To cut or not to cut.

“I am growing out my hair, so why would I cut it?” those were my thoughts as I worked so hard at growing my hair.  It was such "a thing" when I relaxed to get the ends cut ever 6-8 weeks.  I would watch my hair grow, only to have it snipped right back off by my hairdresser. When I went natural, I followed those same principles. But as I began to read through blogs and forums, I realized that if I didn’t have split ends or damaged hair, then what was the point of clipping my ends, so for three years I just let it grow,  My hair grew long and big, and while I was not really doing much to damage my hair, I had quite a bit of split ends. When I braided my hair the braids were thick at the top and slender at the bottom.  I never was able to wear a “fro”, because my ends were jagged and thin. What is the point of having long hair if it is not healthy? So slowly I began to cut my ends.

 

 My hair was Jagged with uneven hairs 1/13/14.

The first time I took ¼” off. Then the next month, I took 1” off. 

This is the next cut 2/9/14

As I began to see how healthy my hair looked, I shaped my hair, taking a total 2” off.  

 Now when I do my hair I have no small break offs in the sink or in my hands. And I was able to wear my fro and let it blow in the wind!

Only cut your hair when it is needed,  here are some clues that it’s time for a trim.

-when you see hair shedding that is broken off pieces versus full pieces of hair.

-Your braids are thick at the root and then at the ends

-Your hair will not grow and stays the same length.

-you have uneven jagged edges

Am I supposed to spend Hours on my children’s natural hair too?

For those of us who have gone natural, it’s not hard to expect this desire for our children. Weekly, I spend no less than 10 to 12 hours on my hair, so multiply that times 3 (myself and my 2 girls)…….that’s another job! So I think that it is normal to not put as much effort into your children’s hair. But here are some basic tips to help you have a more satisfying journey with your children.

Understand their hair type. Do they have high or low porosity hair?

 Check out my blog on the porosity of hair.The porosity of your hair. 

Once you understand that, you will then understand how to keep their hair moisturized.

Once a month the hair should be washed, and if they have heavy build-up then twice a month is sufficient. The hair should be co-washed once a week and a good deep conditioner at least twice a week. It is very important to understand the PH balance of the hair and products, take a look at my blog on PH Balance:

Understanding ph of your hair.

Now for the hair type distinction,  If your child has High Porosity hair ( open cuticles) the hair needs a way to close the cuticles tight to keep in moisture. 

Using an Acidic product like aloe vera juice mixed with distilled water and olive oil will cause the cuticle to close and follow up with the LOC method, (a leave-in conditioner, then an oil and finally a crème) from there you can twist up the hair, or place them into braids. If your child has Low Porosity hair (Tight cuticles), then you can introduce an Alkaline product such as baking soda to the routine to get moisture , then end with the LOC Method.

Here is a link for the cherry Lola method which is an alkaline product.

 Frizz free defining curl treatment/Cherry Lola

It is important to detangle, the hair once a week.  Place the hair in 4 sections, prior to the wash and take coconut oil and gently finger comb it through the hair, smooth out all knots and gently pull out any fallen hair that has tangled into the curls, then co-wash as usual.

Start out with the Shea moisture products based on your child’s type of hair.