Hello Family!!!

Hiya!!
It feels like AGES since I last came on here!!! I have missed NHCG sooo much!! I had to take the time off to personally sort myself out on this trip...my life has been super duper busy, still is but I just had to squeeze out time to write a post here, thanks to all the ladies who have kept coming here despite my absence and those who have sent me mails and asked questions under the comment form...really appreciate your support and that's why this post will be all about replying mails I have received recently asking valid hair questions...some of these mails I have replied but would like to share my reply with all readers just in case they are questions more ladies have asked, others unfortunately I have not replied because of my schedule, I apologize and hope my reply helps...

Let's Begin ( I categorized the mails/questions into groups, I have also edited some mails to focus mainly on the hair issue)...

KID'S HAIR CARE;

Joy Asked;
'Hi dearie,
I cut my 1 year old daughter's hair because it was falling off. The challenge is 2 months plus after, her hair growth is so slow (hardly noticeable)though we rarely make her hair because she won't even let me touch it. Her hair is very coarse, rough and shrinks. How I can get her to stay without crying to make her hair, can you advice hair regimen and products that will grow and tame her hair.


MY REPLY;

Cheers,

Dabs

UPDATE TO REPLY; Dear Joy you might be expecting too much from the hair cut you gave your little girl, It's just been 2months and that's just 1inch of growth if her hair grows the average 1/2 an inch a month, so please don't pressure yourself into thinking hair grows long overnight, it does take sometime to notice real growth retention...the same hair regimen that applies for adult hair applies for kids, mositurize and seal her hair daily, deep condition over the weekends alternating between protein and moisture...take note of how her hair reacts to different products you try on...keep using the ones her hair responds well to.  

Abi Asked;

Hi, do you have any product suggestions for kids hair? My daughter is two now and her hair doesn't seem to be getting longer, I don't know if it because of products I have used or haven't used. I braid her hair to keep it neat but I don't think it's helping it grow. And I'm not sure if kids get split ends. Any advice for me?

MY REPLY;
Hiya Abi,
Hair is hair, kids scalp might be more sensitive and require gentler products and style choices but if your hair gets split ends, so does your daughter. Please start her on a hair regimen that will gradually but surely restore her hair; my post on building a hair regimen under the Hair regimen tag under my blog post categories; will help, READ IT HERE

Xx
Dabs

HAIR STYLING

Anonymous Asked; Hi my hair is in braids as a protective style. Is it okay to apply the castor oil on to my scalp and wash it off with the braids still on? And do you have to wash it straight after...

 

MY REPLY;

Hi Anon,

Yes it is okay to apply castor oil to your scalp though I find that it is a heavy and thick oil and is better applied when mixed with lighter oils...and yes you can wash it off while still in braids however I don't advice that you wash the oil straight after as that will defeat the purpose of applying the oil in the first place, allow the oil to be fully absorbed into your scalp by covering your head with a shower cap or a cholesterol cap if you have one...you only should wash( shampoo not recommended so more like cleanse) your scalp when you start to feel the oil build up as build up will clog your pores and lead to counter productive hair breakage. Simple way to know you have build up? Lightly scratch your scalp and if your finger nails are clogged with dirt or scalp residue then its time to cleanse your scalp.

 

Anonymous Asked;

Love your curls. Would it work for totally natural hair..type 4b or 4c?

 

MY REPLY;

Hi Anon,

I really can't speak for naturals as I have chemically treated hair but I will say this, hair typing is merely a guide some people came up with to help people understand their different hair textures but what I have found is that is has the uncanny way of boxing away a lot of ladies into concluding what they can and can't do with their hair, I say try a style or product out and decide for yourself if it works for you or not rather than use hair typing to do that for you :)

 

Iruoma Asked;

Hey Dabs quick question, does Ghana weaving fall under protective styling? What about plainly weaving your own hair, or getting a weave-on done. Please reply

MY REPLY;

Hi Irouma,

Any style that keeps you from dealing with your hair on a daily basis i.e combing, brushing etc is a protective style however you must make sure that the style does not become counter productive to your hair, I find Ghana weaving and extensions in general to be too harsh on my hairline (especially the way they are done in Naija) and the amount of hair that I loose getting them installed and taking them out makes extensions a no-no as protective styles for me but I braid my hair myself and find that its a great way to protect it for a few days (another issue I have with extensions, the length of time they are kept in makes it more like hair 'abandonment' than protection). But I always say do what works personally for you, make sure they are installed or weaved with care and without much impact on your hairline, keep them on for short periods of time or cleanse them and spritz with a water based mix regularly, treat your scalp and any hair left out while you have them on and you should be fine.

 

 

EXERCISE;

Elizabeth Asked;

Hi Dabs,

How are you? It's your no.1 fan from Kenya! Great work on your blog.

I have permed hair and retouched three weeks ago. My hair regimen includes spritzing the glycerine+water mix, a dollop of Organics shea butter, and sometimes coconut oil to seal. My hair is quite light and gets weighed down by too much product. I also co-wash once a week and deep condition every two weeks. I stay away from heat and roller-set once a month...otherwise I just air dry and wrap.

So far, it's grown healthy and strong. The problem is I joined the gym this month and been sweating bucket loads during training. My hair gets very damp afterwards and I usually let it air dry to prevent frizzing. I've been applying shea butter after air-drying, but noted a lot of build up and greasiness. I'm stuck....don't know how best to take care of this hair and prevent hair breakage.

Could you enlighten me on what steps one can take to maintain healthy hair and prevent breakage when one is very active? I honestly need your expert advice.
 

Elizabeth
Your Kenyan fan

MY REPLY

Hi Elizabeth from Kenya :)
Thanks for reading my blog,
As to your hair question, I have a post on exercising with extensions; READ IT HERE You can apply some tips I proffer on the post to your natural hair but it's even generally easier to take care of your natural hair while you exercise over when it's in extensions.

I recommend you take a break from using Shea butter after air drying as it is a sealant and will only seal in all the sweat and dirt after you have air dried. I rather recommend you co-wash using a mild hair conditioner. So if you exercise everyday a week, at least after 3 days you should co-wash, leave out shampooing , what will happen is your scalp will be cleansed gently without drying your hair out. Follow the co-wash with a water based moisturizer and light oils like olive, grape seed oil, almond oil, oils that can easily be absorbed by your strands and are less likely to build up then repeat the co-wash after you have done either a protein or condition based deep treatment over the weekend. Hope my reply helps, keep me posted!!

Cheers,
Dabs

 

 

 

DRYNESS, SHEDDING AND THINNING 

Princess Asked;

Hi Dabs,

I just came across your post while looking for ways to rejuvenate my thinning hairline. I did the BC almost 3 years ago and then did a barber trim/cut 2 years ago. Now my hair, if blown out is about 5 inches long. To my way of thinking that very slow growth. I wear it out all the time as I'm not good at the twist out. My hair type is low porosity and I think it's 4. How do I keep it moisturised? I've tried the LOC method and it doesn't work for me. Before the end of the morning my hair feels dry and brittle. I just started using the Jamaican Black Castor Oil for my thinning hairline...

 

MY REPLY;

Hi Princess,
Thanks for reading my blog. I am surprised the LOC ease method doesn't work for you, you might want to make sure you are using the right products, products that are water based are always best for hair that is prone to dryness. I also recommend that you increase and intensify your deep conditioning weekly as its the best way to infuse moisture into your strands, you might also want to start carrying a spritz bottle with water and conditioner or glycerin, aloe Vera juice etc around to help moisten your strands on the go when they feel dry since you leave your hair out. Hope my tips help.

Cheers,
Dabs

Vickie Asked;

 

Hi Dabs,

Hope your week was splendid...

Please I really need advice on what to do about my overly - shedding hair...I did a deep conditioning mix of palm oil in there last week. ..and I didn't shed as much today...my hair is completely natural now...What can I do? By the way I made green and black tea...put some mint in...added some of the hair Therapy oil from Vanity and spray everyday....do u think I'm doing harm...because I just read a post where you said "dont mix oil with water" sorta.

Please advice.

 

MY REPLY;

Hi Vickie,

Here's a post where I focused on shedding as a result of having a baby, but these tips can still help you curb the shedding you are presently experiencing; READ HERE

As for your tea spritz(great for curbing shedding), I think it's fine so long as you co-wash or cleanse your hair at the end of the week because you are bound to have build up after using it daily. Water/oil mix is not harmful per say, it just doesn't work in my mind because they will never mix, that's why I prefer applying the water/ water based product first and then oil to seal, I think it's more effective that way. Hope my reply helps.

Cheers,

Dabs

 

Nkeiru Asked;

 

My hair needs help... Dandruff is killing me and pulling my hair from the root and its breaking as well... Please what can I do??
Thanks

MY REPLY;

Hi Nkeiru,

Thanks for reading my blog, I have a post on dandruff, please read it for tips to help you curb it; READ IT HERE

Hope my reply helps.

Dabs

 

 

 

HENNA

Rosebud Asked;

Dear Dabs,
How are you doing? I hope you are good. Please I have a hair question. Lately, I've been toying with the idea of trying out henna on my hair. I remember you doing a post once where you did a henna treatment. The red colour it gave your hair is it gone or is it still there?(Cos from the pictures of your hair I can't see it).
I'm a bit scared to try something that would leave a permanent shouting colour.I have fine stands and low density hair,so protein is my bff, just wanted to incorporate henna for its strengthening benefits.
      Let me know what you think please. Thank you.

 

MY REPLY;

Hi Rosebud,
Henna is great for strengthening feel free to incorporate it into your hair regimen, it's actually permanent but it will grow out or fade over time plus its mostly visible under the sun that's why my hair doesn't look as red in some pictures especially after months of not applying henna. The color effect is quite subtle if you use it on it's own however if you don't want the effect of the color, add things like oils, an egg, conditioner to the mix to make the color release less potent and don't leave the henna on your hair for more than 30 mins.

Xx

Dabs

 

That's all for now ladies, hope this post helps those still navigating their way round their healthy hair journeys!! The NHCG 6 inches of Growth Challenge is still on, take as many pictures of your hair as possible and you will be amazed to see the difference in your hair at the end of the challenge!! In other news, I am presently in WEEK 14 OF MY STRETCH!!!Unbelievable!!! The weeks went by in a flash and I am sooo proud of myself for pulling it off, I will come back with a Stretch with Dabs update but just know that I literally have left my hair alone in a sock bun; I take it down every 2 to 3 days to moisturize and seal my hair and then put the hair back in the sock bun again, no combing required just a soft bristle brush to smooth out the edges and with how busy I have been, the style has saved me time and protected my hair...so happy with my hair right now, the new growth is crazy but I love it...might start stretching regularly to at least 12 weeks rather than 8 weeks...we'll see, anyways this is my sock bun look...

 

 

 

 

 

 I used one leg of old panty hose to make it...could have done without the 'sock'  but the panty hose which is made of the same material as a wig cap helps keep the ends in place and moisturized, if any of you want to try the style out you can also make yours with a silk sock( just cut off the toes to create a hole) or a small silk scarf tied at the ends to form a circle, it will be a great way to maintain the moisture of your ends.

Relax day will soon be upon me, keep refreshing NHCG to stay updated and see how it goes! Thanks for stopping by!

 

Xxx

Dabs