Treatments for Hair

Damage ain't a thang!

Beautiful healthy hair is like the finer things in life. Money, Double RR's, Chanel, diamonds and like Jigga; I don't like hair if it don't gleam gleam. Cuz to hell with these myths; damage ain't a thang! Working in the hair salon has it's funny moments. Working in the salon has it's quirky moments. But no moment is more interesting in the salon than the topic of what damages hair, how to fix it and the costs to repair it. While this blog could go on for pages about the many things that contributes to damaged hair, I will highlight 5 myths about what "they" say about what damages hair, then counter attack what "they" say and end it up with what really is the "thang" when it comes to healthy hair. 

As always; drum roll please! I am going to start my "What They Say" list off with the least popular to the most popular:

What THEY say List:

5. Sleeping on one side of your head.

4. The wool scarf.

3.  My medicine.

2.  Back when I was around...

1.  The relaxer.

What I Say Counter Attack List:
Five: Unless you are sleeping on that side of your head for hours to days on in for years at a time. It is almost impossible to connect 4-10 hours of sleeping on one side of your head to hair loss and damage. The culprit could simply be, favoring one side of your hair more when styling.

Four: Unless you are deliberately rubbing your hair out with the scarf; again it is almost impossible to connect wearing a wool (textured) scarf for 10-45 minutes to hair breakage and hair loss. Unless the scarf is tied tight, the hair is very dry before the scarf makes contact with the hair; then the FRICTION alone may cause some snapping. But then that is just a matter of reducing the friction!

Three: Unless your doctor tells you your medicine will cause hair loss; then the medicine is not the culprit. In most cases when a person abruptly or is inconsistent with their medicines; hair

loss and shedding is the result. If you seriously feel your medicine is causing hair damage or/and loss; please speak to your doctor. Do not just stop taking your medicines.

Two: Unless it happened within the last 7 years; it does not matter what happened when you were 8,16,24,32,39,42,49,56 years old and so on. Why? Because the life expectancy each individual strand of hair on your body is about 7 years. After, an entire new strand is growing in. So enough with that story already....lol (sorry).

One: Unless the relaxer was not applied according the manufacturers instructions and provided that you are not allergic to the relaxer; your hair should stay on your head. The instructions of how and when to apply a chemical relaxer varies from maker to maker. There should never be a "cookie cutter" approach to any chemical service in the hair salon. Never. The relaxer was never intended to straighten hair; heat was. The relaxer has always been about

"relaxing" texture. Nothing more. Nothing less. Provided you are not allergic to them; they are safe. Irritation and hair damage almost always come from NOT following the manufacturer's directions...ijs 

True culprits to damaging hair:

Five: Using water based products or when water is within the first three ingredients are sure to attract moisture too hair. When hair is too moist, it become limp, more frizz, the texture is compromised. Smoothing or straightening is difficult. Too soft and too wet hair is very damaging to texture and integrity of hair.

Four: Creams, gels and sulfate free products which mostly attracts moisture to hair will cause hair it to become too soft. When hair is too soft your curls, waves, kinks and Afros will go limp.

Three: Dry scalps. Dry scalps pull moisture from the individual strand thus making one constantly re-applying oil, creams, butters and salves to hair daily. Scalp must be glazed lightly.

Two: Infrequent shampooing. Nothing damages hair more than dirty hair. The yeast, oil, sweat, dirt and product build up alone is enough to make hair smell something fierce and become even more limp and difficult to style.

One: Not combing hair that is smoothed out. If you are wearing a style that is smoothed, rolled, straightened out; it is imperative to comb your hair throughout the day to redistribute oils to the ends of your hair to keep them form splitting and breaking. 

Eat the egg is better than cracking it over
your hair.

On a side note, Nutritionist Dr. Janice R. Hermann of Oklahoma State University writes in her "Protein and the Body" report that "Next to water, protein is the most plentiful substance in our bodies. Just about everybody knows that our muscles are made of proteins. And, actually every single cell in our bodies has some protein." Right? Right. So why then are proteins thee most under applied and misused service in the hair salon? I don't know. I can not tell you how many women sit in my chair cry, fuss, cuss, walk out, dog me out or just plain on ask that I not put protein in their hair. Why that's like asking for water with only 1 atom of oxygen. Ham with no burger. Kool-Aid with no sugar or Cereal with no milk. Vital, I tell ya. Protein is vital to hair care. Anyone paying for any type of hair service and is not getting a protein treatment is literally pouring their service down the drain. While there are many sources that one can get their protein from, I am a fan of keratin, phyto, fruit, wheat and soy proteins. 

What do you think the 23
represents? No, not Jordan's!

Of course I could write an entire article on man made versus synthetic proteins, but I will not. But what I will say is that synthetic or man made proteins can be useful and effective in providing an excellent source of protein to hair inasmuch as the nano (very tiny) technology that goes into the science of man made products, the affordability and the accessibility works miracles and wonders for almost any head of hair. For those who are proximity challenged (you know; those who live in the nooks and crannies of the world), man made proteins will almost always come in handy. If nothing but, they are easier to locate. For those who are financially challenged; man made will aid and make buying protein for your hair a lot more affordable. According to my peeps over at Santa Cruz Biotechnology, "the molecular weight of egg is about 758.06. To penetrate hair, the molecular weight must be 2500mw." So put down that egg and mayonnaise because their molecules are too large.  You will be better off eating them than cracking and smearing them over your hair. If you are on a budget or is living in the nooks and crannies of the world; nothing works like some good ol man made Original Infusium 23 Formula (umm, the number 23 bout says it all...heller)! If you can "holla back, cuz money ain't a thang..." then the Daily HairRx Protein Spray by P2 by Philip Pelusi is thee Aston Martin of protein treatments for hair!

While the sun, diet, medicines, hair coloring, braiding, twisting, locking, curling, flat ironing, heat, hair additions and all that jive, too, compromises hair; you can do a little damage control simply by keeping it it clean, using products according to your hair's texture and condition. In addition, incorporate protein treatments into your hair care because humans are lean mean protein making machines! As for those myths, be practical not fanatical when it comes to hair care. Be leery of "group think" and mass appeal to the individual fibers of hair that are on your individual head of hair. Get your hair and scalp analyzed under a microscope versus a touch, feel and style approach to what might be troubling you about your hair. To keep damage under control is to make hair care priority one. Not spending ridiculous amounts of money and spending extended periods of time in a hair salon getting a hair style and treatments that amount to a whole bunch of nothing. 

Hair care is smart care.  

"Come on, y'all wanna floss wit us! Cuz all across the salon we burn it up. Drop a little paper, baby toss it up...See the damage ain't a thang!"