Should You Relax Your Child's Hair?

Many African-American women choose to chemically relax their daughters’ hair. This is practice that for decades has been all too common. Before many African-American girls reach middle school, they have had a chemical relaxer. Although chemical relaxers may make the hair more manageable for parents, it is important to know the dangers and long-term damage chemical relaxers can cause to a child’s hair.

When Should You Relax a Child’s Hair?

A girl should not receive a relaxer until she has had her first period. This is because once girls begin menstruation, the hormones in their body changes and can react adversely with the relaxer. This can cause the hair to thin out or break. It is best to wait until the first period, so that the chances of negative interactions between her hormones and the relaxer are reduced. If you observe the young women that you know, you will notice that the ones who waited until high school to relax their hair usually have healthier hair then the girls who got a relaxer in elementary or middle school.

What Kind of Relaxer Should You Use?

Once your daughter has had her first period and you have decided to relaxer her hair, you should consult a hair care professional who will be able to best advise you as to what type of relaxer she should use. If your goal is to just loosen the curl to make combing through the hair more manageable, you may want to give your daughter a texturizer. This will loosen the curl, but will not completely straighten the hair. You can also use a “kiddie perm,” which is formulated for young girls, so it is gentler on the hair then standard relaxers. But I repeat, consult a hair care professional. The worst thing you can do is relaxer your daughter’s hair yourself. You will be doing her a grave injustice.

How Do You Maintain Relaxed Hair?

Condition, condition, condition. It is very important to keep your daughter’s hair conditioned. You should frequently deep condition her hair with cholesterol or a protein-based conditioner. It is also very important to handle the hair gently by shampooing gently and using wide-tooth combs. Also, avoid heat styling, such as blow drying, flat ironing or using curling irons. Heat styling can dry out the hair, causing it to become brittle and to break.

Once you have committed to putting a relaxer in your daughter’s hair, it is important to keep up with caring for her hair by keeping a regular 6-8 week schedule of reapplications, conditioning the hair, and keeping the ends trimmed. Although the relaxer may make the hair easier to handle, it requires a lot more maintenance than natural hair. It will be vital to her hair health to follow all of the proper procedures and to work along with a hair care professional. Before you put a relaxer in your daughter’s hair, take the time to think about all the pros and cons of such a permanent and potentially damaging process. Many young girls end up losing a lot of their hair before they reach high school because they received a relaxer too young or because the relaxer was not properly maintained. No girl wants to start high school with thin, dry, broken hair. So moms, think before you relax.

Acrylic, Gel, or Wrap Nails: And the Winner is…

Many women opt for wearing artificial or fake nails. Fake nails give the hands a nicely manicured and feminine look. They also allow nail polish to last much longer than when applied to natural nails. When choosing which type of fake nails would be right for you, consider the following:
Long Lasting Acrylic Nails

The most popularly used fake nails are the acrylic nails. They are known to be durable and long lasting. Acrylic nails are produced with the blend of two elements that are the monomer and the polymer and the blend is further applied with an acrylic brush over the natural fingernails for convenient results since after the application, you just need to let the mixture dry down, forming into an elongated shape or into any other shape as well. It is important to take care of fake acrylic nails properly to avoid any infections. Water under the nails can lead to fungus, which can turn you natural nails a greenish-brownish color. Acrylic must be reapplied to the new growth area every two weeks to avoid water from getting under the nail.
Clear and Glossy Gel Nails

Gel nails are natural looking fake nails that have a clear and glossy surface. The gel nails, similar to acrylic nails, are created with a mixture of polymer and monomer that is applied on the nails and is formed under the UV light. Non-UV gel nails where there is a gel activator that is applied on the nails have become more popular in recent times. Gels nails may give your nails a natural look, yet are not quite as durable as acrylic nails. However, they have a cleaner and less bulky look compared to acrylic nails. Gel nails are great for women who like to wear their nails short.
Natural Looking Wrap Nails

Wrap nails are found in linen, fibre and silk. These are the most natural looking fake nails and also one the softest. The materials they are made of like fibre, silk and linen give them a soft, flexible touch. The wrap nails are cut according to the required shape and are glued over the natural nails. These are primarily used for the strengthening of the natural nail tips. Also, they don’t not require as much maintenance like acrylic or gel nails and therefore, are popular amongst many women.
So which fake nail is superior? Well that depends on what you want. If you want the most natural look, wrap nails are the best choice. But if you want something that is very durable and long lasting, acrylic would be the better option. Gel is a happy medium between long lasting and natural appearance, so this could be the right choice for you. But whatever you choose, be sure to take care of your nails by keeping them regularly maintained by your nail care professional to avoid damage and fungus to your natural nail underneath. Stay manicured, and stay pretty.

To Color Or Not to Color: That Is The Question

Every now and then we all want a change. Women often turn to their hair first in deciding what to change. Some of us cut it, or add extension, or decide to color it because we've been told that blondes have more fun. But coloring can have lasting effects on your hair, so while going blonde might be fun, it may also be damaging. There are three main ways to change your hair color, which can temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent.

Temporary Color
Temporary coloring products usually comes in the form of rinses, gels, mousses and sprays and majority of these products do not penetrate or modify the structure of the hair shaft. Temporary hair coloring products usually work similar to surface paint as the molecules usually stay on the outer surface of your hair. Depending on the type of temporary color, temporary color will wash out immediately with a single shampoo or after a couple of washes. If you just want to experiment with a different hair color, temporary hair color might be the safest and least harmful way to go about it. However, if you have dark hair, don't expect to be able to go blonde by using temporary color.
Semi Permanent Color
Semi Permanent color is a harsher but less invasive way to change your hair color. Instead of staying on the surface of your hair, semi permanent dyes contain smaller molecules which will penetrate through your hair shaft and stay there for a longer period of time. Usually it will take around six to ten shampoos to get the color out. Semi permanents usually do not require the use of oxidization agents, which is safer for the hair, but like temporary color, this also means that the color is less likely to show up on dark colored hair.

Permanent Color
Permanent color is the harshest way to color your hair. All "permanent" hair color products and lighteners contain a developer, or oxidizing agent, and an alkalizing agent (most often ammonia). To permanently change your hair color, you will have to use dye intermediates like PPD and a developer containing hydrogen peroxide for oxidization. Both of these are mixed together before application and the chemicals will cause your hair cuticle to swell so that the coloring agents can easily penetrate through. Once inside your hair shaft, the agent will break up your original color pigments known as melanin and replaces it with the new color. Permanent color is truly permanent and will not wash out, although it may fade. Permanent color can be removed by bleaching, or stripping with a color remover, but this is very damaging to the hair. To maintain hair health with permanent color, deep conditioning the hair is an absolute must.
So, if you want a quick subtle, change without damaging your hair, temporary hair color is the way to go. If you want something more drastic, permanent color would be the appropriate choice, but be sure to maintain your hair's health with conditioners. And if you want a more lasting color than temporary, but not one that will permanently strip your hair, semi permanent color would be the best option. Whichever way you choose to color your hair, be sure to have it done by a professional who can provide a proper application of the color and advise you as to the continued maintenance of the color.