You've heard it said before, braids are a protective hair style and if you braid your hair it will grow better and faster.

That's true but only to a certain extent - if you don't braid your hair in the right way you will lose hair!

When it comes to braids you need to keep the following things in mind:

Braiding your hair will lead to breakage if:

• The braids are tiny
• You neglect your hair while it’s in braids

To ensure your hair does grow when it is braided do the following:

• Deep condition your hair very thoroughly before braiding
• Detangle your hair well before you go to the stylist as she will be less patient with detangling your hair for you; if your hair is all tangled she will break more of it than you would
• Make sure you don’t put a large hair extension on a small patch of hair. The pulling impact could lead to breakage
• Plait your hair without using extensions, e.g. by doing corn rows or single plaits and twists with your own hair only
• If you do use extensions, consider corn rowing the hair on the front edge. It tends to be more prone to breakage
• Ensure you treat your hair just as well in braids as you do when it’s not. This means washing, deep conditioning and moisturizing every 7 to 1o days
• Continue to spritz it with water twice daily. This will ensure that when you unbraid the hair it’s not dry and brittle
• When you take the braids out give your hair a break. I think two weeks is a decent enough time to assess the state of your hair before putting on a new set of braids.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.


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Eating a healthy balanced diet is one of the biggest factors impacting the health and growth rate of hair.

Hair is mostly composed of protein and also needs vitamins and minerals to grow. These nutrients are taken directly from the food that you eat. 

If your diet is deficient in any minerals and vitamins it's your hair (and nails) that will suffer.

How does that work?

Well, your body has to prioritise where its resources go. Hair (and nails) come very low down in your body's list of priorities. Your body will give the nutrients and minerals available to the organs first (liver, kidney etc.) and to vital body functions like maintaining a heart beat, digestion and so on before hair and nails get a look in. I think that makes sense...

What should your diet be rich in to encourage healthy hair growth?

Proteins plus the vitamins and minerals that go into making protein, this includes:

• Iron
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B and
• Relatively smaller amounts of selenium, copper, zinc and magnesium

Can you just take a supplement to make up for a poor diet?

Supplements will not make up for an atrocious diet. That said, if you have a healthy diet and decided to take a vitamin supplement to make up for possible deficiencies, e.g. inadequate vitamin D from the sun in winter then a supplement will help.

It's very hard to have dietary deficiencies if you live in a developed country but companies that make vitamins will prey on any insecurity you might have and encourage you to buy them. Keep that in mind.

Personally, I do take vitamins sometimes but I don't take them religiously because I usually forget to.

Any other notes?

Yes - if you're on a diet and shed a lot of weight over a short period of time you may incur increased rates of hair loss. When your weight stabilizes this hair should grow back. Keep this in mind next time you want to take drastic measures to lose weight.

If you will be dieting it's important to choose the most nutritious foods within your calorie allowance to ensure you're getting the vitamins you need. 100 calories of raw, fresh carrots will do your hair a lot more good than 100 calories of chocolate.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

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• Iron And Hair Growth - Critical Must-Know Information
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Embedded in the scalp are arteries that bring oxygen and nutrients to hair follicles thereby promoting the growth of healthy, long hair.

Because the scalp is so thin massaging it definitely helps to promote blood flow to it. Massaging the scalp is even more effective if you use a good oil to do it. Oils that have essentials oils like Neno Natural's Hair Growth Stimulator are the best because the essential oils that make up the oil actively promote hair growth.

How should you massage the scalp and for how long?

Rub the scalp using the flats of your fingers (not your fingernails) for 2 to 5 minutes. That's plenty of time.

How often should you massage the scalp?

Everyday is ideal but that may be impractical for many so every other day should do it.

When should you massage your scalp?

Massage your scalp at convenient time for you, for instance:

• On wash days as you shampoo and condition your hair
  
• In the evening when you're watching TV or before you go to bed as you twist it
  
• In the morning before you style it 
  

By Xotica Hair

Have bundles and bundles of natural hair extensions but no clue what kind of style you want?
Or maybe you’ve tried a few and are looking for something different. Whatever the case, we’ve got five amazing styles that are perfect for bringing out the best in your natural hair extensions and, will get you compliments wherever you go. 

1. Top Bun

​For a style that takes less than a few minutes to complete and allows you to really show of your natural hair, try out the many variations of the Top Bun.

Xotica Hair is one of the companies that offers quality natural hair extensions for you to achieve this look.

​Using their Afro Kinky Curl 4B/4C Texture Clip Ins, you can make your bun more voluminous and get the top bun you want with little effort.

2. Twist Up-do with Looped Bang

​Natural hair extensions look amazing twisted and styles that feature twists combined with innovative styling, go over really well.

The Twist Up-Do with Looped Bang, gives you a cool bang that loops into your up-do, creating a chic effect.

​This hairstyle is easy to do, won’t take lots of time, and is great if you need a look that goes from day to night. 

3. Goddess Braid

​This hairstyle’s name sounds as ethereal as it is and for those that like a straighter look, this one could be for you.

Using Xotica Hair’s Kinky Straight Clip Ins, this look—which can be achieved by braiding or twisting—becomes one that can last for days on end. It’s neat, looks great, and if you don’t straighten your hair, a closure can be used underneath. Additionally, this hairstyle looks is great for the boardroom or elegant event, and will bring out the goddess in you.

4. The Fishtail Fantasy

​Thinking that you can’t achieve classic styles with natural hair extensions? Think again.

The Fishtail Fantasy is a classic style that can be worn either as a side look or with the plait flowing down the back and, it goes well with all face shapes.

​As the name suggests, it looks kind of like a fishtail and this large braid is usually accompanied by a cool chignon,that you can tease and style as you desire. 

5. Loose and Flowing (Coarse Yaki)

Leaving hair Loose and Flowing is always a favourite and using Xotica Hair’s Coarse Yaki Clip Ins, achieving this look is a breeze.

​Not only does hair look thick and healthy but this hairstyle frames the face in a flattering way and can be worn for casual or more formal occasions. 

Check out Xotica Hair to get the best in natural hair extensions and more hairstyle ideas here: www.xoticahair.com
​

If you transition from relaxed hair to natural hair the temptation is to treat your new hair texture in exactly the same way as the old. However, the two are different and need different products and hair routines. Compared to relaxed hair:

1. Natural hair tends to dry out if not regularly and properly moisturised.

This is because sebum has trouble moving up kinks, curls and coils compared to straight hair. You will need to try out several hair moisturising techniques before you discover what works.

2. Wet natural hair takes a lot longer to dry than relaxed hair.

This is because it tends to be less porous than relaxed hair, that is, the cuticle is stronger and more compact on natural hair. This may tempt some to blow dry regularly but don't do it! Just let it air dry. Wash your hair during the weekend when you have time to let it air dry. 

Just to give you an idea, if I complete washing my hair by midday on Sunday, if it's drying in twists or plaits it can still be damp on Monday morning; I kid you not. If it's a sunny day or if the heating in the house is on high it dries faster.

3. Natural hair has a higher protein content than relaxed hair.

This is because the process of relaxing strips hair of protein. The result is that many black hair care products on the market contain a very high amount of protein to compensate for this. Some protein is needed to replace that lost during styling but certainly not as much as products for relaxed hair contain.

As a result, you will probably find that the products that worked when your hair was relaxed don't work well at all on natural hair. If you're looking for products that your hair will love get the natural-ingredients-rich Neno Natural product line.

4. Natural hair hates combs with small teeth and rollers with lots of bristles.

Instead, go for wide-tooth combs to detangle hair with minimal breakage and resistance.

5. Natural has better length retention potential

This is an empirical observation on my part. I used to be one of those people that thought black hair does not grow as fast or as long as white hair but that was wrong. What I didn't realise is that relaxed hair needs a lot of care and attention to grow beyond the shoulders and so appears not to grow after a certain point; relaxed hair can tend to grow to shoulder length and then gets "stuck".

With many in the natural hair community taking better care of their hair you will see that many YouTubers reveal great length when they stretch their hair. There also many pictures on Facebook to this effect.

Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.

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