Courtesy of Shaundra Coleman
Stylist: Kolandra Watkins
Photographer: Mallory Gordon of Blanton Photography
Richmond, VA
Real Bride: Flat Twist Bun
Courtesy of Shaundra Coleman
Stylist: Kolandra Watkins
Photographer: Mallory Gordon of Blanton Photography
Richmond, VA
Can rubbing your nails really increase hair growth?
I've been holding back on writing this post for months now for fear of sounding like a complete loon. But I've decided that since we're all friends here, you all will at least forgive me if I do sound crazy. You see it all goes back to either late 2009 or early 2010 when I was chatting with a co-worker from India. From time to time we discuss holistic treatments and such. So we're talking about meditation, eating right and so on when all of the sudden he tells me this: "Do you know what my dad does for healthy hair? He rubs his fingernails together." "He does that all the time and his hair is thick and healthy." My friend has to be in his forties, so if his dad has thick and healthy hair, that would be considered a great accomplishment.
I've heard of adding strange herbs and pouring oils over your scalp for healthier hair, but rubbing nails together was something totally new to me. Was rubbing your nails together for long hair equivalent to clicking your heels together if you wanted to get your wish? To me the idea sounded that farfetched. Even so, the very next moment I could get in front of a computer I immediately began to seek out the merits of this claim. Turns out that there's quite a bit of information online about rubbing the nails together to impact, shedding, growth, and even grey hair.
Being the curious individual that I am, I immediately sought to uncover the logic behind this method (if it did indeed work). What I did discover is that most believe the nerve endings in the fingertips are also connected to the scalp. In Chinese acupressure, certain parts of the body are stimulated to directly impact other areas. So as we create friction by rubbing our nails together, the scalp is then also stimulated. In essence, the scalp is said to receive increased blood flow and stimulation as we rub our nails together. Best of all, the technique only has to be practiced for 5-10 minutes daily (twice a day is recommended).
When I scanned online posts for testimonials, most people either laughed it off as complete nonsense or said they did it for a little while but remained inconsistent. Along with the naysayers, there were also the group of people who said they practiced this technique regularly and have seen positive results. I was amazed when I read from some people that they felt their scalp itch, or tingle when using the nail rubbing technique. So what about me, you ask?
Well I did use this technique religiously for a little over a month. I rubbed my nails together for several minutes periodically throughout the day. My friend from India even caught me doing it one day at work and referenced our conversation a month earlier.
So what results did I experience? First off let me just say that my nails were the most beautiful they'd ever been when I "rubbed" regularly. They had a gorgeous natural shine to them. Not only that, they were thick and strong. Retaining nail length was not an issue. So even for this result alone, I think the practice was worth it. Now let's talk about my hair. When my friend first alerted me to this technique, I was well into my relaxer stretch. I was already packing plenty of new growth. When I finally did relax, I was all smiles over the amount of length I'd achieved in the duration of stretch. Unfortunately, that was the same stretch were I was plagued with massive tangles. So that kinda took away some of the glory of the length I'd achieved. Not too long after my touch up, I neglected my nail rubbing practice. When I think back to why I stopped, the only reasons I can think of were because I was doing it so frequently, that I feared it looked like I picked up a nervous habit. I could be sitting in a business meeting and there I was rubbing my nails together.
That was several months ago. I find myself looking back now wondering what could have been if I kept this practice up regularly. I'm looking down at my chewed up nails reminiscing of the days were I had fabulous, thick, healthy nails and a head full of dense new growth. For this reason, I've decided to re-implement this practice into my routine. This time, however, I decided to share with you incase anyone out there wanted to try. If it turns out that nail rubbing does actually encourage hair growth, I'd be wrong for not sharing. Think what this could mean if it's true. You could be giving yourself a "scalp massage" while sitting in a waiting room without actually touching your scalp. Either way, the results, for me, were promising enough for me to reinstitute nail rubbing into my daily life once again.
So basically the technique only involves rubbing the nails together. I would describe is buffing your nails as you would with a nail buffer, only instead of a buffer, you use your other set of nails. That's it! One can do it for 5-10 minutes a day or longer if desired. So who's open minded enough to give it shot?
What Keratin Complex Infusion taught me about finishing strong
You may already be aware of this but I have been riding the Coppola Keratin train all the way to healthy hair land. Ever since I first used this product, not a week has gone by where I have not treated my hair to this wonderful keratin delicacy. As long as I can remember, elasticity has always seemed to allude me. At one point, I even questioned if such a thing as "elastic relaxed hair" even existed. Was elasticity nothing more than a legend? Was I wasting my time as one who scourers wooded areas in search of big foot?
I almost gave up on this search when I stumbled upon my beloved Intense Rx. Because I experienced such magnificent results, I thought I'd go back to see what else I could find in Coppola's keratin line-up. So I find myself, once again, standing in front of the Coppola section of my favorite BSS. I grab a product called Infusion Keratin Replenisher and immediately begin reading these words on back of the box.
"Coppola Keratin Complex Infusion Keratin Replenisher is a keratin replenisher that automatically opens the cuticle and infuses keratin protein. Keratin Complex Infusion repairs, enhances and strengthens the hair.
Keratin Complex Infusion Features and Benefits:
*Unique formulation with advanced infusion technology Adds high pH replenishers to automatically open the hair cuticle
*Infuses keratin proteins and emollients into the hair.
*Repairs and revitalizes hair during blow drying and ironing.
*Closes the cuticle to entrap nourishment.
*Leaves hair silky and smooth.
I was highly intrigued by the claim that Infusion actually opens the cuticle layer, allowing for deeper penatration of the keratin. Immediately, visions of my hair strand opening up to receive the goodness of my Intense Rx Keratin serum swrilled around in my head. Just as I was about to pick up the product and skip over to the register, a question popped up in my mind. "How am I going to close the cuticle layer once this product has been applied?" Since this is a leave-in, I won't have the luxuary of sealing with a cold water rinse. According to the box, blow drying and flat ironing closes the cuticle. My mind, however, would not allow me to accept that as a viable method of sealing the strand. Logic tells me that, traditionally, excessive heat nomally opens the cuticle. So in an attempt to satisfy my curiosity, I contacted Coppola customer service. I was immediately connected to a wonderful person who took the time to answer all of my questions. Unfortunately, at the end of our conversation, I got the same response to the closed cuticle question-"use the heat from the blow dry and flat iron."
So I continued to let that question marinate in my mind for a couple of days then "eureka"! I knew I had to counter act the Infusion with a low pH leave-in. The lowest pH product I could think of was my trusty apple cider vinegar. "What if I were to create a leave-in consisting of distilled water and ACV?" Once I felt comfortable with the ACV water as a viable solution, I went back to the store to pick up the Infusion.
Then came the day where I got the chance to give Infusion a test run. After deep conditioning, I towel dried and began applying the Infusion. It wasn't long before my hair began to react to the high pH. All of the sudden my hair felt stiff and somewhat brittle. I had to take special care as I parted each section to apply the Rx serum so I didn't cause any manipulation breakage. The good news is that the moment, Intense Rx touched my fragile strands, all was right with the world again. Softness and flexibility was instant. After, the serum was applied I finished the section off with my low pH leave-in then rollerset as usual.
Believe it or not, I have now developed the ability to sleep in a full head of magnetic rollers. So after my rollerset was complete I went to bed and let my hair air dry overnight. The next morning I removed the rollers and va-va-va-voom, my hair was gorgeous. Soft, supple and magnificent. I must say that I truly enjoyed the process of opening the cuticle, applying a powerful product, and sealing it in for maximum effectiveness. I think I will apply this practice going forward no matter the products I use. What good is all the time I spend pre-pooing, washing, deep conditioning, if I don't take the time to complate that final step to seal it all in? I think the ACV/h20 leave-in will be something I incorporate consistently. Not sure how that will work long term but I'll continue to monitor the results. Hopefully, this will be a healthy hair practice where I can reap the rewards from for years to come.
I enjoyed this experience because, not only did I find a couple of amazing products, I also was reminded of the need to finish strong. I read somewhere that the pH level of hair strand is lower near the scalp and higher close to the ends. This process of incorporating a lower pH leave-in helps bring balance to the entire strand. It's all about finishing strong, thank you, Coppola, for this valuable reminder.
I almost gave up on this search when I stumbled upon my beloved Intense Rx. Because I experienced such magnificent results, I thought I'd go back to see what else I could find in Coppola's keratin line-up. So I find myself, once again, standing in front of the Coppola section of my favorite BSS. I grab a product called Infusion Keratin Replenisher and immediately begin reading these words on back of the box.
"Coppola Keratin Complex Infusion Keratin Replenisher is a keratin replenisher that automatically opens the cuticle and infuses keratin protein. Keratin Complex Infusion repairs, enhances and strengthens the hair.
Keratin Complex Infusion Features and Benefits:
*Unique formulation with advanced infusion technology Adds high pH replenishers to automatically open the hair cuticle
*Infuses keratin proteins and emollients into the hair.
*Repairs and revitalizes hair during blow drying and ironing.
*Closes the cuticle to entrap nourishment.
*Leaves hair silky and smooth.
I was highly intrigued by the claim that Infusion actually opens the cuticle layer, allowing for deeper penatration of the keratin. Immediately, visions of my hair strand opening up to receive the goodness of my Intense Rx Keratin serum swrilled around in my head. Just as I was about to pick up the product and skip over to the register, a question popped up in my mind. "How am I going to close the cuticle layer once this product has been applied?" Since this is a leave-in, I won't have the luxuary of sealing with a cold water rinse. According to the box, blow drying and flat ironing closes the cuticle. My mind, however, would not allow me to accept that as a viable method of sealing the strand. Logic tells me that, traditionally, excessive heat nomally opens the cuticle. So in an attempt to satisfy my curiosity, I contacted Coppola customer service. I was immediately connected to a wonderful person who took the time to answer all of my questions. Unfortunately, at the end of our conversation, I got the same response to the closed cuticle question-"use the heat from the blow dry and flat iron."
So I continued to let that question marinate in my mind for a couple of days then "eureka"! I knew I had to counter act the Infusion with a low pH leave-in. The lowest pH product I could think of was my trusty apple cider vinegar. "What if I were to create a leave-in consisting of distilled water and ACV?" Once I felt comfortable with the ACV water as a viable solution, I went back to the store to pick up the Infusion.
Then came the day where I got the chance to give Infusion a test run. After deep conditioning, I towel dried and began applying the Infusion. It wasn't long before my hair began to react to the high pH. All of the sudden my hair felt stiff and somewhat brittle. I had to take special care as I parted each section to apply the Rx serum so I didn't cause any manipulation breakage. The good news is that the moment, Intense Rx touched my fragile strands, all was right with the world again. Softness and flexibility was instant. After, the serum was applied I finished the section off with my low pH leave-in then rollerset as usual.
Believe it or not, I have now developed the ability to sleep in a full head of magnetic rollers. So after my rollerset was complete I went to bed and let my hair air dry overnight. The next morning I removed the rollers and va-va-va-voom, my hair was gorgeous. Soft, supple and magnificent. I must say that I truly enjoyed the process of opening the cuticle, applying a powerful product, and sealing it in for maximum effectiveness. I think I will apply this practice going forward no matter the products I use. What good is all the time I spend pre-pooing, washing, deep conditioning, if I don't take the time to complate that final step to seal it all in? I think the ACV/h20 leave-in will be something I incorporate consistently. Not sure how that will work long term but I'll continue to monitor the results. Hopefully, this will be a healthy hair practice where I can reap the rewards from for years to come.
I enjoyed this experience because, not only did I find a couple of amazing products, I also was reminded of the need to finish strong. I read somewhere that the pH level of hair strand is lower near the scalp and higher close to the ends. This process of incorporating a lower pH leave-in helps bring balance to the entire strand. It's all about finishing strong, thank you, Coppola, for this valuable reminder.
Gleau Nourishing Oils Blend Giveway!
I'm getting that itch again to launch another product giveaway. In the past, I've conducted a couple of Burt's Bees contests which were really popular the readers. This time, I thought I'd try something new. A product that is near and dear to my heart. Ladies this giveaway, you'll get a chance to receive a 2 oz bottle of Gleau Nourishing Oil Blend! Yes, that's right. I'll contact the winner on August 1 and anyone who send me an email to relaxedhairhealth@gmail.com with the title "Gleau giveway" will get a chance to enter. Please send in your emails by Saturday July 31, 2010, midnight Eastern.For those of you who aren't familiar with the fantasticness that is Gleau, this oil blend is one of the few all natural argan oil products on the market. If you look closely at some of the popular argan oil products on the market, you'll find that most contain several types silicones in the mix. Not to mention that most of them are much more costly and don't include other beneficial oils like ceramide containing wheat germ, strand penetrating coconut or scalp healthy oils like jojoba. You've got to get your hands on this product and now is your chance!
Good luck everyone!
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