Hello lovely readers! As you may or may not know, I've stopped applying heat to my hair and wore it natural for a few months before recently braiding it. As requested by some of my friends, here's my natural hair routine and the products that I like to use.
Here's my history with my natural hair. I wore it curly and natural when I was younger, but never truly found the right products. As I got older, through elementary and middle school, I always wanted to wear my hair out but that would end up with my hair being in a “poof”. I ended up wearing my hair straight a lot, but I never used perm or chemicals.
Once I was in Highschool, I started to become more inspired by the natural hair movement. I decided to care for my hair more and love it for the way it was. I stopped being jealous of the girls with loose curls or straight hair and started loving MY hair texture.
I believe that as a black woman you can love your natural hair and still do other styles such as weaves, wigs, and braids. They’re not mutually exclusive and actually one of the things I love about my hair is how versatile it is!
Although my hair was natural, I noticed that I had a lot of heat damage...especially after taking out my last weave in which I was straightening my leave-out a lot in order to blend it with the weave. I decided that I wanted to go heat-less for 2018.
So that’s a little background about my hair! Now as I promised here’s my natural hair routine:
Washing
I wash my hair at least once a week, usually on Sunday which is my “hair day”.
Step 1: Detangle
To start off my wash day routine, I like to detangle my hair with a wide teeth comb before I hop in the shower. I also like to take a comb into the shower with me to disperse products into my hair.
Step 2: Shampoo
There are two shampoos that I am currently using: the Cantu Natural Hair cleansing shampoo and the Shea Moisture African Black Castor Oil shampoo.
Tip: Work in sections when washing your hair. I like to make about five twists and work on one twist at a time to make sure I clean all of my hair.
Step 3: Conditioner
I have been loving the Carols Daughter Almond Milk conditioner. Just as before I work in sections to apply it to my hair. I also like to use the wide teeth comb to start getting some curl patterns. Once I wash this out I love how soft and curly my hair is.
Step 4: Deep Condition/Hair Mask
Once a week, I apply this Organics Hair Mayonnaise as a treatment. I really love what this does to my hair and I think it helped to strengthen it and keep it healthy. I apply a generous amount all over my hair, again working in sections. It can get a little messy but its worth it. I put a conditioning cap on and leave it in my hair for about 10-15 minutes, then hop back into the shower to wash it out.
Tip: Add an egg to the mask for more protein!
Here's my natural curls: what my hair looks like after all these steps before adding products.
Styling:
There are a lot of different ways to style natural hair and I'm definitely still learning more and more as I try new things. I like having my hair out, in an updo, pulled back in a low puff, and accessorizing with headbands and bobby-pins. I think the most common way I start any style is with twists.
Twist Out:
1. Create sections and part my hair in the desired style
The size of the sections and twists determines the curls: either loose or more defined
2. Apply products to each section
I use this styling pudding from Carols Daughter, I think it gives me great curls and results without any flaking.
3. Begin to twist hair I usually do two strand twists, about medium size. I like my hair to have volume so I find that I prefer looser curls rather than very defined.
4. Apply flexi rods for more curls
The front of my hair usually needs some more TLC than the rest of my hair because this is where I have some heat-damage. I found that to get the best twists out I should put twist the front twists onto hair rods.
5. Apply edge control and tie hair
I've been using this strengthening treatment on my edges and I think its really helped, I've seen a lot of growth. Next I apply edge control and tie my hair.
6. Untwist in the morning
When taking out my twists I like to put coconut oil on my fingers, this helps there to be less frizz. After all my twists are out, I usually go through the roots with my finger to create more volume without loosing the curls.
And that's it!
Throughout the week, I retwist my hair at night, usually using less product and less time than it took to do the first twist out. I also use my flexi rods. If I want my hair up, I'll brush it up with some gel the night before so there's less work to do in the morning.
Oils + Vitamins + Water
Another part of my natural hair routine are oils. I use coconut oil, tea tree oil, and Vitamin E oil. I like to apply these to my scalp to keep it moisturized and encourage hair growth.
I also take hair growth vitamins...and finally drinking lots of water. I think an important part of healthy hair is what you're putting into your body! So I try to eat heathy and drink lots of water and consider this apart of my routine.
And that's my natural hair routine! I am learning more and more as I continue to wear my natural hair and I gain inspiration from so many people. Please continue to share tips and tricks! I would love to do more posts on my hair as I try new products and and styles.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo,