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What's in your toolkit?

Written By Bold Apps - December 26 2013

Posted by Lil So everyone has their top five things that they can't go without for more than 48 hours when it comes to their hair - especially if they'd rather their hair didn't turn into a bird's nest! I'm going to have a go at listing mine, but it would be great to find out what in yours? 1. A silk/satin cap! When I'm sleeping my cap protects my hair from breaking. This is because it slides against the material rather than rubbing against and/or getting caught onto my cotton pillowcase. I have also managed to find one that doesn't come off at night (i know right? shock shock horror) - I got mine from Ebay for £7.99 here. 2. An empty spray bottle! My hairtype LOVES moisture. And the only thing that can give it moisture is water. I fill my spray bottle with three quarters water and one quarter of my favourite oil (to seal in the moisture). Whenever my hair gets thirsty I give it a quick spritz and I'm good to go. Spray bottles are also handy for section by section detangling (which i do a lot). 3. Silk scrunchies! My hair thinks these things are amazeballs (am I allowed to say that at my age?). Like the silk scarf it doesnt get caught onto your hair and break a chunk off everytime you want to tie your hair up. I've been putting my hair in twists as a protective style and then tying those twists into a ponytail. So far so good. Only thing is that if my hair is oily then they can get a bit oily also so always handy to have more than one whilst the oily one is in the wash. I got mine from Ebay for £2.10 here. 4. A wide tooth comb! Whislt my hair has conditoner/detanger in it, I gently comb through with my wide-tooth comb. The teeth are wide enough to separate groups of curls and prepare hair for styling without aggravating any knots that can be worked through with detangling brush afterwards. 5. Plastic shower cap! As well as the obvious use...these are great for deep conditioning your hair. This keeps the moisture in and the heat build up opens the folicles on the scalp allowing the 'good stuff' from your conditioner to be absorbed. Some people like to put this on and then put the silk bonnet ontop and keep it on overnight. I tried this after saturing my hair with with coconut oil, my hair was very soft after washing out the morning after. If you're on a budget, use a plastic bag, works just as well if you're not keeping it on overnight

There you have it, i've shown you the top 5 of what's in my toolkit, so what do you keep in yours?

About Me & My 4c Hair

Written By Bold Apps - December 12 2013

Posted by Lil I have spent 25-26 years using product after product just to find that despite their labels my hair is still breaking, still coarse, still sparce around the edges, and definately doesn't look like it has grown as much as it should have done since I went natural 8 years ago. But since I have been making and using my own products I see something exciting happening

and I want to share it with you, as God knows, I am not alone in this struggle to find an effective regimen for my natural cotton-ball like hair. Exhibit A My motivation I've done the relaxer, the braids, the weave, the lace weave, the wig!...it's time to be proud of the 'Me'. After watching Chris Rock's Good Hair (2009) and Tyra's What Is Good Hair? (2009) I was inspired to embrace my roots and make the most of natural me. After doing alot of research (and still learning) I decided to put money and time aside to create my own product. This product will:

deep condition my hair (will use plastic cap and sit under heat bi-monthly)

work as a pre-poo (protect my hair's moisture from being stripped by shampoo bi-monthly)

feed my scalp and stimulate growth (nothing can grow on uncultivated soil - weekly all over and daily on my edges which have receeded due to heavy braiding and hair pulling)

moisturise (this will help beat the brittle out of my hair)

work as an effective detangler and sealant (sO necessary if i want to retain length)

leave my hair feeling and smelling yummy (making me confident and happy)
benefit most if not all hair-types when used appropriately (creating a community of happy hair huggers).

Is Protective Styling For You?

Written By Bold Apps - December 05 2013

Posted by Lil on July 27, 2012 at 3:25 PM Protective styling is something that long-haired people say has really made a significant contribution to the length of their locks. So naturally, I have been trying it. What is it? I hear you say, well I haven't quite mastered it as my hair is about 20cm high (yes high, it grows upward and outward not down) but from my reading, I gather that it has a lot (if not everything) to do with keeping your ends (the oldest parts of your hair) moisturised and out of the way. Protecting your hair doesn't make your hair grow, what it does is act as a barrier of sorts against breakage, allowing you to retain your hair length. One thing I had to come to terms with when deciding to hug my hair and really look at the best ways in which to take care of my particular hair type, was learning that my hair never stopped growing. It has been growing for the past 8 years that I have been natural, I have just not been looking after my hair appropriately, so eventually my ends dry out and break off. Several reasons I can think of why this happened to me are...

Combing my hair when it was dry
Using a comb with narrow teeth
Not protecting my hair whilst I sleep
Washing my hair in a rush
Pulling my hair too tight
Not letting my hair recover from styling
Covering my hair at home
Using petrolium based 'moisturisers'
Washing my hair too often

Another thing to mention is that protective styling isn't for everyone. The styles can be unnatractive or can even mean that even though you finally get long hair - you can't wear it down/straighten it as often as one would like to. I hear there are other ways of retaining hair length (though I have yet to see the evidence) that work and It really depends on whether or not you value your hairstyle over your desire to retain length.Some people are lucky enough to be able to strike a balance between both...but the rest of us? Not so much. I have been trialling two-strand twists for the past 8 weeks and have received the following feedback from the few (lucky) people I allow to see my hair: "your hair looks really healthy" "your hair has aquired a really nice texture" "that's the girl I remember in primary school"* *in primary school i was 'au naturel' This has been quite encouraging for me as it's allowed me to gain confidence in my natural hair. I wash my hair in it's protective style and when I condition and detangle - not HALF as much hair falls out by the end of it all. I used to think having a mini afro on my afro-pick at the end of every hair-combing session was normal. But when I decided to hug my hair it's as if all sorts of lightbulbs went off. For example - It didn't even occur to me to question why the phrase 'comb hair' in my native tongue (swahili) actually translates into "tear/wrip hair". So there you have it, Is protective styling for you? If not, then what have you trialled to retain hair length and is it working?

How to Maintain Your Natural Hair While Working Out

Written By Bold Apps - November 28 2013

Posted by Lil on

Image credit/ Essence.com

Now that the New Year is upon us, it’s time to hit the gym to shed off those pounds we may have gained during the holidays. One thing that many women complain about is the difficulty of maintaining hairstyles while on a fitness routine. Although this complaint is mostly made by women with relaxed hair, naturals don’t exactly have an easy time maintaining their hairdos either.

If you’re like me, you hate hair in your face while trying to work out. It can cause breakouts, make you sweat more and maybe it’s just me but my hair is always frizzier post-work out. Most times I pull my hair into a puff, especially when I’m wearing my signature Afro. But what about the times when I’m not? How do I maintain my blowout? Or twist-out? How do I keep my hair from getting soaked with sweat? We’ve compiled a list of a few tips to keep your hair intact while working out. Check them out below!

Tie down those edges! No matter how your hair is styled or will be styled, if you’re working out and not planning to wash your hair the same day be sure to tie down your edges. I like to use a satin scarf for mine and I apply a little edge control paste or gel before securing the scarf on my head. This works well with updo and bun styles.

Wear your twists/braids. This tip will work whether you’re working out before you get started for the day or after you’re done with your day. Consider wearing your twists or braids and unraveling them for your style after you’re done with your workout. If you work out at the end of the day, you can just leave them as they are. I like to flat twist my hair and pin the twists around my head to stretch them for when I plan to take them down.

Coordinate your hair care routine with your fitness routine. The best thing you could possibly do to maintain your hair while working out is to coordinate how you care for it with your workout schedule. For instance, if I work out on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of every week, I should reconsider having Sunday as my hair wash day.

Share how you maintain your hair while working out with us in the comment section or you can even tweet us @HugMyHair with your response using the hashtag #HMHchat. Happy Styling!

SPOTTED: Natural Hair'd Beauty Nicole Moreina

Written By Bold Apps - November 14 2013

Posted by Lil on

Q: Introduce yourself

A: Hola! My name is Sierra Suggs, but I go by Nicole, my middle name. I am working on the name "Nicole Moreina" for modeling. I am currently a high school teacher and coach by day and aspiring model by weekend. I am 24 years young and loving every bit of being the introverted, spiritual, educated young woman I am.

Q: Have you always rocked and loved your curls/kinks/coils? If not, how did you come to embrace your natural hair?

A: I have not always done so. I was natural until I was in elementary school. My mother said my hair was a hassle so she put a relaxer in my hair. Being older, and natural again, I wanted to say "Ma, are you serious?!" I have a time with my hair now it is nowhere near the length it was as a child. I embraced my natural hair when I did the big chop January 6, 2014. I was watching the BCS Championship, football, and decided to chop my hair off. I was hesitant because after seeing how true the shrinkage life was, I wasn't too sure how it would look. I look back now and say how happy I am that I did so. Now, I love rocking my hair in twist-outs and puffs!

Q: How would you describe your hair texture?

A: I would say that my hair texture is around 3C/4A. Very thick, full hair.

Q: Tell us one "Do" and one "Don't" for your hair type.

A: Do oil and moisture (my hair thrives on both); Don't condition over night (weighs my hair

down).

Q: What advice would you give to someone considering going natural?

A: I would say to not make the life-changing choice unless you're more than 100% comfortable with yourself (inner and outer).

Q: How do you love to wear your hair?

A: I love to wear my hair in three ways: twist-outs, puffs, and straightened (annually).

Q: How often do you wash your hair and what products do you use?

A: Now, y'all may think I am crazy, but I do NOT like washing my hair. I normally wash my hair once a month. I normally use As I Am Cleansing Cowash Conditioner (with Beautiful Textures Curling Pudding) or Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Butter Conditioner (with the Hair Milk). For oils, I use: coconut oil, olive oil, black castor oil, and Organix argon oil (I call it my "oil concoction").

Q: Describe your worst hair day

A: My worst hair day was the first day I was fully natural. I didn't know that shrinkage would have me looking like I got shocked from putting water in a circuit. I also didn't know I had to go through one billion products to find the right ones for MY hair. Needless to say, twist-outs are going to be my best friend until I get more length to wear wash-n-go's. I have learned my lesson.

Q: Your Twitter/Facebook/Instagram pages (if applicable) are?

A: I do not have Twitter/Facebook but I do have Instagram. My Instagram name is @nmoreina.

Q: Website/blog address (if applicable)

I do not have a website/blog, but I do want to get that started one of these days.

hugmyhair

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What's in your toolkit?

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About Me & My 4c Hair

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Is Protective Styling For You?

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How to Maintain Your Natural Hair While Working Out

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SPOTTED: Natural Hair'd Beauty Nicole Moreina

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