Hey everybody, it is the one and only it is Melanie Day, here with In Living Curls Haircare Community, always bringing you:

• The right information

• The right facts about hair products

• The right techniques

• How to use the products in your hair properly

• Creating the best home

• And healthy hair care regimens

So today, you all are looking at my luscious braids that I just got done a few weeks ago, and I haven't had my hair braided since last year. I was so happy to get them in, but I'm writing this because a lot of ladies right now have protective styles, or they have you know depending on the season; summertime, winter time, all year round.

They just like their hair braided - I'm one of those, because I'm very busy, I deal with other people's hair for living. I don't always want to do my own hair, but that's another story for another time. What I'm talking about today is maintaining your hair during the summer months, or just maintaining your hair period.

You want to make sure that your that your scalp stays clean.

Especially when you have braids when you have locks - or any type of styles - where your hair is put up for a while, the most important thing is you want to make sure that your that your scalp stays clean.

Now, like I said, I got my hair done about a month ago, and I normally am not one to shampoo my braids on a regular, or even at all; I would just kind of spot treat with some sea breeze. or a topical um scalp applicator thing to do that. You sit in a chair, you spend money, and you don't want to feel like you're frizzing up your braids.

If your whole intention of getting braids is to give your hair a break, for it to be thicker. and to be a lot healthier, when it comes down you best be taking care of it underneath! So I'm going to be sharing with you some of my tips and some of my tricks of what I personally do with my hair as a licensed cosmetologist and trichologist.

I've shampooed my hair twice since I've had my braids. You may ask, “what did you shampoo your hair with?”

If you've ever sat in a chair if you've ever heard me talk about hair and the scalp, you’ll know how closely related we are to nature. You look at the hair, which basically symbolizes leaves on a tree. Now, when you're looking at the scalp, the scalp represents the soil; if your soil is really compacted it's dry, it's not the best environment. You've got different types of soil depending on where you live, but you might not have the best “harvest” because the environment is not right for healthy produce.

A healthy scalp should not itch.

Take that same analogy, and take it to your hair and scalp care - this will really help you understand the importance of making sure that you shampoo your hair and your scalp on a regular basis. I'm going to say that again: make sure you shampoo your hair and your scalp on a regular basis. When you have a healthy scalp, you have a good environment; it's well-nourished. A healthy scalp should not itch.

If you're doing a lot of digging and scratching in your scalp and it's itchy - you have a problem. You need to take care of it. You need to shampoo more often, or if it's more severe, you need to go see a dermatologist to make sure that it's nothing else that needs to be dealt with. Keep this in mind when you think about your hair and your scalp. You want your hair to flourish, you want it to be healthy, and you want your scalp to look like this bottom left side here where the soil is nice and loose, it's not compacted, and the roots can grow. That's exactly how you want your scalp to be!

If you have additional questions, make sure you become a part of our community: In Living Curls Haircare Community, which was created specifically for women of color who are experiencing different things with their hair, but also wanting to learn more about healthy hair care regimens and achieving that at home.

I am your stylist, I am always here for you, and I will see you soon. Bye!

-Melanie Day