Regimen/Product Update & Tips

After removing the yarn braids I decided (along with the help of this brutal winter) that I need to amp up the moisture in my hair care regimen.

So far, I have been consistent with deep conditioning every week and limiting the use of shampoo. I am still deep conditioning with Giovanni SAS and we I do use shampoo and make sure to pre-poo with either Jasmine oil or Amla oil.

Mid-week I have been trying to implement a additional co-wash into my regimen. My hair needs (and loves) more exposure to water - water is the ultimate moisturizer. For the mid-week co-wash I have started using HE Hello Hydration because it is thick and creamy has worked well for my hair in the past.

Daily I am spritzing my hair with more moisture by spraying it each morning and night with Aloe Gro. I am following up that spritz by sealing in that moisture with coconut oil. My hair also soaks up coconut oil like there is no tomorrow!

Protective styles can be the busy lady's best friend. Doing my hair once a week saves me time and also limits me from over-manipulating my hair. Last winter I learned that a simple and consistent regimen can yield desirable results and I believe that anyone can do it.

First, decide what you will do on a regular schedule (monthly, weekly, daily).
Next, you want to select products for each step of your regimen and make sure those products work well together and work well with your hair. Choose products based on what your hair likes instead of what is popular at the moment.
Then, start doing some styles with your hair that will encourage styling practice and protect your strands from too much stress or harmful elements. This does not necessarily mean that you have to stay in braids and/twists. Don't limit your self, get creative.
Finally, garner your patience and perform your hair care routine on a consistent basis - write it down if you have to. There is a 99.9% chance that the results will not be instant but with time you will reap the benefits of simple yet effective hair care.

Good Luck! Happy Healthy Hair Journey!

Please comment and share your tips.

Today is the first day of Winter...

This year it seemed like the Fall season forgot to make its appearance in North Carolina and so my hair care regimen has been winterized for some time now. I am shampooing less, conditioning regularly, and keeping my hair in protective styles. Check out my winter hair care regimen here. Also, Google as a great blog search feature that lets you find and read about the winterized hair care regimen of other bloggers.

Have you already put your winter hair care regimen into effect?

(Feel free to share your regimen)

Sharing your regimen may be a way to help someone that is going through their first winter was a natural lady.

My Staple Products

Quite frequently I get the question regarding the kinds of products and tools that I use on my hair. I don't like to give out recommendations because everyone's hair is different and what works for  me may not work for the next person. For instance, my hair LOVES♥♥♥ shea butter. However I see on forums, YT, and other blogs that often many individuals are unable to get this product to work well for their hair. Sometimes, shea butter is all I use after washing so my recommendation would not do them much good.

But.....in case you are still curious, I have compiled and will continue to add to a list of products that I consider my "holy grail"/staples:
My Staple Products

Check back often for details.

From Last Year to This Year

Now that the busy month of October is over I plan to (and will) seriously implement my fall/winter haircare regimen. Some of the things I plan to carry over from last winter include:

• Buns (protective style)
• Deep Conditioning
• Oil Rinses
• Aloe Gro (for moisturizing purposes)
• Henna
• Roller-sets
• Length Retention Tips

Each week I will document every step that I made with my haircare because I am curious to see if I can get a repeat last winter's length retention. This will prove that I have found a method of length retention that works for my hair. My current length has already been documented and I do not intend to do another length check until sometime next spring.

Fall/Winter Regimen Part 1
Fall/Winter Regimen Part 2

Also, since my hair care will be kind of boring this winter I will use the opportunity to deliver some information that I have been compiling for a few months. Simple but effective hair care strategies.

Caring for My Straight Hair

September 2010

Usually I like to use water based moisturizers but when my hair has been straighten/roller-set; water based moisturizers would revert my curl and defeat the purpose. So I need implement my straight hair regimen.

I continue to do protective styles when my hair is straight (buns, french braids, tucked ponytails, etc)

Every other night (or sooner, if needed) I apply a palm full of any lightweight oil to my length (about the last 6-10 inches of my hair). If needed, I will also oil my scalp - but not often.

If I plan to bun for a few days I used something a little heavier like the Koils by Nature hair butter on the ends of my hair.

Lastly, I make sure to wear my satin scarf or bonnet each night.

I have some Vatika oil that I have been waiting to try. I am going to use that for the next fews that I am roller-setting my hair. If you have any experience with this oil, please share.

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 2)

Some of the products I want/plan to experiment/try again this season:

Shampoo:

Giovanni SAS - I have used this once and didn't like the feeling, however I was unable to prepoo before using because I was away from home

Dudu-Osum Liquid Black Soap - this is not an experiment, I am bring this back into my regimen because I have used it and my hair loves it.

Conditioner:

Suave Aloe Vera & Ginseng - Honestly I have used this and I loved it. However, I didn't purchase it again because I had other conditioners that I need to use up before buying more.

Aubrey Organic HoneySuckle Rose - I keep hearing so many good things about this and I am just curious

Deep Conditioner:

Still deliberating...

Stylers:

Koils by Nature Heavenly Delight - my hair simply melts with butters and I love the consistency of the Koils by Nature butters

Other:

Castor Oil

Jasmine Oil

Amla Oil

-I want to incorporate more oils into my overall product rotation and hair regimen so I will be attempting to some how include oil in at least 50% of my regimens from this point forward

The first day of Fall is September 23...I plan to start this reggie around that time.

I am open to any comments, opinions, and/or suggestions about the products list above.

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 1)

This year's regimen is a slightly tweaked version of last year's regimen. After going back through my posts I realized I have updated my regimens a lot and I am determined to put a stop to all the madness (LOL) and have set in stone regimens. Each I watch the weather forecast they talk about how the humidity and dew-points are decreasing so I know that time is drawing near to implement the Fall/Winter regimen.

Fall/Winter 2010 will go as follows:

1. Cleanse

Co-wash weekly and clarify monthly. Pre-poo before each shampoo.

2. Condition

Deep condition weekly. Except on shampoo week, on those weeks a quick 3-5 minute rinse out conditioner will be used.
3. Moisturize

After rinsing and while hair is still damp apply leave-in conditioner and then seal weekly.

4. Treatments

Oil Rinse after each shampoo monthly.

Henna bi-yearly.

5. Style

Styles for the cold weather will consist of braids, cornrows, buns, roller-sets and/or twists that are pinned up or styled in up-dos. Hair styles will be done weekly.

6. Trims

Trim as needed.

Products for the Fall/Winter 2010 will be in part 2.

How does your regimen compare?

Opinions are welcome

Seasonal Regimen Change

Fall is coming so of course a change in my regimen is needed. Last year (2009) around this time I gave myself a trim to prepare for protective styling throughout the Fall and Winter seasons. I didn't realize this until now... and just this past weekend I did another trim. So I guess I found my trimming routine. In between trims I would do search & destroy's to maintain my ends.

This year bunning was my first choice but I am open to other options.

I have thought about:

• Roller-sets: They would make my hair easy to handle but would be time consuming and would require me to manipulate my hair daily.
• Spring Twists/Crochet Braids: I haven't worked with weave before so I am not quite sure how that would work for me.
• Cornrows: These would be quick, easy access to my scalp, and cheap to maintain. However, at this stage in my life I am trying to do some things that would not make cornrows feasible right now.
• Two Strand Twists: I have been doing that style for over a month now. I need some change.

I'm open to suggestions. Do you protective style in the fall/winter? What style are you contemplating this year?

Hair Diet Summary

Well June is over and I made it the entire month without silicones or sulfates. My hair feels fabulous!

During the month of June, I used:

Dudu-Osum Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni SAS, 50:50, and TTT

Kimmaytube Leave In Conditioner (with Giovanni Direct leave in)

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

I also did a henna treatment during the month of June.

The verdict:

The combinations of these products left my hair feeling soft and moisturized. I experienced less itching with my scalp and my shedding also decreased (strange??). My hair was also more manageable and easier to style. I am very satisfied and would recommend the use of natural/organic products to anyone.

I looked at my product stash last night and debated about repurchasing many of the items on the shelf. I am thinking that I would love to only use the products listed above or the ones that fall into the natural/organic category. This will require a complete re-haul of my stash. My non-natural/organic products far outweigh the amount of natural/organic products that I already own.

ugh....I need some coupons

Detangling Tips

I don't like to detangle. There have been days (in the past) that I cut out a section of hair just because it was "too tangled." Detangling is the part of my washing process that I dread the most.

So for year I have been on the mission to make this process as smooth as possible. I have found that prevention is the key! (like with most things in life).

So my process goes like this:

When applying my prepoo mix I lightly finger comb if my hair is loose enough

While shampooing (in sections) I start detangling with my fingers and if my hair allows I may even bring in the shower comb at this step. This is done under running water.

Then while applying my conditioner I am constantly detangling and using the shower comb to evenly distribute the conditioner. By the time I get to this step I hardly have any detangling to do. Basically I am taking steps to prevent tangles from reforming.

When I am rinsing out the conditioner (under running water) I am constantly combing through my hair with the shower comb. At this point the comb glides through with no problem. :)

Once each section is rinsed I neatly plait the section to prevent detangling.

When styling my hair I make sure that each section I style stays detangled while I am twisting, braiding, plaiting, etc.

The most successful detangling (for me) happens when I incorporate detangling at each step of my regimen. I experience little to no breakage as a result of not having to "fight" my hair.

All-Star Lineup

For the past few weeks I have been using the same combination of products and amazingly received the same results each time. I think I have found my all-star lineup!

Pre-poo: Dabur Jasmine Oil

Detangle: Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner

Shampoo: Suave Humectant Shampoo

Conditioner: Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-in Conditioner: SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-in

Moisturizer: Care Free Curl Instant Moisturizer

Styler: Spring Shea Butter Mix

It is a great feeling to have an arsenal that you know works for you. The products listed leave my hair feeling moisturized, soft, easy to detangle, and extremely manageable.

It took some time and patience but I feel like I have truly learned my hair. Many of the products above are new to me and they were chosen by the way of me looking at the ingredients in each product. A while back, per a suggestion from CurlyNikki.com Curly Chemist Dajewel, I listed out the ingredients in products that I was currently using. From that I have been able to just read a product and predict how it would work on my hair. So far so good.

How I use the products:

I pre-poo for 1 hour, finger detangle under running water with the Suave tropical coconut. During this step I am separating my hair into two sections, one on each side. Then I shampoo each side gently massaging my scalp and bringing the soap down my length with slinging my hair all around (that equals tangles), I also use my shower comb at this step to detangle further. After both sides are shampooed and rinsed I apply HE HH to each section and use claw clips to pin them up. I leave the conditioner in while I got through my regular wash routine. The last thing I do before getting out of the shower is rinse the conditioner out with my modified Conair cushion base brush (by modified I mean that I removed every other row of bristles). Then I plait each side.

Once out of the shower I un-plait each side and apply my leave-in conditioner. If I am not going to style my hair immediately I plait it back up. If I am going to style I spray on my moisturizer and seal with the shea butter mix as I go.

This routine changes if I am bunning. Instead of plaiting I form my pony tail in the shower and I don't completely rinse out the HE HH conditioner. Then I apply my leave-in, moisturizer, and shea butter to the exposed ponytail hair.

With this routine I continue to stick to my rule of 3 with my finishing products. Only the (1) leave-in, (2) moisturizer, and (3) shea butter.

Warm Weather Regimen

This regimen is still in the making and subject to change frequently until I get it how my hair likes it.

Cleansing Routine

During the warmer months I like to shampoo weekly because I love being outside. As a result, there will be build up from sweat and outside dander and dust.

Shampoo Products
Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo

Dudu-Osun Black Soap Shampoo

Conditioning Routine

All year long I deep condition weekly- This does not change.

Deep Conditioners
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Co-washing Conditioners
Aussie Moist Conditioner
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-In Conditioners
Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave-in conditioner

Moisturizing & Sealing

The Sun is hot and always on my head so I still like to moisturize my hair after being exposed to the harmful rays of the Sun. Moisturizing and sealing will be done multiple times throughout the week.

Products
Kemi Oyl Conditioning Spray (moisturizer)

Moisturizing shea butter mix (sealing)

Styling Products
IC Aloe Vera Gel (for slicking back hair for buns)

Organic Root Stimulator Nature's Shine

Shea Butter (for all other styles)

Oils
Coconut Oil (used to prepoo)

Olive Oil (used to prepoo and in DC)

Peppermint Oil (used in DC)
Rosemary Oil (used in DC)

Special/Other Treatments

Protein: 1 egg & 1 tbs olive oil added to Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Pre-poo: generous amount of Coconut Oil or Olive Oil applied to hair and left overnight

Henna: twice a year (start of fall and start of spring)

Trims: when needed, S&D!!!

Hair Styles
Buns/Twists/Cornrows Monday - Friday

Braid Out/Twist Out/Wash N Go – on weekends

Hair Challenges

Weekday protective style challenge (self challenge) buns, twists, updos, etc

Regimen

Shampoo weekly on Saturday (if possible)

Deep Condition weekly (minimum of 30 minutes)

Protective style Monday - Friday

Co-wash – when needed

Hair out days: weekends only Pre-poo (before shampoo only) → Friday night (overnight)

Regimen and Product Finale

Nearing the end of the winter season this is how my regimen and product use ended up looking:

Shampoo
Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Herbal Shampoo (received at a swap)

Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo

Deep Conditioners
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Co-washing Conditioners
Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-In Conditioners
Never found one I liked enough to try or use consistently

Moisturizers
Aloe Gro Treatment (used on ends and on scalp)

Kemi Oyl Conditioning Spray

Oils
Coconut Oil (prepoo)

Olive Oil (prepoo)

Avocado Oil (mixed with Castor oil)

Castor Oil (mixed with Avocado oil)
Peppermint Oil (used in Aloe gro)
Rosemary Oil (used in Aloe gro)

Usually mixed together in different variations when used.

Styling Products
IC Aloe Vera Gel (for slicking back hair for buns)

FOTE Aloe Vera Gel (roller sets)

Shea Butter (for twists)

Special Treatments

Protein: 1 egg & 1 tbs olive oil added to Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol
Pre-poo: generous amount of coconut oil applied to hair and left overnight

Henna: NOT done during the winter season only because I have decided to Henna just twice a year
Oil Rinse: only done after shampoos

Hair Styles
Buns were worn for the majority of the winter season

Two strand twists were worn a few times

Roller sets were done for special occasions

Hair Challenges

Castor Oil Challenge (group challenge)

Bun Challenge (self challenge)

Regimen

Last weekend of the month - shampoo on that Saturday

Protective style Sunday - Tuesday

Cowash - Tuesday night

Protective Style - Wednesday → Friday

Pre-poo (before shampoo only) → Friday night (overnight)

It seems like this is a lot to use on one head but I like to alternate products and I also use no more than three different products on my head at a time after washing and conditioning. This is my way of keep my hair care regimen simple and effective. I had a great time with my hair this winter and learned something new about my scalp. Now it's time to learn my spring/summer hair.

Hello Spring I see you coming!

Scalp Experiment: Moisturizing

All winter because of the dry air if I do not moisturize my body properly or if I use a soap that is too strong my skin will start to feel tight, itchy, and a burning sensation all over. So I started to think....what if my scalp goes through the same thing as my skin?

-When my scalp is itchy I barely have flakes if I have any at all. So I assumed I didn't have a dandruff problem.

-I use the same shampoos and conditioners all year long but only itch during the winter season so I assumed it wasn't an allergic reaction to a product I was using.

-I don't do any weird treatments that would send my hair and scalp into a confused frenzy. And I only switch between two products at a time, just like I do in the summer.

So after days of going through process of elimination....my skin and hair started itching at the same time. A went to get the shea better for my skin, I glanced at the spray bottle of aloe vera....EUREKA! My scalp is just dry and when dry, it itches like my skin. Then I scratch like crazy and it gets sore.

To test my theory I have been moisturizing my scalp every other day with aloe vera....it has been working. To see if it was the aloe vera and not just a change in weather, I skipped a moisturizing session and the itching came back. I am convinced my scalp and skin just hate the cold as much as I do. Why oh why couldn't I figure this out about 3 months ago, LOL.

I also assume that the Castor oil wasn't making much of a difference with the itching because I was applying it to dry scalp - there wasn't any moisture to lock in. So now I oil after washing/co-washing and I have also added a midweek co-wash to my winter regimen. Although winter is near the end when as I make my discovery at least I will be ready for the next winter season.

Sources:

Prevent Itchy Scalp in the Winter

Scalp Itching

Soothe a Dry, Itchy Scalp

Curing Dry, Itchy Scalp in Natural Black Hair

Baggy Method Anyone?

With the cooler weather approaching fast I am starting to think about this year's winter regimen. Last year bunning worked GREAT with my length retention but I never really found something to work for my itchy winter scalp. All winter long my scalp itched in one spot - the crown. It drove me crazy. I am thinking that maybe I need more moisture but that would be terrible for my buns (having to redo them often during the week).

Since I seem to experience more growth during the winter I am trying to add elements to my regimen that will retain length but are still somewhat low manipulation, so I am considering the "baggy method." Keyword: considering

I really like Chicoro's Baggy Method.

For those that have tried the baggy method for an extended period of time, what are your thoughts?

Building YOUR Regimen

Upon starting my healthy hair journey I never even thought once about developing and having a regimen. Now it is one of the first tips that I give someone when I am asked for advice. Why? Because I wish someone would have told me! I get the most true results from products when I use them on a regular schedule. I lost count of the number of times I tossed something in the trash because it didn't work the 1 or 2 times I used it-and used it inconsistently. While building my regimen I used the following layout and tips (based on my experience):

First decide your overall goals for your hair, assess your hair needs to get there, and research your options.

Once you decide on steps and products then decide how often you want to do those methods.

I found it easy to split my regimen into time frames - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly.

Here is an example of one method from each time frame:

Daily: Moisturize

Weekly: Deep Condition

Monthly: Shampoo

Quarterly: Trim ends

Yearly: Henna

This is what works for me and some of the methods will change according to the season. Like with shampooing...I do that more frequently in the warmer months because I am outside a lot and there is chance of sweat :)

To help keep me organized I created a chart. I have a lot to do so this helps me keep track of what I am supposed to be doing and when.

Helpful links:
Learning to Build a Hair Regimen That Works

Black Hair Care Regimen

Shampoo Day!

First thing first....I needed to file my nails. I had some little ridges that I know would have sliced right through my strands.

Prepoo: I separated my hair (with my fingers only) in four sections and applied coconut oil to the entire length, starting about 1/2 - 1 inch from my scalp. Then I braided each section. I left this on overnight. I wore a plastic cap under a hat(for going out in public) until I was ready to wash. I love hats :)

Shampoo: I shampooed once focusing on my scalp with Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo. I used my Roots Only applicator to apply the shampoo directly on my scalp. After shampooing I noticed that my hair was a lot softer than usual. I think the coconut prepoo had a lot to do with that.

Deep Condition: I like to do an Oil Rinse after shampooing but since I am starting the Castor Oil Challenge I didn't want to overdo it with the oils so I deep conditioned with Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol that was mixed with Olive oil, Rosemary EO, and Peppermint EO.

Right now I have my hair in two braids just resting, I didn't do anything special to it.

Just apply some conditioner prior to braiding and left it alone to air dry.

Styling: I have been wanting to try this style I saw on Essence.com for a long time. I think that is will allow me to reach my scalp with oiling this week so I gave it a shot. Pics coming...

Product Rotation (as of Jan 2010)

Shampoo

• Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo
• Mane N Tail moisturizing shampoo

Conditioner

• Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner
• Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Deep Conditioner

• Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol
• Lustrasilk Olive Oil Cholesterol

Moisturizer

• Aloe Gro Treatment
• Conditioner Spritz

Sealing

• Castor oil/Almond Oil/Rosemary Oil Mix
• Whipped Shea Butter

Styling Aids

• Fantasia IC Aloe Vera Gel
• CurlyNikki Setting Lotion mix

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(¸.•´ (¸.• tia ¸.•*´¨)

Oil Rinse Pictorial

Hopefully this will answer a lot of questions about this treatment. This is how I do it:

Oil Rinse Pictorial

Shampoo Day~Dec 2009

My cold weather regimen calls for shampooing once a month. I have noticed a big difference this month with my hair and how moisturized it felt the entire month. So now, I am going to clean off some of this build-up and try out the shampoo portion of my regimen.

Cold Weather Shampoo Routine:

1. Pre-poo with warmed Olive Oil
2. Shampoo with Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo (trying to get rid of it so I can try something new)
3. Oil Rinse with Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil (I will be using Giovanni Triple Tea Tree Treat as the conditioner for this oil rinse)
4. Final Rinse with cold water
5. Protective Style

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(¸.•´ (¸.• tia¸.•*´¨)