Donna's Blog

Donna said put those flat irons down but we know some of her cousins still may enjoy using them.  So, here's some heat hair crimes to avoid when using heating tools. Let's get right into it!   1.) Setting heating tools on the hottest setting This is a big NO as it will cause severe damage to your hair and most hair strands simply can't handle that high of heat even on one use.  Talk to a stylist that specializes in healthy hair on a setting that is acceptable for your hair type.   2.) Not using a heat protectant This is necessary on so many levels and so many people skip out on using a heat. protectant before heat styling.  It's important to help protect from moisture loss which works to prevent hair breakage.   3.) Using flat irons on dirty hair The best time to flat iron hair is on clean hair right after shampoo and conditioning.  Flat ironing on dirty hair from the oil and dirt will "burn" your hair making it more vulnerable to more damage than standard heating.  4. Passing the flat iron too slow When you’re sliding the flat iron down your hair it’s imperative to keep it moving. Don't move too slow because you are simply frying your hair out. If you go super slow thinking you are getting it straighter, you are actually overheating your hair and causing major irreversible damage.    5. Not giving your hair a break There's no other way to escape this.  You have to give your hair a break.  Allow moisture to absorb in your hair and be restored from being dried out.  You can wear your hair in it's natural state (check back soon with easy natural hair styles) or use a protective style like twists or braids.  Make sure to keep up your healthy hair routine with Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil and Donna's Recipe Biotin.      Share some other heat crimes that can help your fellow cousin.        

A common question every curly hair woman and man all ask is, how often should we be getting a curly hair cut? Curly hair has a whole different set of up keeping rules compared to our straighter hair friends.  A standard rule is that you should cut your naturally curly hair every 3-4 months. However, you don’t necessarily need to go by this standard, because every curly haired queen and king is different. One person’s hair may grow a lot slower, and another person can grow twice as fast. Every crown is different! One indicator to know when it’s time to get a haircut is when you're combing or brushing your hair, and you notice your hair starts to get really knotted at the tips, or get fairy knots, or split ends. That’s your hair telling you it needs a trim! So just listen to your hair, because your hair will definitely tell you when it’s time. There are 3 main types of haircuts for curly hair. The Curly Cut, a Trim, and Dusting. The Curly Cut. This should happen as often as once a year or two. It’s a dry curly cut to find the right overall shape for your hair while it’s in its full natural state.That is the ONLY way you should be cutting your hair. If you cut your hair while it’s straight, this can highly affect the amount of shrinkage you’ll have or it may be uneven when it’s curly. Also avoid cutting your hair when it’s wet, because your hair is at its longest length when it’s wet and you won't know what your hair will look like when it’s dry. So this also can affect the amount of shrinkage. So when looking for a hair stylist, try to find a certified curly hair stylist. Curly Hair Trim. This is a cut you should be doing every so often, which can be 3-4 months. When you’re noticing the obvious dead ends, knotted tips or they’re starting to feel brittle and weak, it’s time for a trim. When you get a trim from a certified curly hair stylist, they go curl by curl, picking up one curl at a time, and trimming where it needs to. Dusting. There is no specific time measurement for dusting. It’s more of an eyeballing feeling every 1-2 months after your trim or Curly Cut. This can be done by yourself in the peace of your own home. This does not mean we’re grabbing our broom in our storage closet. Dusting is when you’re cutting off 3-4 quarters of an inch to each curl. So you’re not really messing with your length, but just focusing on getting those small dead stray ends. This can actually really benefit the overall health of your hair. With getting Curly Haircuts, it does not necessarily mean it will help your hair grow. However it will help with your length retention, which means helping your length last longer in a healthy way. This is why big chops are crucial and beneficial versus transitioning. Big chops will naturally cut off all dead ends and begin the healthy hair process faster, therefore increase hair growth faster. While transitioning already has the length, it will slow down the healthy hair process and the dead ends will block the opportunity for new hair growth.  What I'm really trying to tell you, is listen to your hair, because I PROMISE your hair will tell you when it needs some TLC!

Hey loves! I'm Kiana Rae and I'm a new member of the Donna's Recipe Fam. My curly hair journey didn't start until 4 years ago. Before that, believe it or not, I was straightening it every single day for 15 years. YIKES! Since then, I've dedicated my time to educate myself on everything curly hair related, such as hair types, porosity levels, curl friendly brands and ingredients, and the wash day process. With that, I want to share my Curly Hair Care Tips to you all! For wash day, the thing about curly hair is that you shouldn’t and don’t have to wash your hair everyday. At one point, we all used to do that (including myself), and we didn’t know any better. Not washing our hair everyday is great because we'll get more volume and our natural hair oils travel throughout our hair making them bloom. Letting our hair last longer can help show us which products work best for us. But, you or anyone might be having some trouble making your curls last all week. So I’m here to give you my inside tips to help you out! These will include how to reduce frizz and what products you should be using on which day to make your curls last as long as possible. When refreshing your curls everyday, one of the main ways to make sure your hair looks good in the morning is how you go to bed the night before. That is by sleeping on SATIN, ON SATIN, ON SATIN! It’s the number one fabric that prevents hair from frizz. The less frizz you have, the easier it will be to refresh your curls every single day. Satin is and always will be your curls best friend! Pull your hair back and use a satin head wrap that wraps around your edges and underneath your neck. This will help protect your edges and bottom layer curls from getting irritated, matted and frizzing out. Place your entire hair in a satin bonnet. That way all of your curls will be protected. Finally, make sure to use a satin pillowcase. Imagine your satin bonnet and satin pillowcase are two magnets. Rather than using a satin bonnet and a cotton pillowcase, satin on satin will never cause friction with each other, just like magnets. Your hair will gracefully slip and slide while you're sleeping along all that satin.  * ALSO!*  Bring your own satin pillowcase while traveling to put over the hotel pillows as well as your airplane seat (that’s my little secret, so don’t tell anyone)!    So, what products should you be using everyday to refresh them?  On day one (aka your wash day), start with a frizz free product that give your curls more hold. Mainly a product that will give your curls a caste. These products can range from a mousse, or to a gel. The caste will slowly go away, but the hold will still be there.  On day 2, your curls should've been kept safe from all of your satin products overnight. So remove your satin products one by one, flip your hair over to each side, slide your fingers into the roots and shake your hair vigorously. That’s it for day 2! On day 3 and maybe day 4, your hair may be asking for a little more moisture. Well guess what?! Your curls second best friend is water. No, you don’t need to drench your curls every single day. However, hair products are activated by water. First shake out your curls just like your day 2 process. Spritz your hair throughout with no more than 5-10 sprays. Yes, water can activate your products, but over spraying with water can cause frizz. Now this part is KEY! After spraying your hair, DO NOT touch your hair until it’s dry! Touching your hair while wet can also cause frizz, because it'll only confuse them while the products are trying to activate. You need to give your curls time on their own to wake up, think, and do their thing. With day 5 and 6, if your scalp is feeling a little greasy, consider applying a dry shampoo. Just lift your hair so you have access to your roots, spray, and then shake your roots with your fingers and slightly rub the dry shampoo in your scalp. It will not only give you a  cleaner feeling scalp, but it will also provide great volume. Instead of purchasing a curl refreshing spray, you can make your own (and save a few dollars)! Grab a spray bottle, fill it with cold water and add 3-5 drops of Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil, then shake it all together. Cold water will help retain your moisture versus warm water which will dry out your hair.  Just 3-5 drops of Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil. And VOILA!  If there are some obvious strands of hair that need a little more TLC, spritz the strand with water, add a pea sized amount of product, then coil that strand with your finger. Then allow time to dry. The main take away from these tips is to really listen to what your curls need on that day.  At the end of the day, the healthier your hair is, the better your curls are going to look throughout the week. Which means more Curly Hair Care, and less straightening *wink wink*!   Let's all help each other out. How do you keep your curls longer?       

This is a time where we should put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on our bathroom door so we can go to work..yes? For some, wash day is a breeze, but for most people wash day is a whole job.  Here are some quick tips to better prepare for wash day and make it more enjoyable! 1.) Get Mentally Prepared Sometimes we just jump into and forget what we get ourselves into.  Don't you do that.  Get into the right mind space so you can be patient with your beautiful glory of hair.  Don't you treat Donna's cousins wrong because you're impatient!  Don't do that.  This is a time of giving good TLC to your hair and scalp not rush.  Think of wash day as a spa day where Donna's cousin are going to get pampered and spoiled.  Yes!  So, make sure you don't have any close plans so you don't rush.   2.) Get a Good Playlist to Get You In the Right Mood  Do you like to listen to slow jams or do you like more hype hip hop?  Whichever gets you in the right mood, the cousins are here for it.  This will make the time more enjoyable and light.   3.) Get everything you need out in front of you on the counter in order * Section clips *Shampoo *Conditioner *Deep Conditioner *Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil *Microfiber towel *Leave-in Conditioner *Conditioning cap *Moisturizing cream   4.) Invest in a conditioning cap so you still be mobile in the house Long are the days where we have to be under a hooded dryer.  Invest in a good conditioning cap so you can still cook food, clean, wash and hear your netflix show.  Wash Day Routine 1.) Soften Hair Before Shampoo (10 mins) Applying a moisturizing conditioner before your wash will soften your strands for your wash and allow less manipulation during the washing process.  Let it set for about 10 mins.  You can also use oils that has moisture such as avocado, coconut or olive oil.     3.) Gently detangle (10 mins up to 30 mins) Once you have softened the hair, before you begin to wash, you should gently detangle if needed.  It's best if you can detangle with your fingers.  Yes, this requires time and patience but that is why you have a good playlist going to make this enjoyable, TLC time. Very good.   4.) Shampoo (15 mins) Cleansing is very important to focus on your scalp to remove buildup and debris.  We don't need anything blocking the follicles to prevent growth.   5.) Condition & Deep Condition (20 mins to 1 hour) Important step in the washing process to replenish moisture that may have been stripped from the shampoo.  Concentrate on the strands and especially the ends.  You know the ends are the most vulnerable so slow it down to get those ends.   6.) Leave in Conditioner (2-3 mins) Leave in conditioner is a great liquid that puts moisture on the strands that will keep it soften to avoid breakage and can handle low manipulation.   7.) Apply Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil  (5 mins) Apply to a freshly washed clean scalp and tell me it doesn't feel like a refreshing massage all on its own.  Donna's Recipe has 18 all natural ingredients that provide moisture and seal in the moisture from the leave in.  Ingredients such as avocado and olive provide the moisture and the grape seed and jojoba offer as sealing oils.  All working to do your scalp right.  Massage in for 3-5 mins.   8.) Moisturize (2-5 mins)   End with a good moisturizing cream to keep your strands protected from issues on the outside such as the weather and protect from styling.   And make sure you get in your daily Donna's Recipe Biotin to work from inside.   Have the most amazing wash day!  But even it you can't don't you dare go messing up nobody else's!  

The very mention of hair loss can get us all worked up.  However, this time of year for the fall season it may be more than the leaves falling at a faster pace.  Yes, the fall season, there is a greater chance of increased hair shedding than other times of the year. Settle down, it is normal. However, you know your body and if it is a concern of yours, it's time to schedule an appointment with a specialist for hair such as a dermatologist or primary care practitioner. Here are some helpful tips during the fall season to help with reducing seasonal hair loss as much as possible:   1.) Don't use hot water when you shampoo & condition Hot water can feel really good especially with cooler outside temperates from the fall season.  Unfortunately, hot water can take the moisture from your hair and make it more susceptible for breakage.  It's best to use warm water for shampoo and cool water for final rinse after condition.   2.) Use a humidifier Heating your home can suck the moisture out your hair and leave it dry and dull.  Humidifiers restore the lost moisture from heat in your home.      3.) Good Scalp Health We always talk about consistent scalp massages are always good for scalp and hair.  A good tip is warming up your Strength Hair Oil  and gently massaging scalp for 3-5 minutes to stimulate circulation and blood flow.    4.) Don't Have Protective Styles in Too Long Since we know we will have an increased rate of hair shedding during the fall, let's not give it assistance with too much pulling or tension. Protective styles are great for time saving but is hard on the hair when installed too long and will result in even more shedding. There is tension in the same spot without a break.  That is just not good for our poor strands long term.   5. Be Mindful of Big Changes in Your Life Some major life events include surgery, stress at home and/or work, death in the family, taking care of a family member, switching medications, drastic diet changes and so much more.  When you know you are entering a big change in your life you need something to balance that new stress such as go on a daily walk, get up earlier for peace and quiet, join a dance class.  Make sure you put something in place to prepare for an added responsibility or weight on your life.  Major stressors are huge with contributing to hair loss so let's get in front of it and tackle it now.   6. Take your supplements & Eat Right Honey, Donna's Recipe Biotin is a good choice to promote healthy hair.  Also, remember to have a high water intake in addition to any biotin and a healthy well balanced diet.  Some great foods that promote stronger, healthier hair are berries which are high in antioxidants and avocado which also has a great source of biotin as well.   This fall season is temporary.  Remember, take into action some of these things like changing our water setting when washing and a good ole' fashion scalp massage can do ALL OF US some good!  Now, go about your business and have the most amazing day.  But even if you can't, don't you dare go messing up nobody else's!          

Have you ever been to a salon and your stylist or their assistant are giving you the most amazing scalp massage?  You close your eyes and it feels like heaven here on Earth.  There is a reason you feel so good.  Let's first talk about why a consistent scalp massage is important and then we will get into the how.   Back to feeling like heaven on Earth when your stylist gives you a scalp massage at the washing bowl.  A scalp massage is beneficial not just for your scalp but your entire body. Scalp massages releases the natural chemical, serotonin in your body which relaxes you and puts you in a better mood.  It is a great way to relieve built up stress as well. Scalp massages encourage good blood flow helps lymphatic drainage You may notice yourself or people thinning at the crown of the head first.  It is because it is the top of the head where the blood is highest to reach.  With a massage, it gets the blood flowing to the places it needs.  Using active ingredients such as menthol and peppermint stimulate the scalp best and stimulate the follicles.  Other oils such as rosemary, tea tree and jojoba are great with awakening the skin and promoting a healthy scalp for growth production.  Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil or the nut free version consist of all natural essential and carrier oils to promote a healthy scalp.   Now let's get to the proper ways to do a scalp massage: There are 2 common ways you can massage: 1. Effleurage which is most common which involves circular, stroking movements. and  2. Petrissage which is a process of gentle kneading and lifting of the scalp.   Both are beneficial to a relaxing, beneficial massage for the scalp.     One way to really ensure to get the blood flowing to the scalp is massaging doing the inversion method.  Below is a quick guide on how to massage your scalp doing the inversion method. Inversion Method First, stimulate your hair follicles with Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil or Nut Free Version Hair Oil: Use doppler to apply on fingers or directly on scalp. Apply the oil only to your scalp.  A little goes a long way so you won't saturate your hair with the oil. Massage with light pressure in circular motions on your scalp for 3-5 mins. Start the front of your head and work your way to the sides and lastly to the back.  Avoid pressure on sensitive areas.  Be careful not to tangle hair with your fingers.  Then , hang your head upside down to increase blood to flow to your scalp: Bend over standing (advanced) or sit in a chair and spread your legs apart and flip head between your legs down. Use your hands to flip all of your hair forward so it’s hanging upside down. Hold this position for 4 minutes and massage scalp in circular motions.. If you begin to feel dizzy, weak, or any other discomfort, stop and bring your head up slowly.. Sit up, raising your head slowly to avoid a head rush or dizziness.. Repeat daily for one week each month. Don't do the inversion method if you have heart issues, back pain or high blood pressure.     IMPORTANT TIPS TO LEAVE YOU WITH: -A good scalp massage is good for the entire body- relieves stress and mood stabilizer - Massaging for 3-5 mins a day is great for blood flow which can encourage a healthy scalp and  stimulate growth. -Accelerate the blood flow by trying the inversion method a week every month   Share some useful scalp massage tips you've discovered on your hair journey in the comments section.        

A big chop is about new beginnings.  While I know the BIG CHOP often refers to our hair.. we may need to give a big chop to other things as well.  Do you need to do a big chop of a toxic relationship in your life? Do you need to do a big chop of comparing yourself to others on Instagram?  It's a lot of things that takes our energy that we need to give a BIG CHOP! You may say to yourself...just like we do with our hair.. "I want to do a BIG CHOP but how??" Let's talk about it. How do we do a BIG CHOP with things in our lives that no longer serve us.   Here are quick 3 tips and you can get to chopping.   1.) IT HAS TO BE REPLACED WITH SOMETHING ELSE If we have decided that a toxic relationship no longer serves us, we must replace it with something else to fill that void.  Here's an example. You have an unhealthy relationship with your boyfriend and you know you need to do a BIG CHOP with him. But you know you're going to miss the time you spend with him.  It's a good idea to make sure you discover healthy people or outlets that can occupy that time.  Consider getting a friend that can be your daily walking buddy or take up a new hobby.   Fill that VOID.   2.) Prepare for the NEW CHANGE When you do the BIG CHOP on your hair, it excites you when you think of cute hair styles or accessories you can rock with your new look.  It serves you to prepare for the good things to come in the transition to the BIG CHOP in your life.  Start looking up what earrings would look nice etc. Same with other things that you will transition from, look at what is to come and prepare for the good things to come with it.   3. Let the DEAD bury the DEAD Once you've decided to do a BIG CHOP whether it is with our hair or something else like holding a grudge towards someone else.. LET IT GO!! Don't go back because you have CHOPPED IT OFF.  No going back.  This reminds me of a scripture in the Bible.  A man wanted to follow Jesus and the man asked Jesus if he could bury his father.  Jesus replied, "Let the dead bury the dead." Whew!  That's deep.  I take that as it is time to move forward.  So once you have decided to do a BIG CHOP, keep your eyes straight. No need to look back.   I hope this has helped you whether you are planning for a BIG CHOP with your hair or something else that no longer serves you. In the comments, share what you need to do a BIG CHOP with in your life.  Also, Donna told me to tell you to make sure you keep your Donna's Recipe on hand as we are on this hair journey together.   Love you!!       

I know you're thinking, "what does Donna have to say about stress and anxiety??" Well, she has a lot to say because it affects her and all her cousins.  We need to be well on the inside out.  Stress and anxiety can cause severe hair loss and thinning.    We can work through this together.  Here are some helpful things we can do to push back on anxiety and when we feel heavy and stressed.   Play your favorite MUSIC & play it LOUD! Put that music on and grab your "mic" and dance your heart out.  It doesn't matter if you can sing because the music is loud and you are one with the music anyhow.  Familiar music calms you and releases endorphins in the body.   Endorphins are chemicals that are produced naturally by the nervous system to help with pain or stress.  It's also known as a "happy chemical" because it gives you a boost of energy.   Get to cleaning...yes clean! I know you're thinking, "I'm already stressed and down..how am I going to clean anything??"  Well, you are going to start small.  Organize your medicine cabinet or your hair drawer.  Just do something because when you're done, you will feel proud of yourself and happy that you accomplished something.  Do you know this releases endorphins as well.  Yes!!  It signals to the brain that you accomplished something and the chemical releases in your body.  So, let's think about what we're going to clean today.     Make some food You know this is a favorite!  It can be a simple dish like sauteed greens in a pan.  Something about making your own food relaxes you and relieves stress and anxiety.  While you are making the food, it forces you to slow down and focus on each step in the process.  Ok, so what are we cooking?    Get some fresh air It's something about outside that brings you back centered.  It's you, the air and God.  If you can, get to a beach or soil where you can walk barefoot.   Walking barefoot is a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth. Try it and see how it makes you feel.  I already know it will do you good.  Even just imagining walking on God's Earth can make you feel good.   Cuddle and a Loving Touch Go cuddle with a family member whether it is a spouse, child, friend or our furry animals like your dog or cat.  There's power in touch.  Touch gives you a calming reality.  You are in that moment and it's hard to think of other stressors with the human touch.  Ok, so we know we're going to go love on someone after reading this.  And if you don't have anyone around.  Give yourself a big hug and massage your scalp, arms.  Love on yourself.   Change clothes Remember that Pharrell song, "change clothes!!" Sorry, stay focused.  But go in your closet and put on something that reflects how you want to FEEL.  Your mind will have to just catch up to how you look.  Put on that bright flowing dress.  Even if you stay in your house, you will feel better.   I have more tips that I'll share next week.  Let's start with some of these.  Stress and anxiety affects all parts of our body.  Let's get moving and work through this with some of these tips.  Comment below and let me know if this has been helpful to you.  Love you!!              

Oh baby, the edges!! Yes!  They are often the shorter hairs that go around our hairline and while they are shorter...they often get the most attention.  Many people ask, "How do you grow your edges??", "How do you style your edges?", "How do you care for your edges?"  Edges are a very important topic of discussion, right?! Today let's discuss edges and how to grow them back. The edges are often the most vulnerable and need more TLC than the other parts of hair on your scalp.  Let's quickly go through some common causes of the dreaded thinning of our edges. Food Intake Now you know this was coming! We have to be mindful of what we are getting at the grocery store.  To start, check out the 5 Hair Friendly Foods Blog to get you started.  A good place to be to help strengthen our edges is the produce section with lots of dark green leafy foods.  Think of eating the rainbow.  Greens (kale, spinach), Orange (carrots), Yellow (Squash), Purple (eggplant) etc.  These are the foods that will give life back to our edges.  Also, taking supplements such as Donna's Recipe Biotin Gummies are great addition to support promotion of edge growth.   Hair Styles that Pull the Edges Anytime your edges are pulled, it is causing tension and making our edges susceptible to breakage.  For a little while, Donna's cousin can take a slicked down hairstyle but for many weeks and months is a big no no from our baby hairs.  They said they just don't like being pulled like that.  Try low manipulation styles where the baby hairs can be slicked down but not PULLED especially long periods of time...longer than a night out.   Medical Conditions Anemia, postpartum shedding, low Vitamin D levels, alopecia to name a common few are all conditions that can take a toll on edges and other parts of hair on the scalp.  It is important to consult with a healthcare professional to help with solutions for the hair loss in edges.   Unhealthy Products It is important to look at the ingredients of products that are going to go on your precious scalp and hair.  Products such as synthetic fragrances and alcohols are not good for the edges.   Stress This is a big cause of hair loss and usually the edges are the first to go when we experience stress.  This past year has caused so many of us stress we could definitely do without.   Now, lets get to the SOLUTION part.  What can we do to grow these edges back.  Our edges help us to create the beautiful styles that we love.   Switch up your Styles Sometimes we like a style, particularly a protective style and opt for the same style because it works.  It's best to switch it up so the hair isn't being manipulated in the exact same spot.  Switch up your styles and give it a rest if needed.   Out with the Cotton, In with the Satin Cotton pillowcases are my favorite but a good satin pillowcase will ensure the edges aren't getting caught in the material or rubbing against the cotton fibers.  A satin pillowcase allows the hair to glide along without disruption.  Same goes for cotton towels, opt for a microfiber towel on wash day.   Massage those Edges It's a great idea to give your hair daily TLC with a 5-10 min massage.  Even if its 2-3 mins. it will stimulate the follicles to "wake up" and flourish... aka grow out our scalp.  Our Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil or  the Nut Free Version Donna's Recipe Strength Hair Oil will do great combined with massage to stimulate the follicles.     Talk to a Dermatologist A good dermatologist will determine what condition you have and can guide you on a journey to recovery of your edges and other hair loss.  It is best to seek out a dermatologist that has experience with your hair type as well.  It's best to ask for referrals from people who have had success with a good dermatologist.  You can also search on social media in your area to get a more intimate experience with a qualified doctor.     Be Mindful It's a saying, "Think what you're thinking about." When anxiety and stress starts to attack, begin to be mindful of that and redirect to a place of peace.  Think about 3 things that will make you smile instantly.  It could be giving birth to your child, reminiscing of your first kiss, laughing with your mother.  Think on these things...yes!! Very good!  Also, getting out with nature is another way to relieve or avoid stress.  Sun is a happy drug.  Get out in the sun and soak up that Vitamin D.  These are things that can cause a side effect of growing these edges back!   These are just a few ways to encourage growth back to our edges.  We're on this healthy hair journey and so it's vital for us to be well and our hair will follow suit.  Join or continue with us on this healthy hair journey with Donna's Recipe.  Love you!! Have yourself the most amazing day and even if you can't don't you dare go messing up nobody else's!