eilleenann-blog

[eilleenann-blog]

Im sorry to bother you again. What do you use as a head protectant? And how often do you use heat per month? Thank you.

You’re not bothering me. And I’ve tried so many different heat protectants from various brands, but they all either made my hair sticky or hard. Like I don’t know..They say heat protectant on it, but then like all I see in the ingredients list is alcohol.. It just didn’t make sense to me, and I didn’t like the way my hair was feeling. So I looked up oils that could serve as heat protectants, and I just use a tiny bit of avocado oil before I blow dry my hair, because it has the highest smoking point of all the oils (you can google and you’ll see a list of oils and their smoking points).  I never use it right before flat ironing though, only before blow drying, so it can sink into the strands, so that it doesn’t sizzle when flat ironing. That’s what works for me, I’m sure it won’t work for everyone. 

I can’t really say how often I use heat per month. Because I might flat iron my hair one month, but then I will sometimes go 2 or 3 months in cornrows. And just keep washing my hair while in cornrows. Depends on how strict I’m being with my protective styling. So I would say I blow dry like 10-15 times per year? Flat iron like 7-8 times per year? and I never go higher than 370 degrees on the flat iron. I don’t do silk presses..I don’t discourage anyone from doing them, but I personally know what my hair can and cannot handle, and I personally just like to see some kinky texture in my hair, even when I press it. So yeah, just do what your hair can handle. Hope that helps.

[eilleenann-blog]

Whats your nighttime routine for your hair?

Ummmmmm it depends.

If my hair is in cornrows: I literally just throw a bonnet on my head and go to sleep. Some nights I’ll rub argan oil or sunflower oil on my braids though. But to be honest, I don’t think about my hair at all when it’s in cornrows. I don’t do much to it.

If my hair is flat ironed or blow dried and I’m wearing it down: I coat it with argan oil or sunflower oil, then I wrap it up, and secure it in a scarf, then I put a bonnet over the scarf. 

If my hair is in a ballerina bun: I don’t oil it or anything. I wrap the bun up in a scarf. Just the bun. Then I put a bonnet over all of my hair.

I rarely ever do twist outs because that’s too much manipulation for me and they just give me massive breakage: But when I do, I guess I pineapple it? But that doesn’t really do much for my hair. My hair is just so thick and coarse that it all kind of just ends up clumping together anyway? 

[eilleenann-blog]

What shampoo and conditioners do you use for hair growth?

I don’t use any shampoos or conditioners for hair growth.. The best advice that I was ever given in my natural hair journey was, “Don’t focus on hair growth, focus on retention” Your hair is growing. Don’t tell yourself your hair isn’t growing. It is. I promise you. It’s just breaking off just as fast as it is growing, so it’s giving you the impression that it isn’t…But I promise you, it is growing. 

With that being said..When it comes to shampoos I always use a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner combination so that it isn’t as drying and harsh on my hair. And I always follow up with a conditioner afterward. That helps to stop any unnecessary breakage or damage that shampoos can often cause. 

[eilleenann-blog]

hi I stumbled across your blog and I just wanted to know what you suggest for protective styling :)

Hi :)  Protective stylingggggg. Okay for long term protective styles I prefer chunky cornrows. I can wash my hair with them in, my hair is completely protected because there are no loose strands, it’s easy for me to oil them, and it’s sooooo easy to detangle when I take them down. I retain the most length this way.

For short term protective styling, I like high ballerina buns. But only for short term, because it can cause breakage in the nape if done excessively. 

[eilleenann-blog]

how did u get ur hair so long?

I mean, I guess a combination of things but#1 Deep conditioning at least twice a month#2 Protective Styling#3 Doing what works for me, and not following trends

[eilleenann-blog]

Hi, my hair keeps breaking and I don't know what to do to stop it because I was told to use coconut oil but it's still breaking off. please help!

If your hair keeps breaking off it’s most likely

a) You’re lacking moisture, and your hair is literally just snapping off

b) There’s too much moisture, and your hair is stretchy, stringy, and weak, therefore causing breakage

c) You’re too rough with it when detangling/ styling or the styles that you choose are not beneficial for your hair, which results in hair breakage.  

d) You have split or jagged ends, and you need a micro trim

So, what you need to do first is identify the problem, then react accordingly.  Whether you need to deep condition, need a protein treatment, a trim, or a new go-to style. 

Hope that helps,

~Yinka

[eilleenann-blog]

if hair grows and breaks at the same rate, the way to make it longer is to reduce breakage and increase growth, right? how can i do this? you're gorgeous btw

Thanks 😊 And to answer your question, yes. Kind of. You just have to reduce breakage, not necessarily strive to increase your growth rate. Your hair will grow at it’s normal growth rate, and that’s perfectly fine. So, basically all you have to do is eat and breathe, and your hair is growing (obviously it’s better to eat healthy, but you get my point). 

Now, when it comes to reducing breakage, it all depends on your hair type. A lot of women benefit from protective styling, so I would definitely recommend finding a protective style that you feel beautiful in, that allows your hair to retain length. Also, deep conditioning is so important, it helps to keep moisture in your hair, so that your hair doesn’t become dry and brittle and begin breaking off. Also, find a good moisturizer and oil that you like. 

I retained a lot of my length through bunning my hair consistently, or wearing straight back chunky cornrows for extended periods of time. My hair was not being touched or manipulated on a day to day basis, so there was no breakage. But you don’t have to use these styles, these are just the styles that worked the best for me. If you’re really really really serious about getting length and retaining it all as quickly as possible. Look into getting some type of braids, and try to leave them in for as long as possible. The bigger the braids, the better.

Hope that helps,

~Yinka

[eilleenann-blog]

Random Natural Hair Tip

Turn your bonnet inside out, so that the elastic band doesn’t cause any extra stress or tension to your edges. I started doing this and it really helped. Just thought I’d share and hopefully help save some edges 😘

[eilleenann-blog]

i wish i found your blog 2yrs ago when i moved to china n came to the realisation that there no hair stylist for my hair type at my disposal better late than never. after reading your posts it all makes sense why my sister's and my hair were healthy,retaining length and thick back then because i went to schools that insisted on cornrows and keeping our hair natural. The kind of oils my mum used on us while we were younger,the saturdays she spent treating our hair....we would always get compliments for our hair. it all makes sense now! It was simple and worked.

[eilleenann-blog]

What shampoo do you use on your natural hair. My hair is so dry and absorbs everything so quickly. I'm at a loss

To be honest, I mostly co-wash, and whenever I shampoo, I don’t really pick any specific shampoo brand when I go to the store.  I usually just make sure that it is a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner. So that it’s not as drying, and I can still feel like my hair is getting some moisture and it’s not completely stripped when it is being cleansed. So that would be my advice.. Don’t use a regular shampoo, use a 2 in 1.. And always follow up with a real conditioner.

[eilleenann-blog]

motivation to learn how to cornrow my hair

Hey I know this is weird but I stalked your whole Tumblr and read till the end. Please give me some tips I'm in desperate need for tips my hair will never grow it keeps breaking off. I want hair like yours I love it it's the most gorgeous hair I've ever seen everyone has these extensions you decide to go natural and look at your hair now it's beyond gorgeous. So please whatever is I really need tips my hair keeps breaking off it's really short and it makes me sad.

I don’t think it’s weird at all. Everyone goes through peoples tumblr pages lol. Ummmm I could give you some general tips, but I can’t give you any specific tips because you didn’t really tell me anything about your hair, except for the fact that it’s short and breaking off. So what I will do is give you some general tips that I think will help, and if you want, you can respond and give me more details about your hair and what you do to your hair, so that I can give you  more specific answers that can help you out. 

And I want you to stop feeling sad. Because your hair will not be like this forever, it will grow long and healthy once you figure out what it is that you need to do to stop the breakage. You are going to have long and healthy hair. Know this, and never have a doubt about it. My hair was so damaged and short and would literally break every time I ran my fingers through it, and now I hardly get any breakage at all. So don’t be sad, just keep picturing yourself with beautiful, thick, healthy, natural hair.

1. Deep condition. Section your hair off into at least 4 sections, co wash each section one at a time, then add the deep conditioner to your hair. What I like to do is massage it into my hair. I will massage each section of hair for like 5 minutes each, and I leave the deep conditioner in my hair for like 3-5 hours. BUT that’s what I do. You should follow the directions, of the deep conditioner, unless you are comfortable doing otherwise. Deep condition at least once every 2 weeks.

2.  Figure out if your hair gets less breakage with using no heat, or with using minimal heat. Some people, like myself, experience a lot of breakage when their isn’t stretched. So using a blow dryer to elongate your curls may help you to keep your hair from breaking off. But you may be someone who retains more length without using any heat at all. So figure out which way works best for you, because everyone is different.

3.  Find a protective style that works for you, and stick with it. Don’t keep trying all of these different hairstyles and protective styles, once you’ve found one that allows you to retain length with very minimal breakage.  My first protective style that I stuck with was a high bun. Then I went to cornrows. I’m actually obsessed with cornrows as a protective style right now. I always hated them as a kid, but I just like doing all of the Nigerian cornrow styles that I had when I was younger. They are seriously low manipulation and when I take them down, detangling is a breeze. 

*****I’m going to be 100% honest and for real with you. If you are SERIOUS. And you want long hair. Get your hair cornrowed (4 or 5 chunky corn rows), leave it in for a month. co wash it 2 weeks after the corn rows are in, then rub argan oil over your cornrows, let it air dry (blow drying isn’t necessary since it’s already braided up). take them out after 2 more weeks pass. detangle, co wash, blow dry, oil it, then braid it up again. And keep doing the same exact thing. I did this for like the last 2 years (some months I would rock nothing but cornrows, other months I would have fun with my hair) and my length retention is AMAZING. The back of my nape which I struggled with the most, got longer and longer.  I don’t wear wigs, I just love the look of my cornrows, but if you’re not comfortable rocking just cornrows, you can try and find a wig that won’t damage your hairline.

4.  Don’t try a million products at once. Because if something’s not working for you, you won’t be able to narrow down what is causing the breakage…BUT at the same time. Get all of your urges to be a product junkie out NOW, while your hair is short. I’m not saying go try a million things. But figure out what works for you NOW.  You might not be able to imagine yourself 2 years from now with longer hair, but it IS coming. And you don’t want to be taking a risk and trying new things when your hair is long, because you don’t want to take any big risks when you’ve made so much progress. So, in short..Try new things to figure out what works for you, but don’t do it all at once.

5. Don’t worry about people talking about your hair, laughing at your hair, judging you because of your hair (not sure if you deal with this at all, but I just wanted to cover all bases). People laughed and made fun of me when I first went natural in the beginning, and it hurt my feelings. But I just kept telling myself, “I know what I want, and I know this is just a stage I have to go through, so I’m going to mind my own business, and get through this stage, because I know what I want in the end.”

6.  Try not to use weaves, wigs, or any extra added hair when protective styling.  I definitely don’t judge anyone who uses weaves or wigs, because I believe everyone has the right to do what they want with their hair, and do whatever they want with their lives as long as they are happy and not hurting anyone else. BUT, I will say that for me personally, I retained a lot more length when I protective styled with my natural hair only. Weaves can cause extra tension on hair that can lead to breakage. And wigs can cause extra stress on the hairline. And when it comes to things like braids or cornrows, when you add extra hair, it can sometimes make it hard for your oils or moisturizers to penetrate the hair shaft, because the extra hair that has been added, blocks your real hair from receiving the moisture.

7. Don’t be sad. You will have healthy hair. This is a stage. You’ll get through it, I promise. I’ve literally cried over my hair so many times before. Don’t doubt yourself. Don’t doubt your genes. It does not matter what color your skin is or your nationality, or whatever. Doesn’t matter your hair type, you can have long healthy hair. And it doesn’t matter is NOBODY in your family has ever had long healthy natural hair. If nobody in your family ever took care of their hair, that just means that it broke off. It doesn’t mean that they were genetically incapable. You can do this. And once you get everything figured out, you won’t even stress about it. Your hair is just going to keep getting longer and longer.