A Mother's Day Offer From Northwest Scents

Mother's day is almost here (May 9th). If you are looking for something different to give to your mother, we invite you to visit Northwest Scents natural black hair care. We have several items that may be of interest to the Mom who likes natural hair care products, including silk sleep caps (to protect her hair when she sleeps) , naturally scented hair pomades , and naturally scented hair oils . Place an order between now and 5/9/2010, and use coupon code mothersday to save 10% on your order.

Patchouli Essential Oil

Someone recently asked us about patchouli essential oil. Patchouli essential oil is one of the essential oils we use in our men's hair products, and our citrus ylang-ylang products. You may wonder why we use natural essential oils in Northwest Scents hair products. We use essential oils in our products because they are a natural way to add scent and therapeutic value to our products.

If you are interested in learning more about essential oils and their properties, you may want to read "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils" by Julia Lawless. This book is a standard in the area of essential oils. According to Ms. Lawless, patchouli essential oil is naturally anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and bactericidal. It is naturally effective against dandruff and dermatitis. What that means is that it can help deal with some of the scalp and hair problems that people have. That is why we use it in some of our hair care products.

Keep a Hair Journal

There are so many choices for hair care and hair routines available on the web, that sometimes it can get confusing as to what you should actually be doing with your hair. If you jump around frequently from one product to another, or from one hair routine to another, you may not actually know what is working for your hair and what isn't. The best way to find out what is actually benefiting your hair is to keep notes on what you are doing. Write down the products you use and how often you use them, the methods you use, and when you use them, and any other information that relates to your hair. This is where a book like My Hair Journal can help you. Inside this book you will find pages to help you keep track of the products, tools, and methods that you use on your hair today and in the future. There is also space to write down your hair's progress over time. Store pictures and personal thoughts as you work towards achieving your hair goals. For more information visit http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/my-hair-journal/1266116

Tips for Taking Care Of A Little Girl's Hair

Question: Do you have any tips for softening and styling my 6 yo's hair? She does not sit still for long. Thanks.

Answer: If your daughter's hair needs softening, I recommend that you try Northwest Scents shampoo and conditioner on her hair in the citrus ylang-ylang scent. Sometimes commercially available baby shampoos can actually dry out the hair. You can also put a little pomade in her hair after washing it, while it is still damp, to add softeness to her hair. Just put a little pomade in the palm of your hands, rub your hands together to warm up the pomade, and then gently grab her hair and rub the pomade in from scalp to roots.

As far as styling goes, for a 6 year old, braids and/or twists are probably the easiest natural styling option. When I say braids, I don't mean hundreds of tiny braids all over her head. Just one or two that are done as cornrows.

One easy braided style is to just part the hair in two sections, by taking a comb, and gently parting it down the middle from the center of her forehead to the nape of her neck. Gently comb each section, and use a scrunchie to hold the section in place that you are not working on. With the section that you are working on, gently do a cornrow from the forehead to the nape of the neck. Continue the braid to the ends of the hair. Do the same for the other side. You can finish the style by putting a barrette or other hair decoration at the end of the braid.

Another easy braided style is to just do one cornrow from the middle of her forehead to the nape of her neck. When you get to the nape of her neck, continue the braid to the ends of the hair. You can finish the style by putting a barrette or other hair decoration at the end of the braid.

If you do the braids at night, and then tie up her hair in a silk scarf (if she lets you), and if the scarf stays on overnight, you will probably not have to do her hair in the morning. If you do the braids at night, don't put the barrettes on until the morning, because sleeping in hair accessories can cause some hair damage.

If you don't know how to braid, or would prefer another option, you could try loose twists. For a little girl, you could part her hair into two or four sections. Working with one section at a time, gather the hair together as if you were doing a ponytail, but use a silk or satin scrunchie to gather the hair together. Avoid rubbers bands and hair rubbers because these cause hair damage. After putting on the scrunchie, gently comb the hair and divide it into two sections. Twist the two sections together loosely like you are braiding them, but you are not braiding them, only twisting them (braids use three sections of hair, twists use two). When you get to the end of the twist, braid the ends of the hair together to keep the twist from coming apart, or attach a barrette or other hair accessory to keep the twist from separating.

Q&A: Tips for Softer Pressed Hair

Question: Hi. I'm 17 and i do my own hair. I would really love to see it actually lay down when its pressed. When ever I get it pressed or I press it people have a hard time getting it to lay down. My hair is really thick and hard to manage. What would you guys recommend I do about it?

Answer: Hi. You need to use shampoos and conditioners that soften your hair, and hair oils and/or pomades that seal in moisture without causing heavy buildup and stickiness. If you are using products that contain mineral oil or petrolatum, or shampoos that contain sulfates, these products may be drying out your hair and causing it to be stiff when you press it. Thick heavy mineral oil and petrolatum based hair grease will cause your hair to be stiff and will also dry out your hair. Stay away from that and use a natural hair oil or natural pomade when you press your hair. Northwest Scents products are free from mineral oil, petrolatum, sulfates, and parabens, and are formulated to soften and condition dry, black and afro textured hair.

Q&A: Uneven Hair Growth

Question: I really need help growing my hair! My hair is really short in the back. What can I do to make it all even?

Answer: Many people have hair that varies in texture on their head. Some people have soft hair in the front, coarse in the back. Some people have thicker hair on one side that the other. It sounds like your hair is probably softer, or at least more sensitive to your hair care methods, than the rest of your hair. I would pay close attention to how to you take care of your hair, especially in the back, and try to eliminate anything you think that could be causing damage to the hair at the back of your head. Avoid tight braids, extensions, harsh chemicals, excessive heat. Use moisturizing hair care products, and be really gentle with all of your hair, especially the hair at the nape of your neck, and it should grow back.

Q&A: Hair Loss When Combing

Question: I just wanted to know if it is natural for hair to come out a lot when you comb it?

Answer: It is normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs a day. If you don't comb your hair every day, then when you do comb it, you will see more hair than that. You should look at the hairs that are coming out. If they have a root attached to one end of the hair, then the hairs are coming out normally. If there is no root at the end of the hair, then it is breaking. A few hairs will break, because of your hair texture (black hair varies from thick to thin along the hair shaft). However, if most of the hairs you see are broken, then there is a problem, either with the way you are combing your hair, or the products and methods you are using on your hair, and you will want to change that.