For the kids: Should I relax or give my child braids?

This seems to be a very tough question for many hard working mothers. I alaways hear, " I dont have the time to do her hair every morning, can I relax it or put it in braids?" Well, thanks to Chris Rock movie " Good Hair" it helped alot of women defer from putting chemicals in their children's hair. But, yet they still dont know how to take care of it. And some still choose to put the relaxer in it anyways.

As a child develops up until they reach pubirty, the hair is still weak. Which makes it very easy to damage their scalp. It doesn't matter if it is a kiddie perm or regular strength relaxer, the chemical is the same. What people dont understand is that what you put on your scalp goes into your bloodstream. So I am telling you that when you give your child a relaxer you are allowing this chemical to flow in your childs bloodstream. and because your child has not fully develope that means her immune system is not strong enough to fight off dangerous and harmful foregin objects in her body. Which can lead to long-term health problems. Or as she becomes an adult she can devlope Alopecia in the scalp. Kids should not be allowed to get relaxers until 18 when they are fully develped.

Now your wondering well, "If I can't give her a relaxer than can I give her braids?" Sorry this is not an option either. Let me clear something up, it is ok to braid her hair but not weave braids. Braids are cute and they help you to not do her hair often. But they too are harmful to the scalp. Weave is very dry and is stronger than hair from the scalp, due to the chemical process they perform on the weave. It makes it last longer but it also pulls the hair when braiding and most mothers leave braids in their children hair for months thinking only about what works for them. Kids are very active and are wild sleepers so these styles are not made for a childs lifestyle. Kids dont pay attention to their scalp. They more than likely will not tell you if their scalp is too tight, dry or if one of there braids fell out. Though the hair is put up in braids and looks the best. It is in the most fragile state. And if one continues to wear braids, all that pulling on the hair will eventually damage the root and also will create Alopecia into adulthood.

Now, I know you feel like you are running out of options but if you know me and my blog you know what I am going to say. Natural Styles are the best way! It is very easy and very cute! Doing twist or leaving it curly is absolutely the best way to care for your childs hair. You letting her hair rest and continue to grow longer and stronger. Give's your child's hair a fighting chance to be healthy. They can still be active and even sleep wild. The key is to start while they are young by just doing simple twist as they get older the easier and easier it will become to style it. Now, if your child is already in the relaxer phase you transition her out by two strand twist with rods. Here are some other great ideas!

two strand twist into ponytail

let her locs flow free

two strand flat twist

two strand ponytail

flat twist and curls

Transitioning Tips 101

Hello Readers, I apologize for not updating in such a long time. I have been doing a lot of research and product knowledge classes.


A lot of my clients are continuously asking me the same questions. "How can I go natural without cutting my hair?", "What are the best products to use, while transitioning?".
So, that is the topic for my post. ''The Big Transition"




If you want to keep your length while transitioning, it is possible but difficult. There are many ways to go bout this but one thing that is very important is that you You must understand that when you straighten your hair you stretch out your curl. Therefore setting back your natural goal. What I always recommend my clients is to start treating your hair as if it is already curly. Which means start doing the natural styles. Like I said it will be a difficult path but you can achieve your goal. Here are my tips on achieving your goal.


Natural Styles
1.  When doing natural styles use rods at the ends of your hair. Because the relaxed hair is still straight you need to use the rods to make it curly. Try the smallest rods so that they may be tight and last longer.


2. Make sure to clip your ends exactly every 6 weeks. When you are going through the transition your natural hair will get tangled with your relaxed hair. To prevent that clip at least 1 cm of hair every 6 weeks.


3. Hair should be conditioned under the dryer/ under cap with hot towel for 10 mins. every two weeks. Your hair will be very dry during this time. So this is a very important rule.


4. One of the easiest ways of styling while transitioning is doing rod sets. Why? Because its a curly style and when you sweat it will not be that noticeable when your hair starts to revert.Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut oil. Just a quarter size every two to three days. It will keep your hair soft and easier to manage. Stay away from greasy products, they coat the hair and does not allow moisture to penetrate.


5. Drink lots and lots of water. There will be a point where your hair will feel very dry, that is okay and normal. Just stay hydrated.


6. The steamer will become your best friend. I usually give my clients a steamer every 8 weeks. This is basically a facial for your hair. It helps the conditioner penetrate into the scalp and cuticle.leaving hair soft and more manageable. Ask your stylist to add this to your regimen.


7. Always, Always use a silk scarf and or silk pillow case. Cotton pillowcases and scarfs are too harsh and will lift your cuticle and remove the natural oils from your hair. Silk is softer and will not rough up your hair. In addition will give you a longer lasting style.


8. Use all natural products that do not contain Mineral Oil or  a high content of Alcohol.


I hope that these tips help you with your transition. Always remember that this will be  a long journey but very rewarding!
Any questions just ask!

So, You want to hair color?

This past week I was scheduled for a client who wanted a haircut, as she was sitting in my chair she also decided she wanted a hair color, as well. I kind of already knew where this was going considering it was such a spontaneous move and she asked to see our choices.

In our Salon we use Chromastics which colors are rich in tones and penetrate into the cortex which means they are long lasting. And great for African-Americans. So, I knew that if She really wanted this color that we would have to find the best fitting and something subtle. Why subtle? well, 9 times out of 10 when someone is very quick to pick a color. The following week they will have (what I call) "Color Remorse". And just as I thought She wanted a Black and I am not talking about a regular 1N, I am talking about the Blackest of them all! A blue base black which is a very strong color, and when it comes to that color you can only do Permanent.

Now, the lady to me had a Kim Kardashian skin tone which I thought was too light to have such a dark color. I gave her other suggestions and told that I personally do not think that, that would be best for her. But, she continued to insist that, thats what she wanted. So, just like in every other customer service job, the number 1 rule is "The customer is always right." So, I did what I was paid to do. I pray she doesn't come back with "Color Remorse".


Unfortunately, She refused to listen to me but I hope you guys will take my tips into consideration before getting a color:

1. The first rule to getting a color is Always, Always, Always get it done professionally. When getting color from the Drugstores the contain the most harshest ingredients; Metallic Salts and Dyes that eat away at the hair.

2. When unsure about what color try Semi-Permanent, they wash out very easily and are the safest of colors.

3. I believe in contrast, never chose a color within 4 shades of your skin tone. They tend to wash you out.

4. Never get a Permanent Color unless you are totally, positively sure about what color you want.

African American Synthetic Wig Collection by Beverly Johnson

5. One of the best ways to see if you would really like a certain color, go to the beauty stores and try on different wigs.

6. Please listen to your stylist take whatever she/he has to say into consideration. They most likely know what they are talking about.

7. If you have a relaxer wait at least 3 weeks until getting a Permanent Color, relaxers dry out your hair and so do colors. You want enough time to restore your moisture.

8. And last but not least, after Permanent Colors on your next salon visit ask to get a deep condition. It helps your hair to stay strong and your color to stay vibrant.

I hope you use these tips when you are ready to change your color!

KinkyGirlHair xoxoxo

KinkyHairGirl Introduction

                                           KinkyHairGirl

I am yours truly, KinkyHairGirl I decided to create this blog for the women that do not have a clue on what to do with their hair. I am a licensed Cosmetologist in a salon in Downtown Chicago. I am trained in multi-texture hair, including natural hairstyles.

                                       Jennifer Hudson

Lately it seems to me that more women are moving out of the relaxer phase and going back to natural styles. A lot of these women are also Mothers or Full-time business women that do not have the money or time to spend on going to a salon. So, ladies just breathe a little more because I am here to help.

                                           Raven Symone
                                

I believe it is a wonderful thing that we (women) are trying to have healthy beautiful hair. But I also understand that due to our busy lives it makes it harder to achieve those results. Most of you go straight to the wigs and weaves thinking that, that will save you from having to take care of your hair. Well, my motto is and always has been, "If you have hair, you have to take care of it, regardless if its hidden, it is on your head." Even if you were bald you would still have to take care of your scalp. I know, I know you don't have the time well think about this. If you actually take the time out to take care of your hair (i.e. conditions, less heat, wrapping hair etc.) then when your hair becomes happy (healthy) you wont need so much time to do it.

                                     Kim Coles goes natural

The problem is you don't want to take the time out to get to the point where your hair is happy. Women nowadays are so stuck on things with the least effort as possible and are satisfied with the look of their hair not the actual being of hair. You want to hide it if it does not look up to your par instead of going to a salon to get it taken care of.

                                     Keisha Knight Pulliam

For example one of my biggest challenges with my clients is letting me cut their ends, everyone has had that one experience where a stylist chopped all their hair off. And because of that they refuse to let me clip their ends. And I totally understand, but at the same time you have to understand that by doing so, you are setting your hair up for DOOM. If you do not get your ends clipped then you are letting your split ends travel up to your root which will lead to a damaged hair bulb and that means your hair will not be able to produce. Also, when it comes to your look and style of your hair the result will look terrible because you CANNOT hide split ends. After explaining that to my clients if they still wont budge, i will consider letting them watch me clip their hair. Sorry ladies but it must be done.

So that was a little introduction into what this Blog will be about. I will also give you tips for at home or when you are at your next visit to the salon, if you have any question please post and i will answer those as well.

Love, KinkyHairGirl xoxoxo