I know. Some of us have had to make play dough, paint butterflies, assign school work to toddlers when all they want is to play video games or watch other people play them on YouTube. It is cool to be working during the lock down. But, I think I am being stretched much and what I need right now is some me time in a hair salon, having my hair pampered
Wait, the salons are closed. Eish. What to do now. I need a routine that is simple, basic and I can fit into my busy schedule.
I don’t have a big chunk of time as well, I can’t spare a whole day to be doing hair. Right now, I can literally steal an hour or two here and there so that I can take care of my hair. If it is more than 3 hours, it is already classified as work because then, I will be recording a video for you. So hear is how I am doing it these lock down days. Nothing too complicated. Just the basic stuff so that at the end of this lock down, I don’t end up with a matted mess of hair or worse, hair loss.
Friday
Detangle and pre-poo hair while I am watching a movie with the boys. I don’t use water though because I sleep with the pre-poo on my hair. I just use a water based leave in conditioner that also helps with detangling. I will then wrap my hair in a plastic grocery bag, a bonnet on top and let the greenhouse effect work it’s magic on my hair.
Saturday
Wash hair in the shower while taking a bath. Because I pre-pooed, I will shampoo first and apply conditioner to deep condition. I then finish off bathing and washing of personal stuff before rinsing the conditioner out. I apply some leave in conditioner and braid/twist my hair into 4 sections. It then starts the air drying process.
After I finish dressing, I will then apply some more leave in conditioner or a moisturising cream before sealing with whipped Shea butter and do smaller twists or braids or African threading, amaphondo, mabhanzi. And that’s it.
Sunday
I may wear my hair in a twist out or comb it out into a floppy afro if I didn’t manage to put it into a protective style that can last at least a week. I will moisturise and twist it at night into smaller twists or longer lasting amaphondo before covering it with a satin scarf/bonnet whatever my fancy is, before going to sleep.
Monday to Thursday
My hair will be in twists or amaphondo. A get up and go protective style. After bathing, I remove the scarf, neaten my edges and I’m good to go. At night, I will spray with my daily moisturising spray from Nashe Organics, bonnet or scarf my head up and hit the pillow.
Friday
We start the whole process again.
There we go! I told you, simple and basic. And my hairstyles don’t look bad as well. My family has seen me in these hairstyles before. So, I’m not being ugly to them here. I’m just keeping things real considering the time on my hands.
Whatever you do, keep it simple, do things bit by bit if you can’t fit it all in a day, keep your hair moisturised, clean and healthy and look cute. You don’t need to be going to work to look groomed. Be comfortable but look cute.
I did a whole video on taking care of your hair at home during the lock down period, in partnership with Darling South Africa recently. The video is below.