Crowned Mane
SHEDDING
This is actually a natural process. Research has shown that a healthy head of hair may shed as many as 50-100 hairs per day. Shed hair is hair that has reached the end of its natural cycle and has naturally fallen. If you look at shed hair, you would notice a white bulb at the top of the strand which is where it was attached to your head and it tends to be longer than broken hair.
BREAKAGE
This is not a natural process and tends to be as a result of a lack of moisture or protein in your hair, manipulation or product build up. The hairs also tend to be short pieces of different lengths.
Your hair lacks moisture and hydration. A very common way to identify this is if your hair feels very rough, hard and tangly. It literarily doesn't stretch much before it snaps. What causes this?
a. You do not moisturise your hair often. You should be moisturising your hair 1-3x per week
b. Overuse of heat tools like straighteners and blow dryers. You should reduce your use of heat tools to 1x per week at the worst case. Always use a heat protectant, cleanse your hair and deep condition with a moisture and protein rich conditioner before using heat tools.
c. Use of heavy oils/grease and alcohol based gels. You should use lighter natural oils in your routine and alcohol free gels like Eco-styler.
d. Overuse of protein based products like reconstructors. These should be used every 4-6weeks and not weekly.
e. You should use moisture rich deep conditioners (with heat) and leave in conditioners. Water should always be the first ingredient and other common moisturising ingredients like Cetearyl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Aloe, Honey and Behentrimonium Methosulfate should be in the top 5/6 ingredients. Natural butters and oils help with manageability and retaining moisture.
Mielle Mint Almond Oil
£12.99
This mint almond oil is super light weight and an amazing sealant. It is infused with mint essential oil. This oils doubles as a great scalp oil if you have a really dry scalp and need some oil. The essential oils also help with blood circulation on the scalp and therefore healthy hair growth.
100% Pure Coconut Oil
£4.99
Coconut oils is an amazing sealing oil for the higher porosity people- relaxed hair, colored hair, heat users. This oil also helps maintain your protein structure and therefore further maintains moisture.
Shea Moisture 100% Coconut Oil Leave In
£10.99
This leave-in is super lightweight and perfect for people with finer hair that is easily weighed down. The spray nozzle makes it perfect to use when you have braids or other protective styles!
Mielle Avocado Moisturising Hair Milk
£12.99
This moisturiser is a creamier texture. It is absolutely amazing for moisture and great for those with less fine textures!
You hair lacks protein. A very common way to identify this is if your hair feels very weak, gummy and limp. It will stretch a lot before it actually breaks. What causes this?
a. Chemically processing your hair (relaxing, texturising and colouring) affect the sensitivity to protein and therefore breakage. Make sure you stretch relaxers and treatments between 8-16 weeks to prevent overprocessing. If you are double processed i.e. relaxed and coloured, make sure to apply your colours atleast 2 weeks after the relaxer treatment.
b. Lack of protein treatments and overuse of moisturising ingredients. Incorporate protein deep conditioners or treatments every 4-6 weeks. These usually contain ingredients like hydrolized proteins (stronger proteins), cholesterol, amino acids, keratin or panthenol.
Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment
£8.99
This protein treatment is recommended for severe breakage (more than 10-15 broken strands on non-wash days and more than 15-20 broken strands on wash day). Protein treatments leave your hair feeling stiff and should always be followed by the Aphogee balancing moisturiser
Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor
£9.99
This protein treatment is recommended for medium levels of protein breakage (10-15 broken strands on non-wash days and 15-20 broken strands on wash day). Protein treatments leave your hair feeling stiff and should always be followed by the Aphogee balancing moisturiser
Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer
£8.99
Should be used alongside the Aphogee 2 step protein treatment and the 2 min reconstructor
This is a very common problem with textured hair. Our hair craves moisture so it is always recommended that we use very gentle sulfate free moisturising shampoos for regular cleansing. This however comes with a trade off of build up from the styling products we use e.g. gels, heavy oils, grease, pomade. Most sulfate free moisturising shampoos are too gentle to lift these products completely from our hair. The common indicators of product build up are:
a. Your shampoo seems to not be lathering anymore or has just stopped working
b. Your hair and scalp feel coated
c. Your hair feels limp with no movement
d. You are experiencing so much breakage despite balancing your moisture and protein
You should include a clarifying or chelating shampoo to your routine (every 4-6 weeks) to give your hair a 'reset', prevent build up and therefore breakage. These shampoos include ingredients like Citric acid, Apple Cider Vinegar, Sulfates or EDTA.
You should also check if you live in a hard water region. If you live in the UK, you can find this out easily by using google. If you do, make sure to buy a shower filter to use when washing your hair.
ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo
£4.99
This shampoo contains sulfates, citric acid and EDTA. It is perfect for getting rid of build up from no-lye relaxers and hard water build up. It is specifically formulated for product and mineral build up
Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo
£9.99
This sulfate-free shampoo is packed with EDTA which is a great agent for clearing product build up.
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo
£11.99
This sulfate free shampoo uses a natural alternative 'apple cider vinegar' to get rid of product build up.
This is pretty straightforward and mainly relates to how often you manipulate your hair and how gentle you are when you handle your hair. The more 'aggressive' you are with your hair, the more likely it is to break.
a. Go for low manipulation styles which are not tight e.g. twists or braids and avoid touching your hair everyday.
b. Always detangle with care. Start off with finger detangling and finish with a wide tooth comb.
c. Never detangle dry hair. Always use water, a detangler or a conditioner before detangling
d. ALWAYS sleep with a satin bonnet to prevent the dryness from cotton pillowcases and therefore breakage
