Shanda’s Hairspiration Journey

When was your first relaxer?

 Age 11

When did you relax and when?

In 5^th grade I was the only natural girl in my class with barrettes and pony tails. I felt like I had miss the memo. So I began to beg my mom to get one. She said no the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd time and told me when you go to 6^th grade you can get a relaxer if you still want one then. The school year ended and that summer before 6^th grade came around , I sat down the night before school  and said mom I’m ready for my relaxer and from that day forward I was relaxed.

Did you Transition or big chop when you returned natural?

I transitioned for 8 months (6/2013 to 3/2014)  then big chopped the rest of relaxed hair in march of 2014.

What motivated you to return natural?

It became very prevalent to me to make my actions speak louder than my words. I would tell my 2 beautiful children every day your hair is beautiful , big hair is beautiful but yet I wasn’t embracing my big bold, kinky, curly texture. After my last relaxer I decided to show my children better then I can tell them and here I am  17 months later happy and truly proud of  all of our hair.

Mommys motivation

United Together

What were your go to natural hair styles?

Pony tails, twists, bantu knots, and roller sets. It helped me hide the two different hair textures. The natural curly, coily, kinky texture and the relaxed straight texture battle wasn’t easy but was worth it. These core hair styles helped  me  blend the two textures appearing as one.

What were your go to TWA (teenie weenie afro) hair styles during big chop phase?

Faux pony tails, fro hawks, twists and curl coils. These hair styles helped me cope with the lack of hair especially the faux pony tail.  When you big chop you are no longer able get a normal pony tail. You have to create an illusion of one. Curl coils were the easiest and my favorite. When creating the curl coil it’s all in applying your product of choice, sectioning a piece of your hair and twisting your hair in one direction thus creating these small beautiful coil curls.

What are your hair goals?

 Length retention and healthy tail bone length hair

Thanks for reading remember to like, comment, follow or share. Do you have any hair questions you would like me to answer comment below or email me hair2possible@gmail.com. Have a wonderful day.

4 Natural Hair Rules I Don’t Follow

During my hair journey I have notice some unwritten natural hair rules along the way. I truly believe hair care methods come down to individuality and what works for you. So here are some hair rules that I don’t follow.

Twisting daily

A lot of naturals twist daily to keep hair defined and detangled but this can do more damage then good. Daily twisting can cause hair to become weak, ragged and fragile. The alternative to this is finding a style that last longer and keeps your hair healthy. I cant wait to share these styles on my next post, stay tuned.

Moisturizing and sealing ends daily

I currently add oil to my hair when needed. Listen to your hair it will speak to you and let you know what it wants and what it doesn’t want. While  dryness isn’t good for your hair, excessive moisture isn’t either. It can cause clogged pores, build up and over manipulated hair.

Only finger detangling no combing method

Since returning to natural I have notice the no comb trend. While there are benefits of finger detangling. Combing  on wet hair from the ends to the roots is a great way to detangle and manage as well. I encourage every one to explore and do what works for your hair. Whether detangling with my fingers or with a comb both methods give me great results. ”Hey who says it has to be one or the other.”

Co-washing, or washing the hair with conditioner only

While using only a conditioner to wash your hair may provide benefits of manageability and softer hair. All shampoos are not the enemy. I use  a sulfate free moisturizing shampoo that does not strip my hair! I find that my hair and scalp loves a good o’l wash with shampoo, to cleanse and rid my hair from product  build up through out the week. My hair washing method includes.

• Shampooing then next, I  apply my conditioner , after rinsing it  all out. My leave in conditioner is applied. Usually after this process I am all ready to be styled.  This is a great method that works for me. So get out there and try the method that your  hair falls in love with. Different methods for different folks!

Leave a comment below. Let us know what method works for you. Also dont forget to follow, subscribe, share or like. Thanks so much for reading have a wonderful day.

To Grease Or Not To Grease

To grease or not to grease that is the question.

Over the years as the natural hair movement grew stronger. Grease has kind of picked up a bad rap. Grease was once a huge staple in a lot of households. It has its pros and its cons. So let’s talk about the pros and cons of using hair grease.

Pros

Grease help seal your ends and locs in the moisture. Grease acts as a great sealant and moisturizer when used with water. It’s not for everyone but it does feel really good on a dry scalp. I still use grease Don’t count grease out while there is pros and cons but grease has improved since its earlier version.

Cons

Grease has come along way since its original formula. The original formulas are made with cheap ingredients such as mineral oil and petroleum. These ingredients can clog your pores thus not allowing your scalp to breath. Think about if you put grease on your skin. It acts as a repellant. Which mean things cant get in or out. Although these are some of the cons there are still  a lot more pros of grease as well

How to grease your Hair effectively

Be sure to wet your hair when you use grease because water hydrates your hair and grease seals in the moisture causing your hair to be sealed, soft and moisturized. Also, remember to use hair grease in small amounts. If you use too much grease hair and hands will become greasy. Which is an over abundance of the grease being used.

Grease has stopped our hair from being dry from years.

When I was younger, my mom used to wash my hair, condition it and then she would grease my scalp with Blue Magic hair grease and put it all through my hair then braid it up and re-grease through the week as needed. That’s actually when my hair was the longest, fullest and healthiest. So I don’t believe the regular drugstore hair grease products are as bad as people make them out to be. when we were all younger, those are the things we all used before we learned about organic products. If you look around today, most of the kids who have naturally curly hair use regular drugstore products and have the long healthy hair. With My little ones I now practice the same and I must say it works really well.

Leave a Comment Below

Do you use Grease? Do you Like grease? How do you use grease on your hair?

 

5 Healthy Hair Tips

1. Moisture

Moisture is key to keeping your hair healthy.Without it dryness occurs causing hair to become brittle and snap.  Oils, butters, creams and water are great ways to keep hair hydrated and healthy. 

2.Be gentle

When detangling with your fingers or a comb remember to treat your hair with love. Start from your ends and work your way up to the roots. Doing this will help you retain your length.

3.Trim your ends

Don’t hang on to strands that are unhealthy and split. Hanging on to those ends can cause your hair to split more. So trim when necessary and take care of you hair. For more info with how to care for your split ends. Refer to How To Prevent Split Ends post.

4. Avoid heat damage

Occasional heat usage every now and then is alright as long as you use a heat protectant and low heat. Mis usage or abuse of heat can result in devastating effects on your hair. Find alternative methods such as twist outs, braid outs, or  bantu knots.

5. Start from the inside

Take care of your hair by  taking care of your health.  A healthy diet can play a vital role in helping your hair stay strong and lustrous. Think of food as fuel. With out your fuel your body gets depleted, sluggish causing your tank of gas to become empty. Low on  fuel your body will lack vitamins such as C, and zinc  causing  your hair to be prone to breakage, lusterless and weak.

• Zinc assists in the repair of your tissues, making sure that the oil glands around your follicles are working in the proper way.
• Vitamin C- Is necessary to absorb iron. C also builds collagen which is crucial in developing hair growth.  The body can not make vitamin c on its own therefore its imperative to eat diets high in vitamin C.

These vitamins help with  keratin production, which are the building blocks of our hair. So eat right and grow your hair.

Were these 5 tips helpful? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Are Your Edges In Good Hands?

All to often our edges are not in good hands due to over styling, tension from braids, pony tails and so much more. Here are 5 tips that can help you keep your edges.

1. No tight manipulated hair styles that cause stress to ones scalp or edges.

If you are going to wear hair styles that pull on your edges. Opt for a looser up do or bun that can easily be re styled giving your edges a chance to rest.

2. Use a silk scarf or pillow case.

Note that silk or satin scarfs are a great alternative vs. Cotton scarfs. Cotton scarfs cause friction around the hair line. Silk and satin scarfs has more slip leaving your edges to be in better hands. If you are going to use a scarf be careful not to tie it  too tight around your edges. Any scarf of any kind tied to tight can lead to thinner edges or hair loss. Using satin pillow cases has helped me tremendously. You know longer have to worry about losing your scarf through the night or wondering about hair thinning through the night.

3. Retain your moisture.

Retain your moisture by creating a method that works for you. Dryness is hairs arch nemesis. It creates weak follicles, ragged edges, and snapped hair strands. Find what works for you and stay moisturized.

4. If you have already experienced hair thinning or hair loss.

Don’t fret there are a ton of things you can do to get your hair back to its healthy glory. When I experienced thinning and hair loss around my edges. I turned to natural oils such as olive oil, tea trees oil and even Jamaican castor oil.

• Olive oil is rich in vitamin A, E and antioxidants, olive oil helps protect the keratin in hair and seals moisture in.
• Tea tea tree oil is enriched with Vitamin E, Aloe vera and antioxidants, tea tree oil helps prevent hair loss by unblocking clogged hair pores. Its great for skin & scalp treatment. Be it dandruff, split ends, fungal infection, itchy and other scalp concerns, the Tea Tree Oil will give your scalp and hair a healthy treat.
• Jamaican castor oil has vitamin E ,omega 6 fatty acids and  many healthy ailments. It helps moisturize your hair, fight dryness, prevent hair damage, and enhance your hair health. Which can lead to thicker, stronger  healthier hair.

5. Try your best to avoid over usage of  these 4 things. 

Head bands, bandanas, tight scarfs and too small braids. Daily usage of this will land you in bad hands with your edges. I know this because this was me. Now that I have learned, I am able to share this knowledge and pass it on.

Ladies and gentlemen are your edges in good hands? Was this helpful? Let me know what you think?

For more hair advice, hair post, follow us @ http://instagram.com/hair2possible please don’t forget to like,comment and subscribe. Have a blessed day ~Shanda Hobbs

How To Prevent Split Ends

Split ends occur when your hair becomes damaged. There are several ways you can prevent split ends.

1. Limit or halt heat usage on hair.

Using too much heat can cause dry brittle hair, looser curl patterns, split ends, and hair loss. A heat protectant is also a great way to help protect and prevent your hair from heat damage. Try not to go over 380 degrees. Any thing higher then that puts your hair at more of a risk.

2. Be careful when brushing or combing your hair roughly it can snap your hair and split ends.

There are many techniques to help one achieve more manageable hair. Techniques such as combing your hair when wet , combing from the ends first then to the roots. Remember moisture is key when dealing with natural hair. No moisture equals breakage due to extreme dryness.

3. Don’t apply too many products to your hair. This will cause product build-up and may cause damage, breakage, and hair to fall out.

Hair can be very sensitive. It is extremely important to be aware of the ingredient in the products you use. There are lots of harmful ingredients that can dry your hair out. In my relaxed days I remember looking at the ingredient list on the bottle. Saying ” what is a sulfate or paraben”. The chemical compounds in the sulfates dehydrate the sebaceous glands and strip the scalp off the essential oils and natural moisture. Parabens are chemicals, such as methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl. Studies suggest they may interfere with the body’s endocrine system, which is made up of glands that produce and secrete hormones. Now more then ever I realize certain ingredients are harmful. Always check your labels and avoid harsh ingredients.

4. Note that a lot of products that claim they can heal your split ends won’t. Not all products do as they claim. Some products only mask the problem instead of treating it. With the natural hair industry on the rise, there has been a ton of gimmicks out there claiming they can do miracles. Remember to refer to the product labels and be sure to do your research.

Any hair questions or business inquiries feel free to leave a comment or email me at hair2possible@gmail.com  Also connect with us on instagram @hair2possible for more hair tips, hair advice and so much more. Thanks for reading~Shanda Hobbs

Are There Rules To Being A Natural?

What does it mean to be natural? It means to represent ones self.  There is no meticulous calculations on what makes a natural a true natural or not. There are no rules to being a natural. Every one has their own experiences and methods that work for them. Whether you have curls, coils or waves all hair is beautiful. Hair comes in many colors, porosity’s and textures. All too often we fall in to propaganda and rules created by society to box us all into one category. When we are all free to express and rock our hair which ever way we like no matter the color, texture or style. We are all in this  together.

The theory that if a natural straightens their hair ” They aren’t a true natural” is laughable and should be punishable by more laughs! I believe in embracing ones versatility and having a choice regardless of societies reckless views. Many times I have seen negative posts depicted about people who choose to wear extensions, weaves or color ”that they aren’t natural as well”. Once again laughable we shouldn’t be bound or tied down by a group of misinformed bullies. There is freedom in choice. Although, I myself choose at this point to not wear any of these rocking pieces. I respect and love the idea of options. So all naturals and hair lovers liberate your self with freedom. Walk to the beat of your own drum and be you. With the natural hair community sweeping the world by sunshine (not by storm). I thinks its safe to say that natural hair is here to stay. So love your hair and love thyself until next time~Shanda Hobbs