00:00The following is brought to you by L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Garnier.
00:11Natural hair is more than just the style, but are we giving our curls, coils, and kinks the care it
00:17truly needs?
00:18Well, in tonight's Your Best Self, we're speaking with hair specialist Ayanna Blake
00:23about the importance of maintaining healthy, natural hair.
00:27Hi, Ayanna. Thank you for joining me.
00:30All right, so tell me, when it comes to natural hair and developing, for persons developing a proper natural hair
00:38routine,
00:39what would you recommend?
00:42I would say, well, you need to start with finding a routine that works for you, for the individual, and
00:50staying consistent.
00:51It's really nothing more than finding a routine and staying consistent.
00:56How can someone tell if their hair is damaged?
01:01Breakage. Breakage would be one of the, like, number one signs. It's often the number one sign that something is
01:09occurring.
01:10And that's not to mix up breakage with shedding, because shedding has, the hair has like a, it's longer strands,
01:17and it would have like a bulb on the end of it.
01:19That would, that would suggest that it came from the root breakage. It's more like shorter pieces.
01:25The role of moisture for persons with natural hair, how important is it?
01:31It's actually really important, and it's often neglected.
01:36And not so in the sense where it's like the client is not washing their hair. It's more so, are
01:43you doing it correctly?
01:44Is the hair, is it actually getting hydrated?
01:48So a lot of clients would focus on moisture, but what you're really trying to do is get that moisture
01:55to be locked into the hair, which is the hydration process.
01:59So it keeps the hair flexible, and it's actually, to come back to the question that you asked me previously,
02:06that flexibility would help, the hair would be less prone to breakage.
02:10How often, someone with natural hair, how often should they wash their hair?
02:15I would say, you know, you shouldn't go 10, be on 10 days without washing their hair, because by that
02:21time their hair is dehydrated.
02:23But, you know, when clients come in, I try to get, to like find out their lifestyle.
02:31Because, I would say, for instance, I would tell a client, once a week, but that's not realistic for everybody.
02:36But if a client is dealing with like scalp issues, they would have to wash more frequently than someone who
02:45doesn't have scalp issues.
02:47Once you do that process, that hydration process well, you will be able to lock in that moisture.
02:56And you can do things by using like your deep conditioners, conditioners, those are the steps that you would take
03:01to lock in the moisture.
03:02And also, when you reach your stage with your styling products, and then to end with a protective style.
03:08What are some common mistakes people make when caring for their natural hair?
03:13Being inconsistent. And it's simple, the inconsistency.
03:17So, not washing the hair regularly, not sticking to the routine that works.
03:23And it usually comes down to not, you know, having enough time, and not knowing how to care for the
03:29hair.
03:30How important is scalp care when it comes to caring for your hair?
03:35Because I know it starts from the roots, right? So, how important is scalp care?
03:38It's important. The scalp care would be, because your scalp is, that's the foundation of healthy hair.
03:44So, if that is off, everything else would kind of be off as well.
03:51So, just making sure that your scalp is clean, healthy, not disrupting the pH balance on the scalp.
03:56What are some of the biggest misconceptions about maintaining healthy hair?
04:02I would say that it's difficult. I get that a lot from clients.
04:07And it really comes down to just the lack of knowledge, because that is what really has been passed down
04:14to us.
04:15You know, our parents didn't know how to take care of our hair, so then we, in turn, don't know
04:19how to take care of it.
04:20And then some of us, you know, we are adults now learning to do this.
04:24So, it seems difficult, but once you find that routine and you also have someone like me or another professional
04:34to support you in the journey, it becomes easier.
04:39What advice would you give to someone who is just beginning their natural hair journey?
04:44I would say to be patient with yourself. It's, you know, they say a room wasn't built in a day.
04:48Yeah, because it's, for some it's years of neglect, for some it's years of not knowing how to do it.
04:55So, just giving yourself a grace, also accepting your hair and, you know, don't treat it as something that it
05:01needs to be fixed.
05:03Healthy hair starts with healthy habits, and as we've heard here today, proper care can go a long way in
05:09maintaining strong, beautiful, natural hair.
05:12Until next time, I am Charlotte Kisto reminding you to be your best self.
05:22The preceding was brought to you by L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Garnier.
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