Dandruff? What Dandruff?

Hey, curly mamas! Do you guys suffer from dandruff? Your kids have it, too? It's not that hard to get rid of it... for good.
My kids and I haven't had dandruff issues in years. We all used to, probably back in about 2012... I believe that was the last time I had issues with it. My youngest child, who is 11 months, has NEVER had dandruff, or even cradle cap thus far. Even my hubby used to have excessive dandruff and doesn't have it any longer!

So, here is what I do to keep dandruff away.. for good,

1. DRINK WATER! I cannot stress that enough. If your body is not hydrated properly, it will manifest itself in your scalp and you'll see those annoying, itchy white flakes that won't go away.

2. WASH weekly! A CLEAN scalp is a happy, non itchy scalp. Bi-weekly may work depending on how your hair is already trained, but if you have lots of dandruff, it is recommended that you wash it weekly.

3. DITCH the sulfate shampoos! Sulfates make your scalp even dryer, which contributes to MORE flakes. No bueno. Want to cleanse completely? Use a mud/clay wash or ACV (apple cider vinegar).

4. OIL your scalp! After you wash and condition your hair, oil your scalp with a natural based oil (EVOO, castor oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, etc) before using a leave in. If you don't seal that moisture in, it'll quickly be zapped away by the elements.

5. DEEP CONDITION weekly! Now, I don't have time to do this for all my kids, but I definitely do it to myself. But the kids actually don't need deep conditioning to keep dandruff away, and that's because I have their hair TRAINED. We all guzzle water as our number one drink, and when I moisturize their hair, I use water, then oil, then cream and/or shea butter, otherwise known as the LOC method.
Occasionally, I'll do the opposite... the LCO method. Both ways work well for us!

6. PROTECTIVE STYLING works wonders! Now, I'm not talking about weave, Ya'll know I don't do weave... no shade to those who do; it's just not me, I am talking about doing styles that last for a week. For me, because I'm always in the house, my hair is in twists or braids 90% of the time. If it's not in twists, it's up in a high bun to stretch it and also keep the ends moisturized. I only wear it out when it's moist enough or I'm going somewhere... or I'm about to wash it anyway, so it doesn't matter. lol 

For the kids, their hair stays braided, twisted, or coiled up some kind of way, and washed every two weeks. I do moisturizing 'sessions' in between, but maybe only twice a week. Still no dandruff!

*So those are the six things that we've been doing to keep dandruff at bay. Symari and Jalani have never had dandruff at all, and that's because I learned from the two oldest. Woo hoo!

I hope you guys take my advice and apply it to yourself or your kids if you're having dandruff trouble. These things work! 

Peace out till next time!

~Epic Realist~

IG: Epic.realist

https://www.youtube.com/user/curlsofinnocence/videos

Once Upon a Curly Clan...

Heya, curly mamas! I just wanted to upload some pics of my kid's recent hairstyles. 

Riah

 

Jam 

Mari

Lani (6 months)

These styles were done with a leave in and a gel (except the baby) and lasted a whole week. When I take Mari's hair out after a week, the moisture is phenomenal when I protect her hair in styles like this. Then she can rock a twist out/braid out for the next week before I wash. I absolutely cannot wash every kid's hair every week, so I've pushed their hair washing days to biweekly instead of weekly (except the baby who's hair gets washed during baths).  It's just too much freakin work! lol

I've started selling my whipped shea butter again as well, so it's been super busy around here. I'm still homeschooling and cooking and all that other SAHM jazz. So hair is sometimes at the bottom of the list. But moisture is still a top priority for everyone, regardless!

 

 

So that's my quick update for now. Got babies to feed and housework to do, even though it's Saturday. Blah. Hope you enjoy the hair pics! If you check out my YouTube, I am doing a series on my DIY avocado and banana deep conditioner. ;) 

Peace out! 

~Epic Realist~

Versatile Styles, Postpartum Shedding, Etc.

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My NATURAL HAIR Health Update! ;-) October 2014

Hiya, guys! I made a video explaining why I dye only the ends of my hair. Hope you enjoy and if you're thinking about coloring your hair, consider this technique.

Hair health: Currently my hair appears to be in great shape. I am deep conditioning every other week, doing more wash and gos, and experimenting with more protective styles.

 

 

Products: Since I can't afford too many Shea Moisture products at the moment, I am still using that Cantu leave in conditioner as my primary moisturizer, and I use my holy grail oil on top of that for MAXIMUM moisture sealing. This Cantu stuff works so well (for me, that is...Syriah, not so much)! I can rock a twist-out for a freakin week before it starts looking raggedy. Oh, and sometimes, a giant high bun at night works better than a pineapple.

If I am not using the Cantu, I use either the Shea Moisture Curling Souffle for my twist outs with the oil on top or I use the LA Curl Activator gel for a superb wash & go after washing my hair.

Postpartum Shedding: Actually, my postpartum shedding has been very minimal this entire time! Only my edges have been shedding, but still, not as much. Since my last baby is almost 6 months now, it's been dwindling down even more. Video about that is coming very soon! ;-)

Got questions or comment? Hit me up here on on Facebook! 

Peace out till laters! ;-)

Latest vlog! ~Creepiest Laugh EVER!~

~Epic Realist~

Protective Styling Time!

Hiya, curlies! It's protective styling time for me. Life is extremely hectic right now. So I put mini braids in my hair again. My hair has seriously grown from the last time I did these, which was October 2013.

October 2013

Now (June 2014)


Excuse the creepy faces and the blue lipstick; I was being silly lol! But yes, my hair has grown a ton since this pic. Ironically, I had the same shirt on. ;)

I uses whipped shea butter and Eco Styler gel as I always do when doing this style. It holds up extremely well. Most people think that this is a weave because it's 'so pretty it looks fake', and they are shocked when I tell them that it's not. lol

Here is my latest video! I hope that you guys enjoy the topic. Sorry that I have been MIA a bit, but these kids are a lot to handle. With a newborn again, I am extremely sleep deprived and whatever little energy I have left nowadays often goes into trying to build up my YouTube page. So enjoy... and SUBSCRIBE!

~Epic Realist~

Washing Yo Hair Don't Have To Take ALL DAY! (Rant and Tips)

Heya, curly naturals! It's about that time again... ranting time. LOL!

I just like to write, so I write down my frustrations with natural hair as well as other people's frustrations with natural hair.
I am a bit annoyed at the amount of time that people spend on wash day. It's really not that serious. No, it has nothing to do with hair type because I have several different hair types in my head and I still manage to shrink wash day time down to two hours MAX, and that includes styling.
Here are the basics of wash day:

1. Pre-poo- Lather your hair in conditioner or oil, leave in for desired time. If it's left on overnight, I don't count that as part of wash time.
2. Detangle- Optional... some people do this after washing instead of before.
3. Washing- Honestly, this shouldn't take that long, unless your hair is waist length or you don't wash your hair for a month so it's really grimy (gross)
4. Conditioning/Detangling- This might be where people spend the most time, because some people deep condition at this point instead of doing a five minute condition...
5. Rinsing- shouldn't take that long
6. Drying/Flat Iron- Another way some people go wrong... the use of a blow dryer is not necessary EVERY TIME you wash! I don't use one at all, and if I do, it's for styling purposes and not to dry my hair fast.
7. Styling- Honestly, this should be the longest step, depending on what style you're trying to achieve.

Now, the ranting part comes in where I say... you ain't gotta do all dat! I have heard some naturals dread wash day because it takes literally the entire day, which is ridiculous for the average working woman who doesn't even have the time for all that. They waste their entire weekends tampering with their hair, and the whole day is gone. I don't see how some people take 30 minutes just to WASH their hair, and then another 3-4 hours to deep condition, then they jump back in the shower to rinse it out. No wonder your hair takes up your entire weekend! Then when it's time to style, they use too way too many products for one style. Some swear that it's best to DC right after washing and get it over with, but if you honestly don't have time to do it, I wouldn't stress over it! You're only making wash day more of a chore for yourself. 
Wash day for me is therapeutic, not only because I am a SAHM (stay at home mom) and that's one of my only ways of ME time (LOL), but I don't blow dry my hair, I don't take ten years washing and rinsing it out, and I don't flat iron my hair. I have a lot of hair; that would take way too much time to do often. Plus, the best thing for me is that I don't have to go somewhere every day, so I can wear fat twists or braids around the house until God knows when.
Some people have TWAs and they still somehow spend the entire day on their curls... I don't get it. Try to track how much time you're spending on your hair on wash day and see if you can make some improvements. It doesn't have to be soooooo time consuming to be natural. It should be about simplicity. What's the point of being natural if you spent 100% more time on your hair than you did when you were relaxed? That's why some naturals revert back to relaxing, because they think that natural hair is such a chore when it doesn't have to be. Unless your hair is waist length, it should take the average natural no more than TWO HOURS (not including styling or DCing) to get the washing process done. I'm just saying... trying to help some sistas out!
Yes, I have UBER thick hair, yes, my hair is past bra strap length, yes, I have to detangle like everyone else, and yes, I have multiple curl patterns, which is sometimes rough to deal with. It's not always a walk in the park here, either. But I can get it done in a timely manner where I don't have to waste an entire day on the washing process. It's just not worth it.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post. Comment and join the Curls of Innocence community!
Until next time. Take care, curlies!
~Epic Realist~

The Pressure to Weave? O_o

Hola, curlies! Today, I want to talk about protective styling. Of course, this is a popular topic among the natural hair community. Everyone has their different ways of doing protective styling, from braids, twists, buns, cornrows, updos, tuck and pins, and several others. Protective styling is simply a method that protects the precious ends of your hair from the outside elements, therefore preventing breakage and dryness. It's very beneficial, and long term usage of PSing (protective styling) helps to retain length to your tresses due to lack of constant manipulation. This is how dreadlocks grow so long; they never have to be touched.
But the problem that I have been facing lately is that some women think that the only way to fully protect their hair is to rock weaves. Everybody and their mamas (literally) are getting weaves as their summer style. A lot of them believe that that is the only way.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the weaves. They are cute and stylish, but they are not for me. I'm just not into the fakeness. I believe that if you have the ability to grow your hair, you shouldn't be trying to rock someone else's. If you know me personally, you know that I'm a die-hard natural, and I don't just mean with my hair. I mean with everything I do. I don't wear make-up, mascara, fake nails, fake eyebrows, all that junk. I try to eliminate every unnatural chemical/compound from my life that I possibly can... that's just me. I even make my own toothpaste and deodorant, for crying out loud. Weaves are just not for me. I have never worn one, and never will.

"Never say never!"
Yeah, right; try me. >_>

Anyway, I understand that most people don't have time to do much with their natural hair when they are running out the door to work and what not. I don't have a problem with people wearing weaves sometimes. As long as it isn't something that's too tight on your scalp, then cool. But people who wear weaves back to back as their PS... that's just not cool. Your hair doesn't have any time to breathe and recover. That's still constant manipulation, whether you know it or not. Women fall in love with the length that they retain from wearing weaves, but they can lose that length if there is constant stress on the scalp from heavy fake hair. I just don't like people being pressured with it just because you don't have to really do your hair for like a month or so. Your real hair still needs pampering. I would never go an entire month without washing my hair or at least putting water on it.
At least with a wig, you can just take it off and tend to your real hair. Wigs look more fake, but you can still do your thing so that you don't lose the length of your hair. Weaves are cool, but don't let that make you lose your hair underneath. No need to look cute for two months and end up bald in the process. O_O;

Weave Facts: Pros & Cons
1. Extensions are made up of synthetic fibers that normally aren't very heavy on your head.
2. Women don't have as much time to go to salons as they used to, so often a weave is the way to go.
3. Most weaves are very low-maintenance.
4. You can experiment with weaves, which means you can try that new color that you're afraid to use on your real hair.
5. Weaves made up of real hair look more natural and can be styled as if it were your own hair.
6. You should still shampoo and condition weaves as if were your own hair.
7. Watch your hairline when wearing tight extensions. You can lose your edges over time.
8. Think about the principle of the matter. There are jokes about horses going naked (LOL) because of their tails being snipped, but it's true. There are men in India and other countries, voluntarily chopping off women's ponytails against their will to sell to the US for money. Yes, all because we want to have that 'good hair'. Demoralizing a woman so another woman millions of miles away can look cute with HER hair. That's just so wrong on many, many levels.

So before you try to wear a weave, think about why you really want to. If you know for a fact that you will miss your real hair within two weeks and have to take it down, then don't do it. If you're only getting one because all your friends have cute microbraids or Havana twists and you feel left out, don't do it. It's only peer pressure. Don't let anyone force you into getting a weave if you know that technically, it's not your thing. And don't pressure anyone else into getting one, either. After all, it's not your head. If you love weaves to death, keep doing your thing. Just don't pressure anyone else with it!

Be like Shameless Maya... Do you, boo! ;)

Until next time, curlies!

~Epic Realist~

More styles like this at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-of-Innocence/256662627753918?ref=hl

My Recent Length Checks... and Hair Tip #5

Hola, curly mamas!

I haven't posted about MY length checks in a while. Life has been... well, life. Three kids under four, marriage, homeschooling, working from home, housework, the list goes on. So today, I will show you guys how my hair has been doing lately as far as my growth.

I am beyond pleased with my results lately. Shea Moisture products, deep conditioning, and those KCCM challenges have really been working! I've also been doing more protective styling... mini braids, twists, buns, etc. This is a lot of growth for two months.

Now the last KCCM challenge I was in, I had to basically drop out of because I was without internet for a little while. So I couldn't do my check in questions every week. But I am so ready for the next castor oil challenge, which is coming up in September.

Waist length hair, here I come! Hehe.

The ends of my hair and whatever portion of hair that I dyed back in April is still healthy. I haven't been able to purchase another dye just yet to enhance the color that I have, but the little red that I have in my hair is moisturized and strong. I keep water on my hair, and always seal with oil. Coloring my hair hasn't damaged it at all, and I'm very grateful for that. 

Hair Tip #5

The trick to permanently dying your hair is that before you even attempt to do it, your hair should be in TIP TOP shape. By tip top, I mean your hair shouldn't be a stage where it's falling out a lot, with tons of split ends, excessive dryness, bad breakage, none of that. If you don't feel that your hair is at it's best, DO NOT DYE IT until it is! You're only going to cause more harm to it. Your ends are probably going to feel brittle and break off. Doctor your hair up for a while and then try dying. 

If you feel that your hair is already in tip top shape, then by all means, go ahead and try some bold color! ;)

So that's my advice for today. Peace out till later! Take care of your curls!

~Epic Realist~