will be discussing being a PRODUCT JUNKIE! When is too much...too much ?

YT: crizzycruz1

Instagram: crizzycruz

Natural Hair Do's and Don'ts: Protective Styling !

The beauty of protective/low-manipulation styling is that it is very versatile. You have plenty of options when it comes to this type of styling to keep your locks healthy. 

Low-manipulation and protective styling differ in that the low-manipulation styles still require some type of working with the hair that most likely includes detangling. For example, buns can be a good low manipulation style. With protective styling, you are able to let your hair "rest" sort of speaking.  

When I was transitioning, buns were my absolute favorite go to style. I would usually twist the edge of one side of my head to make the buns less plain. However, I would have to blow out my hair as well in order to achieve this style which was not only time consuming each week, but also damaging to my hair. Now that I am fully natural, I have not used heat of any kind on my hair but it is also much easier to manage because I don't have those pesky straight ends still hanging on and needing to blend them in. Wash and Go's and twist outs have been my main styles but I realized my hair (and my fingers) needed a good break. 

Protective styling is GREAT for this because it protects your strands from over-manipulation and from this harsh winter weather coming up. I recently put in some Marley Twists myself. I plan to leave them in for about 3-4 weeks though it is possible to leave them in for 6-8 even. Any longer, unless done very well, the twists begin to look funky. The process, since I have never attempted these before, took a total of 6 hours and 3&1/3 packs of Marley braiding hair. I payed only $5 per pack at a local beauty supply so this style is very affordable. I didn't want to shell out $150-200 to get them done at a hair salon so I decided to attempt them myself and they look pretty good ! I went for a chunky natural look. I love how versatile they are and I can wear them in some many ways !  

If you don't like the look of Marley twists, you have other options like box braids, Senegalese twists, or even wigs and weaves if done well. The internet is your best friend when deciding what style is best for you. YouTube helped me achieve my Marley twists but there are tons and tons of tutorials out there for the other styles as well if you want to do it yourself. 

Going natural is not easy if you are transitioning but protective styling is a key tool that you can use to mask the two textures between your new growth and your straight ends. 

So remember ! The internet is your best friend. Search styles and tutorials and have fun with it :). 

For more on my Marley twists visit my YouTube video. 

Don't forget to comment bellow with any questions or comments you have for me! Next tip will be on CONDITIONING ! 

Natural Hair Do's and Don'ts: Not Clarifying

A lot of us naturals know the importance of clarifying our hair but when I was transitioning I had no idea what anyone was talking about so this weeks natural hair no-no is NOT CLARIFYING!

So what is it? It is basically like a deep shampoo. It lifts all the gunk and layers of dirt and product from ur hair and scalp to free it. It is a fresh start for your scalp. 

Imagine all the butters, creams, lotions, oils, sprays, pomades, and gels that you add to your hair and scalp on a weekly basis. Now imagine all those products building up layer after layer after layer. Sure, shampooing can get a lot of it out but after a while, shampoo doesn't cut it! Some of do not like to use shampoo anyways but clarifying is a must. Your scalp is being suffocated by layers of junk and as we all know, healthy scalp = healthy hair.  Ever wonder why your favorite curl definer,for example, seems to be losing its effect on your tresses ? You might think you have a bad batch but looking deeper, it's all those layers of product in your hair that are built up and are blocking the other styling products you wish to use. This is where clarifying comes in to save the day. 

We are lucky that now there are many products for naturals that say "clarifying" right on the bottle so you can go into a store and buy a bottle. If you are looking for a product, try the "Nothing But Clarifying Shampoo" available many places including Walgreens for about 8 bucks. It works well and lasts for a while. Another pocket-friendly option is the "Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo" for about a $1 anywhere. It is a cheaper option and does the same thing as the more expensive options but it contains sulfates that a lot of us try to avoid because they excessively dry the hair out. Also, despite the name, don't actually use it daily (more on this in a bit).  However, you can also do it yourself at home ! Just grab some apple cider vinegar (ACV) and massage it into your scalp in a well ventilated area. (Side Note: This stuff stinks and the smell can linger). Make sure to rinse it all out well. Try to avoid getting ACV or the clarifying shampoo on the ends of your hair because it can be very drying. 

Now, that being said, while clarifying removes all the filth, it also removes all the good oils our scalp has naturally produced and without oil, we tend to get dry scalp which equals dandruff and no one wants that. So, make sure to follow a good clarification with a hot oil treatment to replenish some of those oils. I prefer to use either a cocktail of olive oil with coconut oil OR argan oil with moroccan oil. 

Since clarifying can be harsh, limit it to once a month or once every six weeks. I am an admitted product junkie so I try to do it once a month. Again, as with all things for naturals, listen to your hair and decide how often you need to do it. 

That is all for this week's tip. Next time we will be talking about protective styling ! 

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Don't forget to check me out on my Instagram @crizzycruz or if you prefer videos, my YT is crizzycruz1!