There are several “ingredients to avoid” lists out there. Here are some of the ingredients we found on those lists and why they’re there. This should not be taken as a recommendation from us that you should avoid all of these ingredients. Some of the products we offer contain ingredients on the “avoid” list. Why? Frankly, there are very, very few products that do not contain at least some of these ingredients. It has been estimated that 99% of cosmetic products contain some form of paraben (a preservative). If you think that’s scary (we don’t), after looking at this list, look at your toothpaste and deodorant ingredients.

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What is Shea Butter?
How can I tell if something is good Shea Butter?
How should Shea Butter smell?
How do I store Shea Butter?
My Shea Butter melted. What do I do?
What color should Shea Butter be?
How can Shea Butter benefit me?
How does Shea Butter benefit my skin?
What does Shea Butter benefit my hair?
Is all Shea Butter the same?
What can I tell by looking at the label?
Where can I get good Shea Butter?
What’s the difference between raw shea butter and refined shea butter?
Do I want raw Shea Butter or refined Shea Butter?
What about East African Shea Butter?

While you may have only recently heard of Shea Butter, its use is far from a recent development. The benefits of Shea Butter have been well known for centuries. Africans have used Shea Butter for many generations to protect and rejuvenate their hair and skin. Shea Butter is not only for those of African descent though. Everyone can take advantage of Shea Butter’s benefits. Today, Shea Butter is available in pure form and as an ingredient in many products to help with maintenance of the hair and skin and relief from many common ailments.

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First of all, natural is a relative term. How you define “all natural” may vary from how the next person will define it. Once you mix two ingredients together, one could argue the product is not “all natural”. We believe that God put many wonderful things on this earth to take care of our bodies inside and out. Generally, speaking the less refined or manipulated a product the better. However, we also believe God gave man the ability to improve on his environment and some chemical formulations (especially medicines) are extremely beneficial. Swamp water is natural. But, I wouldn’t drink it. Aspirin is not as natural (it is an extraction of a natural compound found in willow bark), but it’s a fantastic drug. Blood pressure medications are not natural, but many of use could not live without them.

We promote products that we believe are healthy for your hair and body. All things being equal, we prefer natural products over highly refined products. Even when man tries to recreate nature by manufacturing or refining products. Time and time again, man has made “extracts” of things proven to be beneficial and research comes along later saying the supplement is not as good as the whole fresh fruits or vegetables. Often, there are delicate trace substances, a balance of substances or some other thing that we cannot quite recreate. But, sometimes the extractions are necessary. How’d you like to have to find and chew on willow bark if you had a headache?

However, all things are rarely equal. All natural products will be less stable, may not look as nice, will be more expensive and usually have shorter shelf lives than less natural products. If you like a lot of lather, you may be disappointed with all natural shampoos. If you buy all natural products, you may find they separate or go bad more easily. We have had people who thought they wanted all natural products call and complain about the products separating (an effect of not using artificial emulsifiers) or not being as thick or not lathering as well as what
they are used to. Besides just saving money, manufacturers often use chemically altered ingredients to make the products more palatable to the average consumer and more stable.

So, the decision is really up to you. Personally, we use an array of all natural products, less natural products and some completely manufactured products, depending on the product itself.

© 2004-2007 Treasured Locks, LLC All Rights Reserved. Reprint In Its Entirety. With Written Permission Only

The same basic principles apply for children as for adults. Here are the differences. Find a good children’s shampoo if your child is very young (so that it won’t burn the eyes). Children who don’t understand keeping their eyes closed to keep soap out need a tear free shampoo. However, as soon as you can, move away from these. They tend to be drying for African American hair. I recommend avoiding perms for as long as possible. Children have more sensitive skin than adults. The chemicals in the perms are more likely to damage their skin and hair. Also, children don’t usually have the patience to sit through the process of getting the perm. My stylist told me the story of a three year old girl she was trying to give a perm. Once the solution was in the hair, the child decided she was ready to leave. The stylist had to literally wrestle the child to rinse the perm out of her hair. My older daughter is almost six now and has very thick and coarse hair. Her hair is natural. I did a lot of research on the best way to care for it. I intend to leave her hair natural as long as possible. It’s really not any more difficult to care for than if she had a perm. We use Natural-Laxer MIX on her hair to make it more manageable (not straight). That and just using the basic tips above have made caring for her natural hair much easier, she has less breakage and tangles than she used to and we love the way her hair looks natural.

People have asked us what our opinion is on hydroquinone. Hydroquinone is a fairly controversial ingredient used in many skin lightening creams and gels. Hydroquinone is highly effective, which is why it’s used so commonly. It has been established as probably the most effective treatment for hyperpigmentation; although other treatments are coming along and we offer alternatives on our website.

Over-the-counter products can only contain up to 2% of hydroquinone by law. Hydroquinone, at this level is relatively safe for most people. And hydroquinone is effective. At higher concentrations (it is available in 4% and even more by prescription), it can have pretty serious side effects. Hydroquinone is not a bleaching agent. It prevents skin from making melanin, which gradually leads to skin fading. Hydroquinone doesn’t actually lighten skin, it disrupts new pigment production. As the older skin cells are sloughed off and the newer ones rise to the surface, the replacement skin cells don’t contain the excess pigment and skin gets lighter. This is a slight but important distinction.

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Q.) What’s the best hair style and/or type for black women who work out everyday? I have relaxed hair and I’m strongly considering going natural.

A.) This is a pretty complicated question. Which style is best for you is going to be dependent on your personal preferences, the texture of your natural hair and the length you have. For example, you’re not going to be able to wear certain styles until your hair reaches a certain length. If your hair has a loose curl pattern, you might be able to wear a fairly maintenance free style with some “flow”. If your hair is in a very tight curl pattern, you might have to wear a ‘fro until you get some length.

If you’re going to natural though, you probably are not going to be able to wear your hair straight (either pressed or flat-ironed). Again, this will be dependent on your hair texture. If you have a tight curl pattern, you’d have to put so much heat on it daily that you’d end up breaking it off. So, you should consider something like a ‘fro or wearing it in braids, locks or some other style that will not require heat to maintain.

Probably the most common question we get concerning face care is how to take care of dark spots on the face. This is followed closely by how to prevent acne and the questions often come together (people who are still having active acne outbreaks and want to get rid of scarring from prior outbreaks). To treat this you actually have several choices. Keep in mind the regimens we sell are only suggested combinations of products designed to treat specific conditions. Each person’s skin is different. So, we encourage our customers to work with your skin to develop the regimen that is best suited for you. Here’s how we would suggest building a regimen to treat this type of situation. This is just an example to show how you might go about selecting products. We are not suggesting you need to follow this regimen exactly.

• Always start with a cleanser. For acne prone skin, you want a very mild cleanser. You do not want to use a cleanser with scrubs in it as acne prone skin is easily irritated. Cleanse at least twice a day using lukewarm water and your fingertips to cleanse. Do not use a washcloth as it carries bacteria and causes mechanical irritation.
  • An excellent cleanser would be HumiNature Deep C Cleanser or HumiNature Oil Defense Cleanser.
• The second step is to tone. The toner should be a very mild astringent that tightens up pores. Be very gentle with the face while applying. A spritzer bottle is great for applying toner.
  • HumiNature Oil Defense Toner would work.
• Next you will want to treat any active acne outbreaks.
  • This can be done with one of the Black Opal products (Blemish Target Gel for example).
• You’ll want to spot treat the dark spots.
  • Use a Fade Gel or Cream (such as HumiNature’s Dark Spot Fade Gel with hydroquinone at night)
  • Use a fade cream and a sunblock during the day. HumiNature DayTime Fade Cream includes the sunblock in it.
• Lastly, use a moisturizer, if necessary.

Before we try to sell anyone any product, we like to make sure we set proper expectations for what you can expect from an over-the-counter product. There are limits, set by the FDA, on how much of certain ingredients (the most effective ones) can be included in treatments available without a prescription. That is because the most effective ingredients, in high concentrations, can have side effects. That does not mean over-the-counter treatments aren’t effective. They are extremely effective, for the conditions, they can handle. What it means is your condition, if not responding to over-the-counter treatments may require professional help. Our suggestion is to try one or two over-the-counter treatments, if your condition is fairly mild. But, don’t run from place to place looking for something that is going to do “miracles”.

Skin being darker on the face and neck than the body is extremely common. What we have found is most people who notice this on themselves and think it’s a major problem have so little difference in actual shade that nobody else even notices. Unless others have mentioned this to you, we’d recommend you step back and ask yourself if it really is a problem worth you spending time and effort on.

Having said that, most over-the-counter products address what’s usually known as hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is usually caused by irritation of the skin, most commonly acne scars. Uneven skin tone, (where the skin is blotchy) is much more difficult to treat with over the counter remedies. Products designed to treat hyperpigmentation basically stop the skin that is over producing pigment (right next to skin that is “normal”) and reversing the process. If your skin is two very different shades, products are not smart enough to know what shade to make your skin. Uneven skin tone on the face is mostly addressed with foundation (makeup). Skin lightening products can help with evening overall skin tone. But, they will only help to a certain extent. They generally work by lightening the overall skin tone, preventing repigmentation of the darker areas. Products with hydroquinone (and just a good sunblock) can lighten overall skin tone over time. And this can help because many times, with uneven skin tone, the lighter areas stay about the same while the darker areas lighten up.

If you’re going to treat hyperpigmentation there are two basic methods, mechanical and chemical. Mechanical methods would include microdermabrasion (which rubs the top layers of skin off) and dermabrasion (done in a doctor’s office). Chemical methods work by exfoliating (as in the case of peels) or by preventing the skin from producing so much pigment. Hydroquinone is the most common and effective over-the-counter medication that chemically works on hyperpigmentation. Some people are sensitive to hydroquinone. There are sensitive skin lighteners. But, they are generally not as effective.

It’s difficult to say which is more effective, chemical methods or mechanical methods. If you have extremely sensitive skin you might not be able to tolerate the chemicals use in the most effective chemical methods. However, the mechanical methods leave the skin a little sensitive for a few days also. When using any method, it’s vitally important to take care of the skin immediately after treatment, using a sunblock and a moisturizer. Here are some skin lightening products you can check out: http://www.treasuredlocks.com/skin-lightening-fade-products.htm

Stephon Sherriffe is the Owner-Operator of StephStyles Natural Hair and Beauty Salon in Loxahatchee, FL (suburban West Palm Beach). StephStyles does both natural and chemically treated hair. Stephon discovered Natural-Laxer MIX and has found it to be a boon to both her retail and services business. Since adding Natural-Laxer MIX to her portfolio of services, Stephon has seen a marked increase in business and in client satisfaction. Stephon told us “We are having good results with Natural-Laxer MIX and getting good feedback. Clients are seeing results and seeing it is making a difference in their hair. They are telling other clients about it.” Stephon placed a Natural-Laxer MIX poster up in her shop. This gets clients curious and they ask about it. Stephon describes the product and the results. She tells them that it is not a relaxer. She explains that it strengthens the hair and brings back elasticity. She tells them how it helps hold a press longer. Natural-Laxer MIX is not a chemical relaxer or straightener, but a spa-type of natural relaxation for the hair. This is very important to the growing number of clients who want to avoid harsh chemical procedures. Many clients coming in for a press and curl like the product as it makes the “hard press” last up to three weeks; even in hot, humid Southern Florida. Her chemically treated clients are using it to fortify and protect the hair after chemical treatments. Continue Reading >>

Hi, I’m Tywana Smith and I own and operate TreasuredLocks.Com. Treasured Locks is a small, black owned company that sells high quality hair and skin care products, predominantly for the needs of African Americans and people of color. While most of our products are excellent for all hair and skin types, our focus is to make available the best products on the market to people who have special needs. We know you have unique needs and we are here to meet them for you

We chose the name for Treasured Locks for many reasons. First, like treasure, quality hair care products for black people can be hard to find. As more of us move away from areas where there are local stores to cater to our needs, we find ourselves running all over town just to find the basics. Secondly, your Secondly, your hair or your locks is a treasure to you. Our hair has unique requirements, and we must take care of it properly to unlock the beauty contained within. Treasured Locks was created out of my personal frustration with finding quality black hair care products and information on how to care for my family’s hair and skin.

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We often get these two related questions:

Is there something to make my hair grow really fast?
Is there something to fix my hair loss?

The difference between the two questions is the first group of people have hair growing in a normal pattern but it is not as thick or growing as quickly as they would like. The second group of people actually have areas where hair is growing either extremely slowly or not at all.Hair loss is a fairly complicated subject. We will cover that elsewhere. But, quickly, hair loss can be caused by a variety of reasons some easily treated (such as improper nutrition) and some not so easily treated (like male pattern baldness).

Generally speaking over-the-counter products such as our supplements will help with the easier to treat forms of hair loss. They will also help hair grow faster, longer , stronger and thicker. There are also supplements that can help with hair growth (see our Hair Growth Supplements). If your hair is damaged, your nutrition is not optimal (and whose is?) or you have a scalp condition there are things that can promote normal hair growth that will make it appear your hair is growing faster. Also, if you hair is breaking off, it will appear that it is not growing. By preventing that breakage, your hair will become longer. Before you run out and buy a super pill or an ointment, make sure you’re doing the day-to-day things to give your hair a chance to grow on its own. Our Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum is a topical (you rub it on your scalp) product that can help with hair growth. Our hair growth serum is a carefully selected blend of Emu Oil, Shea Butter Oil and other plant oils along with some Essential Oils that have been clinically shown to improve circulation, provide moisture, reduce inflammation and help hair grow to its fullest potential.

There are only a couple of over-the-counter medications that will help with serious hair loss. For men, there is Minoxidil (aka Rogaine) and Propecia. For women, there is Rogaine. These have been formulated in different packages and formulas with enabling compounds added.

© 2004-2007 Treasured Locks, LLC All Rights Reserved. Reprint In Its Entirety. With Written Permission Only

Well, people don’t always ask if there is literally a pill. But, we do get a lot of people who want a quick fix. They want to buy a single product that will cure all their ills. The short answer is there isn’t one. To the pill question, proper nutrition is essential for the health of your hair and protein is necessary. We do offer supplements that can help with the health of your hair and skin. However, there is no pill that will overcome the damage you do to you hair by not properly maintaining it. Taking proper care of your hair is the only way to ensure it will remain healthy. There is no single thing you can put in your mouth or put on your hair to make it begin growing like a Chia pet (at least nothing that you’d really want in your body or on your hair). The way to fix your hair problems is the old fashioned way “Earn it”. You’ve got to develop a healthy regimen for your hair and stick to it. We’re here to supply you with the knowledge and the products you need. We want to help you get your hair in the best shape possible. But, we will not promise you a quick fix or sell you snake oil that cures all ills.

Transitioning from permed or relaxed hair to natural hair should be an exciting time for you. It should not be a time of intimidation or of a feeling of loss. Many women face objections from boyfriends, husbands, family and even in the workplace. While we can’t help you with those social and political pressures, we can give you some tips on what to expect and how to make the transition as easy as possible.

What to Expect When Transitioning to Natural Hair
People often ask us how they can make their relaxed hair “revert” back to natural hair. The true answer is you cannot. Nothing will make hair that has been chemically relaxed go back to its natural state. You have two choices, you can live with the permed hair at the end of the natural hair that is coming in or you can cut the permed hair off. Should you decide you just can’t let go of that length, be prepared for some breakage. The place where the natural hair joins the permed hair is a weak point. Many people experience a lot of breakage when growing out a perm. By treating the hair gently and minimizing combing during the transitioning stage, you can minimize the breakage. How much breakage you get is dependent on your hair type and how you treat your hair during the process. Baka Beautiful’s Natural-Laxer MIX is excellent for minimizing breakage during this phase. By gently softening the natural hair and strengthening the entire hair, the Natural-Laxer makes the transition from permed hair to natural hair easier and less traumatic. Natural-Laxer MIX is applied to the entire length of the hair (natural and relaxed).

One thing to keep in mind when you are considering natural hair is this. Some women are attached to the length of their hair and want to keep that length. If your hair is relaxed, it appears much longer than your hair would naturally. Six inches of relaxed hair is going to appear much longer than six inches of natural hair. Whether you decide to do the big chop or transition over time, unless you’re going to wear locks, braids, extensions or some similar style, your natural hair is probably going to appear much shorter than the relaxed hair you are used to.

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You didn’t really think we were going to answer this one. Did you? This is one of the hottest debates I’ve run across in years. Our job is to inform you and let you make the best decision for yourself. There are pros and cons to each. This is a highly personal decision. Don’t go natural to please those sisters who think all women who wear perms are selling out to the White man and have low self esteem. OTOH, Don’t wear a perm because you feel that going natural is a political statement that you don’t want to make. This really should be a personal decision. Having said that, the reality is that if you go natural, some people will assume certain things about your political and social points of view. If you wear a perm, some people will think you have low self esteem. So, you can’t please everybody.

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First of all, make sure you have a good stylist. If you do apply your perm at home (which we do not encourage), be sure you follow the directions religiously. Make sure you apply touch ups only to new growth. Do not overlap the perm on to the already permed hair. Follow the general directions hair care outlined elsewhere on this site.  Additionally, for permed hair:

• Dry your hair slowly and with as little heat as possible. I try to allow a couple of hours to wash my hair. I wash it and towel blot it. I apply a hair and scalp oil. Then, I walk around the house for a couple of hours and let it air dry as much as possible. Finally, I blow it dry the rest of the way and begin my conditioning and styling routine.
• Wet your hair as much as possible (at least twice a week). Spritz it with water daily or rinse it in the shower every day or two.
• Use a leave-in conditioner and/or moisturizing pomade. Again, this is especially important for relaxed hair as you’ve stripped the hair of some of its ability to oil itself and its protection against moisture loss.
• Have your hair trimmed on a regular basis (whenever you have a perm applied). If your ends split, this split can travel along the hair shaft causing damage to the hair further up. Don’t hang on to damaged hair for the sake of its length. If your hair has been damaged by a bad perm or general abuse, trim it back and let the healthy hair grow out to make up for it. Keeping the damaged hair around can actually begin to damage the healthy hair.
• Touch up frequency will vary depending on your hair type and how fast it grows. I need to go pretty often. Six weeks is what some people need. Up to two to three months is fairly normal.

This is a question we get quite often. First, we need to set some expectations. With the obvious caveats about how we all have different hair types due to our diverse ancestries, natural African hair is going to appear more dull than Caucasian hair or even Black permed hair. Let me repeat that. Natural hair is going to appear more dull than permed hair. It’s just the structure of our hair. The cuticles on our hair, because of the curvature, do not lay flat. Flat cuticles reflect light better making that hair appear shinier. If you try to make your hair shine like someone with permed hair or a White person, you’re going to end up making a mess of your hair. If your hairdresser tells you you need to put more oil on your hair because it looks more dull than the permed hair she’s used to working with, now you know better.Having said that, we can make our natural Black hair look very healthy. There are two things that many of don’t get enough of on our hair- Water and Oil. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and wash your hair often enough (as described elsewhere in this paper). Make sure you are oiling your hair with good, natural oils that the hair can absorb. Too much of the wrong kind of oils, can actually damage the ability of the hair to absorb moisture and make the hair appear even more dull. As discussed elsewhere on this site, conditioning after each washing is especially important for Black hair care. Natural African hair is beautiful. But, it must be maintained properly to be and appear healthy.

Someone once asked us if we thought Black hair was “designed” to be combed (or brushed). Well, the answer to that would be “no”. The kinks in our hair are great places for combs and brushes to get caught and, if the hair is dry an inelastic, it can snap right off. However, modern society demands we do certain things that are “unnatural”. We brush our teeth, shave our legs, pluck our eyebrows, wear deodorant. So, the question we think is relevant is what is the best way to comb or brush my hair?We think that bristled brushes are a bad idea for natural hair and stay away from them entirely. The sharp ends on the bristles tend to catch and snap off natural Black hair. Brushes with rounded “bristles” (really more like teeth or tines) are much better. These can be found in many beauty supply stores. The Kakakiki KombBrush is uniquely designed for African-American hair. It is a combination of a comb and brush with multiple tines laid out similar to a brush. But, they are rounded, placed and designed specifically for Black hair care.As for combs, for natural Black hair, wide toothed combs are a must. African-American hair (and biracial hair) varies widely. So, you’ll have to decide which width is best for you. But, if you are going to use a rattail comb (great for detangling hair, making parts, etc.), remember the rattail is the end you want to use. Leave the other end alone!

If you have super curly, kinky or (dare we say it?) nappy hair, your hair is best handled wet. You may find it easiest to comb it with a wide tooth comb while in the shower. Give up on that skinny little European comb and get one made for your hair. Try to avoid combing your hair while dry as the comb will tend to catch and break the hair. If you need to comb your hair while it’s dry, be gentle. Try to spritz with some water or a cream first. You can use an unbraid product like Black Earth’s Protective Mist Bodifier or Royal Roots Detangler, Softener, Remover. If you’re unbraiding your hair and get to some tangles, pull them loose with your fingers (or the end of that rattail comb) before you go on combing.

How often you should wash African-American hair will depend on your hair type and how prone your hair is to drying or becoming oily. Not all African Americans have the same type of hair. Generally speaking, our hair tends to be dry and shampooing too often will worsen that. Rinsing your hair with plain water on off days (if necessary) and washing once every week to ten days works for most of us. Starting off with washing weekly and adjusting up or down from there is a good rule-of-thumb.It’s important to use a good moisturizing shampoo designed for your hair type (which is probably normal to dry). It’s also very important to condition your hair afterwards (see our article on why it’s important to condition for more information on that).Bi-racial people may want to wash their hair a little more often as it may tend to be more oily. Again, start with once a week and adjust up or down as necessary.BTW, when you dry your hair, do not rub it. Rubbing your hair can cause breakage. Blot it with a towel.

Q.) I have never met a person who says that “relaxers have helped me grow my hair.” All it seems to do is ‘tame’ the hair and keep it straight. I am interested in getting a relaxer, however I want my hair to continue to grow. For many years I have been using hair oils such as “Long Aid,” “Indian Hemp,” and “Hair Food,” etc. When I do decide to get a relaxer, is it possible I can still use these products along with vitamins such as “biotin?” Will using hair oils and vitamins help grow my hair while it is relaxed? Or is it better to keep my hair growing natural?A.) Ooh. These are loaded questions! Let’s see if we can answer them without stepping on too many landmines.

You’re right. Relaxers don’t help to grow the hair. There are people who would tell you that chemicals will make it impossible for you to have healthy hair. But, we don’t think that is necessarily true. Relaxers do work by breaking down the hair. And, relaxers do tend to make the hair more dry. But, with the proper maintenance you can have healthy relaxed hair. People with natural hair can (potentially) damage their hair more than chemically treated hair with too much heat (blow drying and pressing) trying to make it straight “naturally”. So, there is a trade-off there. If you want to wear your hair straight, a perm may actually be healthier for your hair.

Now, whether you wear your hair natural or permed, it’s always a good idea to keep it moisturized and get the proper nutrition (possibly including hair supplements such as Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Supplement).

We hope this answers your question. We can’t say that natural hair is always easier to grow than permed hair for the reasons above. Many people with relaxed hair have long, healthy hair. But, proper maintenance is important either way.

You want to put your best face forward. African American skin needs to be maintained properly to look its best. Common problems among African-Americans are hyperpigmentation (dark spots) caused by scars from acne or other injuries to the skin and “ashy” or gray skin caused by not exfoliating properly. While African-Americans do have the advantage of natural protection from the sun (we’ve all heard the phrase “Black don’t crack.”, that doesn’t mean that Black skin care can be taken for granted.This is a guide to our HumiNature skin care products for the maintenance and treatment of black skin. Our face care products for African-American are of absolutely the best quality, at a very reasonable price. Because your skin has unique needs, HumiNature has multiple products for “normal” to special needs skin types. We have also assembled recommended “regimens” which are bundles of products that work well in concert with each other. Each regimen is based on completely natural, non-soap cleansers, alcohol free toners and balancing non-greasy, non-comedogenic moisturizers. If you have dry skin, you might have been tempted to skip the toner step because many toners are drying and harsh. Ours are not. Each of our products is gentle, hypoallergenic and helps prevent and/or repair damage.Click on the links below to see a short description of each product or regimen.

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We know that whether to oil or not oil African-American is the subject of an on-going debate. In our experience, the right oils, put on at the right times and in the right amounts are a great thing for our hair. Oils, pomades, daily moisturizers, leave-in conditioner and creams will make the hair feel more soft and flexible. They are particularly important to be added to permed hair which has been stripped of some of its ability to oil itself. Mineral oil and petroleum use should be minimized or avoided. These products can tend to clog the pores (known as comedogenic), are not easily absorbed into the hair and attract dust. If you use products with these oils, try to use the ones that have the least amount. But, really there’s no need to use such products when there are much better all natural alternatives available. But, just so you know, generally, the further down the ingredient list, the less there will be in a product. So, try to use products where these are listed near the end.Now, back to what you should use. There are so many great natural plant oils. We typically don’t use animal oils, with one exception- emu oil. Emu oils reduces inflammation and has essential fatty acids and vitamins. It also easily penetrates the hair and skin. Emu oil has been shown to stimulate hair growth and is also good for a variety of other conditions. Some natural plant oils to try are shea butter, jojoba oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Jojoba is another oil worthy of note. It’s great for hair and skin as it naturally is very close to the sebum we secrete to lubricate our own hair and skin. Jojoba oil helps balance the skin. Treasured Locks offers a great selection of oils, pomades and moisturizers for every hair type and style.Many people ask us how often they should oil their hair and how much oil to use. This is something you will have to experiment with. You’ll probably find that permed hair needs more oil. But, natural kinky hair will need more oil than straighter natural hair. Biracial hair will probably require less oil than Black hair. And so on and so forth. As long as you are using good, natural oils in reasonable amounts, you should not have to worry about any build-up.Oils are best applied to wet hair to help hold in the moisture already there. Creams or leave-in conditioners can be used on days when you don’t wash or wet your hair. The type of oil or cream you use in your hair is going to depend on your hair type and may take a little it of experimenting to find what works best for you. Also, the time of year and your hair’s exposure to the elements will vary your routine.

Several of our Black and Biracial clients complain about dull, dry hair. But, many of them skip the essential step of conditioning their hair after they wash it. Conditioner is vital because conditioner helps leave the hair feeling smooth by leaving a thin wax-like coating. Conditioner also helps lessen the breakage and pulling caused by tangling. Tangling happens when the cuticle of one strand of hair (which are more raised in Black and Biracial hair) catches on the cuticle of another hair. Conditioner also smooths over rough broken edges of the outer layer of hair. By smoothing over the outer layer of the hair, conditioner makes the hair feel softer, reflect light better and keeps it from tangling and breaking as much. Lastly, the protective coating left on by conditioner holds moisture and reduces static electricity. So, do not skip this important step in hair care. If your hair is dry, dull and/or tangled, it’s very important to condition.

In addition to regular washing and conditioning with a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, a good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner is essential to repairing and preventing damage done to the hair by chemicals, sun, heat, dry air, etc. Treasured Locks offers several hair repair products.This treatment should be done every 4-6 weeks for best results.

What you’ll need:

• Deep conditioner or hot oil treatment
• Disposable plastic conditioning cap (can be bought at any drug store or beauty supply store)

Nice to have:

• Microwave or Professional Conditioning Heat Cap- these are devices that get warm and you can place on your hair to open up the cuticles and allow the conditioner to penetrate. They work better than a bonnet dryer because they produce warm, radiant heat rather than drying convective heat.

To do the treatment

• Wash hair as normal. You can skip the normal conditioning step
• Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp
• Cover with plastic cap
• Place heated conditioning cap on the head and leave on for 15-30 minutes
  • If you do not have a heated cap, you can wrap your head in a towel or use a bonnet hair dryer
• Wash hair thoroughly

Here are just some real quick general tips. A five minute lesson in Black hair care. You should picture your hair as a collection of fine fibers. You should treat it as gently as you would a fine washable silk blouse. The better you treat your hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. African hair will tend to be dryer and more prone to breakage because the structure makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. If you relax your hair, you’ve weakened the hair and reduced the ability for the scalp to naturally oil it. The points where the hair curls and twists are also points where the hair tends to break. The more of these points (as in African hair), the more the hair is prone to breakage. Also, because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage.

• Either section the hair and plait it, tie it back or wrap it up using a scarf before going to bed, this will reduce the number of tangles you have to comb out the next morning, reducing the chances of breaking your hair.
• Sleep with a satin scarf or sleep cap on your head or with a satin pillow case. This helps avoid split ends caused by the rubbing of your hair against a “rough” cotton pillow case. It also avoids moisture being wicked out of your hair into your cotton pillow case.
• Wash your hair no more often than every week to week and a half. More than that can dry it out.
• Comb your hair out while you’re conditioning it to remove the tangles while it’s wet and relatively slick.
• Oil your scalp on a regular basis with a good natural oil like shea butter. A daily moisturizer is not a bad idea.
• Do a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment once a month.
• Massage your scalp on a regular basis to promote circulation and oil production.
• Avoid overuse of products with mineral oil or petroleum. They tend to block the pores and are not readily absorbed. If your mother used Vaseline^® on your hair, stop.
• If you exercise and sweat, rinse the salt out of your hair even if you don’t wash it. Condition it afterwards with a daily leave-in conditioner.
• Always use a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair.
• Put as little heat as possible on your hair. Heat, especially combined with perms is very damaging to hair.
• Avoid alcohol based products unless you have a need for a water-free shampoo to cleanse your scalp (for example while you’re waiting for your locks to lock).
• Remember that water (moisture) is your friend and get plenty- inside and out. If you used to press your hair or blow it out and learned to fear water on your hair because it would draw up, you need to get over this. Spritzing a little water on your hair every day is a good idea. Get a spray bottle and just spray it just a little.
• Eat a proper diet. Vitamins and protein are essential for proper hair growth. We have nutritional supplements specifically designed for hair and skin health. Hair Growth Supplements
• Find a style that works with your natural hair type and growth pattern. The less you work against your hair, the less stressed it will be.
• Do not relax your hair until it is bone straight. This is just asking for trouble. Why relax your hair until it has absolutely no body or curl and then put heat on it to try to get that curl back?

Some tools you should have in your kit

• A good shampoo: They will be more expensive. But, they’ll use more gentle cleansers and be more concentrated. You may find they save you money in the long run. And, your hair will definitely show the difference. We offer several.
• A good acidifier (a conditioner with a low pH): Acidifying the hair adds shine and detangles.
• A good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner: It is an all natural based shea butter treatment. Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp, cover with a plastic cap and sit under a dryer for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap your head in a towel. Then wash the hair thoroughly. This is very important for dry brittle hair. We have several here: Hair Repair Products
• A good leave in conditioner or daily moisturizer: This is what you’ll put on your hair after you’ve thoroughly cleaned it to continue to provide oil and moisture.
• A comb for your hair type. Don’t try to drag one of those skinny toothed combs through your natural kinky or curly hair. You’ll just end up pulling it out and breaking it off.
• A good boar bristle brush (use sparingly though)
• A spray bottle to mist your hair
• A scarf, cap, or wrap to wear on your head at night- or a satin pillow case (well, two)

There have been several attempts to define hair “type”. You may ask “Why should I care?” Well, mostly you shouldn’t. But, knowing your hair type can allow you talk with others and research products, styles and regimens that are best for your particular hair. There are controversies surrounding hair type methodologies that use works like kinky, nappy and other words that have less than positive connotations for some people. Other systems use numbers. But, they tend to lump all African American hair into one big category with a few variations. So, how useful is that really? Considering everyone’s hair is slightly different and people can even have different types of hair on their head at one time, categorizing hair is a difficult proposition at best.There are two major systems that seem to be the most popular. There is a system called LOIS that uses the hair shape as the defining hair “type”. For more on LOIS, do a Google on “LOIS Hair Type”. Until many people switch over to the LOIS system, there is the numbering system by Andre Walker. This system is kind of the standard. Frankly, we don’t put a lot of stock into these hair typing systems. They are far from “scientific” or definitive, relying on subjective judgments and just as much as you would be using if you didn’t have a “system”.

The short answer is “no”. You cannot remove a relaxer from your hair. Permanents are called permanent for good reason. If you are considering getting a permanent or putting one in your child’s hair, be prepared to have it for a very long time. To get rid of it, you will have to go through a transition process. But, the hair that is permed will never be natural again.When a perm is put in the bonds in the hair are destroyed. The part of the hair that has been relaxed will always be relaxed. The only way to get rid of relaxed hair is to cut it off or wait for it to break off. Waiting for the hair to break off is not a good transition option. But, some women choose allowing the hair to break off because they are uncomfortable giving up the length they’ve worked hard to get. There are ways better ways to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. But, removing the perm is not an option.

You should be very careful when finding someone to put a relaxer in your hair. For something as important as choosing a stylist or someone to do major work on your house or car, we like to get first-hand references. If you can, find someone with hair you like and ask her where she gets her hair done. If she lets you touch her hair, touch it to make sure it’s healthy (please ask first!). Talk to the stylist before you make an appointment. Make sure she seems professional and knows what she’s doing. A bad perm is a horrible thing. You could end up with damaged hair, bald or even permanently disfigured. And, remember a perm is permanent. Mess one up and that hair is ruined permanently (until you cut it off).

Before she begins:

• She should check the condition of your hair and scalp before she begins. If your hair is weak or your scalp has any cuts, scrapes or sores, she should not do the perm. A perm on already weak hair can cause your hair to break off. A perm on a scalp that is not healthy can be absorbed into the body and cause problems.
• She should check for allergic reaction and test the perm on a strand of your hair
• She should choose a perm appropriate for your type of hair. Not all relaxers are the same. Some are more reactive (stronger) than others. The stylist should consider- whether your hair has been relaxed before (touch up or retouch), whether your hair has never been relaxed (virgin), whether your hair is colored and whether your hair is fine or coarse.
• She should protect your skin (and clothes) with a cape and or a towel
• She should protect your scalp with a jelly or thick cream

Once she begins:

• Once the stylist starts applying your perm, she should pay attention to your head and not talking on the phone, taking lunch breaks or attending to other clients. Applying a perm requires her complete attention. She should work quickly to avoid over-relaxing your hair and/or burning your skin.
• Retouches should only be done on new growth. This is a common mistake people make when putting in perms at home. I know I used to. Do not keep relaxing the ends of your hair over and over again.
• Your stylist should use a timer (and pay attention to the timer). It’s always better to leave the hair a little underdone than overdone. Even with the timer, she should check your hair continuously.

After she’s done:

• She should rinse your hair very well with warm water.
• She should wash your hair with a neutralizing shampoo. It’s important to use a shampoo with a lower pH to neutralize the high pH of the relaxer. The reason this is important is the pH of the neutralizing shampoo stops the reaction of the lye. Using a regular shampoo will allow your hair to continue to break down beyond the point where you want it to be.
• She should rinse your hair again.
• Before it is dried, she should deep condition the hair
• She should handle your hair gently as she’s drying and styling it.

There are products on the market that call themselves “natural relaxers”. We have gotten many questions about them. After years of research, we finally found a natural hair manageability product we can sell with confidence. But, it is not a traditional relaxer. Read on for more information.The majority of product that pass themselves off as “natural relaxers” are just as potent and potentiall harmful as any “chemical” relaxer. After all, lye is, in a sense, natural. Lye was first produced by running water across ashes. So, don’t let the term natural make you think a relaxer is mild. If its effect on the hair is permanent, if it actually straightens kinky hair and if it instructs you do to things like wear gloves when applying, apply a neutralizer, not apply on chemically treated hair and/or isn’t clear about what its ingredients are, those are red flags that it is harsh, even though it might be “natural”.That relaxer is the Natural-Laxer MIX^TM from Baka Beauty Products. However, the term “relaxer”, in this case, may be misleading. We think that may be why the natural relaxers have gotten a bad rap. The natural relaxer we sell is an all herbal hair treatment. It is kind of an herbal texturizer. It is not a straightener. You simply are not going to get kinky black hair to become bone straight in an “all natural” (as in mild and not potentially harmful) way. What our relaxer does is gradually allow the natural curl pattern to loosen. This causes the hair to be less kinky and somewhat straighter. It also makes the hair softer. Some interesting side effects of this relaxer is that you end up with less tangles, less breakage and the hair is actually strengthened and encouraged to grow by the relaxer. The relaxer also helps prevent reversion of pressed hair. The relaxer works with a cumulative effect. After the first application or two, the differences will be subtle, but noticeable. Over time, the relaxer makes the hair softer and softer. This is an excellent treatment for damaged permed hair, an aid in transition from perms to natural hair or a conditioner/detangler for natural hair.

There is a myth that no-lye relaxers take all the worry out of straightening the hair. Pardon the pun, but that’s a lie (lye). No-lye relaxers are more gentle on the scalp. But, more gentle is relative. No lye relaxers are not without their risks. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has received complaints of scalp irritation from no-lye relaxers as well as lye relaxers. The same safety precautions apply to both lye and no-lye relaxers. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide as the active ingredient. With no-lye relaxers, calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate are mixed to produce guanidine hydroxide. It’s the hydroxide that makes the relaxer reactive (basic) and the way they work is the same. Both work by being highly alkaline and breaking the bonds in the hair. In fact, many people have reported no-lye relaxers leave their hair more dull and have gone back to lye relaxers. And some beauticians actually recommend against no-lye relaxers. If you’re having problems with scalp irritation using a lye relaxer, you might want to try a no-lye relaxer. But, don’t believe that it’s somehow more healthy for your hair.

Time for a really quick science lesson (keep reading, it will be really quick and painless, I promise). There is a scale called a pH scale. Solutions (liquids) are rated on this scale. It ranges from 0-14. Water is right in the middle with a pH of 7 and is “neutral” (neither acidic or basic). Substances with higher pH are called alkaline, caustic or basic. Solutions with lower pH are called acidic. The farther from the number 7 (either high or low), the more the solution will do in terms of burning or breaking chemical bonds. Something very acidic or something very basic can take your skin right off. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale. What that means is a whole number difference is greater than you might think. A solution that is pH 8 is ten times more basic than a solution that is ph 7. One that is a pH 5 is 100 times more acidic than a pH 7. That’s as far as we need to go for our purposes. End of lesson. Most relaxers, whether lye or no lye, have a very high pH (very near the top of the scale). In other words, they are caustic. A few companies have come out with relaxers that are not caustic. But, that doesn’t mean they are milder. Many have just slid down to the other end of the scale using acidic solutions to do the job.Relaxers work on the same principle as commercial products like Liquid Plumr^® that you’d buy to remove hair from your sink or drain. Relaxers break the hair down. Relaxers work because they break the bonds that actually give strength to the hair. This causes the hair to straighten. Therefore, relaxed hair is, by definition, weaker than natural hair. Relaxers also deplete the hair of sebum (the oil your scalp secretes). Combine that with heat and you can really end up with a problem. That’s why it is of the utmost importance to be careful when putting in relaxers and to give relaxed hair the best care possible.Does this mean we are against relaxers? Absolutely not. If a quality relaxer is applied properly and the hair is maintained properly, your hair can definitely be healthy. However, your hair will be weaker than if it were natural and will be more prone to problems. These problems are not insurmountable as long as you are aware of how to take care of your hair.

Many people have asked us why we don’t sell relaxers. Our policy is that we do not sell relaxers because we think they should be applied by a professional in a salon setting.

What’s different about Black hair? Why do we need different products and routines from people who don’t have “textured” hair? African hair is made of the same “stuff” as non-African hair. The difference lies in the way those components are put together, or the structure of our hair. Hair is made of a strong protein called keratin. The structure of our hair can cause it to be more prone to breakage and dryness. Because of the structure and the potential problems, black hair care needs are different from those for other types of hair. Our hair can have up to twice the amount of “cuticle” or outer layer. This thicker cuticle layer makes our hair more kinky. Kinks make it more difficult for the oil secreted from our scalps to reach the ends of the hair. The kinks are places where brushes and combs can get caught and cause breakage. Using tools that aren’t made specifically for curly hair types can do a great deal of damage. But, keep in mind there is a continuum of hair types.The parts that make up your hair are:

Cuticle: Outer layer of the hair. It is made up of layers of scales which interlock with the cells of the hair’s inner root sheath to firmly anchor it in the follicle. This is a thin and colorless layer. Black hair’s cuticle layer can be twice the thickness of that of white hair.

Cortex: The middle layer. It is composed of cells which are tightly bound around one another. These bands provide the hair with elasticity and strength and are very receptive to chemicals. As a result, they can easily be influenced (or damaged) by dyes and relaxers.

Melanin: is contained in the cortex and is the substance that determines the color of our hair and skin. The more melanin, the darker the hair or skin.

Follicle: This is the name for hair before it emerges from the skin. Follicles are composed of many elements including carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Healthy amounts of these elements can improve the hairs’ condition and appearance once it emerges.

Sebaceous/Sudoniferous Glands: Attached to the hair follicle are the sebaceous (oil) and the sudoriferous (sweat) glands. The sebaceous glands open and close continuously to release a waxy sebum oil into the hair follicle and onto the scalp. The sudoriferous glands contain many small structures with porous openings leading to the skin. They produce substances which dry on the skin including salts, acids, water and bacteria. If not completely dissolved and effectively removed from the scalp, they can help cause severe itching and dandruff. Thus, the scalp problems some people experience in the early stages of locs.

Especially since most of us are of mixed heritage, African American hair and bi-racial people’s hair can and does vary widely. Even within a single head of hair, there are different hair types. So, there is no one solution for the care of all African American hair. Intuitively, you might think African hair is “tougher” than Caucasian hair and can handle more stress or abuse. After all, it is coarser and thicker. Actually, African hair (especially if treated like European hair) is more fragile than Caucasian hair. For this reason, we suggest using products made especially for our hair, whenever possible. Today, there is a wide range of excellent products made specifically for the needs of African American or Textured hair. Treasured Locks offers a wide array of high quality, reasonable price products especially suited for textured hair types.

This guide is written to give you a little education on biracial hair care and to answer some of the questions we get most often. These tips on Biracial hair care should be helpful in developing a regimen to give you healthy hair. After a short introduction, we’ll move into a question and answer format. To immediately reach the section you’re most interested in, click on the question to be taken directly there.

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If you have very sensitive skin or are allergic to air-borne chemicals, you are probably concerned about the use of fragrances in your products. Basically, there are three alternatives for cosmetic products-

• unscented products
• products scented with fragrance oils
• products scented with essential oils

You should understand the differences between fragrance oils and labeling requirements so that you can be a better-informed consumer of these products.

Labeling requirements

Unfortunately, you are not going to be able to rely solely on labels to avoid artificially scented products. You can buy hypoallergenic alternatives to products, which usually leave out the colorants and fragrances. These often come in smaller containers and cost more. With these, at least you have some hope that you are not being exposed to unnecessary chemicals. In general, all ingredients in a product are required to be listed on the label. But, there are two very large loopholes when it comes to fragrances.

1. Fragrance formulations are considered “trade secrets”. So, companies are not required to list their composition.
2. When a scent is added to a product to “mask” (cover up) the odor of other ingredients, it does not have to be listed. So, if a product would offensive smelling without the additional chemical, the chemical used to cover the offensive smell does not have to be listed on the label.

What we find then is “fragrance free” and “unscented” are very loose definitions. Even when a scent or mixture of fragrance chemicals is added to a product, this can be listed as simply “fragrance” in the United States or “parfum” in the European Union. By law, even if the label says “essential oils”, this does not guarantee that the product does not contain fragrance oils. This is perfectly legal. In our opinion it’s unscrupulous. But, that’s just our opinion. So, you must buy from manufacturers you trust and make sure you ask the right questions. Treasured Locks and HumiNature products disclose, as fully as possible, exactly what we put into our products. If we list something as “fragrance oils” or “fragrance”, we are using a synthetic compound. If we list “essential oils”, we are using only a few pure, unadulterated essential oils. Generally, when we use essential oils, we will list the individual oils.

What are Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils can and usually do contain many different components ranging from natural essential oils to purely synthetic compounds. Many perfumes contain more than 100 components. The problem, for those who are sensitive, is there is no requirement to list the compounds contained in a fragrance oil. Many of the compounds are known skin irritants. Most quality synthetic fragrances do include small amounts of organic material to give them the more natural bouquet of natural scents. However, real organic materials, such as essential oils, are usually used in very small quantities because of their expense. Today, there are over 5,00 aroma chemicals available to create synthetic fragrances.

What are Essential Oils?

An essential oil is a highly concentrated and potent extract from plants, leaves, flowers, roots, buds, twigs, rhizomes, heartwood, bark, resin, seeds and/or fruits. Essential oils should be extracted by distillation using either steam or water or by mechanical processing of citrus rinds or dry distillation of natural materials. These methods yield the most pure essential oils. Use of solvents extracts the harder to get essential oil but also leads to the possibility of contamination. Treasured Locks uses steam or water extracted essential oils. Steam or water extraction produces a two-phase liquid. The essential oil floats on top and the water used in the distillation process falls to the bottom. The essential oils are physically removed from the top and the water phase, which is a by-product, is often sold as a hydrosol or distillate water. The use of the word “oil” is a little bit of a misnomer. Essential oils are not oils in the way most people think of an oil. Essential oils come in a variety of colors and consistencies from clear and watery to dark, thick and syrupy. Essential oils contain the true essence of the plant. Essential oils are very concentrated and therefore should be used sparingly. Essential oils are difficult to obtain though and can be very expensive. So, while they can be a good value, the initial purchase might be a little expensive. Also, essential oils can be dangerous if applied directly to the skin. For this reason, Treasured Locks does not sell pure essential oils. If you are going to do aromatherapy though, you want to find a source of pure essential oils and avoid companies that sell fragrance oils. Since fragrance oils do not contain the true essence of the plants, they are usually worthless for aromatherapy purposes. Essential oils are often blended (diluted) with carrier oils for safe use. Common carrier oils include sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil and grapeseed oil. Essential oils can very greatly in quality and price. For example a quality essential oil might cost four or five times what a cheaper essential oil of the same plant costs. Treasured Locks resists the temptation to buy cheaper runs of essential oils and insists on oils produced using no solvents (other than water) and oils produced from the best sources. For example, we use Rosemary from Spain and Lavender from Bulgaria. Various factors affect the quality and price of essential oils. These include the rarity of the plant, the conditions that the plant was grown under, quality standards of the distiller, and how much oil is produced by the plant.

Summary

Now that you know the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils and the labeling requirements, you can make a more informed decision about the products you buy. But, as you can see, it’s extremely important to buy from companies you can trust because even companies who are complying with the law can put fragrance oils in products without fully disclosing what they are putting in. If you are sensitive to fragrance and/or essential oils don’t hesitate to ask questions of the manufacturer. We hope you find this article useful.