5 Professional and Chic Natural Hair Styles for the Workplace

by Chinwe 

Though natural hair is making more appearances in the workplace, it can still be a challenge to find that perfect “professional” hairstyle you are comfortable wearing.  Nevertheless, there are options out there — no matter how short or long your hair.  Here are just a few:

1. Mini Twists into Updo (Medium-Length Natural Hair)

With autumn around the corner, this updo is an option for those who will be wearing small twists throughout the coming months.  It is really simple to achieve and requires just a few bobby pins.  No one can tell you that you don’t look professional in this style.

2. Faux Natural Bun (Short Natural Hair)

This style is another alternative to your usual TWA, but will work best on looser textures and/or hair that is long enough to get into a tiny ponytail.  You will need an ample amount of gel, a brush, an ouchless band, bobby pins, and an afro-textured bun.

3. Flat Twists into Updo (Medium-Length to Long Natural Hair)

Now for another tutorial that involves twists — flat twists, to be precise.  This style is obviously not conservative but can work just fine in many workplaces.  (Yes, flat twists can be professional, too.)  If you want height like VeePeeJay, you will need Marley braid hair.

4. Teeny Weeny Afro with a Side Part (Short Natural Hair)
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If you are tired of your usual teeny weeny afro (TWA) or don’t quite know how to make it work for the office, check out this tutorial.  The side part spruces up your style while also adding a professional touch.  You will need gel. For my kinky naturalistas, you will also need bobby pins.

5. Stretched Updo (Medium-Length Natural Hair)

This look is a great alternative for those with medium-length natural hair. It is a bit more conservative than the other looks but still very beautiful. You will start from stretched hair and need several bobby pins to achieve it. This look can also be modified for longer hair.

How do you wear your hair for the workplace?

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6 Benefits of Scalp Exfoliation for Natural Hair Growth + 2 Exfoliation Recipes

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Naturally, when one thinks of exfoliating they think of scrubbing down their entire body with an amazing body scrub. However, exfoliating isn’t just for your body and a lot of times it’s forgotten that your scalp is skin too! With naturals using less shampoo and more conditioner to cleanse their scalps during the winter months, buildup can be a big problem.

If you exfoliate your skin to remove dirt, oil and other buildup from your pores, then the same needs to be done for your scalp. Not only will you remove buildup, but you will also help stimulate hair growth by giving your scalp a good scrubbing.

Why You Should Try It

1. Removes dead skin cells.
2. Can treat acne, white heads and other blemishes that can occur on the scalp
3. Can help prevent hair loss.
4. Unclogs pores by removing build up.
5. Can relieve irritated and itchy scalps caused by different scalp conditions.
6. Promotes hair growth by stimulating the scalp.

There are hair care products that cater to scalp exfoliation. Kiehls has a great Deep Micro Exfoliating Scalp Treatment. According to their website, the product was dermatologist-tested to help loosen flaky buildup and stimulate healthy turnover on the surface of the scalp. Users of the product have said that the treatment leaves their scalp feeling fresh and clean. Quidad also has a Mediterranean Bay Leaf Exfoliating Hair and Scalp Treatment. Free of parabens and sulfates, Quidad’s scalp exfoliant helps clear the scalp of buildup and improves the condition of the scalp by providing much needed nutrients.

If you’re interested in going the homemade and natural route, there are a plethora of scalp exfoliating recipes that you can try at home. The recipes below are just as effective, but may be a little easier on your wallet. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen cabinets.

Brown Sugar and Olive Oil Scrub

1. ¼ Cup of Olive Oil
2. ¼ Cup of Brown Sugar

Mix these ingredients in a bowl and massage the mixture into your scalp. After a few minutes, proceed to rinse and wash your hair as usual. Because of the olive oil, this recipe is great for people with dry scalps.

Cornmeal and Peppermint Scrub

1. ¼ Cup of Clarifying Shampoo
2. ¼ Cup of Cornmeal
3. Peppermint Oil
4. Tea Tree Oil

Simply mix the shampoo and cornmeal in a bowl and add a few drops of peppermint and tea tree oil. Stir well and Rub the mixture into your scalp for a few minutes. After rinsing, proceed to condition your hair as usual. This recipe is great because it includes peppermint oil which helps to stimulate blood flow to your scalp. The tea tree oil in this recipe will help to reduce dandruff.

There are plenty of recipes and exfoliating hair products for every scalp and hair type. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone’s scalp is unique and you should take the time and research the right exfoliant for your scalp’s needs. An exfoliant should never irritate your scalp or be painful. If it is, discontinue using it and find something a little gentler.

Natural hair YouTuber, LeiLei08 has a helpful tutorial on one of the ways that you can exfoliate your scalp. She used a homemade sea salt and almond oil recipe to do the job. Take a look at her tutorial below.

Do you exfoliate your scalp?

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7 Best Oils for Natural Hair

By Black Girl With Long Hair

You don’t always have to buy fancy, big name hair products for your hair. Sometimes the best products are actually very simple and found in your local Whole Foods store. What are these simple hair products? Well they’re natural oils. I’m a natural haired woman and know first-hand that natural oils are amazing for hair. They work wonders on my hair. And I’ve been using natural oils for years to make my hair softer, shinier, and even stronger. Basically hair needs oil. So be sure to check out these 7 fabulous natural oils for natural hair.

 

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is particularly great for natural hair. It’s loaded with nutrients, amino acids, essential fatty acids, as well as vitamins A, B, D, and E. And it’s excellent for moisturizing, deep conditioning, improving hair strength, strengthening hair, and boosting shine.

Castor Oil

Castor oil thickens hair, promotes hair growth, prevents thinning, moisturizes, helps reduce split ends, helps to tame frizz, and prevents scalp infections.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is great for preventing dandruff, promoting hair growth, moisturizing, strengthening hair, thickening hair, and preventing damage.

Olive Oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

I LOVE using olive oil. And olive oil, which is also referred to as the “godmother of hair oil,” is great for moisturizing, deep conditioning, improving hair strength, eliminating dandruff, and also has powerful antioxidants that can help fight hair loss.

Rosemary Oil

Rosemary oil is great for stimulating hair follicles for hair growth, preventing hair loss and greying, preventing dandruff, strengthening hair, and boosting shine.

Safflower Oil

Safflower oil protects hair, nourishes hair follicles, moisturizes, and stimulates blood circulation to promote hair growth and thickness. And it is extremely beneficial for natural as well as dry chemically treated hair.

Sweet Almond Oil

Sweet almond oil works great as a “sealant.” This means that it “locks-in” moisture.Sweet almond oil also nourishes hair, smoothes hair cuticles to control shedding, promotes hair growth and thickness, prevents hair loss, and boosts shine.

Ladies, which of these oils do you use? And which are your favorites?

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5 Reasons You’re Not Gaining Length

by The Natural Haven 

I recently  received a comment that said, ‘I am stuck at 5 inches and I really just want 12 inches of hair, is that too much to ask?’ I smiled because I could relate to that need to achieve a goal hair length except I never put a number to it, I just wanted enough to make a low pony tail. Coincidentally,  my hair is also currently 12 inches, so I was sitting here with her goal length and thinking, no it is not too much to ask.

The thing I found in my journey is that the sole factor in getting my hair to move on from a ‘stuck’ position was for me to recognise the things that I was doing that were harming my hair. You are in control of whether that hair stays or moves. Here are 5 reasons why your hair does not gain length

1. You ignore breakage.

This is the top reason and if you read no further, at least read the next two paragraphs. If you have been stuck at a particular length for a long time, the most likely reason is that you have split ends which are breaking off your hair at the same rate as it is growing. The only reasonable thing to do is to trim your hair and by trim I mean cut 2-3 inches off. I could hold your hand and say just look for splits and knots and trim them off but in reality it is very had to do a search and destroy on short hair which you cannot see properly.

The second form of breakage that is largely ignored are those short little quarter inch end segment breaks that happen  with very kinky hair.  While it is not possible to fully eliminate breakage entirely, it is possible to reduce it to a minimal level by being very gentle, choosing  gentle detangling methods and being patient when handling your hair.

2. You are over-manipulating it

I will start with the obvious – puffs and afros are addictive. They are simple and cute but they are styles that for the vast majority can cause hair to tangle, knot and break.  The not so obvious is keeping a protective style in for too long. The time and effort required to unravel the strands and remove lint can cause a lot of damage.  For those with looser curls, styles like twists which are normally regarded as protective may be terrible for you  if they unravel easily and you may be tempted to constantly use a drying gel which does not help your hair.

Your hair will complain bitterly when it is over- manipulated. The top signs are breakage, tangling and knotting.  Find a happy medium with your hair.

3. You are still hunting for that magic product

There are no magic products.  There are people who have seemingly terrible product choices but great hair and similarly people with great product choices and terrible hair.

The thing to understand about hair length retention is that it is largely mechanical damage that really does you in.  Mechanical damage meaning how you physically break your hair.  Hair products mainly mask damage, what you can do is prevent damage in the first place. You and your  hair handling methods are the most important tools, over and above  products.

4. You are following someone else’s regimen

Never ever make the mistake of not listening to your hair.  If someone swears by heat training, that does not mean it will for you. If someone swears by coconut oil, that does not mean it will work for you.

There is nothing wrong with experimenting with any method, product or routine. There is something wrong with failing to see that it is not working for your hair. Always pay attention to if your hair breaks or feels less than ideal.

5. You are still using too much heat

As I said previously, length retention has a huge mechanical component to it. Heat ultimately degrades hair. For some people, regular heat use is not a problem as their hair is able to cope with it while for others, even slight heat is an issue.

Learn how your hair behaves. Do not choose style or ease over and above hair health. It may be easier to handle your hair when its curls are not as tight but consider doing a heat free method such as curl formers, braids/twists or banding.

The finer and kinkier your hair, the less likely it is to be able to take a lot of heat.

Ladies, have you been guilty of any of these?

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5 Steps to Longer Hair in a Year

by The Natural Haven 

2012 is nearly over and today it is time to reflect  for the black girls who want long hair. The big question is………have you met your hair goals? Is your hair longer than it was in January? If your hair is not gaining length or if you have had less than stellar results this year, this article is for you. These are 5 simple steps to reverse stagnant hair into long thriving hair

1.  Accept that what you are doing does not work

You are doing it all, protective styling, moisturising and  deep conditioning but still you have not managed to move your hair an inch. It is time to face the facts – your current routine despite having all the good stuff really does not work.

It is time for a critical assessment. Do you keep a protective style long enough to ensure that you gain benefit from it? Do you moisturise at the critical points when moisture is needed (when taking down a style and when handling free hair) and do you avoid handling your hair at its weakest state (soaking wet)? Could you be doing too much to your hair therefore causing it to wear away and compromise length?

If you do not see results within 2-3 months, you need to make this critical assessment again. Do not wait for 1 year to go by. You should be able to see small increments in your hair length every 2-3 months.

2. Know when your hair breaks

The reason for hair staying at a stagnant length is because it is breaking just as fast as it is growing. It is really important to know when your hair is most vulnerable to breakage and this varies from person to person depending on your individual strand thickness and choice of styling. The most common breakage points are:

-during takedown of a protective style (especially at the ends)

-during detangling (both conditioner combing and dry detangling)

– while wearing hair free (due to tangling, shrinkage, knots and regular handling)

Once you identify why and when your hair is most vulnerable to breakage, you will be able to know exactly when you must protect your hair from damage.

3. Try something new

Having accepted that what you are doing does not work, it is time to try to do something new. If you have been conditioner combing, try dry or damp detangling  for a little while and see how it works for you.  Compare your results after 2-3 months and decide which one really works best for you.  If you have never deep conditioned your hair, try doing it for 2-3 months and see if your hair improves or not. If you only use heavy oils or butters on your hair, try light oils and see if your hair would equally be happy with those. Do not write things off before you actually try them.

4. Know when to stop

I am really all for trying something new but equally you should know when to stop. If a technique causes immediate breakage, stop using it. Do not think perhaps your hair is shedding more than usual, assume that the technique is not working for your hair and must be adjusted to suit your curls and kinks or not used at all. If you are deep conditioning 2-3 times a week and your hair is not moisturised, stop and reassess how you are conditioning (is your conditioner working, do you need to warm it up first, could you do with some protein, do you use a leave in/moisturiser/oil after washing).

5. Have realistic expectations

Finally hair takes a long time to grow. Many naturals cannot retain 100% of their growth. If your hair is susceptible to split ends then cutting them off will impact retention but provided at the end of the year you have kept some length, do not be disheartened. There are a small proportion of women who can keep all their growth but I feel that it is more reasonable to expect between 3-5 inches per year with a regular trimming or dusting routine.

Ladies, what are your hair goals for 2013? Will you be trying to grow your hair out?

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5 of The Best and Worst Detangling Tools for Fine Natural Hair

         by The Natural Haven 

This is a very subjective post but I feel that I am an authority on the subject of detangling fine hair because I have a lot of it. It takes ages to detangle and I have been in this game for over 10 years, constantly trying different things. Now, we’re talking fine individual strands, not overall hair density. I am also skipping out finger detangling. I fully endorse it. It is the best thing ever, but if you have limited time, it will not work. So here’s the list starting from best to worst:

1. Hercules Sägemann Magic Star comb

Taking its rightful place in first position (I really cannot sing the praises of this comb enough) is the Hercules Sägemann! It is a seamless, rubber comb that unlike the flexible combs and brushes touted to be less damaging is completely stiff! It is the closest that a comb will take you to finger detangling. The stiffness of the comb means it acts like your fingers, stopping wherever the hair is too tangled to proceed. It works well on dry or wet detangling. It’a not as beneficial in the mini or jumbo rake size for clumping curls, but my hair does not clump, so I don’t care. If your hair does clump, there are smaller combs from the same manufacturer that could work post-detangling.

2. The Shower Comb

It is cheap and cheerful but not often seamless. You should pay close attention to the finish of the teeth, skipping those that are raggedy and avoid those with decorative painted tips since that paint will chip over time.  I found that shower combs unlike the Hercules Sägemann, are not that great on dry hair, but conditioner combing is easy breezy.

3. Goody Ouchless comb

Sitting right in the middle of the rankings is the Goody ouchless comb. It is seamless, but a little strange as the teeth have no points and are rod-like. Additionally, the spine of the comb is flexible. I have managed to break this comb twice and therefore gave up on it. It’s not really much better than a shower-comb, but it costs more.

 

4. Denman D3

We are now entering into the devil’s territory. I have yet to find a brush that will not split my fine hair and the Denman D3 did not disappoint. It was stealthy too, because at first, it works beautifully especially with conditioner combing as it has nice firm well shaped bristles and decent spacing. However, a week or two later, I had split ends galore. Some naturals modify the Denman by taking out some of the teeth and say it works just as well without splitting. This was not my experience. I do not think this brush is badly made, I just think it does not suit fine hair. Medium and thick strands…….go for it!

5. Tangle Teezer

This shredder wreaked havoc on my fine strands. Mid shaft splits, split ends, breakage…..all within just two detangling sessions. The claim is that the flexible teeth work to stop hair breakage, but I experienced the exact opposite with horrific immediate breakage. I found too that the teeth were not really well made  and some were rough and snaggle prone. I know some naturals love the tangle teezer but if you have fine hair, steer clear. On a positive note, it works wonderfully on a long haired cat!

Which tools do you swear by when it comes to detangling your hair?

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3 Types of Naturals Who Should Avoid Heat at All Costs

by The Natural Haven 

Do you know that girl who can comb her hair aggressively with a fine tooth comb, bleach it before placing her flat iron at the highest temperature and yet still have a beautiful full head of hair on her head? Hair is very specific to each individual and what works for one person can be a poison chalice for another.

3 Types of Naturals Who Should Avoid Heat at All Costs

Every single time you apply heat, your hair becomes damaged. This also applies when you assume the best precautions (i.e conditioning hair first so it can be softer, using an appropriate heat protectant, using the least amount of heat with the fewest passes possible and not using heat repeatedly in a short period).

The type of damage hair has to sustain as a direct result of heat includes:

- loss of water from the hair shaft
– restructuring of the protein within the cortex
– damage and loss of amino acids (mainly tryptophan) within the cortex (J Cosmet Sci, pp15-27, 2011)
– possible surface damage to the hair cuticle (J Cosmet Sci, pp13-27, 2004)

The first two on the list are generally reversible once the heat is removed and hair is washed. However, the second two are permanent imprints. In order for hair to be heat-treated and remain on your head for years after, it must be able to withstand this damage.

There are those of us, who know without doubt, heat is not for us. This is usually characterized by experience with breakage during or immediately after even the tamest heat session. Which naturals need to be weary of heat? Here are the three key indicators

1. Fine individual strands.
Let me go on the record and say that hair in general is not inherently weak. A single strand of my own very fine hair has carried around 80 times its own weight! The issue with fine hair is that it simply breaks easily when stressed (Arch Derm Res pp 499-505, 2007). The process of heat straightening will require stretching and combing in addition to the actual effects of heat on the hair strand. This all creates a storm for fine hair which is less likely to withstand the stress. The finer your hair, the more cautious you should be with heat especially if you fall into the next category too.

2. Kinky hair
Kinks and curls are two different things. Kinks in hair represent a point where hair is stressed and much like fine hair, this also means that kinky hair is more susceptible to breaking. If you have ever seen those tiny wisps of hair (little c-shaped coils) on your clothes or floor when combing, it is likely that you have kinky hair and should be wary of heat. If you have very kinky hair but have never seen those wisps, then it is likely that you have thick individual strands and you may be ok with heat.

An actual kink in natural hair

3. Bleached and Permanent Hair Colour (not henna)
The process of bleaching or giving hair permanent colour causes significant damage to the hair cuticle and cortex. While some can still straighten their color-treated hair without ill effects, if you happen to also have fine individual strands and kinky hair in addition to the bleach/colour, then you should be very careful when applying heat to the mix.

Ladies, do you fall into any of these 3 categories? What is your stance on heat?

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8 Reasons You Are Still Not Retaining Length

by Petra

Yes, you read the blog, yes you do protective styles, yes you finger detangle but its 2014 you have been natural since 2008 and your hair is still neck length when at full shrinkage and just barely past your arm pits stretched. You watch youtube and sexysassy987 has waist length hair now and you both started your hair journeys at the same time.

Aw come on don’t act like you don’t do that, we know you count those months and tell yourself, well technically you did your big chop in November of 08 and she did hers in June of 08, so you really started in 09 and she had a head start.

Listen, comparison is normal, we are constantly in competition even when we do not want to be. We have to consciously tell ourselves that we arent in a race, not with Sassy, not even with ourselves quite frankly.
On BHI we get the same question over and over, it goes a little something like this, “Hey can you help me, I am doing everything I can to grow my hair and I just don’t see any progress, signed 16 and desperate!”

My first thought is, what does “everything” mean? The first thing you need to stop is the “everything”, but without hammering that too much the truth is we cant tell you what you are doing wrong specifically because as much as we would want to be there with you during wash day we just cant. But what we can do is create a list, a list of things that you just might be doing that may just be causing you not to the retain length that you should. Lets get started!

1. You still think products ‘grow’ your hair
It isnt about product guys, its about ingredients! You know what, I did that too once upon a time, I remember once taking three bottles of half used products and mixing them together to create a product that was to me, perfect. I knew the ingredients of all three, it was a light gel, first ingredient water, a light hold cream, first ingredient water and a bottle of pure unadulterated olive oil.

I mixed all three in the bottle that had the least amount of product in it, slapped a label on it and called it “Petra”. Yes Petra, which means that this bottle is my stuff that I will be using as my moisturizer and nobody else in the house with hair better touch it.

But as time went on I realized that products do not grow your hair, products maintain your strands from breaking off and leaving you for greener pastures.

Do I endorse certain lines? Of course I’ve got my favorites just like everybody else but it isn’t because of the brand or what that pretty girl said on the commercial, its because I like the stuff that’s in it, I know how to use it to my advantage and the stuff has my strands singing Amazing Grace even when nobody died! Your hair needs water to maintain itself , and oil to maintain the water, its that simple!

2. You never deep condition with heat
Yes you will see posts that say, deep conditioning with heat isn’t necessary, in theory that might be true in some cases or for some people, but if your hair is constantly dry, constantly brittle why in the world would you think that particular titbit applies to you? Go to the library or grab your kindle and get yourself a 20 minute read while you sit under the dryer with a plastic cap on and hydrate those curls.

We have a ton of hydrating tools on the market these days, steamers, over head and hand held and you also have your good old rickety dryer that still works. If you do not have a fancy plastic caps, get the Walmart bag you have thrown down on the floor in the pantry that your mom told you 50-100 times to throw away. No excuses, you need to deep condition your hair with heat, weekly!



3. You are doing too much 
Cherry Lola treatment, bentonite clay, rhassoul clay, not to mention Sassy just put some sweet potatoes in her hair last week. Girl you better eat them potatoes!! Don’t get fancy before you get basic. I am not saying these things aren’t great for your hair, but when you are having progress trouble, you have to strip it all away and get down to basics. Moisture, protein, cleanse repeat.

Your hair is a fiber so if its breaking, you lack moisture or you are stripping your moisture away somehow. If your hair is weak and mushy, you lack protein, if you need protein, get an egg which is the most basic protein you can find in your kitchen, crack it open and give your hair some strength.

4. You are styling way too many times
You sometimes have an obsession with expectations, you want your hair to stretch but not too much, you want it to be curly but not to revert to it’s natural kinks, you want it look thick and long even though its short, you want your edges laid with every so called baby hair in place though you are 30 years old with not a baby hair in sight, that’s none of my business tho. So you find yourself having to restyle it daily to achieve all of this. Seriously!?

Your curls are rebellious, so stretching is definitely necessary to prevent tangles but one detangling and stretching  session a week is more than enough.

If you want healing and progress you have to give your hair a break and stop trying to make it submit to your “i’m so fancy” demands. Let that thing breath and if you can’t bear the sight of it doing its thing, wear a protective style while you nurse it back to health.

5. You are unrealistic
Some of us have very slow growth rates, so your hair is not going to grow as fast as Sassy’s, but it is growing so be patient, get a hobby that doesn’t involve a tape measure every month. If you have a slow growth rate then you have to wear more protective styles, they will change the game for you.

Oh and please trim your hair, forget about the notion that trimming your hair sets you back. The truth is you might have already had a setback that a trim could have fixed, and trimming prevents more than you realize.

6. You aren’t studying
Education is everything when you want to get better at something. For example if you want to lose weight you do some research find the best plan for you and stick with it. Constantly educate yourself about hair care and build a plan that you will and must stick with no matter what.

It is ok to ask questions but know that your favorite hair forum or hair guru will not be the one to care for your hair for you, so get to reading.

7. You have scalp issues but haven’t seen a doctor
Girl if your scalp is irritated constantly and you have no idea why, do not just go out and buy every essential oil under the sun, see a professional. These things don’t always pan out, we know that but it helps to seek help because maybe a doctor might have the answer. If your scalp isn’t happy, your hair will not be happy, it is the source of all things related to growth.

8. You aren’t consistent
When you have your plan stick to it, no changes, no switching products that are working fine for you on a whim. If you can find a replacement for water then by all means switch it out otherwise keep it simple. Some women have regimens that are only tweaked as their hair grows, they stick with what works right now, a great low stress process.

Well there you have it, 8 reasons you might not be retaining length, if you have covered all these things and you are still having trouble then just contact us in the forum, we will gladly take a stab at your issue

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