Passport Cutty's Hair Tips

SOOOOO As everyone knows, Passport Cutty is food for the Soul. So this week I am going to fill you in on hair information that the average person may not already know. I am an advocate for HEALTHY hair and I want to share my knowledge with as many people as I can so that you can raise your stock up another notch by always having beautiful hair.

1. There's this MYTH that has been floating around the urban universe that says “Your hair grows when its dirty” … That is TRUE but FALSE at the same time... It grows in a bad way... Like Weeds. It may SEEM like it grew a substantial amount but chances are you're holding on to dead ends.... As long as the follicles aren't dead, its going to grow but not washing it for weeks or months is NOT good... You're clogging your pores and letting dirt, oil, product, and/or sweat build up on your hair shaft. Clean hair is healthy hair. Some people have naturally oily hair and they don't like how it looks “weighed down” or “limp” so they wash their hair almost everyday. I don't recommend everyday but on average, about once a week is good. The MAX should be every two weeks, not two MONTHS.

2. Speaking, of “dead ends,” your hair is like a plant. Literally. So now let's think of a green plant. When you see part of a leaf turning brown, if you do not cut that piece off of the leaf then eventually the entire leaf will become brown. The brown (dead) area will start working its way down the stem until the entire thing is dead and falls off. Its the SAME exact thing with your hair. You HAVE to cut off the dead ends or else it will work its way up your entire hair shaft. Notice when you cut the brown piece of the plant off and water it, in a couple days the leaf has rejuvenated. STOP holding on to dead ends for length. You're NOT fooling ANYONE but yourself. Everyone else knows and is making fun of you. 

3. PH scale. This is the most important aspect to hair that most people do NOT know. Almost everything that concerns hair relates to the PH scale. It ranges from 0-14 with 7 being neutral. From 0-6.9 is acidic. 7.1-14 being alkaline. “Acidic” has moisture. “Alkaline” is dry. Our natural hair is 4.5-5.5. So anything we put in our hair should be related to this scale to see how harsh or good it is for you. Water is 7... so even water dries our hair out. Thats why I didn't recommend wetting it everyday. The higher the numbers go up in the scale, the drier our hair is becoming. Water, shampoo, conditioner, color, relaxer, perms, all relate to this scale. Make sure you keep it in mind. I will break down where each of these fall on the scale.

4. Hair color is definitely a major theme in the hair industry. There's so much you need to know about it before experimenting. Color on the PH scale is definitely above 10... Whether it's black or blonde, it is drying out your hair. You MUST maintain a regime for moisture after coloring your hair. You can not just color it and leave it untouched for weeks at a time. It will make your hair hard, dry and weak enough to break off. A lot of people dye their hair black when they see that it's damaged. That is NOT a good idea because you are putting a chemical on already damaged hair. It's not strong enough to take a chemical. There are about 4 different types of color, and there's bleach. Temporary color which washes out after about 1 or 2 washes. Semi permanent which is basically like a rinse, lasts 4-6 weeks. Demi permanent which lasts 6-8 weeks. (Semi nor Demi can be used to make your hair “lighter”)...And permanent color which is permanent but definitely DOES fade. Permanent color is of course the most harsh, tying with bleach. Please do not use box dye. It really isn't good for your hair. It has a lot of metal in it which of course makes your hair dry and brittle after a while. If you do color your hair at home which I personally do not recommend because chances are you don't really know what you're doing, use the tubes of color that you have to mix. Yes they usually come in a box but thats not “box dye”... The box color I'm speaking of is the entire process in a box that has the picture of someone on it usually. 

5. On to Relaxer... “The Creamy Crack” that Cutty is addicted to. Everyone does NOT need a relaxer. With the proper amount of TIME and effort by you or you stylist, you can get your hair bone straight with a blow dryer and flat iron. But since I have short hair, I NEED a relaxer because I like my hair LAID down smooth, straight and silky. My FIRST and MAIN point about relaxer is to get it done professionally. TRUST ME, you DO NOT know what you are doing. Just because you got it straight does not mean it was done right. A relaxer needs to be worked in. You can't possible do it correctly alone. Relaxer should not just be thrown on your head with your hands and should not touch your scalp immediately. Relaxer shouldn't even get on your scalp until its almost time to be washed out when your just smoothing the hair. Thats why a lot of girls hair is so damn LIMP... They are damn near burning their hair without even knowing it. And just like color, box relaxer is TERRIBLE for your hair. I recommend buying one in the lil tub. You can use Mizani, Design Essentials, Affirm, Optimum Multi Mineral, NOT Olive Oil, Motions, Botanicals, etc... This is only if you are going to do it at home. Buy the entire step process. The base, the relaxer, ,the neutralizing shampoo, the conditioner. Etc Yes separately, it is more expensive but the health of your hair is worth it... YOU HAVE TO USE NEUTRALIZING shampoo after a relaxer. If you run out, you can use vinegar but DO not use that all of the time. You MUST wash the relaxer out THOROUGHLY. There are some neutralizing shampoos than turn colors to let you know that there is still product in the hair. If you do not wash it put well enough then the relaxer is still going to be working until your hair falls off from being over processed. 

6. Shampoo and Conditioner relates to the PH scale as well. You want to buy the ones that are around the same PH as your hair... They are of course more expensive. Most likely many of you are using “consumer products” which are basically the brands that target people who know nothing about hair, LIKE, Pantene, V05, Head and Shoulders, Motions, crème of Nature, Dove, etc. You should be using a better brand. There are TONS of shampoos and conditioners for different types of hair. You CAN and SHOULD use more than one especially if you have different needs. If you have color, use a color shampoo. There's also moisture and hydrate shampoos. DO NOT USE neutralizing shampoo if you did not get a chemical. You should be alternating the products that you use so that your hair doesn't become immune. Now as far as conditioners are concerned, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.... Do not leave conditioner in your hair that is not a “leave in”...Only use a protein conditioner once a month. When purchasing shampoo and conditioner, you should be able to find the PH of the product on the back of it. If it is not there then chances are, its HIGH, meaning its not good for your hair.

7. Heated Styling Tools- Flat Irons, Curling irons and Blow Dryers. ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK is okay... If you use these DAILY, it will damage your hair. Especially if you use it over product..

8. Weave, Wigs, Extension- NOTHING is wrong with extensions... With proper care and maintenance for it, its not “bad” for you... The main things you need to remember are to remove the extensions, PROPERLY... Do not rip, them out. Do NOT let someone braid your hair TOO tight underneath... If it hurts, tell them. You shouldn't need pain killers after a sew-in like I see so many people take. DRY your braids throughly when washing a weave. The hair will unravel faster and SMELL if not. Protect your hairline. Do not keep ironing, gelling, relaxing it. Do not put glue or adhesive on your temples. This area takes the longest to grow back. 

9. Professional Products- More expensive does kind of mean “better” in the hair industry. Not always but usually. In New York, you can get professional products from “Ricky's” beauty supply store all over the city... More local beauty supply stores are starting to sell professional products now and they are usually in a case or behind the register. Most of the products in the aisles of local neighborhood beauty supply stores are “consumer products”. They are targeted for people who know nothing about hair. They say whatever you want to hear on the box or bottle to make you think it fits your needs. 

10. Trim your hair every 6 weeks. No if, ands, or buts....

11. Find a good stylist. Make sure she or he is concerned with hair CARE not just styling. Bring the products you like with you if they do not provide or use them. Tell them why you like the product. If a stylist uses bad hair products, I wouldn't recommend going to them.