A: First and foremost, pay attention to what your stylist uses and does to your hair when you are at the salon.

Start by finding shampoos and conditioners that work for your hair. It wouldn’t hurt to ask your stylist for suggestions and possibly cheaper alternatives to professional products they may use at your salon.

When it comes to detangling hair, be sure to  always use a wide tooth comb. Be gentle and start combing from the ends working your way up to your roots to avoid unnecessary breakage. Parting your hair into sections makes this process easier as well.

When blow drying and/or flat ironing hair, a heat protectant is an absolute must. If your hair is colored or relaxed use the lowest heat setting possible, natural girls can bear a little more heat.

Keep hair moisturized daily with a creme moisturizer followed by an oil sealant. Don’t use black gels or holding sprays with alcohol. Anything that may dry out your hair must be avoided.

Try low maintenance styles like ponytails and buns secured by anything other than rubber bands, which aid in the breakage of your hair.

Lastly tie down your hair at night with a satin scarf.

By following these tips your hair should stay healthy and your stylist will be impressed by your effort to upkeep, making their job a little easier.

- Natelege Whaley

A: It’s a natural process for hair to shed. But breakage is a result of something we’re doing wrong in your hair routine. Let’s get to the root of the problem.

Is your hair dry and brittle with no elasticity? This can cause breakage. Your hair needs a deep conditioner at least once a week if you want to retain moisture. Also consider co-washing (washing your hair with conditioner). If you have to wash your hair more than once a week this is great way to guarantee moisture, as washing too much with shampoo can strip the hair.

Does your strands have a mushy-feel and stretch so much that it breaks? If so you may need a protein treatment. Try Aphogee products which are especially made for strengthening the hair.

Depending on whether you are natural or relaxed, your needs may be slightly different, but no matter the texture, length, or thickness, everyone’s hair must have protein and moisture balance to be healthy.

Read products carefully. If you need more moisture, the products should say ‘moisturizing.’ If you need more protein, make sure the products say ‘strengthening.’  Using the wrong products can often make your hair trauma worse.

Lastly be mindful of your styling methods and products. Things like elastics, braids, heat, and products with alcohol as an ingredient can break off your hair.

Sometimes we slack in our hair routine, but remember the more we stay on it, the more likely we’ll have hair that keeps heads turning.

-Natelege Whaley 

A: Please know that when growing out a pixie cut, or any short hair cut for that matter you have to have patience!

Hair only grows at an average of a 1/2 inch a month, so depending on how long you’re trying to grow out your pixie this will definitely take some time, but don’t worry, it can be done.

Use short maned celebrities like NIA LONG, HALLE BERRY, and MALINDA WILLAMS as your motivation, as we’ve seen these women go from shorter to longer lengths, and back short again, and you can too.

The best solution for getting through that ‘in-between stage,’ is to first determine which part of your hair is growing out the fastest so that you can create some type of shape and definition from your current silhouette.

For example, if the back of your hair seems to be growing faster than the front (as it usually does), make it a point to get this part of your hair trimmed more frequently. This way you create the appearance of even hair lengths all over the head form. Try trimming the back every 4 weeks, while only trimming the front every 6-8 weeks.

On the other hand, if the front of your hair is growing at a faster rate than the back, then opt for a graduation shape which gives you the ability to stylishly keep your longer lengths in the front although your hair in the back is slightly shorter. Think asymmetrical bob.

As for throwing in the towel, and cutting it back off, there is absolutely no reason for this when you can use extensions and hair pieces to create different hair looks on those not so patient days.

Take inspiration from hair icons KELLY ROWLAND and KANDI BURRUSS. Both are known for using weave pieces in their shorter length manes to add length, create texture, and play with unique hair colors when they desire.

And when all else fails, just remember that patience is a virtue! Believe us, your hair is probably growing a lot faster than you think!

A: During your natural journey it’s very important to remember that the hair care regimens that worked for your relaxed strands, may not necessarily work for your natural curls.

Because unlike straight hair, curly hair is very tightly coiled, which makes it harder for your scalps natural oils to travel down the hair shaft. And most likely may be the main reason why your hair seems dry and brittle during your transition.

Nevertheless, the key to retaining and replenishing moisture must begin with your hair cleansing routine, which is why we recommend you ditch shampooing altogether and start using a technique called co-washing, a simple way of cleansing the hair and scalp solely with conditioner, instead of using shampoo.

But before you hit us with the, say what, now?

Be aware that the sulfates used in shampoos to produce suds and lathering literally strips your hair of its natural oils, causing it to dry out.

And while there is the option of using sulfate-free shampoos, most natural women have found that using conditioner by its lonesome works just as well as shampoo, yet has the advantage of restoring moisture back into your tresses.

With that being said, try co-washing your hair weekly with a moisturizing conditioner like, NEXXUS Humectress Ultimate Moisturizing Conditioner, 33.8oz, $25, available a mass retailers and drug stores.

In conjunction with co-washing, keep up with your deep conditioning routine as often as needed. This helps moisture and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the hair shaft, resulting in hair that looks healthier and shiner. 

Last but not least, be sure to use a moisturizing sealant on your strands daily, focusing mainly on the ends of your hair, since they are more prone to breakage and splitting. We recommend using CAROLS DAUGHTER Tui Moisturizing Hair Oil, 2 oz, $10, carolsdaughter.com

Also, please know that too much of a good thing, can be bad. And you can in fact, over-moisturize your hair, especially the strands that are still chemically relaxed. So if you notice your hair has become limp or feels gummy you may want to scale back on your routine and take note of  what works for your strands. Because what works for some, may not work for all!

A: First and foremost, never leave your hair stylists chair without being 100% satisfied with your hair services.

In this instance it would have been best to communicate with your beautician the moment you were dissatisfied with the finishing results of your bulky weave, so that way he/she could have corrected the problem immediately.

But what’s done is done, and rest assured that over-the-top weaves have happened to the best of them including celebrities RIHANNA and SERENA WILLIAMS.

At this point the best solution for fixing a weave that has been overloaded with wefts is to have a professional hair stylist remove the bulk by texturizing, a cutting technique used to remove excess weight and thin extremely thick hair.

If done correctly, texturizing with thinning shears will tame unruly strands and even make the most poofy weaves look more manageable.

However, it’s very important to have this done professionally or else you may end up with an anorexic weave that is too thin or has noticeably uneven layers (ie JACKIE CHRISTIE). Believe us, this could be worst off than having too much weave!

Another option to minimizing your unintentional big hair, is working with what you have, and wearing temporary styles that hide excess volume. Try styles that create a sleek appearance like side braids, twist, low buns, or ponytails.

On the contrary, regardless of what solution you try, the last thing you want to do is attempt to remove wefts from your weave installment on your own. Cutting tracks from your weave pattern can lead to noticeable gaps or holes in your sew-in, and can cause unwanted hair damage to your real hair if you don’t remove your tracks properly.

Rule of thumb: Always remember that hairstylists are not mind readers, they can’t fix imperfections if they don’t know they exists, so if you see something,  it’s best to say something!!

A: Facial hair on a woman is like the elephant in the room – it sometimes exists but no one wants to talk about it. Instead some women hide in secrecy trying to figure out how to eliminate facial hair. You’re not alone, and there are several techniques to get rid of hairs above the lip, chin, and face, but all have their pros and cons.

Waxing

Waxing is the most popular method of decreasing facial hair.

PROS:  Waxing is cheap, fast, and can easily be done at home.

CONS: Due to ripping the hair off a strip after the wax is applied, waxing has a big “ouch” factor. If left on for too long it can burn skin, and in some cases, cause an allergic reaction.

Threading

In the past couple of years threading has taken the beauty world by storm by offering yet another technique to banish hairs.

PROS: Absolutely no chemicals that can irritate your skin are used in this “au natural” approach using a string.

CONS: Not a do- it- at- home routine. If the professional does not do it accurately the hair can break instead of pull from the root which means the hair will grow back way faster. You also have to wait until enough hair has grown for it to be threaded which makes it difficult for a quick fix.

Cream Removal/Depilatories

Cream removals like the popular brand NAIR  are a painless solution to facial hair.

PROS: Is easy to apply and does not need to be applied by a professional.

CONS:  Sometimes you have to apply product more than once  to an area if all hair does not come off after you rinse.

As a wise word of caution, women of color should steer clear of bleaching facial hair as that method doesn’t work well on darker skin tones. Never shave facial hair as it will result in stubble that most certainly would not be a Juicy look. Also, though tweezing may work for minor hairs, it’s not the best option for facial hair as it very tedious and not exact.

If all else fails and you have the money to spend, electrolysis hair removal surgery is the most expensive and permanent way to get rid of unwanted hair once and for all. Using any of these methods is a sure way to keep your skin smooth, flawless, and most importantly -whisker free!

Q:  I’ve been wearing a full head weave, but my natural hair that’s left out on top to cover the tracks doesn’t blend well now that my hair is brittle and breaking due to constant curling and pressing. My homegirl mentioned trying a hair closure, so I checked out a few videos about lace closures on YouTube but I still don’t totally understand how it works. Will it look wiggy? Can you break this down?

A: Closures refer to the oblong or circle shaped lace that has hair attached, so it can be used to place on the top or side of your hair in order to make your weave look more natural when rocking a full head of weave.

In recent photos of SERENA WILLAMS, the tennis star proved closures like all hair techniques can look bad if you don’t have the proper education, application, and maintence.  She’s has the Internets thinking she’s going bald, when really her closure has been exposed!

Let’s be real all the many different types of African American hair textures do not always blend well with Indian, Brazilian or whatever hair type you choose for your weave. So if your having trouble with blending, bald spots, thinning edges and breakage, closures are the best alternative.

First thing to remember is when choosing a closure to know that all closures are NOT made equal. Lace or silk closures are the best thing in creating a realistic looking scalp, and the illusion of the hair growing right out of your head!  We recommend lace based closures because they lay flatter and are more breathable. Next, you should be sure after picking the right material for your closure, that it is able to be tinted to match your scalp. Tinting your closure ensures that once applied to your head, you can properly part, pull back, twist,and style the hair any direction you desire.

Once you have picked out the best closure, the “thin skin” around the perimeter attaches to a cornrow base to close and secure your sewn in weave. Frontal closures are either sewn or glued in to the crown of the weave, and attached along the front of the hair line.  Rather than recommending products to apply a closure yourself, we suggest for the best possible results, make sure you have a skilled professional that is familiar with this technique.

The average price of a closure usually range from $125-350 and once attached last for about 8-12 weeks. Besides protecting your hair that is left out from styling damage, closures literally “seals the deal” to give you a natural looking hairline, and almost flawless weave without exposing your hair.

A: After months or rocking your braids or weaves many woman our left with issues of shedding, product build up, and dry hair, problems that can make even the most careful woman freak out.

First,thing is to remain calm, and understand that some of what is happening is to be expected.  Without brushing or combing your natural hair on the daily, shedding will occur. Considering we loose about 100-125 hairs a day, you can imagine the amount when our hair is weaves and braids.

When beginning the removal of your braids and weaves, give yourself a deep conditioner or hotoil treatment. This will soften the hair and avoid breakage while unbraiding and combing hair.

If you have a weave, be sure to solicit the help of another pair of hands to cut tracks out of your hair.  If you must do this step yourself be very careful not to cut the length of your hair. Before undoing braids apply a oil or moisturizer to for easier removal. The key is keeping your hair as moist as possible.

Keep a small amount of hair oil handy after you braids are removed to help dissolve  little balls of product that has bonded onto your hair. After combing through your hair first with a wide tooth comb, or vent hair brush use a cleansing  or neutralizing shampoo to get rid of product build up and oils. Use a deep conditioner with heat, to soften hair and prepare it for the detangling process.

If you made sure to comb through your hair before washing, the detangling process shouldn’t be super dificult. If it is, after shampooing, use a wide-toothed comb  combing from root to tip. Try a leave-in detangler like KINKY CURLY Knot Today, or use a leave-in conditioner by MISS JESSIE‘s. When it comes to detangling, take your time and be patient.

All shedding should  slow down as you detangle, if your hair is falling out days after taking weave or braids out then you have hair damage and may need to seek the assistance of a professional.

Now that your hair is detangled it is time for a trim to catch and cut split ends. Be sure to do so after your hair has been washed completely and is dry. Never cut wet hair.

Lay off relaxers or hair dyes immediately after this process. Your hair needs time to breathe and should not be braided or weaved back up immediately after taking weave or hair out.

Most importantly remember to care for your hair when it is the weaved and braided.

A: Your hair is your crown and glory, but remember that your body is your temple. You should never let your strands dictate your right to be healthy. Besides, the biggest misconception about exercising is that you cant achieve a productive workout or burn calories without sweating. Girl, bye!  The only reason for sweating during a workout  is to cool the body down.  With that in mind try not get caught up in the hype that exercising will ruin your do’, and  focus more on your fitness goals because  Juicy has the skinny on four hair tips and products that will help preserve your strands while you get it right, get it tight.

1.  Opt for high ponytails or low bun styles, this way your hair is kept away from your face and neck and does not get wet from perspiration.  If your hair is not long enough for a ponytail, use bobby pins to pin-up the hair around your hairline and nape.

2.  Braid or twist your hair into sections pre-workout, and if your lifestyle permits, keep the braids or twist in overnight.  The nextmorning take them down for a natural curly or wavy style. Repeat next workout.  This is a perfect routine for anyone planning to exercise multiple days a week.

3.  Be cautious of wearing cotton sweatbands, as the friction and constant rubbing can lead to hair breakage and thinning along the hairline. Instead protect your strands with a satin hair wrap. Try Spartan’s Stay On Satin Wrap Cap, $4, Walgreens.

4.  Post-workout  use a dry shampoo to soak up excess moisture from your roots. Try Kevin Murphy’s Fresh Hair Dry Cleaning Spray, 6.7 oz, $20, sleekhair.com. And tame those edges down with Organic Root Stimultor Olive Oil Edge Control, 2.25 oz, $5, Walgreens.

Now that you have the hair deets, you better hit the gym and werkkkk it out!