This is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to talking about hair.  This awkward and often inaccurate way of determining  happens among the average woman talking about hair texture with her hairstylist and even many scientists and cosmetic chemists who work in hair care research and development find it hard to properly articulate the correct classification of hair types.

What happens in the case of someone, in fact large groups of people who don’t fit into the narrow  hair type descriptions. For instance, an Asian girl with wavy hair, an African American woman with hair that is super fine and with only a slight wave pattern, or a Caucasian individual with a coarse, frizzy afro? And then there’s bi-racial hair? Each time two parents of different races have a child the possibility of hair type and texture aren’t even predictable from one child to the next.

I think it’s more accurate and less likely to offend,  if hair texture is described or defined by it’s characteristics rather than by an ethnic group stereotype. The world is becoming more diverse and there are many exceptions to the old hair rules. So why not be progressive and create a new hair rule: Define hair texture by its characteristics such as straight, wavy, afro , tightly coiled, s- pattern curls, etc.

2.  Do not over process you hair.  Make sure your hairstylist does not “pull the relaxer through the ends of your hair. Only new growth should be relaxed. If a hairstylist is “pulling through the relaxer” on already relaxed hair, you may want to consider getting a more qualified and professional hairstylist.

3.  Shampoo your hair weekly, at least. Chemically processed hair is much more delicate and needs moisture , which comes from water not oil, on a regular basis.

4.  Do not let irresponsible or unlicensed individuals relax your hair. Relaxing your hair is a permanent chemical process should be taken seriously. I’ve seen plenty of heads badly damaged from relaxers due to carelessness and misuse.  Healthy hair is not a coincidence.

5.  Avoid using heat styling tools such as flat irons and curling irons on dirty hair.  Hair that isn’t freshly shampooed has very little moisture left.  Think of what happens to the trees or grass during a summer drought. There’s lots of heat and little to no rain. The leaves dry out and the grass turns brown. The last thing you would do is add more heat.   Heat styling dirty hair is a sure way to having your crumble to the touch.

My dentist who is a quite observant almost immediately remarked about how great my hair smelled! He also thought my hair looked so good that he wasn’t exactly sure if it was authentically my own hair. A weave or wig, perhaps? He wondered, out loud. I’m not offended at all. I’ve been getting that response all my life. I have very thick, coarse hair it really does look  unreal. In his disbelief, he reached over and gave my curls a little tug just to be sure.

Anyway, I loved the way my curls looked that day. Also with that combination of products and I clearly had at least one fan (my dentist) who very much appreciated my hairdo. While in the shower I started by just wetting my hair thoroughly.

Note : I re-wet and apply product several times weekly so I don’t always start with shampoo since my hair doesn’t need cleansing but it does need moisture.  

After thoroughly wetting  the hair , I worked through Miss Jessies Sweetback Deep Conditioner

After rinsing then apply Mixed Chicks HIS Mix Leave- in Conditioner

Finish by applying Miss Jessies Quick Curls Curl Cream

“I always notice lots of breakage especially when I wash (my hair). Also when I apply product to do a twist out I always have to keep taking the hair off my fingers because so much of it always breaks off. I have already cut off 2 to 3 inches. It stopped breakage for a while.

Everyone keeps telling me it looks so healthy, but then why is it breaking off. I have even had a few strands come out straight from my scalp. I don’t use gel anymore.

Also I was shampooing with shampoo and conditioner that was supposedly going to reduce the breakage. It hasn’t done a  thing.  Anyways, I don’t wanna be bald.  My hair looks thick, its so big and curly so it fools people. But if it keeps up I think its gonna be a hot mess or worse… bald.  Do you think maybe it needs protein? “

In this case what she notices as “breakage” is actually normal. Extremely curly or tightly coiled hair textures typically have a lower elasticity and break easier. And tightly coiled hair has a tendency to knot especially on the ends. To understand hair elasticity, think of how much or how far you can stretch a rubber band before it snaps. Also think of the difference between a new rubber band and one that has been stretched repeatedly over time.

When you shampoo or wet the hair, it experiences a physical change because of the water. When hair is wet, is becomes easy to stretch but the amount of elasticity the hair has, will determine how much you can stretch the hair and it come back into place without popping, snapping or breaking.

So when you are shampooing, detangling, parting , twisting and otherwise manipulating the hair while it is wet, there will be a certain amount of hair that will not stretch and go back into place. Instead they will pop, or break. This will happen only when the hair is wet. You do not need protein since it will not remedy this situation.

The 3 things to minimize the “breakage” when you shampoo:

1. Shampoo hair more gently and try to keep hair flowing in one direction.
2. Using the proper conditioning shampoo designed for extremely curly textures.
3. Follow with detangling conditioner that will help reduce the hair friction and release tangles.

The good news is this that there’s nothing abnormal going on here. You are not going bald. You can believe what people have been telling you. You do have a full head of thick, healthy hair!

Hair by Daria Wright and Makeup by Victoria Stiles for Kess Agency

Lynn was really great to work with and she was so down to earth. She talked about how co- star Hugh Jackman pranked her during shooting the X-Men. She played Wolverine’s love interest Kayla Silverfox in the film. It was a great gig!

Actually sulfates are a detergent or cleansing agent added to many beauty products and also to many commonly used household products such as dish washing liquid. In your typical supermarket deep discount shampoo or body wash you’ll find the ingredient sodium laurel (or laureth) sulfate  near the beginning of the ingredient list, if not first.

The purpose of the sulfate ingredient is to attract dirt and oils and dissolve them. Sulfates create lots of suds therefore giving many consumers the feeling that whatever they are washing hair, laundry, or dishes is truly squeaky clean.

Popular commercials and advertisements have taught us that suds = clean.

So to say a shampoo is sulfate-free, technically means there aren’t any of the typical sudsing agents. Sometimes  another version of a similar chemical just not called “sulfate”  is used as a substitute. But generally the shampoo formulas that are sulfate-free gently cleanse the hair . It is also very likely that you will not see lots of suds either. But this doesn’t mean your hair isn’t clean if there aren’t any suds.  In fact, sulfate-free shampoos should be used when deep or harsh cleansing isn’t necessary.   

When should you use a sulfate-free shampoo vs. a typical shampoo?

 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/