2011 in Review...Happy New Year!

Check out my month-to-month progress through 2011. I still can't believe how quickly time flies and my hair grows! Bring on 2012!

Healthy Hair Knowledge- Basic vs Applied Skills

Remember back in high school and college when you had to pick classes and put together your schedule? If so, you may recall that the fall semester and pre-requesite courses were often labeled as "Basic", while the spring semester and higher complexity courses were labeled as "Applied". Essentially, basic courses give you the foundation, the basic building blocks needed to understand a subject. After mastering those subjects, you went on to apply that knowledge in the applied courses. Here you solved complex problems and theories by applying the basic concepts you'd learned early on. This same approach is true of "The ABC's of Hair Speak". 

The goal of "The ABC's of Hair Speak" is to facilitate your efforts to identify, select, reject, make, and tailor your hair products and practices.

I recently chatted with a newly natural YouTube subscriber who had taken the ABC's. This was the conversation: 

My Question: After doing "The ABC's" can you tell me what about the ingredients in Herbal Essences makes it a gentler shampoo/conditioner? Tick tick tick. LOL!

Her Response: Responding back to the quiz question: Believe it or not, I am studying your ABC'S they are very helpful. Now (LOL) these are some of the following ingredients in this product: water which is great for the hair, Vanilla Planifolia fruit extract, coconut milk are good; Now there's some pros and cons with these two ingredient, Stearyl & Benzyl Alcohol they could lead to frizziness and rough on the cuticles,however; Stearyl Alcohol is considered to be a Heavier alcohol that causes the hair to lie flat,and prevent less frizzy(good-thing). Now the Benzyl alcohol is used a a preservative in this product. Also it had two other product that I'm not aware of they are Methylchoroisothiazolinone and Dimethicone. I hope there are ok... But I thank you for the ABC'S they're education for the hair. I hope that I passed the quiz....That's a great ideal to ask, to definitely maake sure you're learning something and not guessing about the product (s). Go Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You need to be an Instructor...& would make a Awesome One.. I like how you research your information before introducing to others. 

My Follow-Up Response: Ding Ding Ding....You pass!!!! The first of the two ingredients you mention is a preservative. Its antibacterial and antifungal properties give it a longer shelf life. The second ingredient you mention, Dimethicone, is a very common non-water-soluble silicone (remember to look at the words' ending, the -one usually gives it away, similar to -ol for alcohols and -ates for sulfates). As you learned in the ABC's, non-water-soluble silicones have pros and cons. While they do cause the cuticle to lay flat,and reduce frizz, as surfacants, they lock out moisture and they require a harsher and potentially damaging detergent in order to be removed.

You have really come so far since we first talked. I'm so happy for you...and I can definitely see the difference in your hair- and your confidence! I love it! And clearly your hair does too. It's not only longer, it's shinier and you've definitely got them curls popping!!!!! You go miss thang!

In Closing

This is precisely what "The ABC's of Hair Speak" should do for you! Learning the terms is a great first step; but it's just that, the first step. Take that next step in the journey, apply your natural and nappy knowledge. Just like this YouTube subscriber, you can make it work for you as you pursue longer, stronger more healthy hair!


Try it now!

Take a look at a couple of the products in your current cache. Check out the ingredients. Do you know what they are? Can you compare products and determine why one may be better than another and why/for what reasons? After taking "The ABC's of Hair Speak", you should be able to do so with confidence! 


Keep Applying It!
Now, you've learned the terms. You've tested yourself at home. All that's left is the final step. Apply your nappy and natural knowledge the next time you purchase or make a product, read a blog, visit a hairstylist, etc. You'll be glad you did....and so will your hair!

PLEASE READ:

Because I'll be adding more terms as suggested/discovered, the link addresses above will change (and the view count will reset). Never fear! You can ALWAYS find "The ABC's of Hair Speak" as well as other video tutorials in the library of my YouTube Channel. Check it out at the link below. And please, view, comment, ask questions, hit the like button, subscribe, share and most importantly...spread the word! Til next time Journeyers! 

http://www.youtube.com/user/JourneytomyRoots

Why Should You Join the Journey?

While I'm thrilled that there are lots of GOOD sources for natural hair information, it seems that the table is getting a little crowded. And I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to feel that some of those at the table...well they're not so good. Or put more politely...they're not what I'm looking for. My frustration with this fact is why I have started Journey To My Roots.

So why should you join Journey? What makes me different? It's all about what you'll get and won't get!

What You Get:

1. Blogs, Videos, Pictures and Tools that are informative, interesting, to-the-point, user-friendly and made with effort.
2. An open, respectful, candid and FUN forum where you can get info and share your own experience without risk of being badgered.
3. An open door to me. I'm humble, I'm flexible and I'm always open to constructive criticism. Bring it on! I see it as an opportunity to grow.

What You Won't Get:

1. Videos with babies crying, dogs barking and tvs blaring in the background! Rambling, poorly written, non-researched blogs/posts. Risque pictures. Offensive music. Nope...not here!
2. Aggressive sales and marketing. Yes, I do sell my hair milk and hair food. And yes, I will likely begin allowing some level of ad pop-ups. But passive marketing is one thing. Feeling like your'e watching QVC/HSN, that's another. You won't get that here!
3. Irrelevant, unclear, incorrect, or otherwise ridiculous material. There will be no rambling videos about what happened at the grocery store. No soap-box rants about politics.  And NO fakery. Good, bad or ugly, you'll always get my honest opinion of what worked and what didn't work for me. 

Yep folks. All you'll get here is hair. I know that's why your'e here and I know you could be doing something else. I respect that!

My Commitment to You:

I commit to doing my best to make this the an excellent education, information, networking and support source for all things healthy hair.

What I Ask of You:

Take a look around and see if I've lived up to my commitment. If I have,  please join the site, hit the "Like" buttons, share the materials, spread the word and most importantly..keep coming back! If I have not, LET ME KNOW! I will fix it...or I'll shut this down.

Thanks everyone. I'm thrilled to have you along for the journey!!!

My Natural Hair Journey

The Journey in Pictures 
Show your support but hitting the Facebook "like" buttons!

Remember Blue Magic?

Like me, if you're black and born before 1980, you've probably used your share of Blue Magic. Labeled as an "anti-breakage/conditioner/hair dress", we old heads (no pun intended) call it by its street name, "grease."

Like milk and bread, Blue Magic was a staple in our house growing up. When it was time to part, plait, press, tame, or just grease hair, Blue Magic was ever handy. (Don't act brand new! You know the difference between the grease and to grease.) Yep, me and Ole Blue, we got history. So with history like ours, what could ever make me turn my back on it?

Call it nappy knowledge.While I have some fond memories of Ole Blue; sentiment and sense are two different beasts. And since going natural, I've definitely upped my hair sense. It's that new found hair sense that prompted me to check out the ingredients in Blue Magic.

And knock me off my feet, what did I find?; Petrolatum, lanolin, lecithin, mineral oil, fragrance, green no. 6, and violet no. 2. Yep. that's it folks. So let's get started on those ingredients (or lack thereof)...

No Water: I was shocked but no, Blue Magic does not include water! You'll be hard-pressed (huh, another pun) to find any hair product that doesn't have water as it's primary ingredient. Despite the many hair myths we've been taught, our hair craves water. Beware any "conditioner" product that does not include water as a primary ingredient!

Petrolatum and Mineral Oil:  Theres are synthetic humectants. Humectants seal the hair and lock in moisture. Unlike natural humectants (i.e. shea butter, glycerin, honey) mineral oil and petrolatum provide no added hair health benefits such as nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants or sunscreens. That said, none of these things MOISTURIZE the hair. If your hair does not already have sufficient moisture, these products do not add anything additional. Further, petrolatum and mineral oil are difficult to remove from the hair without harsh detergents, such as sulfates. Learn more about mineral oil and its cousins here

Lanolin: Lanolin is a greasy material produced by the sebaceous glands of sheep. It's a mixture of fatty acids, wax esters, and a other organic compounds. Like Petrolatum and mineral oil, lanolin traps moisture already on the hair but by itself, it does not moisturize. 

Lecithin: A lipid, or fat, the majority of commercial lecithin come from soybean, sunflower and grapeseed. Lecithin is comprised mostly of B vitamins, such as choline and insitol. You can find lecithin in foods such as egg yolks, or take it as a supplement.

Fragrance, Green No 6 and Violet No 2: These ingredients are additives to incorporate scent and color to the hairdress.

Something Positive: I hate to do completely negative product reviews so what can I say positive about Blue Magic? Heck, something must have drawn us to it for all these years. I can say this. If marketed as a hair gel or pomade, I could let "Ole Blue slide. Yes, I can understand my mother using it to add shine, to hold styles, tame frizzies and keep parts straight. But honestly now, Blue Magic is not a conditioner of any kind. Especially not in this day and age when shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, castor oil, etc are so readily available.

So why do you care? Yes, I know that very few people still 'moisturize' with 'grease' (so I hope). 

But whether Blue Magic or the newest, most expensive product du jour, knowing the key ingredients to look for and those to look out for is key to going natural or simply attaining healthy hair. You'd be surprised how common the "bad" ingredients are. And while you cannot always avoid them, you can look for them in lower concentrations (the lower down the list of ingredients, the lower the concentration). So if your'e serious about going natural, take some time out to learn about the key ingredients to hair products. You can get a TON of information in my videos ands blogs but the key is to be willing to learn. The more you know, the more it will grow!

'Til next time fellow Journeyers!!!!!!!!