Let's understand hair...

If we're going to really take care of our hair & ensure how we'll get to our maximum length, we must first understand it & understand how it grows.

It's important to know that our hair is mainly made up of protein; this protein is called keratin. Hair is also made up of moisture and other minerals. This visible part of your hair (the part we comb & style) is called the hair shaft. The hair shaft consist of dead tissue; the part of your hair that is not made up of dead tissue, is the root. Typically, we have to take care of the hair shaft to stop premature breakage, but we feed the root to ensure our hair continues to grow & grow healthily.

Your hair strands have three layers: the cuticle (the outer layer), followed by the cortex (which gives hair it's strength & elasticity) and the medulla (the center which consists of keratin cells). The real purpose of the medulla is not quite understood, however, specialists believe that it is responsible for carrying nutrients through the strand. They say, this may explain why hair is one of the first to be affective if you get ill.

You'll learn that sealing your cuticle is very important in protection the health of your hair strands. The images below show a perfect strand, the outer green lines show a sealed & perfect cuticle. The second image reflects a damaged & frayed hair strand. Most times damaged by harsh environmental conditions and/or abuse of heat.

One reason you rinse with cool water is to seal your cuticle after you have cleansed & condition. A lot of conditioners use silicones to help with this process. However, be aware of the various silicones... not all are good for your hair.

A perfectly healthy strand of hair ----------------------------------------->

A damaged strand of hair

Being a bit naughty

I washed my hair today, but I have to confess, I was a bit naughty.

Not only did I blow dry, I also broke out the flat iron. I promise it was not my intention, but I simply did not have the time today to sit under the hair dryer. Sometimes, that's the way it goes, but ladies this should be the exception and not the rule. Stay away from the heat - it's the devil for your hair :) The more heat you use on your hair, the more dry & brittle it would be and that dryness would promote breakage & split ends.

I also put together my special butter that I've been using for the last 2 years on my skin. It has some great ingredients: organic shea butter & cocoa butter, olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, organic vitamin E...

I've also been doing some more research for you...

Time to Deep Condition

I will deep condition my hair today with products from my kitchen & you can too. This is a great deep condition that you should do at least once a month because sometimes we just don't have the time to do it on a more frequent basis. Not to mention, not everyone needs all this moisture or protein.

What you need:

I mixed, 1 egg yolk (you can also use the entire egg), 1 tbsp of honey, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of coconut oil & a heaped tbsp of crushed avocado. I massaged from scalp to the end of my hair. For longer tresses, you may double the recipe.

Ingredient benefits:

• The egg yolk is rich in cholesterol, honey is a natural humectant and will help your hair to retain its necessary moisture. Egg white is rich in protein & Vitamin A. ** remove the chalaza from the egg if you're able to. That's the little semi-solid white things you see after cracking open an egg.**


• Coconut oil is full of nutrients & proteins necessary for healthy hair growth; it's also great for treating dry scalp (which I have at this moment).


• Olive oil replaces moisture, elasticity & nutrients lost from your hair being exposed to the elements; it's rich in Vitamin E.


• Avocado has hydrating benefits & will help do away with dull looking tresses.

What to do:

- For a good deep condition sit under a dryer for 15-20 minutes with a plastic cap on.

- Wash thoroughly.

- Remember to always rinse with cool (not cold) water. This will seal your hair cuticle and help to reveal beautiful, shiny hair.

New Phase

OK, so, I've turned a new leaf... I'm going organic. No more parabens, no more glycol, no more sulphates.

I went to the organic store and purchased some organic hair cleansers and conditioner. I even purchase a special hair folice revitalizer. I'll let you know if it works before I tell you what it is. They say it takes at least 30 days to begin seeing changes. I even used a special concuction on my fiance's head. We'll see how that goes.

I've been doing my research and now I'll be experimenting before I tell you what works and what doesn't.

I've had it with over the counter hair products

Since I was a little girl, I've been using store bought products for my hair. However, my Mom & I always used items in our kitchen for deep conditioning. In fact, if there was a time we paid great attention to our tresses, we were in the kitchen or cutting an aloe leaf to scrape that bitter slimey stuff to use on our hair. We also used alot of this stuff on our skin.

Things like eggs, aloe (mentioned above), olive oil, andiroba oil, coconut oil, castor oil... even mayo. I believe you could find these things all in your kitchen... DON'T BE AFFRAID TO USE THEM.

I'm going back to basics... wanna join me?