More Hair Growth Tips!!! (Speaking from experience)

I’m sure you know that you can’t just eat well to promote hair growth but you also have to take care of the strands to get more strands.  It’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it and the best woman for the job, is YOU!

Just like eating right for hair growth can become something you have to make a habit, so is your hair routine, which requires your attention every morning and every evening.  At least it’s not 3 times a day like your hair growth eating habit but who said keeping your beauty would be easy?!  A few weeks ago, I shared with you how to identify your curl pattern and the best products to match (check the post for 5/31/15).  Well this time, I’m going to share with you a tip or two on routinely taking care of your hair.

The first rule for every hair type is USE A HEAT PROTECTANT WHEN USING HEAT ON YOUR HAIR.  Heat protectants help keep your hair from drying out which prevents your hair from burning and therefore becoming lifeless and needing to be cut off (get the picture?).  

Now as I was saying, if your hair falls within the range of 3B-4C, you’ll need more moisture and protective styles than any other hair type.  As a rule of thumb, condition your hair more than you shampoo your hair.

• Find a sulfate free conditioner that contains natural oils and condition your hair 15-45 minutes at least 2 times per week.  If your hair is very thick, switch one night with a deep conditioner.

• Each night you’ll want to seal moisture into your hair to replenish the oils removed while facing the weather or brushing up against your clothing, which causes dryness and leads to breakage.  Use all-natural oils like coconut, castor, or olive oil. Apply oil to the scalp.  Once you’ve applied oil to your scalp, use your fingers to massage in the oils.  Part your hair into 2 or more sections and use a moisturizing lotion on each section and comb through.  Last, take the natural oil (the same one used for your scalp or another, and lightly apply oil over the sections and comb through again.

• Every morning, repeat the same routine as you did in the evening but this time spray in a leave in conditioner.

• Wear a protective style like a bun, braid, or a tucked in ponytail or any style that prevents the ends of your hair from constant exposure.  

• Wash your hair 1-2 times per month.  I know it sounds crazy but you need all the moisture you can muster and to wash your hair weekly, you’ll strip the natural oil environment in which curly hair grows best.  If you wash your hair once a month, be sure to wash with a ph-balanced shampoo and conditioner to avoid fungus from growing on the scalp.

If your hair falls within the range of 1-3A, you don’t have to be so tedious with your routine but you’ll need high-quality products that keep your hair from thinning and falling out.  Too much moisture in your hair type will cause your hair to be lifeless and can even cause balding.  As a rule of thumb, wash your hair more than you moisturize your hair.

• You too want to choose products that are sulfate free.  No matter the hair type, sulfates strip the scalp from it’s natural production of oil which assist in growth.  Your goal is to rely on your natural oils moreso than added moisture.

• You’re usually safe to shampoo your hair everyday, every other day, or every week (moreso for 3A hair type).  Be sure to use a shampoo that hydrates your hair, which adds more water than oil to keep your hair bouncy.  Remember too much water and you’re likely to have stiff hair and thinning.

• Use a leave in conditioner everyday, especially during the winter, which has a tendency to wreak havoc on your pores containing hair follicles.  The leave in conditioner should feel more like water to the maximum thickness of a vitamin c serum.

• You shed more hair than any other hair type.  While shedding hair is natural, you want to make sure that you’re wearing hairstyles that avoid constant exposure to your scalp or else it will dry in those areas and lead to your hair strands falling out at the bulb.  This will certainly lead to balding…not breakage but balding.

• You also want to use a ph-balancing shampoo and conditioner 1-2 times per month as shampoos leave behind build-up that weigh your hair down and you can’t simply wash off shampoo residue with another shampoo.

Lastly, a protein treatment never hurt any hair type!  Grab some eggs, mix with honey, and apply generously to your hair.  There's also alot of great protein conditioners on the market.  I absolutely love Aphogee Protein Reconstructor and Aussie's 3-minute protein moisturizer (they are pictured on my post titled "Hair Products I Love" January's Post). This is great to do after using your ph-balance shampoo.  There you have it!  Everything you need to keep up with your daily, weekly, and monthly hair care routine.  Use the calendar on your phone or even download an app that will send you reminders to take care of your hair when you set a schedule.

I transitioned for 18 months before chopping the remaining
permed ends. No, I didn't have a TWA, but this was my Big Chop!!!
"A mini fro"

This is 2 weeks after I cut the permed ends. I fell in love
with my curls!!! Team Natural all the way!!!

This was taken 3 months later; you can already see
the growth. Natural hair grows length so much faster
than chemically processed hair. This was a twist-out.

Okay, believe it or not this is just 9 months later. I went to
get a trim & a blowout and I was amazed by the growth.

What a difference 8 months made; I love this journey.
As you can see from the blowout pictured above compared to the
picture on the right (Nov.2014); the shrinkage is real!!!

This is the 11th month mark, I have been on Youtube
trying out so many different styles and looks. This hair journey
is actually fun & exciting.  Once you get your routine down
you will fall in love with your hair. I'm a witness!!!

Naptural Anniversary, 1 year mark!!!

Tips to Growing Healthy Hair

Long hair don’t care?  Not if you don’t eat enough protein!

Outside of everything you buy and put in your hair, you’re losing out if you don’t watch what you put into your body.  The key to great hair isn’t just about what you wash or condition it with but it starts with what you do and don’t eat.

The main ingredient to great hair is protein.  Let me start by saying that hair is made of protein and therefore, you’ll need it the same way your body is made of water and needs water.  When you don’t eat enough protein, the body will start to reserve and ration out the protein it has which causes slow to no hair growth.  Without hair growth, the hairs on your head become so dry there’s nothing you can do to restore moisture and then, you guessed it, your hair breaks off and falls out.  Now it’s a known fact that we shed 50-100 hairs per day but if you know you haven’t eaten enough protein over the past couple of months, you start to see way more hair shedding than usual.  

Now that you know what could cause hair loss, you want to know what to do to avoid it or fix it right?

Did you also know that I would tell you how?  Of course you did!

For starters, you’re going to need about 46 to 56 grams of protein each day and there’s no way for me to tell you how much that is if I don’t know what type of protein you’re eating so I have a little chart to help us out with my top 5 Protein Quick-Picks:

So, before you run to the dermatologist or pick up the next bottle of mega-growth hair serum, try picking up some of these items in my list to adjust your protein intake.  You’ll see a big difference in hair growth and texture that you’ll love to flaunt no matter the length.  Stay tuned for more tips and trick for natural hair right here at www.TonitaSmith.com.

Stop & Read Before You Try Another Natural Hair Product!!!

There are different strokes for different folks!  While that catch phrase can be applied to anything, I’m only referring to the stroking we do to our hair.  With so many products on the market for natural hair, it’s easy to spend hundreds of dollars trying to find out which product works best for your type of hair.  Some products work better than others and some products, while they work well, don’t have a lasting effect on the outcome of your style.

 

If you don’t know already, allow me to be the first to tell you that the tighter your curl, the more moisture you’ll need but how will you know what products have more nourishment than chemicals and which one works for you AND you know I am happy to break it all down for you, right? Right!

 

Let’s start with IDENTIFYING YOUR CURL PATTERN by taking a look at this chart:  

 

 

 

To figure out where you fit in on this chart, part your hair at the crown and wet about a half inch of strands with your fingers to see your curl pattern clearly.  All hair types need moisture in order to prevent breakage but the curliest texture needs the most moisture.  It’s not necessarily a matter of culture but moreso the ability for moisture to soak into the strand.  Straight and wavy hair or curly hair that isn’t tightly wound are easily and readily accessible for moisture where as moisture for curlier hair types have to work their way round and round from bottom to top to fully nourish each strand.

 

Now, when looking for products that work, I suggest all hair types to stay away from products that contain salt (sulfate) and large amounts of alcohol (-ethyl’s, etc) as they strip the scalp of the natural oils needed for the hair strands.  At the same time, those who have no curls or are less curlier than 4A-4C, you don’t need products that contain heavy moisture or it may simply weigh the curls down with excess oils.  So how do we know what to use and what to look for?  Read the ingredients!  Ingredients are listed most to least so whatever you see as the first 5 ingredients in any product is what the product is primarily made of.

 

For hair types 1-2C:           Stay away from products that list nourishing oil within the first 5 ingredients. 

Your moisture should fall within the 6^th to remaining ingredients. 

 

For hair types 3A-3C:         Try to use products that list nourishing oil as the 4^th ingredient to give you a balance on moisture.

 

For hair types 4A-4C:         Make sure to use products that list nourishing oil as the 2^nd -3^rd ingredient in the ingredient list.

 

There you have it!  A quick and easy reference to what to look for when trying new products or even deciding to keep using the ones you already have.  Now that you know what “stroke” should work for you, head over to www.fashionremix2.com to find something fabulous to wear with your gorgeous hair!

 

What's All The Hype About???

Younique's 3D Fiber Lash Mascara; check out my demo video.




If you're interested in ordering the Amazing 3D Fiber Lash Mascara or have any questions, please contact me.  If you're interested in the business opportunity, I would love to share details and help you get started earning an additional income.

Please contact me @tonitasmith3@gmail.com
Website:  www.youniqueproducts.com/fashionremix2
Or  leave a comment and I will respond to you.  Thank you.

"How I Achieve My Over Exaggerated Bun" Part 2

My hair has not reached my desired length, thickness or fullness; but that's okay, there are ways to fake it til you make it.  In this video, I am demonstrating how I achieve my bun and you can too.  Again this is only my 2nd video, I promise I will check into some video editing apps and lighting very soon, but for now we are learning and growing together.

Thanks for watching; please leave comments and feedback.

Final Results

Side View

"How to Minimize Frizz Using The LOC Method" Video Part 1

I wanted to create a quick video demonstrating the LOC Method and show you how I refresh my hair each morning prior to creating my bun.  You can also use this method to refresh an old twist out.
Please leave feedback and let me know what you think or let me know if this method works for you.  Remember I am new to sharing in a forum and new to video recording so please bear with me, lol.  We will be learning and growing together.  Thanks for watching.

Hair Products I Love

I, like so many other naturals was a "Product Junkie" during my transitioning phase. I tried any and everything someone would suggest to me; especially if I thought we had similar hair textures. I quickly learned after spending hundreds of dollars that:

#1. My hair has more than one texture and I still can't tell you the type.

#2. What works for your hair may not work for mine and vice versa.

With that being said after trying lots of products and giving lots of products away, I think I have finally found some staple products that work best for my hair. Don't get me wrong, I will still occasionally try new products, just because!!!

Here are my staple products:

I use the LOC Method when using these products to help my hair maintain moisture.

L= Liquid (water in spray bottle) O= Oil (olive oil or coconut oil) C= Cream (Curl enhancing smoothie cream)




My must-have for daily moisture.

I add this to my water bottle for shine &
I love the smell.








My Primary Leave-In Conditioner.










My Primary Cleanser; "Co-wash."

My 2nd choice cleanser

My extra moisturizing deep conditioner.










My must-have for oil and to seal my ends at night.




My faithful alcohol-free gel to hold my buns.

My shampoo of choice & 2nd choice leave-in conditioner.

Me & My Bun

I absolutely love natural hair; but more than that I love a gorgeous bun. It doesn't matter if it's curly, smooth, or messy; and the bigger the better!!!

Sometimes I spend hours trying new hairstyles that don't always work out; I don't call it a "Bad Hair Day," I call it a "Bun Day." When all else fails my bun never lets me down, lol.

Here are some pictures of my buns, which always seem to save the day: