A Hair Treatment with Errol Douglas

Ever since I decided to go back to my natural hair, I think I’ve only been to the hairdressers once. Mind you, it wasn’t out of choice, but simply because when I tried, most hairdressers would stare at my natural afro hair, and you would see literal expressions of panic fly across their faces as they tried to figure out how they would handle it. It was either that or they would try to convince me to relax my hair.

Fed up with the whole process, I have mainly managed and treated my hair myself for the last couple of years.

However, I recently attended an event with Phytospecific at Errol Douglas, and was invited to try out a complimentary hair treatment at the salon. When I quizzed them and was informed that yes they do offer treatments for natural afro hair, I was intrigued.

Now Errol Douglas as a salon is not new to me, I have heard many people rave their professional service and treatments for a mixture of hair types, and some of my friends go there to get their hair both relaxed and treated. But I just assumed it was restricted to relaxed hair. I love it when I stand corrected!

I arrived for my appointment a couple of weeks ago and hidden behind the hustle and bustle of Knightsbridge, is Errol Douglas. A beautiful salon, located on Motcomb Street. With a chic and spacious space, the décor is stylish and warm, inviting you to settle into one of their comfy chairs and get your hair done.

Errol Douglas himself is a legend in the industry and has won an MBE for his services to the hair industry.

On arrival I was offered a drink and a food menu, which has a selection of actual meals and juices to choose from.  Do note that there is a charge for these as they work with a private chef.

I was then led downstairs to the dedicated afro hair area. Enter in Eve, the miracle worker who is the Artistic Director and Head of the Afro hair team at Errol Douglas.

Eve is extremely experienced and knowledgeable about all things hair, having worked as a hair stylist for the last 20 years, with 11 years specifically at Errol Douglas. Sporting a very stylish natural fro hawk style herself, I knew I was in safe hands.

Weave Vs Natural - Does it really matter?

I'm off to see Somalia Seatons much talked about new play called Crowning Glory tonight. It's an all female cast of modern women who share the trials and tribulations of their hair and try to uncover what true beauty really is. You can find out more information here Crowning Glory

So I thought this would be the perfect time to repost a blog post called Weave Vs Natural that I wrote as a guest post for Natalie from Beauty Pulse London . It summarised my thoughts after I attended a debate at the Women of the World Festival. You might remember that I mentioned it in this blog post here 

Just to warn you, It's a long post (but a meaty one) so you might want to grab some tea and biscuits

How to achieve the Braided Look: Autumn Winter Trend 2013

I have recently been looking at all the autumn winter trends, and one of the beauty/hair trends I have fallen in love with, is the braided look.

Here is a video showing the braid trend at some of the fashion shows.

Natural Hair Updo Inspirations

Happy Friday!

So my curls are back out... In anticipation of spring/summer they were asking to come out and play. The conversation went something like this

Scenario: It started with me brushing my weave

Curls: No!
Me: Sorry?
Curls: I said No!
Me: Oh hello! No what?
Curls: No more brushing and tugging, for the love of me....I've had enough!

#35 Hair Obsession

Women all over the world, regardless of race all share many of the same things. Be it dreams, aspirations, shopping, love, heartache or a love of chocolate but there is an area in which we differ greatly and that is with our hair.

It’s funny how we women of colour, but black women especially are completely obsessed with our hair. There are always discussions about whether you have good hair or not, and if you do - what you do to it! Women are stopped in the street by other women for their hairdressers details, several women are very pro natural hair while others straighten their hair or go for the longest of weaves aka Beyonce style!

So I guess the question is why are we so obsessed? I actually believe it’s just in our nature as well as in our upbringing and culture. Many women can attest to the long weekend routines of getting your hair done – which started way back in childhood where your hair was washed over the sink, combed till you cried, oiled and plated! This same routine then followed us into adulthood where we spend hours in salons with other women waiting to get our hair done while peddlers come in and offer to sell us “3 DVDs for £5” or sitting on a pile of cushions on the floor in some woman’s house usually in the middle of nowhere, with snotty nosed kids running around and the smell of African food in the background - trying to get our braids, cornrows or whatever other style done.

In America there has been quite a bit of interest recently about hair and what is Good Hair? – With Tyra Banks finally displaying her real hair to the world and with Chris Rock deciding to make a film that would answer that very question. He was inspired to make it when his daughter came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?”

Personally I think that good hair is hair that’s clean, soft and looks, feels and is healthy. I believe that it’s up to you to decide on what you want to do with your hair but whatever you do – please remember that the objective is to look good so if your hair is breaking go to the hairdresser, if your braids are hanging on by a thread –girl please get them taken off and if your weave has moved all the way to the centre of your head – you need major help and only the hair police will do!!

Check out the clip below for Chris Rocks film Good Hair - annoyingly it’s not coming over to the UK! Please also see the link below for an article/audio by the NY Times with different women discussing how they like to wear their hair be it straightened or natural, and their attitude towards it. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/27/fashion/20090827-hair-interactive.html It made for a very interesting listen – my favourite has to be Michelle Lewis who likes to wear a weave and her husband didn’t know! Don’t ask me how that happened – but apparently she normally wraps it up before he gets home but one day he walked in and saw the hair on the table. Too funny!!




Xoxo

#5 Hair care tips for relaxed hair

So about a week ago, I finally took out my weave and what can I say after 4.5 months of not relaxing my hair!!! I was rough and tough with my afro puffs hey!….. so I decided to pull out my afro power look for the week till I could get it done – yep I was all scarf wearing combined with my huge gold hoops and I have to say that after a series of incidents where my comb got stuck as I tried to comb my hair and a few too many “ how are you doing my sister?” greetings from brothers on the road (why oh why?) I was mighty relieved to go and get my hair relaxed and treated with my hairdresser extraordinaire Dupe Oyeleke…..

Now for those of you who don’t know Dupe I will let you in on a little secret – the first time I saw/met her she had ridiculously long flowing locks down her back and I remember that while I was being introduced I was literally itching to put my fingers in there and check to see if it was a weave as I thought surely NO!! It’s not possible! She has since chopped off her locks into a hot short crop ( I know sacrilege!!) and is now (a) such a good friend and (b) an amazing hairdresser to boot – she styled my hair for my wedding last year and it was fab, fab, fab. Dupe used to work as a top stylist for a high end salon but is now a Trainer and Assessor for NVQ hairdressing students as well as being a Field Educator for Avlon.

Anyway while Dupe was taming my tresses into submission I decided to pick her brain and expert knowledge on hair, products, tips etc

Q – A number of black girls think their hair doesn’t grow or can’t grow past a certain length – what are your thoughts?

A – It’s a myth that afro hair doesn’t grow. As long as your body is healthy and functioning properly – your hair has to grow. If you think about the fact that after 6-10 weeks most girls are back to touch up their roots for a hair relaxer it means their hair is growing.

However if your hair is in bad condition it won’t grow. This is because weak, damaged hair will break easily and is prone to split ends. I see a lot of girls walking around with scraggly thin ends determined to keep the length on the hair – buts its so no worth it, first it looks bad and will only get worse. The best solution for this is to get your hair regularly trimmed every 8-12 weeks otherwise the split will keep travelling up the hair shaft and to have regular salon based treatments to repair the damage

Q – What would you recommend for girls who relax their hair?

A – Never try and relax your hair yourself or get a friend to do it. Your hair should always be professionally relaxed
Professional relaxers are always better than store bought ones – this is due to the conditioning ingredients that are added to it
Ideally before you relax your hair you should have a consultation with your stylist to discuss your hair type, concerns and aims for your hair
Treat your body well with the right nutrition, diet and exercise. It all affects the condition of your hair

Q – Are there any particular products you would recommend?

A – Everyone is unique so what works for one person wouldn’t necessary work for someone else so its difficult to just recommend products without seeing the persons hair.

Ideally I would recommend that you stick to salon brands as they have usually put more research into the products and they are designed to work as follow on products from your salon treatment. Additionally it also means you can speak to an expert to get recommendations on what to use for your hair type and you will also be able to try the products before you buy them.

I would never rule out any kind of brand or say it’s only meant for European hair or afro hair. It’s really all about what works for you. Personally some of the brands I like are Mizani, Keracare, Paul Mitchell and L’Oreal.

Q – So what essential tips and products do you need to have in your bathroom cabinet?

A- As an absolute basic you need a good shampoo and conditioner. Your hair care starts from the moment you wash it and not from when you are styling. What you use to wash and condition your hair will impact how your hair looks when you come to style it. Always use something that adds moisture to afro hair as afro hair is quite dry.

Try to have a treatment at least once a month. If you get it done in a salon it is usually protein based, try not to do a protein treatment at home as if it’s not handled correctly it can actually damage your hair. For home treatments you can use your usual conditioner or a more intense one and either sit under a dryer for 30 minutes or if you don’t have one put on a shower cap or use cling film and wrap you hair in a warm towel.

Always apply products to your hair when wet /towel dried as everything you put on dry hair doesn’t actually do anything to your hair – instead it just sits on top

Use more moisturising based products rather than oil based products as they can weigh your hair down

When combing Afro hair, always comb from the ends working your way up to the root in order to reduce the risk of breakage
Always use a wide-toothed comb to detangle, preferably with a conditioner

Wash your hair at least once a week this helps remove product build up, lets your hair breath and eliminates dry and itchy scalp

When you go to sleep always wrap your hair in a silk or satin scarf – this helps your hair retain moisture.

Q – What is your take on using hair straighteners?

A – Straighteners are not necessarily evil as some people seem to think. You simply need to ensure you don’t overuse them and use heat protectors. Keracare’s silken sheen acts as a great heat protector. I would suggest that you only use it to style your hair every other week as it is a lot of heat to apply on a regular basis.

If your relaxer has done the job it’s meant to do then you should be able achieve straight hair by just blow-drying it with a brush. Mizani’s strengthening serum and Keracare’s blow-dry lotion are quite good to use for this as they act as a moisturiser and will leave a nice sheen afterwards.

Allow your hair to dry partially, then use a bristle brush which with your blow-dryer it will help you achieve a much smoother look.

Q – What cost saving tips would you advise for girls who can’t afford to go to the salon regularly but want to keep their hair in good condition?

A – Go to a reputable salon for a thorough consultation – even if you can’t use the salon afterwards. The consultation is usually free and they will educate you on what to use for your hair

Go into hairdressing schools and colleges as they offer the same treatments as salons for much cheaper prices. Alan D School of Hairdressing is a good one to go to however most schools will always provide this service so you can find one more local to you. You need to remember that students will be doing your hair however they are always supervised.

You can take in your own products that were recommended for your hair type and the students will be happy to use those

Use those same products at home to maintain your hair afterwards

Well there you go girlies – hope Dupe’s tips help

Xoxo