Hair Regimen Update For 2014

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”  ~Henry Ford

“Learning is a lifetime process, but there comes a time when we must stop adding and start updating.”  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

These are wise words from renowned men on this amazing fact that as human beings, we will always continue to learn more, unless one is too old ofcourse. I have found that, although I have been taking care of my hair the best way I can especially these last three years, I have continued to research more on natural hair care and have learnt a lot about my hair from dealing with it. There have been challenges like post partum shedding and issues with chronic dandruff and I have had to research more and more in order to deal with these issues and more so that I can keep on track with my hair goals. I have tweaked my regimen quite a lot especially towards the end of 2013 to suit my hair needs and thus the need to update you on my current hair regimen on my natural hair.

Friday.

I still wash my hair on a Friday evening most times because then I don’t have to stress about how I am going to style my hair the next morning because it will not be dry enough to wear a twist out or braid out to work. I wash my hair every week. Before washing my hair, I do a dandruff remedy pre-poo using crushed garlic. I know it smells awful but I have to do it for the sake of my scalp. Then I rinse the treatment out and cleanse my scalp. Currently, I am off any shampoo. I tried a sulphate free shampoo once and I do not think I even finished a whole bottle because for me, it just did not do the cleansing part enough. So I had to pass on it. I am also trying to use products which are as natural as possible so I have been cleansing  my hair either with Bentonite clay or Rhassoul clay. I love both clays and I think I will continue to use them interchangeably. So I do a clay wash every two weeks and the other weeks I co-wash my hair. After cleansing my hair, I condition it which is a deep condition for me. I then add a bit of extra virgin Olive oil to the length of my hair staying clear off the scalp. I rinse out this oil right after applying it and it surely leaves my hair super soft. After that I bloat my hair of excess water with a T-shirt for about 5 to 10 minutes. I try my best to seal the moisture from my wash days by doing the L.C.O sealing method. For a liquid, I use my leave-in conditioner mix I make using the Kimmaytube recipe. I then apply a cream and in my case it is usually Shea butter. For oil, I use some coconut oil. I chunky twist or chunky braid my hair and let it air dry.

Saturday

My hair will not be 100% dry so I leave in the twists and before I retire for bed, I undo them and re-twist or do chunky flat twists to my hair for increased stretch.

Sunday

Most Sundays I wear a twist out to church and then prepare my hair for the week in a low manipulation style later in the evening. This is usually an easy style that I can do very quickly but keep on my head for about 5 days.

Monday to Thursday

My hair is usually not touched or styled at all unless the need arises or it is way too scruffy to leave the house. Otherwise I like to keep it very basic and simple. I still spritz my hair with my spritzer every evening and sleep with a satin scarf on every night throughout the week. On Friday night, I may do a pre-poo treatment on my hair using Amla oil, or Coconut oil or Castor oil and then wash my hair on Saturday morning otherwise Friday evening is wash day.

I do not usually base my scalp when my hair is out but when I am in twists or braids and have much greater access to my scalp without much hassle, I do base my scalp at least once a week. Most of the times I use Jamaican Black Castor Oil and it is more of a pre-poo treatment and I do it on Friday night. I also apply Shea butter Deep Moisturising Hair butter very sparingly to my scalp to soothe the itch on other days.

Now I try and keep my hair in a protective style most of the times, that is in mini twists or braids and my hair routine does not change much from when my hair is out. I wash every week, moisturise every evening and put my hair in weekly updo’s. I still use Tresseme Naturals Conditioner for my co-washes and deep conditions although I also use other brands like V05 and Ultimate Organics. I do a protein treatment every month, normally when I take down a protective style and I still use the same recipe I have shared on this blog some time back. I do finger detangling with the conditioner on my hair before using a wide toothed comb followed by a Denman brush sometimes although most times I just do finger detangling.

I think this sums up my current hair regimen and if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section below. Otherwise, I would like to know what you have incorporated into your hair regimen that you feel is giving you great healthy hair. I would like to know and learn from you. Remember, we don’t stop learning …..

Till then, be blessed

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Hair Regimen 2013

I am going to try my best to explain what I do to my hair most weeks because I switch and change sometimes depending on what is available, the weather and whether my hair is in a protective style or not. I may leave out some information but be assured, it will not be intentional. 

Friday

I wash my hair using conditioner only or shampoo if there is too much gunk and build-up. I work with my hair in 3 or 4 sections for ease of manageability. When shampooing, I lather once only concentrating on the scalp, massaging gently to loosen any dirt without scratching it so that I do not hurt my scalp. The rest of my hair will be cleaned when I rinse the shampoo out because the hair shaft does not need much shampoo contact or else it will become too dry for nothing. Normally the scalp is the one that needs much cleaning. I then blot out the excess water from my hair then I apply my deep conditioner to the whole shaft of my hair, concentrating on the ends because they need it more being the oldest and driest part of my hair. I cover my hair with a plastic bag and leave the conditioner in my hair for about 30 minutes to an hour then rinse it out thoroughly. This is the time I finger de-tangle thoroughly and remove the shed hair. I do not rub on my hair to dry it. I just wrap it up in an old T-shirt to minimize frizz for about 5 minutes. When I remove the T-shirt, my hair is still damp but not dripping wet. I apply a bit of my regular conditioner which I also use as a leave-in conditioner and my oil mix. I further finger de-tangle and then use a wide toothed comb to rid my hair of any tangles and then I twist up my hair or braid to stretch it. These are normally chunky twists or braids say about 12 to 14 twists or braids. I like twists because they are easier to undo. I let my hair to air-dry for the rest of the day. I will not comb my hair again until next wash day. I smooth it or fluff it up with my fingers. Once in a while I may brush it but this is on very rare occasions.

Saturday

In the morning, my hair is in twists. Depending on the weather, it could still be wet and if so I leave the twists in until evening. If my hair is dry, I wear a twist out. When I wear it in a twist out, I do not spray my hair with water. I am a big water fan but I also know that my hair will shrink if in contact with water so if I am interested in the curl definition from my twist, I do stay away from water. I only rub a small amount of whipped Shea butter in my palms and apply it to my hair to add shine and to protect my hair from heat from the sun. Before I go to bed at night, I band my hair or flat twist it to stretch my hair further and have some wavy curls like in the picture. This is when I sprits my hair with water or my water-oils sprits mixture a bit to add moisture and it is also easier to work with slightly damp hair. I wrap my hair in a satin scarf and I’m good for bed.

Sunday

I wear a twist out most Sundays, either pinned up, a big afro puff or down. I try and avoid wearing my hair down when I am wearing a cotton blouse or anything that will tag at my hair. When it is humid, I normally pin my hair up to take care of any eventual shrinkage and avoid any need to adjust my hairstyle during the course of the day. I twist my hair or band it to keep it stretched for the night. I know there is a lot of twisting of hair going on but to avoid shrinkage and keep my hair stretched, I have to do something and this works for me.

Monday

Mondays are a bit laid back. I wear a twist out but in a pony, pinned up or some up-do I can come up with. At night if I really have to I take my hair down to sprits it then twist it again but most of the times, I do up-do’s that can last 3 or more days so I just lightly sprits my hair, wrap a satin scarf on and hit the pillow.

Tuesday

More like on Monday, I wear an up-do most of the times. I lightly sprits my hair with water at night before bed and that is it. I re-twist at night or band my hair with pony tail holders if I have to but if my hair is in an up-do that will allow it to stay stretched, I just leave it to be.

Wednesday

The same story. No major change.

Thursday

Same as Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, only that at night before going to bed, I apply my pre-poo oil treatment to my hair, twist it up, wear a plastic cap, satin scarf and go to bed. The next day will be wash day so I prepare my hair for it overnight.

There it is. I have been doing this for the past 24 or so months and it works out for me. Because I have been doing it for so long, I kind of do it subconsciously sometimes. I hope this helps. You can try it as is or tweak it up a bit to suit your hair needs and lifestyle. If you have any further questions, please put them in the comments section below. Till next time. Be blessed.