Nyasha

February 27, 2021 by Nyasha

We often talk about hair care mistakes to avoid but we seem to forget the most important ones which are scalp care mistakes. Scalp care is so fundamental in your natural hair journey and should never be taken for granted. Alright. Let’s dig in and find out what these mistakes are.

Do Not Do The Job Of A Dermatologist Or Toxicologist Except You Are One.

Most times when people come to me for remedies on scalp issues they are having, the first thing I do is to recommend them to a dermatologist or toxicologist as the case maybe. The reason I do this is because 90% of scalp issues are mostly internal and majorly indicate an underlying problem with the person’s body so no matter how many products you heap on the outside (the scalp issue) without really tackling what is going on on the inside, you are wasting your time. Also, do not try to treat them on your own using countless DIYs. Go to a dermatologist for a proper checkup and diagnosis. He/she will also recommend the best treatment for it if it is something internal. Stop doing the job of a dermatologist or toxicologist unless you are one.

Taking Scalp Care For Granted.

It’s all about how long your natural hair will grow but what of the scalp where the hair grows out from? You need to create a good scalp care routine. If your scalp is always itchy, dry, excessively oily and flaky, you need to pause and start taking care of your scalp. Click HERE for a detailed guide on creating a scalp care routine that works and HERE to download a free ebook on understanding how the scalp determines how long your natural hair will grow. This book is filled with tons of DIY recipes you shouldn’t miss.

Using The Wrong Products On The Scalp.

If you apply deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners and hair butters to your scalp, you need to stop because they clog your scalp which in turn causes itchiness, dandruff and scalp irritations. The only type of products meant for your scalp are products specifically formulated with scalp characteristics in mind which are oils. A good scalp oil should be clean and vegan, lightweight to avoid clogging the scalp, penetrating, stimulating and effective. I highly recommend the Reina hair and scalp serum plus the Elixir if you are experiencing hair loss. These oils are very stimulating and effective. If you are concerned about your scalp care, those oils should be your staple scalp care products.

Tell me, what other scalp care mistakes have you made in the past, let’s chat in the comments!

Created by Viola Ekene for Reina HairCare.

December 23, 2020 by Nyasha

Returning to natural hair to most black women is the best decision they made in their hair journey and to some, it is not. This is primarily because a lot of us have relaxed our hair for years and have gotten used to grooming relaxed hair that we think grooming natural hair is the same. This post is for you if you are thinking of returning to natural hair and do not know what to expect. This is also for you if you have returned to natural hair already and probably facing some challenges. Let’s reminisce, shall we?!

Patience Should Be Your First Name.

Lol! I’m serious. You cannot detangle or comb your natural hair the same amount of time you would for relaxed hair. It is not possible my dear except your hair is very short but once you start gaining some inches, your hair detangling routine should be modified. Also, I hear a lot of ladies’ unrealistic expectations of how long they desire their hair to grow to in a few months. Sorry to burst your bubble but it doesn’t work like that. Working on your expectations and having a healthy one is very vital.

Scalp Care Is Very Important.

A lot of times, more attention is paid to hair care than scalp care which is not balanced. If you neglect your scalp, you will start having scalp issues like itchiness, dryness, dandruff, soreness, redness and so on. It is very vital to understand your scalp type. This will help you establish a scalp care routine. To understand your scalp and carry out a scalp type test, click HERE to download this free eBook on Understanding How The Scalp Determines How Long Your Natural Hair Will Grow. It is very important. I also recommend Reina Hair & Scalp Serum for your scalp care.

The Longer Your Hair Grows, The More Care It Needs.

I see a lot of people excited for their natural hair to grow long but can’t even patiently care for their current shoulder-length hair. My patience with my hair increases as my hair grows because as much as your hair can create more styles with more length, detangling and wash days are a force to reckon with but once you master a routine that works for you and reduces the length of your wash days, it gets better trust me.

You Need To Unlearn Everything You’ve Learned Growing Up About Hair Care.

Relaxed and natural hair are two opposite sides of a coin. Natural hair requires a whole different treatment and care than relaxed hair. For example, with natural hair, reduction of heat usage is a must to avoid heat damages unlike relaxed hair which is already straight and a lot of heat tends not to be required.

Once You Understand Your Hair, You’ll Fall In Love With It.

The reason a lot of people complain about natural hair being so hard to maintain is that they’ve not taken time to understand their hair. They are still using the same methods used on relaxed hair on it and guess what? It will not work! You do not comb/detangle natural hair every day in a bid to keep it ‘kempt’, you don’t just moisturize on wash days and then ignore your hair till the next wash as your hair will dry out and so much more. As we are all individually different, so is our hair. Understanding what your hair loves and hates, its width, porosity, type and so on will help you build a routine that will work for you. If you are already natural, I ask you; do you understand your hair? Do you love it or are you indifferent about it?

Knowing Your Hair Porosity Is More Important Than Knowing Your Hair Type.

A lot of times, I see people so keen on knowing their hair type which is important but know absolutely nothing about their hair porosity. Your hair porosity determines how long your hair will retain moisture, what products will work for your hair, when to do protein treatments and how often to re-moisturize and reseal. Knowledge of your hair porosity is very vital.

Is your hair natural already? What other things do you wish you knew before returning to natural? Share with me in the comments! Let’s chat!

Created by Viola Ekene for Reina Hair Care.

December 23, 2020 by Nyasha

Research shows that 7 in out of 10 women always have issues with thinning edges and nape hairs and this is because of practices we unconsciously carry out day to day on our edges which weakens the hair follicles around the hairline and break them eventually. I love to refer to our edges and nape hairs as ‘baby hairs’ because compared to the other parts of the hair, they are the most fragile and easily susceptible to breakages. That is why more care should be given to them.

So how can you regrow back your edges? Don’t worry. I got you! Let’s dig in.

Always Moisturize Your Edges.

It is easy to forget this because they seem tiny and I understand but, remember that dry hair no matter what side of your scalp it is situated, is very prone to breakages talk less of the tiny nape and front hairs. As you moisturize and seal your hair on weekdays and wash days after deep conditioning, be sure to do the same for your baby hairs. A perfect way to do this especially if you are trying to regrow them would be applying hair products and using hair tools specifically targeted at speeding up the healing process of the scalp around the scanty edges and regrow your hair.

I honestly recommend the Reina Hair Growth Derma-Roller and Hair Elixir Set. These 2 have been paired as they will increase the chances of successfully regrowing your edges and nape hair.

The Hair-Growth Derma Roller is gently rolled on the skin in a controlled motion to create micro-punctures. This triggers the skin’s natural repair process to stimulate endothelial growth factor production for follicle and hair growth. Read more about the derma roller HERE.

The Hair Elixir is masterfully crafted with 100% naturally derived ingredients clinically – proven to easily penetrate the scalp and stimulate hair follicles without harsh chemicals, and help regrow your edges, hairline, nape hairs, fill in your bald spots and grow healthy, strong hair. Read more about the hair elixir HERE. Also, do not forget to apply deep conditioners on that area when deep conditioning. They need that moisture too!

Avoid Installing Tight Protective Hair Styles.

You have probably heard this so many times and you are wondering if it works. Now, here is the truth. Tight protective styles pull hard at your hair and it not only causes hair loss but headaches and migraines. That is why when you are taking down a tight protective style, you will notice tiny hairs come off with it. This is because the tight braids have been pulling the hair for a long period of time with so much pressure. So, when it is time to loosen up, the poor hairs have no other option than to fall off. Also, when you install a new protective style, try not to wear, or pack it up for the first two to three days. This will enable your scalp to breathe and not cause tension from immediate over-styling after braiding. If you have a sensitive scalp, avoid wearing or packing it up at all to avoid scalp bumps, headaches, and gradual hair loss.

Scalp care while wearing a protective style is also very important to avoid dryness, itchiness, and dandruff. Always moisturize first by spritzing warm water on your scalp gently to avoid the water spilling down your face and then apply a well-formulated penetrating oil to seal in the moisture. I highly recommend our Hair & Scalp Serum as it will nourish, moisturize, alleviate itchiness, dryness, reduce dandruff and stimulate hair growth.

Always Wear A Wig Cap Before Wearing A Wig

The wig cap serves as a protective barrier for your natural hair especially the edges and nape hairs. Some frontals require sitting tightly on the edges to give a ‘natural look’. While this may look very appealing, your edges suffer in the long run. But wearing a wig cap reduces the chances of this happening as the wig is no longer in direct contact with your hair. Also, make sure the wig cap is not tight on your hairline. I once had this wig that the frontal would grip my front hairline region so badly. I should have changed it, but I kept postponing it till I started noticing my edges were gradually falling off plus it gave me headaches. You know, it is like wanting to get into a relationship and you see tons of red flags, but you adamantly stay because it feels flashy. Lol! Do not do it, sis. It is not worth it. Always wear a wig cap first. It also protects your natural hair and prevents it from drying out. So, it’s a win-win!

Reduce The Usage Of Styling Gels And Products You Use.

I know you want those edges to be laid all the time but sis, your natural hair edges were not created in the first place to be laid so it is only natural that when you apply some gels to it, after some minutes, your hair goes against it. But do you stop there? No. You go ahead to buy stronger gels to lay them down more. This is detrimental to your baby hairs because the pressure will be too much on it. I understand we all have different preferences and some people like their edges looking snatched all the time, but this should be done in moderation. The brushes we also use most times to get our hair to sleek down are hard and trust me when I tell you it is doing more harm than good. Give those baby hairs a rest if you want them to thrive. Alternate between wearing them in their natural state and laying them. Here is a quick tip on caring for your edges after a long day of wearing it slicked down. Spritz warm water on it and gently massage to get rid of the styling product residues and then rinse off over a sink. Then proceed to apply a good scalp care product like the Hair & Scalp Serum or Hair Elixir to soothe the scalp and keep it moisturized because the truth is, hair gels and waxes dry out natural hair terribly.

Use Scalp Care Products Specifically To Speed Up The Healing Process And Stimulate Your Follicles.

The good thing about not using DIYs for this is that most DIYS you make at home does not have certain important factors which are considered when professionally formulating scalp and hair care products in mind like scalp and hair PH plus penetrating ability of the product. Any time you make a DIY, you just use it right? I understand but it has 90% chances of not working as it should because it might not contain penetrating ingredients. So, most times, it just sits on the scalp which can clog the pores and cause dandruff. A good scalp oil should be light and penetrating and most DIYs and scalp oils I have seen and made myself as DIYs, aren’t.

We highly recommend Reina Hair & Scalp Serum as it has been formulated by experts to easily penetrate your scalp, nourish, moisturize and stimulate growth.

If you are already dealing with thinning and receding edges, nape hair and temporary bald spots, we highly recommend our Hair Elixir and Derma Roller bundle as these work hand in hand to increase chances of successfully regrowing your hair.

Re-growing your edges and thinning hairlines is not as daunting as it seems. Just like every other thing in life, you have to determine to re-grow them and of course, stay away from anything that would frustrate your efforts as I mentioned previously. Above all, you have to be consistent and patient with this process, there is no miracle product out there that will regrow your edges or nape hairs overnight, so you also need to put in the effort by making sure you are mindful of some of the practical ways you handle your hair.

Let’s chat more in the comments. Are your re-growing your edges? If yes, what other methods not mentioned in this post are you using? Share with us, please! Also, share this post with a friend. That will be highly appreciated.

Written by Viola Ekene for Reina HairCare.

December 22, 2020 by Nyasha

There is a lot of fuss in the natural hair community about hair care, which is good, but we rarely talk about scalp care. Scalp care is so fundamental in
our natural hair journey because a healthy scalp is paramount to healthy
hair. In this post, you will be learning the basics of setting up a simple scalp
care routine for your natural hair which will, in turn, prevent scalp conditions like itchiness, dryness, dandruff, soreness, redness and so on.

Let us start with your wash day. A lot of us do not oil our scalp on wash days which eventually leads to dryness and itchiness. Just like your skin, the scalp needs to always stay moisturized. As much as we have sebaceous glands on our scalp that produce sebum which helps the scalp stay moisturized, the sebum is not enough to keep the scalp from getting dry for a long period of time except if one has an oily scalp type. To learn the different types of the scalp, how to do a scalp test and care for the various scalp types, click HERE to download this free eBook on understanding how the scalp determines the extent to which our hair can grow.

Always oil your scalp on wash days after shampooing and deep conditioning. As you apply the oil to your scalp, be sure to gently massage as well to enable faster penetration of the oils and increase blood circulation. For your regular scalp care, we highly recommend Reina Haircare Hair & Scalp Serum. This serum is lightweight, non-greasy and has been formulated with high quality natural & organic ingredients clinically proven to easily penetrate and nourish your scalp. It is gentle on the hair follicles and scalp and alleviate scalp conditions like itchiness, dryness, scaly scalp and reduces dandruff while also strengthening and stimulating hair follicles to encourage hair growth and reduce hair loss.

Moisturize and Oil Your Scalp In Between Weeks

One of the reasons your scalp itches between weeks and after installing a protective style is you do not re-moisturize and re-oil your scalp. For instance, just because you moisturize your skin after bathing today does not mean you will not moisturize it tomorrow. Guess what will happen when you neglect this, your skin gets dry and flaky. The same as your scalp! However, due to a higher presence of sebaceous glands on the scalp more than the skin, it is best to re-moisturize and re-oil not everyday this time but at least two-three times in a week depending on your scalp type.

How Then Do You Moisturize and Oil Your Scalp During The Week or In A Protective Style?

First, spritz warm water gently on your scalp. Do not spritz to the point water drips down your face continuously but enough to moisturize your scalp. Why warm water? Warm water opens your scalp pores to enable the oil to penetrate as opposed to cool water. Then proceed to apply and massage the Hair and Scalp Serum. This oil comes with an applicator which makes application easy. Repeat this process after two or three days depending on how dry your scalp gets and your environmental weather condition like harmattan and winter.

Other Scalp Care Practices You Should Never Ignore/Do’s and Don’ts of Scalp Care

Do not take scalp massages for granted. Scalp massages are not only relieving for headaches and migraines but increase blood circulation which in turn promotes a healthy scalp and rapid hair growth. The circulation of blood is important to hair growth as this is the transportation system for oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the hair follicles with subcutaneous blood flow. Hence during the anagen (growth) stage of the hair growth cycle, blood flow is crucial as it ensures that the scalp derives all the essential nutrients and oxygen to achieve strong, healthy hair that grows as the hair strands are being nourished regularly. We highly recommend regular scalp massages and accompany these with our popular Hair & Scalp serum and just watch your hair thrive at it’s fullest potential.

Scalp Exfoliation: Just as you buy and use facial and body scrubs to get rid of dead skin cells, the scalp should not be overlooked. Dead skin cell accumulation on the scalp is notorious for dandruff and outrageous itchiness. So occasionally, exfoliate and use shampoos formulated specifically to combat itchy scalp and dandruff, like Nizoral or Head and Shoulders. For free scalp scrub DIY recipes, click HERE to download our free eBook which contains recipes on different scalp exfoliating scrubs.

Do not apply leave-in conditioners, deep conditioners, and hair butters to the scalp: These products are formulated with the hair’s PH in mind and not the scalp’s PH because they are different scales. When you use these products on your scalp, you clog your scalp which will cause itchiness and discomfort.

Avoid tight protective styles: Tight protective styles pull at your scalp and cause soreness, bumps or spots and redness. Whenever you are having a protective style installed by a stylist and it begins to feel tight, please let your stylist know so they stop making the hairstyle tight. Most times the stylist might not know it is tight, so you must be vocal about it so they can loosen it a bit for you.

Scalp care should never be taken for granted in your natural hair journey. In fact, it is the most important and fundamental aspect to healthy, strong hair that grows. These aforementioned tips will help you get started and when you implement them, the chances of having a problematic scalp in your hair journey is close to non-existent. Please share this post if you found it useful. What other scalp care practices do you implement in your natural hair journey, please leave a comment below. Let’s chat more in the comments section.