The answer to this hair growth question is never easy because in fact there really is no “quick” way to grow hair. Hair growth is a steady but gradual process. Our hair is always growing even though we tend not to notice. Just think of how often you have to shave your legs, underarms or how quickly men shave their faces. The average rate of hair growth is ¼ to ½ of an inch per month.

Note that warmer and more humid weather promotes the growth process of all living things. A good example of this is a rain forest.

Because of the warm, very moist climate of the forest encourages the vegetation to flourish. It is very similar with your hair growth.

Some individuals experience a slightly faster rate of hair growth than average. But it’s best to be realistic and not measure your own hair growth by the exception to the rule. With that in mind, in a year’s time if you have healthy hair habits you should be able to grow about 6 inches of new hair.

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/

Straight to the Root Answer :  The first thing that needs to be figured out is how your hair came to be in BAD shape.   

Four typical reasons  a client’s hair is  in poor condition :

1. Chemical over processing

2.  Lack of healthy hair routine

3. Hair extensions, weave or braids style gone wrong

 4. Or  d) All of the above

In order to make the transition from wearing your hair relaxed to going back to your natural state a lot smoother there a few things I would suggest.

A. You have to remove , that is cut off, the previously permed or relaxed hair at some point. If your hair is damaged then that hair is slowing down your progress.

I recommend about every 8 weeks having a good professional hairstylist cut at least an inch of old hair off. (This is about the same interval of time you probably would have been going to get you relaxer touch up service.)

Note:  Any hair that is relaxed is permanently and chemically straight.  Your hair doesn’t “revert” back. Although this is a popular misconception among African-American women and even sad to say even among some stylists, it simply isn’t true. So if I were you, I’d get used to the idea of regular haircuts.

B. Now more than ever you are going to have to have a good healthy hair routine. Regular shampooing , at least once a week, with a moisturizing, hydrating type-shampoo brands such as Keracare

 
or Mop-C

are great choices. Follow with a conditioner that is also moisturizing, and or hyrdrating such as  Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery or Organic Root Stimulator Replenish Pak. You should follow up with a good Leave-In Conditioner such as Miracle 10 or Aveda’s Style Prep Smoother for further detangling before styling.

C. Since you will be dealing with your naturally kinky, curly new growth at the rootsand your old relaxed hair on the ends your hairstyling efforts will become increasingly more challenging. In the beginning stages, the first 1-2 inches of new growth, I recommend using a mini flat iron for straightening the egdes and roots.

 D. As you start to have anywhere from 2 inches or more of new growth, I suggest wet sets or roller sets. By wearing your hair in a style with more volume or curls it camouflages the fact that your roots aren’t the same texture as your relaxed ends.

Finally, the process of “growing out” your relaxer will take at least 12 to 18 months. The process will be a lot less painful if after you achieved a new growth length that you feel comfortable with, just have your professional stylist cut off all the remaining relaxed hair at that point. Then you won’t have to deal with what I call the “battle of the two textures”.

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.

The product in question apparently was a popular hair dressing lotion by Organic Root Stimulator called Olive Oil Moisturizing Lotion.  

 The little girl happened to be the only black child in the entire class. Well I think there has got to be so much more than meets the eye with this story. 

What are your thoughts about this incident? Please sign in and share your comments with us.

See the article  from the Seattle Times for yourself.  Let us know what you think.

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.

1.   Overused
2.  Misused

Chemical relaxers are used to permanently alter the hair texture. In order to accomplish this hair transformation relaxers usually contain the strong chemical ingredient sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as, lye.

No -lye relaxers are not the automatic cure all either. Even though they contain a slower acting active chemical ingredient it too is still a caustic chemical and should still be used with appropriate caution.

Lye  is a caustic chemical, which means that it’s strong enough to cause severe skin irritation and/ or burns in a relatively short amount of times. It actually removes the top layer of the skin. That is why I discourage unlicensed people or even unskilled professionals to use or apply chemicals. Even if there are no severe burns to the scalp after a relaxer, your scalp is still sensitive and needs to be treated the same as you would for a burn. If not the exposed scalp now dry, irritated, and raw  will start to itch if you do not address the situation properly.

I usually recommend applying A&D ointment, aloe vera or any other ointment or salve to the affected areas of the scalp immediately after a chemical treatment. This will help start the healing process may prevent scabbing and will sooth burned or irritated skin.

Just think of the way you would treat your skin if you perhaps experienced a sun burn,  an irritation to the skin also caused from overexposure. Since sunburned skin is so inflamed that it even turns red or starts peeling, the best thing to do is to apply ointments right away. This is the only way to calm down and heal the screaming skin.

  She is more commonly known as Madame CJ Walker.  Walker came from humble beginnings she rose through the “ranks” of plantation life steadily. She started a plantation worker  and worked her way up to being a cook in the kitchen of the Main house.  No small achievement for the post Slavery Era .  Eventually her path would lead her to become the first black female millionaire. 

Walkers path to wealth was paved by establishing herself as an entreprenuer by creating and manufacturing hair products and promoting hair care for Negro women.

 In the early 1900′s,  a time period well before the civil rights movement   Negroes  as we were then called, had little to no access to education or much of anything else close to their White counterparts. Despite all of that, Walker a former plantation worker, saw a better life for herself. Walker refused to let the society and popular thinking of her time dictate what her potential could or should be. She must have had  a true inner determination to succeed no matter what obstacles were seemingly in her way.

Thankfully there has been much documentation about Madam CJ Walker , such as news articles, books,  etc. These sources have highlighted her story which is a lesser known success story in the history of Black Americans.

I am glad to shine the spotlight on her and grateful  that we today know what a trailblazer she was.  For more in details her great-great granddaughter has  a  dedicated website.    See more below…

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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