The Great Escape

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there lived women who loved to adorn themselves. Taking time to look at oneself from head to toe with their own eyes was the way to start the day after prayer. As time went on and new things came into civilization, the mirror was introduced. After women completed their morning rituals (prayer, getting children ready, caring for their parents and the likes), they would adorn themselves in the mirror. Adorning had a different meaning for different people. For some adorning meant cleaning their body, for others adorning meant cleaning, rubbing on oils and applying perfumes and for another group adorning added hair styling to that adorning process. 

Today, adorning has taken a different path. Due to the paradigm shift in womanhood, motherhood, career, marriage and so; adorning is not quite the foo-foo frilly girly girl stuff it used to be. While spending two hours to get ready for the day is not on the minds or in the schedules of today's woman; there should be some time set aside to simply adorn, care for and prepare yourself as you go out into the world to do whatever pleases you. 

Family, career, spirituality, philanthropy and care for others are extremely important to many for varying reasons. However, nothing is more important than self. Self can sound so selfish. Well, because it is. Incorporating self first is priority one as you prepare for tomorrow today, right now. The story of the flight attendant instructing passengers to place the oxygen mask over their nose first in the event of an emergency remains a favorite analogy to many in encouraging others the importance of putting self first. 

The same can be said when making an effort to face the goals, task or challenges of the day. Putting your best foot forward every time you can is essential to doing your purpose or finding it. Putting your best foot forward begins or concludes with raising your arms to care for your hair as you enter the world of co-existing.

The misnomer that beauty takes a lot of time discourages many who are involved or is overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle demands of preparing for the day. This blog is to inform you that it does not take a lot of time. Taking the time to adorn yourself has many benefits. Some examples of those benefits are as follows:

Time will give you time.

1. Combing hair, 2-5 minutes
2. Washing your hair, 5-10 minutes
3. Learning how to care for your hair is a great stress buster, 5 min. to 2 hours
4. Curling your hair, 5-45 minutes
5. Blow drying your hair, 5-30 minutes
6. Braiding your hair, 5 min. - 2 hours

Some benefits to doing your own hair:

1. It can save you time from to and from travel time to the salon
2. It can save you time on the wait time at the salon
3. It shows your children who are watching your rituals that self-care is important
4. It affords you a chance to examine your entire body and notice if something is not right (i.e. lumps, bumps, moles, skin irritation, body odor and so on)
5. It shows your mate the importance of self-care

While taking the time to adorn yourself may seem like a waste of time, it is not. Refrain from ignoring all that you consider beautiful about yourself. Do not allow the frustration and confusion of not knowing how to do your hair, keep you from it. Take the time and make the time to learn your hair. Invest wisely. Understand that you only purchase 3 items to care for your entire body. Soap, lotion or oil and deodorant. Both are done with the use of a face cloth, loofah mitt and hands. Hair care should only consist of 3 items as well. Shampoo, conditioner (optional) and a styling agent (oil, cream, spray, gel, leave in conditioner and the likes). Hair can be styled with up to 3 things: comb, brush (optional) and your hands!

The impact is real today.

The great escape for many began at the onset of slavery. Not just for the slaves but for the masters, their spouses and offsprings as well. The "man's" main focus was control over all for the sake of land, money, and lust. The "man" or the master was not interested in hygiene or care of self. He knew that they key to mental and physical slavery was to deny self-care. Self-care connects one to their spirit. His goal was to break that spirit for control and money. That type of mental abuse and neglect carried over and was incorporated as a way of life for many. 

Sometime during the 1920's through 1970, people were no longer running. People were learning and embracing their culture and its practices. From the coiffed hairstyles of the 20's through the 50's to the Afros, cornrow braids and long hair of the 60's; people were loving and embracing the hair that made them unique. 

When was the last time you did this!

The momentum of the run has returned with the introduction of fancy marketing as companies and people brand themselves. Their goal is to promote their products and themselves by selling a possible solution to your fear of your hair and desires to look a certain way. The tactics seen on social media, print and TV are directly responsible for you not wanting to do your hair yourself. Self-esteem, lack of self-knowledge and history of your lineage also play a vital role in how you see yourself. 

In the end, It is important to beautify and adorn yourself. Both are vital to your existence as a human because again, they enhance and connect to your spirituality. Love yourself as you be yourself. Be open to growing and learning about yourself and your hair on a daily basis. 

Remember, "Beauty is, as beauty does, as beauty gets!"

Going Way Back!

Going way back to the early days of 75...

I have been blessed to live long enough to hear my share of "back in the day," "old school," "throwback," and "going way back." As much as I love hip hop, us hip hop heads know that know one speaks of "back in the day" no more than a rapper. "Skiiiiiiiirch," that is unless you are a hair stylist. OMG, I can not tell you how many people (rather I am doing a hair and scalp analysis or not) tell me how many stories of how their hair was, "way back when." 

Whenever I am doing a consultation or meet someone and disclose that I am a hair stylist, I always here the intro of "Goin Way Back" by one of my favorite old school hip hop artist, Just Ice! "Let me tell you about 75..." So many women take me back to 1975, 1965, 85, 95 and 2005 about the glory days of when they had beautiful hair. I have heard countless, "My hair was beautiful until my mom put the relaxer in it," stories. "My hair was beautiful until my grandma pressed my hair so hard it fell out," stories. "My hair was beautiful before my cousin bleached or colored it," stories.  Well my darling "going way back to the time I had beautiful hair" blog readers, I have some good news and I have some bad news. Before I reveal the two, I have to include my exception to the rule sentence. My exception to the rule sentence is, in the extreme cases of medical illness, genetic disorders and severe scalp damage (i.e. burns, accidents, trauma to the scalp and the likes) the hair may never grow or return to its beautiful luster prior to. So provided that you have none of the aforementioned extreme cases, you can move forward to today and tomorrow in your goal to have beautiful hair NOW! Back to the good news, bad good news information.

Let's start with the bad news. The bad news is, it is close to impossible to restore your hair back to the hair you had in 1965, 75, 85, 95 or 2005 (you get where I am going with this) when you were younger. Regardless if you believe the relaxer, hair color, bad braid job, scarf or anything in between was the culprit. 

Now the good news is, believe it or not, every 7 years you get an entire new head of hair. So what ever and who ever happened to your hair way back when does not matter because every 7 years, you will have an entirely new head of hair. How bout dem apples! Now in that process of getting a new head of hair every 7 years, you do not get the same hair you had when you were younger because as we age and the new hair grows in every 7 years, for many that new hair gets thinner, and thinner and thinner. But, it is new, nontheless. 

Wait just a cotton pickin' minute before you click onto a new link in search of. Let me explain. I understand your skepticism. I will explain how this is so. According to one of my favorite and one of the most respected leaders in trichology, Trichologist Philip Kingsley from London who develops his exclusive hair care line and hair care practice from the 3 phases of hair growth science. Now about this "going way back." his website reports that it is the growth cycle of the hair is that is directly responsible for giving us a new head of hair every seven years. The name of this natural phenomenon is, "The Hair Growth Cycle." The hair growth cycle has 3 phases. The 3 phases has a acronym that I personally call it, "The ACT." The ACT goes as follows:

ACT Stages of hair growth.

The first scene or phase is the ANAGEN. The anagen phase is also known as the growing phase. About 80 to 90 percent of your hair strands are in this phase of growing. Please keep in mind that human follicles (the little hole that your hair strand is growing out of) are not like animals. So all of your hair strands DO NOT grow at the same time. That explains why some strands are longer and shorter than the others. Also the during this phase the hair will grow about 1/4th an inch per month rather you take hair growing vitamins, shampoo it with fancy products, massage it or not (lol).

The second scene or phase is the CATAGEN. The catagen phase is also known as the transitional phase. This phase lasts about 2-4 weeks. So, about 2-3% of your hair strands are in transit to taking a lil break from growing, making the natural color in your hair and is beginning to rest to make way for new hair to grow in.

The third and final scene or phase is the TELOGEN. The telogen phase is the resting phase. This phase lasts about 2-4 weeks and about 3-4% of your hair strands are in this phase. During this phase the hair is still not producing any of it's natural color and it is being pushed away from the scalp (you call it shedding) so that new hair strands can grow in. Now you see why hair stylists always say you will see some hair shed.  I always tell my clients how hair shedding is natural and normal. When you see that little tiny white bulb attached to the strand of hair, do not panic, bingo; new hair is coming in!

So there you have it. No more, going way back to the early days of 75 (in my Just Ice voice)! It is most certainly all good. There could be a point in this scenario where too much hair could be coming out. If you seriously think that the hair your are seeing come out is too much, then schedule consultation with me, Philip Kingsley or a trained and concerned cosmetologist to learn more about what options you may have.

Philip Kingsley, world renowned Trichlogist

I'd like to send shout out to my trichologist homie Philip Kingsley, peace (in my Just Ice voice)!

Here is the link to his website: 

http://www.philipkingsley.com/hair-guide/hair-science/hair-growth-cycle/

 Enjoy and tell him, Ladosha sent ya.