What I Learned From Trichologist Dr. Kari at the Eden Brunch!

A few weeks back I attended a lovely brunch at the W Hotel on Lakeshore Drive. Hosted by Eden BodyWorks to launch the new Jojoba Monoi line (which I LOVE), a truly incredible and inspiring group of Chicago women came together for the occasion!

 

Many of my favorite people were there, my amigas Luvvie, Aramide of The Sassy Peach, Renisha of Renewed Fitness, Mitzi Miller of Jet Magazine, Raijean of SwaRai Blog, Bree of The Mane Source and Nikki of Nikki and the City, PR superstars Renae of Crush Media and In Her Shoes blog, and Ylorie, the VP of Marketing for Eden BodyWorks.

Love Ylorie! The homie Chuck Olu-Alabi was there to take amazing photos, which he does so well (check out his Etsy shop)! I made new friends, like Autumn of chic Chicago boutique Sir and Madame, the lovely Trizonna McClendon, the ladies of Mhe Magazine and @LoveYourNaps on Twitter, who’s a sweetheart. AND fellow natural hair blogger CharyJay who I’ve been DYING to meet! And so many other beautiful, professional ladies at the table.

With mimosas flowing, we gathered to hear the wise words of Los Angeles based trichologist, cosmetologist, and owner of the Mahogany Hair Salon, Dr. Kari Williams. I’d been wanting to meet Dr. Kari FOREVER, as she is an amazing, knowledgeable woman and we have many mutual friends in common!  Here I am sitting next to her right before the took center stage!

Dr. Kari has been touring the country to promote Eden Body Works’ new Jojoba Monoi product line, and to impart very necessary information about scalp health. I learned QUITE a bit, just sitting there and drinking in her wisdom (along with fabu mimosas). Here are some of the things I learned from Dr. Kari at the Eden Body Works brunch!

— You know how sometimes you ask someone what products they use in their hair and they’re like “oh whatever a little of this and a little of that?” Yeah, that’s not the best method. Dr. Kari believes it is best to have a product regimen, including shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, a lubricant and a styling product. She says staying within a specific product line is best because the product line has been made specifically to work together.

— Dr. Kari believes in washing hair at least once a week, for those with active lifestyles, more than once. She recommends deep conditioning with heat or a steamer on a regular basis, especially for natural hair.

— Lubrication and oil are important to our hair care. After conditioning, many oil the scalp or use grease, but grease just plasters the flakes from your scalp back down. Dr. Kari recommends using a light oil on the scalp but a heavier oil on the ends.

— When you think of moisturizing hair, think WATER. Ingredients in your hair products should include water in the top five ingredients, and then oil.

— Jojoba oil is also antibacterial, and contains Vitamin E.

— For caring for locs, Dr. Kari recommends hot oil treatments, no heavy creams, and you should rinse lightly. Locs hold on to energy. Love them gently, treat them with care.

— Too much protein treatment or in the products used can lead to dryness and breakage.

— You know how some people like to leave conditioner in super long, like overnight sometimes? And not follow the instructions on the bottle? Dr. Kari has seen some disasters because of that folly. “There is no need to sleep with conditioner, it can lead to dermatitis. Same with hot oil. It can lead to inflammation and burning of the scalp.”

— Shampoo is your friend. “A lot of women with curlier hair avoid shampoo because they think it will dry the hair, however it removes dirt and buildup on the hair and scalp. Dr. Kari is a fan of co-washing but says you should use shampoo once a week.

During the Eden Body Works event Dr. Kari presented an alternate way to use the Jojoba Monoi product line that has been a complete revelation to me. She suggested using the whole product line but switching the order of things around to use the Jojoba Monoi Revitalizing Conditioner as a pre-poo, and then use shampoo, deep conditioner, hair milk, and oil in that order. My hair absolutely LOVES this order of things. It makes a difference for me in terms of moisture and reducing frizz. LOVE. I need to take a pic to show y’all!

Meeting Dr. Kari and hearing her words of wisdom was a great experience – she regularly contributes to Natural Chica’s blog so you can check her out there. Thanks to Eden for an amazing time and such great products!

What are your biggest scalp issues? Would you visit a trichologist? I think I need to make an appointment!