Grow African Hair Long GAHL

The skin on your scalp is no different than the skin on your face, one of its special qualities is that it produces its own oil/fat called sebum. Sebum feels like wax and appears whitish when wet. Most people confuse it for conditioner residue and scrub it all off while shampooing their hair(I know I used to do this too🙈) under ideal circumstances Sebum is the only oil your scalp needs but due to the factors I am about to mention below some of us do not produce enough to keep our scalp well lubricated.

Oiling the scalp is something we have been doing or have been seeing done since we were little girls and we carried on doing this mostly out of habit not because our we actually need to or because our scalp needs it. Infact some of us will experience much healthier hair if they didn’t or greatly reduced oiling their scalps. Take a look at this scenario. You have been oiling your face for the past five days and splashing water on it every now and then, but you haven’t been cleansing it. I bet your face would look terrible and you would probably have a break out due to clogged pores. No one in their right mind would do this on purpose.

But this is exactly what happens with our scalps, most of us Layer it with thick heavy oils over long periods of time and as a result it compromises the quality of hair that grows out due to clogged follicles. Picture this, if you have a tube of toothpaste but for some reason the toothpaste dries out right at the top of the tube. If you don’t make an effort to first remove the dried out toothpaste two things will happen when the tube is pressed. Either the pressure of you pressing on the tube will create a small crack in the dried out toothpaste and force a little toothpaste out or nothing will happen the toothpaste tube represents the hair follicle. Too much oil on it will suffocate it and as a result you grow thinner hair than you actually should.

Another disadvantage of applying too much oil on the scalp is that it keeps your scalp from producing sebum in order to lubricate itself

My Tip: If you have to oil your scalp use a light oil that will still allow your scalp to breathe. If you are not sure if your scalp needs any oiling just don’t oil it after washing and see what happens.

I personally stopped oiling my scalp in 2012 when I realized that I didn’t have to. The only time I apply oil to my scalp is when doing hot oil treatments and over the years I have noticed my hair produce more sebum which is the best oil your scalp can ever have.

Our Inspiration for this week is the lovely Justmargie, we at GAHL just love your hair and we are so honored to be able to share your journey with our readers. Thank you :)

Have you always been natural? If not what made you go natural?

I had natural hair since I was a kid but relaxed it when I joined high school because relaxed hair was then easier to maintain in school. However, my fear was always going to the salon for the process of relaxing and I used to cry a lot because it felt like my hair was on fire!! After high school, I continued relaxing my hair twice a year and when I joined campus, I kept starting the transitioning journey but would always relapse. Finally, in 2013, I decided to chop of my hair completely and start a fresh. I didn’t like how my relaxed hair looked and I also saw it as a mark of a new beginning since around the same time, I had made very critical resolutions for myself. And that is how my natural hair journey began.

Your hair always looks so healthy, are you on a healthy hair journey? What inspired you to start one?

One of the main reasons I cut my hair was because it was unhealthy. So healthy hair has always been my goal. Health over length anytime.

Do you have a hair routine? How easy was it getting into a regimen, knowing the right products etc?

When I did the BC, I stuck to a very easy routine where I only washed my hair with conditioner, then a deep conditioned every week and I would apply a mixture of coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil every day. I kept it very simple and it worked. As my hair grew, I became open to adding more products into my regimen. The longer your hair grows, the more you must care for it. So, my washdays reduced to once a fortnight and I fell in love with Tres Semme products so I used them as shampoo and conditioner and they worked. Till today, they are the constant products (plus the three oils) in my regimen though I experiment occasionally with other products as well.

How do you fit hair care into your busy lifestyle?

I have one free day in a week and that day has become my self-care day. On this day, I make time for my hair and prep it for the week.

Do you believe in such a thing as bad hair? Do you believe that African/ black women have good hair?

There is no such thing as bad hair. I believe that when women understand their hair type they will understand their hair needs and that will lead to flourishing hair. All-natural hair, no matter the type, is beautiful.

What have you learnt about healthy hair care that you would love to share with African women, especially those who want to start a natural hair journey?

The most important thing I would tell a new natural is that they should start by understanding their hair type. This will enable them find simple products that work for their hair. They should also keep it simple.

What goals do you have for your hair?

I didn’t know how versatile natural hair is until I began this journey. So, I want to challenge myself to experiment new hairstyles every day with my natural hair.

Do you do your own hair? What is your favourite natural hairstyle and why?

Yes, I do my own hair most of the times and my favourite style is twist outs because they are just simple to do.

Do you have a hair idol? Who and why?

Hair idol? Not quite ;-)

Did you always believe that you could grow a huge Afro? What changed your mind?

I didn’t know I would grow a huge afro. In fact, when I did the big chop, I was absolutely clueless on what the natural hair journey entailed and I did a lot of box braids instead. However, I have learnt something new every day and my boyfriend, who has been my big support system throughout, has always encouraged me to leave my natural hair open and flaunt it.

Is there a product you can’t live without?

Water and Coconut oil

Do you think natural hair is expensive to keep?

No; if you understand what your hair needs, then you will not be swayed to be a product junkie. You will only buy what you need.

Do you have hair goals?

Yes, to have a head with big healthy afro (like we see on magazine covers).

Follow just margie on Instagram @justmargie
Blog Justmargie.com

How about starting the week with some hair inspiration! gracing the Gahlspiration corner today is the one and only Joan Miano of Justnimu. This young lady has the most beautiful twist outs! Thank you Justnimu You are an inspiration.

Have you always been natural? If not what made you go natural?
I’ve not always been natural. I was once relaxed for a number of years. Then came 2013 when I discovered that there is more to my hair than it just being straight and that underneath al that was curly hair that was all mine.
Your hair always looks so healthy, are you on a healthy hair journey? What inspired you to start one?
I am indeed on a healthy hair journey mainly to inspire others and see what exactly my hair can be when left to its on devices.
I started a healthy hair journey to find myself and be free of the hectic schedule of maintaining relaxed hair and trying to identify with something that isn’t mine.
Do you have a hair routine? How easy was it getting into a regimen, knowing the right products etc?
I do have a hair routine, but it can be flexible and it’s dictated by how my hair feels at that given moment. Finding a routine that worked for my hair and me was a bit hard, took me almost 2 years into my journey to find what best works for my hair. And as for products, it is still trial and error for a few of them.
How do you fit hair care into your busy lifestyle?

It has been difficult to fit my hair care into my lifestyle, but I was able to find a way to do it. As long as I focus on keeping my hair moisturised, I can go up to two weeks without washing it.

Do you believe in such a thing as bad hair? Do you believe that African/ black women have good hair?
There is nothing like bad hair. African women have amazing hair, we just need to drift away from the mind-set that our hair is bad an unmanageable and in actual fact it is the opposite. -And slowly but surely, more women are embracing their true selves which includes loving their hair.
What have you learnt about healthy hair care that you would love to share with African women, especially those who want to start a natural hair journey?

I’ve learnt to listen to my hair and give it what it needs when it needs it. There is so much information out there, but at the end of the day, one needs to find what best suits their hair, because each and every head of hair is different.

What goals do you have for your hair?

I would love my hair to grow long, luscious and healthy to a point I no longer know what to do with it and to be able to inspire my own children when I finally get the opportunity to start my own family.

Do you do your own hair? What is your favourite natural hairstyle and why?
Yes, from the very beginning I have done my hair. To be able too understand ones own hair, one needs to be able to do it themselves.
Currently, I’ve been rocking twists to keep my hair protected and moisturised as I’ve been too busy to let it out.
Did you always believe that you could grow a huge Afro? What changed your mind?
I never believed that I would till I finally tried. I believe that you don’t know if something will work till you try it out.
Is there a product you can’t live without?
This is a hard one to choose, but if I had a gun at my head and had to choose, I’d have to say a good moisturising deep conditioner.
Do you think natural hair is expensive to keep?

For my hair care routine and lifestyle, I don’t believe natural hair is expensive. As stated earlier, I do my own hair and each product I use doesn’t go beyond Kes. 500. Therefore, in a month I won’t use more than Kes. 2000.

Find justnimu click here: Instagram justnimu youtube justnimu blog Allaboutnimu

Pages

About GAHL

Instagram

Follow Us

GAHL Search

GAHL Archive

Most Popular

Contact Form