Denman Brush vs. Tangle Teezer

Question:
Sometimes I find that I cannot get all of the dust out of my daughter's hair by washing and combing through with a wide tooth comb. I am thinking that a brush would be good for this purpose, but I am not sure which brush will do the least damage to her hair....can you recommend anything?


Answer:

I've used the Denman D3 (with 3 rows removed) and the Tangle Teezer on my 5-year-old, who has 4B hair. The Tangle Teezer detangles faster than the Denman and seems to take the lint out more. The bristles on it are much shorter and closer together.

I try to work in small sections when detangling... I get less complaints from her when I use the Tangle Teezer, pain wise. I'm also worried about breakage so will probably continue to use it a couple of times a month until I start to see early signs of breakage or split ends.

Thinking about Going Natural? [The Big Chop]

According to the Urban Dictionary, the "big chop" is defined as:  "When a person cuts their hair to obtain the 'natural' state. The person cuts out the hair dye, chemical perm, or relaxer from their hair."

With the rise of African-American women sporting their natural hair and the boom of natural hair-centered products and accessories, some women who would have never considered going natural are currently giving it a thought.  It's becoming more common, more accepted, and there are now many resources (videos/tutorials, websites, books) focusing on how to care for and style natural hair.

Still, many women hesitate to big chop (BC) because they do not like the idea of cutting of the relaxed and/or long hair they've grown accustomed to.

Here is my experience - a survey done shortly afted I big chopped...

*When did you do the Big Chop?

February 14, 2010.

*Have you ever had hair this short? If not, how does it affect you mentally?

I’ve never had my hair this short before. At first, I was worried that I would look and feel like a boy. Now, in all honesty, I sometimes feel frumpy rocking a ‘fro without the accessories and/or clothing to match.

*What are your staple products?

Oyin Handmade Poo Bar (doesn’t dry my hair out), Jojoba oil (absorbs easily into hair), Sauve conditioners for cowashing (green apple and coconut are my fav), water mixed with glycerin to mist daily, Aphogee 3-minute reconstructive conditioner (makes my curls pop), EcoStyler gel (lays down my edges).

*What’s your regimen?

Mist my hair with water twice a day and seal with jojoba oil or a little shea butter or castor oil, etc.

*What’s your favorite hairstyle?

I love wearing my hair in twists because they usually last a full week. My relaxed hair would never hold a curl or anything.

*What are your hair goals?

If my hair grows to be chin length unstretched, I’d be happy. That’s a relatively flattering and feminine length. More importantly, I’d like to master some really cute styles and for my hair to look and feel healthy.

My “best friend” (Asian) told me my hair looked ugly when I first big chopped. I didn’t pay her any mind. She’s always been the rude kind anyway so it was kind of expected. She then followed up with, “Maybe it’s because I’m not used to seeing you with hair so short.”

*What do you love most about your TWA (teeny weeny afro)?

The sense of freedom. I don’t feel like my hair HAS to look a certain way in order to fit in and I also don’t feel like I HAVE to depend on a hairdresser to maintain it.

Winter Hair Care Tips

Fall is among us. No more wash and go's, drier air... it may be time to switch up your hair care regimen!

This video was created when I was transitioning from relaxed to natural. I forgot to mention in it that I always airdry my hair. It's just easier than blowdrying. I seperate my hair into ponytails while it dries and never have to deal with shedding or pouffiness.

Natural Inspiration: Shades of Beauty

A slideshow celebrating black hair of different textures.

Henna for Hair - The Basics

Natural henna powder has many benefits. When used correctly, it acts as a protein treatment, adds shine, softness, and leaves a shimmering reddish tint behind.

It's also very affordable as it can be found at your local ethnic (South Asian) grocery store for under $5 bucks, "Nupur Henna" being one of the most popular brands. You can mix it with your favourite tea to alter the shade of red it leaves behind, you can add yogurt, honey, or olive oil for extra shine and softnesss...it's versatile. The reddish tint is permanent. It grows out as opposed to washes out.

One just has to make sure they are using pure henna powder without any chemical additives, as the chemicals added to some "color-in-the-box"-type brands may have an adverse effect on dry/damaged or previously colored hair.

Henna indigo is a process that people use when they don't want the reddish tint that comes with using henna alone, especially since it turns gray hairs light copper. They may want to darken their light hair (eg. from medium brown to dark brown) or cover their grays.

For darkening hair, indigo powder can simply be added to henna powder and applied the same way you would normally do your henna treatment - mix the paste, let sit for a few hours, apply, leave in for a few hours, and rinse out.

To effectively cover grays, however , the process is a little more tedious. You mix the henna paste, let it sit for a few hours, apply, leave in for a few hours, rinse, make a paste out of indigo (without letting it sit), apply, leave in for a few more hours, and rinse. It may take a day or so for you to see your final results as the indigo needs time to oxidize.

I've had marvelous results with henna treatments while relaxed and natural. It makes my hair feel stronger as well as makes it super shiny.

 In case you're having trouble getting your hands on henna indigo, "Light Mountain - Color the Gray (black)" can be found online for under $10. Iherb.com is one of the places that sells it. It contains nothing but henna powder and indigo powder, in seperate packages, with easy-to-follow instructions.

Want $5 off your iherb.com purchase? Use my referral code: ENI555 (no minimum required). Shipping is as low as $3 and free if you order over $40.

Natural Inspiration: World's Largest 'Fro

Self-confidence and a head full of lusciousness. How gorgeous is she?

5 Must Haves for Natural Hair

1. Water. Plain ol’ water in a spray bottle. Tap is fine, distilled/boiled is better. You’d be surprised at how well a daily spritz of water can maintain your moisture balance.

2. Moisture Milk. (cheapie conditioner). These are the $1 or $2 conditioners you see all over the place – Sauve, Vo5, Aussie Moist, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration). They’re low in silicones so they won’t leave behind residue/build up. A lot of people use these as an alternative to shampoo and/or supplement their hair care regimen/add extra moisture. I add a few squeezes to my water bottle for spritzing and sometimes add a few squeezes to my deep conditioner as filler. My favourites are Sauve Green Apple, Sauve Coconut, and Herbal Essence Hello Hydration. They seem to be the richest.

3. Wide toothed comb. This is my tool of choice for whenever I comb my hair. Very rarely do I use a brush (Denman/Tangle Teezer/whatever). I believe in minimizing undue shedding/breakage, which can come with smaller toothed combs. I will only comb my hair when wet. The easiest way for me to detangle is in the shower, under the streaming showerhead while rinsing out my conditioner.

4. Large elastics. Great to use as headbands, for making puffs, or for sectioning hair while styling or detangling. Sometimes they break, get lost, or eventually wear down. I say go to your local dollar store and stock up!

5. Gel. Yes, I said it. Some people don’t like the feel of it but it makes a tremendous difference in how groomed your hair looks, depending on the look you’re going for. It tames “fly aways” around the hairline and makes twists/coils hold together tighter as well as last longer. My favourite is (clear) EcoStyler. It has tremendous hold and is very inexpensive. You can find a small jar at your local beauty shop for about 3 bucks!

Optional:  A silk or satin scarf, bonnet, or pillow case. This helps to keep your hair from drying out  (cotton absorbs moisture) and/or breaking due to friction/rubbing as you sleep.

Tutorial: Self-Installed Full Weave

This lovely lady explains why and how she installed a full sew-in on her own. The results are salon quality!

So many stylists have clients coming into them for every little thing, including a simple wash and condition, that they feel that everyone is dependent on stylists in general and can't get salon results on their own.

I am not anti-stylist but if you can get decent results on your own, why not save the money?