INSPIRATION!!!!!!

Here are very inspiring pictures that I hope you all use as motivation!!

HELPFUL TIPS

No matter what your hair is like, loose, tight, dry, oily, soft, coarse, there are some tips you need to know about.

1. Hair growth is not the same thing as length retention. Hair grows at a set rate per person. How long you retain that length depends on how you treat the hair that is growing out of your scalp. If you use heat, rough brushing, chemicals, and rubber bands you will not retain the length you are getting because you are breaking your hair off. Don't be fooled into thinking your hair is not growing. It is. The problem is that you are breaking it off by doing the wrong things.
2. Water is important! Not the water you put ON your hair, but the water you put INTO your body. Hydration is essential to healthy, strong hair. If you don't drink enough water, your hair will dry out. The same thing goes for eating healthy. Junk food adds nothing to the health of your hair. Try to minimize your intake and you and your hair will reap the benefits.
3. HARD water is BAD water. You may be doing all the right things.. eating right, not using heat, not using petroleum products on your hair -- hyet your hair is still dry and hard. It could be your water. Invest in a water filter for your shower to strip the calciium, fluroride, chlorine and copper out of your water and you will see an amazing difference within one wash. Be sure to use a clarifier first time after your filter, to eliminate any buildup already present on your hair.
4. Combing from scalp to ends is bad. If you want to retain any length whatsoever, do not comb your hair from the scalp. Grip the hair at the scalp and comb the ends. Gradually move up until you get to your scalp, holding the hair all the time. Do not PULL your hair.
5. Combing/brushing while wet with conditioner on is GOOD. It minimizes breakage and helps distribute the conditioner throughout your hair.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar is GOOD. As a final rinse, with a ratio of 10:1, 10 being water, and 1 being the ACV, you will close the hair cuticle and find it easier to detangle and style your hair. Using llavender in this mix will help dilute any smell of vinegar you may have lingering afterwards.
7. UV's are BAD. Try to cover your hair if you will be spending lots of time in the sun. This will prevent drying out and breakage. Scarves are your friend.
8. HEAT styling is BAD. Period. If it burns your skin, it will burn your hair.
9. Split ends cannot be repaired. Split ends need to be cut off. If you don't cut them off, they will split up the hair shaft causing rough and dry hair. If you have split ends, visit the hairdresser and have them cut off. If you cut off yourself, use hairdresser scissors that have never been used to cut anything but hair. Otherwise you could be setting yourself up for more split ends!
10. Overuse of glycerine will cause your hair to dry out. Glycerin attracts moisture to itself. If the air is not humid, it will draw the moisture OUT of your hair to itself. It does not absorb. It sits on top of your hair. After it is shampooed out, your hair will be left without elasticity and dry. Use sparingly!

Eating Healthy Correlates to The Health of Natural Hair

Growing long, healthy locks is not child's play. It's a serious matter. If you take your health seriously you should have no problem growing strong, healthy, shiny hair.

You can attain hair like your favorite celebrity - without having to take out your check book or pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to a top of the line stylist to weave someone else's hair into yours (someone who's taken the time to grow the hair that your paying for, I might add).

Why not grow the hair yourself so that it's truly 'yours' for as long as you want it to be! You won't have to worry about taking it out in a few weeks or months, that hair can be yours! And when someone says to you, 'I love your hair', you won't have to feel guilty. You'll know that the pride, patience and care it took you to grow your luscious locks was well worth it.

 Here are the secrets to having beautiful hair that's the envy of all others.

Your hair is a true confession of what you eat. If your diet mainly consists of fast-food, processed food or little or no water or vitamins, your hair will show your diet history. Your hair tells a lot about your eating habits. It's like the DNA of your diet. Not only will your hair be dry, limp and dull, but you will also feel dull and lifeless too.

The key to amazing hair is a healthy diet. I know it may sound cliche but it's true. Try to focus on the two most important factors which are high quality proteins like tofu, fish and legumes. Also, make sure you have enough calories daily to maintain good health. Healthy hair also depends upon micronutrients like vitamins A, C, zinc and B complex. Make sure that you eat a well balanced diet. Add a variety of fruits and vegetables which are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, whole grains for minerals, soy products for plant-based estrogens, nuts and seeds for minerals and vitamins, and lean protein for iron. You should also consider taking a multivitamin for assurance.

A total breakfast cereal high in fiber and nutrients will also help you get all of the other nutrients your body needs. You should also try to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day as this adds moisture to your skin and hair to give you an overall healthy glow. Here are some meal plans to help your journey to luminous, silky hair.

BREAKFAST: Bran cereal or a total breakfast cereal with skim or soy milk and a fruit. Orange Juice or Grapefruit juice.

LUNCH: Tuna sandwich on whole or stone-ground bread with dark green lettuce and tomatoes. Tossed salad with tomatoes, green and/or red peppers and soy or skim milk. Fruit.

DINNER: Roast beef, or chicken breast. Brown rice or sweet-mashed potatoes, mixed-fruit and low-fat soy milk.

10 Chemicals to Avoid Putting In your Hair

1. ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL: This is a solvent and denaturant (poisonous substance that changes another substances natural qualities). Isopropyl alcohol is found in hair color rinses, body rubs, hand lotions, after-shave lotions, fragrances and many other cosmetics. This petroleum-derived substance is also used in antifreeze and as a solvent in shellac. Napptural hair reacts very badly to isoalcohol and this ingredient should be avoided at ALL costs. It will dry your hair out and break it off. According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, inhalation or ingestion of the vapor may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis and even coma in extreme cases. 

2. MINERAL OIL & PETROLATUM: The best baby oil is made from almonds. But the oil which being sold as baby oil is 100% mineral oil. Mineral oil is a derivative of crude oil (petroleum) that is used industrially as a cutting fluid and lubricating oil. This commonly used petroleum ingredient coats the skin and hair just like plastic wrap. The skin's natural barrier is disrupted as this plastic coating inhibits its ability to breathe and absorb the Natural Moisture Factor (moisture and nutrition). The skin's ability to release toxins and wastes is impossible through this "plastic wrap," which can promote acne and other disorders. It further hinders normal skin respiration/transpiration by keeping oxygen out. This process slows down skin function and normal cell development causing the skin to prematurely age. Holding in large a mounts of moisture in the skin can "flood" the biology and may result in immature, unhealthy, sensitive skin that dries out easily. Petrolatum - A petroleum-based grease that is used industrially as a grease component. Petrolatum exhibits many of the same potentially harmful properties as mineral oil.
Honestly, this stuff belongs in your engine, not on your hair. Regardless of "Well, my Grandma used vaseline on her hair and it grew ", the bottom line is this stuff is bad. It was bad for Grandma and it is bad for you. Period.

3. PEG: This is an abbreviation for polyethylene glycol that is used in making cleansers to dissolve oil and grease as well as thicken products. Because of their effectiveness, PEG's are often used in caustic spray on oven cleaners and yet are found in many personal care products. PEG's contribute to stripping the Natural Moisture Factor, leaving the immune system vulnerable. They are also potentially carcinogenic. 

4. PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PG): As a "surfactant" or wetting agent and solvent, this ingredient is actually the active component in antifreeze. There is no difference between the PG used in industry and the PG used in personal care products. It is used in industry to break down protein and cellular structure (what the skin is made of) yet is found in most forms of make-up, hair products, lotions, after-shave, deodorants, mouthwashes and toothpaste. It is also used in food processing. Because of its ability to quickly penetrate the skin, the EPA requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles when working with this toxic substance. The Material Safety Data Sheets warn against skin contact, as PG has systemic consequences such as brain, liver and kidney abnormalities. Consumers are not protected nor is there a warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the concentration is greater than that in most industrial applications.

5. SODIUM LAURYL SUFATE (SLS) & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES): SLS is used in testing labs as the standard ingredient to irritate skin. Used as detergents and surfactants, these closely related compounds are found in car wash soaps, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. Yet both SLS and SLES are used more widely as one of the major ingredients in cosmetics, toothpaste, hair conditioner and about 90% of all shampoos and products that foam. They are used in personal-care products because they are cheap. A small amount generates a large amount of foam, and when salt is added it thicken to give the illusion of being thick and concentrated. (SOME OF THE NITROSATING AGENTS ARE: SLS, SLES, DEA, TEA, MEA). Shampooing the hair with a product contaminated with these substances can lead to its absorption into the body at levels much higher than eating nitrite-contaminated foods.
Mark Fearer in an article, Dangerous Beauty, says, "...in tests, animals that were exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, along with depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and corrosion and death." According to the American College of Toxicology states both SLS and SLES can cause malformation in children's eyes. Other research has indicated SLS may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties. It is possibly the most dangerous of ad ingredients in personal care products. Research has shown that SLS when combined with other chemicals can be transformed into nitrosamines, a potent class of carcinogens, which causes the body to absorb nitrates at higher levels than eating nitrate contaminated food." According to the American College of Toxicity report, "SLS stays in the body for up to five days..." Other studies have indicated that SLS easily penetrates through the skin and enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, the liver, the lungs and the brain. This poses serious questions regarding its potential health threat through its use in shampoos, cleansers and toothpaste," Studies show its danger potential to be great when used in personal-care products. Toxicity - A serious problem with these chemicals is that they may be contaminated with NDELA (N-nitrosodiethanolamine), one of the nitrosamines and a potent carcinogen, according to a 1978 FDA report.Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - SLES is the alcohol form (ethoxylated) of SLS. It is slightly less irritating than SLS, but may be more drying. Both SLS and SLES can enter the blood stream. They may cause potentially carcinogenic formations of nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with other product ingredients. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. Contains ether.

6. CHLORINE: According to Doris J. Rapp, M.D., author of Is This your Child's World? exposure to chlorine in tap water, Showers, pool, laundry products, cleaning agents, food processing, sewage systems and many others, can effect health by contributing to asthma, hay fever, anemia, bronchitis, circulatory collapse, confusion, delirium diabetes, dizziness, irritation of the eye, mouth, nose throat, lung, skin and stomach, heart disease, high blood pressure and nausea. It is also a possible cause ofcancer. Even though you will not see Chlorine on personal care product labels, it is important for you to be aware of the need to protect your skin when bathing and washing your hair. 

7. DEA (diethanolamine) MEA (momoethnanolamine) TEA (triethanolamine): DEA and MEA are usual listed on the ingredients label in conjunction with the compound being neutralized. Thus look for names like Cocamide DEA or MES, Lauramide DEA, etc. These are hormone disrupting chemicals and are known to form cancer causing nitrates and nitrosamines. . These are commonly found in most personal care products that foam, including bubble baths, body washes, shampoos, soaps and facial cleansers. On the show, CBS This Morning, Roberta Baskin revealed that a recent government report shows DEA and MEA are readily absorbed in the skin. Dr. Samuel Epstein, Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Illinois said "repeated skin applications of DEA-based detergents resulted in a major increase in the incidence of two cancers - liver and kidney cancers." John Bailey, who oversees the cosmetic division for the FDA said the new study is especial important since "the risk equation changes significantly for children." 

8. FD & C Color PIGMENTS: Many color pigments cause skin sensitivity and irritation. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and even death according to A Consumer's dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Debra Lynn Dadd says in Home Safe Home: "Colors that can be used in foods, drug, and cosmetics are made from coal tar. There is a great deal of controversy about their use, because animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic." 

9. FRAGRANCE: Fragrance is present in most deodorants shampoos, sunscreens, skin care, body care and baby products. Many of the compounds in fragrance are carcinogenic or otherwise toxic. "Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. Most or all of them are synthetic. Symptoms reported to the FDA have included headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin irritation. Clinical observation by medical doctors have shown that exposure to fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes," (Home Safe Home).
For better health try purchasing unscented products and for fragrance, adding a natural essential oil.

10. IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA and DMDM HYDANTOIN: These are just two of the many preservatives that release formaldehyde (formaldehyde-donors). According to the Mayo clinic, formaldehyde can irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions and trigger heart palpitations. Exposure to formaldehyde may cause joint pain, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, Chronic fatigue, dizziness and loss of sleep. It can also aggravate coughs and colds and trigger asthma. Serious side effects include weakening of the immune system and cancer. Nearly all brands of skin, body and hair care, antiperspirants and nail polish found in stores contain formaldehyde-releasing ingredients.