Coconut oil- Old bells ever ringing

Hey all,
             I have been debating within me, whether to say something about the legendary fairy godmother of hair growth for some time now. I just felt we've all seen too much about the benefit of coconut oil, there was no need to flog the issue any further. But i have realized that, if you believe in something, you gotta stand for what you believe in; don't matter how many people have been doing it already. So here's your post guys!

I have been using Coconut oil in my hair care regimen from the beginning. I have unbeatable evidence that it always works ( even the tiniest percentage in any hair product), i know  most of you have been using it too- if you've not, what you waiting for?
There's no healthy hair care journey without coconut oil. Matter of fact, coconut oil adds the "H" in the healthy hair- make that a double "H".

If you've never known in full details, here are some benefits for coconut oil listed below.
- Its an excellent emollient, which is due to the numerous fatty acids it contains, hence its ideal for locking in the moisture and retaining it. (Lock in the moisture gals- very important!!!)
- Its good for damaged hair, due to its restoring ability, it helps repair the hair follicles.
- The thick hair which is known to be an endowment of people in areas like SriLanka ( boy!! do they have hair), Philippines and Malaysia, is attributed to the widely known use of coconut oil in its most virgin form.
- It helps prevent breakage and dryness which ultimately leads to breakage.
- I read about its benefits on split ends, but having used coconut oil for over a year now,I don't think coconut oil alone is sufficient for preventing split ends, you need to get your regimen together to fight that, plus an occasional trim too.

Nuff said. I'll be too shocked if there are people who have never heard about this- but no worries, that's why i have this blog!! you'll hear it all, read it all, see it all.
One love

Argan Oil of Morocco- to use or not to use?

Hey Readers,
                      How's y'all doing?Its been a while, but as you know, i would always and surely be here to update on my latest experience as we thread this path of healthy hair.
so i picked up the creme of nature leave-in conditioner with Argan Oil from Morocco, I've heard just about too much noise concerning the benefits of this oil and it was time to find out for myself- and of course, let you know.

the argan oil, which is gotten from beating argan kernels, is pretty much an all-round miracle oil like the Shea butter. I say that because its benefits are not just for hair, but for skin and nails. It boasts of the ability to clear wrinkles and stubborn unsightly stretchmarks.

I am still to find a product that actually stimulates hair growth apart from Biotin. However, this oil has actually visibly made my hair more manageable. I went off heat for a while and started trying various heat free methods like flexirods, silk wrap without heat and even roller curling. These seem to be good for like 6 hours , after which my ends poof up all over again (but trust me to gel it to submission and do my regular bun).
I have found my hair much more manageable, as i moisturize and seal at nights, i wake up to see a well straightened end, with no puffs. The hair also shines, but its not oily or greasy.
Its also been said to strenghten hair while improving its elasticity, but hair strenght has not been a problem for me recently, so i can't say for sure.
Based on the above evidence, i can actually give argan oil of Morocco some credit for the noticeable manageability of my hair so far. Its not bad at all.
My next action plan is to make up a more authentic oil mix for my hair, definitely including the argan oil to this mix!!. I currently use a mix of coconut oil, olive oil and tea tree oil, but I'm going to add the argan oil, and after a few weeks of trial, I'll be adding the Jamaican black Castor oil, if its as good as they say.

Watch out for my Jamaican Black Castor oil review after i have used it.
My knowledge increases with each new experience, i hope its the same for you. Please comment below

One love

Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)

Hey Reader,
                   What's been happening to your hair growth?what have you been experimenting on recently?
i really wonder, as for me, its been Pantothenic acid ( usually seen on hair products as B5). i noticed this ingredient on a TRESemme anti breakage brand weeks ago. I bought it and started using it. My curiosity grew, and i started hunting for hair products with this ingredient. I also started reading and researching scientific and medical facts that back up the benefits of Pantothenic acid on hair growth. Here's a few things i got to find out.

Pantothenic acid is one of the water soluble vitamins in the Vitamin B family. It is mostly found in meats, broccoli, avocados, rice and the outer layer of most grains- which means that milling of grains takes away most of the acid.
The benefits of this acid are numerous;
Wound healing for ulcers in patient with diabetes
Decrease of the bad cholesterol (LDL)-good stuff for your heart by the way
Weight management- basically, its responsible for synthesis of CoA which is required for fatty acid oxidization
Hair and skin care

So what exactly does it do for my hair?
Theoretically from my research, Pantothenic acid helps to prevent hair loss, reduce split ends, and also helps with volumizing the hair. However, all the resources i came across were careful to state that this has not been proven on humans.
From my own personal experience, after using the products for a few weeks( i usually like to try these for some weeks to establish its effect) i noticed that my hair felt fuller even after relaxing ( my hair is usually thick though, but after relaxing it gets kinda light for the next week or so).
It definitely helped with the split ends though, i gotta say that- it worked for real!!

My Opinion?
Vitamin B5/Pantothenic acid would be beneficial if your problem is thin/lean hair with no body and split ends. If you're looking for an excellent way to stop hair breakage or enhance hair growth, this  may not be your magic wand.
But its worth adding it to your hair regimen tho, after all, every little bit adds up, right?

Let's have your B5 experiences. Any product with his ingredient that helped you in any particular way?Pls share

One love

Relaxed Hair Care: Stretching vs Transitioning?

Heyy Readers,
                      Sorry i have been unable to update my posts for some weeks. Its been super hectic!! Today's post is specifically for relaxed girls.
So you figured out your hair is all fried and dried.So you tried the protein treatments, moisturizers, cowashing, healthy hair care tips, hot oil treatments( will talk about hot oils in a few posts' time)- and the limp hair only showed minimal improvements, if any. You're tired of wasting your products, looking at your hair in the mirror frustrates you. You've even decided to braid or do a sew in just cos you can't deal with this!!
Good job!! I did the same too, its a natural reaction. Frankly, its the right reaction.

Here's where we're at now, weave/ wig/ braid in place- we're wondering; "should i cut it all off at the new growth (a.k.a BC) and start all over? Should i do the 6 month- 1 year stretch and trim the ends as i go? Should I avoid the BC and transition ( almost like the stretch, only its an everlasting stretch)

The second and third questions are usually the plague for women who can't deal with short hair. I'm one of those. Its difficult to know what to do with short all natural hair if you've never had to. I know a lot of you may say its actually easier-but trust me, not everybody knows what to do.

This where my post comes in handy. Sorry to disappoint you, i'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm only here t outline all the benefits and challenges involved in both options. The idea is you (being grown up enough to read my blog) would be able to weigh what you can or can't handle, and make a decision.
As always, i like to hear what other have to say, i like to share your experiences with you, so add your comments/contributions. There's something to learn from it all.

Something in common:
1. For both methods, you would have to deal with caring for two different textures; the fragile relaxed hair, and the ever- so - annoyingly tough new growth. The point of maximum fragility is the transition line. Its important cos breakage occurs at the point of transition and it could get really bad if care is not taken. Best management in this situation is a lot of conditioning and moisturizing. This helps to soften the new growth while preventing excessive breakage.
2. You'll also have to deal with a lot of matting if you're braiding or using sew-ins. For tips on how to manage this, check my earlier posts.

Stretching:
 If this is an option you're considering-Having dealt with the above challenges, you have just two more things to worry about;
-the relaxer that is most suitable for your hair.This is because relaxers are big on the healthy hair journey. Being very strong chemicals themselves, they could be solely responsible for the hair trauma you're currently recovering from, or they could be contributors to a whole cascade of unhealthy hair decisions. So take time to think about your old relaxer. was it good for your hair? do you need something new? consulting a specialist could help with this. Its vital to make the right decision.
- Second thing to worry about is protective styling in between stretches. The common thing to do is masking the hair under a wig or weave or braid. But bear in mind, this isn't necessarily helpful for all hair types. Braids and weaves could cause extensive breakage if you have certain type of hair.
I do suffer a lot of breakage from braids, especially the tiny ones, but weaves are more gentle on my hair. Nonetheless, i didn't want to be bored with weaves, so i decided to learn about some no-heat protective styles i could wear inbetween stretches. youtube came in really handy for me in this regard. you can watch some video tutorials there. Hopefully it would be a post for another day. Remember; avoid very tight hair-dos!!!

Transitioning:
Here's where you decide that you actuallu want to get rid of the relaxed hair, just not in one BIG CHOP. You'll hae to deal witht he two different textures for a little bit, at least till you take off that bit, then your challenges kind of deviate. You should have the following challenges in mind:
- "Do i want to go all natural eventually? or would i be considering milder options like texturizers?" A lot of people often agree that texturizers are milder and more gentle on the hair, though some people may debate that. Personally, i am of the opinion that if your hair is very kinky and dry, softening it helps, and saves you a lot of time with conditioning and other measures to try to make your hair more manageable.
-If you;re all natural, you may want to consider styles, cos you;ll be in a whole new world of hair with the natural. Its supposedly easy (this is based off of people's experience cos i have never gone all natural in years). But even when they tell me that, i can't help but wonder what they do for styling -apart from braids, that is. It may seem like those going on the locks are the lucky ones. But then, witrh locks there's also a few protocols to observe in order to ensure healthy hair growth.

That's a lot of talking from one person( or typing in this case), so here's the part where i remind you, i could learn a lot from your own experience too. So Please please and please, tell us about your Stretch/Transition experiences. your comments are very welcome.

One love