Oh No! Here Comes Winter!

I hear these north winds have a funky breath. Winter winds does not work well with natural hair. The cold winds remove the moisture from your hair. During the cold months, it is best to keep your hair in protective styles. Here is a couple of protective styles you could use during these months:

Bantu Knots

Beanie Hats

Braids

Twists

Wigs

Hair Bun



You must still keep your hair moisturized and groomed with your scalp clean. The winter months are extremely harsh on the hair. This will be the best time to figure out what products you want to still use after the winter and decide on a specific regimen. Your hair is your crown and glory. Discover what works for your hair and what doesn't. Some people must wash their hair more often than others. Do what is best for you. During these hard months of cold air, please remember to be kind to your tresses.





Miconazole Nitrate Anyone?

What is miconazole nitrate? It is an antifungal agent that is used to treat/cure fungal infections such as athlete's foot, ringworm, jock itch, and yeast infections. YUCK! I discovered the power of MN over a year ago on youtube. It was helping a lot of natural beauties grow their hair back and in some cases, speed up the growth process by stimulating the follicles. I would not personally use this product more than six months at a time. Since it is not a completely natural ingredient, I would not want to use this product too long plus I wouldn't suggest it to a woman who is pregnant and/or nursing. I WILL say that this product helped my hair thicken up as well as grow my hair back after my hair got cut. There are many ways to use MN and it doesn't matter which way you would like to use it but all in all, you MUST dilute MN or you could possibly get a headache.

1) Most people I know, including me, empty a tube of MN into an empty container. Then add three to four tablespoons of castor oil or black castor oil (For thickening of your hair) and then stir til it is the consistency that you would like. If it is too thick, add more oil or add some water. If it is too watery, add more MN. ( Again...too much MN can give you a headache, so it is better to have a balance)

2) You can add MN to any leave-in conditioner that you love. I would do one part MN and 2 part conditioner. Make sure you add MN to the scalp to provide growth to your thin areas.

3) MN can also be added in any scalp treatment or scalp moisturizer.

The key to MN is to add to the scalp to promote growth to your thin areas. Even if you aren't thinning, it will be great to add to your regimen for 6 months out of the year and see if you notice a difference in your trouble areas. I know it sounds weird to have an antifugal cream to your scalp but I can say that it has worked for me over the past year. Let me know if it works for you. Please feel free to hit me up on my blog or my facebook page...KinkyKera. I'm out but in the meantime, be kind to your tresses.

Let's Get Personal!!!

Alright natural beauties, let's talk hair! NO, I mean let's get real! It has been a great learning experience during my year of being natural. Learning my hair all over again was a very complicated task. When I started doing my own hair, my mother had already relaxed my hair. This was something new. Talk about finding products that worked best for you and trying to listen to you hair to determine why it was limp or shedding. Ugh!! The drama, oh the drama. So what did I do about it?! I became a huge PJ (product junkie)! I would say no to becoming a PJ because then you will end up with products you will not use anymore. My suggestion would be to grab a few staple products at a time and pick and choose which one worked and which one didn't work. Start with a shampoo, deep conditioner, leave in conditioner, hair butter and hair oil. After finding what works better for you, then you can start adding other staple products. Don't be afraid of learning your hair all over again. I am big on conditioning more than shampooing my hair. When I shampoo my hair, I use a pre-poo treatment to protect my hair from the harsh chemicals that strips your hair from moisture. Try to educate yourself throughout the entire process of learning about your hair from the trials and tribulations of being a natural beauty. In my opinion, I think it is such a learning process because we are starting over and most of us have been relaxed most of our lives. My hair is kinky and coily in certain areas. My hair also gets very dry if i dont do a deep conditioning treatment at least once a week. I usually keep my hair in twists to keep the moisture in my hair. I also wear my hair out once a week and try to keep my hands out of my head, except during the days of moisturizing. I am still developing a hair regimen that works for me. I have some things that has been working for me but not a solid regimen. Don't lose hope. As you can see, I am still learning and I have been natural for a year. It is all a process and I get upset when I see natural beauties give up and they go back to being relaxed. Try to stay in there and feel free to hit me up on my Facebook @ Kinky Kera. Be kind to your tresses!

My Henna Experience :)

Two weeks ago I tried the Nupur Henna with the 9 herbs and I did not keep it on the length of time that the package instructed. I kept the henna treatment on my hair for an hour instead of 2-3 hours. Henna can be quite drying on your hair if you do not add a few moisturizing conditioners to the henna. Depending on the type of henna you decide to use, it can dye your hair. The henna I used didn't completely dye my hair but it did add a hint of red. It wasn't bad where I was flipping out. There are a few benefits of henna for your hair:

• It strengthens your hair. As natural beauties, we want stronger hair so we can have less breakage. Less breakage means retaining hair length. Henna can replace your protein treatment if you would like to save money. Henna tends to be a lot cheaper than the name brand protein treatments. You will need to follow up with a deep conditioning treatment after washing out the henna out of your hair.
• It dyes your hair and removes grays. This could be a pro or con. Some people do not want to dye their hair but there are many alternatives. There are neutral, red, brown natural hennas out there. If you are going for the black look, then you are like me. Purchase a neutral henna treatment and then follow up with an indigo powder. (Discuss in a future post)
• It makes your hair shiny and manageable.  Henna tends to fill the roughness of the cuticles making it feel smoother. The best thing about henna is that while it is coating the hair, it locks moisture within the hair.

Before doing this treatment, definitely do your research and watch a few youtube videos to determine if this is something you would want to try. My opinion is that it is natural and it will not hurt you to try it. If you do not want to color your hair, I would get a neutral or brown henna and then follow up with an indigo treatment. I will rate the treatment 4 out of 5 stars. It can be quite drying. That is one of the reasons why I add hair softeners to the henna mix and then follow up with a deep conditioning treatments. It makes up the difference. I loved the results and I plan on doing it again soon. If you have any questions, please hit me on here or on Facebook. In the meantime, be kind to your tresses.

Trimming My Natural Hair

Since I do not trust anyone to touch my natural hair ever again, I decided to trim/dust my ends myself. Many beauticians do not understand how natural hair work and how to treat it. I think if I went to a professional, he or she would end up cutting off more than he/she was suppose to or mess up my curl pattern some way. I don't trust them with MY hair. Now I am not a professional whatsoever, but I parted my hair in 6 sections and parted sections within each section. I used hair scissors to trim my ends. I did my research first before doing my own trim and I really liked the youtube video tutorial of Naptural85 on trimming your own hair. It was very helpful. I followed what she did the best I could do. It took me approximately 2 hours because I was taking my time so I wouldn't end up cutting all of my hair!

Results: I enjoyed trimming my own hair so in case I messed up, I would be the one to blame. It took time but almost everything with doing my hair takes a little bit of time. I think I will continue to do it myself until I see that I am not doing a good job. You should definitely check out a few youtube videos before trying it yourself. I think it is well worth it. Keep in mind to be kind to your tresses.

Birth Control and Growing Your Natural Tresses

Everyone has heard about the hormonal changes that I woman goes through when they get on a birth control method, whether it is the shot or the actual pills itself. Now a lot of people have do their research before getting on birth control and/or learning about what their hair truly needs or missing. I have been on birth control pills since September 2004. I have never experienced having trouble growing my hair since being on it but I have noticed that it tends to break more than it used to. I won't blame it all on my birth control pills but it has opened my eyes to the changes in my body due to birth control pills. When I moved to New York in 2009, I decided to start taking a multivitamin and that has helped me tremendously. I have noticed that my Centrum Multivitamin does not have enough Biotin in it. It only has 15% of its daily value. Not enough to my liking. Before going further, you should always consult your doctor when changes your vitamin regimen. I personally take my multivitamin with (2) biotins a day. I have noticed improvements as well as growth. Everyone has their choice in vitamins that they would like to take. If you are not a big vitamin person that are also on birth control, look into certain foods that enhances your hair and nails. It is crucial to drink plenty of water. Water is essential to everyone's health whether you are trying to grow you hair or not. Also try to exercise daily. It helps with blood circulation, including in your scalp to stimulate your hair follicles. It is funny how our bodies work, especially after doing your homework and learning. Growing and learning about my new hair is very important to me. Also, I reached my one year napptural anniversary on July 2nd! It came fast and I am happy that I made it and didn't give up. In the meantime, be kind to your tresses and stick with it. :)

Going Natural Without Going Broke

Everyone knows at the beginning stages of going natural, you want to try all types of products to see what will work best for your hair. I have learned throughout my journey to mix and match products together so nothing goes to waste. For example, there has been tons of shampoos and moisturizers that didn't work out in my favor. So one special tip that I would like to pass on is add something that does work for you with the products that doesn't quite work for you. I had a bad experience with the Pantene Pro-V Relaxed and Natural shampoo and conditioner. It worked well for me when I was still relaxed but my natural tresses did not respond well to it. I listened to my hair and it was so dry after I conditioned my hair. So I knew that my hair loves Extra Virgin Olive Oil and it is a natural softener as well as coconut oil. So I add olive oil and/or coconut oil to any shampoo and conditioner that makes my hair feel dry. It helps a whole lot. I think instead of giving away your purchases, try to enhance them by adding your favorite oil to improve your product. Sometimes I will even mix good conditioners with my bad ones with a little bit of oil. Try this out first before throwing out products that you have paid for. Until you find your staple products, this will be a great way to use everything that is left in your cabinets. :) Going natural is a journey worth taking. In the meantime, be kind to your tresses.

Moisturizing Trauma

I remember when I first went natural and I didn't know and/or understand how to maintain moisture in my hair. When I was relaxed, I just needed to add a little bit of hair lotion and add to my hair. I tried to do the same thing with my new natural hair and it was try within half an hour. I have failed to realize that I was no longer working with relaxed hair. The key factors to maintaining moisture in your natural tresses is water, oil and hair butter. The three different products help seal and maintain the moisture in your hair. The steps are listed below:

1. Part hair in four sections. (more sections if needed)
2. Spritz each section with water
3. Use oil of choice to rub through each section (I preferably use coconut oil or my own oil concoction)
4. Detangle hair with a seamless wide tooth comb
5. Add more oil to the ends for more conditioning
6. Add dime to quarter size butter to each section
7. Twist or braid each section to keep moisture in
8. Wrap hair in a processing cap or satin bonnet before bed

I usually moisturize my hair twice a week before wash day. I listen to my hair. If it is feeling dry then I know it is time to moisturize. It is extremely important to listen to your own hair. What works for someone else, might not work for your hair. It is very easy to get frustrated with your new tresses. Just stay strong and do your research and learn as much as you can about what your hair likes and what it dislikes. I have been going through this journey for almost a year since the BC and I am still learning about my hair. If you have any more questions about moisturizing your hair, feel free to contact me. Be kind to your tresses. Kinky Kera

Going Natural: Friend or Foe?

I have noticed a lot of black women trying to figure out what is the big deal about going natural. There are some people out there that cannot stand women who talk and talk about how great it is about being natural. Well I will be glad to answer a few of those questions for you. First let me introduce myself...my name is Kinky Kera and I have been natural 17 months but it will be a year after the big chop July 2nd. First and foremost I was not planning on going natural at first but it was put into perspective when my hair was chopped off (unexpectedly) at a beauty salon. Going natural is a tough journey and it is very important to have friends, family or a natural hair care family by your side. Being natural is being proud of who you are. Throughout history we have tried to be accepted and we have been told that our hair is nappy. I would say show your natural tresses and be proud. This was one of the best decisions I have made in the past years of my life. Let's talk about the cons of going natural. You have to start over. Starting over can be a pro or con, depending on the person. Some people do not like the idea that they will have to cut the relaxed ends off eventually. If you would like to grow your hair out as long as possible before cutting, find alternative hair styles to help you through the transition. I would suggest braids, extensions, twist outs or wigs to help the growth of your hair. As being a new napturallette, you must take the time to learn what your hair likes and what it doesn't like. Natural hair loves water...loves, loves, loves! As a relaxed beauty, we tend to run for cover when we feel rain in the air or when we get next to a pool. Another con or pro is that it takes a lot of time and patience. Some of us, relaxed or natural, have already endured that. Everything from washing to detangling to moisturizing takes time. It is always worth it in the end. One of the best things about being natural is that our hair is versatile. We can wear twists, braids, fro, curly, rollerset it, or straighten it but all in all, our hair is chemical free and will allow more opportunity for growth. Natural hair allows us to be completely naked but bringing out our roots. If you are thinking about going natural and you just need more inspiration, please check out nappturality.com, blackhairmedia.com, or youtube.com. Youtube is what helped me through my journey for the most part. Interested? More questions? Feel free to contact me on Facebook, Kinky Kera. Be kind to your tresses. Thanks for reading.