HGKWW ::: "I love my hair!!!"

I'm sure by now that many of you have seen Sesame Street's "I love my hair!" video...

And if not:




Cute, right? ABC News released an article on the inspiration of the video that you can check out here:

ABC News: 'I Love My Hair' Video Inspired By Father's Love of Daughter

Now take a look at this:

"I Love My Hair" T-shirts 

*UPDATE: The site removed the photo of the white model & now only have the picture of the t-shirt up... "I Love My Hair" T-shirts updated

This company chose to have a White young woman model a t-shirt based on something meant to show African American girls that they should love their hair as it is. Does the race of the model really matter? Do you think this website missed the point? Do you think the message of the t-shirt changes once someone who is not African American decides to purchase and wear it?

Thoughts? Feelings?

HGKWW ::: The War Against Dry Hair: The Right Conditioner

In an earlier post, I mentioned that not all conditioners are equal. Nor are they all designed to do the same things for your hair.

I stress the importance of moisturizing the hair all of the time. But if there is one more thing that can fight off the dreaded dry hair dilemma...it's conditioning conditioning conditioning.

But! The right conditioner.

Some conditioners are meant to rebuild the protein in your hair. What we need right now is to replenish the moisture content of our hair.

Here are a few of my fav go-to moisturizing conditioners (& as usual, they are on the easy-on-the-pocket end):

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration

*Herbal Essences Replenishing Conditioner

*ORS Replenishing Pak (word on the street is it comes in bottles now!!!)

Suave Humectant

Suave Almond & Shea Butter

*Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

*Dove Intense Moisture

*Creme of Nature Nourishing Conditioner

*Try these conditioners when doing a deep condition. Deep conditioning for AT LEAST 15-20 minutes (& under a hooded dryer, if you can) is a must. I usually shoot for 30-45, especially in the absence of a dryer.

Of course, these are only conditioners I've tried. There are TONS more to try. What ingredients should you look for?
ONE. Water
TWO. Fats (fatty alcohols)
THREE. Humectants/Emollients

HGKWW ::: The "Search & Destroy" Trimming Method

I love scissors. Too much.

Give me an array of colored construction paper & see what happens.

There was a time when if you told me I needed to trim my hair, I'd look at you like "BACK UP!!!!!"

Well, not anymore...I've learned to get over my hair cutting phobia. In fact, lately my friends have been screaming for me to stay away from the scissors. But I really despise crappy looking ends & seeing my split ends fall away is really therapeutic.

But don't be like me & go hair chopping crazy!!!

Many people like to get their hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks. The truth is, if you take good care of your ends, most of your hair probably doesn't need a trim! There are usually a few culprits in every bunch, but overall your ends may be just fine. So how can you avoid cutting hair that does not need to be cut?

The Search & Destroy method!!!

And yes. It is exactly what it sounds like. You search for the damaged ends and you destroy them!!!!!!! Well, you cut them off...

The S&D method can be done every month or two and definitely in-between full trims.

*NOTE* Whenever you cut your hair make sure that you are using actual HAIR SHEARS...not regular scissors. Using scissors that are not specifically designed to cut hair can result in MORE damaged and split ends.

There is no real set way to perform a search-and-destroy...I've seen several suggestions on how to do it. I usually don't make it through my whole head in one sitting and I focus on about one square inch of hair at time. Make sure your area is well-lit so you can clearly see which ends look stressed and are splitting.

Here's a chart to guide you in knowing which ends need to go:

Because I do not wear my hair bone straight often and favor curlier styles, I do not need all of my hair to be exactly the same length. This makes me a little less anal about getting traditional trims, so the S&D works for me.

All you need is good light, hair shears, a mirror, a magnifying glass if you so desire & PATIENCE!!!!!

HGKWW ::: The War Against Dry Hair: The Shower Cap

I'm ALWAYS looking for another way to combat the dryness I experience with my hair. And so, every once in a while, I'll share something I've added to my constantly growing arsenal.

Today? The shower cap.

I'm sure that most of us know that shower caps can prevent moisture from getting to our hair. However, not only can a shower cap keep the moisture OUT, it can keep the moisture IN.

Have you been trying your best to keep a daily and/or nightly hair moisturizing routine and STILL notice that your hair is dry when you wake up in the morning? PART of that reason may be because the air is soaking up all of the moisture from your hair products before your hair has a chance to absorb it.

My suggestion to you? After you moisturize you hair as explained here, put a plastic shower cap (the little cheap clear plastic ones will do) over your hair & then place your satin scarf or cap over top of it. Leave it on overnight. In the morning, take the cap off a few minutes before styling and manipulating your hair. Because the shower cap trapped the moisture inside of it, your hair might feel slightly damp. This usually isn't noticeable and dries quickly, which is why I suggest removing the cap a few minutes prior to when you actually begin to style your hair.

Your hair should not feel dry like it usually does since it was allowed more time to absorb your moisturizers before the air got to it. 

Let me know if you try this out, what you liked, what you didn't like & how you remixed it for yourself!

HGKWW ::: Natural Hair in the Workplace

I was talking to my mom the other day about how I try to be careful about what hairstyles I wear to work. The short conversation we had inspired me to want to write a post on how certain natural looks are received in the workplace. But first, I was curious about my readers' experiences...

Do you ever feel uncomfortable wearing your hair in all of its glorious kinkiness at work?

Do you think certain styles aren't appropriate?

Has anyone (supervisor, manager, etc.) ever suggested you change your hair? If so, how did you handle it? If not, how would you handle it?

How big is too big when it comes to styling your hair?

Which styles do you feel work? Which do you think don't make the cut for work?

Do you feel obligated to straighten your hair for work?

Do co-workers ever make comments about your hair, whether positive or negative?

Please feel free to share your thoughts. This will probably develop into a series of posts & I might even throw in some quotes from your feedback...

Drop a comment or email me at jagray4@gmail.com with the subject line: HGKWW

HGKWW ::: Q&A III

Q: I read somewhere that alcohol is bad for my hair. The problem is I see it in every hair product when I check the ingredients. Avoiding alcohol is pretty much impossible, so what should I do?!

A: My issue with a lot of the information you find about hair care is that people don't give a complete breakdown of the facts. You do not have to completely avoid alcohol when buying hair products. Why? Because not ALL alcohols are bad for your hair.

Here are the alcohols that you need to avoid:

• Menthanol
• Ethanol
• Alcohol Denat
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Propanol
• SDA40
• Specially Denaturated Alcohol
  These guys can dry the hair & leave it looking frizzy.

And believe it or not...there are alcohols that are good for your hair:

• Acetyl Alcohol
• Cetyl Alcohol
• Lanolin Alcohol
• Lauryl Alcohol
• Stearic Acid
• Stearyl Alcohol
• Sterol Alcohol
  These are capable of softening and conditioning the hair.

So you can breathe!!!! Not all alcohols are out to get you!!!! Of course, everyone's hair is different & reacts to products differently, but you can use this as a guide to put you in the right direction.

HGKWW ::: Q&A II

Q: What can I do to minimize how tangled my hair gets whenever I wash it?!

A. Detangling hair can be a very frustrating process. But the best way to make detangling less of a hassle is to minimize the amount of tangling that happens in the FIRST place! Here are a few simple tips.

• Wash your hair in SECTIONS.  You will not regret it. Depending on the thickness & length of your hair, separating it into 4-6 sections should be sufficient. I usually braid or twist sections that I am not working with at the moment. Honestly, whenever I do anything with my hair, I put it into sections. It makes the hair so much more manageable.
• Detangle while conditioning. Use a shower comb or a medium to wide toothed comb to detangle the hair after applying conditioner to wet hair. Conditioner helps make the hair easier to work with.
• Work from the ends to the roots. Nothing hurts my soul more than seeing someone quickly drag a comb from their roots all the way to the ends of their hair. You are tearing your hair out. Ripping it. If you take a moment, you will HEAR the hair breaking as your comb goes through it. Take your time. Start at the ends of the hair and work your way up to the roots until you are able to carefully comb through that sections of hair. 
• Use a deep conditioner w/ silicones or natural oils. Let it sit in your hair for at least 20 minutes. If you have a hooded dryer, cover the hair with a shower cap and sit underneath the dryer while you are conditioning. The silicones and oils in the deep conditioner will help the comb glide through your hair.
•  Detangle w/ a natural oil before washing. Only a little bit of oil needs to be applied to each section of the hair. Because the hair is still dry, work tangles out with your fingers. Using a comb on dry hair is BEGGING for breakage. 
• & last..........................BE PATIENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!