Hair - The story of my People (Native Americans)

I'm part Cherokee but I was never raised in tribal life.  I learned a little about our culture and beliefs through my father and his family and a little from friends I made along the way. I'm always amazed when I uncover something about Native culture that just matches how I feel so perfectly.
 I have to say that for me having long hair just feels right. I've only cut my hair short twice in my entire life.  The entire time my hair was shorter than shoulder length I felt naked, exposed, vulnerable.
Reading this post from White Wolf Pack I began to completely understand part of why I may be so attached to my hair.  I also have to say that I adore long hair on others as well.  The longer the better.
Their article "Elders talk about the significance of long hair in Native American Cultures (Videos)."
"Hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts and an extension of ourselves."  The article talks about how when the Native people walk the sacred path our hair acts as an extension of our thoughts and allows us to take direction in the path of life. Our hair is like the tails of the birds and the fish who could not fly or swim.  Our hair is our strength and if we maintain pure thoughts our hair cannot be used for evil.
There is a sacredness to hair.  The way it's combed, braided, tied, and the color and texture are all of great significance.  Even hair styles represent different feelings. It is said that the creator decides who receives straight hair and who receives curly hair. Straight hair teaches a person that they can hold on gracefully or let go of life.  Their thoughts flow like water from a mountain and once it reaches the ocean it cycles again.  Curly hair has the potential to understand the energy of life and how it can spiral.  Their thoughts teach about the ebb and flow of life's path.
Even the color of your hair is sacred.  It is believed that you shouldn't bleach or lighten or dye your hair.  Altering your hair color represents placing your desires before those of the creators. There were some ceremonies where henna and ocher were used but it was for a sacred purpose and it was known it would come back to the natural color over time.
They believe that cutting off your hair is like cutting off the flow of thought.  Typically the hair is cut when making a major life change.  It's done to put the past behind you and to make a new life. It may also be done during the mourning process.
Hairstyles like braids even have a symbolic meaning.  Braids are linked to oneness and unity.  They believe the free flowing strands of hair on their own are weak but when joined together in a braid they demonstrate oneness.  "One mind, one heart, and one soul."
Below are some great videos that were also in the post:

"No Poo" Journey Hair Diary

DATE	WHAT I DID	RESULTS
1/5/2015	Regular Wash/Condition+leave in conditioner.	Hair felt normal but scalp was dry.
1/6/2015	Nothing	Itcy and dry scalp, minimal oil.
1/7/2015	Dry shampoo scalp using baby poder in my hair overnight	Not oily but scalp was still dry.
1/8/2015	Nothing	A little oily and itchy but front of scalp still dry.
1/9/2015	Baking Soda/Regular Conditioner	Worked great for removing excess oil from scalp but the conditioner left my scalp oily.
1/10/2015	Nothing	Hair is oily and scalp itchy, dry in front.
1/11/2015	Baking Soda/White Vinigar	Removed excess oil from scalp, a little oil in length of hair but looks good. Scalp dry in front.
1/12/2015	Nothing	A little oily around scalp but not itchy.
1/13/2015	Nothing	Oily and Itchy.
-------------	Lost Data	Lost Data
1/26/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Great results, beautiful wavy curls.
1/27/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
1/28/2015	Nothing	A little oily
1/29/2015	Nothing	Very oily and itchy.
1/20/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Again, amazing results!
1/31/2015	Clarifying conditioner only	Made hair a little oily.
2/1/2015	Nothing	Oily and Itchy.
2/2/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Great results! Good curls and waves.
2/3/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/4/2015	Nothing	More oil.
2/5/2015	Baby powder near roots to soak up oil.	Improved oily appearance of hair. Scalp still itchy.
2/6/2015	Nothing	Very itchy
2/7/2015	ACV and Plopping	Looks king of oily but really curly.
2/8/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/9/2015	Nothing	More oil and itch.
2/10/2015	BS/ACV and Plopping	Great results.
2/11/2015	Braid at night, BBB, light misting.	Good results, minimal oil.
2/12/2015	Braid at night, BBB, light misting.	Good results, minimal oil.
2/13/2015	Nothing	minimal oil
2/14/2015	Nothing	A little more oil.
2/15/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
2/16/2015	Nothing	Very oily and not so great smelling. :(
2/17/2015	BS and Shea Butter Co-wash + plopping	Looks good but king of oily.
2/18/2015	Nothing	Still a little oily.
2/19/2015	Nothing	Same amount of oil
2/20/2015	Shea Butter Co-wash	Just made my scalp produce more oil.
2/21/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
2/22/2015	BS/ACV+Tea+Plopping.	The tea is hibiscus, elderberry, and black currant and it made me smell like a red pixie stick in a good way.
2/23/2015	Nothing	Oily
2/24/2015	Cocoa Powder	Soaked up excess oil, scalp felt pretty good and it smelled amazing!
2/25/2015	Scritch and Preen and Aloe on dry areas.	I just discovered these maneuvers. This is something I will be continuing.
2/26/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/27/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
2/28/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/1/2015	BS/ACV/Tea Rinse	Red pixie sticks again!
3/2/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/3/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/4/2015	Nothing	More oil.
3/5/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/6/2015	BS/ACV+Plopping	Great results! Good curls and waves.
3/7/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/8/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/9/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/10/2015	Nothing	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/11/2015	BS/Mask (Banana, aloe, coconut milk, and egg)+ACV+ Plopping.	Great results, hair feels really good and smells pretty good.  The mixture smells like banana bread, lol.
3/12/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/13/2015	Nothing + Braided hair at night	Minimal oil
3/14/2015	Added oil to ends.	Ends were dry.
3/15/2015	Mask/ACV	Another great result!
3/16/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/17/2015	Added oil to ends.	Ends were dry again.
3/18/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/19/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/20/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/21/2015	Nothing	Minimal oil
3/22/2015	Water Only Wash+Preen & Scritch.	I did a very thourough job scritching and preening prior to my water only washing. During the wash and preeened and detangled.  I was amazed at the results because I'm pretty sure I have hard water and sulfur in the water.  My hair was a little oily but by the end of the night it had soaked it all up.  It looked amazing.  Scalp wasn't as itchy.
3/23/2015	Nothing - Preened and detangled	Minimal oil
3/24/2015	Nothing - Preened and detangled	Minimal oil
3/25/2015	Nothing - Preened and detangled	Minimal oil
3/26/2015	Nothing - Brushed	Oily and Itchy.
3/27/2015	Nothing - Brushed	Pretty oily and itchy scalp.
3/28/2015	Braided and added Tea Tree Oil Blend	Hair is a little oily but the length and ends feel fabulous.  I purchased some tea tree oil from the store.  It's a blend of oils.  So far the itching has subsided from anywhere I applied it.
3/29/2015	Preen & Scritch+Water only watch+Tea Tree Oil.	dry scalp better with tea tree oil - felt nice and sort of dry afterwards.
3/30/2015	Tea Tree Oil at hairline	dry scalp.
3/31/2015	Water Only Wash+Preen & Scritch.	Still slightly oily but refreshed.
4/1/2015	Tea Tree Oil at hairline	A little oily.
4/2/2015	Cornstarch+Cocoa powder near my scalp and tea tree oil blend on my ends. Tied in a bun over night.	Was greasy at the scalp and weighed down.  Ends were dry and tangled. Brushed then treated.
4/3/2015	Braided it and added tea tree oil to ends and front of scalp.	A little greasy but mostly soft.
4/4/2015	Pony-tail and tea tree oil to ends and scalp	A little dry in length
4/5/2015	Braided and added Tea Tree Oil Blend	A little greasy.
4/6/2015	Water Only Wash+Preen & Scritch.	a little oily.
4/7/2015	Cornstarch+Cocoa powder near my scalp and tea tree oil blend on my ends. Braided overnight	pretty good hair day
4/8/2015	Nothing, Braided at night	a little oily
4/9/2015	Detangled and pulled back all day	pretty good hair day
4/10/2015	Nothing - braided	pretty greasy/waxy
4/11/2015	Preen & Scritch + AO with ACV	feels soft but maybe a bit waxy.
4/12/2015	Nothing
4/12/2015	Nothing	a little greasy
4/14/2015	Nothing	more greasy
4/15/2015	Wash w/ Dr. Bronners + ACV rinse and peppermint oil.
4/16/2015	Nothing
4/17/2015	Nothing
4/18/2015	Nothing
4/19/2015	Wash w/Cocoa and Cornstarch + Shea Co Wash and Vinegar Rinse w/cold water and plopping.	Great results! Good curls and waves.
4/20/2015	Nothing
4/21/2015	Nothing
4/22/2015	Nothing	Greasy in the back and top a little
4/23/2015	Wash w/Cocoa and Cornstarch and Vinegar Rinse w/cold water and plopping.	greasy on the ends and back
4/24/2015	Nothing	kind of greasy
4/25/2015	Nothing	Really greasy all over
4/26/2015	Egg and Honey mask/wash	Felt like "real hair."
4/27/2015	Nothing	Great
4/28/2015	Nothing	Great
4/29/2015	Nothing	Starting to get oily.
4/30/2015	Nothing	A little oily
5/1/2015	Cocoa Powder and Cornstarch - Shea live in conditioner. Plopping	Super curly and not oily but very shiny.
5/2/2015		curly and shiny
5/3/2015	Went Swimming in chlorinated pool
5/4/2015	Egg and Honey mask/wash	Felt great a little dry on ends
5/5/2015	No wash
5/6/2015	No wash
5/7/2015	No wash
5/8/2015	Cocoa powder and Cornstarch dry
5/9/2015	No wash	Itchy
5/10/2015	no wash	Really itchy
5/11/2015	Egg and Orange Blossom Honey Mask/Wash + Plopping	Great results! Good curls and waves.
5/12/2015	No wash
5/13/2015	No wash
5/14/2015	No wash
5/15/2015	Cocoa powder and Cornstarch Wash and Shea Butter CoWash Rinse + plopping.	Great, super curly results!
5/16/2015	No wash
5/17/2015	No wash
5/18/2015	Honey and Shea butter co-wash+plopping
5/19/2015	No wash
5/20/2015	No wash
5/21/2015	Shea Butter Co-wash + plopping
5/22/2015	Nothing
5/23/2015	Nothing
5/24/2015	shea moisture shampoo and leave in conditioner.	Just like regular shampoo/conditioner
5/25/2015	Nothing

Natural Hair Care

If you've read my first article on here then you know that I've gone "No Poo."  I've almost made it a month and I'm very happy with the results.  I think my hair seems thicker, I have less fall out, and it also seems to be growing!

In case you haven't read the article and are wondering what in the world "No Poo" is I'll be happy to give you a brief explanation.  This method is basically "washing" the hair without the use of commercial shampoos/conditioners.  Often people choose to use things like Baking Soda Wash and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse, or a rye wash, applesauce masks, ACV only, and some make it to the realm of WO or Water Only.  Water Only seems to be the holy grail of "No Poo."

My hair is crazy curly/wavy and long (past my shoulders).  It tends to get dry but still remains soft.  My scalp tends to get oily fast and the rest of my hair remains dry.  I've noticed brushing my hair with a Boar Bristle Brush really helps distribute the oils.  I also tried Plopping (see video below).  Funny name, right? 

Plopping is great for naturally curly hair.  You basically comb/brush and style your hair and then plop your hair in the middle of the cotton T-shirt and then wrap the shirt around your head.  I've never seen my hair so wavy and curly. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what your hair needs. One way to understand what it needs best is to test the porosity of your hair.  There are 2 tests the float test and the slip and slide test.  For the float test you pull a few strands and place them in a dish of water. Let the hair sit in the water for 2-4 minutes.  If your hair is still floating it has low porosity and if it sinks you have high porosity.  The slip and slide test simply involves running your fingers up a shaft of hair.  If you feel little bumps as you move up the shaft then you have high porosity hair and the cuticle is lifted and if you are able to glide smoothly the hair is low porosity.

You want to strive for low porosity hair.  This type of hair repels moisture.  It's the healthiest hair type and is often very shiny. It is however prone to build up of products.  This is another reason why "No Poo" is a great idea!  The best kinds of moisturizers for this type of hair include jojoba oil, shea butter, coconut oil, and mineral oil.

Medium porosity hair is the most manageable.  The cuticle isn't as smooth as the low porosity hair, it is slightly lifted.  This type of hair holds styles well however over processing can easily lead to damage.

High porosity hair is often very damaged due to processing.  In this type of hair there are actually gaps in the cuticles.  These holes allow too much moisture in and cause your hair to be frizzy. On this type of hair you want to use anti-humectant products and leave-in conditioners.

I've used 2 different oil masks on my hair to assist with the dryness.  Most recently I just used a little coconut oil and left it on over-night then did by BS/ACV cleanse.  In the past I've used a concoction I made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil, African Hair Oil, Tea Tree Oil, and a few drops of mint and left on overnight.  Both make my hair very shiny and manageable.

Resources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_poo
• http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing/hair-porosity

Stop Washing Your Hair!

Stop washing your hair!

I know it sounds crazy, right? 
I thought it was crazy too until I tried it.  I have long curly/wavy hair that tends to get oily very easy.
The thought of not washing my hair and not using conditioner sounded absolutely crazy and I thought there was no possible way I could ever do it.

I used to be a person that washed their hair every day because if I didn't it would be an oily mess the next day.  I still really wanted to try this method I heard of called the "No Poo" method.  I know the name sounds crazy too and I don't completely understand why they choose it, lol.

The "No Poo" method basically means you cease using commercial shampoos and conditioners and opt for an alternative method.  The two most common methods are using water only or using baking soda to wash and vinegar to rinse your hair.

I was afraid to just jump into not washing my hair so I started by washing my hair every other day.  I did this for about 2 months and whenever I could I'd try to go a couple of days without washing my hair.

I finally got brave and jumped in.  I'm still in the process of getting my hair completely converted but I wanted to share now so I can keep you updated on the progress. I should have taken pictures at every stage but I didn't take one until today.

If you are unfamiliar with the "No Poo" method please see the links below for more information.

• http://www.nopoomethod.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_poo
• http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Go-No-Poo/
• http://www.treehugger.com/organic-beauty/no-shampoo-experiment-six-months-later.html

I also found a great group on Facebook for this No Poo Journey: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nopoo/?fref=nf

My Progress

• 1/5/15 - Regular wash/condition+ leave-in conditioner.
• Hair felt normal but scalp was dry.
• 1/6/15 - Nothing
• Itchy and dry scalp, minimal oil.
• 1/7/15 - Dry shampoo scalp using baby powder in my hair overnight in pony tail.
• Not oily but scalp was still dry.
• 1/8/15 - Nothing
• Little oily and itchy but front of scalp still dry.
• 1/9/15 - Baking Soda/ Regular conditioner
• Worked great for removing excess oil from scalp, front still dry but the regular conditioner made my hair oily.
• 1/10/15 - Nothing
• Hair is oily and itchy scalp, dry in front
• 1/11/15 - Baking Soda/ White Vinegar
• Removed excess oil from scalp, a little excess oil in length of hair but looked good. Scalp dry in front.
• 1/12/15 - Nothing
• A little oily around scalp but not itchy.
• 1/13/15 -Nothing

So sadly somehow my data from the 13th until a few days ago has all been lost.  I'm going to start from here and keep tracking.
I've moved to about 3-4 days between washing and to using baking soda/Apple cider vinegar.

• 1/26/15 - BS/ACV and Plopping (see video and picture below).
• 1/27/15 - Nothing
• 1/28/15 - Nothing
• 1/29/15 - Nothing
• 1/30/15 - BS/ACV and plopping
• 1/31/15 - Clarifying conditioner only.
• I accidentally got my hair wet in the shower and if I didn't add the conditioner I wouldn't have been able to get my hands through it.
• 2/1/15 - Nothing
• 2/2/15 - BS/ACV and plopping
• 2/3/15 - Nothing
• 2/4/15 - Nothing
• 2/5/15 - Baby Powder near the roots to soak up oil.
• 2/6/15 - Nothing
• 2/7/15 - Apple Cider Vinegar only and plopping.
• Looks kind of oily but really curly.
• 2/8/15 - Nothing
• 2/9/15 - Nothing
• 2/10/15 - Baking Soda/ACV - plopping
• 2/11/15 -  Braid at night, BBB, light misting
• 2/12/15 - Braid at night, BBB, light misting
• 2/13/15 - Nothing
• 2/14/15 - Nothing
• 2/15/15 - Nothing
• 2/16/15 - Very oily and not smelling very pretty
• 2/17/15 - Baking Soda and this Shea Butter Co-wash I found + plopping
• 2/18/15 - Nothing
• 2/19/15 - Nothing
• 2/20/15 - Shea Butter Co-wash only
• 2/21/15 - Nothing - hair's getting pretty oily and itchy
• 2/22/15 - My hair is really bad today.  I will be washing it.  I feel like trying something new.  The Baking soda was great for a while and is great to remove excess sebum from my hair but my scalp isn't getting any better.  It's actually maybe a little worse.
• I'm going to try rinsing with this tea that is hibiscus, black currants, and elderberries mixed with some honey.  It was good for drinking now let's see about hair :)   Maybe an ACV rinse after.  All I know is my hair is horrible right now.  I can't even go out in public it's so bad and itchy.   Today's wash may end up like a bad science experiment....(eyes bottle of aloe gel on desk....).
• So I washed gently with Baking Soda and then combined my tea with a little apple cider vinegar and used that as a rinse. Now I smell like a pixie stick!
• 2/23/15 - Nothing
• 2/24/15 - Cocoa powder
• 2/25/15 - Scritch and Preen and aloe on dry parts of scalp
• 2/26/15 - Nothing
• 2/27/15 - Nothing
• 2/28/15 - Nothing
• 3/1/15 - Baking Soda/ACV/Elderberry, Black Currant, Hibiscus Tea Rinse
• 3/2/15 - Nothing
• 3/3/15 - Nothing
• 3/4/15 - Nothing
• 3/5/15 - Nothing
• 3/6/15 - Baking Soda/ACV
• 3/7/15 - Nothing
• 3/8/15- Nothing
• 3/9/15- Nothing
• 3/10/15 - Nothing
• 3/11/15 - BS-Wash - Mask with banana, aloe vera, coconut milk and an egg, ACV - rinse
• 3/12/15  -  Nothing
• 3/13/15 - Nothing - Braided
• 3/14/15 - Added oil to ends
• 3/15/15 - Mask - banana, aloe vera, coconut milk, and egg - Rinse - ACV
• 3/16/15 - Nothing
• 3/17/15 - Added oil to ends
• 3/18/15 -  Nothing
• 3/19/15 - Nothing
• 3/20/15 - Nothing
• 3/21/15 - Nothing
• 3/22/15 - Water Only Wash - I preened and scratched really good before washing and sort of preened and detangled during the wash.  I was amazed because I'm sure I have hard water and sulfur in the water as well.
• 3/23/15 - Nothing - Preened and detangled by hand.
• 3/24/15 - Nothing - Preened and detangled by hand
• 3/25/15 - Nothing - Preened and detangled by hand
• 3/26/15 - Nothing - Brushed
• 3/27/15 - Nothing - Brushed

I'm going to start posting my hair diary in another article.  Click Here

**Keep coming back for more postings!


1/11/15 - Top

1/10/15 - Front

1/11/15 - BS/White Vinegar



Showing length so far

1/30/15  - BS/ACV+Plopping