Is Your Hair Spooky?

On October 25th the Collegiate Curls sector at USC Upstate hosted the event "Is your hair spooky?" in our Freshman dorm to educate people on how to take care of their natural or permed hair. We also catered to the fellas and educated them on how to manage their beards and waves. We had a few of our executive board members bring a couple of their favorite products to show as well as demonstrate how we manage our hair and beards. At the men’s table our friend Pop and board member Dantavious coached many young boys on how to maintain their waves and how to keep their beards moisturized. At the girls table we had information about heat damaged hair, color damaged hair and thinning or breakage. In addition, we gave tips on how to best moisturize and deep condition the hair to prevent these things from occurring in the future. Lastly, we gave information about the porosity of natural hair which is the hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. At the end each participant was given a goody bag which contained different samples for natural hair and skin and of course Halloween candy!

Now, we would like to share some tips with y'all!

SINGLE STRAND KNOTS: These are the absolute worse! If you notice you are getting tons of single strand knots… you may need to change a few steps in your hair care regimen. Wash and Go’s can often be the culprit behind single strand knots so if that is your go to style and you are suffering from the knots… that may be one of the main causes. To solve this issue it is best to try the LOC method and keep your hair in protective styles.

CLARIFY YOUR HAIR: To straighten your hair, you often load your hair with lots of products like blow-dry creams and straightening serums. These products, usually laden with silcones, can be difficult to get out with sulfate-free shampoo alone. They may even make your hair look dull and lifeless. To start with a clean state, clarify your hair with your clarifying shampoo of choice or use a clarifying alternative like bentonite clay or apple cider vinegar.

For the men...

BRUSHES: One should never brush the hair while it is wet. The brush puts strain on the hair that can damage the follicles and cause early breakage and damage. This can seriously slow the natural growth of the hair. Even dry, one should use a wide toothed comb when styling the hair, if longer. This puts less stress on the strands and leads to less breakage. A hard brush should mostly used for achieving deeper waves. To simply lay your hair down, a soft brush will do the trick, as it controls those random hairs that tend to stick up. A medium brush does a little bit of both. Try brands such as Diane, Annie, and Wave Encorcer.

INGROWN HAIRS/SHAVING: The easiest solution would be to cut down the number of times you shave, but this is not always possible. Aside from that you can use a single- blade razor or clippers to cut the hair short above the skin. Keep skin moisturized and shave the beard in the same direction that the hairs are growing. Many men shave against the grain, which is incorrect. Have a barber “map” your face. Face mapping determines the direction in which you should shave so that it’s consistent with beard growth.In terms of products, acids and alcohol are damaging to hair and skin and need to be avoided. Stick with products that include high-quality vitamins and oils that are friendly to your skin.

We had a great event and look forward to ending the semester strong!