Hiya,
It's been a while since I put up a 6inches of growth challenge tip post. The challenge is still on, just to recap; To qualify for participation in this challenge,
You must have taken a starting picture of your hair when you started the challenge, preferably at the beginning of the year but don't worry if you are just joining; miracles happen :)
You must have a length check t-shirt to track your progress, when the challenge is over, you will send me your start picture with the date and your finish picture.
The person closest to 6inches of growth retention(with healthy ends) will win $100 worth of imports of products of their choice, A NHCG T-shirt, and a NHCG goody bag!
There will also be Consolation prizes for ladies whose pictures have shown remarkable hair improvement. I'm excited about the outcome of this challenge and I hope as many of you out there participate ...
To help along with the challenge I have another tip-it's all about WATER the best moisturizer on earth. Below are a few DO's when it comes to incorporating water as part of your hair regimen and some DON'T'S to take note of.
Do;
Drink 8 glasses of water daily- anytime I read about water the importance of taking it in regularly is always emphasized and the golden rule is to drink 8glasses a day.
Drinking water especially when it's not ice cold has always been a problem for me, sometimes I'd drink just 1 glass of water with lunch and that's it but pregnancy changed my ways! When those headaches would come in full force and my mouth would be so dry, nobody needed to tell me to guble down a glass of water or two...these days, 9months after my baby, I am more aware of drinking water...not only does it nourish your body but it nourishes your strands from inside out and keeps them shinny and healthy! If you are like me who loves ice water and are working, constantly on the move, make sure you ice a canister of water overnight, in the morning add a little water over the ice and take it with you, if your canister is insulated, you will have ice cold water to hydrate you all day long...if you don't like the taste of water, you think it's boring? Throw in a lime/lemon wedge, mix it with healthy juice 3parts water 1part juice...just do what you need to do to gulp down 8 glasses a day :)
Add water to glycerin for a banging leave in conditioner- this is my prized concoction... I had never seen it done before I did it.
I had heard glycerin was great for hair, so I bought some but the texture just seemed really gooey and the few times I used just glycerin, my hair was weighed down. So one day I decided to mix it with water, spritz it on my new growth and was in awe of the results! My hair felt soft and moisturized especially the roots, combing was a breeze and since then I have recommended it to as many who care to listen especially Mum's who complain that their daughter's have all tangled up hair that's breaking...this all natural remedy is a winner! Remember though, the water you use to mix it should be sterilized(free from bacteria-drinking water)
Use water to dilute your favorite hair moisturizer; So if your favorite moisturizer or even hair conditioner is running out and Dab's import window has gone on hiatus *sad face* What do you do? Scoop every last bit of it, put it in a spritz bottle, mix some sterilized water in there and shake shake shake!! You will elongate the life of what's left of the product as well as put it to good use as it serves as a leave in conditioner/moisturizer and will keep your hair hydrated as well as moisturized. This tip also applies for moisturizers that are too thick in consistency.
Wet your edges lightly with water before you sleek them with gel;
This is another one of my tricks. I don't like having to deal with hard edges when I use gel because hard edges can lead to breakage especially when you want to re-style and get the gel out without washing your hair out. What I simply do is spritz a little water on the edges and then apply the gel on the slightly damp edges. The result; your edges will be sleeked down without being hard when the gel dries. Why I use water is to avoid build up, water mixed with moisturizer or glycerin and then topped with gel is like a banana split icecream...just too much!
Sparingly spritz your hair with water till its damp for easy combing and detangling; This tip is mainly for my natural sisters. I'm sure most of you know this already but for those of you still new to the game, never ever comb/detangle your locks without them being just a little damp! Especially as your hair grows longer and thicker, spritzing water or a water based detangler like my darling mane n tail detangler is a must to avoid tangles, knots and frustration!
Mix Rosewater with your shampoo; Rosewater comes with natural conditioning and moisturising properties, not only will it prevent your shampoo from stripping your hair off its natural oils. You can also mix rosewater with glycerin or fenugreek powder and apply it on your scalp to prevent dandruff.-
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Mix water with powdery products like henna, bentonite clay etc for a smooth paste and easy application; Self explanatory!if you don't want to spend your week picking out henna or clay lumps from your hair, ensure that when you concoct hair treats you incorporate water or something water based like aloe vera juice; that's why even after I have mixed an egg to henna and conditioner or mayonnaise and bentonite clay, I still add water to make sure the paste is smooth and goes on my strands smoothly without lumps, easy application means easy removal!
There are just a few Don't's to be aware of;
Please DON'T;
Comb dripping wet hair-hair is most fragile when it's wet, pull wet hair and it will snap off! To avoid that, properly towel dry your hair till its no more dripping wet, detangle gently using a detangler or leave in conditioner, my advice; though it's tempting to pass the comb through your hair over and over again when you have just towel dried it, your hair in that state is still prone to breakage, pass the comb through gently and systematically at most twice and let the hair fully air dr before you decide to comb and style it. If you must comb wet hair, comb it while the water is running over it and comb in 1 direction. So the next time you visit a salon and the salon stylist washes your hair, puts conditioner on it and brings out her comb to rake through your wet hair she has barely waited 2mins to condition, tell her ' madam abeg!! This combing is not necessary now eh, when we have towel dried the hair, you can comb'. Say nothing and watch her throw clumps of your broken hairs in the bin!
Mix water with oils-They don't mix so I don't think it's effective to dilute hair oils with water, I also don't recommend applying essential oils to wet/damp hair. If you want your strands to be properly sealed or for oils like coconut that are absorbed in, allow your hair to be dry and then apply your oils after you have moisturized your strands. Of course if you are applying the oils to your scalp it doesn't matter whether your ends are wet or dry.
Use Hard water to wash your hair; Whether water is classified as soft or hard mainly depends on what its measured calcium content is; basically, the higher the calcium content, the harder the water.My UK ladies I feel the most for you with this point because most of the water in the UK is hard. WHat happens when you wash your hair with Hard water, it leaves your hair looking hair stringy and greasy especially when you use natural shampoos like castille soap or black soap...so while natural shampoos are recommended, with hard water its better to use shampoos with sodium lauryl sulfate which reacts well under hard water conditions. Another way to remedy hard water is purchase water softeners or shower filters to soften the hard water so it would clean more effectively-
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That's all for my Water tips ladies, I know you have already heard about most of the tips but this post is just to reinforce them.
In other news, Dab's got scissors happy and cut 3inches off of her hair...*face in palm*
