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Why Scalp Health is Paramount for Hair Growth
While we understand that hair growth starts at the scalp, most have no clue of what supports hair growth outside of "hair growth products" and "hair growth supplements". This blog post will explain the stages of hair growth and some of the best ways we can maintain the health of our scalp to ensure that our hair is performing optimally at each stage.
(via healthline)
The anagen phase may last about 5 years on average so that is how long a single strand will grow. About 90% of the hair on our scalp will be in this phase at any given moment. The catagen phase takes about 10 days and this is when growing slows as the follicle shrinks. The telegen phase is known as the resting phase because this is when the hairs in this phase don't grow and this stage can last for a few months. Lastly the exogen stage is when the strands shed, up to 100 strands a day is considered normal.
Some things you can do to maintain the health of your hair growth phases is to regularly consume a healthy balanced diet including healthy fats, proteins, vitamins D, C, B12, iron, zinc, staying hydrated and quitting smoking.
But did you know that blood circulation to the scalp is paramount for healthy hair growth? Blood carries nourishment to the scalp. If your blood circulation is poor, your hair growth may be less than desirable. Some things that hinder scalp circulation are smoking, high blood pressure, eczema, psoriasis, obesity and other heart conditions.
Exercise helps with improve blood flow in the body thus helping with blood flow to the scalp. Exercise also helps with some of the conditions mentioned above. Be sure to implement regular scalp massages to encourage blood flow as well. These massages are best done in conjuction with growth stimulating oils like the Horsetail Leaf Growth Oil and the Emu Oil Growth Drops. These products have essential oils which help stimulate blood flow and they are infused with horsetail, a powerful herb that's packed with silica, selenium and cysteine, all proven to be very effective for hair growth. These can be purchased individually or together in the Emerald Bundle.
Tips For Growing Long Natural Hair
See how I achieved THIGH length locs in under 12 years of my natural hair journey. These tips are for ALL natural hair types, not just locs.
8 Tips for Conditioning Locs At Home
1. Thoroughly wash your locs first with a clarifying shampoo. Conditioner washes out easier when you shampoo your locs a few rounds first.
2. Add conditioner to fully saturated, dripping wet locs. Don’t wring out the water prior to application so assist in distributing the product all over.
3. Use a milky conditioner or dilute your conditioner so it can be distributed throughout your locs easier. Avoid adding heavy conditioner without diluting first.
4. After fully rinsing, fully submerge your locs in water (use a stopped sink or a basin) and massage your locs as they soak.
5. While massaging excess conditioner out of your locs, focus on the areas where your locs tend to hold onto product like the spot where your locked hair meets your loose new growth towards your roots.
6. Go to a loctician for your loc maintenance and grooming for the best quality conditioner. Plus having someone else condition your hair helps because they can see the process better than you. You can’t see if you missed a spot better than they can.
7. Deep clean your locs a couple times a year using methods such as an apple cider vinegar (ACV) soak.
8. Use a moisturizing leave in conditioner spray on a regular basis or even daily to reduce your need for conditioning your locs at home each wash. I recommend the Rose Water Moisturizer by Love Light & Locs available at https://www.keishacharmaine.com
Chemical Relaxers are Dangerous to Our Health & Psyche
Chemical Relaxers are Dangerous to Our Health & Psyche
It is becoming more widely known that the risks of chemical hair straighteners or relaxers cause far more harm beyond short term hairloss and scalp inflammation. Research has shown that they also can cause fibroids, endometriosis, uterine cancer and breast cancer in women.
"A recent 2022 National Institute of Health study found women who used chemical hair straighteners had more than double the risk of uterine cancer compared to women who didn’t use them. Another NIH study In 2019 found women who used chemical hair straighteners had a 30% increase in incidence of breast cancer. Black women are particularly at risk because they use hair straighteners at higher rates than other consumers." (Quoted from a fact checked article written by Michelle Llamas, edited by Amy Edel on consumernotice.org. For the full article, click here.)
While these straighteners vary in strength, toxic chemicals are present in them all to varying degrees. Women are filing lawsuits against companies that have sold relaxers and currently sell relaxers for neglecting to provide warnings to consumers to make informed decisions for their hair styling despite knowing the dangerous health risks involved.
Black women are the leading consumers of chemical relaxers which means that we are more susceptible to the aforementioned illnesses. If one desires to straighten their hair, she should consider the other methods to temporary straightening such as silk presses and other forms of heat styling or stretching. This ensures that her hair can still revert back to its natural state so that her hair can remain versatile while she lessens her health risks drastically.
Often times black women resort to permanently straightening kinky, curly and coily hair because it's a common belief that natural hair is "too high maintenance" or "too much work". The reality is that many black women simply don't know how to care for their natural hair since so many of our parents relaxed our hair at a young age for their convenience or preference. However, it is important for us to know that we are beautiful with our hair as it grows naturally. Our hair is not an inconvenience or a shortcoming. It is harmful to the psyche of black women to wear their hair straight consistently as if natural black hair is ugly, unacceptable or "less than". So much value is placed on women's appearances so when we believe our appearance isn't desirable, it can severly affect our self worth if we don't intercept these beliefs and create new ones that serve us. Consider who and what may have programmed you to believe that our hair is a problem. This is why hair is not "just hair" and our hair journeys are More Than A Hair Journey. They are self love journeys.
We love changing our hairstyles which can be done without chemically straightening. Natural black hair is the most versatile hair; it can be temporarily straightened and worn in loose styles like afros along with braids, twists, buns, puffs, knots and cornrows. Our hair can be locked which presents a lot of versatility as well, showcased on my YouTube channel. They can also be covered and protected under wigs from time to time.
Choosing to permanently straighten your hair is a dangerous risk we don't have to take. If you are looking for products to support your natural hair growth, keeping it strong and moisturized, check out Love Light & Locs herb infused natural hair products.
Articles referenced:
https://www.consumernotice.org/products/chemical-hair-straighteners/side-effects/
https://www.consumernotice.org/legal/chemical-hair-straightener-lawsuit/
More To Read
Why You Should Cover Your Locs
While wearing your locs out and free is beneficial for young locs because covering them too often and too tightly can hinder the locking process, it will do your hair a great service to cover them while you are out and about from time to time. We all know that covering your hair to sleep is beneficial because it keeps your hair smooth so styling your hair in the morning is easier and it keeps your delicate hair protected from your cotton sheets. (If you have satin pillowcases however, you can get away with wearing your hair out while sleeping more often.) But how is it beneficial to cover your hair outside?
1) Protection from intense weather conditions
Wearing your hair in headwraps can protect your hair from intense cold and intense sun. Both can cause your hair to get brittle. Cold air tends to be dry air. When air has too little humidity, it can cause your hair to get dry as well. While being in the sun is great for your hair to dry it naturally after a wash, being under the hot sun for extended periods of time can have similar effects like using artificial heat such as causing dryness and even breakage. Covering your hair reduces your exposure to these intense weather conditions.
2) Protection from air pollution and environmental smells
Especially if you live or work in a high traffic metropolitan city, you are exposed to all types of air pollution. While you may not see this pollution build up on your hair, it is there. You can often smell it when you finally wash your locs. This is most apparent when the air pollution is in the form of smoke. Also, cooking foods with strong aromas or being around when such foods are being cooked cause cause smells to get trapped in your hair. While temporary solutions such as hair fragrances like the Love Light & Locs LoCologne are great, they are not permanent cures for air pollution and the smells that your hair hold. Covering your locs more often will reduce your need or desire to over wash your hair.
3) Protection from debris
Many things get attracted to kinky hair textures and due to our natural curl they often get trapped in our locs. If you don't brush your locs on a regular basis, you are more susceptible to experiencing debris build up in your locs. Such debris include lint, dust, leaves, feathers, etc. Covering your locs reduce your exposure to unwanted debris.
4) Protection from negative energy
This may not resonate with everyone reading this but hear me out. Everything is energy. Due to the coil of textured locs, it holds onto more energy. Sometimes we can experience shifts in moods that are inexplicable and this can be due to our hair holding onto energies of people, places and things surrounding us. Washing your hair is a great way to remove these energies and using natural products which are high vibrational is a great way to replenish positive energy into your hair. However, covering your locs is a great way to reduce unwanted energy from getting trapped in your hair.
5) Safety measure
The longer your hair gets, the more likely it is for your hair to get in your way and even possibly cause harm. Not long before I cut 12 inches off of my thigh length locs, my locs got shut in a steel screen security door. Since I was walking quickly, the door yanked me back. I almost fell. If I had fallen, I could have suffered from major hair loss. Locs often get caught in car doors, subway doors, door handles, people sit on them, lay on them, etc. This can cause unexpected yanking which can cause alopecia. Wearing your locs covered in headwraps can prevent ths occurence and keep you safe. This is highly recommended when operating heavy machinery.
6) Versatility in styling
Due to the low maintenance nature of locs, sometimes we get lazy with our hairstyles since it's so convenient to just wake up and go. However both men and women can switch their style up by simply wearing different colored headwraps and styling them in unique and original ways. Check out the tutorials on YouTube for my recommendations on headwrap styles.
The Loc Journey is about MAINTENANCE & MINDSET
The loc journey is a time of exploration and discovery. While you are learning how to cultivate and care for your hair in an unfamiliar state, you are also encountering yourSELF with new eyes.
While your loc journey may seem like it's all about learning how to wash, moisturize, style and take care of your locd hair, it is more than a hair journey, it's a self love journey.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, your locs teach you about yourself by showing you where in your character could use some assistance in development. It's funny how that works.
You think your locs are just a convenient hair style but then you realize that they are teaching you patience, dedication, true confidence, self love, persistence, determination, courage, etc.
Have you been struggling with committing to locs?
Are you unsure how to take care of your locs at home?
Do you need help along your loc journey from maintenance to mindset?
Check out my brand new course at the Love, Light & Locs School:
This course contains exclusive videos not available on YouTube, tips and advice for your regular at home DIY maintenance, journal prompts and exercises, and bonus content. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Have a great loc journey!