Donna's Blog

One of the most frustrating things for us with curly and coily hair is when we simply can’t find a hairstylist that knows and understands our hair texture. Who agrees? For us with natural hair, it’s often normal to occasionally want a protective style like braids, twists, locs or wigs. While there are other moments where we want to rock our natural hair bold, proud and well deep conditioned. If you’ve recently gone natural, moved to a new city, or just need a change, trying to find a new natural hair stylist can be quite overwhelming. First, take a moment to breathe, cousin! If you’re not sure where to start, or if you’re feeling stuck, here are a few tips on choosing your natural hair  stylist. Referrals: The oldest trick in the book to find business owners for practically everything. So, ask for your friends, family members, people you follow on social media, or neighbor for a referral. Don’t be shy when you see someone at the grocery store with really nice and neat braids or with big voluminous curls. That’s your opportunity to add someone in your referral book. Social Media: Social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook have been proven worthy multiple times when looking for a specific hair stylist. They’re basically databases for available goods and services. Search tags such as #naturalhairstylist #naturalhaircare #braidscityname #yourcitynaturalhairstylist etc. You might find several options in your area. Be careful, as not all hairstylists are alike. Do your research and make sure that the hair stylist has experience taking care of naturally curly or hair like yours.  Use a Natural Hair Stylist Directory If you hop on Google, and search natural hair stylist directory, it’ll provide a more filtered database in your city. These directories are filled with hair stylists that specialize in natural hair care, protective styles, or healthy options for coloring curly hair. These are helpful ways to help connect people with coily/curly hair with hair stylists in their area.  Schedule a Consultation Before scheduling an appointment, be sure to set up a consultation. Some stylists may offer this service for free while others may charge a small fee or deposit. Either way, a consultation is crucial when finding a natural hair stylist. Use this as an opportunity to discuss your hair’s needs, hair goals, and receive any feedback from the stylist regarding your healthy hair journey. This conversation will help you decide if a stylist fits your needs, budget, and overall confidence.  Talk About Products Figure out what salons and stylists use the same or similar product lines as you. Find out if they have the styling tools that work best for your hair texture. If a particular salon doesn’t have the tools or products that are more centered for natural hair care, then they may not be the right fit for you. Try a Few Stylists Before Committing So you did all your research, booked a consultation, set an appointment and got your hair done. Everything went smooth but you’re still not 100% sold. That’s okay! There’s no rule that says you have to commit to one stylist after the first appointment. Try a few other hair stylists in your area over the year to see who you’re comfortable with and who works with your hair best. Because that’s what’s most important!  If you love how your hair is done the first time, don’t feel the need to shop around. Continue booking with that stylist again and start building that relationship.

You’re looking in the mirror and you know something just isn’t right. Where did your lovely curls and your natural curl pattern go?! This is the moment that you realize it's the result of repeated flat ironing, blow-drying, perm after perm, dyeing, and bleaching. Your curls that were once defined, bouncy, and happy are now stringy, limp, and lifeless – almost like they forgot how to curl! Now you’re wondering, “How can I undo all this damage? How can I get my curl pattern back?” Well, the truth is – you can’t jump in a time machine and travel back to its original state of health. What you CAN do is restore its strength and train your new growth coming in. First and foremost, the most important step to embracing your natural curls is to make the decision that you want to commit to loving your curls no matter what. Applaud yourself and give yourself credit for having the courage to do this!   1.  Avoid heat, please! Burnt hair can’t be restored or repaired. The only solution for excessive heat damage is the growth of new hair. So, put the heat-styling tools down, right now! Or simply just throw them away. For drying your hair: Instead of a blow-dryer, use a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt. It will remove excess water from your hair without irritating or drying out your strands.  If possible, try to air-dry your hair after using the microfiber towel. A good air-drying tip is to add leave-in conditioner, styling cream/gel and Donna’s Hair Strength Oil to your damp hair, quickly do your hair in a protective style or wash & go, and let it dry while retaining moisture.   2. Physically train your curls when styling If you're transitioning, more than likely, your ends don't resemble your natural hair texture or curl pattern of your roots. Therefore your ends need to be trained to curl and spring up again. When it's time to style your hair, finger coil and scrunch each loc of hair. Yes, it may be time consuming, but this will subconsciously tell your curls they need to start curling up again. They won't curl back immediately, but they will naturally make it a habit to curl on your own in due time!   3.  If you must use heat – do so wisely. Limit how often you use heat and when you do, use the lowest and coolest setting possible. If you must use a blow-dryer, flat iron, or other heat styling tools, remember to ALWAYS use a heat protectant. A heat protectant forms a protective layer around each of your strands guarding the cuticle from extreme heat. Another helpful tip is to avoid using heat-styling tools on your wet hair. Water molecules can absorb a lot of heat, so frying your strands from the inside will cause all the moisture to evaporate. Make sure your hair is only damp (not soaking wet) before you turn that blow dryer on (if you MUST).  4.  Give your hair a deep conditioning boost. Whether you lost your curl pattern to damage caused by heat or chemical processing, moisturizing your hair is and will always be key. The best way to do that is with weekly deep conditioning. Deep conditioners or hair masks are excellent ways to hydrate and moisturize your strands, scalp, and follicles. They also are nutrient-rich to help boost hair health. To ensure you get all the goodness from your deep conditioner, consider using a clarifying shampoo before deep conditioning. This will help to remove buildup so your deep conditioner can actually get to your scalp and cuticles to work its magic. Damaged hair tends to be dry and brittle, so use a leave-in conditioner to hydrate and moisturize your hair on a daily basis.    5. Lay off the dyes, bleaches, and relaxers for a while. At this point, coloring, highlighting and chemical straightening your hair should take a back seat. Your hair can’t take more manipulation. Dyes and bleaches are notorious for damaging and weakening your hair. Relaxers chemically change the structure of your stands, therefore changing your curl pattern.  If you still choose to color your hair, at least avoid any color that will require you to bleach your hair. Instead, go with a tone that matches your natural color to avoid bleaching.     Finally, transitioning your hair back to its natural curl pattern will take time, patience and LOVE! Use this journey as a way to get to know your hair type and texture better. Take the time to find out which styles and products work best for your hair. Develop a hair care routine that helps you nourish your strands into thicker, healthier hair as you proudly show off your natural curl pattern!    

Retaining length is about how you care for your hair. Here are some tips that you can incorporate into your hair care regimen to help your length retention:1. Drink Water. Healthy hair starts from the inside out. Water stimulates nerve endings on your scalp which helps make your roots more active.2. Protect your hair while you sleep. Cotton pillowcases can remove moisture from your hair. To retain moisture sleep in a satin bonnet or scarf or sleep on a satin pillowcase to protect your hair.3. Keep your hair moisturized. I know this is probably something that you hear all the time when it comes to your hair. Use leave-in conditioners, oils, and creams to help you keep your hair moisturized, and also do hot oil treatments.4. Treat your scalp. Healthy hair growth starts with a healthy scalp. When you shampoo your hair make sure to massage your scalp and remove all the debris from your hair. Also, make sure to massage your scalp when you apply Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil it helps to stimulate hair growth.  5. Detangle your hair with care. Be careful and take your time detangling your hair to minimize breakage.  The trick is to stay consistent and remember even when it doesn't feel like your hair is growing it is. Stay patient and drink some water cause thats your business!