Hair Idol Flo Jo

I don't know about you, but being an 80's baby there was sheer magic associated with our US Olympic teams growing up. Florence Griffith- Joyner or Flo Jo as we called her stood out from everybody! She has impeccable style, speed and beauty that no one could touch in my eyes.  The A-symetric running outfits, the nails, the flawless makeup, and who could forget the HAIR...so beautiful. Though she is now an angel flying high, she will always be a beauty and hair Icon.

The Science of Black Hair - Book Wish list

The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy

This Book is on my Christmas wish list. I am a long time reader of Audrey's Yahoo articles on hair health. Needless to say I am so excited her manuscript is finally out.  This book cover everything form exploring our scalp to the challenges we all face as black women in growing our hair, to the hair and total body/ health connection.  I never want to stop soaking up knowledge when it comes to understanding our hair, so this book for me is a must read.  I would also enourage my readers to check out her awesome website at http://blackhairscience.com/index.html  Look for a full review of this book after the holidays and Happy Growing!

Top 10 Tips for Growing IT!

Starting your healthy hair journey requires changing those old habits that has caused you to neutralize your hair growth. These are my TOP TEN tips on retaining as much length as possible. We WILL reach our healthy hair and length goals if we are consistant with our regimens and grow our knowledge on hair health.

#1. Keep moisture on your hair. This means co-washing as needed to renew hair's moisture on a regular basis. Apply a leave in conditioner or sprtiz hair with water, then seal with an oil daily to lock in moisture in between washes and co-washes.  Making sure hair has sufficient moisture is the most important step in retaining your length.

#2. Deep Condition often. Once a week is a good starting point. This will keep your hair moisturized and will give it great nourishment.

#3. Keep ends trimmed. Split ends become bigger problems once they travel up the hair shaft; damage will only get worse. When hair breaks it does not break 100% even, so a split is likely to develop on those strands. Doing a light dusting (trimming 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch or trimming visible splits strand by strand) every few weeks on your ends allows YOU to control what you take off the ends.

#4. Make sure your hair has sufficient protein.  Finding the right moisture/protein balance will give you the healthiest hair possible.  Relaxing removes protein from the strands, so it is very important relaxed/ texlaxed heads do a protein treatment periodically to restore the hair's strength.  Missing this step in your hair regimen can be detrimental to your progress. Don't over do it with protein, or you will get stiff, hard hair prone to breaking...always follow up with a deep condition after you finish your protein treatment. Remember balance is key.

#5.  Avoid applying heat to your hair ( especially direct heat i.e., flat iron, curling iron, blow dryers). Heat breaks and then reforms the hydrogen bonds in the inner core of the hair fiber. While the goal of using heat is to alter the inner substance of the hair, the unwanted consequence may be damage to the outer protective cuticle, causing weathering, damage and eventual hair breakage.  If you decide to use heat be sure your hair is clean and conditioned. Always use a heat protectant first! Air dry your hair as much as possible and treat your self to a heated style only on special occasions( at least until you reach your goal length).

#6. Decrease hair manipulation. Excessive combing, brushing and handeling of hair will put more stress on your strands, which can make it more prone to breakage. Style your hair and leave it be for the remainder of the day!

#7.  Get proper nutrition and hydrate for healthier hair.

#8.  Wear a protective style as often as possible. Avoid those that add tension and stress like sew in weaves and very tight pony tails.  You will be so happy you did!

#9.  Educate yourself on what you are putting on your hair. Pull out your trunk of hair products right now. If you see ingredients like sodium laureth sulfate, mineral oils and petroleum, it may be time for you to put more effort info finding products that will foster healthier hair growth.  There are products out there that will cause even further damage to your hair. Take an active approach in avoiding them.

#10. BELIEVE that you will reach your hair goals and everything will fall into place. Put an end to being tired and frustrated with your hair. All hair was made to grow, even black women's hair, contrary to all the ridiculous myths out there.

Apply these tips and you will see a rapid change in hair health...I know I did : )  U grow girl!

Ode to Black Hair for Little Girls Everywhere

THANK YOU SESAME STREET! Teaching Black girls that loving their hair is a GREAT thing: )

Before the Journey

Here are pictures of my hair before the start of my hair journey ( HHJ started May 6, 2010). As you can see my hair is shoulder length, thin ends and severely damaged edges. My new Hair Regimen is listed below. I will follow it faithfully! I will post updated pics every relaxer. I am aiming for a 5 month stretch after my June relaxer.

Hair Regimen as of May 2010

- Shampoo once every 2 weeks with Keracare Hydrating Shampoo

- CoWash 2 x a week with Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner or Herbal Essences Hello Hydration.

- Clarify with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse once per month

- Black Tea Rinse 2 x a month


- Prepoo (over night or for 2 hours) before every CoWash and Shampoo with EVCO, EVOO, a touch of HE Hello Hydration and Honey.


- DC at least once a week for 1hr with heat, alternating between a deep moisture mask (Phytojojoba or Bio Infusion Olive Oil DC) or Protein conditioner (Elasta QP Intense, or PhytoKarite). I also add EVCO or EVOO and Wildgrowth Light Moisturizing Oil to my DC.


- Oil Scalp 2 to 3 x week with JBCO or EVCO


- Protein Treatments 2x month Alphogee 2 min Reconstructor and Sprtiz twice a week with Alphogee green tea keratin leave in.


- Moisturize Daily with Jane Cater Solution Revitalizing Leave In Conditioner, Suave Professional Almond & Shea Butter Conditioner. Seal with EVCO or JBCO


- NO HEAT, air dry always ( With the exception of relaxer day, will roller set and flat iron root only). I will Bun hair and wear phony ponies until I reach my short term HHJ goal of BSL. After that point I will wear some other no heat styles occasionally ( Braid Outs, Bantu Knots out). I plan to wear protective styles 98% of the time until my Long term Goal (WSL) is accomplished. 

- Tie hair up in satin scarf every night


- Relax with PhytoRelaxer every 3 to 5 months, Trim every relaxer.

Slave to Hair No More!

Hello Hair World!

I would like to take the time to introduce myself and explain my reasons for starting this blog. My name is Sharida, and I have been a slave to my hair since the age of eight. The many trials, tribulations, hate and frustrations with my hair all started with my relaxer, and it's been on going for the past 20 years. Of course in 1990 my mom had only experienced an Afro and Jerry Curl for herself, but she still made the decision to have her co worker (not a professional) relax my hair because swimming in summer camp would mean washing, combing and managing a thick mane of kinky African American hair daily. Who has time to comb through that unmanageable mess? She just didn't have the patience for that times two ( I have a twin sister too). So with no knowledge of how to care for my relaxed hair properly I ruined my once head of thick healthy hair by washing it only once every few months, not conditioning, piling mineral oils on it, not moisturizing, not trimming, you name it...if it should be done, I was NOT doing it. Fast forward to my late teen years and early college years. Washing a bit more often, but not following a real regimen and relaxing whenever I felt like it, sill no trims, then I added too tight phony ponies daily along with micro braids, blow dryers, flat irons and sew in weaves. For so long I hated my hair, and thought all black hair was bad hair and inferior. Why can't my hair grow long, healthy and shiny? Why did God choose for us to be the only race with dry hair that will not grow long? I would ask myself, why is black hair NOT our crowning glory like Indian, Asian, Latino and Caucasian woman? I just decided I would have to invest in "hiding" my real hair forever like so many black women do and deal with this cursed mane.

Fast forward to May 2010, the start of my Healthy Hair Journey (HHJ). I am no longer a slave to my hair officially! I also LOVE my hair, not my Indian weave! I have through my own research, and support from life changing web sites (such as www.k-i-s-s.biz, and www.hairlista.com) figured out the key to breaking this ridiculous mindset so many black women have about their hair. The answer, the key, the secret is KNOWLEDGE! The more we know about our own hair, what makes it different, what makes it thrive, what makes it healthy, unhealthy, grow, break, etc., the more likely we are to achieve the look, length, and overall health we have long desired for our hair.  I urge all you out there to not trust all the product promises, manufactures, and sales clerks, but trust what your hair tells you, real science, and your results. I f your hair "appears" to be healthy but "it won't grow", then it is not as healthy as you think it is. It is growing and breaking at the same rate, and retaining no length. That to me is not healthy hair. Healthy hair grows long unless purposely cut short. Yes the maximun length varies as it depends on the life cycle of your hair strand, but trust me sistas, neck length hair is NOT your maximum length. Through this journey I too will dispel the myth that relaxed (or natural) African American textured hair will not grow long and is inferior to our counterparts. I look forward to sharing my HHJ progress, pictures, product reviews and knowledge with you all.

U GROW GIRL !

Sharida