The NHCG 6inches of growth challenge-quick guide 3-Know the basics/Ask Dabs!

Hiya,
How's everyone doing? Who has checked if they retained 1 inch of length this month. The month is basically over, if you did not retain the 1 inch this time or you had to trim it off to get your ends healthy, don't worry you still have April to check, in fact you have the entire year, to get your regimen in order and start to reap the benefits of retaining length. Remember the Star Prize which I am exempted from even if I retain 100inches of growth( I wish) is $100 worth of hair product imports and a NHCG goody bag, consolation prizes will also be awarded...

My tip for this month as we tackle this challenge is; Know the basics or Ask me!!

I have always wanted to do an ASK DABS section on this blog but been pre occupied but you readers must have been in my thoughts because lately the amount of emails I receive asking different hair questions has been off the roof!! And let me tell you I welcome them especially if they are straight to the point, clear and specific and any other related synonym - 'the how do I get my hair long?' question makes me go 'huh?!, read my blog!!'. Anyways I make sure I reply as quick as I can and extensively too.

However I recently noticed that I have gotten quite a few questions on twitter and in the comments form on this blog that I have totally ignored mostly because I didn't see them or they required too long replies. I want to apologize for this especially as it concerns twitter; let me confess twitter is NOT my thing at all! I still don't get it, all the @'s, #'s, mentions etc just confuses the heck out of me...sooooo here's what I have decided; I have decided to compile these questions and answer them in my first ever ASK DABS post. I will be doing this from time to time to ensure that everyone benefits from the questions asked which are usually basic hair enquires usually sent in by readers new to the concept of a hair journey.


Below are the FAQ's;

About Glycerin;
Q. What kind of glycerin do you use?
A. I use the pure vegatable glycerin, not borax or glycerin mixed with fragrance etc

Q. How should I mix the glycerin with water?
A. I personally mix 1 part glycerin for 2 parts drinking water-(because its sterilized and free from bacteria)

Q. How should I use the glycerin mix?
A. I use the glycerin mix mainly for detangling my roots. To avoid frizziness, sprtiz the mix on your roots and massage into the roots before combing for best results.

About Henna;
Q. What type of henna do you use?
A. I use export grade henna; its more refined and smooth; free of  grains, the particular one I got has a time chart on the side that tells you how long to wait to get the right color release(thats if coloring your is your focus)

Q. How will henna make my hair feel?
A. When I use henna, I usually find that my hair feels stronger because it coats your hair and does what protein treatments do which is fill out the missing keratin bonds on your hair strands making your strands stronger and thicker looking. Following it with a conditioning treat or incorporating a conditioner in your mix helps to reduce the hardness and crunch that your hair might have after using henna.

About Hair regimens;
Q. what's co-washing?
A. Co-washing is simply using a hair conditioner to wash your hair. Shampoos are drying especially those with sulphates, co-washing allows you to cleanse and condition your hair without drying it out, I love it!!

Q. What weekend treat will you recommend for a starter?
A. As a starter its best to start with simple, straight forward hair treats. My formula is this; 1 natural ingredient + 1 hair conditioner + 1 natural oil.
Natural ingredients range from a banana, avacado, tea, honey, yoghurt, fenugreek, bentonite clay, henna etc. Please check my weekend treats to guide you on when to incorporate what natural ingredient.
for oils check out this post; here

Q. I can't do without my flat iron! How do you air dry your hair so it dries out straight?
A. I have a quick trick; make sure you use a frizz control serum on your damp hair, detangle, moisturize and seal and then grab a silk scarf, wrap your hair as smooth as possible or just comb it and sleek it straight down and secure your hair down with your silk scarf which will make your hair cuticles lie straight, smooth and shinny. You can use satin hair rollers for your ends- my satin roller results from last year were the truth!!doesnt it look like I used heat?!!



Q. LOC method or moisturizing and sealing?
A. The LOC method- read more about it here is a more intense way to keep your hair moisturized and sealed. its great because you dont have to do it daily. I like the two methods but I will say this, when I am free and have time on my hands then moisturizing and sealing is my go to daily method of hair care but if Im busy or going on a trip and I know I will not have time to care for my hair for a few days, the LOC method is my go to hair care regimen because it will keep the hair moisturized and manageable for longer.

Q. What is sealing?
A. Sealing is using mainly oils/oil based products like shea butter mixes to seal in moisture from moisturizing, into your hair strands. Basically it keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out!!

That's all for now people. I am going to try and keep these FAQ's posts coming, till my next post, below is a pictorial guide of what I was up to hair wise today(just to show starters its not that complicated and you can care for your hair on the go)

So last night I coated my strands with hair trigger and AS I AM co-wash conditioner and covered it with a shower cap and went to bed.

The morning came and I simply rinsed off in the shower and towel dried the ends gently no shampooing; simply wrapped the towel round my ends and squezzed gently, use a tshirt if you feel the towel tug at your hair.