Q&A- Sew-In Question (04)

Q) Hey LaToya, Hope all is well with you. I have not had a relaxer for 7 months.I have been getting braids(micros, kinky since, etc) to AVOID doing my hair. I was deployed with the military during this time so I was kind of forced to be relaxer free. I want to actually try the versatille sew-in. Should I? If so, should I get a relaxer? or just flatiron the hair thats out and hope for the best?

A)  Hello! A versatile sew in may not be good for your lifestyle.  I have another client who is also in the military so I am aware of the physical activity that you have to do.  Having a versatile sew in would mean that you would have to blend the leave out which could lead to severely damaged hair if you are constantly flat ironing it which will be very noticeable once you take out the weave.  You will see your hair that was braided up become long and thick and the part you left out will be broke off and thin.  I do not suggest getting a relaxer if you will not be able to maintain the upkeep.  If you are interested in a sew-in I would recommend a full sew in with no hair left out and a lace or silk closure.  If done correctly you can still pull it back into a low bun or ponytail.  The goal is to keep your hair as healthy as possible and a full sew in will allow you to not have to worry about any leave out or any blending.  You can shampoo and flat iron it as often as you want without damaging your real hair and they last for three months!  Hope this helps!

Video Response:

Help! I Don't Want To Be Natural Anymore!

This is one of many clients that I have that no longer wishes to be natural.  The reason she went natural in the first place is because she was receiving some damage due to relaxers when she used to get them.  I personally believe that is the number one reason for going natural.  It is because so many women receive damage to their hair so they feel like the only way to have healthy hair is to ditch the relaxer altogether.  No! You do not necessarily have to do this.  If you find a good hairstylist that actually cares about the health of your hair and is willing to tell you that you should not be getting a relaxer as often as you are AND knows how to properly apply it as well as when to take it out, you can have relaxed hair that is healthy. If you look at the picture above, her hair is not real kinky to begin with and she likes it straight anyway so she decided that she wanted a relaxer again.  This means I had to do a virgin relaxer on her and go from root to tip.

Keratin Treatment- A Natural Girl's Answer To Having Straight Hair Without Permanent Chemicals

This client originally called me for a silk press.  She wanted to wear her natural hair straight but did not want to relax it.  However, she works out on a regular basis and sweats profusely in her scalp.  So, especially during the summer months when lots of perspiration can occur, it is not a perfect time to get a silk press if you tend to sweat in your scalp.

before treatment

However, you are still in luck because there is another option for all of you natural ladies out there!  Keratin treatments allow you to have straight hair for up to four months.  During that period of time your hair will gradually return to its natural state and by the end of your four months your hair will completely return to its natural state.  So, with a relaxer you only need to retouch the new growth, but with the keratin treatment you have to do all of your hair over again because it will wear completely off.  It allows you to test out having straight hair without the commitment of a permanent relaxer.  If you just get the urge to have straight hair for a while but you also want to keep your curly locs you will have the assurance that they will come back again without you having to completely transition again as you would if you let your relaxer grow out.

Q&A- How Many Bundles Do I Need For A Partial Sew-In? (03)

Q)  I have short hair, but has some length on the top. I have one bundle of virgin brazilian body wave, 22 inch. I want to do a partial but am afraid it will look weird because of the length difference. Will this be okay? Any tips or advice? Thanks!

A)  Hello, if you only have one bundle of hair that is not going to be enough unless you plan on cutting it to only add fullness to your current style.  Otherwise you would at least need 2-3 bundles depending on how thick your current bundle is.  But yes, to answer your question it will look much better by adding more hair.

Video Response:

Full Sew-In With Silk Closure & No Hair Left Out

This is the same sew-in on my mother that I did a few weeks ago.  She came in today for me to cut a little more into an A-line bob with layers.  I like this look much better on her.  I should have taken a picture of it when it was soaking wet when all of the cute waves came back. Ugh! When she comes back I will do that to show that this is excellent hair for vacation or if you are just wanting something low maintenance.  She could have simply let it air dry while it was wet and it would have still been very cute.

 I started by shampooing the hair with Silk Hydration by L. Jones products, making sure to also condition well.

Q&A- Relaxed, Healthy Hair Question (02)

Q) Hi Toya, i'm currently stretching my relaxer i'm 12 weeks post. My last relaxer was in the early part of January. I am use to relaxing my hair every month but i have noticed that my hair starts to become thinner and shorter. Normally when i put in braids for at least two months my hair grows a lot but i end up getting trims because of split ends. My due date for getting a relaxer is the end of June and i want my hair to be as healthier and longer as possible. I've been using the tropic isle coconut black castor oil with shea butter and the Vo5 Repair & protect strengthing shampoo & the Vo5 split ends & damaged hair conditioner / volumizing conditioner and also i've been doing the real queens GHE method. Can you give me any tips on how i can have a much healthier hair growth without it being clipped off. I must say that my hair is a bit dry at the moment and i have an itchy scalp . Would u recommend me to use the African pride braid sheen spray although its just for braids ? i DO NOT use heat in my hair period starting my stretch . only when it is very important and that is once in a while. I use roller sets instead. Please help me and give your suggestions . Thank you

A) First let me start by saying congrats on stretching! Once a month (which is every four weeks) is not acceptable for your hair to be receiving a relaxer.  The reason why you saw your hair becoming thinner and shorter from doing that is because getting a relaxer every four months means you had lots of damage from over-processing.  And no matter what products you use, if you continued to get them every month, the damage would still be happening.  In order to get the healthiest and longest hair possible, I would suggest waiting until you have at least two inches of new growth before each relaxer session.  If you are just starting your stretch it is possible that your midshaft down to the ends of your hair could still be over-processed so it is very possible to notice thicker roots and thinner ends.  Once you are on a consistent schedule of stretching you will notice thicker, healthier looking hair from the root to the ends but until then you can trim off just a little at each touch up until the damaged ends are gone and you are only left with healthy hair.  I do not recommend braid spray as is is only for braids.  If you have itchy scalp you can use a shampoo that specifically caters to itchy scalp (Nizoral is a good one).  As you continue stretching, you will notice your hair beginning to grow faster and much longer than in the past.  Good luck on your healthy hair journey and I hope this answers all of your questions!

My video response:

Q&A- How To Do a Silk Press On a Child? (01)

Q&A posts are real questions that have been sent to me.  A lot of times a lot of people ask the same questions or for every question asked there is someone else out there going through the same issue and looking for answers as well.  That is why I decided to answer your questions via the blog and for some of them I will also have the video answer for my YouTube people.  If you have a question you would like to submit, send it in on the blog by submitting in the "ask Toya" section.  Thanks for all of your questions and I hope my answers help you.  I don't claim to know everything but I will answer every question based on my personal experiences combined with my professional knowledge.  Enjoy!

Q) Can you explain to me how to do a silk press on a 9 year old's hair?! Using the silk hydration products! 

When Is A Good Time To Cut Your Hair?

This client has been coming to me for a short while now but on her last visit she expressed to me how she was not happy with her hair cut.  First let me say that she went somewhere else to get her hair cut before she even started coming to me.  However, I thought she was happy with her cut since she had gotten it so recently and on her initial visit to me she did not mention that she did not like it.  Once it was curled and everything she thought it made her look like an old lady.  She also mentioned that she was not really on the bandwagon of relaxer stretching either.  This was all new news to me!  I was under the impression that she wanted to grow her hair longer so I had her on track to stretch her relaxers out.  When she told me she was not feeling that, I then suggested that she get her hair cut short so that she could get her relaxers more often.

Faux Mohawk (Faux-hawk) For Natural Hair

This is a client that has had a silk press before but has been opting for styles with no heat on her hair.  Majority of natural women that come to me get a silk press so she is forcing me out of my element!  For this visit we did a fake mohawk, or a faux-hawk since she wanted something that would last for a while and that she could easily manage.

To achieve this style, of course I started with Silk Hydration products!  I used the clarifying shampoo first, followed by the moisturizing shampoo.  After using the moisturizing treatment next, I generously applied some leave-in conditioner.  At this point I had the hair prepped sufficiently and was able to begin styling.

Top 5 Ways To Avoid Scalp Burn When Getting Relaxers

When getting relaxers, one common thing associated with them is scalp burn.  We all hate scalp burn, but the fact of the matter is that relaxers should not burn at all, especially when they are applied correctly.  The reason for this is that they are not supposed to be applied directly to the scalp.  I have had many people tell me that they had scalps that were sensitive to relaxers but once I applied the relaxer the never burned!  I want to give you a few tips to help you avoid scalp burn.

Full Sew-In With No Hair Left Out (Protective Style)

I have been doing a lot of versatile sew-ins where some of the hair around the hairline and around the part are left out.  Most of those sew-ins were done on clients with relaxed hair.  Sometimes however, some clients do not want any of their hair left out, especially when they are natural due to they do not want to have to blend their real hair with the weave.  That was the case with this client who is also my mommy!  She has natural hair which is very wavy and she did not want to have to blend the two different textures so we decided to do a full sew in with no hair left out.

To start, I ordered her some Brazilian, deep wave hair (10 inch).  The picture below is how it looks right out of the bundle.

Hair Of The Week (HOTW)- Freshly Relaxed Wrap

As many of you know, I have just completed my six month stretch of my relaxer.  As of right now I am on week one and wanted to show you how great (and healthy) my hair looks after the first week.  I had a lot of growth, a little over four inches to be exact, even after I had a trim.  I must admit, it is definitely growing much faster than I expected, especially since I have a relaxer and permanent color but that just goes to show that as long as you are taking care of your hair to keep it healthy, it will grow!

For the first shampoo after my relaxer I used the products from my own line, Silk Hydration by L. Jones.  I started with the clarifying shampoo (Extreme Clean) to ensure that all of the dirt, oil, and residue was removed.  I then used the moisturizing shampoo (Extreme Moisture) to add the good moisture (including liquid silk) back in.

Once I got done shampooing, I then put on the daily conditioner and let sit for just a few minutes before rinsing.  Next, I generously applied the leave-in conditioner and combed all the way through the hair.  The leave-in conditioner  not only adds an extra layer of moisture, but it also detangles the hair and acts as a heat protectant as well.  That is why I apply generously.

 After that I simply combed my hair straight down and put just a few rollers in the crown.  After letting air dry, I then blow dried the rest and flat ironed.  Since I was only one week post relaxer, no edge control or anything of that nature was needed.  My hair just laid right down like I wanted it to and gave me no problems!

I am truly enjoying this freshly relaxed hair!  I usually feel this way until around month three (week 12).  Then it starts to sink in that I have three more months to go and is not as easy.  It is still very much manageable though which is why I continue my stretch.

 I encourage all of you to stretch your relaxers to get your hair to be as healthy as possible.  Misusing chemicals is what leads to damage.  And if you are wanting to have permanent color with your relaxer, I would not suggest going more than two shades above your natural hair color.  For example if your hair is dark brown or black, do not try to get honey blonde highlights.  On top of having relaxed hair, going to light with the color will always, always, always lead to damage.

To maintain my hair all I have to do is wrap it. That is it!  My routine is very simple.  I shampoo once per week and wrap every night.  I keep the heat to a minimum and stretch my relaxer.  Your hair will do the rest on its own.

The Versatility Of A Silk Press

This is a young client that is only eight years old.  Of course she started out with natural hair but she had so much hair that her mother decided to let her get a relaxer.  She was very tender headed and did not like to get her hair combed much so having it relaxed made things a lot easier.  A couple of years went by and her mom decided to let the relaxer go and allow her daughter to transition back to natural so as of right now she has a little more natural hair than relaxed, approximately 5-6 inches.

What Happens When Your Hair Becomes Too Damaged?

This client is like many that I have had before.  She came to me saying she wanted a hairstylist who could help her grow her hair, that she wanted it to be healthy, that she wanted it to not break any more, all while keeping her relaxer.  I told her the same thing that I tell all of my clients which is that in order to have healthy relaxed hair she was going to have to stretch her relaxer out to at least sixteen weeks or when she gets two inches of new growth.  Well, she swore up and down that she would try it yet after only ten weeks she said she could not do it anymore.  Her hair was already slightly damaged and continuing to get more relaxers too soon only made it worse.  I told her that unfortunately she was going to have to get her hair cut.  That way, all of the dead ends would be off and with short hair you can get away with getting a relaxer every ten weeks because you are constantly cutting any hair that may become damaged off anyway.

I relaxed her hair and did a semi-permanent color on it as well to cover the gray.  After rinsing the relaxer and shampooing the hair I cut it while it was wet.  I then molded the hair down into its shape to place her under the dryer.  After I molded her hair down, I was already pleased with how the cut was looking because it looked so much healthier!

This client was very sad to see her hair go but she knew that she was going to have to get it cut because she had so many dead ends and it was extremely uneven.

She wanted something soft and simple so I did a basic curl all over the head.  Maybe next time she will allow me to do something a little more sassy.  I knew I had to take her through this process with baby steps first.

Now she is happy because I showed her the before picture, then the after and she agreed that a cut needed to be done.  She likes the short cut and I absolutely love it.  Looking forward to seeing it again in two weeks!  I do not have many short haired clients so the ones that I do have I like to get creative with them.  In order to maintain this she only needs to put her satin scarf on at night and sleep soundly.  She can spray it as needed with Silk Hydration by L. Jones.

How To Stretch Your Relaxer Past 6 Weeks (week 26)

I am so excited today!  It is the last day of the stretch, the day I get my relaxer.  I have made it to exactly six months. There are 52 weeks in a year and if you divide that by 2, guess what number you get?? That's right, 26!  It has been a journey and I look forward to doing it every time.  I love to see the significant growth of my hair at each relaxer visit.  Take a look at the last video, I also got a trim because I can not stand split ends.  I will enjoy this silky straight hair at least for the first six weeks.

I hope you got a lot out of this series.  I did it to show that it can be done.  Remember, the point of the stretch is not to see if you can transition into natural but to stretch your relaxers long enough to not overlap when you get your touch ups.  You can have healthy hair that is relaxed if you do it right!  Two inches of new growth should be what you aim for.  Since I am setting the example, I choose to go further to let you know that if I can go six months you can definitely go four.  Good luck on your healthy hair journey!!