Monthly Archives: February 2009

How Your Hair Grows – Hair Basics 101

Feb232009

 

I know that if you learn how hair grows, you will know what hair care products, styling tools and hair styles are good for your hair.  I don’t want to get all technical and spend time boring you with a lecture, but I do want to give you the facts.  The easy way to do that is to explain it how my husband says all the time, “break it down to me like I am a five year old.”
 
So it’s simple, hair grows in 3 phases.  And everyone, black, white, male or female goes through this.
 
1.       Anagen (growth) Phase
The hair begins to form deep below the skin.  Many rapidly dividing cells are working together to mix and form the hair.  Once the cells are formed, the cells will push through the scalp where it dies and hardens into what we see as hair. (Ew, kind of gross if you ask me.)  This growth phase lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 years and hair can reach approx. 3 ft. This is in the middle of the back for most women. Yes, black girl, 3 ft.  This is very much possible for you.
 hair-phases
2.       Catagen (standing) Phase
After about 3 to 6 ears of growth, the hair stops growing.  For about 2 to 6 weeks, the hair just lies around while the root slowly moves up to the skins surface.
 
3.       Telogen (final) phase
The hair root moves to the surface and this is the time where the hair begins to shed.  This is why you see hairs collecting in your comb and brush.
At any given time 88% of scalp hair is in the growth phase, 1% in the standing phase and 11% in the final phase.
But you may be thinking that if this is all true, why isn’t my hair growing?  Because of the composition of African hair.  It grows coiled and corkscrew-liked and this is what makes our hair is very fragile. If you are interested on how to grow your hair healthy, full and long and you haven’t got the book yet, make sure to get today!
Valonne Smith | Homepage | , , | Comments (0)

Why can't you make it look the hairstylist does?

Feb152009

Have you ever wondered why you can never make your hair look just as good as your hairstylist?  You use the same products, you use the same combs and brushes, but yet it doesn’t look the same.  So I had done some investigating and there are just a few basic reasons why your hairstylist does it better than you.hairstylist

1.    Technique.  They know exactly which brush and/or combs to use, how much heat to apply to the hair, how much tension to put on the hair and so on.  These are the fundamental skills hairstylist attain to make your hair look good.

 

2.    Tenacity. Lets be real, we don’t have the time or even the patience to style each and every small section of our hair, but our hairstylist does. Not only do they have the time, but they are in a better position than you because they are standing over your head.

 

3.    Talent. What makes a good hairstylist talented is by their learning on how to control your hair.  When a stylist can bring the right tools, tenacity and technique to your specific hair type, they will make your hair look great.  

I spoke to Alexis Rae, hairstylist of Supercuts in San Jose, CA and here is what she advises to do to get your hair looking good in between salon visits.

“After washing the hair, I tell a lot of my customers to wait until your hair is absolutely dry when using a flat iron, curling iron or pressing comb.  There can be a lot of damage if the hair isn’t completely dry.  Secondly, I recommend a lot of hair styling products, but remember that hairstyling products often don’t mean what they say, so experiment.  Try using lighter weight styling products for all over the hair and use firmer heavier hold products on the stubborn areas.  Lastly don’t go overkill on styling products.  By using too much it will weigh the hair down and will attract more dirt and clog pores.”

With that being, if you liked this post, send a shout out to your favorite hairstylist.  This will help the women visiting this site know about the best hairstylist in their local area.

I love you Alexis! ~ Supercuts, Curtner Road, San Jose, CA

Valonne Smith | Blog, Homepage | , , | Comments (0)


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