Confessions Of a 'Naturalista'!

This week I've decided to switch things up a bit I've asked 4 beautiful young women to share their experiences of having natural hair and throughout the following days I will be sharing their stories with you,

!! DARE TO BE DIFFERENT! ... DARE TO ROCK YOUR HAIR WITH CONFIDENCE!!

NATURALISTA #1: 

Leanarda Niles she has been a Naturalista all her life and she would like to share what she is doing to maintain her hair & keep Healthy. 

I CANTU, do you?

I’ve been natural all my life, a born natural, but only recently have I embarked on a journey to true healthy natural hair. When I was about twelve I realized that my hair was “short”, which didn’t seem to bother me much but I then started to long for “longer” hair. During that time my cousin, who is very good with hair, used to braid my hair for me in all kinds of styles and this started the growth path for me. My hair soon became “long” and I was content. Throughout the years I’ve experienced braids and more recently weave.

My journey to healthy natural hair truly started after my move to Canada, when I visited home I realized that my hair had been so dry and damaged and poorly taken care of. After this I vowed to start caring for my hair in much better ways than before. I’ve experimented with different products here and there, but more recently I've been using CANTU SHEA BUTTER LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER. I love it because it works for me and it smells great! I try to wash or co-wash my hair once a week, but in winter time maybe 2-3 times a month with more co-washing than washing due to the extremely dry weather. I have grown to love CANTU’s products much more, so much that I invested in their line: Shampoo, Wash out Conditioner and even co-wash conditioner. Cantu products really make my hair soft and is my “go to “for any quick and simple twist out methods. I usually twist my hair every night using a well known method to many naturals. I spritz with distiller water (mixed with oils), add my Cantu for moisture, then seal with an oil/butter. This keeps the moist and not so dry during the winter months.

Like I said, it works for my hair type and me.

How to care for your hair when wearing weave

Our own hair may become tiring at times the constant styles we have to come up with every day the before we go out! Trust me It’s a workout on its own. So thank God for the Weave! (TGFTW).
While the weave affords you a lot of versatility, & protects your hair it is possible to neglect your hair while wearing one. When you take care of your hair when its weaved up rest assured that when removed, your new growth is healthy and lush.

To avoid Neglecting your hair when wearing weave follow these simple tips.

• First things first get your hair in good shape before putting in your new hair. Its also suggested that one should take a break from the weakening chemicals in relaxers or dyes to get a head start in avoiding breakage. Make sure your hair is clean, well-conditioned and free of buildup from dead skin cells and styling products like gel; these can cause dryness, flaking and itching.

• Second apply oils to your scalp. Even though your weave is in don’t forget to give your scalp the nourishment it needs. Work natural oils beneath the weave onto your scalp and massage it in. Now you will have to be careful when adding oils to your scalp depending on the type of extensions you choose, if its human hair getting a little oil on it won’t hurt, but synthetic hair doesn't need any additional products.

• Thirdly when wearing weave do not wear them too tight, for it puts tension on the hair follicles, which can make your hair fall out, and possibly contribute to hair loss. Ladies we don’t want this! You want take out that weave and show the haters you got Healthy Hair as well J

• Fourth, accoding to research you should gently shapoo your scalp at least once a week to keep it at its healthiest, for it reduces the buildup of products used from styling your extensions and dead skin cells. If you wear clip-in extensions, remove them first. Clean and dry them separately before reattaching. If your weave or extensions are sewn, bonded, or glued into your hair, separate your natural hair from them as best you can. Then wash, rinse, and condition your real hair separately from your faux hair. Towel-dry gently before you comb through or blow-dry.

• Fifth DON’T OVER DO IT even if your hair look superb and neat, don’t leave in your weave for more than 6 weeks at a time it should be removed for proper cleansing of the scalp and deep conditioning of the hair.

• Lastly take care when removing extensions especially when some glue is used to secure the weave for the desired style. The glue contains chemicals that can cause hair loss, so any remaining glue can adhere to hair and become nearly impossible to remove without losing hair in the process.