1. Before a chemical service so that the hair can readily and evenly accept the chemical service.
2. Apply after a chemical service when additional conditioning is required. Leave on for 30 seconds, rinse out.
3. Apply to the hair in sections while detangling the hair with a wide tooth comb. This is great before shampooing. Let it sit for 5-10mins after the detangling process, then rinse out.
4.  Apply after shampooing. Let it sit for 2-5mins. Rinse and follow up with a deep conditioner for better conditioning results (more moisture, shine and elasticity).
5.  Put 2-3tsp of the conditioner in your deep conditioner for added slip, cortex protection, impart shine, and align the bonding of the cuticles.
6.  Use as a final rinse for detangling, and smoothness, leave on for 2-5 mins, then rinse out.

I Finally bought myself  a hercules Sägemann seamless comb and i must say i love it. This is the most expensive comb in my collection but it is worth every cent goes for about 11 Euros. It does a great job at detangling and i have less snagging of  hair while using it. So this was definitely a good investment.

What´s your thought on seamless combs?

Thanks for Reading!

Are you at the beginning of your hair journey? Then you have probably wondered how you can tell if a product is moisture based or protein based. We already talked about how to choose Moisturising products, please Click here if you missed it.
A balance moisture & Protein in your hair strands is very important, a defeciency in either one usualy leads to breakage and therefore no or very little length retention.  I personally understood this after having a protein over load! This means that my hair had a lot more protein than it needed and as a result the hair became brittle and dry and this led to breakage.
Some people´s hair can take a lot of protein but for others too much protein could lead to breakage and therefore no length retention. A protein overload can be treated by simply keep off protein treatments for a few weeks and stepping up the use of moisturising deep conditioners and conditioners instead. As soon as the hair feels normal again protein treatments can be incorporated back into the hair care regimen. For examples of protein and Moisture conditioners/ Treatments Click here  

Ingredients to check for when getting a protein treatment. here is one example of a protein conditioner with it´s ingredients list.

• soy protein
• milk protein
• animal protein
• keratin
• collagen
• pathenol ( binds well with hair follicles leaving it smooth and is also a humectant i.e it draws moisture from the air into your hair)
• silk amino acids
• amino acids
• liquid silk
• cholesterol
• wheat protein
• hydrolized wheat protein
• hydrolized milk protein
• hydrolized silk 

Proteins found in most modern hair products have been hydrolized. which means that they have been broken down into amino acids, hydrolized proteins can easily penetrate the hair and strengthen it from the  inside. this effect can last upto 6 weeks. Non-hydrolized proteins have larger moleküles which cannot penetrate into the hairshaft but can coat the hair´s surface an egg is a good example of a non- hydrolized Protein.. products with hydrolized proteins shouldn´t be used too often because they are more aggressive. But then again if you have been using a protein treatment/ conditioner that works perfect for you you don´t need to change anything.

For ladies with natural hair protein treatments  must not be done so religiously since the hair has not lost it´s natural protein. unless one has suffered heat damage. As for hair that has undergone any form of chemical treatment including relaxing, Texlaxing or even colouring protein treatments should be done at least every 4 weeks to add the lost protein back into the hair.

In order to make sure your hair grows with enough protein of it´s own just eat protein rich foods.

At the beginning of my hair journey finding the right moisturiser was a big problem. no matter what i used my hair was still breaking and it was dry! There had to be a reason why my moisturiser was not moisturising at all. It is very important to get a moisturiser that will actually moisturise your hair and the best way to do this is looking at the products ingredients list before choosing.

A good moisturiser should not contain heavy oils such as mineral oil, petrolatum, lanolin or Paraffin and if does have any of these then they should never be among the first five ingredients.(normaly the higher up the list an ingredient is, the higher it´s percentage in the product) here is an illustration to help you understand this better. First of all we´ll look at ingredients to check for in moisture products:

• aqua/ water
• alpha hydroxy acids
• cetearyl alcohol
• cetyl alcohol
• glycerin/ glycerol
• glyceryl triacetate
• lactate
• oleic acid
• palmitic acid
• polyquarternium
• propylene glycol
• pyrrolidine carboxylic acid
• sodium PCA
• sorbitol
• stearic acid
• stearyl alcohol
• urea

Moisturiser 1: water, paraffinium liquidium, mineral oil, glycerin, cetyl alcohol, lanolin, panthenol.....
Moisturiser 2: water, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, olive oil, panthenol, coconut oil...........lanolin...
Moisturiser 3: water, glycerin, sorbitol...stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, coconut oil, panthenol....

So if you were in a beauty shop and saw these three moisturisers which one would you pick?

I personaly would pick moisturiser 3. because it has many moisturising ingredients.

If only 2 & 1 were there i would definitely pick 2 because the heavy oil lanolin appears further down the ingredients list which means it doesn´t make a high percentage of the product.

As for moisturiser 1 i probably wouldn´t buy it because it contains too many heavy oils which would probably not moisturise my ha or allow further moisturisation.

• dandruff
• scalp irritations
• acne
• head lice.

they can also be used to keep the skin´s elasticity and health.

light proteins can be used weekly
Medium proteins can be used every two weeks.
heavy proteins once a month.

Protein deep conditioners.

1. Egg protein (controversial) apparently egg protein is too large to penetrate the hairshaft.
2. Organic root stimulator (ORS) Mayonnaise (medium-heavy)
3. Organic root stimulator (ORS) replenishing pak (light)
4. Motions CPR (medium)
5. Mane and Tail Original Conditioner
6. Affirm 5 in 1 Reconstructor (mild protein)
7. LeKair Cholesterol (mild protein)
8. Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor
9. Profectiv Mega Growth Deep Strengthening Conditioner (mild protein)minute reconstructor
10. Africa's Best Mayonaisse
11. Palmers Coconut protein conditioner
12. Giovanni smooth as silk extreme protein treatment(medium)
13. Motions moisture silk protein conditioner(Light)
14. Neutrogena triple moisture deep recpvery mask (light).

Note: A protein treatment leaves your hair hard and should always be followed up or mixed together with a moisturising conditioner to attain a balnace between the two.

moisturising conditioners/co-washing conditioners

1. Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship
2. Vo5 Moisture Milks
3. Creme Of Nature Nourishing Conditioners
4. Aussie Moist Conditioner
5. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration
6. Herbal Essences Hydralicious
7. Suave Humectant
8. Aussie Moist 3 Minute Moisturizing Treatment
9. Dove Intense Moisture
10. Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner
11. Balea feuchtigkeitsspülung.

Moisturising deep conditioners.

1. Africa's Best Organics Cholesterol Tea-Tree Oil Conditioner
2. Lustrasilk mango shea butter cholesterol
3. Keracare Humecto
4. Silk Elements Megasilk Moisturizing Treatment
5. Mizani Moisturefuse
6. Queen helene cholesterol
7. Africa's Best Organics Olive Oil Deep Conditioner
8. Motions Moisture Plus Conditioner
9. Aubrey organics honeysuckle rose conditioner
10. Avalon organis lavender nourishing conditioner
11. Elasta QP DPR 11 deep penetrating remoisturiser.
12. Giovanni smooth as silk deeper moisture conditioner.
13. Herbal essences hello hydration conditioner
14. Joico moisture recovery conditioner
15. keracare humecto creme conditioner
16. kinky curly knot today conditioner/ detangler( great for natural hair!)
17. Neutrogena triple moisture daily conditioner.
18. redken real control conditioner.
19. Burt´s & bees super shiny grapefruit & sugar beet conditioner
20. Bee mine Bee-U-Ti-Ful deep conditioner.
21.  La ‘Fresh  Beautisa  Hot Oil hair Cream – Amla Available in Kenya too Click Here for product review.

combination of both

1. Mizani Fulfyl Conditioning Treatment (moisture/protein balance)

This list is by no means exhaustive there are plenty more good deep conditioners out there.

Ladies in Kenya please lets help each other with any information about where to buy Healthy Hair Products in Kenya.I'll start.....
This Is PARACHUTE 100% COCONUT OIL.


you will definitely find it at Nakumatt Mega Mombasa road.It is very pure even Edible!hence comes with lots of benefits! 


OLIVE Sulphate Free Shampoo


I have seen this product Both in Tuskys Supermarkets and Supercosmetics.It is the only one I have found so far...

Finding the right products in a foreign country can sometimes be a challenge, many wonder if they have to use products made especially for african hair. I used to be like that too until i realised that most of the ingredients that are in the so called " african products" are the same as those in the so called "european products". But the african hair products cost three times as much because they are all imported.

Today i will be blogging  about this moisturising conditioner that i totaly love "Balea feuchtigkeitsspülung" from DM


I have been using this product for years now and it has never let me down. It is great for conditioner washes. or for those days when you don´t want to do a lot with your hair. so just shampoo and the condition with this and it leaves the hair soft and maneageable and very moisturised. Especially in those hot summer months where you could literaly wash your hair daily after swimming or just to cool off.

The ingredients are also great. no silicones or mineral oils and the best part is that it is completely affordable. DM has a wide range of conditioners but i have only tried this one because my hair needs a lot of moisture. there are others specialy for coloured hair e.t.c.

Always buy products according to what your hair needs. But with moisturising conditioners you can never go wrong because african hair is naturally prone to dryness. that´s why we need to keep moisturising and oiling.

However this conditioner should not replace your regular deep conditioner/ treatment especially if your hair is chemically treated ( relaxed or coloured) deep conditioning is still important to rebuild the damaged structure of the hair.

For a couple of weeks now my hair has been shedding a lot more than usual and i have no idea why. so i have decided to go back to doing black tea rinses more often.


Black tea contains caffein which has been proven to stimulate hair growth and prolong the growth phases i´m not really sure which phase is prolonged but all in all the hair does not shed as fast as it could have without the black tea rinses.
coffee can also be used but black tea contains more caffein than coffee and i feel that the smell of coffee is just too strong to be put on hair.

Here are the steps i will be taking for the next weeks until i get this shedding  under control. Boil water and put in a few tea bags. i usualy put in three. Then let it cool down then i proceed with the following:

1. Shampoo hair and rinse off the shampoo with water
2. Rinse hair with the black tea.
3. Let the tea sit on for a few minutes then proceed to deep condition as usual
4. Rinse off the deep conditioner after the recommended time. if need be condition your hair once again with your cheap conditioner and rinse out.
5. Towel dry the hair a bit.
6. Add your leave ins and let the hair air dry or style as desired.

NOTE:  From experience ;-)
It is better to use the black tea at the beginning rather than at the end of your wash because it leaves the hair super hard.  conditioning makes the hair smooth and soft again.

This week i ran out of my lustra silk mango shea butter cholesterol and i decided to get the tea tree organics cholesterol. i used it to deep condition my hair today and i must say my hair loves this stuff too. i didn´t deep condition with heat but i put on a plastic bag and a winter hat on top of  it. I let it sit like that for about an hour and then i went on to rinse off the conditioner. due to the heat from my head and the hat + plastic bag it became so hot( honestly just like with the drier only takes longer). detangling was so easy!!! i do this under the shower. my hair turned out very soft and i really can´t complain. This is one of my best moisturising deep conditioners.

The product manufacturers also state that this conditioner can be used as a leave in too.

Finding a good moisturiser can be very tricky at times, mainly because everybody´s hair is different and has different needs. I prefer using water based moisturisers, normaly these have water/aqua as the first ingredient. other moisturising agents that i look for in a moisturiser are glycerin & Aloe Vera. i try to avoid moisturisers that contain mineral oil, petroleum or petrolatum.


My favourite moisturisers are  the wave nouveau finishing lotion, scurl no drip & kids organic shea butter conditioning and detangling hair lotion. All three work great on my hair and the keep my hair moisturised and soft.


i alternate buying them so i never have them all at once. i feel that it is good to have an option so that just in case one runs out even in shops there is still a plan B. However i do feel that scurl works better on my new growth so i use it more when i have some new grwoth that needs to be tamed. It really softens the new growth. I think it would be great for someone who has completely natural hair too!


Tip: Try out different products and find out what is best for your hair, you can always check the ingredients list and only take products with ingredients you like andn are good for hair in generaly. with this in mind you can never go wrong in making a product choice.

another great way to moisturise your hair is of course wetting it. you can just use a spray bottle to spray some water on your hair to keep it from drying out. regular washes will help with adding moisture to your hair too.  dry hair breaks much faster than well moisturised hair.

I have just finished reading the chicoro´s "grow it" and decided to try out her method of making a leave in conditioner. and i must say it worked great. This might help you if you are still looking for a good leave in conditioner. the best part is that you can determine exactly what you want to have in it.
a leave in conditioner determines how your hair will generally look after washing. especially if you plan to air dry your hair a good leave in will definitely come in handy. this helps the hair not to end up frizzy and dull.

Here is how i  made my leave in conditioner.

1.  75mL of my cheap conditioner. i prefer to use a cheap moisturising conditioner that is silicon free.
2. water about 100mL
3. Glycerin and / aloe vera gel
4. Oils( castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil and tea tree oil) at least a tea spoon of each. Note: Tea tree oil on it´s own is an essential oil so just use a few drops (2-3 drops).

I just mixed everything together in a spray bottle. it turned out very creamy and it left my hair very soft and manageable after air drying. i also noticed that my hair looked shiny even though i hadn´t moisturised and sealed yet. you can just substitute the products i used with the ones you like i´m sure it will turn out just right.

I just remembered that i have to do a protein treatment this week and thought why not blog about it a little bit. the organic root stimulator replenishing conditioner is my absolute favourite protein treatment. Although it is a protein it does not leave the hair hard after rinsing out and it smells great. i try to do protein treatments every two weeks. depending on how much damage you have, you might want to do it every week until the damage has been repaired. however damage to the ends can only be cured by cutting of the damaged ends. Protein makes your hair stronger and therefore keeps it healthy. i always mix my protein DC with my moisture DC to maintain the moisture protein balance. The ORS replenishing conditioner comes in different packages i have used them all and love them all but i think the large bottle is much more economical.

When i first started my hair journey i didn´t know which moisturising deep conditioner was best for my hair, so i started trying out as many as i could. but i kept in mind to get only those with healthy ingredients for my hair. after a long period of trials and errors i finaly found the perfect moisturising deep conditioner for my hair. the Lustrasilk mango shea butter cholesterol. i fell in love with this product the first time i used it. Although i add my oils and other things i love to it when i deep conidition my hair, it works just as well on it´s own.
 it contains shea butter which is a great moisturiser, vitamin E, wheat germ oil & soybean oil which are light proteins aloe vera which is also a great moisturiser, mango and many more. apart from all these wonderful components this stuff leaves my hair very soft and it smells great too!

word of advice to you, try out new products to find out what works best for you. what works great for one person may not work as great for another person.

So I bought this product just for a change from my usual ORS replenishing conditioner.I used it for the first time today and my very first review is that it is awesome!!!..I have to try it a couple more times but I do love how my hair feels.I did not use any other products in my hair so I would be able to give a precise review of this Deep Conditioner...

PROS:
1.I detangled my hair using a wide tooth shower comb immediately after I came from Deep conditioning under my hooded dryer & I experienced zero to no breakage.I proceeded to rinse off the DC and again I saw very few strands of shedded hairs but no breakage.

2.I air dried my hair after rinsing.I Only applied little whipped unrefined Shea butter after the wash and my hair feels super - soft yet so strong.

3.I combed my hair after it was dry & Again very little if any breakage..
Verdict:I will definitely be repurchasing this product mainly to alternate with the other named above.

Con:
It's not really a bad thing but since this product is mainly meant for salon use there are NO instructions for using it without a drier...I used my hooded bonnet & people without it might feel a bit let down.However, it is a light protein(judging by how my hair feels)and I'm guessing leaving it in your hair under a plastic cap or even covering over with a warm towel should do just fine.it's however advisable to always deep condition with heat!!