Hair Vitamins 101

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By Dr. Phoenyx Austin of CurlyNikki

Most doctors know that a person’s hair, as well as their skin and nails, are a very good indicator of their nutritional state. Healthy hair is a direct reflection of proper nutrition- while deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals will result in stunted hair growth or even hair loss. And the most common vitamin deficiencies that lead to hair loss are deficiencies in B vitamins, especially B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid, as well as deficiencies in the minerals magnesium, sulfur and zinc.

These types of deficiencies are not uncommon because many of us live very busy lives where it’s often hard to eat a balanced diet that is inclusive of all the important vitamins and minerals. That’s why it’s important to take multivitamins and/or supplements.

Many women take supplements for the sole purpose of growing healthy hair, and that’s fine. But you shouldn’t overdo it. When it comes to vitamins and supplements, “more” is not always “better.” And sometimes when you exceed the recommended daily dosage for a vitamin/supplement, the result can be harmful. For example, taking large doses of vitamin A for an extended period of time can actually trigger hair loss!

So when it comes to hair health and vitamins, always take vitamins and supplements as directed. Here’s a list of vitamins and minerals for healthy hair, as well as the daily recommended allowance. Use this list as a reference guide:

B-Vitamins

• Vitamin B3 (niacin) - Do not exceed 35mg per day.
• Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) - Do not exceed manufacturer's dosage. 
• Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) - Do not exceed 100mg per day. 

Biotin

• Dosage: Do not exceed manufacturer's dosage.

Choline

• Dosage: Do not exceed 3,500mg per day. 

Vitamin C

• Dosage: Do not exceed 2,000mg per day. 

Vitamin E

• Dosage: Do not exceed 1,000mg per day. 

Zinc

• Dosage: Do not exceed 40mg per day. 

Are you taking vitamins? If so, which ones? 

How To Transition With A Weave

By Dr. Phoenyx Austin of CurlyNikki

When it comes to transitioning from relaxed to natural hair, hair pieces like weaves ,wigs, and hair extensions, can become a girl’s new best friend. I did the big chop, but not all ladies want to go that route and dramatically sacrifice length. They rather do things more gradual. And I can understand and respect that.

That’s where weaves, wigs, and even hair extensions come in as great transitioning tools to aid in protective styling while letting you maintain an incredibly fabulous look. But they have to be worn correctly. Because bad hair pieces can (1) make you look a hot mess while (2) slowly but surely damaging your new natural hair and even, gasp, balding you in the process!

As a doctor, I would advise against wearing any weave or wig that’s uncomfortable or too tight. This will lead to hair breakage and even balding. And if you choose to wear any hair piece, I would also advise that you get it professionally done. Why? Because if going bald isn’t bad enough, some women also add insult to injury when they rock hair pieces that also look a hot mess. We’ve all seen those ratty, bird nest-looking weaves and wigs. Not a good look.

So future naturalistas, if you want to rock a hair piece while transitioning, I say go for it! And current naturalistas, if you want to use hair pieces for protective styling, that’s cool too. Just pay very close attention to maintenance and hair hygiene. Follow my 4 tips, and in no time, you’ll be well on your way to gorgeous natural hair!

1. Watch Your Hairline & Loosen Up
It’s not a good look to wear a wig that looks like its eating your forehead or wear extensions that are so tight that your eyebrows stay raised in a perpetually surprised look. And besides not being a good look, these are also the quickest ways to cause hair loss. Every time you remove that hair piece, you’re stripping hair right out of your follicles- which equals permanent hair loss. So if you want to use a hair piece, avoid tight styles and do not glue anything directly to your hair or hairline.

2. Take Vitamins
When you wear a hair piece, it’s important to remember that you should also be paying attention to the health of your own natural hair underneath. There will come the time when you won’t want to wear your weave/wig anymore. So while you’re rocking your cute little hair piece, make sure to eat healthy, drink lots of water, and take vitamins. The thing to remember is that healthy hair starts from the inside out. So take a good multivitamin, biotin, or prenatal vitamins, which are great for optimal hair growth and hair health.

3. Moisturize Your Natural Hair
While you wear your hair piece, you should also make sure you moisturize your natural hair- don’t just forget about it underneath your hair piece. There are tons of hair products options. I'm natural haired, was recently featured in Essence and talked about some of the hair products I use. You will have to experiment with what works for you. There’s bad stuff, good stuff, and great stuff. And when it comes to the bad stuff, I will say that there are a few ingredients that you should definitely limit or avoid. These ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfate, alcohol, petroleum and mineral oil- all of which cause buildup, are drying, pore-clogging and moisture-blocking. Instead use products from reputable brands, as well as products that contain great moisturizers like olive oil and jojoba oil.

4. Regularly Shampoo, Condition, & Style
I cannot stress enough that regular shampooing, conditioning, and styling is a very important part of transitioning/protective styling with a weave or wig. Don’t go longer than 1 week without washing your hair. Buildup of hair products and bacteria, can lead to mild and even serious scalp inflammation and infections, which can also lead to hair loss. And if you’re fortunate not to get an infection, there is the embarrassment of having smelly hair. And nobody wants that. Basically, you can’t just slap on a hair piece and think that’s the end of things. You have to be as meticulous as you would have been without the hair piece. Comb it. Wash it. Style it. Wrap your hair at night. Be good to it. Love it! Even though it’s not your actual hair, it’s still a product that needs to be taken care of and maintained as you transition.

Are you currently transitioning? 

What kind of styles do you wear for protective styling? 

5 Tips for Healthy & Lovely Curls

Dr. Phoenyx Austin on CurlyNikki.com writes;

Growing and maintaining healthy, gorgeous natural hair is not hard. It just requires making a commitment to certain basic health and lifestyle choices. When some women ask me about my hair and styling regimen, it's kinda funny because it sometimes feels like they want me to reveal some super duper top secret tip about what I do to keep my curls looking healthy and full. I always tell them the same basic things I’m about to tell you. Growing healthy and lovely curls is actually quite simple. And honestly there’s no big secret or magic pill. You just have to be patient and follow these 5 tips. Remember, if you love your hair, it will love you back.

1. Eat Healthy
Your hair is a reflection of your body’s internal state. So if you want good stuff on the outside, you can’t put junk on inside. We all know that eating healthy is often easier said than done. So it’s ok if you slip up occasionally. But if you want healthy and gorgeous natural hair, then you are going to have to make sure maintain a relatively healthy diet.

2. Take Vitamins
I wrote a post about this last week, so reference it if necessary. Ultimately, healthy hair needs several nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B12, iron, biotin, zinc, etc. And the easiest way to get most of these nutrients is by taking a good multivitamin.

3. Regularly Deep Condition
If you want healthy, gorgeous curls then deep conditioning should become like a religion. In addition to regular conditioning, I also deep condition once every 2 weeks. Daily conditioners can work great, but often they often don’t have the capability to really penetrate the hair shaft and repair damage like deep conditioners do.

4. Moisturize Daily
The curlier the hair pattern, the drier hair will be. This is why women, particularly Black women with natural hair should make sure we moisturize our hair daily. Moisturizing is very important because it combats dryness, which will ultimately prevent breakage and damage.

5. Keep Things Low Maintenance
Keep things simple with low maintenance and protective styling. All hair goes through normal wear and tear. But the less stress you put on hair by manipulating it with things like combing and heat styling, the less likely it will incur damage that will cause things like split ends and breakage.

And that’s all folks!