Seasonal Shedding? I'm not about that life

We've got to think on our feet and stay ahead of the game when it comes to this hair journey thing.  Right now, the only thing on my mind, is how to successfully avoid the excessive seasonal shedding as much as humanly possible.  I'm not talking about your normal, everyday shedding.  No, what I speak of is the viscous, non stop shedding that takes normally place right around the end of the year.

I look back to years past when I was plagued with an incredible amount of shedding.  Because of my relaxer touch-up schedule, I normally relax at the end of the year. So year after year, I would endure battle the shedding while having a bounty of new growth.  Shedding + New Growth = Tangles (massive ones).

Not this year though.  I think I have learned some tricks to help thwart my shedding. I intend to employ these techniques whole heatedly starting now. My focuses will be simple.  It's really all about making sure my scalp is well cared for while ensuring adequate circulation to the hair follicle.

Already, I'm noticing an increase flakes and dryness in my scalp.  This is not okay.  I see it as a sign of impending danger.  So I am taking the first step in my plan to prevent excessive shedding by increasing my water intake.  It's not as hot as it used to be and I'm noticing the need to drink lots of water is subsiding.  So I have decided to become more regimented in my water drinking.  Which means going back to having clear goals around how much water I consume.  Right now, I shoot for 2 liters or more a day.  Another reason why I'm drinking lots of water is maintain proper circulation throughout my body.  I have a sneaky suspicion that our circulation isn't as high in fall/winter season as in summertime which could be a factor in the shedding.

Another reason why I'm ramping up the water intake is because I'm constantly reminded of a conversation I had with a friend.  She told me that her stylist was always able to tell when she wasn't drinking enough water based on the condition of the scalp.  Then I think about some of the experiences shared on a forum when they challenged themselves to drink more water.  Several stated that their hair began to hold moisture better, others talked improved skin benefits, etc.  We, too, shall drink our water so we can experience all of that and more!

Along with the additional water intake, I also focusing on manual stimulation/circulation as well.  For over a month, I've challenged myself to exercise my scalp daily. This could include massages, scalp brushing, and even hair pulling.  Whatever I takes to bring more blood flow, I'm with it!  Whenever I consistently exercise my scalp, my shedding decreases. So, I'm committed to keep this up throughout the rest of the year.

A couple of other things I will keep doing is stimulating the scalp with essential oils on wash days (and more frequently if necessary).  Then I also need to make sure I drink lots of bamboo tea throughout fall and winter months.  The tea contains hair healthy nutrients that help my hair and scalp tremendously. Back in my vitamin rotation is cayenne pepper which is amazing at increasing internal circulation on so many levels.

 I've already employed these strategies and so far, so good.  I look forward to completing the fall/winter season without the paralyzing fear of having to battle unnecessary shedding.  Wish me luck.

MUST SEE!! My Komaza Hair Analysis Results (PIC HEAVY)

This is one of the most exciting posts that I've written in a while.  A dream of mine finally came true.  For the longest, I've wanted to have my hair analyzed and now I can scratch it off my bucket list.  You may remember from part 1 of this series that I sent over some hair samples to the good folks at Komaza hair care.  Once they received the hair and analyzed it, I was contacted to discuss the results via phone consultation.

To be honest with you. I was deathly afraid of what would come back. Why?  Because for the past 4-6 months, I've been pretty negligent with my hair.  I haven't been giving it the attention it deserves and was experiencing, first hand, the result of my actions.  I was so nervous, in fact, that I trimmed (cut) around 2 inches so I can get a head start on getting everything back on track.

The person on the other line was super friendly.  She took her time to discuss my results and answer any questions.  There were lots of pics but I wanted to show you the most interesting ones.  So without further adieu, let's get started....

There were several slides of my hair roots included in the summary.  She stressed that they look closely at the root to see if there are any signs of thinning.  All of my shed hair had a full, healthy bulb. In her words, "healthy root means healthy growth."  I'm glad to hear that.

This was probably one of the coolest images. Check out this knot.  Years ago, I was plagued with single strand knots but lately, not so much.  In fact, if I hadn't seen this pic, I wouldn't even thought about single stand knots as a concern. But now that I'm confronted with this image, I will be on the lookout to determine if this is a random occurrence or something I should be worried about.

There were several pics depicting various types of breakage.  Some at the end of the strand, some in the middle.  Just looking at these pictures make me cringe.   The stress point damage (below), she said, could be caused by me wearing a bun in the same place day in and day out.  The mid shaft breakage could be contributed to over manipulation coupled with lack of protein.

Another thing she mentioned was that I seemed to have obvious product buidup.  She invited me to introduce a baby shampoo into my regimen. The recommendation of a baby shampoo is so my scalp does not get irratated due to my seborrheic dermatitis.

Even with the graphic images depicting violent breakage, the consultant told me that overall, I had healthy hair.  I was shocked.  These pics completely freaked me out.  Honestly, I thought I'd have to shave it all off and start all over again.  She told me that she had to search the samples to find examples of breakage for the sake of the discussion.  Believe it or not, she said that, overall, my hair had good elasticity and took several firm tugs before the strand broke. Although most of my distressed strands showed signs of cuticle lifting, she said that severity of the lift was relatively minor (considering that I was relaxed) and could be easily be addressed. 

Oh, she also acknowledged me several times during our conversation for the amount of water I drink daily (takes a long swig from water bottle).

We talked specifically about what actions I should take based on my hair's strengths and opportunity areas.  I took copious notes and will discuss my next steps in full detail in a follow up post.  Even though I'm a veteran at this hair game, there were still some new insights that I got from the consultation. Can't wait to share with you!!!!

What do you think of these pics, pretty crazy huh?

If anyone is thinking of of doing this in the future, you can use the referral code 8n2sA6 to receive a 5% discount off the cost.

8 Ways to stop your Shedding now!

A couple years ago seasonal shedding nearly ruined me.  There was a point in time when that's all I wrote about because I was so plagued by it.  I attribute a couple of my past set backs to complications related to excessive shedding.  Fast forward to today and I can honestly say that I'm confident in the strategies I use to combat shedding at the first signs.  My intention is to list as many options for you as possible because I understand that one size may not fit all when it comes to shedding.  As you continue to read the post, notice that many of my suggestions have a similar bond, they deal with the scalp directly.  And in doing so they have a greater likelihood of actually being effective.

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One of the most popular methods talked about for minimizing shedding has got to be tea rinses.  This pretty much involves applying various teas to the hair and scalp to moisturize, strengthen, and (most importantly) eliminate shedding. Many swear by this method.  I won't go into length on the process here because I have a detailed post on the topic that you can read as a reference.

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Have you noticed that drinking a lot of water has be coming up a lot lately in my posts?  Here's the thing, normally, this time of year means that my scalp is dry and itchy.  Undoubtedly, this will lead to excessive shedding.  The scalp just isn't healthy if it's dehydrated.  So, on the one hand, you have dry skin cells surrounding the scalp, on the other hand, the amount of nourishment to the hair follicles is diminished because dehydrated cells are less able to absorb nutrients from the blood stream.  Put this all together and you have a recipe for hair fallout.  When I kicked up my water intake this winter, everything started going right.  My scalp is healthier with very little flaking, and shedding is at normal levels.  All is right with the world.

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When the temperature drops, our body's natural instinct is to direct blood flow to our internal organs to keep them warm.  The result of this is less blood flow to our extremities, hence the cold hands and feet.  Our scalp also suffers from this phenomena and (I believe)  this relates to increased shedding during the cooler months.  When I experience too much shedding and I want to nip it in the bud, I implement the Sanford Bennett method of scalp massage. Works like a charm for me every time. I love this technique because the exercise aggressively invigorates blood flow directly to my scalp.   When I do this consistently, I don't have to worry about overzealous shedding.

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If any of you ladies are dealing with dermatitis of the scalp, I suggest you check out my posts on using essential oils and apple cider vinegar to manage some of the symptoms.  Really bad dandruff leads to hair loss, especially in the winter time.  I've seen it happen in my own journey. If you are dealing with severe dandruff issues, addressing it should be a first priority in your regimen. 

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Do you remember how in the post about the Skin Care Regimen created a by Celebrity Expert, we were asked to finish off our facial cleansing routine by sealing our pores with an ice cube?  Well, on a related note, I wrote about how taking cold showers (or rinsing the hair will cool/cold water) can not only help seal the cuticle layer of the hair, but also help bring blood flow to the scalp (as our bodies attempt to warm that area) and close the pores that surround the hair follicle.  The results are shinier hair and minimized shedding.

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Another option that some ladies swear by when it comes to shedding is garlic conditioner.  I've tried garlic conditioner myself and, although I didn't have much of a shedding issue at the time, I used it as a deep conditioner and really liked the product.   I'll be completely honest and tell you that when I did use it, my shedding didn't slow down but looking back, I think about how I wasn't doing the other things on this list to deal with internal factors related to the shedding. I thought that a hair product was the cure-all.  Now I know to take a more holistic approach so I can deal with the shedding on multiple levels.

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I believe that boosting vitamin intake is ultra beneficial in fighting the war against shedding.  When you're taking supplements that support the growth of healthy hair, you are giving yourself an edge over shedding.  Some supplements to look out for are omega 3 oils, biotin, and MSM which is said to help lengthen the "life span" of the hair strand. 

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To this day, the post that has received the most comments over every thing I've ever written is the nail rubbing post. People seem to think the idea is crazy enough to try and, once they've tried, they are compelled to return and share the good news.  I've been told by countless of you that when you rub your nails, you can begin to feel stimulation in your scalp.  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the process is as simple as it sounds. Just rubbing the nails together to stimulate the scalp through reflexology.  What I like about this method is I can do it anywhere.  I don't have to wait until wash day to rub my nails.  I can stimulate my scalp whenever I feel like it and no one in the room knows that I'm creating healthier hair when I rub my nails together.  It's our little secret.