Must have hair and skin products.

These are products which I always keep in my cabinets. Each one has multiple benefits and uses. These are products I can always count on to deliver results.

ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

• Mix 1tbsp + honey + 6 ounces of warm water, take at the first sign of a cold, 3 times a day. 
• Mix 1/4 cup + 2 cups of filtered water, pour over hair after you have washed and deep conditioned your hair. Gives you shines and locks in moisture.
• One tablespoon + 1/2 cup of filtered water, use as a facial astringent after cleansing. Reduces shine, heals bumps and clears up dark spots faster.

PURE ALOE VERA LEAF GEL

• Apply directly to area for burns, inflamed, chapped or irritated skin. 
• Add 3 to 7 drops of pure tea tree oil to 1/2 cup of aloe vera gel, apply to scalp and massage in. This mix increases hair growth by healing the scalp of bacteria.
• Smooth over face after cleansing. Improves skin texture and tone. Helps makeup go on better. Soothes irritated skin.

BAKING SODA

• Brush teeth daily to whiten
• Mix with your face cleanser to create an exfoliator.
• Use as a laxative

PURE TEA TREE OIL

• Add 3 drops to your shampoo for irritated scalp.
• Mix one tablespoon of aloe vera gel with 3 drops of tea tree oil. Apply to your scalp. Growth, sore scalp, itchy scalp and scabs. 
• Mix 1tablespoon of tea tree oil + 5 ounces of filtered water. Use as a face toner for acne. 

Best type of flat iron for Natural hair

Do titanium flat irons get the hair straighter than ceramic irons?  Should I use one on my Afro curly hair?

YES, they do get the hair straighter than ceramic flat irons. They have higher amounts of heat. 

NO! 
Not if your goal is to keep your hair healthy and wear it natural the majority of the time. 

Yes! 
If your goal is to be a straight hair natural. You are natural but you desire to wear your hair heat straightened most of the time. Titanium flat irons give you a much silkier, smoother finish than a ceramic flat iron. Expect your hair to come out straighter and require fewer passes. Choose a flat iron which has a digital heat setting so you know what temperature you are using. 

The chances of heat damage are greater with titanium plates. Keep that in mind if you choose one. 

Here are some top consumer rated titanium flat irons:
Top Titanium flat iron
Babyliss PRO Nano 
Croc 1.5'
Theorie SAGA 1' 
Babyliss Pro Nano Ultra Thin 1'
HAI Convertable 1.25'

Different ways to straighten your hair

OLD FASHION PRESSING COMB

You can purchase a pressing comb from almost any beauty supply 

store. You place the pressing comb on the stove, to heat it. How straight the hair gets depends on how hot you allow the comb to get. Pressing one's hair is fairly easy to do at home. However, you get better results, allowing a professional to do it. Pressing combs aka hot combs can be dangerous because there is no way to know the temperature of the comb. It takes lots of practice and skill to get a good press and not burn your hair out. This is temporary straightening.  

The chances of heat damage are moderate to high. 

FLAT IRON

This is the most popular way women straighten their hair. Flat ironing is easy to do at home.  You want a flat iron with ceramic plates, and a number temperature setting. Reduce your chances of heat damage by staying under 410 degrees. Always use the flat iron on clean hair, followed by the comb chase method. Those two rules will give you straighter hair. This method is temporary, depending on the amount of moisture your hair is exposed to. 

The chances of heat damage are mild to moderate

Unless your goal is to be  a straight haired natural stay away from titanium flat irons. Those irons get much hotter and puts you at a high risk of heat damage. Titanium flat irons do deliver a smoother, silkier flat iron, but at a cost to your hair. 

Brazilian Keratin Treatment 

This is not to be confused with a regular keratin protein treatment. BKT should always be done by a professional. There are several different types of these treatments. The products used are very strong. This is a permanent straightening method. Large amounts of proteins are used followed by very intense heat. Many times you will be told you can go back and forth between straight and curly hair. Touch ups are done on your new growth only. This straightening method is expensive, but generally does not require as touch ups frequent. 

Expect a permanent change in your curl pattern. This is permanent and equivalent to a relaxer.

Silk press 

This is an upgraded old fashion press, using a flat iron. Your stylists might use different silk press products to help you condition and protect your hair. These products normally include protein rich conditioners moisture and products designed for heat protection. Your silk press should have more bounce and body than the traditional press. A silk press should be light, silky and bouncy. Giving your natural hair the look of a relaxer. Best done professional for pristine results. 

High chances of heat damage

Dominican blow out

The way many Dominican hairstylist straighten Afro hair. It is a combination of silicone products, blow drying using a brush, flat ironing on high heat. The purpose is to get the hair super silky while maintaining lots of body. You have way more bounce than a regular old fashion press. 

High chance of heat damage. 

Not a permanent service but can lead to permanent straight hair. Raking the brush through your curls, while blow drying with high heat is very damaging.  This service gives you 3 stresses on your hair: the brush, blow dryer and flat iron. 

The right conditioning product for your hair lifestyle

COILY WET SET aka THE WASH AND GO

Your hair lifestyle is that you rock coily wet sets most of the time.  You love your wash and go but you consistently have an issue with product buildup or white balls ruining your wet set. Always apply a leave in conditioner under your gel or hold product, when doing coily wet sets.  Gels can easily dry the hair out and break it. You want the gel to lay on top of the conditioner to protect your hair from breakage.

To avoid product clumps and white particles, choose a liquid leave in conditioner or a lotion type of leave in. Stay away from creamy leave in conditioners, with your coily wet set. The heavier the products the more likely you are to experience white balls forming and ruining your style. In general creams are much heavier than lotions. 

Lotion leave in conditioners :

Karen's Body Beautiful sweet ambrosia leave in

Avo365 leave in conditioner curly

Mielle avocado moisturizing milk

Liquid leave in conditioners:

Jane Carter revitalizing leave in conditioner

Aphogee pro vitamin leave in conditioner

Alikay Naturals lemongrass leave in

TWIST OUTS, BRAID OUTS

For twist out, braid outs and puffs creamy leave ins are the way to go.  To many naturals overdo it with product application. This leads to white particles and buildup on the hair. Use only a little product per section and spend more time smoothing the product evenly through your hair. A little product truly goes a long way. 

Remember the less product you use the less shrinkage you will have. Try to achieve your twist out or braid out with only a creamy leave in conditioner and oil. A good leave in conditioner will function as both a moisture and hold product. 

Products which condition and set the hair:

Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie

Qhemet Biologics amla heavy cream

Jane Carter curl cream

HEAT STRAIGHTENING 

When you press or flat iron your hair, you want as much body as you can achieve. No one wants weighed down straight hair. The less heavy products you use the least likely you will have weighed down hair. You want your hair protected and moisturized without being weighed down. To have more body, use a liquid leave in conditioner under your heat protectant. 

Liquid leave in conditioner recommendations

Aphogee pro vitamin leave in

Infusion 23 pro vitamin leave in hair treatment

New natural product buzz!

A shampoo, conditioner and a styler!

Curly Queens are giving these products 5 stars! If you are bored or unsatisfied with your present, shampoo, styler or conditioner, these are certainly products you must try. 

MIELLE Mint Deep Condtioner

Give you a blast of moisture and an infusion of protein. Hydration and strength in one jar.

Camille Rose almond jai butter

Naturals are raving about the wonderful definition this gives their twist outs. Smooth twists with lots of shine. 

Design essentials avocado shampoo

Looking for a shampoo to not only cleanse your hair well, but help you detangle with ease. Like butta! Testimony is this one delivers exactly what it promises. 

These products can be found at stores like Target, CVS or the beauty supply store. 

Hair care mistakes to avoid

Heat straightening chronically dry hair

If you've been suffering from dry hair, that is not the time to press or flat iron your hair. Heat straightening hair that is chronically dry is the number one way to get heat damage. Conditioning is more than deep conditioning your hair one time, before a service. In order to properly hydrate your hair you must  consistently condition with moisturizing product over a period of time. Depending on the degree of your dry hair, that conditioning therapy can take between 2 to ten weeks. 

Here is a conditioning boot camp regimen to help prepare  hair for heat straightening. 

Getting braid extension on thinning or balding hair

Your edges are thinning, you found a bald spot or you have extreme breakage. This is not the time to install fake hair. If the hair loss is coming from the hair root then you should not add extra weight to your hair strands. Breakage is usually from lack of moisture and braiding fake hair into your hair will only cause more dry hair. I understand that your hair may not look its best when going through a trauma, so opt for a wig instead. At the end of your day you can remove the wig, so your scalp can breathe. Watch out for the combs which come attached to lacefront wigs. Those combs can cause more thinning to your edges, opt for an elastic band to secure your wig. 

Strengthen your hair and hydrate your hair, then you can install extensions that are not tight or extra small. 

Check the Braid Retain and Grow Method. This method helps you keep your hair while wearing fake hair. 

FLIP FLOPPING BETWEEN NATURAL HAIR AND FAKE HAIR

Many naturals will go back and forth between their natural hair and fake hair. They do so because they are not satisfied with their current length or the way their hair styles. Flip flopping back and forth will continue to dry your hair out. Each time you come out of a set of  braid extensions or weaves, you have to work hard restoring moisture back in your hair strands. This is because the majority of the fake hair is made of  plastic. This plastic sits on top of your hair and dries it out over time. Lots of black women lose way more hair than they should when removing extensions and this is due in part to the hair drying out under the fake hair.  Learn your hair first. Learn how to properly hydrate it and style it. Do not be so quick to hid behind fake hair. Give your hair time to flourish. 

Once you have created a good regimen for your hair and your hair is strong and holding moisture well, then go to the fake hair for style variety. This way you are using the fake hair as a style option and not to hide behind out of frustration.