Good News; Bad News

Remember this!

Providing hair care to thousands of women is very interesting. As a licensed cosmetologist, I am very deliberate in setting the tone with each and every woman, teen, child and male I encounter. The tone I am setting is that I am a cosmetologist who cares. I am a cosmetologist who does not want you to be a slave to the hair salon. I am cosmetologist who wants you to know how to care for your hair and I am just the cosmetologist to teach you.

In setting that tone, most people are excited! I often hear, "I have never met a cosmetologist who teaches you how to do your own hair."  For every person I meet who is excited about learning how to care for their hair, I meet meet three times as many who are not. Believe it or not, in this day in time there remains a large portion of women who do not want to have anything to do with their hair; let alone style it. Well, for those of you who are all too familiar about hating to do your hair, "I have some good news and I have some bad news."

As always, since this is a Blog Ndogo, I have to got to make it short and get straight to the point. Would you like the good news first or the bad news? Bad news it is! The bad news is, there is no such thing as care free hair. All hair (locked, twist, natural, long, short, fade, Jheri curl, finger waves, weaves and so on) requires some form of care and maintenance. "Awe man," you say?  My goal in writing this blog today it to debunk this international misnomer that hair care can be care free. To do so, I have to back it with facts. So here goes it.

Product build up leaves white
scaly flakes on scalp and
hair.

Though you may not agree; I must reiterate, Hair care cannot be care free. The question of why and a barrage of "what if" scenarios comes flowing to me. Let me stop you right there with the honest reason why hair care can not be "none." Because hair is skin. And skin has to be cleansed properly with the right cleansing agent for a specific hair type on a regular basis. There that ends the bad news.

Now the good news. The good news about hair care is that inasmuch as it has to be cared for on regular basis with the right products for your unique hair fabric; it can be done so in more ways than I can type in this blog. Hair care fall under hygiene. Hygiene such as brushing your teeth, washing your arm pits, washing other body parts and so. The body has seven orifices (openings) that are self cleansing. The seven orifices are: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, navel, vagina, buttocks and skin which has follicles (those little tiny holes that every hair on your body grows out of). More good news is that we all know what comes out of those orifices and happens when any of them are not cleansed regularly with the right cleansing agent. Need I type more? Of course not! Can we all say, "ewe!"

This how the scalp looks from Co-Washing and infrequent
shampooing. Do not do this to your scalp. This is why hair looks
dull and unhealthy.

I invite anyone reading this blog to either change their mindset that hair style is hair care or lose their hair.  In reality, hair needs to be cared for in order to style it. Any hair stylist, cosmetologist or natural hair care guru who is deliberate in removing you from the equation of caring for your or is encouraging you not cleanse it with shampoo and is encouraging you to replace your shampoo with conditioner to co-wash is wrong. Any hair stylist , cosmetologist or natural hair care guru who tells you or leads you to believe that shampooing your hair every two weeks or longer is ok; is wrong.

More good news?  Licensed cosmetologists and natural hair care gurus all know that hair thins as we age. They also know that as we age; their hair care regimen needs to change with aging. They also know exactly what happens to hair when it is over soften with conditioners, moisturizers, salves, balms and pomades. Every licensed professional and natural hair care guru knows that the above mentioned hair care practices all do one thing; PROMOTE PRE-MATURE HAIR LOSS and DAMAGE.

Find the right product for your
hair type.

Because the good news only gets better and I have to keep this blog short, I can end with three popular simple solutions if you have been traveling down the quick path to hair loss by not shampooing regularly or have been shampooing it with the wrong products. The first thing to do is go ahead on and accept the fact that you have to cleanse your scalp and hair on regular basis (at least 1-2 times per week). Second, select a shampoo that is for your scalp and hair type. If you do not know ask your stylist. A simple strand test can be done by taking on strand of hair and tug on it. If it snaps quick; it is thin. If it takes a little while to snap; it is medium. And if it never snaps; it is coarse. From there that is how you select the right shampoo and make your purchase. Third and last, be sure the shampoo reads that it cleanses your scalp too. If it reads it only cleanses your hair then that is all it will clean. 

When it comes to the matter of scalp disorders such as dandruff, psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, dermatitis and the like; please go see a dermatologist. Do not allow your hair stylist or natural hair care guru play doctor on your scalp. Doing so almost always results in worsening the scalp disorder. Your grand mother can not diagnose your dandruff and your hair stylist can not treat it.

Some simple solutions to rid your scalp and hair of build up from infrequent shampooing are:

• Making a mixture of lemon juice and water and misting that on to your hair. Let it sit for about 5-15 minutes and shampoo.
• Add about a teaspoon of baking soda to your shampoo, rinse and follow with your favorite conditioner.
• Mix one part apple cider vinegar to 4 parts water and mist on your hair before you shampoo. Let it sit for 5-15 minutes and shampoo off. Or you can mist it on your hair after you condition it to soften, detangle and add shine to your hair. 

Hair care takes patience and time.

Good news; bad news. Hair care takes time. There is no quick way to hygiene. The body makes waste and emits it through those seven openings. Just as you would brush your teeth after eating something that is gritty or foul in odor; and just as you would wash your arm pits the moment you smell musk; the same prompt response must be made for hair. And just as you know the benefits of washing and caring for those other orifices; understand you will get the exact same results when you give your scalp and hair the same attention and response the moment you noticed it was not clean and smelling fresh. Can we say, relief!

Do the right thing and develop a hair care regimen just as you do for brushing your teeth, bathing, cleaning ears and so on so you can reap the benefits of truly having clean healthy hair.

How's that for good news; bad news?