Almocado Naturals

Upcoming Event: Ladies Day Out with 2inspire Network

The 2 Inspire Network is hosting a 'Ladies Day Out' on the 19th August (2012) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in the Docklands (see flier below).

According to their Facebook site "2 Inspire provide platforms that enables women in business and those interested to promote, network & communicate. A place where we can all share, learn & grow".

All the vendors will be female businesswomen and entrepreneurs showcasing fashion, jewellery, hair and body products as well as beauty and complimentary therapies.

Tickets are available via eventbrite: http://2inspireladiesday.eventbrite.com/

Website: http://2inspirenetwork.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/2inspireltd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/2inspireltd

Hope to see you there!

Social Media:
Business: www.facebook.com/almondavocado
Fan Page: www.facebook.com/almondandavocado
Sisterlist UK Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/sisterlistuk/
Twitter: @almocado
Email: almocado@gmail.com

Ever wanted to try a complimentary therapy?

The Chamomile Clinic in Rushey Green (London, SE6) is currently offering a summer special on all their therapies until 31st August 2012.

The clinic is led by Aromatherapist Sorrell Robins who is also a skilled herbalist and hypnotherapy practitioner. Sorrell is supported by a team of five qualified practitioners (including myself) - who together offer a wide range of natural therapies including:

Aromatherapy (Clinical Aromatherapy)
Aromatherapy (Aromatherapy Massage)
Herbal Medicine
Hot/Cold Stone Massage
Hypnotherapy
Life Coaching
Metabolic Balance Coaching
Nutritional Therapy
Reiki
Reflexology
Shamanic Healing
Solutions Focused Coaching
Therapeutic Massage

Read the entire post over at my 'holistic' blog http://feelbetterbewell.blogspot.co.uk

Sisterlocks Appointment Etiquette Part 2 - Clean Hair

Sisterlocks Appointment Etiquette Part 2 - Clean Hair

This is the second post in the 'Sisterlocks Appointment Etiquette' Series - but to be honest these are principles that can apply to any personalised Hair service.

Let's talk about clean hair. Of course, if your hair appointment/service is for a 'wash and set', 'wash and retwist', 'wash and condition', 'wash, detangle, condition' or similar variation etc' this doesn't really apply to you.

One of the questions I am frequently asked by prospective clients is :

"Why do I have to wash my hair within 24 hours of my appointment?"

Background

Without wanting to get too deep into the science - suffice it to say that there are 5 layers of skin and the skin we can actually see and feel is the outermost layer of the epidermis known as Stratum Corneum which is constantly shedding as the cells are damaged and die.

Like skin anywhere else on your body, your scalp sheds dead cells every day - a process known as 'desquamation'. (Superstock has a really cool microscopic image of the skin and hair where some shed skin is visible - but it is copyright so I can't reproduce it here but you can click this link to have a look. Click here to see an image by the Science Picture Company which shows skin and hair without debris.)

These shed cells can accumulate and manifest itself as a layer of debris at the surface and needs to be removed by shampooing. Since our skin cells contain lipids and these mix with the naturally occuring oils (sebum) on our scalp - simply brushing or rubbing the scalp will not completely remove shed cells - you need the aid of a surfactant like shampoo to help dissolve the fatty content and properly cleanse the scalp.

It is important not to confuse this normal shedding with dry scalp, dandruff or scalp eczema.

Now add to this 'normal' desquamation - any environmental pollutants: dust, pollen, microscopic bugs (blown in by the wind while you were walking through the park) and even tiny particles of lint suspended in the air and you can see that without a nice wash the chances of your scalp or hair being truly clean are very low. (This does not mean that your hair will LOOK dirty, in fact it may actually look CLEAN but the particles are there).

How is this relevant?

Scalp Debris:

excessive scalp debris on protective cape

If you retighten hair with a significant amount of scalp debris, there will be a corresponding significant amount of 'scalp fall' i.e. lots of little white flakes on your back and shoulders after your session.

I always cover my clients with a hairdressing cape to protect their clothing but if the scalp debris is excessive this won't prevent particles of dead skin cells from transferring to my own clothing, the floor and the air (and therefore my eyes and nose) while I am working on you.

Interlocking is a manual and repetitive process so it is inevitable that tiny particles of debris will be disturbed and dislodged from the scalp during retightening and if this debris is significant it will become noticeably embedded in your locs. Do you really want that?

Dirty Hair
If you retighten hair that contains a significant amount of shed cells, oil (natural sebum or added plant oils), dust, pollen etc - you will cause these pollutant particles to become a permanent feature of your locs as they will become 'permanently' embedded as the dreaded 'build-up' or 'lint-up'! Do you really want that?

An ACV soak can help dissolve accumulated build up and using a tweezer to pluck out strands of lint can be fairly successful in redressing these problems but prevention is always better than cure.

The image below shows trapped lint in a lock. It is used for illustrative purposes only and does not mean that the lock rocker retwisted her hair while it was dirty etc as lint can be attracted to locs from our pillows, clothing, sofas etc. I'm just saying that retwisting/retightening unclean hair will lead to trapped lint/dirt and will make things worse if you already live in a very fluffy environment and this is a very good picture of trapped lint. (Please read her entire article for her tips and advice: Trapped Lint & Build-Up)

Source: locrocker.com

Summary

If you have washed your hair and scalp with the correct techniques within 24 hours of your appointment then chances are there'll be no or very little debris on your scalp when we begin your retightening session as we will have eliminated most of the naturally occurring desquamation and any product or environmental build-up as well. This in turn will help maximise your chances of having debris, lint and build-up free locs in the long term.

Conclusion:

Q: Why do I need to wash my hair within 24 hours?

A: To cleanse hair and scalp and keep your scalp free of naturally occurring desquamation prior to your retightening session. (Remember - skin cells shed EVERY day.) Commit this bit to memory: This in turn will help maximise your chances of having debris, lint and build-up free locs in the long term.

naani.com

If there are any questions you'd like me to answer feel free to drop me a line (see the post footer).

Until next time my lovelies,

Feel better. Be well

xx

Show Me How... Headwraps & Scarves

With summer approaching you may be wondering what to do with your hair. I find that locs - particularly longer locs can sometimes make you feel hotter in hot weather and that keeping them up and off of your neck can help keep you cool.

Since we want to avoid wearing tight ponytails too often due to the strain it can place on our edges, tying them up (loosely but firmly) with a scarf is a handy (and cute) alternative.

Naptural85 has filmed a video on 10 ways to tie a headscarf for cute protective styling.

Sisterlock rocker Melissa from Bespoke Hair has also filmed a more afro-centric series of options:

And you can also get ideas and tips from The Calabash Hub, Sister E hosts regular headwrap workshops. Visit her website for more details.

How do you rock your scarves and wraps?
Feel free to share your tips and videos below xxx

Naturally United

If you're in West London today do pop in and see me at the Naturally United event where I will presenting on complimentary therapies and holistic hair care.

Address: St Mary Abbots Centre, Vicarage Gate, London, W8 4HN

For more details: http://naturallyunited.co.uk/

Love you all and hope to see you soon.
____________________________________________
Aromatherapy. Reflexology. Functional Massage. Wellbeing & Natural Stress Management Services.
"Feel Better. Be WELL"

Visit the website: www.avocadoholistic.com
Subscribe to my blog: http://feelbetterbewell.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: @avocadoholistic
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Appointment Etiquette Part 1- Time Keeping

Source

1. Time Keeping:

I cannot stress how important it is that you be punctual for your appointments - whether it is your initial consultation, your extended locking sessions or your retightenings thereafter. Unlike many mainstream salons, very few consultants operate a 'walk in policy'. This means that your consultant will have specifically ear marked a particular slice of period of time on and an agreed date to do your hair.

Being late has an impact on your loctician's craftsmanship, scheduling, privacy and courtesy.

Craftsmanship

Interlocking hundreds of locs isn't something you can do while 'Jackie is sitting under the dryer or Tina is having her hair washed. We have to pay close attention

to make sure we don't miss any locs;
to make sure we maintain the right tension and pattern for your locs and
to ensure that any issues we may find can be rectified promptly before they become serious or irreversible.

This does not mean that we cannot or will not talk to you while we do your hair, all I'm saying is that we cannot do more than one of you at the same time so we carve out specific appointment times dedicated to ONLY you.

At the end of the day we are human, if we are rushing or feel rushed we may make mistakes or miss important messages your hair is telling us - to the detriment of the overall condition of your hair.

Each consultant has a different style of working - some may stand for the entire duration of your session, others may have a stool they move around on - either way, retightening and installation sessions can be physically intense. Being late not only affects the clients who come after you, it affects your consultant who may not be left with enough time to sit down/stretch her legs or back/ flex her wrists; clean her equipment and sterilise her tools or even eat her lunch between clients. This can impact craftmanship (as explained above) and let's not go down the road of healthy & safety and hygiene issues.

Scheduling

Most consultants -after having established a good maintenance routine with you - will have a good idea of how long your session will take assuming you've not suddenly suffered from serious hair loss or have excessive new growth/tangling due to missed appointments; this may be an average of 2-3 hours. When booking you in some consultants (myself included) will add an extra hour to your slot (just in case extra time is required) - this is the reserve or buffer zone. Additionally, most consultants will leave a 20-45 min break between clients, depending on the number of clients who need to be seen on that day.

So - if your appointment is scheduled for 08:30 and you arrive at 09:15, you could be heading into the buffer zone if the next client is scheduled for 12:30 especially if your hair happens to take longer on this particular day... in some cases this can result in your hair not being completely retightened since your consultant may decide not to keep the next client waiting and ask you to reschedule or book an additional appointment.

Of course sometimes we can't help being late - traffic jams, sick children, flat tyres, late buses and cancelled trains cannot be helped but please make an effort to be consistently punctual and to give your consultant plenty of notice should an incident occur.

Privacy

In London, many consultants work from their homes which means there is not normally a separate reception area for waiting. Your consultant will (should) have worked hard to build up an amicable rapport with you - your relationship is something to be respected and protected - which means that she will (should) not discuss your business with someone else... and vice versa - so you can imagine it might be a little awkward having to sit and 'not listen' to a conversation or for all of you to sit in awkward silence/making small talk while we wait for the late client's hair to be finished.

For some clients, having their hair done is not just an 'aesthetic need'; it can be the only time some women have to themselves in a busy working week or the only time they get away from the children. Some women look forward to hopping into the chair and unloading. It's not fair to cut this short on account of someone else's tardiness.

None of us like to be kept waiting (at the bank, Doctor's office etc) so please extend this small courtesy to the other clients sharing your consultant by arriving on time so they don't have to wait when THEY arrive on time.

What have your experiences been like with your loctician?
If you've found this post useful - please leave me a comment.
If you want to know more about Sisterlocks or microlocks or you just want to have a chat - you can find me through my business pages below. xx

Facebook:
Person: www.facebook.com/almondavocado
Business Page: www.facebook.com/almondandavocado
Twitter: @avocadoholistic

Teenage Sisterlocks

I just wanted to share this photo of two of my clients.
They both have thick softly curly natural hair and have been locked for 12 and 18 months respectively.
Can you tell which is which?

In case you couldn't guess - the client on the right hand side of the photo has the younger locks. If you look carefully you will see that it is much easier to detect the interlocking pattern (similar to a braid-like pattern) in her locks, whereas the client on the left hand side is tending towards a more uniform appearance.

Both clients are in the 'teenage' stage of locking, with lots of frizz and 'encasement', the hair is beginning to matt and coil around the original interlocking framework indicating that they are well on their way towards sexy slimline Sisterlocks - Yay!

I have been introducing clients to the beauty of Sisterlocks since 2010, if you'd like to know more, please tweet @avocadoholistic or email me at almocado@gmail.com for a consultation (no-obligation I promise!); if you become a fan on facebook you'll find my telephone number.

Have a great week!

Facebook:
Person: www.facebook.com/almondavocado
Business Page: www.facebook.com/almondandavocado
Twitter: @avocadoholistic