Carol's Daughters Products Expensive and Dont Work With My Hair

Hello Cathy,

I came across your website asking about Wave Nouveau. I have had a Wave Nouveau perm for about 20 years. I have never put any other chemicals on my hair excepts hair dyes. People compliment me on my hair. I am a older women so having people compliment my hair is a blessing to me. Have not had a perm in about 5 years with no problems, except my hair is long but thin.... I use Carol Daughters products sometime but expensive, still have not found what works with my hair. I want thick hair along with length without using perms love my natural hair can you help me maintain it? Also how long does the perm stay in my hair? Do I have to chop it off for all chemicals to be out?

Jackie Matthews Washington DC

Hello Jackie,

Perms are “Permanent” thus the reason we call them "perms." They never wear off your hair but have to grow out or be cut off to rid yourself of them. Your thinning is probably caused by chemical applications smoothed against your head. These products go into your pores and change how the hair cells function. Regretfully, nothing on this planet can reverse that.

UBH products will help improve your hair and you do not have to cut the chemical off your hair, you can just let it grow out. Use UBH products and your hair will become stronger, and thicker which is necessary to keep the hair from breaking and to keep it on your head to add length.

Cathy Howse

 

Will UBH Products Help Male Hair Thinning?

I'm a Black male experiencing thinning on the top of my head. Will UBH products work for me as well?
 
UBH products address dry brittle hair that breaks. All of which are external problems. Men with thinning hair problems are generally a result of testosterone issues which is an internal problem. Thinning hair in men has been associated with DHT. And many manufacturers will offer products like Nioxin Shampoo as a temporary remedy. I have done no research on these products so I have no evidence that they work.

However UBH products will improve the hair you have but they wont stop hair thinning caused by internal issues.
 
Cathy Howse

2 Myths about Silicone and Hair Products!

Hi Cathy,
I am natural and I only co-wash on a daily basis, I was thinking about using hair polisher for sheen, but people on natural sites have me concerned about silicone keeping moisture from my hair and needing to use harsh shampoos to remove build up, which I think I don't experience anyway. I don't see how it would keep moisture from my hair because my hair gets wet everyday, what do you think?
 
Celeste Green
 
Dear Celeste,
You really have to be careful about what you believe that you find on the internet because EVERYBODY is a hair expert now and they are not speaking from experience. My products, which I use DAILY have had silicone in them for over 10 years and the "natural hair blog" people are wrong about the moisture not being able to get into the hair. If that was the case I would not use them and my hair would not be as long as it is now. I also use only UBH Cleansing Shampoo and it is not harsh at all.

Ignore the foolishness. They have no basis for what they are claiming.

Cathy Howse

 

The internet is FULL of Experts who have little to no experience except YouTube Video Tutorials!

Picture compliments of Kinky Chicks

 

3 yr Olds Hair is a Mess After Dominican Salon!

Hi Cathy,

My sister took my 3yr old to a Dominican Salon to get her hair washed and they blow dried her hair and now the texture of her hair is different from what it was. How if possible do I get her hair to revert or close to its original texture? Please help me this is gnawing away at me especially now since she flinches a lot to comb her hair that was once manageable to now be a frizzed out tangled mess. Please help... Natalie

Hello Natalie,

My suggestion is to use my Silky Spray moisturizer on her hair to detangle and my Satin Crème moisturizer to smooth her hair texture. I don’t think you will be disappointed. I feel confident that you wont need to press her hair when you use these products.

Cathy Howse

 

 

Are all alcohols in hair products bad?

There seems to be a lot of concern regarding products with alcohol and many times we are confused about using them for fear they will dry our hair and skin. Actually not all alcohols are bad in hair and skin products. There are 4 alcohols that I personally know of that are creme alcohols that are not drying.

They are:
Stearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol and Cetyl Alcohol

These alcohol are fatty alcohols that are excellent moisturizers. They are used to bind the oil in liquids like moisturizers to prevent them from separating and also used to thicken products. They have excellent softening abilities and function as humectants which allows moisture to bind to hair and skin.

So no need to fear these, they actually are great for moisture!

To Transition or Not to Transition - Is that Your Question?

Q:   I have not relaxed my hair in just over four months and I would like to perm my hair now. I am trying to get rid of the relaxed hair by trimming it bit by bit. Is this gonna work? Another problem I have is that my hair is thinning I think due to braiding because I never give my hair a break from braiding. I also have a small patch at the front which happened when I was taking out the braids. It’s been five months now and my hair is not growing back. Is there a chance that it can grow back or what can you advise me to use?

A:   First off, it sounds to me like you are on the fence as to which way to go with your hair. You say that it’s been over four months since you’ve had a perm, but you also say that now you would like to get one.  The question I have to ask here is -- Are you really ready to transition from relaxed to natural hair?

The journey from relaxed hair to natural hair is often not an easy one and is a decision that we each must make for ourselves. Obviously, we can’t have it both ways. We either have relaxed hair or natural hair – we can’t have both. So, the first thing you should do is to get real clear about which way you want to go. If you decide that you want to get rid of the relaxer, don’t put another one on your hair!

In fact, many of the problems you have been experiencing with your hair (thinning, bald spots, etc.) are more than likely resulting from the relaxer more than anything else. When you use “perms” the application of the chemical being smoothed against your head is the real culprit. It is no secret that relaxers have been known to be harsh on the hair and promote balding and thinning. One of the problems that result when balding happens with relaxers is that the hair cells change inside the scalp. In a lot of cases this condition is permanent! Some have had success growing their hair back after giving up relaxers, however, others have not.

If you are really wanting to transition from relaxed to natural hair, for many of us the hardest part is making the commitment to the journey. This video may help you make the decison.

How Long will it take for my hair to reach my back when I use UBH products?

To answer this question we need to know two things: 1) the life cycle of your hair and 2) its growth rate.

First, the life cycle of our hair is what controls the amount of time a single hair on our head will grow before it falls out and a new hair grows in its place. For most people that cycle is between two to six years. 

Next, you must determine the growth rate of your hair. If your hair is relaxed, the easiest way to determine its growth rate is to measure the “new growth.” This is the section of natural hair that grows from your scalp to the straight relaxed hair between retouches.  Typically, relaxers are applied to the new growth every two months. Usually, at those intervals the new growth is about 1” long. This means that on the average, our hair grows about  1” every two months or in other words 6” per year.  Some individuals will grow hair a bit faster, others a bit slower. 

So how long will it take your hair to grow to your back?  Along with many other black women, you may find the hair chart from Thehairfiles.wordpress.com to be a helpful illustration. Let’s assume your hair is shoulder length now and you want to grow it to mid-back length. The distance from the shoulder to mid-back is about 9”. So if we assume that your hair has an average life cycle and growth rate (6” per year), it would take your hair a year and a half to grow the 9” from shoulder length to mid-back length.

Keep in mind, however, that this does not take into consideration any bad experiences you might encounter that could have negative effects on the growth of your hair such as improperly applied relaxers, excessive dryness and brittleness, etc. Remember, for the best result in growing your hair you must keep it healthy.