Thursday 29 December 2011

My children, my joy.

My hair was relaxed back then in 2007.
My son, Josh and I.


The greatest sun/son in the entire Omniverse, gone but never forgotton.......

Everything I do, I do it in his memory.






My dearly beloved son, Josh and my daughter, six months before he passed away from a brain tumour.  I will always love you, Josh.
Two of my channels on You-tube: MelaninNmetaphysics and Iamblackbutcomely is dedicated to his memory and a thank you to him, for helping my entire household, come to realisation of this truth.






My elder son, Josh as a baby and I, in 1992.






My elder son and I in December, 2007.































Split ends

Trimming your hair on a regular basis is a part of keeping your hair healthy. However if you do not trim the ends on a regular basis, the ends of your hair strands become split, and your hair does not grow at the standard rate of 1/2 an inch per month. Your hair will surely grow back, so don't be afraid to trim the ends. In fact, your hair is more likely to grow if you get rid of your split ends.

If you don't like the idea of trimming your hair, here are a few tips on how to have a decreased amount of split ends.

1) Avoid excessive heat. You can stop excessive heat by not using curling irons, hair dryers, straighteners, etc. These all cause stress on your hair. There is also an increased risk of stress on your head if you put bobbles in your hair that are too tight. this causes split ends and breakage.
2) Stop using chemicals. Relaxers, dyes, perming products cause the weakening of hair cells which contributes to split ends. Even chlorine from a swimming pool dries out your hair, so don't excessively swim, at least without a swimming cap on.
3) Moisturize your hair. moisturizing is a key factor in the protection of your hair. It should be done on a regular basis. If you do not moisturize dry ends they will turn into split ends.
Split ends are damaged. The only way you can get rid of them is if you trim them off.

How to twist your hair




There are various ways to make your twists look good. You can either single twist your hair or double twist your hair. Both types of twists are protective hairstyles, which give your hair a rest from the natural breakage of hair. If you have naturally kinky or curly hair, the style will look great on you.






There are a range of sizes that you can have with your twists. In most cases, the smaller the twists the longer you want them in, and vise versa, the bigger the twists, the shorter amount of time you want them in. Deciding on the size of your twists is the first factor to think about while styling your hair.


Before starting, you should part your hair into four corners and comb each corner out. You can use clips to divide each section. Whilst combing, if your hair is dry you can put in a little bit of moisturizing oil or gel into your hair.




Begin parting separate sections and then
begin twisting your hair by crossing of two sections at a time. If you choose to double twist your hair, you have to repeat this procedure twice. Repeat until you've twisted all the strands on you hair, or until you have completed your desired style.

If you have trouble with twisting the back of your hair, you should have two stationary mirrors, attached to a stable piece of equipment, where you can see the back of your hair. If your hands are too short, I recommend you do so stretching to help your strengthen your arm muscles so that it will be easier to twist your hair.

How to make home made mascara and eyeshadow

If you can't get hold of some mascara and eye shadow, there is a way of making it yourself. It really is simple, and you can save some money every year if you make it yourself. This is also a great formula if you are allergic to the substances in standard mascara and eyeliner because it only contains natural substances which are not harmful to the eye.


You will need:
6-8 grounded charcoal tablets
3 tablespoons of water
1 drop of olive oil / castor oil


Step 1
Ground/Crush the charcoal into a powdery precipitate


Step 2
Add 3 tablespoons of water to the mixture


Step 3
Add a drop of oil


Step 4
Mix the mixture for about 10 seconds and make sure there aren't any giant lumps clumped together.


Step 5
Use a cotton bud, or whatever you like, to apply the mixture on.


Step 6
Use the other side of the cotton bud to clean off bits that you don't want


Here's a video on how to make mascara and eye shadow





Monday 26 December 2011

natural.Gift Post washing techniques



natural.Gift Washing hair

Hair washing is the cosmetic act of keeping hair clean by washing it with shampoo or other detergent products and water. Hair conditioner may also be used to improve hair's texture and manageability.





Two-in-one shampoos, which have both detergent and conditioning components, are now commonly also used as a replacement for shampoo and conditioner.







To remove the sebum from the hair, some people apply a surfactant, most usually shampoo, but sometimes soap to their hair and lather the surfactant with water. The surfactant is rinsed out with water along with the freed dirt and dust it bonds to.









There are also dry shampoos, which are powders which remove sebum from the hair by soaking it up prior to being combed out.

natural.Gift Preparation for washing hair

This video shows the preparations, before washing your hair. 


Enjoy!

Friday 23 December 2011

Hair + Hydration = Hairdration

As mentioned before - because the kinky strand pattern of our hair, out hair is easily broken out. The oils produced naturally by the scalp, containing natural sealants never reach the end of our hair strand, and so our hair is not protected or moisturized.

Hydration of the hair can help prevent this problem though. Water gives our hair elasticity and moisture which helps it grow, if you do this on a regular basis. You should never go more that three days without either spraying a little bit of water on your hair or using natural air products that are really beneficial to your hair.

You can purchase a wide range of hair moisturizers here online:-


Did you know that an average hair strand is made up from 25% of water, and there is a higher concentration in nappy hair. In addition to moisturizing your hair on the outside you need to hydrate your cells with water. If your cells don't get fed with water on a regular basis, your hair won't grow, leaving your hair dry.

In order to grow long, kinky hair  you must  drink 8-10 bottles of water per day. You will see the results. Black hair cells need water in order to grow.

Don't overdo it though - water may have healing factors but it also is quite damaging

Thursday 22 December 2011

Hair Care Basics

Braided Hair 
Kinky hair is very delicate, and you should treat it as if it was a delicate piece of silk, it is prone to breakage and is very dry. The better you treat your hair, the better it will look and it will be much easier to grow. If you've relaxed your hair, you've weakened it even more and reduced the ability of the scalp to produce natural oils to strengthen your hair. However if your hair is natural, it is prone to an increased number of tangles. This could be a problem because as our kinky hair type is delicate, it is prone to breakage because of the knots and tangles that are formed if it is not well maintained. 


Below are a few tips on how to care for your hair:

  • Before going to bed, section your hair and plait it, tie it back/ wrap it using a scarf. (Satin is the best type of head scarf though, of which you can purchase from the online shop. satin scarves, sleep caps and pillow cases help avoid split ends, caused by the rubbing of your hair against a rough surface.) This will reduce the number of tangles you have to comb out the next morning, which helps reduce the chance of breakage.

  • Eat a balanced diet. Vitamins, minerals and protein are essential for hair growth. 
  • Put as little heat on your hair. Putting excessive heat on your hair is just asking for trouble, along with adding relaxer, along with other alcoholic-based products, unless you specifically need them.
  • If you are washing your hair, use natural based shampoos, or the home egg formula.  Also try to deep condition or use hot oil treatment once a month. This stimulates the growth of natural hair. Whilst conditioning your hair, comb out your hair to remove tangles while it's wet and relatively slick. A leave in conditioner is then added for moisture after conditioning your hair. Moisture is good for you.
  • Try and get a spray-bottle half water, half oil (any type in the previous article), to help moisturize your hair. Oil your scalp on a regular basis, it is not a bad idea.
  • Massage your scalp on a regular basis to promote circulation and production. Avoid the overuse of products of mineral oil and petroleum, they tend to block the pores and are not readily absorbed. Stop using Vaseline on your hair.
  • If you exercise, rinse the salt (which sweat has produced) out of your hair even if you don't wash it.

Find a style that works for you. It may be long, short or medium length. Nobody has the same hair texture. You have to individualize you personal style.



Natural Hairstyles Homepage

Dear Friends 


Thank you for all your support in taking part in maintaining your hair. We hope you will enjoy all the posts and pages. natural.Gift are busy preparing for January 2012.


We have two main goals:

  1.  To provide opportunities to people of all ages, gender, hair lengths and textures, and aspirations in a great environment.
  2. To provide the hair growth to people who are following these techniques.
natural.Gift have been working on this programme for 24 months now. During this time they have achieve much success and given opportunities to people of all hair lengths and textures. Our goals will be restructured to allow all people to get the most out of natural.Gift.

By making these changes, all people of all aspirations will be in an environment where they feel happy, and are able to develop and grow into a natural Afro-American.

I hope this information is helpful. What I would like you to do is have a think about your hair journey for January 2012, so everyone is raring to go come January.

Much Love

natural.Gift


Wednesday 21 December 2011

Natural Hair Introduction

This blog will help you find the beauty in natural hair and will show you how to care for it and manage it. It will also give you tips on how to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. To make sure you get natural hair, you must have a healthy, balanced diet to enable your hair to grow natural and long.