I have been testing out the Jance Carter Solution Creamy conditioning cleanse:

Description

Gently cleanses and infuses your hair with restorative essential oils Great for daily use instead of shampoo. Rinses impurities from the hair, while distributing restorative essential oils like Jojoba and Henna.

• Excellent for preventing hair color fading, leaves hair clean and conditioned
• Doesn’t strip hair of its natural oils, fabulous for co-washing
• Excellent for chemically treated or natural hair

Ingredients

• Water (Aqua), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Fragrance, Phenoxethanol.

Hair Models: Moca D1- Natural hair 3c/4a.-1 year old and Moca D2 - Natural hair 4c - 8 years old

I did not find it creamy but rather light which did not help when it came to detangling both girls hair.
I also hoped that after rinsing it out that the hair would feel soft but it did not. It felt rather slightly dry.


Pros:

• On an occasion, I also used it whilst D1 hair was still plaited and it worked really well. Because of the lightness of the liquid it was able to work effortlessly go through the hair.
• It did cleansed the hair and scalp really well.

Cons:

• I had to use lots to ensure that I had enough to go through the hair.
• Not good for detangling

Recommendation:

It is better used when hair is plaited and you can be sure that there is no residue left behind to cause buildup and itching.

Hair Structure

The route to Understanding how to take care of YOUR hair, is to grasp a basic understanding of the structure of your hair . Understand what benefits or non-benefits that products have on your hair. Understand the benefit of your eating habits on your hair..What are you feeding you hair?

There are four parts of the hair: the follicle, the cuticle, the cortex and the medulla. On average, each hair strand grows about six inches per year and then dies, usually before four years.

Follicle

The follicle is the portion of a strand of hair below the level of the skin. This is where hair begins and where it receives the nutrients it needs to grow and survive. The arrector pili and the sebaceous gland are considered part of the hair follicle, they are small muscle fibers attached to each hair follicle. They cause hair to stand up by contracting.  they contract involuntarily in cold weather, causing “goose bumps.”
The sebaceous gland delivers sebum to the follicle. Sebum is a greasy substance that lubricates hair and keeps it soft.

                                                                                   

Above scalp level, hair strands have three layers: the cuticle on the outside, then the cortex, and the medulla on the inside. Unlike the structures below the scalp, these are keratinized, or hardened and non-living.






Cuticle 
The cuticle surrounds a strand of hair, it acts like a roof. It determines how hair reflects light, its sheen. It consists of scales that grow and point towards the tip of the hair, sometimes five to twelve layers deep. The cuticle is translucent; even though it is on the outside, it is not the source of hair color.  It blocks moisture from leaving the hair shaft. It also slows down entry of substances (water/oils/conditioning agents) and it protects the shaft from damage The cuticle protects the cortex inside.


Cortex
Inside the cuticle is the cortex which is responsible for most of the hair’s width, weight and visual properties. It is composed of braided fibers with pigments of brown, black, yellow and red. The ratio of these pigments determines hair color. The cuticle is also responsible for whether hair is straight or curly, tough or weak, thick or thin. The cuticle is made mostly from protein and water.

Medulla
Inside the cortex of some hairs is a medullary canal. This canal contains only air and seems to have little or no effect on the properties of a strand of human hair.



HHJ- Ladyno

DIY washday

I really haven't had the time to do My posts like I did, before going back to work. But here I am,on the bus,on my way to a meeting and I thought why not, so here goes.

So five week ago, I was due my fortnightly hair treatment and could not make the the journey to my hairdresser, for one reason or another. So I had to DIY. I really wanted to use the products that he does but they are not sold in the UK. I decided that I would order them anyway but in the meantime, what would I use?
I did a bit of research and decided to try the Elasta QP CONDITIONER.

The night before. I pre-pooed with warm castor oil, covered wih plastic cap and one woolly hat and went to sleep. I used my usual Keracare products and decided to do a mild protein treatment adding ORS Professional to the mix, I then used the Elasta conditioner and OMG! My hair felt amazing. I will not give a review now, but will wait until after a few more uses.

Two weeks later , I was due yet again my fortnightly wash and my hairdresser couldn't accommodate me, so again, I had to do my DIY. However, this happened a week late 14/04/13. I didn't get a chance to pre-poo but I washed with my usual and deep conditioned with my new Design Essential range that arrived from the USA. Because I was a week late, I thought I would mix the Express Instant Moisturising and the Stimulations Super Moisturising Conditioners together. I placed my plastic cap over the hair and two woolly hats to generate heat as I needed to get on with my wife/mummy duties as this was a Sunday.
This I kept on all day for about 9 hours (there is no need to keep it on this long) . I had a very busy day.
After putting the girls to bed. I rinsed my hair thoroughly! I tap dried my hair, added my leave-in and made six flat twists; three on each side.
I didn't want to go to bed with very damp hair and I didn't want to go under the hooded dryer. I used the blow dryer just to take the wet away on low heat. I then tied my hair and went to bed. .
This morning, I took out the flat twists, (one twist was still a bit damp) with my swag oil, and put my hair in a bun. BACK TO WORK!!

Protective Styling

The question usually is: "What is protective Styling"

Wearing your hair in a protective style requires that the ends which are the oldest and most fragile part of your hair are  tucked away and sealed with a moisturiser. 
One of the main goals of protective styling is to protect your ends. Protecting your ends from the elements and friction or contact from your clothing helps you to retain length

Protective styles don't make your hair grow, but they do make it possible to prevent breakage since your hair may be breaking off faster than it grows. What protective styles do is keep your ends "protected." Try any of these protective styles and see if you experience more hair retention. Just make sure, no matter which way you wear your hair, that your ends are put away

Popular protective styles include but are not limited to braids, twists, bantu knots, and shrunken afros. 

If your hair is short (after your big chop), here are some ideas:

Long Comb Coils

Short Comb Coils

Bantu Knots

Curly Braids

Two stand twists

For Relaxed girls  

Check out: +Ebony CPrincess  @ http://longing4length.com/category/hairstyles

She has a host of great hairstyles to try out. This is my favourite:

  

HHJ- Ladyno

Hair Vitamin Challenge

I have been reading and viewing a lot of information on forums, blogs and you tube and found one of the most talked about hair supplement was Hairfinity. There were great and not so great reviews. Some people saw extra growth others didn't. The product isn't cheap. It costs £22 for one month's suppy. You can visit their site and check it out for yourself at  http://www.hairfinity.co.uk/index.html

Hairfinity Hair Vitamins contain the basic nutrients for overall health. A healthy body is the ideal environment for healthy hair to thrive. This means that a good metabolism, and immune system are also key factors for growing healthy hair fast. They also contain specific nutrients that are essential for faster hair growth. Ingredients: NIACIN (VITAMIN B3), VITAMIN A, VITAMIN C, VITAMIN D, VITAMIN B12, VITAMIN B COMPLEX, SILICA
and MSM

I thought I'd have a go and I would make my own concoction . I bought the products that gave the best and  most positive results from other people.  Which were Biotin and MSN.

On the 3rd March 2013, I started my hair vitamin challenge to see how much growth I could get with my supplements at my next relaxer, which will be in May 2013. I take two Biotin tablets, two MSM tables and 1 Hair Skin and nails pill every day. I will continue to do so until the day of my relaxer.

Biotin I bought from Holland and Barrat. 

Biotin is most often thought of as the “hair growth vitamin.” It is an essential water-soluble B vitamin. Biotin has come to be known for its role in the health and beauty of Hair, Skin and Nails. It promotes healthy hair growth and protects against dryness. It also increases the elasticity of the hair's cortex, thus preventing breakage. 

See more at::http://www.hairfinity.com/BiotinHairGrowth.htm#sthash.k4koN37o.dpuf

MSM I bought from my local whole foods store

MSM is quickly becoming known for its role in hair growth. MSM is a naturally occurring form of sulfur found in many foods. However, conventional processing and cooking methods significantly decrease the effectiveness of MSM from foods. This is why it may be beneficial to supplement MSM for hair growth.
MSM provides the sulfur required for healthy collagen and keratin, which are essential for healthy hair growth. It is also believed to help naturally increase the hair growth phase. 

See more at: http://www.hairfinity.com/MSM-hair-growth.htm#sthash.2Ghxeld6.dpuf

Next I thought it would be ideal to get all the other Vitamins in one pill so I bought Vega Hair Skin Nails from my LLoyds Pharmacy. It also has MSM as a high ingredient. 

Its a multi-formulation designed to promote radiant hair, clear skin and strong nails and helps promote cell renewal. It specifically strengthens and improves production of collagen, and helps with connective tissue repair and production. The formula contains a range of powerful antioxidants to help zap free radicals which are a by-product of metabolism and are thought to cause damage to the skin and connective tissues within the body. http://www.expresschemist.co.uk/Vega_Hair_Skin_Nails_Formulax30.html

If the amount of growth is not seen on the due date, then I may give the Hairfinity a try . Watch the space...

HHJ- Ladyno

5 Myths about relaxing your hair

I was doings some research and I came across this article and thought that I should share it with you:

Busting the Black Hair Myths – 5 Myths about Relaxing your Hair

What's wrong with relaxing your hair? Leading Trichologist, Noon Etienne, examines some of the myths around relaxing hair and offers some advice on how to make relaxing work for you. Myth No.1: 'I can relax my hair and braid it the next day' Noon Etienne: No, ladies! The newly processed hair is in a fragile state and you would need to wait at least 4 weeks before you can braid it. Myth No. 2: 'I can take my hair out of braids or weaves and put a relaxer on it the same day or the next day' Noon Etienne: This is totally wrong! To get the best results, you need to remove the braids and treat the hair with a reconstructive, moisturizing treatment. Then you should wait for at least one to two weeks before relaxing or retouching the roots. Myth No. 3: 'I can use a permanent colour on my hair and then put a relaxer on it the next week'. Noon Etienne: This is totally the wrong way around. The correct sequence is to relax the hair and then you can apply a rinse or semi permanent colour the same day - once you have neutralised and treated the hair. A permanent colour would not be recommended after having a relaxer process on the same day because the scalp would not be able to with stand the hydrogen peroxide that is found in the permanent colour – in other words, it will sting or burn the scalp! To get the best results, you need to remove the braids and treat the hair with a reconstructive, moisturizing treatment. Myth No. 4: 'My hair is totally natural, so I don't need to put any treatment on it before relaxing it' Noon Etienne: Well, ladies, that is wrong thinking! Even though your hair is natural, you still need to prepare your hair for the chemical process to 'take' correctly. When the hair is not at its best, the chemical will not relax the hair and may even cause damage to your hair, which will result in breakage in some areas. You should be taking good care of your natural hair with reconstructive, moisturizing treatments every week or two, then your hair will have the strength that it needs for the breakdown process of a relaxer. Myth No. 5: 'I can put a no-lye relaxer on and leave it for more than one hour!' Noon Etienne: This is what I call the "Oh, it's not burning yet" attitude –does it sound familiar, ladies? Well, something you need to know about ‘No-Lye relaxers’ is that it is "the biggest Lie in the hairdressing industry" Of course there are chemicals in the relaxer! There are several types of Lye chemicals - Sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and guanidine. Any of the relaxer kits that you purchase off-the-shelf would contain one of the latter thee ingredients and usually involve mixing a cream and a lotion together for the chemical to be activated. Even though this type of relaxer does not burn, it does not mean "you can leave it on until you feel the burn"! You will end up over-processing your hair, causing it to lose elasticity, moisture and strength. Noon Etienne is a qualified Trichologist and a specialist in scalp and hair care. She deals with hair loss, alopecia, scaly scalp and dry hair problems. Noon is a Cosmetologist (Beautician and Hair Designer) with over 20 years experience working with all types of hair. Originally from New York City, Noon is now based in London, from where she has built an international client base across the U.K., USA, Africa and the Middle East. Contact Noon at: Noon 4 Hair, 48 Porchester Road, London W2 6ET. Tel: + 44 (0)20 7034 0734, Fax: + 44 (0)20 7692 4657, e-mail:  noon.etienne@btconnect.com or  noon4truecolors@btconnect.com

Quick for today

Today I've moisturised and sealed. Now I am rocking my bun. Yes I have grey hairs and I am trying, really trying to embrace them.