Pros:

• Reduce frizziness
• Reduce puffiness
• Reduce bulkiness of thicker hair
• Loosen up hair prone to kinks or tangles
• Preserve more hair integrity and strength than relaxing or other chemical processes
• Still able to wear hairstyles with texture because hair still retains a strong curl pattern
• Does not create a drastic line of demarcation at the roots when new hair grows in
• Depending on hair texture and/or hair length may only need to be done 2 – 3 times per year

Cons

• Permanently alters natural curl pattern of existing hair growth
• Not reversible
• Will only slightly change whatever your natural curl pattern already is
• If over done can result in less curl pattern than desired

It may sound simple or easy but this is not a DIY project ( Do-It-Yourself) or for kitchen beauticians.  Only someone with chemical knowledge and training should perform this service.  

If you think texturizing is the way to go for you I would suggest, as with all chemical services, make an appointment with a licensed,  professional hairstylist skilled in chemical applications.

won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievements in Hairstyling for her work on the Tyra Banks Show.

The prestigious honor is awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  Also receiving  Emmy awards in the same category were the team of hairstylists that were responsible for creating the amazing looks for everyone that appeared on the show including talk show host Ms. Tyra Banks herself.

Although Daria hadn’t in her wildest dreams imagined she’d be an Emmy award recipient she states,

” It’s great to be acknowledged for hard work and talent.  It was completely unexpected.  This honor is extremely rewarding and motivating.”  

So what’s next for the Emmy winner?  Wright assures us,

” This is only the beginning of great accomplishments yet to come. I have so many ideas up my sleeve. Watch out world! “

For more details on Daria’s Emmy buzz check out the news on the http://blog.kessagency.com/

My client might describe her hair as being just “too curly”, “too straight”, “too thin”, “too thick”, “too short”, or too what-ever-else. Next comes the phrase “ I want my hair to be like her hair, over there. Her hair is absolutely perfect!”

In my years of experience as a hairstyist, I can tell you the grass always seems to be greener on the other side of the fence. But believe me, since I sit on the middle of the fence, on both sides of the fence everyone pretty much hates her own hair. Since that is the case, this means then that the “perfect hair” just doesn’t exist.

I say though, that the problem is not the in the hair, it’s in the head.

This is especially true of my clients that are black women, myself included. When we were kids, my sister and I would sometimes wrap towels around our heads so we could have “ imaginary” hair that hung all the way down our backs that could swing. We’d twirl around and around pretending we were white girls.Looking back I realized the effect, one of my favorite TV shows then, the Brady Bunch, was really having on me. I still remember the episode when Marsha Brady had to brush her long, blond hair 100 strokes before going to bed. I still remember thinking to myself “ Wow! Her hair must be really special if she has to brush it with a special brush so many times every night!” It was all about “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha”. And I knew very well that getting my hair done was anything but a luxurious and pleasant “princess experience” like Marsha Brady’s. I dreaded the hairbrush, especially if it was attached to my mothers’ hand.

Nothing is wrong with straight hair or coarse, kinky, curly or nappy hair. It just is what it is, that’s all.
But from early childhood I believe little black girls begin to learn a very subtle message about their hair texture, which could chip away at their self-esteem.

The media is not solely responsible for affecting the way we see ourselves, it usually starts right at home.
For many black mothers their approach to shampooing, combing, braiding, pressing or “fixing” their daughter’s hair is often an unpleasant and painful time. Little girls see the looks of disapproval or the frowns on their mother faces, as they approach with the comb, brush and hair grease. Little girls hear the sighs and moans, the“cussing”, and the “Lord-have-mercy-if-you-don’t-sit-still ” as they yank, pull and tug at the “unruly” hair that just won’t seem to cooperate.

To add to it all, are the other negative phrases frustrated moms tend to say without thought. Some negatively refer to their child’s hair as: “this stuff”, or as being “bad hair”, “too much to deal with”, “ so nappy and knotty”, or “a tangled mess”.  If that is what you experience as a young girl on a regular basis whenever it’s time to get your hair combed, what is an impressionable mind going to think?
I believe this is where the hair issues begin in the African-American community for countless little girls. They start believing that something is wrong with their lovely locks, tresses and curls. And many will further internalize all the negativity and unconsciously begin to adopt the thinking that “something must be wrong with me”.

As an African-American hairstylist, I’ve decided to use Straight To The Root as my way of building up black women’s self-esteem, one strand at a time. Also I will expose the lies and cultural myths that many African-American women have grown to accept about their hair. I intend to educate and inspire as many black women as possible to accept and love who we are, as we are.

For the group of African-American women from a certain generation (my mother is one of the women in this group) there’s the deeply ingrained belief that hair must be combed through thoroughly, no matter what to “get the knapps out”.  The idea is that if you get the knapps out then your hair will look “presentable”. 

This approach to styling won’t exactly work when you are trying to rock a new naturally curly or kinky hairdo. 

As a matter of fact, one the last styling tools you’ll want to use is a comb. You’ll need to replace that comb as your main hairstyling tool for a different styling tool that works much better on hair that has tangles.

For all the girls sporting their natural and textured tresses your primary styling tools will be your fingers. You’ll now be using your fingers to do different sorts of things like scrunching, twisting, and rolling.

In order to accomplish a hairstyle like the one in this picture your fingers are the main styling tool needed.

I’ve witnessed (and even experienced myself courtesy of mom back in the day) the improper using of combs. Most women I observe using a comb on natural hair are not doing what I would call combing the hair. Instead it’s more accurately described as ripping, raking and tearing through the hair. It sort of reminds me more of what you’d do when clearing your yard of fallen leaves.

 The reason using a comb to style natural hair wouldn’t be to your benefit is because combing disturbs the hairs natural curl pattern. So if you want to wear a hairstyle with a curly look your goal is to encourage your hair to curl up. A comb removes or lessens the curl pattern.

At first it will take some getting used to, not using a comb to style you hair.  But once you get the hang of you’re new styling methods for your natural hair you’ll start to see how easy a good hair day really can be.

2. Hair Rules Created by hairstylist Eric J. Dickey he knows curly hair for sure

3. Miss Jessies Ultra popular line formulated by two hairstylist sisters, Titi and Mikko

4. Morrocan Oil  soft, smooth and shiny hair 

5. Organic Root Stimulator Effective products at a great price point

6. Mixed Chicks Just the right texture and ingredients

7. Curls  Keeps curls in check

8. Deva Curl Great shampoo for frequent rehydrating

9. Aveda  Pure plant ingredients is their philosophy

10. Curly Q’s Great for children as well

1. Healthy scalp condition Healthy hair starts with a good scalp environment that promotes healthy hair growth.  A healthy scalp can breathe. It is clean,  and free of dandruff, debris and or product buildup.  Sufficient scalp manipulation helps stimulate blood circulation to the scalp helps the scalp.   This is essential  for hair growth. Your scalp should be supple or flexible not dry or tight feeling.

2. Shampooing often enough - [picappgallerysingle id="5216028"]Shampooing the hair as often as necessary to remove excess oil, perspiration and product residue will not only cleanse the hair and scalp but will at the same time replenish moisture to your hair. Not shampooing often enough can lead to creating an envirronment where bacteria can grow and fester possibly leading to a condition called dermatitis.  This situation is often mistaken for dandruff.

3. Split end managment - Practically everything we do to our hair on a regular basis over time causes some hair damage. Even seemingly harmless things like combing or brushing can cause hair damage. If you’d like to achieve the greatest amount of length possible for your hair then you must recieve haircuts on a systematic basis. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. The fastest way to achieve and or maintain longer lengths of hair is by regularly trimming just the ends usually 1/2 inch or less depending on the length of your hair) before they become too frayed and then more will have to be cut. Don’t be afraid scissors are not your enemy.

As the main guest Rock was on the “Oprah” show to promote his film.  During the course of the show Rock was able to pull off what no man has ever before been able to do on air to Ms. Oprah Winfrey herself, or to any black woman for that matter.    Since it is largely believed the all African -American women who have shoulder length hair or  longer are wearing a hair weave or wig, the talk show host herself provided the only means of proof.

In  the name of “research” Rock was allowed several moments of full frontal fondling of Ms. Oprah Winfrey’s hair. 

To his utter amazement and complete surprise he discovered that Oprah’s hair was indeed genuine.  I must admit although Oprah is one of the few women with such a great head of fabulous, thick coarse hair, I too was surprised that it was indeed all of Oprah’s hair. 

I have seen her various hairstyles over the years and I really pride myself in easily distinguishing celebrity hairstyles. I can normally tell wig, weave, hair pieces, or braids.  Not that I thought it wasn’t possible for Oprah’s hair to be all her own but rather I thought the she like many celebrities , in order to save the wear and tear on their own hair , it’s preferred to wear additional hair to save the damage to your own hair. 

Also, as women get older the hair isn’t always what it used to be.  But as Oprah pointed out to address all the shock and disbelief, she mentioned that she has ha the same hair care professional tending to her tresses for 24 years. I notice that she doesn’t mention his name too much anymore but her hairstylist is Andre Walker. Indeed we see why he has definitely been a keeper and why Oprah has  been so loyal. I wonder how much he must make as the key hairstylist responsible for tending  to Ms. Winfrey all these years!

The subject of black women and their hair is a very touchy one.  It was sure to set off a fire storm of passionate debates,  discussions and even arguments. The good thing though is that it’s got everyone talking about hair.

First, we need to understand the reason your scalp is itching so fiercely.  It is very likely due to perspiration residue or, in other words dried sweat.  When your scalp perspires it becomes warm and moist or even wet. Our body’s perspiration has a saltiness, which actually helps draw out the moisture.  But after it cools down and then dries, this salty residue that remains from your perspiration can lead to a dry, tight feeling on the scalp. This is the perfect environment for bacteria to begin to grow.

 Since scalp condition varies from person to person the rate of growth of bacteria will also be different. One person may not notice itching right away or even at all because the may not perspire as readily as another person.

Imagine after an intense workout and you’re completely drenched in perspiration. But instead of heading to the shower, you wait until you cool down and then you put on all of your clothes.  You continue to skip the shower…. for days.  After you start to itch, still avoiding the shower now you decide to slather yourself in oil or grease to calm down the itch.  In this context, rubbing yourself down in oil instead of using water sounds absolutely ridiculous doesn’t it?  But remember your scalp is also skin.  So if you think you should “oil your scalp” or “grease your scalp” because it itches, please stop.  You are most likely going to make the situation even worse.

Well now I hope you are getting a very vivid picture of why your scalp itches like the devil.  More frequent shampooing is what would be ideal but since that isn’t always possible or practical for everyone there are some temporary solutions.

Here is a quick fix that should help to calm down the itch in between shampooing.  You need to use an antiseptic to help cleanse the scalp of bacteria build up.  I usually recommend Seabreeze or Listerine.  Wait a minute “Isn’t Listerine a mouthwash?” you say.  Yes, it is and that is why the popular promo commercial says, “Kills the germs that cause bad breath”. Listerine mouthwash happens to be a very powerful antiseptic. Similar products with antiseptic properties are Witch Hazel and Peroxide.

You can apply carefully with a Q-tip so that you will only touch your scalp. Or if it doesn’t matter if your hair gets wet you spray on undiluted antiseptic of choice using a spray bottle.