'How I grew my hair to mid-back length' by Ulovemegz

Ulovemegz's Youtube channel is an amazing source of hair styling demos, product reviews,comparisons but also make up and beauty how to's. She is relaxed but her advice can also be useful for natural ladies. It is mainly inspired by the Longhaircareforum. kolkolkolblog caught up with her to find out how she grew her locks to mid-back length.

What is your current regimen?
In my regimen I wash my hair once a week, co-wash twice a week, and deep condition twice a week. I do pre-poo about twice a month and I do protein treatments once a month. I moisturize and seal every single night and also wear heatless styles and protective styles. Moisturizing and sealing helps preventing breakage and defiantly aids in retaining length. The act of moisturizing and sealing helps keep the ends health since its the oldest part of the hair and that's what we want to keep as long as possible.I also stretch my relaxers to 10 weeks and never anything under 10 weeks. I know for some 10 weeks isn't a long stretch but I'm working on stretching longer. I dust my ends monthly and receive trims only when needed in order to retain length. I have been doing this regimen for going on two years now and it has worked well for me and my hair and it has been a successful journey so far with no set backs.

What habits really helped you retain length?
I think my regimen as a whole has aided in retaining length overall. I do believe that oils do help with aiding health and growth to the hair overall, so incorporating oils, regular deep conditioning and moisturizing and staying way from heat helps retaining length. The purpose of doing these things is to avoid any breakage of the hair so that it gets longer. But the priority is sticking with a regimen and having patience and wanting to see results with your hair.

 
Do women in your family have long hair? Have you always had long hair?
Yes I have family members who have long hair. My grandmother naturally had long hair reaching about mid back length as a teen. My grandmother's nationality is mixed with Native American and African American so she had a slight waves to her hair along with her 11 other bothers and sisters. 

How do you know if your hair needs protein or moisture?
I know when my hair needs protein when my hair tends to shed. A lot of ladies experience different things when they need protein but that's how I know when I need protein. When my hair needs moisture it feels a dry or my hair doesn't have a lot of elasticity and that shows when you hair is just try.

According to Kimaytube (a natural Youtube vlogger), water is the best moisturizer. She does co-washing / rinses helped her retain more length. Do you agree?
Yes I agree from my personal experience since I am relaxed. My hair is wet three times during the week when I do shampoo washes, co-washing and deep conditioning. Also doing this hydrates the hair, it keeps the scalp clean with aids to healthy hair. Healthy hair starts within the scalp. Since Ive been getting my hair wet in some kind of way whether it being a shampoo or co-wash it has benefited my hair along with many other ladies who are on hair journeys.

Ladies with neck length hair may find it challenging to do protective styles outside microbraids and plaits. Braid outs, twist outs, buns etc all work better with long hair. What would you recommend to someone with short or medium hair?
I would suggest trying half wigs, phony ponys, and bantu knots. I've seen a lot of ladies do some of these things as protective styles while growing out their hair. I do believe its all about being creative to find a style that suits you.

Watch ulovemegz on Youtube

10 protective hairstyles

It's October, it's getting cold and you know flat ironing, perming and blow drying is putting too much pressure on your hair. It's time to hide your ends with a protective style. 

Doing  a protective hairstyle is wearing a style that allows you to hide your ends. Protective styles are crucial when you want to retain length because air dries out your hair which promotes breakage. 

The negative effects of air on hair are explained in Wanakee's Practical Guide to Haircare: "Remember the ear of corn with the husk again: protective styling is like taking the dry tip of the silk, and tucking it safely underneath the husk, out of the air. But if your ends go up dry, they’ll come down dry."

Protective styles don't have to be ugly or old fashioned. If you think protective styles are not attractive or if you don't know where to start, here are 10 ideas:

1. Updos

2. Low Bun

3. Twisted roll

4. Braids

 5. French roll

6. French Braid

7. Two Strand Twists

8. High Bun

9. Low French Roll

10. Hats

Street style: french braids

Spotted: lovely young lady who masters the art of braiding. She achieved this look by braiding the sides and back of her hair in the shape of an arch. French braids are one of our favourite protective hairstyles. On top of the hair, her outfit is perfect too: a beige cardigan matching her complexion with a fine leather belt, the huge glasses and the satchel bag. She's got it all right!

Does Kelly Rowland read kolkolkolblog?

A few days ago, we were discussing Kelly Rowland's hair style here at kolkolkolblog and recommended her to ditch her shiny weave. Well a few days later, Rowland made a stunning appearance at New York Fashion Week with a brand new cropped hair style that definitely suits her better. We can't help but wonder if she read kolkolkolblog...

The $1 million curly hair

Procter and Gamble announced last week that they insured Troy Polamalu's hair for $1 million. The 29 year-old professional American football player of Samoan descent is the official face of Head and Shoulders. He is famous for his gigantic hair and hasn't cut it in 10 years.

Protective Hairstyle: French Braids

Protective hairstyle: Any hairstyle that doesn't brush up against your clothes (growafrohairlong.com)

How to straighten without heat

So you've been natural for a while and you love the versatility your texture offers. With a great selection of hair accessories out there, you can switch up your look on a daily basis. At some point, however, you may want a different hairstyle, if only for a day or a week. You want to straighten it, maybe to see your hair's true length (as shrinkage can really hide it) or just to show a different side.

Do you need a blow dryer and lots of heat via a flat or curling iron to straighten your hair? What if you want to avoid all that heat and the potential damage it can cause?

Answer:

Yes, you can straighten your natural hair without heat, but be advised that final results will differ depending on the texture you begin with, the products you use and your technique. Plus, you have to keep in mind what time of year it is and your climate when considering how long your straightened style will last.

One of the best methods for straightening natural hair without using heat is by roller setting. Sound old-fashioned? Well, there's a reason many of us see pictures of our mothers and grandmothers with headfuls of long, thick hair. Back in the day, before relaxers hit store shelves in a big way, chemicals weren't as prevalent. Yes, a lot of heat was used, but hot-combing was often reserved for special occasions or done about two to three times per month. For maintenance, women rolled their hair at night. Less heat meant more hair retention.

Roller setting with magnetic rollers and a setting agent can yield good results, but you may have to practice to get the best outcome. You'll need:

• Magnetic rollers
• Clips or pins to hold rollers in place
• Spray bottle filled with water
• Setting product such as Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam, KeraCare Foam Wrap-Set Lotion, Mizani Foam Wrap Lotion or Mizani Setting Lotion
• Silk or satin scarf

Set your hair after a shampoo and conditioning session, working with wet hair. Spray your hair with water if it begins to dry as you set it. Apply the setting product of your choice to each section of hair before rolling. Remember to keep even tension as you roll as this ensures straighter results.

Air drying is the gentlest drying method, but it can take a long time for your hair to completely dry this way. A hood bonnet set on low heat can speed things up, so while that may not be a 100% heat-free method, it's still indirect heat versus the direct heat of an iron.

Once the hair is dry, remove the rollers. You can wear the style as is or dry wrap for additional straightening. Once the hair is wrapped around the head, tie a scarf around it; this will smooth the hair down further, so once it's released, you'll have a bouncy bob instead of a curlier style.

Tips and Advice:

• Your results won't last nearly as long in high humidity, so you may have to save roller setting for fall and winter, when there's less moisture in the air.
• The bigger the roller, the straighter the hair.
• Extremely coily hair may not straighten to your satisfaction with this method. It may require low heat with a blow dryer for better results, so carefully consider your natural texture when thinking about roller setting, as it may not work as well for very tight curls.
• Do not remove rollers until the hair is completely dry. Taking them out too early will result in hair that curls back up.

By Del Sandeen, About.com

Interview with Wendi Levy, co-founder of Mixed Chicks

kolkolkolblog met Wendi Levy(left), co-founder of Mixed Chicks, the curl-defining system for multi-cultural people. Wendi is a key player in the rise of natural hair care with her associate Kim Etheredge. She attended the Afro Hair and Beauty Live Show in London on 30 May 2010 to prepare the arrival of her range in the UK. She tells us her tips to maintain curly hair.

http://www.mixedchicks.net/

Bad hair story

A London woman is taking legal action against a hair salon after suffering severe burns which put her in hospital days before her wedding.

Stephanie Davies-Crowley, 37, of Tottenham, says she suffered toxic shock after an inexperienced assistant put a mixture of chemicals on her hair that burned her scalp.

The office manager told how she was so severely injured she had to go from the salon in Hertfordshire to Homerton Hospital — and from there to her wedding. She had to wear a wig to cover up patches where her hair fell out. Figures show that lawyers have dealt with 34 salon-related injury cases in the capital over the past 12 months. The total across the country is 338 in a year.

The findings are based on a survey by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers which is launching a campaign to get hairdressers regulated.

Ms Davies-Crowley, who married husband Luke last August, is bringing a civil action against the salon which treated her, La Belle Hair Studio in Hitchin.

She claims it failed to carry out a patch test that would have revealed she was allergic to toxins in the dye. She also alleges the hairdresser put the dye on soon after using chemicals to straighten her hair, which made the injuries worse.

Ms Davies-Crowley said: “At one point I went blind and that's when Luke took me to hospital. They had to drain the fluid from my head and put me on morphine to kill the pain. Women should make a lot more effort to check out the salons they use. There should be regulation.”

Denise Kitchener, the lawyers' association's chief executive, said: “We are very concerned about the number of people being injured.”
The salon denied Ms Davies-Crowley's allegations and said the case was in the hands of its solicitor.

Source: This is London

Hit or Miss: Rihanna's red hair

Saturday 5 June, Rock in Rio Madrid festival

Best styling creme: Aveda Brilliant

If you had to go on a desert island and could only take one product, pick the Aveda Brilliant Universal styling creme. No, we haven't been paid to make this review and yes, Aveda Brilliant is often recommended on natural hair care websites. It even won the Company Hair Awards 2009 so there must be a reason... We've tried it and here's why you should definitely try it too:

1. It moisturizes without frizzing
Many moisturizing cremes contain too much water and make your frizz when you only want to twist out and define curls. Other styling cremes are so heavy that your hair becomes greasy after you've applied them. We found that the Aveda moisturizing crème contains just enough water to moisturize your hair and define curls without making it damp.

2. It's ideal for an express twist out
If you want to make a twist out in a rush, you don't want a styling crème that will soak your hair wet and take an hour to dry. You can litterally apply Aveda Brilliant to dry hair, make four or five huge flat twsits, leave for 30 minutes and bring out the curls.

3. It leaves your hair soft
A twist out with Aveda Brilliant can last two days and the curls are still very well defined. It also leaves your hair shiny and soft unlike other moisturizing cremes make your hair crunchy.

4. It smells like heaven
We don't know which of the ingredients gives that particular smell to the creme it but we love it.
Ingredients: Black tea, Certified organic aloe, Certified organic camomile, Certified organic jojoba

RATE THIS: Dark and Lovely relaxers

Have you ever used Dark and Lovely relaxers? What did you think? Rate, comment, help others pick the best products and avoid bad hair stories.

Afro Hair & Beauty Live, London

This weekend, the biggest brands and suppliers of afro hair and beauty products are meeting the public at the Afro Hair & Beauty Live show. Launched in 1981, the event will be held for the first time ever in Islington, North London.

Anybody can go and discover the latest products, see fashion shows or learn directly from hair and beauty experts with live demos. Salon owners, beauticians, wholesale retailers (for cheaper products) will also be there.

Our personal picks, two workshops:

• Black Hair Growth Secrets
  
• Loc Techniques and Natural Hair Styling
  

Look out for pictures and comments this weekend on kolkolkolblog.

Afro Hair & Beauty LIVE
30-31 May
Business Design Centre
52, Upper street
Islington London
N10QH

http://www.afrohairshow.com/index.html

Essence Black Women in Hollywood 2010

Stunning Joy Bryant

Jada Pinkett Smith

Vanessa Williams

More...

Celebrity Men Hairstyles Pics 2010

Men Haircuts Pictures 2010 presents Celebrity Men Hairstyles Pics 2010

It is very difficult as predicted in the future will evolve style for men haircuts. But these photos with fancy haircuts we can get an idea and men celebrities are also the one to look if you want to stay in trends for new men hairstyles for 2010. Try to be a step ahead fashion adopting elements of these haircuts.Celebrity hairstyles do you want a celebrity hairstyle here are all free pictures of celebrity men's hair.Leonardo DiCaprio hairstyles and other celebrity men's celebrity hairstyles are here, look at the photos bellow:

Celebrity Men Hairstyles Pics 2010

Celebrity Men Hairstyles Pics 2010

Fight the crunch with shea butter

When your hair becomes extremely dry and crunchy, there are many options to bring it back to life: hot oil treatments, deep conditioning, moisturizing, protective styling.

Shea butter by L'Occitane

Another great way to fight crunchy hair is deep conditioning with shea butter over the weekend. Shea butter comes in various sizes and shapes but you may find it easier to manage it when it's refined and in a tin.

Here's how to deep condition your hair over the weekend:

1. Day 1: Place the tin of shea butter on a heater for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes liquid
2. Distribute the shea butter on small strands from to bottom, until your hair is soaking wet
3. Tie your hair in a bun and let the shea butter penetrate for 24h
4. Day 2: Your hair should already feel smoother. If it has absorbed all the shea butter and is still a bit dry, repeat the process the next day
5. Day 3: Wash your hair and condition as usual.

Dr Hauschka Neem Hair Oil

The Neem Hair Oil by Dr Hauschka is a blend of essential oils supposed to help smoothing dry and chemically treated hair. Here's the list of ingredients: Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricara) Flower Extract, Lecithin, Alcohol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil,Fragrance/Parfum, Limonene, Linalool.

Dr Hauschka don't specialize in Afro hair but their website mentions the testimonial of a client in Bristol with afro texture:

"I have very coarse, dry, afro - like hair and have always struggled to make it look smooth and shiny. I have used every product out there but not until trying this amazing hair oil did I get the results I have been looking for. I can't recommend it enough - Thanks Dr.Hauschka!" Anonymous, Bristol, England

Ok, it's just a testimonial... But it may be worth a try, especially now that it's freezing out there and you may need to make more hot oil treatments.

How to make a hot oil treatment. You can use this guide but choose different types of oils.

Celebrity Hair: best 2009 carpet hairdos

Check out the most memorable carpet hairdos on essence.com. Beyonce, HalleBerry and her new jet black short hair, Queen Latifah and Rihanna are featured in this picture gallery. Go to the picture gallery on essence.com.

Celebrity Hair: Keke Palmer

Keke Palmer grew up on our screens and we saw her hairstyles change along the years. In Akeela and The Bee (2006), she was wearing curly micro-braids that gave her an young and innocent look. She has now opted for long and sleek hair for a more sophisticated style. The 16 year old actress is currently foused on the successful kids' TV show True Jackson, VP on Nickelodeon.

Celebrity hair: Brandy Norwood

So this is what Brandy, the queen of weaves and microbraids, would look like if she had natural hair...