Da Lady's Life

This is the life and blog of Da Lady. A Lady at heart, a Lover of God in spirit & truth, a Frugalista, Nature-holic, and student.

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Curly and Wavy Pattern Types

Hello Natural Beauties,

I found this website useful when it came to figuring out my coily and curly pattern group. I like that this website mentions that there are more than 1 curl type on our hair. 

This is gonna be a short article so I hope you enjoy the link to the reading!

Source: The Mix and Carol’s Daughters

https://www.carolsdaughter.com/blog/hair/natural-hairstyles/how-to-determine-your-natural-hair-curl-pattern.html

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Fast Hair Growth Scams

Hello Natural Beauties,

I’ve seen so many articles and YouTube videos that tell natural beauties that they can grow their hair healthy and fast. Although this may seem doable it’s not! It’s very unrealistic and deceptive to lead natural beauties down the path of lies that they can grow their hair fast when our hair rate is may 1/4 inch a month. Needless to say I 100 percent disagree with these videos.

I’ve been there and have been let down by those false claims. In the past I went out of my way to buy products to satisfy those claims. I tried the tips and tricks. However, none of them worked. 

One thing I’ve noticed with these claims is a lack of time frame. What does it mean when they say grow their hair fast? What does fast mean to them: months, years? 

I like to look at this in context. For me growing one foot of hair in a year and a half is fast for me. Getting healthy hair in 3 months if I treated my hair right or maybe a year if I didn’t is a healthy guideline for me. 

I’m a person who does not like gray areas when it comes to this. So I usually ask a lot of questions and then spend the rest of my time thinking about it. 

So in that sense growing my hair fast is relative to how fast it took for me. And it will depend for each person. One to two years is a relatively realistic time frame for me and with my current hair care regimen I hope to see some healthy bouncing curls too. 

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Why I tossed out my Denman Brush

Hello Natural Beauties,

I am here today with some insightful knowledge. I have been holding onto my Denman Brush for about a year and a half now. I’ve been fretting about it, wondering if I was right in my decision to throw it out. I lacked confidence in getting rid of it despite being unsuccessful with it. And that was quite hard to deal with. 

It wasn’t until I did some self reflection and time with my hair this week that I decided I needed to kick it out for good. This week I struggled with the ability to do my hair because I was fighting all the YouTube voices I was familiar with listening too. So many of them said that the Denman brush was useful, while a couple of them said they could live without it. Internally I struggled with wanting to keep the brush for fear of missing out on a hair phenomenon vs. really tossing it out because it screwed up my ends. Lastly, I wanted to keep it because I couldn’t deal with the money I lost over investing in this product. 

As I continued to struggle with this struggle this week I decided to meditate on the matter. I first prayed about it and then thought about how the Denman brush really treated my hair. After I was done meditating I realized that the Denman brush was no good for my hair. It tore up my ends and left them with nasty little knots. It was like a bad ex. They were no good for me but I kept them around thinking that they would change. 

So today when I did my second wash day of the week, I made a decision that changed my life. I tossed out my denman brush. I have never felt so much better!

In the end I know I am going to stick with this: if it works for my hair - keep it, if it doesn’t - toss it. 

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Hair Time- Here is What I Learned About Being Natural

Hi Lovely Naturals,

I have been blessed by very informative hair videos from Dickey of Hair Rules! This man has so much knowledge about natural hair, which is why he created his own line. Today I stumbled upon his videos and found myself blessed! I thought I had to wash my hair only once a week and I wasn’t even going to co-wash it because I thought it dried it out. I guess that is the kind of misinformation I received from watching so many YouTube videos. 

What YouTube has taught me is four things. 

1.)First, there is not a one size fits all when it comes to black natural hair. Just because it worked with one sister, doesn’t mean it will work with me. This means that you may have to try a few or many products to see what works for you. Over the years this process has really frustrated me because I didn’t quite figure out what products really worked for me. So after awhile I bought a lot of products that were sort of useful and spent way more money than what I needed. As a result I became a product junkie because I just had to try everything because everyone on YouTube was saying it was good. 

2.)So that leads me to point number two: take time to understand your hair. What is your hair telling you when you use a certain product? Does it like it, love it or just down right hate it! you gotta know this. How long does your hair behave in a certain style before it dries out? Maybe 3 days or 4 max. Take note of it and write it down for future use. Then use that info. to your advantage. I decided that I needed to wash my hair 1x a week and then co-wash it one time a week.

3.) Don’t Give in to hair product F.O.M.O!!! Yikes, this rule is the most important for me. In tip 1 I told you I became a product junkie because of my bad habits. Well I realized my product junkie habits was the result of F.O.M.O. I was fearful of missing out of good products, while neglecting the good ones that I had at home. Ugh! There is a popular saying that you miss a good thing when it’s gone. Well you also miss a good thing when you have it, but are too busy looking out for something better. I learned that I needed to use what I had available in my home. And if it wasn’t good I needed to toss it or give it away. So I learned to stop chasing after this or that product just because a natural beauty said it was good. 

4.) If you tried over and over again and it’s just not working for your hair then Seek Professional Help! - I cannot emphasize this enough. It was by God’s grace that I stumbled upon Dickey’s Hair Rules Tips and learned the truth about how to take care of my hair. Truth be told I was running around with so much information that what I did to my hair was useless. Dickey’s videos honestly reiterated what I knew to be true for my hair and that was that I needed to apply my styling products on it while I was still in the shower. This meant that my hair was still damp with water and that I did it directly after washing out conditioner from that one section. However, what I didn’t know was about sitting under a dryer afterwards and that I didn’t need to put gel in my hair. Lately, I’ve been seeing my hair react off the hook when it comes to gel. It goes limp, frizzes up, and knots together. I couldn’t deal with it any longer so I tried researching information to help me. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to get the information that it came to me- signed, sealed and delivered at my door. 

5.) Consistency- This is a bonus tip that I want to add to just encourage myself the next time I read my own post. This tip simply means that when I practice a consistent routine with my hair  I will yield consistent results. I have made up my mind to stop trying this or that technique that I find on YouTube and just stick to a consistent routine with my hair so it has some repetition in life. I realized that maybe my hair is not giving me the results that I desire because I am constantly messing up my routine because I’m trying to try a new fad. When I am consistent with my hair routine my hair knows what to expect each time. It helps build a solid regimen and also teaches me the pros and cons of the routine. 

Though I have been on my natural hair journey for 7 years and it may have seemed like I just started (really it does!), I am thankful for every step that I took. It taught me a lot about myself that I needed to learn; like I was inconsistent, was a product junkie and had hair f.o.m.o. But it also taught me life lessons too: I needed to have a consistent hair routine to learn the pros and cons of what I am doing with hair, that my hair routine in the shower needed an extra step , and that I actually have good products that work for my hair. I also realized that my hair is not as bad off as I thought. I just need to wash and co-wash it more each week, and water is really my second best friend, besides Jesus!

I hope this helps beauty! I don’t want to leave you without one of Dickey’s Hair Rules videos from his YouTube channel. 

Peace, Love and Hair

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Detox 4 Hair & YouTube

Hello Natural Beauties!!

It’s been a long time since I graced this page. I’ve taken a well needed break and now I feel pumped to be back!

Today I am going to make this short and sweet! I recently decided to take a hair and YouTube detox. I noticed I have been too into YouTube and hair tutorials. So much so that it was stressing me out. And with the stress came hair loss.

Yikes!

Tip #1: Filter YouTube Hair Tutorials - Watch What’s Useful

So now I’ve decided to filter my YouTube watching and product haul. I’ve shut down my product haul entirely. Yep! I am an official product junkie in need of detoxing.

Additionally, I want to stress the need to detox from YouTube hair videos. Watching too many reviews is not good. I like tutorials from Green Beauty which are educational. They help me think about my hair and what I’m going to do.

Tip #2: StopTrying Out Every YouTube Product- It Leads to Hair & Scalp Irritation

I so wanted to try all the techniques I saw on YouTube, but it came at a cost. I lost my peace, lost my sleep, lost my hair, and lost my sanity. I ran to and fro and became anxious in my endeavors. And I paid a big cost for it.

I realize that as a natural hair beauty I want to know what is good for me and what works. And I have tried products that my hair really enjoys. But I also went on a whim and tried products I saw other Youtubers try. One of them was Mane Choice. While that line may work for others it did not work for me.

While using it I broke out. My scalp broke out and started to develop scabs and parts of the skin on my face broke out. As I pick up the pieces now I realize that while every product is permissable, not all products are to my benefit. And this was one of them.

If the product irritates your scalp, immediately stop it and return it! Then wash and condition your hair with safe products.

After discontinuing the product and a quick return to my Sally Beauty store I felt more at ease. Although I have the scars of what happened and I have to work out my healing I am thankful that I caught this early.

I am no longer open to trying out anymore products. My hair and scalp have been through enough formulas and it’s irritated. Thus, I have gone back to the basics (shampoo, condition, leave-in, oil, cream, maybe gel). And I’ve seen that my hair is more cooperative with very little.

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Hair Porosity and the L.O.C & L.C.O Methods

Hello Natural Beauties!!

I am glad to be back blogging about hair. It has been a few weeks since we last met and I took a much needed break from blogging. While away I have been giving my hair the much needed TLC it has been craving. I’ve kept up with my normal hair care routing of washing, conditioning and styling my hair each week. It has helped me maintain my hair during these harsh winter months with the cold weather and rain. Additionally, it has also paid off as I have experienced hair growth and have a routine that my hair really loves. 

With that said I have a hair video I want to share with you all. This video is very informative and it also breaks away from typical hair review videos that you are used to. Sometimes I feel flustered and anxious watching those videos because there are many of them and I don’t have the same hair texture or needs as some of the video bloggers. Thus, I realized it is important to take into account my hair type(s), what my hair likes (oil, creams) and what type of porosity my hair is (low porosity). When I take those things into account along with the weather conditions I am better able to meet my hairs needs. YouTube videos have proved more helpful to me than overwhelming now because I can review a video according to the product I bought in order to see how to apply it. 

With that said let’s get into this video! There has been much debate about the L.O.C method. Some naturals don’t know if they should use the L.O.C method or the L.C.O method. I personally use the LCO method because it works for me. This video explains both methods and gives you the resources to choose which one works for your hair. 

Originally posted by the Green Beauty Channel

If you like this video please like, share and subscribe!

Have a great hair day and week Naturals!!

Until Next Time,

Naturally Keishia

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Hair Tips for Wash and Go’s

Hello Naturals!

It’s me your girl Naturally DaLady here and I have some great techniques and tips on how to achieve a wash and go for naturals. I love doing wash and go’s, especially when I have the time. They are a quick way to set my hair and get on with my week without a lot of hair manipulation. 

Here is a wash and go technique I enjoyed watching from Bright N’Boldly on Youtube:

Enjoy!

Originally posted by Bright N’ Boldly

As always if you like what I post please like and subscribe. 

Thanks for watching and I hope to see you soon!

Warm Regards,

Naturally Dalady

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Let’s Talk About Co-Washing

Hello Natural Beauties!!

Happy Holidays and I hope all of you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. As for me, I am having a chill day with my family. my mother, brother and sister are cooking up a storm in the kitchen and I am enjoying the fruits of their labor by relaxing in the living room and writing my blog. On the flip side of that I am Vegetarian and most of the food they cook is not Veggie-friendly. So unfortunately, I will only be eating whatever is vegan friendly and whatever I cook. 

So let’s talk on the topic of Co-Washing. As many of you know Co-Washing is pretty big in the ‘Natural community.’ We love to talk about it, share videos on YouTube, and do it. I have tried the co-washing method and I do enjoy it. 

Now, I only do the co-washing method maybe once every two weeks, if that. The reason why I do it so little is because I add products to my hair and they cake on my hair cuticles, which causes buildup. And when this occurs my hair is weighed down and feels pretty nasty. 

So when I do wash I like to apply this method of washing where I apply the shampoo to my scalp. Then I rub my scalp and break up the debris on it. I then apply conditioner to the last 3/4 of my hair. This keeps the rest of my hair in check so it does not get totally stripped by the harsh chemicals of the shampoo. All in all this keeps a wonderful balance within my scalp and low-porosity hair. 

So why did I write about Co-washing? Well, that’s a good question. I wrote about co-washing because there are pros and cons to co washing. You have to take it like it is and determine when and how much you should co-wash. 

To help you determine this I have added a video from the Green Beauty Channel that really breaks down the pros and cons of co-washing. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do and figure out what works for you.

May your Hair Journey be blessed just like your T-Day!

Until Next Time!!

Naturally Keishia

Originally posted by Green Beauty Channel

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All About Hair Porosity

Hello Natural Beauties!!

I am so pleased to write about hair porosity today. During the past weekend I learned everything I needed to know about hair porosity. And it was a lot. I found useful information on the web which is included in this post. This will help you determine your hair’s porosity and pick products suitable for your hair type. 

Hair Porosity 101

I will give you a short, but sweet, paraphrased break down, of what hair porosity is. Hair porosity deals with moisture. How much moisture is getting and how much is leaving. With that said let’s dive into porosity.

Low Porosity Hair-  The hair cuticle lies flat and resists moisture.  I like to say this hair porosity type has a hard time opening up- lol. This makes it hard for moisture to get in. And on top of that it’s protein sensitive. So you must ‘woo it’ in a sense. You can do this with heat (ex: hot head cap). And you also must take care not to smother it with products- thinking this will help it get through. Cuz, it won’t honey! I’ve tried. Doing so will only weight the hair down and cause it to take forever to dry. Did I say forever?!???! Yep. My tip for this hair type: A little bit of product goes a long way.

Medium/Normal Porosity Hair - This type of hair porosity is the ideal. It has a balance between moisture getting in and out. It has a balance of moisture and protein. The hair is full of life and healthy. 

High Porosity Hair - If low porosity hair looked bad..well meet its cousin. This porosity type is like the flood gates. It  quickly lets everything in, but then quickly lets everything back out again. Unlike low porosity, the cuticle for high porosity is open..all the time. Talk about being too open (hint!hint! lol)!! The problem with high porosity is that it’s cuticle won’t shut up... or is that down. So you have to trap moisture in before it escapes. I liken this to trapping a wild animal; you have to do it quickly and with tact or else it will escape. If not your hair will be dry, brittle and frizzy in a snap. This hair type has to be wooed into shutting down. You can use apple cider vinegar (ACV) or cold water for instance. In addition, the gaps in the protein layer must be filled in too (it was just too comfortable sharing all of itself to stop with moisture). So you do this by temporary filling in the gaps with gels, custards, or water-soluble silicones. 

What I discovered upon researching this and praying about it was that I have low porosity hair. And it makes sense that I do. My hair was so resistant to opening up that I smothered it with products. And even after I did that it took forever! I mean forever, to dry. No wonder my hair was a dripping mess most of the time. now, since I know what I know, what I know (say that 3 times fast!) I will not be smothering my hair anymore. This week I applied the less is more technique and it actually worked. I tried this on damp hair. And although it still took roughly 5-6 hours to dry I was pleased with the results. Now I know how to work with my hair! Thank you Lord!

In the end, I encourage all of you to study your hair. Reflect on how your hair dried, what products it took too, and how it takes to moisture. Once you find that out, you too, will learn how to work with your hair, and not against it.

For a deeper study please visit (https://www.ouidad.com/blog/all-about-porosity).

Until Next Time Beauties!!

Wishing You All the Best in Your hair Journey!

Naturally Keishia

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Keeping Up With Your Hair Routine

Tis’ the season for winter here in California. This season calls for rain, early nights, cold weather, and more rain. And like most winters I seem to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget about my hair. This winter though I plan to do things differently and break that habit. 

I first became aware of the need to oil my scalp after I found myself scratching my head at least three times today (ugh!). As annoying as that was to me it signaled something deeper; the lack of attention I had been giving my hair during the week. 

Usually, I am pretty good with paying attention to my hair and its needs. I like to oil it 2-3 times a week and that keeps any scratching in check. I mainly oil my scalp during the day, instead of the night so my pillow doesn’t get drenched with oil (Have you been there too??!?). However, I have neglected to do this for the past month, and today signaled a need for me to change. 

With that said I wanted to highlight some important factors about paying attention to your body’s signal that your hair is in need of some (cough, cough, clearing my throat) TLC (like my hair was telling me, big smile). 

The winter months can be just as drying to our hair as the summer months. Thus, it is important to find a winter-time regimen that works for both you and your hair. Your regimen will be based on your needs and may not be similar to mine or someone you know. 

If your hair itches from time to time, like mine did, I suggest using some type of oil to gently soothe your scalp. When I looked in the mirror I saw a little bit of flakes. This may or may not be cause for alarm. It could mean dandruff or a dry scalp. You have to factor in how common it is for you and assess it like that. Mine meant that I simply needed to oil my scalp as it was dry.

Develop a washing regimen for your hair that allows it to retain protein, stay moisturized, and cut down on drying time. It is the winter months. You don’t want to be stuck with wet hair in the cold. So plan ahead. 

Think about incorporating protective styles during the winter months. This may come in really handy when the rain and harsh cold weather kick in stripping your hair of much needed protection and nutrients. 

Think about writing your hair regimen on a calendar for easy retrieval. This really helped me when I was doing my ‘water-only’ wash days, and it will come in handy this winter season as well.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed it and can incorporate some of these tips into your own regimen. As always if you like this information don’t forget to share, re-post, and subscribe. 

Until Next Time- Be Blessed!

Naturally DaLady

Originally posted by ToNaturAli

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Don’t Touch

Hello Natural Beauties!!

Hope you are having a blessed week! This week I am exploring the art of hair via music. Today I stumbled upon a video from Solange Knowles called “Don’t Touch My Hair.” I can relate to her video because I have been harassed/assaulted by others who invaded my space to touch my hair without my consent. And at times that pissed me off. So in watching Solange’s video I felt that she did a great job in conveying this message. Like her, my hair is my crown and it is something I value as a part of my body. So this video was done in good taste and with a great message. So check it out below! 

Originally posted by Solangeknowlesmusic

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Nappy Hair

This week we will take a look at what Nappy Hair actually is. To do that I have posted a video by the Green Beauty Channel on YouTube. I must say over the past year I have really enjoyed YouTube. I like the videos my sistahs have posted on hair and it has been a wealth of knowledge and help. I cannot do this alone so I very grateful for this. Soon I will be posting some of mine as I get many hair questions while out on the street. 

Video: Why is your Hair Nappy?

Originally posted by Green Beauty Institute

Thanks for stopping by! If you like this content please like, share and subscribe. 

Have a Great Week!

Naturally DaLady

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Hair Q & A

Hello Natural Beauties!

I hope all is well with you. Today I am coming to you with one Q&A question that I ran across many times while conditioning and styling my Type 3C/4A strands. So here goes.

Hair Q & A:

While styling my hair I noticed that some products do not mix well together. Although I see this at times I often ignore it and continue on with the process. What tips can you share about pairing products together and getting healthier results?

A: Great question! I have encountered this many times. A lot of times I get frustrated with a product and end up tossing it out or giving it to someone else. However, that doesn’t need to happen. Although you will have times where certain products don’t work for your hair, there will be times where certain hair products will work well on your hair. I have done this on a few occasions to determine which products pair together. You just have to figure out what products work well together. 

1.) To do this take a dime size amount of two products you want to use and put them in your hand. 

2.) Then rub them together.

3.) If you see white residue or the productsform a paper-like substance (mine has done this too often- it is kind of cakey-paper like) the two products do not mix well together. 

4.) However, if the products blend together smoothly and come out clear then you can say’ Hip Hooray!’ Because your products blend well.

5.) Please note that not all products may work well in your hair. And that’s okay. Find what works for you, mix it and apply it. 

Check out this video posted by Mo Knows Hair to see how she did it:

Wash and Go on 3C Hair

Originally posted by Mo Knows Hair

Thanks for stopping by and remember to like, share, and subscribe!

Have a Great Week!

Naturally DaLady

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Dark and Lovely Review- Part 2

Hello Natural Lovelies!

I hope you are all having a blessed week! I know I am. This review is part two to our Dark & Lovely Review videos that we watched last week. This week we are looking at the Dark & Lovely Au Natural Review with the Orange/Yellow Series. I do not know how many different color Au Natural series they have in this line. 

So as last week the disclaimer is the same- I did not produce these videos and the opinions are those of the reviewers. In no way do I endorse or discredit these reviews. They are used for informational purposes. Every hair type is different so it is your responsibility to understand your hair type and needs. - end of disclaimer.

So let’s begin our review video. This one is only a one part video so enjoy!

Originally posted by IAMAWOG

As always if you like what you see remember to like, subscribe and share the love with others. 

Until Next Time!

“Be Blessed and Stress the Tress Less” - Naturally DaLady

Naturally DaLady

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Dark & Lovely Review- Part 1

Hello Natural Beauties!!

I hope you all are having a blessed week! Today I thought it would be important to check out a review of the Dark & Lovely Au Natural Line. For those of you wondering how these products perform on curly 3 and 4 hair this video is for you!

Before you watch the video I must do a disclaimer- I did not review these products myself. The opinions expressed in these videos are from the reviewers themselves and I do not endorse or discredit their reviews. Each review will have the posted by caption so you know who each original author is. - end of disclaimer

As for the Dark & Lovely line I do have one of their products which I will post my own personal review at the end of this video series. If you have any questions feel free to inbox me on my page and I will answer it accordingly. 

As always I hope you enjoy these videos and my posts. Remember to spread the love and like, share and subscribe.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Both videos are Originally posted by Yolanda Renee

Until next time!

Much Hair Love,

Naturally DaLady

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Curl Fest 2016 Food For Thought

Hello Natural Beauties!!!

I am so blessed to be back this week and grace you with some food for thought for you hair. Recently I was scanning YouTube and watching some of my favorite hair, life etc. videos and ran across videos about Curl Fest 2016. It was inspiring to see so many beauties rocking their natural hair. My heart thumped with love! 

So this week is going to be a little different. I will have a video for you all and I will also ask you a hair question. 

So lets check out the curl video from Mo Knows Hair posted below

Originally posted by Mo Knows Hair

So here is my question to you:

1.) Describe your hair in 3 words?

How I would describe my hair is: Versatile, Unpredictable, and Beautiful. Clump those together I would say it is a versatile, unpredictable, beauty!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

As always like, share and subscribe!

Much Love,

Naturally DaLady

Quote: “Love your hair, and you’ll learn to love yourself.” - Naturally DaLady

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Debunking Hair Porosity

Have you ever wondered what Youtubers, your friends, family, or hair stylist meant by hair porosity? I have. 

When I was introduced to hair porosity a few years I was totally confused. I didn’t know if my hair was high or low porosity. Nor, could I figure out if my hair was passing any of these porosity tests. 

So after years of wondering what porosity meant to me I stumbled upon a video that explained it so well. A light bulb went on in my head and it clarified everything. So keep scrolling down below to check it out.

Originally posted by The Green Beauty Channel

Did this video help?

What are some of your other burning hair questions?

Please like and subscribe and I’ll see you soon!

All the Best,

Naturally Dalady