HairBoutique Blog

When I was a teen I had a horrendous hair experience with Castor oil.  I used the old fashioned kind you buy at the corner drug store.  It cane complete with a little cross on it because Castor oil can actually be poisonous if not consumed appropriately.

(Image of Heritage Castor Oil - Available From Amazon.com - All Rights Reserved).

For me the Castor oil turned my naturally wavy hair into a major oil slick.  It took many days to finally get the slick oily mess out of my hair.

Although I never tried Castor oil on the bulk of my hair, I did play with applying it to the ends of my hair.  Used very sparingly it did work to temporarily bind any split ends together.

Heritage Products Castor Oil Cold Pressed

The biggest problem I had with Castor oil is how thick, sticky and slimy it is.  Some of hair consumers, especially those with very dry hair or those transitioning to “natural” are using what is known as Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO).

The reason for the new popularity of the Black Castor oil is that it is completely unrefined.  The good news is that it contains virtually no chemicals of any kind but it does have a very pungent aroma. (more…)

In a report written by Jamie Stows on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 there is indications that stem cell treatments help children suffering from certain forms of hair loss.

(Image of child wearing hat - zfonso - All Rights Reserved).

According to Stows, experiments done with children suffering from the hair loss condition alopecia areata have produced promising results which could lead to further research and treatments.

The study which was done by Professor Marwa Fawzi at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cairo involved the use of stem cells being extracted from their own scalps and then reinjected in areas on their head where the hair loss was evident.

The study which was done on a small group of eight children all of whom had significant alopecia resulted in them growing back around half of the hair that they had lost.

By using small amounts of the skin from the children’s scalps and then isolating the hair follicle stem cells which are responsible for hair production, Professor Fawzi was able to grow more of them in her laboratory and therefore increase the number of these all important stem cells.

Alopecia Areata is especially distressing when it attacks young children.

For more information refer to the full article at:
Stem Cell Treatment Helps Children With Hair Loss

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There’s been a lot of media buzz lately around rats.  First there was the news that Mr. Xian, a Rat Catcher in China caught a “whale of a rodent” with his bare hands.  Now you may not think catching a rat with your bare hands is all that scary, although I do, but the key to this story is the size of the rat.

The rat caught by Mr. Xian in the streets of Fuzhou in southern China was a six pound rat with a full inch of teeth.  Thought to possibly be a Sumatra bamboo rat, this species can grow to be as big as eight pounds.

One noteworthy fact, the smaller rats caught by Rat Catchers in China are commonly sold for meat and often used in food.   Mr. Xian caught the rat by grabbing it by the scruff of the neck and throwing it into a bag.

At first I was a little suspicious that the idea of eating rat meat was an urban myth.  I did a little checking on the Web and found photos of rats being cooked. (more…)

Asha Mandela has spent the last 20+ years growing her hair into the recently crowned Longest Dreadlocks by The Guinness Book Of Records.

The 46 year old women from Davenport, Florida started growing her current dreadlocked hair in 1988, four years after moving to the United States from Tinidad/Tobago while she was living in Brooklyn, New York.

(Image of Asha Mandela from UTube and Guinness Book of Records Attempt)

At one point while in New York she cut all of her naturally curly hair very short and decided to go “natural” meaning the abstinence from all hair related chemicals.

As her hair grew in she started twisting it and eventually it formed tangles and then dreads.  She loved the look as it evolved and allowed it to grow into a full set of dreads which has been growing nonstop for the past 21 years.

There are many methods for creating dreadlocks and one is to let hair become Naturally Tangled although some dread lockers refer to that method as The Neglect Method where the hair is just neglected allowing it to eventually evolve from tangles to dreads. (more…)

When it comes to hair and hair styles there are a few basics that every man, woman, child of every age and race will usually take into consideration.

The very act of dealing with hair involves hair cutting, hair styling, hair maintenance, hair care and hair problem solving.

Hair basics involves understanding:

Hair type (thin/fine, medium, thick, very thick), Hair texture (straight, wavy, curly, very curly, kinky, combination of textures), Hair length (shaved, very short, short, medium, long, very long), hair cuts, hair styles, hair color (white, blonde, brunette, black, red, gray, silver and a variety of other colors) and hair maintenance. It also involves understanding hair tools and styling techniques.

Hair Styles

The very act of selecting the way you wish to wear your hair is ultimately defined as choosing a hair style. There is never a right or wrong way to select a hair style. It must always be a personal decision. What you like is what you should wear. Afterall, you will be the one wearing the hairstyle you select.

Keep in mind that what may look fabulous on someone else just might not look as great for you and vice versa. Every man, woman and child of every age and rage is a unique individual. Out ultimate selection of a hair style or hairstyles should also be unique.

Hair Style Types

Hair style types can cover an entire range of names and descriptions. Some of the most popular include:

1. Bob hairstyles
2. Layered hairstyles
3. Crops, caps
4. Flips

(more…)