Should I Detangle My Natural Hair Before or After I Shampoo?

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by Sabrina Perkins of SeriouslyNatural.org

The natural hair community is chock full of information of all kinds. From co-washing to deep conditioning and sealing, there are many different tips and tricks that are shared by some of our favorite natural hair gurus. One of the most discussed topics by far is definitely the different methods of detangling and whether it’s more effective when done either before or after shampooing the hair.

Continue!>>>
 While the efficiency of each detangling method varies from person to person, it’s important to look at the facts of the different characteristics before making your choice. So, which one is best for you? Let’s take a look...

Pre-Detangling
Detangling the hair before shampooing is a great method to use if you’ve just taken your hair out of twists or braids. Removing the bulk of the shed hair beforehand will reduce the amount of breakage and tangling you might experience if you waited to detangle your hair later on in the washing process.

This method is also great if you prefer to wash your hair while it’s plaited due to the fact that it ensures that the amount of tangles formed will be significantly less than usual. Some natural prefer this method when they have put off washday a tad too long and know some of those tangles need to be worked on prior to shampooing which can create tangles on its own.

The bad thing about this method is that you may need to detangle the hair again after you shampoo in order to get rid of the tangling from the friction of washing the hair. However, detangling before washing the hair can cut down on wash time and leave less fall out in the shower.

Post-Detangling
If you ask any number of naturals, most opt to detangle the hair after it has been shampooed and doused in the conditioner of their choice. Whether it’s with a wide toothed comb or your fingers, the best part about this method is the fact that the conditioner provides slip and makes the hair softer, making it easier to detangle the hair. Detangling post-shampoo will also guarantee that you won’t have to detangle twice, but it will leave a lot of shed hair in the drain.

The down side to detangling after is you may have created even more tangles with your shampooing. Many opt for pre-pooing to help eliminate this problem. I prefer this method because I do not suffer from a ton of tangles.

All in all, your decision will really be based on your particular regimen and situation. Whether you choose to detangle before or after you shampoo, (or both as many do) no way is the “right” way so try both ways and see which method works best for you!

Do you detangle before, after or both? Share below!

from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://bit.ly/20B4NoU

Detangling Made Easy!- Avoiding Tangles and Simplifying Washday

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 by Sabrina Perkins

Washday blues…ugh! They will have you cursing for sure. We love our curls, coils, and waves but sometimes we get tired of the extra work many of us face during washday. I used to dread washday but now I have gotten my washday down to a science by planning ahead. This is a necessary component of healthy hair, so I put on my big girl panties and do what I gotta do!

Let’s not even pretend you do not understand what I am saying. You, yes you are the biggest culprit for your tangled washdays. I am calling you out (myself included), because we can make them easier if we take the time to ensure they run smoother. Here are a few ways to avoid tangles and simplify your washday.

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1. Do not put off washday
Let me say this one more time for the people in the back row, yea, you in your feelings right now, I’m talking to you! Do not put it off until you have a tangled mess to wash! How many of us have procrastinated washday because we are either tired, forget, dread it, or feel too lazy marinating in our own funk to care? This is part of the reason washday becomes a chore. Putting it off is not only keeping your hair dirtier longer, but you are allowing the tangles to accumulate.

Dr. Oz says the average person loses anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs every single day and about 100,000 shed hairs follow a predictable cycle. They are either growing (anagen phase), not growing (catagen phase), or resting (telogen phase) and then they are released during the last phase.
These hairs that will shed do not stop when you do not feel like washing your hair. They only grow more intertwined throughout the length of your attached hair.

No one is suggesting that you detangle daily, but if you put it off then you are allowing the shed and unshed hair to become more densely tangled. Every single time I put off washing my hair I regret it. If you are reading this article with hair that has not been detangled in a month, here are some tips to help what could be awaiting you.

2. Pre-poo
A pre-poo is an oil treatment that is applied prior to shampooing your hair. Favored oils for most naturals include olive oil or coconut oil, but you can select whichever oil you like. A pre-poo will help to dissolve your tangles, and the longer you let it sit (15-30 min) the easier it will break down the tangles and allow your washday to become a breeze.

3. Section
I cannot stress this enough! I understand if you are in the TWA stage and it may not be necessary, but when your hair is no longer a TWA and you notice more tangles when washing, it is now time to make a change - this typically occurs when the hair is around 6 inches in length. Washing in sections allows you to be more productive by allowing you to concentrate on smaller portions.

4. Use tons of conditioner
Conditioner is your friend. Love it, cherish it, and use it! Washday is not the time to be stingy, and if you already incorporate the Curly Girl Method or the Tightly Curly Method then you already know the power of conditioner. Conditioner allows you to remove the tangles successfully without yanking out gobs of hair. Adding a few drops of oil to your conditioner will also help in eliminating tangles without ripping out strands of hair. And please, do not forget to detangle starting from the ends and working your way up to the roots.

5. Co-wash
Not everyone is into co-washing and I understand. Despite your misgivings on the subject, if you are noticing more tangles with shampoo, then you may want to give co-washing a try. Shampoos are meant to cleanse and many (but not all) contain harsh surfactants that alter the pH of the hair and induce tangles as you massage the scalp. Co-washing is just using daily conditioners or co-wash formulated products (such as As I Am Cleansing Co-Wash and DevaCurl Low Poo) to gently cleanse while also conditioning your tresses. I have tried the sulfate-free shampoos but my hair does not like the stripped feeling, so I jumped on the co-washing bandwagon and never looked back.

Trying one or more of these tips should really cut down on your tangles. Remember to take your time so you are not tugging at your hair.  

Has anyone tried any of these methods? If not then what are you using to doing to make your washday easier?

from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://bit.ly/1DDLAZl

Dear Mark: What Breaks a Fast Followup

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a round of questions drawn from the comment section of the “What Breaks a Fast” post. You folks had tons of follow-up questions about whether other types of foods or compounds break a fast. Does a teaspoon of honey? Does elevated insulin from BCAAs? Does coconut milk? Does pure prebiotic fiber? What about longer fasts—are they recommended? And how about unsweetened cocoa powder? What explains my ability to predict your questions? Do sausages break a fast? Does liquor? How should you exercise?

Let’s dig right in:

Hey, what about honey? 1 tsp in morning tea?

A teaspoon or less of honey is fine and won’t negate the benefits of fasting. I alternate between doing collagen coffee and coffee with cream and teaspoon of sugar (which was my typical morning coffee for over a decade). No reasonable person should fear a teaspoon of sugar or honey.

For what it’s worth, honey isn’t “just” sugar. It elicits a more beneficial (or less negative) metabolic response than other forms of sugar.

I’m shocked about the BCAA. I used to fast and take BCAA’s (yes, to continue dynamic exercise). I used to find it extremely difficult to fast compared to now when I fast without taking them. Does that mean that the insulin response made fastic more difficult?

It’s possible. Insulin impairs lipolysis—the release of stored body fat into circulation for energy usage—and the success of fasting depends on lipolysis. Without lipolysis, you can’t access all that stored energy.

Thank you very much for this info!! I am a butter-coffee-for-breakfast drinker, and I always worry about the ingredients breaking a fast. Could you please comment on coconut milk (in the can)? I love putting that in my coffee/breakfast.
Thanks.

Coconut milk is a less concentrated source of medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs (as in MCT oil). MCTs convert directly to ketones, making MCT oil and to a lesser extent coconut oil or coconut milk a potential “boost” for fasting. Still, energy is energy, and any energy you take in is energy you won’t be pulling from your body.

I find MCTs and coconut to be more useful when someone is just getting the hang of fasting or ketosis—as a nice boost to get things moving in the right direction.

Keep your coconut milk under a tablespoon and you’ll be fine.

Does prebiotic (resistant starch) fiber break a fast? Acacia senegal or potato starch? Thanks!

No. If you’re worried, test your postprandial blood sugar after eating the fiber.

Great input Mark as someone 3days into a 7day water fast with electrolytes of course what’s your view on longer fasts.

Check out the post I wrote on long fasts. Potentially beneficial but the risks accumulate the longer you go. You just have to be even more careful and methodical.

How about unsweetened cocoa?

A tablespoon runs just over 12 calories (depending on the brand; some cocoa powders contain more fat and thus more calories), with around a gram of net carbs and a gram of fat. Also a nice source of potassium and magnesium, along with a ton of polyphenols which can have fasting-mimicking effects on their own.

Eating enough unsweetened cocoa powder to knock you out of your fast would be incredibly repulsive. Probably impossible.

Cocoa is definitely a nice addition.

Okay it’s almost creepy the way Sisson answers my questions before I even ask them! I was wondering about this yesterday and then this post popped up in my inbox.

How does he do that…? 

Kraft-Heinz has a strong relationship with Google and Amazon, and the Kraft acquisition gave me access to Alexa/Google Home datasets and the ability to predict what my readers are wondering about.

Just kidding, though it’s scarily not out of the realm of possibility anymore.

What about a small snack of paleo sausages, smoked or dried? So meat and fat (beef, pork or lamb), and some spices. Maybe 100g worth.

Well, that’s a legit snack bordering on a small meal. That will break the fast, but it’s not all for naught. There is the whole “fasting-mimicking diet,” where you eating very few calories for several days out of the week and retain many if not most of the benefits of full-on fasting.

Let’s just say if you ate a small snack of paleo sausages on your “fasting” days, you’d still be way ahead of 99% of people.

But do try a full-on fast at least once. You might surprise yourself.

Great post! What about alcohol? Specifically, a shot or 2 of liquor. I would assume beer and wine would break a fast, but what about whiskey or tequila?

When alcohol enters the system, utilization of all other energy sources is suspended until the alcohol is burned. Back in 1999, researchers did a study where they gave fasting adult men the equivalent of a couple shots of liquor. They stopped releasing stored body fat, stopped burning body fat, and began burning way more acetate (a product of ethanol metabolism). They didn’t exactly “break” the fast, but all the metabolic trajectories we love about fasting took a big pause.

Good morning Mark,
How does one exercise in the morning while fasting? When to eat?

You can exercise any way you like, but I change how I train based on when I’m going to break the fast with food.

If I’m going to break the fast with a meal right after, I train any way I like. I’ll do sprints, HIIT, weights, anything.

If I’m going to keep fasting after the workout, I like to stick to strength training and low-intensity movement (walking, hiking, standup paddling). The strength training is essential during a fast because it’s an anabolic signal to your muscles—move it or lose it. Simply lifting heavy things during a fast can stave off muscle loss.

That’s it for today, folks. Stay tuned later this week for “What Breaks a Fast: Supplements Edition.”

The post Dear Mark: What Breaks a Fast Followup appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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Could your hair products be the cause of your health problems?--Nikki on The Dr. Oz Show

The Primal Blueprint Is For Life!

It’s Monday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Monday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

Most of the people whose amazing and life-altering stories appear on MDA are submitted by people aged 50 or younger. Here is one to inspire not only you “young puppies” but hopefully “geezers” like Mark and me. I am the same age as our fearless leader Mark Sisson, and while my story and my life have gone totally differently than Mark’s [I was never a triathlete or even close], the end result is just as rewarding!

My name is Lloyd and I am 65, and in the best shape of my life – almost. In my late 20’s I smoked 2 packs a day and drank two or three mixed drinks every night – and I sported a 42 inch waist. A neighbor convinced me to start running [he ran marathons and weighed like 140 lbs.]. I started running 2 miles a day around a golf course in the neighborhood and ran a very slow 10 minute pace at first. I really liked the feel of the endorphins kicking in and I took to exercise for the first time in my life. Fast forward a few years and I was running 8 miles every day, rain or shine, in around 55 minutes. I had lost weight, but was still eating poorly, whatever my wife put on the table, and often second helpings.

Then we had a freak snow and ice storm, and running was out of the question – for weeks. I was used to doing something physical late in the afternoon so I bought a beginner set of weights and got hooked on bodybuilding. Even after the streets were passable, I kept lifting and soon joined a gym.

I didn’t realize this because I was a neophyte, but the gym I joined was very hardcore. Incandescent lights, bare floors, hard rock music, all guys, chalk flying, grunting and screaming everywhere, and lots of the members were on steroids. No, I never partook, but I did start lifting very heavy weights, and found I could. By two years later, I was very strong and about as big as a natural guy could be. I loved lifting heavy weights and having big muscles. I received a lot of encouragement from the other members and many gave me diet tips as they could see I was serious. The diet? Low fat, high protein and lots of carbs. Some days I ate almost 5-6,000 calories a day and had a 34 waist. At my peak I weighed about 250, with very low body fat. But I was in my 30s. As we age, a lot of things change.

Year after year, I trained the same way, and ate the same way, but by my mid 50s I could see changes happening – my weight was staying the same, but my waist was getting bigger. So I started doing a lot of cardio, all high-intensity, close to my max heart rate, big puddles of sweat under my exercise bike at the gym, and no weight loss!

I was really discouraged, began doing internet research, and I found MDA when it was pretty new. I bought Mark’s first edition of The Primal Blueprint, and it all made so much sense, I dove in 100%. No cheat days, no 80% 20%, I was all in. I started this new eating style at [you’ll love this] at a Thanksgiving Day buffet, lost 2 pounds the first day and about 25 pounds in a few months. Blood pressure went down, bad cholesterol down, good cholesterol up, my doc was amazed, as he was ready to put me on a statin.

I maintained the weight for years until Mark started talking about Keto. Once again, I went all in immediately [I had been eating Primally for so long that I passed Mark’s “test” with flying colors]. I also started using the myfitnesspal app to keep track of my food and nutrient intake. My goal was to lose another 10 pounds and get to 215, but it was so easy, I ended up as low as 204 and I have stayed within a few pounds of that for about 18 months now.

Like Mark, I stay right on the edge of ketosis, some days I might have 60g of carbs, but most of the time, under 40g. I also have found fasting for 24 hours easy to do with my travel schedule and about half of the time, with the exception of coffee and maybe a piece of cheese, I eat nothing until dinner. And I am NOT hungry!

Just one thing more I want to add. From all the years of heavy lifting, I have had back surgery, two total shoulder replacements, and one hip replacement. Yes, I am a poster child for getting rid of old joints that don’t work well anymore.

During each recovery period, I had to stop lifting and curtail cardio, which by the way is now mostly elliptical limited to 75% of my max heart rate. Because of my primal eating style, even sitting around with little to no exercise other than PT] while recovering from surgery, I never gained weight!

So am I a huge fan of Mr. Sisson and this lifestyle? Absolutely! It works, it’s not hard, and it’s for LIFE!

The readers featured in our success stories share their experiences in their own words. The Primal Blueprint and Keto Reset diets are not intended as medical intervention or diagnosis. Nor are they replacements for working with a qualified healthcare practitioner. It’s important to speak with your doctor before beginning any new dietary or lifestyle program, and please consult your physician before making any changes to medication or treatment protocols. Each individual’s results may vary.

The post The Primal Blueprint Is For Life! appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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Giveaway: Cuisinart AirFryer + $300 in Primal Kitchen Products

I’ve got a success story coming up this morning, but first this….

We’ve teamed up with Cuisinart to offer an amazing giveaway…to two lucky winners.

Yup, two lucky winners will receive: 1 Cuisinart AirFryer, $200 of Primal Kitchen products, and a $100 gift card to Primalkitchen.com. All you have to do is enter by submitting your email address on this entry page.

The giveaway is open from April 15, 2019 to April 29, 2019.

Enter HERE FIRST and then get BONUS points/entries when you follow: @primalkitchenfoods, @marksdailyapple and @cuisinart on Instagram. Open to those who reside in the U.S. only. We’ll announce the winners April 30th!

And be sure to check out these Primal AirFryer recipes also on the giveaway page:

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Air Fried Guacamole

Good luck, everybody, and have a great week!

The post Giveaway: Cuisinart AirFryer + $300 in Primal Kitchen Products appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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Keto Zoodle Alfredo

People say they love pasta, but often what they really crave is the sauce. Not that pasta is merely a “filler,” however. Noodles offer a nice texture and lighter feel—putting the sauce in a proper proportion of taste and richness within the overall dish. That may be especially true with alfredo, one of the richest sauces around. Its creamy fullness is hard to resist, and with this low-carb zoodle recipe, you won’t have to.

Servings:6

Time in the Kitchen: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 spiralized zucchinis
• 1 tub (250 g) organic cream cheese
• 1 cup macadamia milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. Italian parsley (optional for garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Boil zoodles in sea-water-salty water for a few minutes and drain.

For sauce, heat cream cheese with 1 cup each milk and Parmesan in a nonstick pot. Bring to a soft boil.

Season with a dash of ground nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Put zoodles in serving dish or broil-safe dish if you wish to broil for a baked look as pictured.

Pour enough sauce on zoodles and broccoli to cover them. (Note: This recipe makes enough sauce to cover almost twice as many Zoodles as pictured. There will be plenty for leftovers!)

Top zoodle mixture with extra Parmesan, black pepper and chopped Italian parsley.

Broil if desired. Serve on its own or with baked chicken, and enjoy!

Nutritional Info (per serving):

• Calories: 230
• Carbs: 5.2 grams
• Fat: 20 grams
• Protein: 8.7 grams

The post Keto Zoodle Alfredo appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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