Hiya,
How's everyone doing? I got asked to treat the topic of hair and protecting it during the harmattan season and I jumped at it as I was already thinking of doing a post on the topic.

So in the West there are 4 main seasons; winter, spring, summer and fall. In West Africa there are however  just 2 main seasons, the rainy season and the dry/harmattan season- when the Northeast trade wind blows from the Sahara into the Gulf. This season starts at the end of November through Mid- March..

So right now we are very much in the harmattan season, during this season, our hair and skin get a hard hard hit!! Lips will start drying up and if care is not taken, cracks will form and even sores for those really badly hit, your skin will be ashy and dry and for those with dry skin, scaly and itchy. In the same breath, your hair cannot get too moisturized in this season. If not attended to, your hair will break at the slightest touch, your split ends will multiply and your edges can disappear!!


When I started to notice these changes I went into combat mode and I have been fighting harmattan hair ever since and plan to come out on top. In this post, I will share a few things I am doing- nothing beyond the usual but its the intensity, frequency and consistency which I have focused on to make me come out on top at the end of March!

Strategy 1; My focus is Moisture over Protein! As I stated earlier, your hair cannot be ''too moisturized'' in this season!! You think you are going to get away with just 2 pea sized pumps of hair moisturizer and a dime size of oil to seal in the moisture? No Ma'am :) You will need to increase the amount of moisturizing and sealing sessions in A DAY to get past this dry season successfully!!

I'm sure ladies that are busy working are giving me the side eye-LOL! You see I'm just being real, moisturizing and sealing your hair has to now be 3 to 4 times a day, if you are busy  then the perfect solution to this is to make a moisturizing/sealing hair spritz- mix your favorite moisturizing  (especially the thick ones- you don't want heavy products weighing your hair down since you will be using them quite often), mix in some light weight oil(olive, jojoba, sweet almond, grape seed) and if you want even extra moisture, mix in a conditioner or leave in conditioner and lastly a small amount of water- Have the spritz bottle with you in your bag, after a few hours in the day, check to feel if your hair is dry- ALWAYS CHECK FIRST ( Let your hair speak to you is what I always say) If it feels like you haven't applied anything on your hair all day- which is most likely how it will feel because of Mr. Harmattan, then shake your spritz to ensure its mixed well and spritz all over your hair from root to tip, spritz the mix until you have coated every strand without it being soaking, dripping wet! The trick is spritzing your hair from a distance, so the spritz lands on the hair like mist rather than massive rain drops :)


 So we've got the daily  hair care strategy down, my next strategy is all about infusing even more moisture in your hair. During this period more than ever, you cannot go long periods with weaves/extensions in your hair. I understand its the holidays, everyone wants to look good for Christmas and the New Year and that's fine but please don't let your REAL HAIR suffer for it if not you are going to spend the next year nursing back your hair to health. My advice for lovers of extensions, go 2 weeks MAX with them and before you get them done do one major protein treatment, I'm talking eggs, henna, mayonnaise, coconut oil, cholesterol conditioner- anything that will infuse strength in your hair to withstand the aggression of the pulling and tugging that comes with extensions. While you have the extensions in for the two weeks duration, you will deep condition your hair be it weaves or braids and that deep condition will be all about moisture we are talking using a moisture based conditioner, moisturizing oils, glycerin... for hours or under a steamer and you should do that twice in the two week duration, once the weave/extensions is out, please repeat the protein treatment following the uninstall to give back your hair the strength it lost during the process.

For us non weave wearers, the work is more...doing deep conditioning moisturizing treatments is now TWICE A WEEK for me! But again its because of the texture and length of my hair, if you have studied your hair enough you will know how often it needs deep conditioning but generally once a week in this season is advised. Another way I am adding moisture to my hair is co-washing( especially when I do not have time to  deep condition- I simply douse my hair with conditioner for a few minutes in the shower, put hair in a shower/cholesterol cap and rinse out just before I get dressed. Co-washing I like to do at least once a week so that's 2 conditioning processes in a week usually on Fridays into Saturdays( overnight deep conditioning) Wednesday (co-washing) and then repeat the process of deep conditioning on Friday into Saturday. If my hair is feeling really dry, Monday I will do a co-wash too. And the cycle continues.

Today when I was done with the deep conditioning process my hair was sooo grateful!!


I could see the shine...Now as for protein, I will be doing that once a month so out of 4 weekends in a month, 3 weekends will be for  moisture and 1 for protein, that's what I feel my hair needs (my post partum shedding has stopped, YAYYY) , the way your hair feels, sheds, breaks will let you know how much protein it needs but generally, 2 protein treatments in a month is just right.

That's that for treatments, let move on to styling...You cannot over manipulate your hair in this season. Your hair will not have any of that especially your ends, so you just have to find creative ways to style your hair that will not involve too much combing, brushing or tugging and for me that style is a meeeeannnn twist out or braid out- I like to incorporate a non-alcoholic hair gel for a more solid hold like the Ecostyler gels. With twists-outs I find that running my hand through my hair is impossible and combing it takes out the waves so I just keep my hand out of my hair, I can pack the twist out up, to the side, re-braid it, do whatever  but if my hair was straight, I'd be brushing and combing to put every strand in place. Now that's my go to protective style, there are other styles you can explore, like buns, chignons, big braids, clip in extensions etc. I am compiling looks for my look book soon, stay tuned...

Finally during the harmattan season pay even extra attention to the very tips of your hair. You will need to coat them with a vitamin E and B packed oil like Argan and castor oil, just before you go to sleep(your hair regenerates while you are sleeping) coat your very ends, I'm talking the last 2 inches of your hair with a small amount of oil, its the extra TLC those ends need to stop them from splitting any further, it will derive the same effect as applying a lip balm on your lips before you sleep to prevent cracked lips. You can use the oil on your edges as well if your hairline is receding and of course further protect the whole hair and preserve the oils/shine with a satin bonnet/sleep cap.

With these tips my dear friends, we can overcome this dry, stiff aired hamarttan season that is upon us!! In other news, the demand has arisen and I have succumbed but not fully...well, I am opening a flagship store for my Savvy & Chic Hair Beauty Hub;

and I have decided to create a little appointment only salon area in there! Appointment only because I want to ensure that I am actively involved, it will be the salon day out experience all over again---with consultation, I will help guide ladies, put them on a regimen, recommend products and all this I will do in front of the stylist I will choose to train. Hopefully, I can find someone not set in her ways, willing to learn the new way of doing Naija hair. I will give this my best shot and with your support ladies, I am praying its a decision that I will be proud of... more updates will come on this project, there's a lot of work to do because I am scheduled to launch this space next month so its crunch time, heads down...can't wait to show you all the finished product...

Thanks for all your support!!Feel free to let us know if you have any harmattan combating tricks...

Xxx
Dabs

Hiya,
Hope all's well ladies! As you all should know, the the NHCG 6inches of growth challenge is still on and just as a reminder, the star prize for the lady that retains the most growth at the end of the challenge which is in December is $100 worth of hair product imports!! There will also be NHCG goody bags up for grabs for ladies who came close to our 6inches goal!!

Now if you are gunning for the star prize and you have been listing the products you would buy when you win...you might want to add this product up for review on that list!!


So when I was in the US during the first week of March, I saw the SoftSheen Carson Optimum Amla Legend Billion Hair Potion at Sally's, it caught my attention and I immediately put this post to the test.

First the makers soft sheen Carson's have been in the hair product business for ages-CHECK

Then I decided to read the ingredients; the first 3 ingredients were Aqua, glycerin, arginine and then down the list was phyllanthus emblica fruit extract! CHECK
We all know the benefits of water and glycerin; ultimate hair moisturizers!

Arginine caught my attention because it sounded like the glycerin * wide grin* and upon further research, this is what I found; Arginine has several characteristics that may benefit hair follicles, it is a semi-essential amino acid, It boosts nitric oxide levels, which promotes circulation and aids in the release of hair growth hormones-many nuts contain arginine including peanut, almonds, cashew, walnuts, peacans, check here for other sources- interesting!

And then the fruit extract I'm guessing is the Amla fruit. The pack states the powerful properties of Amla calling it a super fruit from India, packed with anti-oxidants, rich in vitamins and minerals ...

At the store I read the claims; the potion was described as a formula with Amla oil, arginine and strengthening CERAMIDE ( now that really caught my attention-read more about ceramides here) that intensely conditions and wraps the hair to help promote visibly thicker, fuller hair- SOLD!
I picked one up and strolled excitedly to the counter! Since then I have silently used this product, waiting to see if it was worth a review and let me just say it qualified!

You know I'm always skeptical about all these names manufacturers give their products, first it was hair trigger growth elixir now it's Amla legend rejuvenating ritual with ceramide and arginine billion hair potion( major tongue twister) but now I'm loosening up after seeing how great hair trigger makes my hair feel! Aside from the name, this product at 55ml is quite affordable, great for travel and the best part of it? It's light and literally gets absorbed by your hair and scalp!!-That I love!!

The directions say apply several drops on dry hair and scalp especially on damaged areas and massage gently for scalp stimulation, do not rinse out and use twice a day. It also states that it's for ALL hair types, so naturals you are included!

I have followed the directions, though I use it mainly at night on my scalp because it comes with a dropper( great for product use control);



 I simply drop a few drops of the potion on my palms or straight on my scalp and massage, its absolutely non-greasy;

 So I literally see the potion get absorbed which makes it great for night time because you don't have to deal with oil spills or acne!!

My hair was not exactly unhealthy when I purchased this product so I can't say for now if this product has contributed to making it visibly thicker and fuller but I will say my hair is those two things and so at least this product has not made it worse or failed in its claims, I would like to see how it can transform thinner hair...might put it to the test actually! Ok I will put it to the test....

You know there will be a NHCG June Halftime meet up... Well if you are a reader of this blog and you live in Lagos and know you will be around from the 1st to 2 nd week of June to attend the meet up and your hair is thinning and you want to take part in this test, simply send a picture of your hair and your name to my email daboju@yahoo.com and I will send you a FREE bottle of this potion but you must first be OK with having your starting picture put up on the blog, you must use this potion as directed on the pack till the JUNE meet up and in June, you must attend with your potionified hair and have us examine if this product worked!!

I will pick one person that needs it the most or I just might make you all the judges...we'll see! interested ladies you have till Sunday the 21st to send in your pictures, this potion might just be the answer to your receding hair line...you never know!

SHOP NHCG will stock this potion at the end of the month as well as their 1001 oils cream night wrap(can't wait to try this myself);